**The students are becoming more familiar with our daily routines and expectations of all of their teachers and classes. Lunch time is going well! The students are learning to eat their main entre first, clean up and recycle their milk carton and tray. A special shout out to our parent volunteers at lunch!! You have made a big difference! We are learning what popcorn chicken is as well as pizza dippers!
**We had our first FIRE DRILL today. Yes, the sound is very loud! The class did a great job of leaving the building in a quiet and orderly manner. The students participated in a follow up discussion about staying safe, following directions and not being afraid of the sound.
**NO SCHOOL-Monday, September 3rd for LABOR DAY observance.
**Please let me know if your child will be traveling at any time this year. I will send a TRAVEL JOURNAL with them so they can record their experiences and then share them with the class. We will then chart them on our United States and World maps.
**Our schedule is nearly complete. A hard copy is in your child's folder. It is also posted on the blog under specials schedule. All that is left to schedule is LEXIA, a computer based program that companions nicely with our Treasures Reading Series. This will be done after MAP testing of older students.
**The students have gone to LIBRARY this week, under the direction of Ms. Noonan. Ms. Noonan talked about how to handle books and how to use the resources in the library. She shared a cute slide show of Library Do's and Don'ts. The students will check out a book next week!
**The students will have their first Friendship Club with Ms. Bell-Bey next Friday from 8:45-9:15 am.
**Mr. Packer Math Enrichment will begin next Tuesday from 2:00-2:30 pm
**Next week, students will be given the DIBELS test along with PHONIC SCREENERS. These assessments will help in determining each students placement in our skill specific Route to Reading Groups. You will hear much more about this at Kindergarten Curriculum Night on September 20th from 6:00-7:00 pm in the Irving Auditorium. Adults only please.
**COME ONE, COME ALL to the Irving School Open House on Thursday, September 13th from 6:30-7:30 pm. Come meet all the teachers involved in your child's learning at Irving. Your child will be your tour guide!!
**Scholastic Book Order information is in your child's backpack. First order is due by September 12th.
**Spelling City is up and running. Information on access is in your child's backpack.
**The students learned about the process of earning Eagle Slips and also about how our whole class can earn Eagle Wings. This is part of our school wide PBIS behavior plan. We have already earned some!!
This week:
It was all about the students continued effort to feel comfortable with their daily school routine and meet all of their teachers for the year. It was also about ABC's everywhere! What do they look like? How do they sound? What does our mouth look like when we say them? Uppercase? Lowercase? What happens when we put letters together? The students experienced many activities surrounding the alphabet.
Reading/Social Studies: We are continuing to work on our prep to Treasures called START SMART. The students are focusing on letter sounds A-G. We are learning about imprinting sound and how our mouth looks when we make that sound. The students are using mirrors to really see what happens when they produce a sound. Is their mouth open or closed? Is there air coming out of their mouth? Is there a vibration in the throat? Lots to think about! The students are learning to work with me to create word webs on suggested topics. "What can we do in kindergarten? What can Hands do? How do we look? These exercises generate conversation and participation that stimulates oral vocabulary. The students continue to listen to rhyming patterns in words. They are learning to chant the ending. An example would be " bat, cat they end with at." The students worked on their sight vocabulary from last week and we played, "Hands Up, Hands Down." They also learned a new game called, "Walk Your Words." This week the students were introduced to their first story with words. The students are learning to track (point) to each word and picture and begin at the left when reading. The students listened to the big book story, "Hands Can." They made predictions about story content. The students also made connections in their own lives about what their hands can do. The story was reread and the students worked on story structure, story sequence and story details. In our Haggerty Blue Book exercises, the students continue work on letter naming, rhyming, blending, saying the beginning sound, segmenting and substituting sounds and telling how many words are in a sentence. Our workstations this week included matching uppercase to lowercase (Froggy, Froggy Where's your Home?), Sound matching (Little Red Riding Hood Activity), iPad acitivites-ABC Touch and Sound Sort and Sound Toy Bag Match--matching toys to their letter container.
Math: The students worked on a variety of number recognition activities including Egg Carton Math, Listen and Count and building Number Boards to reinforce concrete meaning of numbers in their workstations The students discussed what a pattern does--it repeats or starts over again. We continue to work on calendar and weather observation routines and observed our newly made AGE CHANGE GRAPH. Next week, we will have 1 student who will change their age!! The students explored face and digital clocks and components. We talked about time by the hour. The students reviewed positional words--ABOVE, BELOW, BETWEEN, IN THE MIDDLE.
Writing: The students are learning about the types of lines we use to form letters--straight, curved, slanted.
The students used these lines to create MAT MAN. We even learned a song about him. The students are using their journal prompts from our Treasures Series when drawing their pictures and beginning to write down words. Students are beginning to inventive or phonetic spelling. They may record the first letter they hear, the first and last letter or even place a vowel in spots. This is very acceptable. The students are using their knowledge of letter sounds to "spell" the word. The students began sentence mapping and written cloze activities this week.
