Hawaiian Pizza

This is an original song composed in Music class with Mr. Andy on Friday.

Mill Creek Farms

The kindergarten students will be visiting Mill Creek Farms in Quincy on Monday, October 13.  We will be attending with first and second grades to learn more about the pumpkin life cycle and pick our own pumpkins.  We are scheduled to begin the farm tour at 10:00, but if we go through the corn maze, we may have to get an earlier start.  If you are able to attend this field trip with us, please let me know.  As we approach this date, I will be able to let you know if there will be room on the school bus or if you will have to provide your own transportation.  We will wear out Little Sprouts t-shirts.

Pete the Cat

I am not sure if you are familiar with Pete the Cat, but if you are not, this link will bring you up to speed (wink, wink).  Kindergarten really loves Pete the Cat.  When we are prone to be disappointed or complain, someone will pipe up with the Pete the Cat quote, It's all good!  It seems to lighten the moment and everyone laughs.

Pete the Cat

In my opinion not all Pete the Cat books are created equal.  However, if you read Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons and Pete the Cat I Love My White Shoes, you'll fall in love with Pete too!

Homework 

Homework for the week of September 29, 2014 has been posted on the Homework Page.

Warriors Have Strong Arms

Fairy Garden

Yoga

Magazine Sales Details

Homework

Homework for the week of September 22 has been posted on the Weekly Homework Page.

Little Books

Are you enjoying the writing your students have been bringing home.  We began the year making a list of ways that writers write.  Then we practiced taking orders from menus, writing cards/letters to one another, making shopping lists, and finally writing books.  The books are really what I was aiming towards, but for some, this may not be their first choice.  Hopefully, making writing meaningful and useful for the students will motivate them to really practice this skill a lot.  

When introducing story writing, we discussed 3 types of stories, informative, narrative, and opinion.  Daily we discuss a different aspect of each of these in order to give the students ideas for what to write about.  I have been truly amazed and excited about the stories the students have been producing.  This is only September, imagine what they will be doing in May!  Thank you to Sara Luthy and our enrichment student, Lauren Paisley for working with this writing group and getting them off to such a great start.

Magazine Sales Details

Information for the Magazine Sales Fundraiser was sent home on Thursday.  I know at least one child did not get home with the fact sheet which included turn-in dates, information about online ordering, etc.  I have scanned the 2-sided page and posted below for easy reference.

Mission Accomplished

Weekly Homework 

Homework for the week of September 15th has been posted.

Mission Statement

After much brainstorming and list making of actions that are bucket fillers, peacemakers, and reasons we come to school, the students have written our class mission statement.  We will recite this daily as a class and it will be posted on a framed chalkboard hung over our hooks in the hall.  Teachers will be using these classroom mission statements to compose a school-wide mission statement.

2014 Fall Festival Scarecrow Contest

Is anyone interested in organizing the creation of a kindergarten scarecrow for the contest?  We have won in the past and used the money for classroom materials.  Sometimes I feel inspired, but this year I don't seem to have any great ideas.  If you feel inspired and would like to help, please let me know!  The deadline is Oct. 4.

SMS Proud

Christopher Koch graduated from St. Mary School!

Daily Five

The Daily Five is the small group framework we use to practice our reading and writing skills in Kindergarten.  The students rotate through 5 stations that help them practice skills.  The stations are I Read (independent reading), We Read (read with a partner), I Listen (listening to books on the iPads), Word Work (games and activities practicing letters and high frequency words), and I Write (writing in a variety of ways).  As the students rotate through these stations I will begin taking a group to work on specific skills they may need and read pre-decodable and leveled readers.  During the transition period in between stations we have 5-7 minute whole group mini-lessons.  The students are doing very well with this schedule and are staying highly engaged.  For now I am choosing the rotation schedule, but as we build stamina working independently, students will be allowed to choose their stations.

If you have an hour to give, sign up for the morning slot on Volunteer Spot.  Remember it doesn't have to be every week or even every month.  Sign up anytime and come in when you can.  Thank you to the parents who have already signed up and come in to help!

We Read

I Write (That is our High School Enrichment Student, Lauren Paisley.)

I Listen

Word Work

Letter Writing to Our Friends and Families

Developing Problem Solving Skills

Make a picture using pattern blocks.  Draw the picture.  How many pattern blocks did you use?

Homework

Homework for the week of September 8th has been added to the Homework Page.

Little Sprouts T-shirts

Friends of  St. Mary School (FOSMS) are sending home special "little sprouts" t-shirts with Kindergarten and Pre-K students.  Please try to preserve the condition of these shirts as occasionally your child will be asked to wear his/her shirt to school events like field trips.

I highly recommend becoming involved in the Friends of St. Mary School.  This is a parent-teacher organization that devotes its time to putting resources (materials and volunteers) directly in the classrooms.  Money raised by fundraisers sponsored by FOSMS goes directly into the classroom and does not get lost in overhead expenses.  I feel participating in FOSMS is one way that I can make a big difference at St. Mary School.  Meetings are the first Wednesday of the month at 5:30 in the school cafeteria.