January 25, 2019

Dear Families,

We have been learning so much about the continent of Australia! While our hypothesis relates to the gray kangaroo and hoping to find one joey for every five adult kangaroos, we have learned about so much more and we are only on day 6! We have met the koala, the cassowary bird, the platypus, the wombat, the mud skipper, crocodiles, the goanna, and of course the gray kangaroo. We had a very fun STEAM (science, technology, engineering, art, math) activity today where we got to design our own parachutes and try to figure out how they would best fly-thinking about gravity and drag. It was a super exciting experiment as I released them from the 2nd floor and the students observed the parachutes coming to the ground. Ask them about their parachute and if it flew well or if they thought of ways to make it better!

During writing time they are finishing up the unit on pattern books. The children have been very excited to create these books as the structure of the writing matches where many of the students are reading at this time of the year. Each book spotlights at least one sight word we are working on. It all ties together very nicely.  

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The character we learned this week was Leaping Eve. 

In math we are working with teen numbers, formation of numbers, making pictures to match the number written, addition and subtraction practice, counting by 10s, number grid exploration, more practice of the game Top It, and reading graphs.  Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events: 

Thursday January 31- Kindergarten Music Concert! 6pm @ WCS
February 18-22 February Vacation

January 18, 2019

Dear Families,

We have started our exploration of Australia with our Go 2 Science and WOW are we learning some amazing things!!! I hope you have time to ask your student about some of the animals we have met so far~fascinating!

Books Read: The Mitten, The Hat, Hedgie's Surprise and also another version of The Mitten which was written by AlvinTresselt. We spent time comparing and contrasting the two versions of the story as well as predicting, sequencing, and retelling the events. 

During writing time they are; visualizing places and people to write about, adding words (letters) to their pictures, rehearsing what they want to say about what they wrote, telling a story across pages, taking turns sharing their ideas and writing with partners, going back into their writing pieces and revising what they have written by changing or adding to what they wrote and continuing to build up their confidence as writers.

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The character we learned this week was;  Old Joe Crow.

In math we are working with teen numbers, formation of numbers, making pictures to match the number written, addition and subtraction practice, describing patterns, counting and number recognition through graphing , introduction to calculators and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events: 

Monday January 21- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No School

Tuesday January 31- Kindergarten Concert- 6pm

January 4, 2019

Dear Families,

The happiest of New Years to you! It will be a wonderful year!

We finished our Mission to Panama in our Go2Science adventure! The children have been so involved in learning about a different part of the world and deciding if our hypothesis is correct or not as far as the blue morpho butterfly is concerned. They have some pretty good ideas! There is a tapir footprint coming home with them today that we printed on our new 3D printer. A token to remind them of the importance of their own footprint on the planet. Next week we embark on our mission to Australia! More discoveries ahead!

We have been engulfed in an author study of Jan Brett. Her stories and illustrations are perfect for this time of the year! 

Books Read: The Mitten, The Hat, The Umbrella, and The Wild Christmas Reindeer.  

During writing time they were working on pattern books. The children have been very excited to create these books as the structure of the writing matches where many of the students are reading at this time of the year. Each book spotlights at least one sight word we are working on. It all ties together very nicely.  

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The character we learned this week was Ichabod Ichthyosaurus. Wow! That's a long word!

In math we are working with teen numbers, formation of numbers, making pictures to match the number written, addition and subtraction practice, graphing our favorite colors, shapes by feel, counting and number recognition through graphing , introduction to calculators and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events: 

Monday January 21- Martin Luther King Jr. Day- No School

December 14, 2018

Dear Families,

Thank you for bundling up your little people! We will go outside as long as the temperature is above 10 degrees (including windchill) so it is very important!

Books Read: Countdown To Christmas, Merry Christmas, Big Hungry Bear!, How The Grinch Stole Christmas, The Night Before Christmas, Arthur's Christmas

During writing time they are; using patterns like-"I like" and "I see" to make books to share with their friends. The pattern of language and staying on one topic while exploring this kind of writing are the key concepts.

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The characters we learned this week were; Nellie Newt and Lou Lou Moose

In math we are working with teen numbers, formation of numbers, making pictures to match the number written, addition and subtraction practice and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events:

Friday December 21-We will be having some fun with the story, The Polar Express. The students are allowed to bring their pajamas to change into here at school. They also may bring a special stuffed animal as long as it can fit inside their backpack. Also a VERY low-key “Party”-NO GIFTS- We also will have some healthy snacks, so if you are interested in sending in a healthy snack or juice or cups or plates, let me know at ssample@rsu1.org

December 24-January 1- Vacation-Enjoy family and friends! Blessings all!