Technology: The students have begun their training on iPad use. This year all kindergarten students will use the iPad as a tool to enhance and motivate their learning. This week, the students learned basic operation skills and care of this great tool. In reading workstations, all students explored the app--ABC Touch, while others explored the app Sound Sort with a partner.
Literature: "Oops!" "The Cat in the Hat." "Hands Are Not For Hitting," "Skippyjon Jones-Class Action," "The Mixed Up Alphabet," "Alphabet Mystery," "I Like Myself." "ABC, I Like Me," "How Do Dinosaurs Go To School?" "Curious George's First Day of School."
Friday, August 31, 2012
Friday, August 24, 2012
UPDATES for 8/22-24 2012
**Once again--WELCOME NEW KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS and FAMILIES!! I am so glad you are a part of the Irving school family. I was very happy to meet all of you. We are going to have a great year!
**Thanks to all of you who have signed up to help at LUNCH for the next 3 weeks. The students are learning about the lunch routine and about recycling the paper products like trays and milk cartons. Because of our large class size, we now have 2 tables for our students to sit at. We can enjoy eating lunch with our friends Kaya and Emma from Ms. Von Hagel's class. Please keep reinforcing--HOME LUNCH or SCHOOL LUNCH?--MILK?--WHAT KIND? Our volunteers and myself are encouraging the students to eat their MAIN ENTRE first, whether it is a sandwich, salad, noodles etc. and then eating fruit, granola bars, pudding etc. Thanks for sending such good choices in their lunches and for snacks. I will always have either Veggie Straws or fruit on hand if your child forgets a snack.
**If you have not sent in head sets, don't worry about it. I was lucky enough to purchase lots from the Dollar Store. Our lab time for LEXIA READING, which is the computer companion to our Treasures Reading Series will be scheduled after MAP testing of older students. I will need 2 parent troubleshooters to help out in the lab. I am hoping to sign up for two-30minute periods twice a week in the afternoon. Stay tuned. LEXIA will also be available online for home use.
**I will be setting up SPELLING CITY, XTRAMATH and TREASURES online sites hopefully next week. These are skill building activities for your child to access at home. STARFALL.com is up and running. It is located on the left side of this blog under resources. Also check out the great sites on our Irving Parents Resource Wikispaces.com also located in resources.
**Please remember GYM SHOES and SOCKS on GYM DAYS. Check the specials schedule on left side.
**BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY was Friday, August 24th beginning at 5:30 pm at Barrie Par.k. I arrived later than expected but still enjoyed seeing many of my new students as well as old friends. Fun, Pizza, Band, Movie and Community!!!
**NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 3rd--Labor Day.
This week:
It was all about routines and expectations! Yes, I talked a lot! Our daily schedule is slowly taking shape. The students are meeting their special area teachers. We are getting to know each other and fostering new friendships. The students learned how to earn EAGLE SLIPS and class EAGLE WINGS as part of our PBIS Behavior Initiative.
Reading: This week students began a 3 week prep in our Treasures Reading Series called START SMART. The students are using their language skills by responding to a Daily Warm Up question. They worked on their listening comprehension and making predictions and connections by listening to the big book story, "Animals in the Park-An ABC Book." The students worked on identifying a sequence of sounds using the nursery rhyme, "Hey Diddle Diddle." We reviewed the letters Aa, Bb, Cc, and the sounds they make. The sight words, I, am, yes, no, can, red, blue were introduced. We learned how to play Hands Up, Hands Down game to help reinforce our new sight vocabulary. The students were introduced to a wordless pre-decodable story, "We Go to School." They took turns telling the about the pictures on each page. The students learned about book handling, locating the title, author's name, illustrator and making predictions about what they think the story is about using the title and cover pictures. We retold the story together as we looked at each page. Then the students partnered up and retold the story to each other. The students listened to a fable in our read aloud book. In the fable, "You are Beautiful as You Are," the students created a picture in their mind about what was happening. There were no pictures. They thought about what the lesson of the story might be and give their ideas. In our Haggerty Blue Book exercises, the students worked on recognizing rhyming words, segmenting words, adding and taking away word parts and counting how many words are in a specific sentence.
Math: The students were introduced to our calendar and weather chart routines. We are adding a number each day to our worm. When we get to 100--PARTY!!!! The students did an activity called "Partner Match," where they found a partner who had the same length of paper that they did. We compared the lengths and ranked them from shortest to longest. The students worked on recognizing numbers from 0-12, counting backward from10-0 and recognizing basic shapes. We learned to play, "Got It." During choice activity time, the students explored unifix cubes, pattern blocks, geo boards and gears. We worked on the positional words--top and bottom.
Writing: The students discussed what a school journal was. They used the writing prompts from our Treasures series, drew a picture of themselves and wrote their name. The students began to explore the types of lines used to make a letter.
Literature: "David Goes to School," "Wemberly Worried," "How Will I Get to School this Year," "Splat the Cat," "Muse Loves School," "Peanut Butter and Homework Sandwiches," "Kindergarten Rocks."
