June 5

Next week there is no learning plan. Monday will be our last class zoom from 10:20-11:00. I have little awards to give to the kids so try to attend. Here are the dates to remember...

Monday, June 8...........10:20 - 11 AM...........All Class Zoom Meeting

Tuesday, June 9...........3:00 - 6:00 PM...........Drop off reading books and pick up student supplies

Wednesday, June 10...........4:00 - 5:30 PM...........Parade

Thursday, June 11...........11AM - 12PM...........Zoom reading with Lulu Click here and see below...

November 9

Updates

Thanks for coming in for conferences. It was nice to meet with all of you. I will email those who couldn't make it Friday for a time next week to meet.

See Academics page for November's home practice. It's been a busy few weeks and I finally got it done.

Needs

After lunch students have a period of time to draw in their Quiet Fox Journals (composition notebooks.) Drawing is different than writing and students need daily time to doodle and create without restrictions. (It also strengthens fine motor muscles in fingers!)I have How to draw books, stencils, etc. that make this a highly engaging activity. Many kids have already filled their composition notebooks which is designated for this. If you have extra cheap, composition books I could really use them! Thanks!

I am also in need of EXPO dry erase markers. The thin, black ones. We use these daily to practice skills and we are running out already. Yikes!

The EXPO brand (black only) work the best because they ERASE easily. Thanks!

Spelling

We start our spelling next week. You will see our first spelling list on the back cover of the red take home folder. We start slow and steady to learn the process of *encoding first. *Encoding is harder than **decoding and it will take some practice for students to write the words correctly. This is a superior way to teach reading, as we learn to write first and then read what we wrote. We take it slow and easy so students enjoy the process and develop a love of reading without putting undue stress on them.

After a few weeks I will start to differentiate so each student is performing at their individual level. It's so exciting for me to watch them discover and learn to read and write. I hope you enjoy it too!

*Encoding

**Decoding

Usborne Book Fair

I have scheduled Monday, November 18 @ 1:30 to go to the book fair with the entire class. The book fair is open the whole week, but that will be the only time that I take my students to look through it. So send in money by then if you can't come in when it is open other times. Thanks!

For Parents

Codebreaker Training -- Monday, September 9, 6:00 - 7:30

Don't miss this! This is the BEST way to teach reading and writing.

Book Recommendations

These are some book recommendations I would encourage all parents to read. They are excellent and have helped me personally. The books by Leanard Sax have changed the way I teach and how I reach all my students. Also, after reading the Gratitude Diaries I think we need to teach our children to be grateful. That is why I have included "Thankful Thursday" in our school to home practice calendar. Read them and maybe one of these days we can organize a book club to give each other insights. Let me know what YOU think!

• Boys Adrift by Leanard Sax, MD, PhD
• Why Gender Matters by Leanard Sax, MD, PhD
• The Gratitude Diaries: How a Year Looking on the Bright Side Can Change Your Life by Janice Kaplan

Back to School Night

See Calendar page for details.

Red Take Home Folders

Students now have a red folder which they will bring back and forth everyday from school to home. Here are some simple rules to follow...

1. It goes back and forth to school and home each day, even if it is empty.
2. Please treat it with care. It MUST last all year.
3. Students should show it to you each evening. This is good practice for them to learn it is their responsibility to show it to you.
4. The front cover has a calendar with practice to do at home. Practice does NOT come back to school. I am not keeping track if you do it or not, but it is a good way to connect their learning to a home setting.
5. ONLY do 10-15 minutes of practice a day. Do not push your child if they cannot do it in that amount of time. They have been in school all day and they are tired when they come home.
6. The back cover has helps so you know some of the most important things we are teaching here at school and to help you talk with your child as they do their practice.

Teacher Meet and Greet

Thursday, August 22, 2019

4:00 - 6:00 PM

Bring supplies if you have them. (Boots and gloves won't be needed until a few weeks into school, so you have time to get those to leave at school. There may be some in the uniform exchange that past students have grown out of.)

KINDER CAMP 2019

August 12, 13, 14

8 - 11 AM

• Bring: Water bottle and snack
• Wear Uniform

Parent meet and greet August 12 @ 8:15 AM

May 6

Poetry Open Mic - FRIDAY --- May 10 @ 6:30

Please have your student at the building at 6:15. Students meet in our classroom and families go to the gym.

