It’s hard to believe that we are already at the end of week number two of school! The children did a stupendous job with our first few days of full-day Kindergarten! As each day passes, they look more confident as they enter school, and they are becoming accustomed to our daily routines. Our time here has been jam packed with fun, engaging activities related to Brown Bear, Brown Bear, and Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. Room #7 is also working on creating a community by learning each other’s names and making new friends. Here are just a few of the highlights from the week!
On Tuesday, we went through the school on a scavenger hunt to find the animals from Brown Bear! We put the animals in special places with specific adults so we could learn our way around and meet the grown-ups we will work with this year. We found…
Red Bird in the art room with Mrs. Bettencourt!
Purple Cat in the music room with Mrs. Jacques!
Yellow Duck in the main office with Mrs. Tripi!
Blue Horse in the principal’s office with Mrs. Lipsitz!
White Dog in the gym with Mr. Heinze!
Green Frog in the nurse’s office with Mrs. Salitsky!
And Black Sheep in the library with Mrs. Rich!
We took pictures of the adults we met and will create a board with these photographs so we can practice the adults’ names. We also had a fire drill! The entire school participated in this drill on Tuesday, and the kiddos knew just what to expect and did a great job!
On Wednesday, we read I Like Myself! This book is a fabulous portrayal of all the reasons to like oneself, no matter what! The pictures add humor that the Kindergarteners relished! After we finished reading, the boys and girls of Room #7 talked about how everyone is unique! Then, they colored their very first self-portraits of the year using multicultural crayons. The illustrations came out so well; everyone paid very close attention to all the details of their faces and really took their time! Way to go boys and girls!
We created our first class book! We used the familiar repetitive language from Brown Bear, Brown Bear to produce a book featuring each child in our class. This is sure to become a class favorite! The students also participated in their first survey! I asked each student what his/her favorite animal is from the book and then, as a class, we graphed the responses. Everyone was able to see which animal was the most popular by counting how many votes each one received! We chatted about which animal had the least number of votes too. It was fun to compare and contrast our results.
The students made their very own September calendars. This is an activity our class will do every month to practice writing our numerals. This month, the pictures the students created were palm trees from Chicka Chicka Boom Boom! The students then affixed letters to the ground and tree. Next, they counted how many letters on each and recorded that number! It was a fun way to delve into both literacy and math!
We also reviewed the locations we go to at the end of the day for dismissal and met all of the kindergarten teachers who help us at that time! Dismissal is a very busy time! Every day:
Walkers are going to Mrs. Sheerin’s room
Car Riders are going to my room
Bus Riders line up at the end of the hall
Lextended Day students go to Ms. Syed’s room and wait with our OT teacher, Lisa Blethen, until Lextended picks them up
As you can see – it is a VERY hectic time of day. Please remember to send a note ANYTIME your child has a change in dismissal plans!
Our class is full of singers and dancers too! The Kindergarteners in Room #7 have really enjoyed singing the many songs they have learned throughout the day. Ask them about the songs we sing before dismissal! Additionally, one of our much-loved class times is Morning Meeting. Every day, the class participates in some sort of movement activity. The favorite of the week is A Tooty Ta. Ask your kiddos to perform the moves :) !
On Thursday, the class brainstormed a list of rules that we should follow for Room #7. After listening to the story of Ridley, a place without any rules, we agreed that rules are very important to communities because they keep people safe and happy. Next, we will make a huge poster of all the rules, and the students will sign their names to show that they agree to follow them!
Important Notes:
- Curriculum Night: Back to School Night is quickly approaching! It will take place on Thursday, September 28th. Grades 3-5 will get together from 6:15-7:00. There will be a welcome in the Gym from 7:05-7:30 when you will be introduced to Specialist Teachers and other staff members. Grades K-2 will meet from 7:30-8:15. I look forward to seeing you there!
- School Picture Day: Thursday, September 28th. Rain date is Thursday, October 12th.
- Dismissal: This can be a very confusing time. Please remember to send a note any time your child’s regular dismissal plans change.
- 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!
- We survived the humidity this week with lots of drinks of water and a couple of fans! If it continues to be hot, feel free to keep sending in water bottles!
- 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.
- PLEASE send in a picture of you family ASAP if you have not done so. Next week we will continue learning about each other and I would like each child to be able to share a picture of his/her family. If you do not have a recent picture, you can take one and email it to me and I will be happy to print it out!
- If you pick up your child(ren) at the car lane, it is most helpful to have car seats on the driver’s side. In this manner, the kiddos can get into the car and buckled up quickly! Thank you for considering this request!
- The Kindergarten teachers are passing along the following information from Hastings Green Team: See Your Child at Lunch and Save the Environment Do you want to see your kindergartener at lunch? And help the kids learn to recycle and compost? Hastings Green Team is looking for kindergarten parents to help assist the kids recycle at lunchtime. Our results have been phenomenal – since 2012 we have reduced the school's daily lunchtime waste from six 65-gallon bags to barely one! The time commitment is 12:20-1:30pm. We have two spots open on Fridays, and one on Wednesdays. Either weekly, every other week, or once every four weeks -- the commitment level is up to you. Please contact us if you would like to volunteer or have any questions. Lin Jensen & Courtney Apgar [email protected] http://hastings-pto.org/greenteam/
- Consider volunteering for Big Backyard! Kindergarten completes 3 walks: fall, winter, and spring. Read on to learn more about it as well as to see when you can get trained for this exciting volunteer opportunity. The Big Backyard Program in Lexington relies on parents and volunteers from the community to provide hands-on learning in the outdoor classroom for our young scientists. We will provide an interactive orientation to the basic principles of the Big Backyard Program and the philosophy and essential activities that make up this unique nature experience. Learn strategies for working with young children in the outdoors and observe some of the exciting plants and animals that you may encounter during your Big Backyard explorations. Parents new to the program as well as veterans are encouraged to attend. Participants need only bring curiosity, an appreciation for the natural world and a desire to help children learn about life in their own backyard.
- When:
Tuesday, September 12, 7:00 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
or
Wednesday September 13, 9:30 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.
Volunteers attend only one training
Where:
Lexington Public Schools, Central Office Building
(lower level Conference Room #2)
Presenters:
Karen McCarthy, K-5 Science Coordinator and
Fran Ludwig, walk leader/trainer
To learn more visit http://lps.lexingtonma.org/Page/2304
Have a wonderful weekend!