This will be a shorter week, but we will pack a lot of learning and fun activities in!
Welcome Kysenia! We were so excited to have a new friend join our class last week. The children did a terrific job showing Kysenia all around our classroom and school. We are so happy to have a new friend.
Last week we wrapped up our unit on the solar system. We had so much fun learning all about the moon, the stars, and the many different planets. The children asked so many smart questions and did a great job during this unit.
Our next unit is all about dinosaurs! During the month of April we will read many books and create many different crafts and activities to go along with our dinosaur learning. Please be sure to mark your calendars! Our Kindergarten Dinosaur Exhibit is on Thursday, April 16th at 2pm! You do not want to miss this event. We will display all of our work in our classroom and hallways for families and friends to see.
Below is a sneak peek at this week's learning!
Literacy Activities: We will spend time reviewing words from our Word Wall, reading in small groups, practicing reading and writing heart words and word families, and wrapping up our 'How To' teaching stories as writers. The children's literacy skills have grown so much since our early days of September! Be sure to continue reading and writing at home too...especially during our break. :)
Math Activities: We are working on reading, writing, counting, and building numbers 10-20. Using ten frames, playing games, and working with various manipulatives helps us practice these numbers in many different ways each day. We will continue this work all week long.
Recess: I am hopeful that our snow days are behind us and that snow pants can be left home. Please continue, however, to have the children wear boots to school and to pack sneakers in backpacks. The playground can be very wet and muddy during the spring. Boots will keep kindergarten feet dry & our classroom rug clean! Thank you. :)
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. I hope that you have a great week off with families and friends!
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
Sunday, March 29, 2015
Saturday, March 14, 2015
March 16th!
Last week we had a blast going on our field trip to The Egg. We were so excited when we saw the building from our bus!!! :) During the performance we were able to see glow in the dark puppets and scenery from three of Eric Carle's stories. After the performance, we were able to ask questions about how the puppets move and work. It was a great experience for us!
At school we have been very busy learning all about science. We are working on our 'properties' unit and have been conducting experiments with solid objects, liquids, and gases. One of the main things we have learned as scientists is that our predictions are not always correct! We will wrap up this unit during the week. We are also learning all about our solar system. Mrs. Montalvo's third grade class helped us to begin this unit by inviting us to see the constellations inside 'Star Lab'. Be sure to ask your child all about it. It was quite a treat!
This week, we will continue working as readers, writers, and mathematicians each day. We are in the swing of guided reading each day and 'Daily Five' literacy activities. The children are doing a terrific job remembering to take care of our books. As writers, we are continuing to work on our 'how to' stories. We are trying our best to make sure our writing is filled with details and is easy to read for our peers and writing partners. The children are doing a nice job writing many different kinds of teaching books. 'How to Wash Your Hands' seems to be a new favorite in our kindergarten classroom! :)
Please note that our class has filled up our 'warm and fuzzy jar' for making good choices! They would love to have a 'Game Day' this week as a reward. We talked about bringing in some easy to play games such as: Sorry, Trouble, Connect Four, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, & Memory/Card type games. If you have some of these games... we would love to borrow them! We will have our first 'Game Day' on Thursday! :) I will send home a reminder, but I'm sure your children will all remind you all week long! Also, please write your name on the outside boxes of any games that are sent in. Thank you!
I am looking forward to another fun week in our kindergarten classroom.
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
PS... Wear Green on Tuesday! ;)
At school we have been very busy learning all about science. We are working on our 'properties' unit and have been conducting experiments with solid objects, liquids, and gases. One of the main things we have learned as scientists is that our predictions are not always correct! We will wrap up this unit during the week. We are also learning all about our solar system. Mrs. Montalvo's third grade class helped us to begin this unit by inviting us to see the constellations inside 'Star Lab'. Be sure to ask your child all about it. It was quite a treat!
This week, we will continue working as readers, writers, and mathematicians each day. We are in the swing of guided reading each day and 'Daily Five' literacy activities. The children are doing a terrific job remembering to take care of our books. As writers, we are continuing to work on our 'how to' stories. We are trying our best to make sure our writing is filled with details and is easy to read for our peers and writing partners. The children are doing a nice job writing many different kinds of teaching books. 'How to Wash Your Hands' seems to be a new favorite in our kindergarten classroom! :)
Please note that our class has filled up our 'warm and fuzzy jar' for making good choices! They would love to have a 'Game Day' this week as a reward. We talked about bringing in some easy to play games such as: Sorry, Trouble, Connect Four, Chutes and Ladders, Candy Land, & Memory/Card type games. If you have some of these games... we would love to borrow them! We will have our first 'Game Day' on Thursday! :) I will send home a reminder, but I'm sure your children will all remind you all week long! Also, please write your name on the outside boxes of any games that are sent in. Thank you!
I am looking forward to another fun week in our kindergarten classroom.
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
PS... Wear Green on Tuesday! ;)
Friday, February 27, 2015
Welcome March!
We returned to a busy week in our kindergarten classroom! During the first part of the week we learned all about presidents. We read and learned about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. The children were very interested in learning about how these men became great leaders for our country.
During the second part of the week we shifted our learning to dental health. We had a visitor form a local dentist office who taught us all about the importance of taking care of our teeth. We also conducted an experiment using eggs and different types of drinks...water, milk, soda, and juice. After soaking our eggs overnight we discovered that our eggs turned colors. We practiced using toothbrushes and toothpaste to clean our eggs. We scrubbed and scrubbed those eggs and concluded that soda and juice are not the best choices for keeping our teeth clean!
