I just wanted to take the time to say THANK YOU for everything this year!  Thank you to all of you for supporting me in your child’s education.  Thank you for working at home with your child to complete papers, return necessary items to school, practice letters, sounds, words, and so much more!  Thank you to the parent helpers (and grandparents) who graciously gave their time to help with special events and send in needed supplies.  Thank you for all of the positive words of praise you gave me along the way.  Thank you to your children for the smiles and hugs each day.  Thank you for raising your children to be polite and respectful to adults and to other students.  Thank you for the countless gifts at various times throughout the year.  Thank you for thinking of not only me but my family as well.  Ella, Myra, and Apollo certainly enjoyed the gifts and treats that were given to them! Thank you, most importantly, for parents working alongside me each day to help your child learn and grow!  I would not have been able to do all that was done this year if it weren’t for parents like you…so…THANK YOU!

For some, this year was the first year that I’ve had the opportunity to work with you and your family, and for others, this marks the last time that you will send a child off to Kindergarten.  I look forward to working with those that will send me more students in the future years and for those that won’t be sending me any more students, thank you for entrusting your children to me over the years.  I hope each and every one of you has a wonderful, relaxing, and safe summer.  I look forward to seeing you next school year!

I'm so glad you are here.  Feel free to check out the pages and links at the top of the page.  You will get to know a bit more about our classroom and me!  If you have any questions, feel free to reach out.  Thank you to everyone that stopped by on Wednesday to see our classroom.  I can't wait to see everyone on Monday!

Kindergarten is unique in that I've had the opportunity to meet most of you already at our Kindergarten Orientation.  Back to School Night is an informal, drop in event from 4-6 pm for the whole school.  You are welcome to come back to school to see the classroom and school again, ask any questions that you may have now that school has started, or allow your child to show you around now that they've been at school for a few days.  The choice to attend or not is yours and I will not be offended if you choose not to come again! :)

Each student was issued one pink pick-up sign for this school year.  We understand that you may have multiple people picking up your child from school and an additional sign would be helpful so you don't have to share the sign.  If you are in need of another sign, please complete the Google form and we will be sure to get another one to you ASAP.  Thank you for your help!

The last day to turn in the Summer Reading and Rigorous Activity Challenges is tomorrow!

The last day to turn in the "Activities to Prepare Your Child for Kindergarten" booklets is tomorrow!

Tomorrow (Wednesday), we will be having our first house assembly.  It's a great day to wear our house shirts!  I can't wait to see the whole school in house colors!

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/GJX4P

Scholastic Book Club offers a wonderful selection of books for very reasonable prices. Each month, I can place an order for our classroom. All orders for this month will be due by MONDAY.  You can place your orders online using our class activation code: GJX4P.  All books ordered will be shipped to our classroom and sent home with your child. Any orders submitted after this date will be processed with next month’s order.   With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS). Every purchase you make earns points towards FREE books and educational supplies for our classroom.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

As we are starting to get used to the routines of picking up students from AM kindergarten and dropping them off for PM kindergarten, please refer to the guidelines for doing so.  Below are a few reminders to highlight...

*Please DO NOT pass the car in front of you.  For the safety of all students, it is important to wait patiently until the car in front of you pulls away.  If your child is not buckled in, please pull into a parking space so you are not holding up the line.

*Be sure to use and not block the "loop" on the side of the building to allow cars to enter the pick-up/drop-off line and not be stopped on the road. 

*Always have a car sign visible when picking up your child from AM kindergarten.  While I may know who you are, it's helpful to have it readily available if you are in a different car or I am not at school.  If you need another one, please email me or send a note to the school and we will send another one home with your child.

Attached is a flyer about the SWEEP Food Program.  If you are interested in having your child receive a bag of prepackaged food items over the weekend, please consider signing up.  If your child qualifies for FREE lunch, they qualify to also participate in this program.  If you have any further questions, please contact Mrs. Juba.

An early dismissal is fast approaching!  PM Kindergarteners will have school on Friday from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm. (Please Note: Student Arrival begins at 8:45 if being dropped off and dismissal begins at 1:25 if being picked up.). This also means that AM Kindergarten students will NOT have school.

