On Tuesday we were very fortunate to have the opportunity to vote on dog tags for the town of Waitsfield.  This has been a kindergarten tradition for the past 5 years.  Waitsfield town clerk Jen Peterson graciously came in and gave a brief explanation of the voting process.  After checking in with Jen, each child voted on a shape and color for next year's dog tags.  Ballots were then placed in the official ballot box.  When everyone had voted we immediately tallied the results.  Next April when new dog tags are issued they will be red dogs!

During our first two weeks of school much of our time has been spent on developing a classroom community in which all children feel safe and welcome, feelings that are essential for learning.  We have talked about our school-wide expectations - be kind, safe, responsible, and engaged - and brainstormed what each of these looks like in kindergarten.

For young children, a critical first step in demonstrating these expected behaviors is developing an awareness of their own feelings and emotions.  In the first few weeks we have been talking about the Zones of Regulation, four categories or  "zones" used to categorize different emotions people experience:  blue, green, yellow, and red.  Green is optimum.  People in the green zone might be feeling happy, calm, or focused.   Blue is running slow-perhaps tired, sick, or sad.  Yellow represents caution-frustrated, overwhelmed, silly, worried, or anxious.  Finally the red zone is for extreme emotions and feeling out of control- terrified, angry, or completely overwhelmed.  This is language that will be used across school settings.

To help us practice identifying the zones we read the book On Monday When It Rained... by Cherryl Kachenmeister,  which describes the range of feelings for one boy in a given week, and emphasizes that all people, even adults, cycle through various emotions every day, and that is okay.  We also read the book Sometimes I'm Bombaloo by Rachel Vail.  Ask your child to tell you what it means to be bombaloo.  We talked about that fact that everyone feels bombaloo sometimes (even adults) and discussed strategies for calming down when we are feeling bombaloo.   A third book we used to examine feelings is  The Way I Feel, by Janan Cain, a rhyming book that portrays children feeling a wide range of emotions.  For each page we talked about what zone the child might be in and things they might do to move toward the green zone if they were in a different zone.  Some strategies include taking deep breaths, finding a space by ourselves, getting a drink of water, counting to five (or higher), using our fingers for sa ta na ma (perhaps your child can show you this) or using a calming object.

We have worked on creating a box of tools that children can access when they are not in the green zone.  Some of the tools in our box right now include drip toys, a balance bird, small stuffies, squish balls, and theraputty, which is a favorite.  We have a sand timer with the tools, providing a set amount of time for children to be away from the class.  It has been important to distinguish these tools from toys and we have spent time practicing using them appropriately as intended. 

Identifying feelings and managing emotions are lifelong skills that take lots and lots of practice and we will continue our work in this area throughout the year in class, during guidance with Katie Babic, and across school settings.

On Friday we were very fortunate  to watch our first butterfly emerge from its chrysalis.  When I arrived at school I noticed one of the chrysalids had darkened, so my morning question was, "Do you think we will have a butterfly by the end of the day?"  After the fourth child had arrived we noticed the chrysalis opening- a very exciting moment.  Then we saw the proboscis, and finally the whole butterfly emerged, small, wet, and wrinkled.  We continued to watch as the butterfly's abdomen shrank and it's wings grew.  Once it began slowly stretching its wings we noticed two large black dots on the lower wings, indicating it is a male. two large black dots on it's lower wings, indicating it is a male.  We kept it in the room for the day as it dried out and finally released it with good wishes at the end of the day. 

We have had a fantastic first week of school!  Getting a school year under way takes an enormous amount of patience and perseverance on the part of students, with a lot of time spent listening and learning new routines.  Everything from walking in line to eating in the lunch room needs to be taught, modeled, and practiced, ensuring future success and independence.  A few of the things we have done this week include:

• began our days with morning meeting, which includes a greeting and a morning message
• explored materials that we will be using during math 
• learned about several classmates as they shared their artifact bags
• practiced walking safely in line
• talked about school wide expectations - be kind, safe, responsible, and engaged- with a focus this week on ways we can be kind and safe
• learned about our system for rewarding expected behaviors with cards that we then trade in for rocks
• watched 3 monarch caterpillars  turn into chrysalises, with 2 more still eating and growing 
• learned how to use classroom materials including pencils, markers, scissors, and glue stick
• met our 3rd and 4th grade reading buddies

We will continue to practice all of our routines in the coming weeks and learn a few more as well!

We have had lots of activity in our last few weeks of school from boat building to Field Day and much in between.  A huge thank you to Preslee's family, especially Mr. Craig, who prepared the blue bird house materials and graciously led us through putting them together.  We had lots of fun hammering!  These can be hung outside about 4 feet off the ground.  The door should be screwed shut to keep squirrels and other non-bird visitors out.

Continuing with a bird theme, on Wednesday we spent time exploring different bird "beaks" to see which kind of beak is best for different kinds of food.  Most children agreed that a clothespin or tweezer like beak was best for most foods, although a straw beak is definitely best for nectar.

Thursday morning we read a book about owls and then dissected owl pellets.  Children were fascinated by the different bones they found inside their pellets and some children kept poking away right through choice time.  (The pellets I use have been sterilized, but we still washed our hands thoroughly when we were done.)

Thank you for a fantastic year.  Have a wonderful summer!