**Thanks to all of you who have signed up to help at LUNCH for the next 3 weeks. The students are learning about the lunch routine and about recycling the paper products like trays and milk cartons. Because of our large class size, we now have 2 tables for our students to sit at. We can enjoy eating lunch with our friends Kaya and Emma from Ms. Von Hagel's class. Please keep reinforcing--HOME LUNCH or SCHOOL LUNCH?--MILK?--WHAT KIND? Our volunteers and myself are encouraging the students to eat their MAIN ENTRE first, whether it is a sandwich, salad, noodles etc. and then eating fruit, granola bars, pudding etc. Thanks for sending such good choices in their lunches and for snacks. I will always have either Veggie Straws or fruit on hand if your child forgets a snack.
**If you have not sent in head sets, don't worry about it. I was lucky enough to purchase lots from the Dollar Store. Our lab time for LEXIA READING, which is the computer companion to our Treasures Reading Series will be scheduled after MAP testing of older students. I will need 2 parent troubleshooters to help out in the lab. I am hoping to sign up for two-30minute periods twice a week in the afternoon. Stay tuned. LEXIA will also be available online for home use.
**I will be setting up SPELLING CITY, XTRAMATH and TREASURES online sites hopefully next week. These are skill building activities for your child to access at home. STARFALL.com is up and running. It is located on the left side of this blog under resources. Also check out the great sites on our Irving Parents Resource Wikispaces.com also located in resources.
**Please remember GYM SHOES and SOCKS on GYM DAYS. Check the specials schedule on left side.
**BACK TO SCHOOL PARTY was Friday, August 24th beginning at 5:30 pm at Barrie Par.k. I arrived later than expected but still enjoyed seeing many of my new students as well as old friends. Fun, Pizza, Band, Movie and Community!!!
**NO SCHOOL on Monday, September 3rd--Labor Day.
This week:
It was all about routines and expectations! Yes, I talked a lot! Our daily schedule is slowly taking shape. The students are meeting their special area teachers. We are getting to know each other and fostering new friendships. The students learned how to earn EAGLE SLIPS and class EAGLE WINGS as part of our PBIS Behavior Initiative.
Reading: This week students began a 3 week prep in our Treasures Reading Series called START SMART. The students are using their language skills by responding to a Daily Warm Up question. They worked on their listening comprehension and making predictions and connections by listening to the big book story, "Animals in the Park-An ABC Book." The students worked on identifying a sequence of sounds using the nursery rhyme, "Hey Diddle Diddle." We reviewed the letters Aa, Bb, Cc, and the sounds they make. The sight words, I, am, yes, no, can, red, blue were introduced. We learned how to play Hands Up, Hands Down game to help reinforce our new sight vocabulary. The students were introduced to a wordless pre-decodable story, "We Go to School." They took turns telling the about the pictures on each page. The students learned about book handling, locating the title, author's name, illustrator and making predictions about what they think the story is about using the title and cover pictures. We retold the story together as we looked at each page. Then the students partnered up and retold the story to each other. The students listened to a fable in our read aloud book. In the fable, "You are Beautiful as You Are," the students created a picture in their mind about what was happening. There were no pictures. They thought about what the lesson of the story might be and give their ideas. In our Haggerty Blue Book exercises, the students worked on recognizing rhyming words, segmenting words, adding and taking away word parts and counting how many words are in a specific sentence.
Math: The students were introduced to our calendar and weather chart routines. We are adding a number each day to our worm. When we get to 100--PARTY!!!! The students did an activity called "Partner Match," where they found a partner who had the same length of paper that they did. We compared the lengths and ranked them from shortest to longest. The students worked on recognizing numbers from 0-12, counting backward from10-0 and recognizing basic shapes. We learned to play, "Got It." During choice activity time, the students explored unifix cubes, pattern blocks, geo boards and gears. We worked on the positional words--top and bottom.
Writing: The students discussed what a school journal was. They used the writing prompts from our Treasures series, drew a picture of themselves and wrote their name. The students began to explore the types of lines used to make a letter.
Literature: "David Goes to School," "Wemberly Worried," "How Will I Get to School this Year," "Splat the Cat," "Muse Loves School," "Peanut Butter and Homework Sandwiches," "Kindergarten Rocks."
Thursday, August 16, 2012
SUMMER UPDATES August 2012
**Greetings... my soon to be first graders. Kindergarten is but a memory...a good memory!!! I can not believe the new school year is beginning. My summer went by so fast. I bet yours did too! I will be saying good bye to you and wish you well in your first grade class. I will be welcoming my brand new class of kindergarten students for 2012-2013. Here is our last IRVING GARDEN update. Thanks to all of you who have been coming to harvest the veggies and herbs. Please continue to do so. Our zucchini plants are still continuing to produce flowers so we will have more zucchini. Carrots and potatoes still need some growing time. There is quite a bit of basil, mint and sage. The chard and kale are in abundance and are so very tasty. I have been enjoying that. There are peppers (jalepino and ancho), cucumbers, zucchini, chives celery, parsley, onion and a few beans that can be harvested. Also, more baby egg plant will soon be ready. Have a great weekend! See you at lunch or in the halls! School is cool!!!!!