Your child will ride the bus to school in the morning and home from school at dismissal.  If you plan to pick your child up from school, please be sure to send me an email, send a note to the school, or fill out the pick-up form on the Martic website so we are aware of the change.  Students are dropped off and picked up from the side of the building on early dismissal days.  Kindergartners will eat lunch at school.  Lunch costs $2.35.  If your child would like to pack a lunch and buy milk, the cost is $ .60 for milk.  Below are the choices for lunch.

A lunch: Pizza Sticks
C lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly
D lunch: Yogurt and String Cheese
All lunch choices also come with the following: Assorted Fruits & Veggies, Choice of Milk 

A special thank you to Mrs. Giffin, our school library aide, who gave kindergarten more Lincoln Logs so they could build with them!  They were thrilled and one of the students was so proud to show off her creation.

Reminders for this week...

** Martic in Motion $ is DUE on Friday.  Please be sure to send in your papers and money by Friday in order to be included in receiving prizes!

** The Martic in Motion event is on Monday.  We still need approved volunteers to sign up and help.  If you are an approved volunteer and would like to help, please sign up at this link: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4EA4AE28ABF58-44297337-martic#/

** Lunch choices are due on Monday, October 2nd for the field trip (https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdTmtH-zGx-m5R-bopStOrrYOsIGDJ-GPTnzA6q5Yg3uVAhAg/viewform?usp=send_form).

** All students will come for the full day on Wednesday, October 4 for our ALL SCHOOL FIELD TRIP to CHERRY CREST (permission slips are DUE on Wednesday, September 27).

** We are in need of Chicken BBQ donations (chips, applesauce, rice krispie treats, water). Thank you for your help!  (https://www.signupgenius.com/go/30E0C4EA4AE28ABF58-martic4#/)

ALL KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS will be coming to school ALL DAY tomorrow!  This means that he or she may ride the bus to school in the morning and home at the end of the day (or picked up at dismissal – a note must be pre-existing, sent to school, or filled out online). Please be sure to have your child’s pick-up sign visible to make the process as seamless as possible if picking up at the side doors at 3:25 dismissal. There will not be any “Y” transportation offered due to this change in schedule.

Your child does not need to bring his or her backpack to school but does need to bring a packed lunch if he or she is not getting one from the cafeteria. A disposable bag is required so nothing needs to be returned. Please make sure your child’s name is on the disposable bag because we will have ALL kindergarten students in the classroom at one time.

Please have your child wear SNEAKERS and dress for the weather.  It's supposed to be hot tomorrow!

Please let me know if you have any other questions.

We will be holding parent-teacher conferences both in person and virtually again this year. Below is a link to submit your availability for a conference.  

LINK TO SUBMIT AVAILABILITY FOR A PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCE

Conferences for Kindergarten will be held on Friday, November 17th from 8:30am-3:30pm, Monday, November 20th from 1:45-7:45pm, and Tuesday, November 21st from 1:45-3:30pm.

To plan ahead for conferences:

• Look at your calendar, and select the date/times that will work best for your family.   We only host one conference per child so it is very important that blended families coordinate this in advance. 

• After you submit your availability, a conference will be scheduled, and an email confirmation will be sent to the email address you provided. Be sure to confirm the appointment.

• Important note: a virtual meeting link is automatically generated for all calendar invitations. If you selected virtual, you will use the link to join the conference at your time. If you selected in person, you will come to school and wait outside of the classroom door until your designated time.

• The deadline to provide your availability for a conference is Friday, October 27th. I will provide you with your conference time by Monday, October 30th at the latest.

On Thursday, November 2, the whole school is invited to wear PJs to school.  Your child may choose to bring slippers to change into in his or her backpack but please don’t wear them to school.

Please consider the following when choosing what to send your child with:

• Are the pajamas clean and school-appropriate?

• Will my child be comfortable wearing the pajamas while learning?

• Do the slippers fit nicely in my child’s backpack and can he or she take his or her shoes off and on by him or herself?

Thank you for helping your child select school-appropriate items.

