Room #7 Kindergarteners are busy as always! We began our Job Chart (which rotates every two weeks) this week, our first circle (sight) word (the word “I”) was introduced on Monday! It is currently our password to get into Room #7. The students not only need to read the word but also have to spell it: “I, uppercase I.” The kiddos are loving it! Every week, I will introduce a new circle word and send it home so that you, the families at home, are aware of the new word! Have fun! Read on for some snippets of our week!
On Thursday, Ms. Freeman our school counselor, came to visit our class for Motion and Emotion! This year she will visit all of the Kindergarten classes and do lessons related to building social and emotional skills. Ms. Freeman also loves to dance with the kids…and the kids LOVE it too! Today Ms. Freeman read a story called The Way I Feel and then talked to the kids about “feelings” they had/have about starting Kindergarten. We’ll continue to talk more about this over the next several weeks!
Room #7 is full of Hastings Heroes! Each child received his/her own Hastings Hero shirt last week before All School Meeting. We will wear these shirts once a month to share school spirit and celebrate being a member of the Hastings community and a Hastings Hero! Our school has a school-wide Pro-Social program that we use to help the kids learn about respect, determination, safety, and responsibility. Through the year we will talk a lot about what it means to be a Hastings Hero.
On Monday, the writers in Room #7 wrote about a true story that happened to them. It was a great way to jump start our writing time! I was quite impressed with all the details the class chose to include in their very important stories!
Last Friday, we read the story, How Full is Your Bucket? It is a wonderful narrative about a little boy named Felix. This charming book explains to children how being kind not only helps others but also helps themselves. As he goes about his day, Felix interacts with different people. Using the metaphor of a bucket and dipper, Felix’s grandfather explains why positive interactions with others make Felix feel good while negative dealings leave him feeling bad. The grandfather also shows Felix how he himself is affecting others, whether he means to or not. This beautifully illustrated story contains a powerful message: that the way we relate to others has a profound impact on every aspect of our lives. The students of Room #7 discussed this concept and thought of ideas on how to fill each other’s bucket. It was quite touching to hear all the ideas the students had to help one another be safe and happy. To bolster this discussion, we now have a class bucket. Throughout the year, as people fill each other’s bucket, we will add pompoms to it! We already have quite a few! Room #7 is full of Bucket Fillers!
The students have worked hard at making our second class book! It is a BINGO type book that has everyone’s name spelled out with stamps, an activity completed in our Writing Center during Learning Labs. Once everyone has finished, we will be able to read it together and sing the modified song! What fun!
We are continuing to focus on our counting skills and one-to-one correspondence in Math. The boys and girls worked on the following stations this week:
- Creation Station - At this station, cherubs concentrated on reproducing various items (table, dog, robot, giraffe) using Unifex cubes!
- Pattern Block Number Cards – While at this station, the students used pattern blocks to create numbers zero through twelve. Before building their number, they had to announce what it was!
- Geoboards – Using rubber bands and various-sized geoboards, the mathematicians of Room #7 loved creating different shapes and designs. They had so much fun exploring this new Math tool.
- Shaving Cream Numbers – At this fun station, the kiddos made shaving cream “workboards” and practiced writing the numbers one through five. Then, they wrote their favorite number. It was an engaging and silly way to practice the correct way to write their numbers. They LOVED it!
- Domino Parking Lot – On each workboard, the kiddos saw the numbers 1-12. They then, picked different dominos to represent each number!
- Great Dice Race – This independent activity required students to roll dice and trace the number their dice had landed on. The students continued rolling and tracing until a particular number won!
The class is working on following expectations during Math stations. We made a whole chart about what Math Workshop should sound and look like as well as what the cherubs’ and my jobs are. It was a great discussion so that we are all on the same page! Moreover, we also talked about making sure to participate in new stations before returning to previous ones, and everybody is working on doing exactly what’s expected and following our important routines! Way to go Room #7!
This week, the cherubs and I discovered that there are three different ways to read a book! We can read the words, read the pictures, and retell the story! All three ways are excellent choices when reading books both in and out of the classroom! As the weeks continue, everyone will practice these skills independently!
Lastly, The 9th Annual Hastings 5K Run/Walk is on Sunday, September 30th at 11:10 am - less than 2 weeks away. This is a family friendly community event designed for walkers, runners, and parents with strollers. For those not interested in the full 5K, there's a 1.5 mile course available as well, and the post-race party is fun for all.
Registration is open at http://www.hastingsharvestrun.com/register-online.html. Be sure to register soon as only registrations made by noon on Saturday, September 22 are guaranteed a t-shirt.
I will be there! I hope to see my Room #7 families there too! Questions about the race? Contact [email protected].
Other Important Notes:
School Picture Day: Friday, September 28th.
P.E.: Please remember to send your child with sneakers on Mondays and Wednesdays.
Please also separate your child’s snack from his/her lunch to avoid any confusion as to what he/she should eat at which time. Additionally, if you can review with your child which bag is which (snack or lunch), this will help avoid any misunderstandings! Thank you!
Please continue to remember to check your child’s folder each day.
Again… Please send a note whenever your child has a change in dismissal plans.
Enjoy your weekend!