Wednesday, July 11, 2012
SUMMER UPDATES July 2012
**Summer greetings! Hope your summer is going well and you are keeping cool in this heat. The Irving Garden Plot is looking pretty cool. Many plants are growing and flowering. The volunteers have been doing a great job of keeping everything watered. In the planting beds, I have observed lettuce, mint, basil, baby kale, radishes, chard and parsley that are ready for harvesting. Look closely and you can see tiny purple eggplants. In our class garden plot, the onions are nearly ready. Our zucchini plants are HUGE and I have had to trellis them. Look closely and you can see the squash blossoms (flowers.) The female blossoms are located at the end of an emergent zucchini. The male blossom grows directly on the stem and are slightly smaller. The zucchini plants need the bees around. Don't be afraid of the bees!! We still have time before we will see little zucchinis. The plants should be at least 6 inches before we harvest them. I will keep you posted on the harvesting of onions and zucchinis. Please stop by and harvest some of the plants I have mentioned above. Please be careful not to step on any baby plants. Have mom or dad work with you. Check back again in a couple of weeks for an update. Keep cool and have fun!!!!
Friday, June 1, 2012
UPDATES for 5/29-6/1 2012
**We continue to be very busy in our last week. Pizza and Play End of the Year Family Picnic was absolutely fabulous! We had a great weather day! The pizza, veggies, fruit and pudding were very yummy. All students had a wonderful time interacting with their peers. Ms. Amanda and her service dog, Hunt, also attended to watch the students play and chat about her upcoming graduation from Oak Park High School. We wish her the best!! Thanks to all who attended. It was a great way to end our productive year!
**Our First Grade Tour and question and answer time was very cute. Ms. Solomon and Mr. Degman's classes wrote letters to us about what they do in First Grade. Ms. Massarello's class did a Reader's Theater for us. We wished her well in her retirement. Ms. Collins class was out and about but, she hug us all and we wished her well in her relocation to California. Many students asked pressing questions that had been on their minds. Do we still have recess? What is homework like? Do we have science? Is First Grade hard? Do we have to do lots of homework? Could we see our First Grade reading book? Do we do journals? All questions were answered with the utmost care and concern. They are ready!!!!
**Reading Grandma Mary also came to visit. The students had written letters of thanks to her and she responded by writing a letter to us and making a poster for us to hang up.
**ALL students received a large summer packet today. The packet contains your child's report card, activities and workbooks to use over the summer, summer tips, Spelling City updates with first grade words, information on logging on to LEXIA and XTRAMATH if you have not already done so and information on Summer Incentive Reading and Math Programs at Irving. There is lots to keep you busy over the summer along with keeping physically fit. Please keep active!
**The students went into the READING BUBBLE today! All 20 of us fit in to the bubble to listen to some stories. Ms. Noonan was kind enough to photograph us!
**Please join us today (Friday) from 1:30 on for Parent /Sibling Hour. The students will kick back, have some treats, sign autograph books they made and interact with each other. They will then turn into First Graders!!!!!!! Oh........It looks like Mr. Hodge is going to put on his DANCING SHOES!! Oh My!!!
We will all go out to the blacktop at 2:15 today to see what is up!!!!
**Our Line Soccer Game against Ms. Ricchio's class was fun. It was a close game!! Ms. Gullo's class won by a score of 10 to 7!! Good team work!
**Please join all of Irving for the Annual End of the Year Party at Barrie Park from 5-7 pm this evening. Pizza and drinks will be for sale.
**Garden Update....Everything is beginning to grow!!!! The students are so excited!! I will keep you updated throughout the summer with growth news and photos. When we are ready to harvest, I will do a group email so you can come and pick some zucchini, green onions and nasturtiums! Stop by over the summer to see it. If you have any recipes to share--email me and we can post them.
**Addresses for summer incentive programs--READING--www.scholastic.com/readingeveryday.
MATH--http://irvingsummermath.blogspot.com.
**I told the class that they can email me at my op97.org address over the summer and share summer news. I will be testing new kindergarten students, working as a one on one assistant to a special education student for 5 weeks and teaching a summer school class. This will be a working summer for me!
**A HUGE SHOUT OUT to my room parents--T. Naber, M. Chlebek, J. Brock, G. Garcia-Quionones and L.Waste for all of their help! Thanks also to my garden moms T. Naber and I. Henry and one more thanks to LEXIA moms M. Meagher and T. Naber and our honorary helper, Alexis! A HEARTFELT THANKS to all of our Station Day Helpers and helpers for parties. I would also like to acknowledge Hertha Orszula (Yaya"s grandma) for her support of our program and the WONDERFUL Ms. Applebey for her support and wisdom in our technology sessions. This year, my class has had 100% parent participation. You all are the best! You are the reason our program runs so well. It has been a great partnership. Thanks! Have an active and fun summer. First Grade----here we come!!!!