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/GJX4P

Scholastic Book Club offers a wonderful selection of books for very reasonable prices. Each month, I can place an order for our classroom. All orders for this month will be due by MONDAY.  You can place your orders online using our class activation code: GJX4P.  All books ordered will be shipped to our classroom and sent home with your child. Any orders submitted after this date will be processed with next month’s order.   With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS). Every purchase you make earns points towards FREE books and educational supplies for our classroom.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

Children aged 3 through Pre-K and their parent/guardian are invited to participate in our 2024 Penn Manor Lunch and Learn Program.

Do you have a child or children between the ages of 3-5 that aren’t in Kindergarten?  We invite you to join us at our monthly Preschool Lunch and Learn to hear a story, make a craft, check out a library book, and eat lunch in the cafeteria (children eat free).  The past several years have been a great success and we hope that you will plan to join us on Thursday, February 8th for our first event this school year.

Our goal is to host the students who will attend Martic at our school while the other elementary schools in the district host the students who will be attending their schools.  This helps your child(ren) become familiar with the school and the staff in the building.  Please share this with your friends in the Penn Manor School District and have them contact the school where their child(ren) will be attending if they need more information and aren’t future Martic students.  Thank you for helping to make this event a great success!

Once a month, you and your children are invited to come to Martic for storytime, a craft, and to visit our library and check out books that you may borrow until the next Lunch and Learn date. Lunch and Learn times for February, March, and April are 12:00-1:00 pm. The May event is an evening event from 6-7 pm. Siblings are invited to come along. Please make sure they are accompanied by an adult.

We are excited for you to visit us at Martic. The links will be inserted when they are available.  Please click the links below to sign up to attend the event. We are looking forward to seeing you!

Please click the link below to sign up for Lunch and Learn on Thursday, February 8. Our story will be “Ten Black Dots.”

https://forms.gle/X781M8g2zWFzZi3b8

Please click the link below to sign up for Lunch and Learn on Thursday, March 14. Our story will be “I Need a Hug.”

https://forms.gle/b4YDrnGWAf7aT4bGA

Please click the link below to sign up for Lunch and Learn on Thursday, April 11. Our story will be “Munch! Crunch! Snacks & Lunch.”

https://forms.gle/rEzXRmvTZDoBdmxd7

Please click the link below to sign up for Lunch and Learn on Thursday, May 9. Our story will be “My Words Roar.” THIS IS AN EVENING EVENT. THE TIME OF THE EVENT IS 6:00 until 7:00 pm.

https://forms.gle/nm1UVpyuTNQDpyaB7

Our class is signed up to visit the Book Fair next week on Monday, 11/20 (AM-K) and Tuesday, 11/21 (PM-K). Our PTO is very generously giving all students $7 to spend toward the purchase of books.  If you would like your child to purchase books or anything else from the Book Fair (pencils, erasers, posters, etc.), please send money to school in an envelope for him or her to do so.  Please indicate if you only want your child to use the money for books and do not want your child to spend money on the “extras.”  Thank you for your help!

I appreciate everyone taking time out of their schedules to meet with me for a parent teacher conference.  I truly enjoy sharing how delightful your children are and also figuring out how we can best meet their needs.

I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving break. :)

As we discussed at conferences, each child has a monthly homework log to keep track of letter identification practice at home.  Please be sure to practice letters each day and record it on the log by signing or initialing the box.  I will check Monday's homework on Tuesday, Tuesday's homework on Wednesday, Wednesday's homework on Thursday, Thursday's homework on Friday, and Friday's homework on Monday.

We started decoding words and reading today so it's important that all students are fluent with letters for this process to work well.  Thank you for your support at home!

If you are interested and/or willing to supply any crafting items for our Holiday Craft Day, here is what we need:

• plastic ball ornaments (blue or silver are best but any color will do - about baseball-sized is preferred)

• glitter sparkle pipe cleaners

• foam paper (any colors)

• white and brown lunch bags

• pony beads (assorted colors – red, white, green, clear, silver, blue, etc.)

• fancy yarn (see picture for example)

The items are needed by December 15th.  Thank you for your help!

UPDATE:  Thank you SO much for all of the items that were sent in.  We have everything that we need for our crafts.  I greatly appreciate your help! 

