Popcorn Words:

has, as

Writers Workshop:

We continued on with informational writing this week! On Monday we started our week of informational writing by putting together a KWL of bears.  We had a blast watching a few informational video on bears.  I attached the Disney video below.  The kids really enjoyed the music and filming of this video.  We first wrote down everything we know and want to know about bears.  Then we watched some informational videos and read some informational text on bears to learn even more!  On Tuesday we wrote down what bears have, can do and what they are.  On Wednesday and Thursday we took the information we learned and wrote it down to create an informational book all about bears!

Brown Bear Video-Disney

 

Readers Workshop:

Late last week we added poetry to our book boxes!  This week we focused on learning that poetry can really help us with our fluency.  The students are having a blast reading familiar poems/songs and they are also excited to learn new poems!  It has been a fun way to end this unit in Readers Workshop.

Math:

This week in math we found and wrote equations for partners of numbers 3-10.  We also worked on our adding and subtracting fluency!  The students are getting really fast with their addition/subtraction.   Our plan is to review for the Unit 4 test on Monday and take the test on Tuesday.  The students will begin the last unit-Unit 5 after spring break!

 

Star Student:

Meet Sommer

Sommer was our star student this week!  We learned that her favorite color is teal. She likes to eat bacon and her favorite books are the Junie B Jones series.  She enjoys the sport of swimming and she loves recess when we are at school.  We learned that Sommer is a star because she is quiet when the teachers are talking. Three cool facts about Sommer are… 1. She is good at cartwheels 2. She moved to Michigan 2 years ago. 3. She loves to play with her friends. Thanks for being a wonderful star student this week, Sommer. We feel super lucky to have you in our classroom family!

 

Important Information

1. We still have our rest time/whiteboard time daily, so please send back those washed towels/blankets on Monday.
2. Many of our whiteboard markers are starting to run out.  If you wish, you may send in new markers for your child.  I will make sure they get in their whiteboard marker pouch.
3. Please remember to send a coat and even a hat/gloves with your child each day.  The days can still be a bit chilly.
4. We plan to have an egg hunt after spring break!  If you are willing, we would love some plastic egg donations!  Ideally, I would love to have 100 eggs so each child can get 4!  Please send in these donations sometime next week or the Monday/Tuesday after spring break:)

 

Important Dates

• Monday, March 28…Music, Turn in your blue reading log
• Tuesday, March 29…Gym Take Home Books due, Library Books Due
• Wednesday, March 30…Art, Wear your Pajamas for comfy reading! 
• March 31-April 10…Spring Break
• See you all on Monday, April 11

 

The class earned another reward for their outstanding behavior at school! 

Today they voted on having a costume day! Tomorrow, Friday March 25, please have your child come to school in a costume of their choice!  Please no weapons, and make sure they will be comfy in the costume at school:)

Popcorn Words:

could, would, should

 

St. Patrick’s Day Fun:

We had so much fun celebrating St. Patrick’s Day on Thursday!  We did many St. Patrick’s Day themed activities from writing about what we would do if we were a leprechaun to making a rainbow craft with paint.  After Art,  we came back to a messy classroom!  Our toilet water was dyed green, there were green foot prints around the room, chairs were tipped over and a little snack with gold coins was left behind!  Many of the students wondered if a leprechaun had visited the classroom!

 

Writers Workshop:

We continued on with persuasive writing this week!  We discussed some more problems that we may have at home or school and the students were excited to write!  In their persuasive pieces, the students were told to list their problem, give reasons for fixing their problem and give their solution! The kinders were all super convincing with their writing!  Next week, we move on to informational writing!  

Readers Workshop:

On Monday, we learned how to talk like an expert when it comes to sharing our nonfiction books!  We learned that nonfiction readers need to explain what they have learned to others and share that learning.  And to do that, it helps to use fancy words that go with the topic!  As a class, we looked closely at a nonfiction book about bees.  The students learned that the word antenna is a fancy word!  We looked closely at the definition our book provided and learned what it means.  On Tuesday & Wednesday, we had a reading playdate with our partner!  This time, we used nonfiction texts when we had our playdate!  We practiced acting out what our book was about, playing literacy games, or being a teacher and sharing our book with our partner.  On Thursday, we started our final bend for this unit, poetry!  The kids had a blast reading a from their new poetry packet. We are learning that Avid Poetry Readers read the words, think about the poem and match the beat of the poem.