Reading/Social Studies: This week the students did a lot of independent reading. They chose their own stories and decided what assignments they would do as a follow up. They also showcased their reading to First Grade students during their tour.
Math: It was game week. The students revisited Monster Squeeze, It Takes 2 and 3 Place Value Game, Number Pop, Racing Addition and Subtraction Game, Coin Grab and creating 2-3 dimensional structures using straws, pipe cleaners and the magneetos. They used the whiteboards to write 2-3 digit numbers.
Writing: This week the students reworked their drafts and wrote their final copy for their paragraph on WORMS. You will find them in their summer packet along with their water color worm study.
Science: It was all about watching what is coming up in our garden! Our last zucchini plant sprouted on Tuesday. We also took out our wormy friends and check out compost. We will return the compost bin to Salome. We have found a home for most plants from our class garden. For those who have taken them in--keep us updated. The students are still bringing me seeds. I told them to try planting them at home.
Technology: All IPADS are being updated. I will send you a list of all of our apps next week.
Literature: "When It's the Last Day of School," "Why Do I Run," "Stella, Queen of the Forest," "Summer," "Summer Activities," "Ms. Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten," "The Best Teacher in the World."
Check out our end of the year movie below!!!!!! Let the summer begin!!!!
**Our First Grade Tour and question and answer time was very cute. Ms. Solomon and Mr. Degman's classes wrote letters to us about what they do in First Grade. Ms. Massarello's class did a Reader's Theater for us. We wished her well in her retirement. Ms. Collins class was out and about but, she hug us all and we wished her well in her relocation to California. Many students asked pressing questions that had been on their minds. Do we still have recess? What is homework like? Do we have science? Is First Grade hard? Do we have to do lots of homework? Could we see our First Grade reading book? Do we do journals? All questions were answered with the utmost care and concern. They are ready!!!!
**Reading Grandma Mary also came to visit. The students had written letters of thanks to her and she responded by writing a letter to us and making a poster for us to hang up.
**ALL students received a large summer packet today. The packet contains your child's report card, activities and workbooks to use over the summer, summer tips, Spelling City updates with first grade words, information on logging on to LEXIA and XTRAMATH if you have not already done so and information on Summer Incentive Reading and Math Programs at Irving. There is lots to keep you busy over the summer along with keeping physically fit. Please keep active!
**The students went into the READING BUBBLE today! All 20 of us fit in to the bubble to listen to some stories. Ms. Noonan was kind enough to photograph us!
**Please join us today (Friday) from 1:30 on for Parent /Sibling Hour. The students will kick back, have some treats, sign autograph books they made and interact with each other. They will then turn into First Graders!!!!!!! Oh........It looks like Mr. Hodge is going to put on his DANCING SHOES!! Oh My!!!
We will all go out to the blacktop at 2:15 today to see what is up!!!!
**Our Line Soccer Game against Ms. Ricchio's class was fun. It was a close game!! Ms. Gullo's class won by a score of 10 to 7!! Good team work!
**Please join all of Irving for the Annual End of the Year Party at Barrie Park from 5-7 pm this evening. Pizza and drinks will be for sale.
**Garden Update....Everything is beginning to grow!!!! The students are so excited!! I will keep you updated throughout the summer with growth news and photos. When we are ready to harvest, I will do a group email so you can come and pick some zucchini, green onions and nasturtiums! Stop by over the summer to see it. If you have any recipes to share--email me and we can post them.
**Addresses for summer incentive programs--READING--www.scholastic.com/readingeveryday.
MATH--http://irvingsummermath.blogspot.com.
**I told the class that they can email me at my op97.org address over the summer and share summer news. I will be testing new kindergarten students, working as a one on one assistant to a special education student for 5 weeks and teaching a summer school class. This will be a working summer for me!
**A HUGE SHOUT OUT to my room parents--T. Naber, M. Chlebek, J. Brock, G. Garcia-Quionones and L.Waste for all of their help! Thanks also to my garden moms T. Naber and I. Henry and one more thanks to LEXIA moms M. Meagher and T. Naber and our honorary helper, Alexis! A HEARTFELT THANKS to all of our Station Day Helpers and helpers for parties. I would also like to acknowledge Hertha Orszula (Yaya"s grandma) for her support of our program and the WONDERFUL Ms. Applebey for her support and wisdom in our technology sessions. This year, my class has had 100% parent participation. You all are the best! You are the reason our program runs so well. It has been a great partnership. Thanks! Have an active and fun summer. First Grade----here we come!!!!
Reading/Social Studies: This week the students did a lot of independent reading. They chose their own stories and decided what assignments they would do as a follow up. They also showcased their reading to First Grade students during their tour.