An early dismissal is fast approaching!  

• AM Kindergarteners will have school on FRIDAY from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.  This also means that PM Kindergarten students will NOT have school.  

• Please Note: Student Arrival begins at 8:45 if being dropped off and dismissal begins at 1:25 if being picked up.

Your child will ride the bus to school in the morning and home from school at dismissal.  If you plan to pick your child up from school, please be sure to send me an email, send a note to the school, or fill out the pick-up form on the Martic website so we are aware of the change.  Students are dropped off and picked up from the side of the building on early dismissal days.  Kindergartners will eat lunch at school.  Lunch costs $2.35.  If your child would like to pack a lunch and buy milk, the cost is $ .60 for milk.  Below are the choices for lunch.

A lunch:  Pizza Sticks
C lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly
D lunch: Yogurt and String Cheese
All lunch choices also come with the following: Assorted Fruit & Veggies, Juice, Choice of Milk 

I hope everyone had a restful break and was able to enjoy the time with family and friends.

In order to make the most of our limited amount of time in Kindergarten, we have had to change our schedule.  Due to these changes, we will no longer be able to fit Secret Sharing into our schedule.  Thank you for understanding.

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/GJX4P

Scholastic Book Club offers a wonderful selection of books for very reasonable prices. Each month, I can place an order for our classroom. All orders for this month will be due by FRIDAY.  You can place your orders online using our class activation code: GJX4P.  All books ordered will be shipped to our classroom and sent home with your child. Any orders submitted after this date will be processed with next month’s order.   With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS). Every purchase you make earns points towards FREE books and educational supplies for our classroom.  Please let me know if you have any questions about this.

An early dismissal is fast approaching!  

• PM Kindergarteners will have school on FRIDAY from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.  This also means that AM Kindergarten students will NOT have school.  

• Please Note: Student Arrival begins at 8:45 if being dropped off and dismissal begins at 1:25 if being picked up.

Your child will ride the bus to school in the morning and home from school at dismissal.  If you plan to pick your child up from school, please be sure to send me an email, send a note to the school, or fill out the pick-up form on the Martic website so we are aware of the change.  Students are dropped off and picked up from the side of the building on early dismissal days.  Kindergartners will eat lunch at school.  Lunch costs $2.35.  If your child would like to pack a lunch and buy milk, the cost is $ .60 for milk.  Below are the choices for lunch.

A lunch:  Cheese Pizza
C lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly
D lunch: Yogurt and String Cheese
All lunch choices also come with the following: Assorted Fruit & Veggies, Juice, and Choice of Milk 

It’s hard to believe that we’ve been in school for almost 100 days already. On Tuesday, February 6th our class will be celebrating the 100th day of school! In case of inclement weather, the date may change but I will let you know if that happens.

Our celebrations will include:
*Counting to 100
*Sitting quietly for 100 seconds
*Doing 100 exercises
*Reading books about the number 100
*Playing a math game to race to the number 100
*…and so much more!!!

I would like each child to make a t-shirt (at home) with 100 items on it. These items can be anything from pins attached to the t-shirt, drawings on the t-shirt, to items glued or sewn on the t-shirt.  Be creative!  I’ve seen some awesome shirts over the years!  This gives you a great opportunity to work one-on-one with your child to complete a fun activity.  It is much more beneficial if your child participates in helping to make the shirt rather than you making the shirt for your child.  Try having your child count out 10 groups of 10 items to get to 100!  Your child should wear their completed t-shirt to school for our 100th-day celebration!  Please encourage your child not to tell his or her friends about their t-shirt…let it be a surprise! I can’t wait to see all of the fun creations!

Yesterday, your child brought home a bright orange sheet of "trick words."  These are the words that kindergarteners are working on learning.  Please add these to your daily homework practice with your child.  

Additionally, most students know their letters at this point in the year but it's just as important to know the sound associated with each letter.  Instead of simply practicing the letters, have your child say the sound associated with the letter in addition to (or instead of) the letter name.  Practicing this skill will help him or her to become a better decoder and reader! :)

Penn Manor Community-

If you know of a teacher or other staff member who goes out of his or her way to help students and support our schools, please consider nominating them for an Outstanding Educator or Employee Award.