This is our evening Core Knowledge Event. They can wear an outfit that fits with their poem and bring a prop. It is great fun and a simple way to introduce them to public speaking. Students have been practicing their poem in class and they all have them memorized! It will be great to see them recite them on Friday.

April 5

Restitution

We are learning what that means. Sometimes we make mistakes and saying sorry is simply not enough. I used the example of the time when I backed my car into my son's car. Saying sorry was not enough to fix the bumper on his car. I also, needed to pay for the damage I caused. I didn't mean to do it, but I still had to pay to fix his car.

In kindergarten terms this can be a little harder. Usually our mistakes involve breaking a rule, getting mad and saying something unkind, etc. We are learning how to write sorry notes and giving up something we love (like recess) to make up for our mistakes. When a sorry note is written for another teacher, that teacher can use that note as a "ticket" to come and get the student to help them with a job they need. This may be during their recess. My goal is to teach the students that we all make mistakes, but when we do we need to do our best to show sincere regret and make up for our actions when we hurt or disrespect another person. It is also my hope that they will think first before acting out on an impulse to go against a rule.

Field Trip - Our Table Farm - April 9 -12:00-2:00

This is coming fast! Please see the google doc and get signed up. Thanks! We are going to the farm to learn about bees and pollinators!

Homework

There is a new April Calendar with homework practice for the month. Also go to the Academics Page to get another copy.

Conferences - April 19

Student lead conferences are coming up on April 19. Watch for a google doc with 20 minute time slots where your child can bring you in to the classroom and they will show you all the things we do and what they have learned. There will be 20 minute time slots available with 5 students per slot.

Auction - May 4

Don't miss this! This is a great way to mingle with other parents and have a fun night out. It is also a great fund raiser to earn money for the school. Our kinders are working on a project to sell and next week I'll send you a picture of what they created.

Poetry Open Mic - May 10 @ 6:30

This is our evening Core Knowledge Event. Your child will come home next week with a poem or nursery rhyme that they need to memorize and present at the event. They can wear an outfit that fits with their poem and bring a prop. It is great fun and a simple way to introduce them to public speaking. See Academics page for a list of poems.

8th Grade and Kinder Graduation - June 11

We will need help with set up, refreshments,clean up, etc.

Kinder B March 4

Homework

See your student's folder for a calendar with March's homework. There are simple things you can do at home to extend what your child is learning at school. There is nothing that needs to be returned to school. As student's fill up their sentence page at school I will copy it and send it home for reading practice. They love reading their sentences at school to their classmates, so this will be fun for them to share their writing with you at home. Also, I will be adding our word lists to the folder for practice as well.

Field Trips and Events

Please take a look at the Events page for more details as they come. Our upcoming field trip will be to the Gilbert House on March 22. Also, an evening Core Knowledge event will be coming in the spring which is a poetry night. Students will be memorizing a poem and sharing it with an audience. As a class we have memorized many poems, so the work will be presenting it to an audience. This is a fun event for the students to practice public speaking.

Kinder B Week 18

Native American Unit and Celebration

We have been learning about Native American tribes. (Read the parent letter below.)

Our Celebration will be on Jan. 30 from 12-2. We need help with some preparations of crafts and food and also parent help with stations on Jan. 30. Kerri Moore and Marie Walson are helping to coordinate this with me. Give them a big thanks! For some of the stations we are in need of paper towel rolls and sticks (sticks must be able to fit in a grocery sack.)

Upcoming Events

Please take a look at the events page for upcoming field trips and events. Some are in the works, so watch for dates to come. Also, watch for permission documents in your e-mail inbox.

Conferences - Feb. 8. Watch for a Google doc in your e-mail inbox to sign up for times.

We are also working on scheduling a Kindergarten Open Poetry Night in the Spring. Stay tuned for more information about that fun event!

Codebreaker

We are deep into spelling practice and sentence writing. Students are learning how to read and write simple words and then we put them together into sentences. Our beginning reading practice is having the students read their own sentences. See the academics page for a list of spelling words.

Math

We have been working on telling time, focusing on the big hand, little hand and telling the time when it is on the hour. Also, students are composing and decomposing numbers in their number books. They are also writing their own addition number sentences with sums up to 10.