Math: It was game week. The students revisited Monster Squeeze, It Takes 2 and 3 Place Value Game, Number Pop, Racing Addition and Subtraction Game, Coin Grab and creating 2-3 dimensional structures using straws, pipe cleaners and the magneetos. They used the whiteboards to write 2-3 digit numbers.
Writing: This week the students reworked their drafts and wrote their final copy for their paragraph on WORMS. You will find them in their summer packet along with their water color worm study.
Science: It was all about watching what is coming up in our garden! Our last zucchini plant sprouted on Tuesday. We also took out our wormy friends and check out compost. We will return the compost bin to Salome. We have found a home for most plants from our class garden. For those who have taken them in--keep us updated. The students are still bringing me seeds. I told them to try planting them at home.
Technology: All IPADS are being updated. I will send you a list of all of our apps next week.
Literature: "When It's the Last Day of School," "Why Do I Run," "Stella, Queen of the Forest," "Summer," "Summer Activities," "Ms. Bindergarten Celebrates the Last Day of Kindergarten," "The Best Teacher in the World."
Check out our end of the year movie below!!!!!! Let the summer begin!!!!
Thursday, May 31, 2012
Monday, May 28, 2012
UPDATES for 5/21-5/25 2012
**We are one week closer to becoming first graders! This week, the students took a look at their trimester portfolios and were so in awe of what they accomplished. Student portfolios for each trimester are in their backpacks. Check them out!! Science portfolios and journals will go home next week. Please keep sending a backpack with your child even on our final day. Thanks!
**Our Annual All School Olympic Day was great! Lots of great skill demonstration and team work. A shout out to Aidan--the fastest runner in the class. He came close to beating Mr. Packer!
**A BIG SHOUT OUT to my entire physically fit class! Most of them also took part in the Irving Pacers at lunch time and insisted on running!!!!
**We planted our outside class garden. The students, along with volunteers T. Naber and I. Henry, planted zucchini, green onions and nasturtiums. Can't wait to see how fast they grow!!
**We have completed our very last unit assessment in our Treasures Reading Series-Unit 10. All assessments are now completed. If you would like to be updated on end of the year DIBELS or other assessments, just email me and we can set up a time.
**BIG REMINDER--PIZZA and PLAY- End of the Family Picnic is Wednesday, May 30th, from 10:30-12:30 pm at Rehm Park. Volunteer sheet is included in your child's homework folder. Set up can begin around 9:45 am. We will be walking over around 10:15 am. There will be a van to transport all ground covers/blankets, t-ball set, sand toys, jump ropes, balls and supplies. Let's cross our fingers for pleasant weather!
**Messy Math Night was lots of fun and pretty messy! A gooey time was had by all!
**First Grade Tour/Question and Answer Hour is Wednesday, May 30th at 1:00 pm. Kindergarten students can write down any questions that may have regarding First Grade and bring them with. Parents--if you have any questions--send them along with your child. Reading Grandma will also be with us. She has requested that maybe some of our students can share their reading with First Grade. She is so proud of them!
** Mr. Packer's older reading students did a play for us called, "The Lone Wolf Blues." It was very funny with great acting. Mateo's brother, Diego, was the wolf!
**Please join me and the other staff members for our annual Volunteer Tea on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 from 2:00-3:00 pm. There is an invitation for you in your child's backpack. All of our volunteers have really been tremendous. It is a part of what makes our program so successful.
**Stay tuned for information on Irving School's Reading and Math Summer Incentive Programs.
**Friday, June 1st is our last day of school. It is also a full day of school. In the morning our class will take part in a LINE SOCCER game against Ms. Ricchio's class which is part of our PBIS celebration. We will have out last ART class with Ms. Linne, lunch recess and lunch as usual. In the afternoon, we will have our last gym class with Mr. Hancock and from 2:00-3:00 pm we will have PARENT and SIBLING HOUR. We will share some treats, sign autograph books, share kindergarten stories and see our end of the year movie. All are welcome to come! I already have tears in my eyes!!!
**The whole of Irving School will kick off the summer with its End of the Year Party on Friday, June 1st from 5-7 pm at Barrie Park. Pizza and Drinks will be served. Come share the friendship and community.
** Please be so kind as to complete the End of the Year Parent Questionnaire. This is very helpful to me in shaping my program for next year.
**Next week---The reading bubble!!!!!
This week:
It was all about worms and gardening! The students continue to study worm life and worm contributions to our environment. The students again took a look at the worms in our compost bin. We used the magnifiers and our microscopes. They were pretty squirmy! The students could see the segments, saddle and head structure. The bristles could not be seen. (too tiny) The students got a kick out of seeing the worms move--in an inching fashion. They observed a grownup worm and a tiny baby worm. On the internet, we looked at a site called Herman the Worm. I have included it in your child's homework packet. Cool! In our class garden plot, we took our drawing of where we were planting items and got to work. Students helped smooth soil, locate the area to plant and put seeds in the ground. All students took turns watering our garden. We labeled plant types on a special marker and stood back to admired our work. Our zucchini is from seed, our green onions are from the cut bottoms of the plant and our nasturtiums are babies we grew from seed. Should be very interesting! Stay tuned.