November 30, 2018

Happy last day of November!

Parent /Teacher conferences WILL NOT be made up as a school-during a school day but if you missed your parent teacher conference because of the snow day and you still want to meet with me please contact me to set up an appointment. Report cards are coming home on Friday and may look very different from what you are used to. Don't hesitate to contact me with questions or confusions!

PLEASE remember that we are very busy at school and the sharing of toys, jewelry, hair accessories, and cash should not be something we are doing at school. It is confusing and distracting. Thank you.

We have been having so much fun learning about the solar system this week! We know what makes day and night and that the sun is our closest star. How exciting! We are still working in Panama and attempting to get our 3-D printer up and running. (It's a bit more difficult than I thought!)

Books Read: Out In Space, Magic School Bus Lost in the Solar System, Stars! Stars! stars!, Eight Spinning Planets, Good Night Moon, Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star, There's No Place Like Space, Sun: Our Nearest Star, What Makes Day and Night?

During writing time we are working on a new unit~ writing pattern books. Books like; I like..., I see..., I can....    These are helping to build stamina in both reading and writing as beginning readers are often first successful reading books with a consistent, repetitive pattern throughout. Although this is a short unit, it is going to be a powerful one!

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The characters we learned this week are Crazy Camel and  Lizzy Lamb

In math we are working with teen numbers, Monster Squeeze, playing games with partners, formation of numbers, making pictures to match the number written, addition and subtraction practice and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events: 

December 7- Report cards home

December 24-January 1-  Christmas Vacation

November 9, 2018

My middle son, Patrick

Dear Families,

 What lovely weather we have had these past few days! It is so nice to be able to continue our treks outside on these beautiful fall days. We have been taking the role of scientist as we spend time observing the season using all of our senses. 

A bit of help that I need... please assist your child by making sure there are no toys or other distractions in their backpacks or pockets. We have had many instances of students "giving, trading, sharing, lending" items and we honestly don't have the time for those distractions in our day. I really need your help with this and I thank you in advance. 

A turkey project has come home with your child this week. Have fun creating together and please send it back in when finished~

If you have not signed up for conferences yet, please do. I can't wait to talk about your student's first trimester of kindergarten. 

We are continuing to tell stories across pages in our writing blocks. Sharing work with partners and adding details  has added to our good work!

Animated Alphabet is our approach to phonemic awareness and spelling. The letters are taught through a multi sensory approach of music, dance, characters and signs which help the students hold onto that information. The character we learned about this week was; Baby Barnaby

In math we are working with teen numbers, recognizing teen numbers through movement, formation of numbers, addition and subtraction practice and continuing our calendar routines. Our routines at calendar time include; counting to the calendar number of the day, weather observations, tracking the number of days we have been in school and days of the week. 

We are learning about the Woolwich Way! The Woolwich Way is made up of 6 qualities that will help us to be the best we can be! (Courtesy- I can use good manners, Compassion-I can help others, Respect- I can treat others kindly, Honesty-I can tell the truth, Responsibility- I can take care of myself and my stuff, Quality- I can do my best even when things are hard)

Upcoming Events: 

November 12- Veterans Day Observed- No School

November 19 & 20- 1/2 Day Students- Parent Teacher Conferences (Please sign up)

November 21, 22, 23 No School for Thanksgiving Break

November 2, 2018

Dear Families,

              Wow~we made it through Halloween week and got so much done! The month of November is going to be VERY busy with a lot of disruption in our schedule. Pleas look below for no school days. There are many! 

               We have started a new science adventure called : Go2 Science. The students seem to be enjoying our time in Panama and learning about many features of the rain forest and more importantly the blue morpho butterfly and are getting a heaping helping of science based vocabulary  and process.

              The picture book tally sheet that is attached to this newsletter is for you to fill out at home for each picture book  you  read with your child in the month of November. Please go back in time if you would like and continue to the end of the month. Then send the forms back in so we can add to our classroom total and to our whole school total. It will be fun to see how many picture books we can read in November! 

              2 reminders: as the weather is cooling down and the snow has arrived, remember we go outside on days above 10 degrees and as long as it isn't rain or ice. Fresh air is so important and I ask you to help me by sending your child with warm clothing and to make sure they have an extra set of clothing in case of emergency.  PLEASE have your child keep their toys at home...

Upcoming Events

November 6- NO SCHOOL

November 12- NO SCHOOL

November 19 & 20 Parent/teacher conferences- 1/2 days- Dismissal after lunch

November 21,22,23- NO SCHOOL