Character

For behavior we "Clip for Character." When they demonstrate a positive character trait I ask them to put their clip (clothes pin) on the corresponding character trait. They receive a ticket for that trait at the end of the day. When they have collected 5 tickets for a particular trait they get a brag bracelet to show parents when they get home. So when they show you please know they REALLY earned it! I keep track of bracelets given out and when they have earned 5 bracelets they can choose something out of the prize box. This has been a fun and positive way to encourage the students each day to work at doing their best.

Kinder B Week 16

Tool Box (Actually it's a Ziploc Bag)

Next week I will be sending home a "Toolbox" with copies of assessment results, flashcards and suggested games for you to do with your child. Each toolbox is tailored to your child. This is the first stage of getting the students ready for "homework." Please let me know if you have any questions and check their folders. You DO NOT need to return anything to me, but I will be able tell through oral assessments if they have been practicing at home.

Spelling and Sight Words

We have started spelling! We teach a very systematic approach to reading and writing. I introduce each word and we identify the sounds and then write the word together. We also mark letters when they say their second sound and/or if they don't say the sounds we have learned. We are full into learning how to do the following. Students have not mastered the following, but I have introduced these and will continue to practice daily.

• Phonograms are "team" letters and have their own sounds- (The phonograms we have learned are ... sh, th, ck, or)
• Space our words "just right" and not too close or too far
• Start each sentence with an uppercase letter and end with a period
• Every sentence must have a noun (a person, place, or thing) and that noun must be doing something
• Learning the marking system so we use the correct sound when sounding words and underline the phongrams

On the academic page I have posted the first list of words we are working on. Next week we will focus heavily on writing sentences and I will not introduce any new words.

For more information on our approach to teaching reading and spelling through writing see ... https://www.codebreakeracademy.com

Math

We have really been focusing on ...

• Calendar skills
• Recognizing and writing the teen numbers (11-20)
• Writing and reading number sentences recognizing the symbols + and = and reading those sentences correctly from left to right.
• finding the patterns in the hundreds chart.

Franz Bakery Visit

We had a visit from Franz Bakery on Friday. They saw the process of the bread being made from beginning to end. Each student also received their very own loaf of bread.

Kinder B Week 7

Letter Safari

We have introduced all the letter of the alphabet. So now it is time to get ready for a "Safari Parade." I need...

• 26 Brown paper sacks (from the grocery store) -- If you can get some for me please let me know and send them to school.
• safari jeeps (made from a cardboard boxes) -- If you are creative and can make a few let me know. This is optional, but would be fun!

Each student will pick a letter and design a safari vest to go with their letter. Then we will parade around the school to show off our accomplishment! I will send the vests home and students can work on them at home

Letter & Number Formation

I have put together some "Letter Formation Take Home Kits." If you would like to check one out let me know. Students can check them out for a week. These are kits to help students practice their letter formation using the correct range of motion.

Recess Play

Students love recess! Many of them like to play pretend fighting, kicking, games, etc. We have regular talks about "no pretend fighting" at school. The kids aren't being mean or picking on each other, but this kind of rough play often ends up with someone actually getting hit. Then tears ensue, and you get the picture. They are getting better and we have less of this rough play. Please talk with your children at home as well.

This Week's Field Trip & Events

Lee Farms - October 18th - Leave at 10:30 (11:15 start time at the farm), return around 1:30pm

MITCH Marathon - Friday, October 19th - Students can wear PE uniform.

Take a Break

Every day at school we go over the rules which are...

• Hands, feet, and body to yourself
  • No hitting, jabbing, kicking, etc. in any way -- Hands are helpful, not hurtful
• Be nice using kind words, voice, and posture
• Walking feet in our classroom
• Stay on task

When students repeatedly violate these rules we work on finding a positive solution to help them understand and improve. You may see this form (see below) in your students folder if I am working with a particular challenge for your child. When you see it please use it as a positive way to talk to your child about ways to follow the rules listed above. If you have any questions let me know. I don't want them to see this as punishment, but a way for us to work together so they can be successful in our classroom.

Kinder B Week 5

Letter Safari

We have made it through the majority of the alphabet and we will have learned all the letters and sounds by October 12th. To celebrate we will have a "Letter Safari Parade." Watch for more details.