 

 

 

 

Math:

We kicked off Monday in math by discussing teen numbers.  The students reviewed how teen numbers are made out of a 10 stick and extra ones.  After our class review, we worked on the first section of our teen number book in our math book!  The students were required to color in the 10 stick and extra ones to the corresponding number. They were also expected to fill out the equation that fit the teen number! On Wednesday, we reviewed addition and subtraction and worked on solving problems with numbers 0-10.  We wrapped up our week in math by reviewing partners of numbers 3-10. We did this by breaking apart sticks, looking at the partners and applying what we learned to complete a worksheet in our math book.  

 

Star Student:

Meet Lucas

Lucas was our star student this week!  We learned that his favorite color is teal. He enjoys eating salami and his favorite book is “Nibbles the Book Monster” by Emma Yarlett!  He enjoys the sport of soccer and he loves to play when we are in school and splash in puddles when he is at home.  We learned that Lucas is a star because he listens.  Three cool facts about Lucas are 1. He likes to go camping 2. He likes to sleep 3. He likes going in the forest to play. Thanks for being a wonderful star student this week, Lucas!  We feel super lucky to have you in our classroom family!

 

Mystery Reader:

On Tuesday, Kayla’s mom was our mystery reader!  She read us two books!  The first one was “26 Big Things Small Hands Can Do” by and Coleen Paratore. The 2nd book was “Lovabye Dragon” by Barbara Joose. We all enjoyed listening to her read and it was nice treat after math time!  Thank you, Mrs. Shisler for being our mystery reader.

 

Important Information

1. We still have our rest time/whiteboard time daily, so please send back those washed towels/blankets on Monday!
2. Many of our whiteboard markers are starting to run out.  If you wish, you may send in new markers for your child.  I will make sure they get in their whiteboard marker pouch.
3. Please have your kinder turn in their blue reading log on Monday so they can receive a raffle ticket!

 

Important Dates

• Monday, March 21…STEAM, Turn in your blue reading log
• Tuesday, March 22…Music, Take Home Books due, Library Books Due
• Wednesday, March 23…Gym, Wear a shirt with winter words
• Thursday, March 24…Art, Happy Birthday, Hudson!
• Friday, March 25…STEAM,Take Home Books due, 

 

Tomorrow, March 18th is an early release day! 

School will dismiss by 12:15pm. 

If you wish to order a sack lunch for your child, please email me by 9:00am tomorrow morning. 

Take Home Books are due tomorrow as well.

Popcorn Words:

where, there, were

Writers Workshop:

This week we continued on with Unit 4- persuasive writing!  We kicked off the week by discussing what are some problems we see at school or home that we would like to change.  Some of the problems we brainstormed were running in the hallway, littering on the playground, pushing on the playground, leaving our belongings lay in the hallway, etc…Each child picked one problem and wrote about it! We then told why we needed to fix this problem using the word because. On Wednesday we discussed why we should give reasons to make our change sound more convincing!  I am super proud of how hard the kinders are working during this time!  

Readers Workshop:

On Monday, we learned what it means to use book based pretending!  The students learned that this means avid readers try to act out the story better and better by paying close attention to what the story says, so they can act it out the way the author wants it to be acted.  We practiced using this skill by acting out parts of the book, “Not Norman” as a whole group.  On Tuesday, we started Bend 2 in our Becoming Avid Readers book.  We discussed non-fiction movies and text.  The students watched a short 2 minute video clip titled, “Venus Flytraps”.  They LOVED watching this clip, so much that we carried the lesson over into Wednesday and watched it again!  We discussed how we watched the video with so much fascination that we looked like Avid Readers!  So we found some non-fiction text and read through it! We had some WOW! moments and some moments when we wanted to ask questions about the text.

Math:

This week we continued on with Unit 4.  We started the week by finding partners of 10 in 5 groups.  We also recorded partners of 10, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2 using tiny tumblers!  The students showed teen numbers as a group of ten ones and extra ones and a as a 10 and a 1-digit number.  We focused on adding and subtracting numbers 0-10 and fluently adding numbers 0-5.  When we are fluently adding/subtracting numbers our goal is to be able to do it in our head quickly.  We will continue to work on these skills in the upcoming weeks.