Reading/Social Studies: The students reviewed letter sounds, vowel sounds, sound blending techniques. Student small groups chose their own literature and activities to go with it. Most groups chose a story elements format. Some groups listened to each other read aloud. Groups used the ipad for activity completion and emailed their work to me. The last 30 minutes of their reading time was spent either in independent reading or playing a reading game. Their favorite games this week were, "Very Silly Sentences," "What's Gnu?" "Spot a Word," "Cookie Jar-Nouns-Verbs-Adjectives-Pronouns," and "Plants on Your Plate."
Math: The students counted to 100, wrote 2-3 and even some 4 digit numbers and counted by 2's, 5's, and 10's. This week I choose a game format and students were able to select the game they wanted to play.
Small groups of students played "What's My Rule?" "Dice Addition," "Place Value on Calculators," "It Takes 2 and It Takes 3 Game."
Writing: The students continue to put into practice all the elements of writing a good sentence. They continue to work on writing thank notes to people who have had an impact on their kindergarten lives. The students wrote thank you notes to Ms. D. and Miss Amanda. We are so grateful for their time and assistance. The students are very proud of Miss Amanda as she will be graduating from Oak Park High School on June 10th. Ms. D. has been super faithful in coming every Tuesday morning to do whatever she can to help out me and our budding readers. Reading Grandma Mary will be here next week and Ms. Applebey we also hoped to see. The students began writing their worm paragraph drafts. Next week, they will write their final copy.
Science: The students observed what they saw on their seed sponges. They noted seeds sprouting and mold growing. Many students thought it was pretty cool that they actually saw a splitting seed with the coat attached. They also noted that the shoots were growing upward and not sticking to the sponge. The seed bags were also producing sprouting seeds. The roots growing downward and the shoots upward. Students concluded that no matter what way you put or plant seeds, the roots grow downward and the shoots grow upward. The students also experimented with watering conditions. They watered 1 plant everyday and 1 plant for only 2 days. At the end of the week, most students noted that the less watered plant was rather droopy. A big discussion centered around how much water a plant needs. It was decided that it depended upon what kind of plant it was. Some students related prior knowledge of what happened when they water a plant too much. (it died) The last experiment the students worked on was pondering the question --how much sunlight do plants need? The students put a healthy plant in a box and then we cut a small window in it. We set it in a sunny window and observed it each afternoon. Each afternoon, the students noted that the plant was sticking out of the window toward the sun. They concluded that the plants always grow toward the light. Next week we will be looking for gardens for our watermelon, cantalope, pumpkin, bean, and pea plants. If you are interested--let me know!
Technology: The students continued to use the apps they liked the most in delivering assignments and for reading, writing and math pleasure.
Literature: "Garden," "What Principals Do When No One is Looking," "Compost Stew," "Here Comes Summer," "Bumble Bees," "Who Made Me Jump," "I Can't Said the Ant," "Plants," "Super Size Bugs," "Rah, Rah Vegetables," "Earthworms," "Herman, the Worm," "Garden Tools," "Ten Little Caterpillars."
**Our Annual All School Olympic Day was great! Lots of great skill demonstration and team work. A shout out to Aidan--the fastest runner in the class. He came close to beating Mr. Packer!
**A BIG SHOUT OUT to my entire physically fit class! Most of them also took part in the Irving Pacers at lunch time and insisted on running!!!!
**We planted our outside class garden. The students, along with volunteers T. Naber and I. Henry, planted zucchini, green onions and nasturtiums. Can't wait to see how fast they grow!!
**We have completed our very last unit assessment in our Treasures Reading Series-Unit 10. All assessments are now completed. If you would like to be updated on end of the year DIBELS or other assessments, just email me and we can set up a time.
**BIG REMINDER--PIZZA and PLAY- End of the Family Picnic is Wednesday, May 30th, from 10:30-12:30 pm at Rehm Park. Volunteer sheet is included in your child's homework folder. Set up can begin around 9:45 am. We will be walking over around 10:15 am. There will be a van to transport all ground covers/blankets, t-ball set, sand toys, jump ropes, balls and supplies. Let's cross our fingers for pleasant weather!
**Messy Math Night was lots of fun and pretty messy! A gooey time was had by all!
**First Grade Tour/Question and Answer Hour is Wednesday, May 30th at 1:00 pm. Kindergarten students can write down any questions that may have regarding First Grade and bring them with. Parents--if you have any questions--send them along with your child. Reading Grandma will also be with us. She has requested that maybe some of our students can share their reading with First Grade. She is so proud of them!
** Mr. Packer's older reading students did a play for us called, "The Lone Wolf Blues." It was very funny with great acting. Mateo's brother, Diego, was the wolf!
