Look for his homework assignment next week! However, in case you want to start early, I thought I'd give you the chance to put on your thinking caps:) I would love to have these by December 9th.
Sunday, November 13, 2011
Coming Events!
Family Unit
FAMILY CELEBRATION
Save the Date: December 16th for our Family Day Celebration! (This is also School Spirit Pajama Day, a fun combination:) We will have a "mix and mingle" at 7:45 and the gathering will officially begin at approximately 8:00 in the morning and last until 8:45 (Student Arrival.) You will be receiving more detailed information about the event, volunteering to provide food, drinks etc. over the coming weeks.
TURKEY TROT
November 23rd
Please remember to send your child to school in sneakers and comfy clothing! The Thoreau tradition has always been to have an all-school assembly in the gymnasium prior to the actual event. That's also the "take-off" point. Children "cross the finish line" at the gate to the upper playground. We will gather as a class at a predetermined location such as the big tree near the garden. I will be taking attendance, so please do not take your child with you. We will be heading into the classroom for a refreshing fruit snack. You are welcome to sign out your child at the classroom door if you choose. Otherwise they will be doing their typical Wednesday dismissal. Thank you in advance for attending to the safety of our children:)
Tuesday, November 1, 2011
EXTRA CLOTHES!
Hello everyone!
It seems I have been remiss in reminding families to send in extra clothing. It is important (and extremely helpful) if your child has seasonally-appropriate backup clothing in case of spills, snow, mud, and other weather and kindergarten-related "events." We do have outdoor recess every day barring extreme cold or uncooperative weather, so please dress your child appropriately! I do have children wear whatever was sent from home (in other words, I tell children : "Clothes are a 'family choice' and we respect that at school.") If there is a change in the weather, we might allow children to shed a layer when we get outside and remind them it is their responsibility to remember to bring their items back in with them; although, truth be told, we always check and make sure they do! It's a learning curve for them;) It would be terrific to have the spare clothes as soon as possible: extra pants, shirt, socks, undies in a labelled, gallon-sized ziplock bag is recommended for ease of storage and identification.
A word about quiet time items: Please let your child know that we keep these in lockers. It seems that some of them are eager to take them home everyday! This makes for bulging backpacks which will be particularly tricky during winter time.
And, since we have already had snow....
Families sometimes ask if they can have their child keep a pair of snow pants at school. That's absolutely fine, but kindly send in a note letting me know. Otherwise, they will come home everyday!
Sunday, October 30, 2011
A Glimpse of Our Classroom Curriculum
THE SCIENCE OF HERMIT CRABS:
BRINGING OUR NATURE NOOK TO LIFE
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| OUR CLASSROOM "CRABITAT" We read a selection of nonfiction books as well as fictional stories (yes, including the beloved Eric Carle's Is This A House for Hermit Crab.) I learned some new information, and the children are enraptured. I previewed a video that may be of interest to you and your child at home. It provides some basic information about "crab anatomy." I think the kids will latch right onto to the vocabulary. Did you know hermit crabs are decapods? |
A CLASS OF READERS AND WRITERS!!
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| "THE BIG SORT" Thank you all for the guidance you provided in helping your child select words for our word jar. Much like Donavan of Donavan's Word Jar, our jar was filled to overflowing last week! After having read a large selection of words, made up silly sentences by arranging certain words, and spent lots of center time searching the room for words to copy, we were ready to do something with those words! The children considered the best way to organize the words. They did some terrific problem-solving around how to sort the words. Ultimately, sorting them by first letter into bags with the letters attached (26 letters in the alphabet, an exciting discovery for many. As one child stated: "That's a lot of letters! That must be why we have so many words in our jar!") This activity has quite a few intentionally imbedded skills including recognizing environmental print which leads to a cache of sight words, working within the alphabetic principle, letter sound recognition for automaticity, never mind the collaboration and language required to accomplish such a task! Next step: our class dictionary! |
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| ALPHABETIZING It was delightful watching the children chatting excitedly, as they whirled around the room in search of letter bags. "Has anyone seen the 'A' bag? " Yeah, it's over on the green team table near the b...or the d...I'm not really sure, but I put my word in anyway. It was 'bog' or 'dog'. Either way, Mrs.Silven will understand!"Well, after that explanation, I'm crystal clear! It seemed in due order, so we next worked in small groups to double check our accuracy:) |
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| READING WORKSHOP The following strategies and skills have been introduced: "touch reading" whereby the child touches each word for 1:1 correspondence; referencing the illustration for textual cues (teacher model, not yet practiced independently) and taking a picture walk to activate prior knowledge and infer information regarding the characters, setting and plot. These are lofty skills that we will work on over the next month. |
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| MATH CHALLENGE Measuring, counting and comparing... Check out this week's homework! |
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| "MAX'S WORDS" HUNT Suffice it to say, there is a heavy emphasis on literacy and numeracy immersion in the classroom right now. Thank you all for sending your children to me so well-prepared to learn! This is an amazing group of learners. Keep your child "hooked" on reading by looking for letters or words around your home or when you're out and about. Remember to give your child authentic praise as the developing reader he is! |
Sunday, October 16, 2011
CONFERENCE SCHEDULE!
PLEASE CHECK THE TIMES/DATE BELOW!
If you need to reschedule or if you have not yet scheduled an appointment with me, please email me a few times that are convenient for you. Thank you!
Recent notices
Gross Motor/Fine Motor
Last Week's Sight Words
Our First School Spirit Day is this Friday. Send your child in RED!
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