Fort Day Fun:

On Friday we had a blast making forts in the classroom!  We kept the forts up for both literacy time and rest time.  It was fun to watch the students work together to create their fort and problem solve with one another on how to keep their sheet from falling.  Check out some pictures from our fun below:

 

Star Student:

Meet Anna

Anna was our star student this week!  We learned that her favorite color is gold. She enjoys eating oranges and her favorite books are princess books!  She enjoys the sport of cheer and she loves making crafts when we are in school.  We learned that Anna is a star because she is kind to others.  Three cool facts about Anna are 1. She can do back flips off the swing. 2. She likes to dress up. 3. She is very friendly! Thanks for being a wonderful star student this week, Anna!  We feel super lucky to have you in our classroom family!

 

Mystery Reader:

On Friday, Ellie’s dad was our Mystery Reader! He read us the book “Danny & Daisy, A Tale of a Dolphin Duo”.  Ellie and her family picked up this cute book when they were in Florida last week!  It’s a sweet little story about two dolphins.  Thank you for taking the time out of your Friday Mr. McElhenny to come and read to us! 

 

Important Information

1. We still have our rest time/whiteboard time daily, so please send back those washed towels/blankets on Monday!
2. Many of our whiteboard markers are starting to run out.  If you wish, you may send in new markers for your child.  I will make sure they get in their whiteboard marker pouch.
3. Please have your kinder turn in their blue reading log on Monday so they can receive a raffle ticket!

 

Important Dates

• Monday, March 14…STEAM, Turn in your blue reading log
• Tuesday, March 15…Music, Take Home Books due
• Wednesday, March 16…Gym, wear sports gear
• Thursday, March 17…Art, Happy St. Patricks Day!
• Friday, March 18…Music,Take Home Books due, Early Release at 12:15pm

The kinders earned a reward for OUTSTANDING work, so tomorrow, March 11th we will have fort day!  Please have your child bring in an oversized blanket or twin sheet to use for fort day!  Please remind your child that their sheet will stay in their backpack until after lunch!  We plan to make the forts during our whiteboard work time.

Popcorn Words:

about, went, home

Dr. Seuss:

On March 2nd the kinders celebrated Dr. Seuss day!  They had a blast making crafts, reading Dr. Seuss books and doing literacy/math activities that were Dr. Seuss themed!

Writing:

This week we dove into Unit 4- persuasive writing!  We kicked off the week by discussing what are some problems we see at school that we would like to change.  Some of the problems we brainstormed were running in the hallway, ants in our classroom, littering on the playground, pushing on the playground, leaving our belongings lay in the hallway etc…As a class we picked one problem and wrote about it together.  We then told why we needed to fix this problem using the word because. On Wednesday we discussed why we should give reasons to make our change sound more convincing!  Next week, each child will pick one problem and write about it!  I am super proud of how hard the kinders are working during this time! 

Readers Workshop:

This week in reading we started reading playdates!  We learned that avid readers don’t just share books, they’re always inventing fun things to do with books and friends.  We used the chart above to guide us with our reading play dates!  Students were able to pick if they wanted to play school, play games or play pretend! The students had fun breaking into groups and taking part in the reading playdates!  On Thursday, we learned that really good readers act out the story in their mind, every time they read.  We are learning that reading is a lot like going to the movies because of all the pretending we are doing!  

 

Math:

The kinders told, drew and solved addition and subtraction story problems.  We also compared numbers of objects in a group using matching and counting strategies.  We also discussed 3D shapes.  The kinders are learning about the characteristics of a sphere, cube, cone and cylinder!  Next week we are planning to discuss partners for numbers 10, 8, 7, 6, 5, 4, 3 and 2.  

Happy Birthday:

We celebrated Benjamin’s 6th Birthday on Monday! Technically his birthday is 2/29, he is a leap year kid so we had fun learning about leap year with our discussions.

Star Student:

Meet Greyson

Greyson was our star student this week!  We learned that his favorite color is blue. He enjoys eating pizza and his favorite book is “The Boy Who Never Gave Up”!  He enjoys the sport of football and he loves playing games with friends when we are outside at school for recess.  We learned that Greyson is a star because he is kind.  Three cool facts about Greyson are 1. He really likes to go camping, 2. He has been to Mexico. 3. He plays baseball and basketball! Thanks for being a wonderful star student this week, Greyson!  We feel super lucky to have you in our classroom family!