**Please join me and the other staff members for our annual Volunteer Tea on Wednesday, May 30, 2012 from 2:00-3:00 pm. There is an invitation for you in your child's backpack. All of our volunteers have really been tremendous. It is a part of what makes our program so successful.
**Stay tuned for information on Irving School's Reading and Math Summer Incentive Programs.
**Friday, June 1st is our last day of school. It is also a full day of school. In the morning our class will take part in a LINE SOCCER game against Ms. Ricchio's class which is part of our PBIS celebration. We will have out last ART class with Ms. Linne, lunch recess and lunch as usual. In the afternoon, we will have our last gym class with Mr. Hancock and from 2:00-3:00 pm we will have PARENT and SIBLING HOUR. We will share some treats, sign autograph books, share kindergarten stories and see our end of the year movie. All are welcome to come! I already have tears in my eyes!!!
**The whole of Irving School will kick off the summer with its End of the Year Party on Friday, June 1st from 5-7 pm at Barrie Park. Pizza and Drinks will be served. Come share the friendship and community.
** Please be so kind as to complete the End of the Year Parent Questionnaire. This is very helpful to me in shaping my program for next year.
**Next week---The reading bubble!!!!!
This week:
It was all about worms and gardening! The students continue to study worm life and worm contributions to our environment. The students again took a look at the worms in our compost bin. We used the magnifiers and our microscopes. They were pretty squirmy! The students could see the segments, saddle and head structure. The bristles could not be seen. (too tiny) The students got a kick out of seeing the worms move--in an inching fashion. They observed a grownup worm and a tiny baby worm. On the internet, we looked at a site called Herman the Worm. I have included it in your child's homework packet. Cool! In our class garden plot, we took our drawing of where we were planting items and got to work. Students helped smooth soil, locate the area to plant and put seeds in the ground. All students took turns watering our garden. We labeled plant types on a special marker and stood back to admired our work. Our zucchini is from seed, our green onions are from the cut bottoms of the plant and our nasturtiums are babies we grew from seed. Should be very interesting! Stay tuned.
Reading/Social Studies: The students reviewed letter sounds, vowel sounds, sound blending techniques. Student small groups chose their own literature and activities to go with it. Most groups chose a story elements format. Some groups listened to each other read aloud. Groups used the ipad for activity completion and emailed their work to me. The last 30 minutes of their reading time was spent either in independent reading or playing a reading game. Their favorite games this week were, "Very Silly Sentences," "What's Gnu?" "Spot a Word," "Cookie Jar-Nouns-Verbs-Adjectives-Pronouns," and "Plants on Your Plate."
Math: The students counted to 100, wrote 2-3 and even some 4 digit numbers and counted by 2's, 5's, and 10's. This week I choose a game format and students were able to select the game they wanted to play.
Small groups of students played "What's My Rule?" "Dice Addition," "Place Value on Calculators," "It Takes 2 and It Takes 3 Game."
Writing: The students continue to put into practice all the elements of writing a good sentence. They continue to work on writing thank notes to people who have had an impact on their kindergarten lives. The students wrote thank you notes to Ms. D. and Miss Amanda. We are so grateful for their time and assistance. The students are very proud of Miss Amanda as she will be graduating from Oak Park High School on June 10th. Ms. D. has been super faithful in coming every Tuesday morning to do whatever she can to help out me and our budding readers. Reading Grandma Mary will be here next week and Ms. Applebey we also hoped to see. The students began writing their worm paragraph drafts. Next week, they will write their final copy.
Science: The students observed what they saw on their seed sponges. They noted seeds sprouting and mold growing. Many students thought it was pretty cool that they actually saw a splitting seed with the coat attached. They also noted that the shoots were growing upward and not sticking to the sponge. The seed bags were also producing sprouting seeds. The roots growing downward and the shoots upward. Students concluded that no matter what way you put or plant seeds, the roots grow downward and the shoots grow upward. The students also experimented with watering conditions. They watered 1 plant everyday and 1 plant for only 2 days. At the end of the week, most students noted that the less watered plant was rather droopy. A big discussion centered around how much water a plant needs. It was decided that it depended upon what kind of plant it was. Some students related prior knowledge of what happened when they water a plant too much. (it died) The last experiment the students worked on was pondering the question --how much sunlight do plants need? The students put a healthy plant in a box and then we cut a small window in it. We set it in a sunny window and observed it each afternoon. Each afternoon, the students noted that the plant was sticking out of the window toward the sun. They concluded that the plants always grow toward the light. Next week we will be looking for gardens for our watermelon, cantalope, pumpkin, bean, and pea plants. If you are interested--let me know!
Technology: The students continued to use the apps they liked the most in delivering assignments and for reading, writing and math pleasure.
Literature: "Garden," "What Principals Do When No One is Looking," "Compost Stew," "Here Comes Summer," "Bumble Bees," "Who Made Me Jump," "I Can't Said the Ant," "Plants," "Super Size Bugs," "Rah, Rah Vegetables," "Earthworms," "Herman, the Worm," "Garden Tools," "Ten Little Caterpillars."
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