Letter Formation

Writing letters correctly is very important. Students will be working to "pass" off all their letters before getting to work in their Codebreaker Notebooks. They are very excited for the challenge. I will attach the letter cards so they can practice at home. They will also earn stickers as they pass off each letter. We work on the line letters first and then work towards passing off the circle letters.

Number Sense

What is number sense? Here it is a nut shell...

• Understand quantities.
• Grasp concepts like more and less, or larger and smaller.
• Recognize relationships between single items and groups of items (for instance, seven means one group of seven items).
• Understand symbols that represent quantities (for instance, 7 means the same thing as seven).
• Make number comparisons (for instance, 12 is greater than 10, and 4 is half of 8).
• Understand the order of numbers in a list: 1st, 2nd, 3rd, etc.

We use manipulatives to understand numbers so we can begin to add and subtract them.

Shapes

Students are identifying these shapes in their environment...

• circle
• square
• rectangle
• oval
• pentagon
• trapezoid
• parallelogram

Scheduled Field Trips

Mark your calendars and watch for a google doc to fill out permission form.

Lee Farms - October 18th - Leave at 10:30 (11:15 start time at the farm), return around 1:30pm

Oregon Childrens' Theater - February 15 @11:45AM - Naked Mole Rat

Kinder B Week 2

We have officially had 9 days of school. Routines are starting to be set, but still need some work. Kinders are learning what the word "work" means. 5 year olds need lots of practice to master controlling their little bodies. So if you come in and we are little crazy, know that eventually they will get it. In the meantime, we all will have a little patience as they learn. This is what is "work" for our kindergarteners is...

• Keeping our hands to ourselves
• Controlling our pencils
• Sitting criss cross applesauce for 2 minutes
• Eating quietly for the first 10 minutes of lunch time

This is what we worked on for Week 2...

• Learning that Kindergarten involves "work"
• Sequencing a story (managing a pair of scissors)
• Reviewing tall lines and short lines
• Writing a horizontal line
• Letter Safari - "i" and "l"
• Numbers 4, 5, 6, 7 (Students are "rocking" their math journals!!!)
• Math Language (minus, all together, plus)
• Core Knowledge Story - Lion and the Mouse
• Big Plans (Goal setting with students and parents)

Next Week...

Letter Safari (we are focusing on lower case only)

• t
• n
• h
• r
• b

Homework

Purple Folder - Please have your child give it to you each day and then return back to school each day.

Parents you have homework! We have been making "Big Plans" in our kindergarten. Your children have each set goals and I have written them down. Now it's your turn. Please return the attached letter with your goals for your child this year in kindergarten. Thanks! (It is in their purple folders or I gave it to you at Back to School Night.)

Field Trips

Mrs. Baker is putting together our field trips and events for the year. For September we will have a visit from OMSI for a magnet study. Stay tuned for more information and dates.

Kinder B Week 1

Week 1 was full of fun, learning, and a few tears. Our students were "superstars" as they navigated the first full week of school. Thank you for sending them to me. They are all amazing!

This is what we worked on for Week 1...

• Rules, Rules, & more Rules
• Nursery Rhymes
• Pencil Grip (See more on this on the academics page...)
• Making a long line on our paper and controlling our pencil (Long lines are used for the letters l, i, t, etc.)
• Patterns (ABAB..., and ABCABC...)
• Setting up math journals and writing the numbers 1, 2, and 3
• Making new friends and learning names

Next Week...

Letter Safari

• We will go on "Safari" as we search for these letters. Each day will focus on a different letter.
  • i
  • t
  • l
  • r
• Get signed up for Codebreaker Academy to see how we teach the letter sounds and letter formation.
  • https://www.codebreakeracademy.com/store
    • Click on the MITCH icon in the upper right-hand corner of the web-page and set up your log in
    • Go to the "Sounds of English"
    • Click on "Lesson #1

Homework

Some have asked about "homework" for kindergarten. This week's homework is to get plenty of rest, which translates to kids as, "Go to bed when you are told!" We need to be well rested for our daily Safari activities.

Specials

School starts Monday, August 27. Here's our specials schedule...

Monday - ART

Tuesday - PE

Wednesday - AG

Thursday - PE

Friday - MUSIC