 

Important Information

• Have your child bring back their towel, snuggle buddy and two snacks on Monday!
• Our supply of dry erase markers is running low.  If you would like to replenish your child’s markers, please send them in with a label and I will make sure they get into their specific bag.
• Please have your child return their blue March is Reading Log on Monday.  You will need to total the number of minutes your child read this past week and sign it.  If this is all filled in and they read at least 75 minutes this week, I will reward them with a raffle ticket.  

Important Dates

• Monday, March 7…Art
• Tuesday, March 8…STEAM, Library, Take Home Books are Due
• Wednesday, March 9…Music
• Thursday, March 10…Gym, 
• Friday, March 11…Art, Take Home Books are Due

 

The kinders had a blast previewing books at the book fair yesterday and making their wish lists

Our book fair shopping day will be tomorrow from 12:30-1:00pm.  If your child would like to make a purchase, please place their money in an envelope or baggy with their name on it and the book(s) they wish to purchase.  This will help to prevent lost money!  

Thank you!

Popcorn Words:

bad, had, map

Presidents Day:

On Monday we celebrate Presidents Day!  The students learned about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington.  We learned about why they are important to our country and we had fun examining coins and money with their picture on them.  Please check out the pictures below:

 

Writing:

We wrapped up opinion writing on Wednesday.  The highlight of this week was when the kids had to write about their favorite restaurant and tell the reader why it was their favorite place to eat.  I graded these papers and they will be used on the June report card for opinion writing.  I will also share these writing pieces with you at conferences so you can see how your child did!  Overall, I was very impressed with their writing! 

 

Reading:

This week in reading we continued on with our Avid Readers Unit.  The students enjoyed revisiting the “We are Super Readers!” chart and reading with partners!  We continue to focus on our fluency and comprehension when reading!  

Math:

This week in math we continued to learn about comparing numbers, using the words greater, equal or less than, building teen numbers and adding and subtracting.  Our goal in kindergarten is to fluently add and subtract numbers 0-5.  So many of our kinders are already meeting this goal and working on numbers 0-10.  I am very impressed on how they use their addition when we are working on our math lesson and when we are doing other activities in the classroom. 

 

Black History Month: 

Rosa Parks:  This week we wrapped up black history month by learning about the famous Rosa Parks! The kids were very amazed at how brave she was to stand up for what was right!  We talked about how her bravery has made a difference for so many people.  Thank you, Rosa Parks!

 

Happy Birthday:

We had a blast celebrating Ella and Maisy this week!  Ella turned 6 on Wednesday and Maisy turned 6 on Friday.

 

Star Student:

Hayley was our star student this week!  We learned many new facts about her and had a blast celebrating her all week!  Hayley’s favorite color is purple and she really likes elephants!  Her favorite food to eat is chicken and her favorite sport is dance.  When she is at school, she enjoys reading and when she is at home she loves to make artwork using stencils!  She is a star because she is smart and she shows everyone she cares by helping them out!  Thank you so much, Hayley for being a terrific star student this week!  We feel very blessed that you are a part of our classroom.

 

Important Information

• Have your child bring back their towel, snuggle buddy and two snacks on Monday!
• Spring Conferences – March 1 & 3 Here is the link to the calendly sign up.  You will have the option to do zoom or in-person. In-person is easier for me to share and show you your child’s work but I understand the ease and comfort of Zoom so please pick what works best for you and I can send work home with your child the following day. I look forward to meeting with you.
• Our supply of dry erase markers is running low.  If you would like to replenish your child’s markers, please send them in with a label and I will make sure they get into their specific bag.
• Georgetown Boys Day Out will be held on March 19 in the afternoon. If you have any questions, email Kristi Floriana at kristen.floriana@gmail.com
  • Boys Day Out 2022.pdf

Important Dates

• Monday, Feb, 28…Gym, Book Fair Preview, Happy Birthday Benjamin! (2/29)
• Tuesday, March 1…Art, Library, Take Home Books are Due, Conferences from 4:15-7:30pm
• Wednesday, March 2…STEAM, Book Fair Shopping
• Thursday, March 3…Music, Conferences from 4:15-7:30pm
• Friday, March 4…Gym Take Home Books are Due

 

 

Tomorrow, February 25 is an early release day! 

School will dismiss by 12:15pm. 

If you wish to order a sack lunch for your child, please email me by 9:00am tomorrow morning. 

Take Home Books are due tomorrow as well.

If you have not signed up for conferences, please do so as soon as possible.  Conferences are next week Tuesday and Thursday evening.  Here is the conference sign up link.