Friday, October 31, 2014

Happy Halloween!














Because of the blustery weather, we rode the school bus to Heritage Manor today.  We were greeted warmly and the residents were eager to see the students in their costumes.  When we got back to school, we made monster cups with green tinted vanilla pudding and crushed Oreos. Then we enjoyed an extra long Centers time playing on the computer and iPads, building with blocks and Legos, reading books, and writing.


A great big THANK YOU to parents who were able to come along and help supervise: Ashley Behymer, Lisa McNeff, Kate Gordon, and Sara Luthy.

Thursday, October 30, 2014

That's What I'm Talking About!


The percentage of students who know the names and sounds of the uppercase and lowercase letters in the kindergarten class!  Hip-Hip-Hooray!

We voted to have an ice cream party next week to celebrate!
Wednesday, November 5 at 2:00 PM
Parents are invited to join us, since they helped us reach our goal!

Tuesday, October 28, 2014

Mill Creek Pumpkin Patch



Well, we finally got to go to the pumpkin patch!  The weather was beautiful and the pumpkin selection was great.  The corn maze was really big this year and the kids had a lot of fun winding their way around looking for the 6 riddle cards hidden along the way. 

Unfortunately, there was a miscommunication with the bus garage and we got a half hour late start.  Although we didn't get to see the presentation, kindergarten students will probably go again in first grade and it will give them something to look forward to for that trip.

Thank you to the parents who came along and helped supervise, especially through the maze...Kim Berkenbile, Amanda Law, Sara Luthy, Becky Niewohner, and Megan Walker.

Challenge Update

100
The percentage of kindergarten students who know both the names of the uppercase AND lowercase letters.

98
The percentage of letter sounds we as a whole class know. (Only 7 sounds to go!)

Thursday, October 23, 2014

Challenge Update

100% Know all the names of the uppercase letters!
100% Know all the names of the lowercase letters!
We know 94% of the sounds!

One week to go...WE CAN DO IT!!!!

Tuesday, October 21, 2014

Student Led Parent Teacher Conferences


This Wednesday and Thursday are Parent Teacher Conferences.  Here are some facts that may answer  some questions you have.  

  • Students should attend the conferences.  They will share with you some of the things they have learned and what they are currently working towards.
  • Child care will be provided for siblings in the cafeteria/gym.
  • If there are some topics you would like to discuss without your child present, you may take him/her to the child care for that portion of the conference.

    Please feel free to contact me for further clarification.  I look forward to meeting with all of you!

    What is a Scientist?

    Scientists are people who...


    OBSERVE     QUESTION     GUESS      EXPERIMENT


    This week students are being Pumpkin Scientists.  Yesterday we worked in groups and made some observations about our pumpkins.  Some are big and some are medium.  They are bumpy, smooth, and soft.  One is apricot color, another is white, and the last one is orange.  
    How many cubes tall is Zoe's pumpkin?

    Do Ann, Jackson, and Matthew agree on how many cubes tall their pumpkin is?  Should they include the stem?

    Hollie decides her tower still isn't quite tall enough.

    Let's record our findings.

    Today we made some guesses about our pumpkins and did some experiments.  We guessed how big our pumpkin is around (circumference) and then measured the actual size.  We have guessed the number of seeds and will check tomorrow.


    Each group named their pumpkin and then cut a string that they thought would just fit around the fattest part of their pumpkin (green).  Then we actually measured our pumpkins (orange).  The number to the right are guesses for the total number of seeds in our pumpkin.


    A scientist is YOU!

    Monday, October 13, 2014

    Learning to Add and Subtract

    Ann shows that Emma had 3 crayons and was given 2 more.

    Emma had 3 crayons.  A friend gave her 2 more crayons.  How many crayons does she have now?

    Students are learning to figure out these problems for themselves.  We are not writing equations, but using the words joining and separating so that students can develop a solid understanding of what each operation means before we introduce the symbols.  An important step in this activity is for students to explain to others how they worked out the problem.

    Vyla shows that when Emma joined the 3 crayons she had with the 2 crayons a friend gave her, she now has 5 crayons.

    Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

    The Pumpkin Patch Field trip has been rescheduled for Monday, October 27th in the afternoon.  Thank you to all who made special arrangements to come along and prepared students with boots and slickers.  We were all disappointed, but the forecast of thunderstorms all day made us question the safety of the outing.  Even Theresa Roegge from Mill Creek Farms recommended we didn't come.  I will send out a new invitation to come along and help through Volunteer Spot and yet another permission slip will be sent home.


    Saturday, October 11, 2014

    Music with Mr. Andy


    Students learned about quarter notes, half notes, and whole notes with Mr. Andy in Music class this week.


    Then they practiced playing the notes on the drums.





    Happy Birthday, Jamie!

    Thank you Jamie for sharing your yummy birthday treats!

    Tuesday, October 7, 2014

    Kindergarten Challenge Data

    Here is the most current data on how the students are progressing in achieving the goal of learning all the names and sounds of the letters:

    Uppercase Letter Names: 96%*

    Lowercase Letter Names: 93%*

    Letter Sounds: 76%


    Some students know all the names and sounds and others are catching on like wild fire.  These are the class averages. (The number of letters known by each child divided by the total number possible.)
    This is a very good place to be with 3 1/2 weeks left until Halloween!  Keep up the great work!
    We will celebrate when our goal is completed with an ice cream or pizza party.

    *Numbers in graphs are random and do not reflect students' numbers used on hooks, mailboxes, etc.

    Friday, October 3, 2014

    Music with Mr. Andy

    Not only were the student learning about music, rhythm, and beat, they were also counting by 4s!