The school district will present the 2023-2024 awards for Outstanding Elementary Educator, Outstanding Secondary Educator and Outstanding Employee later this year. You can nominate candidates for these awards from January 19 through February 29.

Nominations can be submitted by parents, guardians, students and colleagues of Penn Manor staff members. Nominations will be accepted online only. Please see the online resource page for details, nomination guidelines, and a list of past winners.

Outstanding Educator Awards are based on a current teacher’s ability to promote academic growth in her/his students and for outstanding pupil-teacher relationships. 

Outstanding Employee Awards are be based on a current staff member’s ability to support the educational program and the quality of his/her relationships with staff and students.

Thank you for taking the time to acknowledge the hard work of our employees!

Penn Manor School District
www.pennmanor.net

An early dismissal is fast approaching!  

• AM Kindergarteners will have school on FRIDAY from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.  This also means that PM Kindergarten students will NOT have school.  

• Please Note: Student Arrival begins at 8:45 if being dropped off and dismissal begins at 1:25 if being picked up.

Your child will ride the bus to school in the morning and home from school at dismissal.  If you plan to pick your child up from school, please be sure to send me an email, send a note to the school, or fill out the pick-up form on the Martic website so we are aware of the change.  Students are dropped off and picked up from the side of the building on early dismissal days.  Kindergartners will eat lunch at school.  Lunch costs $2.35.  If your child would like to pack a lunch and buy milk, the cost is $ .60 for milk.  Below are the choices for lunch.

A lunch:  Pizza
C lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly
D lunch: Yogurt and String Cheese
All lunch choices also come with the following: Assorted Fruit & Veggies, Juice, Sidekick Slush, and Choice of Milk 

I hope you are enjoying the pictures and snippets of our day that I've been posting to Seesaw.  My goal is to give you a better idea of what's happening while your child is here at school just in case they tell you "nothing."  You are welcome to leave a comment on the postings as well.

We need your help to fill baskets for the raffles that will be given away during Spring Fling at Martic.  Kindergarten will be filling a basket with a “Candy” theme.  Please consider sending in something to help fill our basket.  Ideas include but are not limited to, boxed candy, bagged candy, snacks, etc.  Please include a note with the items being sent in so we know what they are for! 🙂 Donations will be accepted until Thursday, April 18th. Thank you for your help and continued support of our school!

Thank you for signing up to help make our Awesome Activities Day on Tuesday, May 7th, a success.  Awesome Activity Day includes Kindergarten, first, and second grades and will be held in the afternoon. 

ALL KINDERGARTEN STUDENTS WILL COME TO SCHOOL IN THE AFTERNOON ONLY. 

• Students are to be dropped off at 12:55. I may be there a few minutes early since we will have both classes here. :). 

• Please remember to have your child wear sneakers and do not bring a backpack. 

• Water bottles (labeled with your child's name) may be brought to school but are not necessary.  There will be cups of water outside and available.  Your child is responsible for keeping track of his or her water bottle if they bring it to school.  

• Students will ride the bus home unless a note is sent to school or the online pickup form is filled out.  

Please let me know if you have any additional questions.

An early dismissal is fast approaching!  

• PM Kindergarteners will have school on FRIDAY from 9:00 am to 1:30 pm.  This also means that AM Kindergarten students will NOT have school.  

• Please Note: Student Arrival begins at 8:45 if being dropped off and dismissal begins at 1:25 if being picked up.

Your child will ride the bus to school in the morning and home from school at dismissal.  If you plan to pick your child up from school, please be sure to send me an email, send a note to the school, or fill out the pick-up form on the Martic website so we are aware of the change.  Students are dropped off and picked up from the side of the building on early dismissal days.  Kindergartners will eat lunch at school.  Lunch costs $2.35.  If your child would like to pack a lunch and buy milk, the cost is $ .60 for milk.  Below are the choices for lunch.

A lunch:  Assorted Pizza
C lunch:  Peanut Butter and Jelly
D lunch: Yogurt and String Cheese
All lunch choices also come with the following: Steamed Corn, Assorted Veggies and Fruit, and Choice of Milk