We had another great week of learning in Kindergarten! This week we started our new project called, "A Bug's Life." In this project, we will explore the role of bugs in our environment. We will answer our essential question (What role do bugs play in our environment?) through an investigation of a bug's anatomy, diet, and habitat. The students will be studying one of the following: spiders, ants, bees, ladybugs, earthworms, and butterflies. The students will have an opportunity to work with other kindergarten students from Miss Danielle's and Ms. Cate's classes. I will lead the Spider and Ant groups. Miss Danielle will lead the Bee and Ladybug groups and Ms. Cate will lead the Earthworm and Butterfly group. This week we worked on community building activities with our project groups and created headbands that represented the specific bug we were studying. The children were excited to meet and work with new friends.
To support our investigation of bugs, our fifth grade "Buddies" took us out on a nature walk around campus. In our walk, we practiced "thinking like a scientist" by choosing one piece of nature to observe and write about it. We will use the skills we practiced with our "Buddies" (observing, drawing diagrams, and note taking) throughout our entire "Bug's Life" project. Lastly, we are continuing to perfect our center rotations. Every afternoon we engage in independent learning centers. The students engage in centers to practice important literacy, language, math, and social skills. They spend approximately 15 minutes per center before they rotate to another. If you are free in the afternoon (1:00-2:00) on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, we would love to have more Parent support during centers! Thank you again for your continued support! It is so wonderful to be working with a great group of kids! In Gratitude, Mrs. Rosemarie
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Hello Parents! We have had an amazing week of growth and learning! The children are getting into the "Kinder Groove" and are demonstrating appropriate classroom behaviors (actively listening while others are speaking, waiting for his/her turn to speak, and using an "inside" voice). We start our day in our "Community Circle" and hold a "Morning Meeting." In our meetings, we discuss the day's plan, share our personal news and announcements, and create personal goals for the day. Our meetings have been instrumental in setting the tone for the day and developing our closely-knit classroom community.
This week we launched our next project tentatively titled, "Rolypolyology." This week, we created a "Roly Poly" habitat (also known as Pill Bugs) with soil, leaves, and rocks. We went on a Pill Bug hunt around the school and unfortunately only found 1 Pill Bug! Through our read alouds (I'm a Pill Bug by Yukihisa Tokuda and Rolypolyology by Michael Elsohn Ross), we learned that Pill Bugs like dark, moist areas which explains why we could not find any that day--We just happened to be hunting for Pill Bugs on the hottest day of the week (over 90 degrees!). We have been writing in our "Observation Journal" everyday and will conduct our first experiment with Pill Bugs next week. Be sure to ask your child to share what he or she has learned about Pill Bugs! You will be proud of our budding entomologists! Not only are our Kinders budding entomologists, they are also little engineers! They took their first two engineering classes with Mr. Bryan earlier this week. In the class, they explored simple machines, were introduced to the "Domino Effect," and built structures out of blocks and toothpicks! They all came back very excited about Engineering and can't wait to go again! We will study Engineering with Mr. Bryan on Mondays and Tuesdays (90 minute classes) for the next 9 weeks. I have placed a Volunteer Calendar for the month of October outside of our classroom. Please sign up for a day that works for you! We are currently looking for "Clean Up" helpers who can sweep and wipe down tables, chairs, windows, and other surfaces that little hands touch. This job can be done at pick up time! Thank you again for your support! I am so happy to be working with your wonderful children! Much love, Mrs. Rosemarie This week we wrapped up our "What's in a Name?" project by learning about the origins of our names. We had several parents and teachers share their "Name Story" with the class. We also had some students share out their "Name Story" during Community Circle. The students really enjoyed listening to each other stories and through the process, they discovered that each name is not only made up letters and sounds, but of hopes and dreams as well. This investigation of our names helps us realize that our names are unique even if we share the same name as another friend. Please continue to have your child practice sharing his or her "Name Story" as we will be recording their stories for a class video.
In math, we launched our Patterns unit. The class created a variety of patterns with counters, stickers, tissue paper, and rhythms. We even created "Patterned Woven Art" with the help of our fifth grade "Buddies" from Ms. Kruming's class. We are fortunate to meet with our "Buddies" every Friday to read, play, and get help with our projects. The Kinders and fifth graders LOVE working with their "Buddies." It has been a wonderful way to build connections across the grade levels and strengthen our community at HTe! This week we also had our very first cooking lesson with Ms. Norma (Alec's mom). The children created cheese pizzas and according to the smiling faces and the "Mmms!" that could be heard around the room, the pizzas were delicious. We will be cooking once a week with Ms. Norma. Cooking with children is a great way to practice reading and following written instructions and real life math skills (measurement, counting, etc.). It also develops an appreciation for the time and energy that goes into preparing a healthy snack. We will be in need of donations for our ingredients, so please look out for my emails. It has been another GREAT week of learning at HTe! I am so happy to be learning alongside your children! Much love, Mrs. Rosemarie September was a fabulous month for learning in Room 143! The students have become very familiar with our weekly routines. They are confident navigating their way through the classroom and have been wonderful helpers. This month we welcomed three new friends to our community: Kamila, Andrew, and Briana. I am so proud of how welcoming and loving the children have been to our new friends.
As part of our "Who Are We?/What's in a Name?" project, the students created self-portraits and illustrated their own name labels. They worked tirelessly on the third drafts of their names and the second draft of their self-portraits. Through the project, they were introduced to the power of critique. In our "Critique Sessions," students give each other kind, helpful, and specific feedback (which the students either graciously accept or politely decline). They are really beginning to understand the importance of critique as part of the process of creating beautiful work. We also had a very successful Open House! The children and I were so eager to share all of our hard work--our self-portraits, name labels, writing samples, and math sorts. I was especially proud of the beautiful performance that kicked off such an exciting night. Lastly, I would like to thank our first Parent Partners:
Infinite thank yous!!! Together, we can create the most amazing year at HTe. In Gratitude, Mrs. Rosemarie We have had a magnificent first week of school! The children have been so energetic and excited despite the unexpected events of the week: rainy day schedule, 100 degree weather, and the power blackout. The children are transitioning beautifully and are very eager to learn. The first few weeks of school will consist of community building, establishing community norms, and practicing routines and procedures. I am so excited to work with your amazing children! Cheers to the beginning of a magical school year!
Much love, Mrs. Rosemarie |
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September 2017
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