Wow! Time is flying!

I can't believe how fast the last 6 weeks have gone! We have hit the alphabet hard and are doing pretty well on learning to decode words and isolate sounds! Small group beginning reading is happening daily so please practice those Rainbow Words every chance you get. Not only have we been counting and learning about numbers but we have also been working on the concept of one or two more or fewer.. This is the beginning of addition and subtraction!  An example of this is, how many more do I need if I have three but need five?  We use number lines and matching objects to help us visualize the concept. Fun, huh?

So many things are coming up! Wednesday we will explore the first Thanksgiving by making Friendship soup and inviting other kindergarten classes to eat with us. Thanks go out to the moms who helped make our Pilgrim hats! Then the following week, their vehicles presentations are due. During conference week, the kindergarten classes will be making different large vehicles. Then each class will rotate to the different rooms to see and explore each vehicle. If you have time to volunteer to help during this week, please let me know. It's a big project and I'd love help!
Lastly, parent conference are also the last week of October. Can't wait to talk to you about the progress your child is making! I will have a sign up calendar at the gate. See you soon!

Rules rules and more rules...

Our important classroom rules are:
1) listen when others are talking. This means that whomever has a turn to talk, everybody else must listen to that person. This includes when the teacher is talking.
2) use a quiet voice inside. This becomes very important during table work time. I work with a small group and I need to be able to hear the students in the small group.  This also includes not making noises and disturbing others who are trying to work.
3) follow directions quickly. I expect students to follow directions the first time they are given. If I ask a student to put away their things, I expect them to do so immediately.
4) use everything the right way. We use all items in the classroom the way they were intended to be used. We use glue on paper, not in our mouths. Pencils are not used for drumming. Scissors cut paper only. You get my point.
5) never hurt anyone on the inside or the outside and keep your dear teacher happy. This means we are careful with our words. No one is allowed to say "you aren't my friend" or "you can't play" or other mean things that hurt a persons feelings and make them feel unwanted.  We keep our hands and feet to ourselves.  No hitting, pushing, kicking, biting, etc. These kinds of violations get you a visit to the principal's office.  And keeping the teacher happy includes following all these rules plus participating in our activities such as singing, movement, PE , art, etc.
Please help your child by reviewing the rules with him/her often. Praise you child for a job well done and be disappointed in a job poorly done. I appreciate your support and offers to help. Write me a note if you can come in in September to help or if you want take home things to do.
Reminder: Book Boxes are due August 15th.

Here we go!

We're off to a New Year! The first month of school is all about adjustments. We have to learn expectations and schedules. And everything takes time. So, your child may cry when you leave. This usually only lasts a few days and meanwhile,  I have a soft teddy bear he/she can cuddle until he/she feels comfortable to join the class. It may take us 15 minutes to line up. No worries, we get there eventually. We practice classroom rules daily. We act them out, we sing about them, we get awarded for following them. We learn to push in our chairs and put our things away (you can thank me for this later).  We learn how to make friends, to share and open our own  milk containers. Yes, we are busy people and we will most likely be very tired when we get home and may need a short  nap.  If I find I need your support because your child is having difficulty learning to do all things required in school, I will let you know.  Meanwhile, here are a few academic things we will focus on the first month of school: alphabet, numbers to 10, reading comprehension, high frequency words.  Oh, and all the beginning of the year assessments! I will send a report home to you as soon as the assessments are done. Well, welcome to kindergarten! Let's cheer for our New Year!

Parent Conferences

Parent conferences are next week! I can hardly believe it- time has gone by so quickly! The Fall Festival was so fun and we really did well at our booth! Thanks to all the parents who helped out! We've worked on our map making skills and created a simple relief map so show the water cycle. Our Transportation Presentations were (can I say this?) adorable! They are so proud of their work and love to share what they did, even if they are shy or forget what they've practiced. We're writing a "research" paper on vehicles that travel on water, land or sky. We'll be finishing it up next week. Our portfolios are full of things we made and I can't wait to show them to you at parent conference!

Yippee for our school!

We are having a big school-wide celebration today because we made 903 API score on or state test! This is so exciting and such a big accomplishment we just cant help but shout "Hooray!"
Thanks, in advance, to the parents who are volunteering today to help. We should have a great time!
Just a reminder- students wear their red College of the Desert shirts on Wednesdays and their Cielo Vista polo shirts on Fridays. I'm only staying at the north gate till 3:05. Then we're going back to the room to wait for you. You can enter through the corner gate then. Also, if you have a problem with pick up, you can always text me or call. 

Busy, busy...

Wow! The first week went by fast!  We were so busy learning new routines and classroom rules.  Rule #1 Listen when others are talking.  Rule #2 Use a quiet voice inside  Rule #3 Follow directions the first time  Rule #4 Use everything the right way  Rule #5 Never hurt any one on the inside or the outside AND keep your dear teacher happy!  We also read the words I, can, am, and red.  We cut, glued, painted, wrote, read, counted and drew pictures.  We are also doing the beginning of the year assessments.  I'll be sending home a report after the assessments are completed.  Thanks for being on time and in uniform!  Also, starting Monday, parents will say good bye to their student at the gate unless the parent has signed in at the office. Can't wait to see my little students again!

Welcome!

It's a pleasure to start my new kindergarten class!  I can't wait to meet everyone!  There are so many things to do and say.  Tonight is a Parent Orientation to fill parents in on what the new year will be like.  I need so many parents to volunteer for so many projects!  But my biggest wish for now is that all the students enjoy their kindergarten year and learn to write their name quickly! Our first area of study is an All About Me topic which will include learning about school, behavior, and, of course, our families!  Our first project will be a book box and information on that will go home next week.  I wish my class a very happy, safe and enlightened year!  Yippee!