The copier is fixed and today your child brought home information about the ECO program.  Please return the clothing checklist as soon as possible!

I also wanted to share the hot snack menu with you, which stays the same each week.  Monday is bagel with cream cheese, Tuesday is banana bread, Wednesday is cheerios with milk, Thursday is egg and cheese burrito, and Friday is bagel with cream cheese.  This is posted on the bottom of the lunch menu if you need to find it again.  I am sharing it because most of the children who are getting hot snack on Thursdays are saying they don't like the burritos.  I sometimes have an extra apple, but otherwise don't have extra snacks so if they choose not to eat the burrito they probably aren't having a snack.

Wow- today was really hot!  With the weather fluctuations we've been having please make sure you're child is prepared to be outside (last week some of the mornings we're quite chilly!)  Being prepared for the weather will be especially important when we begin ECO (Educating Children Outdoors) in October.  I have information about this program along with a clothing checklist all ready to send home today.  Unfortunately our copier is broken, so I will try again tomorrow!

This week we have begun working on handwriting, practicing writing our names beginning with an upper case letter and ending with lower case letters, and practicing writing numbers 0-5.  We have also started the Fundations program which will focus on letter formation as well as letter sounds for the next few months.  So far we have worked on lower case t, f, and b.  We practice these in a variety of ways including using our fingers to write really big in the air, using white boards and dry erase markers, and using fancy hi-lighters!  In addition, we have been working on letter recognition through our morning message.  Each day after we read the message, volunteers underline specific words by listening to the beginning sound and finding that letter at the beginning of the word.

Yesterday in your child's yellow folder or backpack there was a letter from Eric Mongeon our technology integrationist, explaining Google Apps for Education.  This also includes a permission form that should be returned as soon as possible.

Reading about our class.

Rolling dice and building towers in math.

Partner reading.

We have had a very busy week, continuing to practice routines that were established last week and adding in some new ones.  We began writer's workshop this week by reading a book call Library Mouse (ask your child to tell you about it), and then setting off to be authors ourselves.  We talked about many ways of writing including telling a story with pictures, writing pretend words (scribble writing), or writing letters or words that we already know.  At this point most of us using pictures to convey a story and I am scribing as the children share their stories with me. We have been practicing writing for about 10-15 minutes and then sharing the work of a few children each day, which is a great way to spread ideas and strategies.

After lunch each day we have a short quiet time.Children come in to their own space and may rest, look at books, or draw in their quiet time journals.  This gives children a chance to recharge for the afternoon and many children have come to look forward to this time (a few have asked me mid-morning when it will be quite time!)

Perhaps most importantly, we are continuing to get to know one another and working on being good friends.  Most children had a chance to share their artifact bags this week.  If your child hasn't shared yet, please send it in next week.  This is a great way for us to learn more about each other and many children are discovering that they share common interests.  Have a fantastic weekend.

Reading with 3rd and 4th grade buddies.

Quiet time journal writing.

Practicing number formation during math stations.

A choice time creation made by four students.

I hope everyone had a fantastic three day weekend!  We spent lots of time reviewing routines (three days is a long time to go without practicing!)  We have also been working really hard to learn the names of everyone in the class.  To help out with this, and get in a little reading practice, today in your child's yellow folder there is a class book.  These copies are for you to keep- each child also has a copy here at school.  We have also started sharing artifact bags.  As these are shared, the children who are not sharing are working on being really good listeners, trying to think of comments or questions for their classmates, and making sure that the focus stays on the person who is sharing (this is a challenge- even for adults sometimes!)  If your child hasn't brought his bag in yet, please send it in the next couple of days.  It is really fun for all of us to learn more about the individuals in the class.  Also, just a reminder that picture day is Friday.  Information about this was sent home in the red folder on the first day of school.

We had a fantastic second day of school.  Along with reviewing and practicing routines that we began yesterday we spent some time exploring math materials, reading quietly to ourselves, and working with third and fourth grade learning partners.  We will meet with children from Mrs. Hale's class each Thursday, a time that both kindergarteners and the older children grow to love.  Most often children will read with their partners, but we will also participate in a variety of other activities.  Today groups worked together on an outdoor scavenger hunt.  Ask your child to share some of things they found!

If you have not yet returned your child's red folder (sent home yesterday) with loads of general paper work for the school, please do so as soon as possible.  This helps Kathi tremendously.  Also, if at all possible it is extremely helpful for children to have water bottles.  It has been hot the last couple of days and it is hard to adequately quench thirst with the water fountain.  Finally, we have gym on Mondays and Thursdays and children need to have good shoes for running on these days.  Please no flip-flops, sandals or boots!

We had a great first day! Getting a school year under way takes a lot of patience on the part of students, with a lot of time spent listening and learning routines.  Everything from walking in line to eating in the lunch room needs to be taught and modeled, which will help ensure future success and independence.  Much of our time in the coming weeks will be spent reviewing expectations and practicing routines.  I greatly appreciate the effort and patience this requires from children!  Everyone in the class earned at least one ticket today for being safe, kind, responsible, or engaged.  These tickets are then traded in for rocks that will be collected as a whole school. Look for the bucket in the main lobby.

We will also focus much of our attention on getting to know each other and building our classroom community.

In your child’s bag  today you will find a yellow folder with a note of explanation inside, along with a paper bag that will be your child's artifact bag (also explained in the folder note.)  You should also find a red folder from Kathi with general school information and paper work.  These can be returned directly to Kathi at the front desk, or you can send them in your child's backpack and I will get them to her.  Thank you for all you do to help get the school year under way!

I have finally finished burning the ECO slideshow and everyone should have a copy in their backpacks today.  After a whirlwind month of May, we are keeping to our usual routines during these two weeks in June, with some end of the year twists.  Uno, rocket, and subtraction bowling are popular math stations, and our district states of matter assessment involves popsicles, with the directions explicitly stating that there should be extra popsicles on hand for when the students have finished the assessment! Hopefully we will have one more warmish day for this.  We are wrapping up one last project in the computer lab and I am finishing assessments in math and literacy.  It's hard to believe there are just eight days left!