This week we will spend time reading books by Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. During the month of March we will be participating in Read Across America! Our weekly reading logs are different during this month. Please help your child to track the reading that takes place each night by writing down the minutes. The reading logs will be sent home on Friday and should be returned each Friday morning. The class with the most minutes at the end of the month wins an extra PE class! Track those minutes :) To kick off this event and in honor of Dr. Seuss, Monday will be 'Crazy Hat Day'. The children are encouraged to wear any type of hat to school on Monday.
During math we will learn about composing and decomposing numbers. We will be using the words 'part' and 'whole' to join numbers together and break them apart. The focus of this unit is for the children to see that addition and subtraction are connected. We will use connecting cubes, counters, and many other hands on materials to help us better understand these concepts.
During science we will learn all about 'properties'. We will observe and record what we learn about solids, liquids, and gases during this unit. Be sure to ask your kindergarten scientists all about their observations later on in the week!
As writers we are working hard on our 'how to' or teaching books. We are currently adding more details to our steps and diagrams to make sure our books make sense. Last week the children helped me to write two class stories: How to Cartwheel and How to Make a Sandwich We learned that acting out the steps really helps us with our writing!
Reminders:
Scholastic Book Order forms were sent home. These orders are completely optional, but they do offer some great deals on books. Please submit all orders by Tuesday, March 3rd. I will place the classroom order by Wednesday. Feel free to order online or send in the order form with a check.
Wacky Olympics will take place Friday, 5:30 pm, at the High School. This is a fun fundraising event where teachers from different schools compete in silly games and relays. Come out and support your Eagle Teachers! We are the purple team this year!
General Admission: $5.00 Student Admission: $3.00
All proceeds support the Bethlehem Central Community Foundation (BCCF)
I am looking forward to another fun and busy week in our kindergarten classroom. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
During the second part of the week we shifted our learning to dental health. We had a visitor form a local dentist office who taught us all about the importance of taking care of our teeth. We also conducted an experiment using eggs and different types of drinks...water, milk, soda, and juice. After soaking our eggs overnight we discovered that our eggs turned colors. We practiced using toothbrushes and toothpaste to clean our eggs. We scrubbed and scrubbed those eggs and concluded that soda and juice are not the best choices for keeping our teeth clean!
This week we will spend time reading books by Dr. Seuss and Eric Carle. During the month of March we will be participating in Read Across America! Our weekly reading logs are different during this month. Please help your child to track the reading that takes place each night by writing down the minutes. The reading logs will be sent home on Friday and should be returned each Friday morning. The class with the most minutes at the end of the month wins an extra PE class! Track those minutes :) To kick off this event and in honor of Dr. Seuss, Monday will be 'Crazy Hat Day'. The children are encouraged to wear any type of hat to school on Monday.
During math we will learn about composing and decomposing numbers. We will be using the words 'part' and 'whole' to join numbers together and break them apart. The focus of this unit is for the children to see that addition and subtraction are connected. We will use connecting cubes, counters, and many other hands on materials to help us better understand these concepts.
During science we will learn all about 'properties'. We will observe and record what we learn about solids, liquids, and gases during this unit. Be sure to ask your kindergarten scientists all about their observations later on in the week!
As writers we are working hard on our 'how to' or teaching books. We are currently adding more details to our steps and diagrams to make sure our books make sense. Last week the children helped me to write two class stories: How to Cartwheel and How to Make a Sandwich We learned that acting out the steps really helps us with our writing!
Reminders:
Scholastic Book Order forms were sent home. These orders are completely optional, but they do offer some great deals on books. Please submit all orders by Tuesday, March 3rd. I will place the classroom order by Wednesday. Feel free to order online or send in the order form with a check.
Wacky Olympics will take place Friday, 5:30 pm, at the High School. This is a fun fundraising event where teachers from different schools compete in silly games and relays. Come out and support your Eagle Teachers! We are the purple team this year!
General Admission: $5.00 Student Admission: $3.00
All proceeds support the Bethlehem Central Community Foundation (BCCF)
I am looking forward to another fun and busy week in our kindergarten classroom. Have a great weekend!
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
Monday, February 9, 2015
February 9th
I hope you all enjoyed your snow day! The children have been hoping for some snowy weather and so far the month of February is delivering! Please be sure to send in winter snow gear for outdoor recess time. The children have been doing a terrific job getting themselves ready and keeping track of their clothing. They are getting lots of practice each day!
This will be a short and busy week so I will keep this brief. Below are some important reminders and updates to help us with our activities.
Wednesday: 11:45 Dismissal due to 'parent-teacher conferences'.
Thursday: 100th Day of School celebration. We will stick with celebrating on Thursday (even though the actual day is now on Friday due to the snow day). Please help your child to dress up like a 100 year old man or woman! We will be spending our day working on many different activities to help us count to 100! We will also be making a snack of 100 different items. Please check your child's folder tomorrow and let me know if you are able to help out with this.
Friday: Valentine's Day! We will dress up fancy, exchange Valentine's Day cards, read some books, have some treats, and create some fun crafts to help us celebrate friendship and kindness in our kindergarten classroom.
Thank you so much for your support with our activities this week. I hope you all have a wonderful February break with family and friends. :)
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
This will be a short and busy week so I will keep this brief. Below are some important reminders and updates to help us with our activities.
Wednesday: 11:45 Dismissal due to 'parent-teacher conferences'.
Thursday: 100th Day of School celebration. We will stick with celebrating on Thursday (even though the actual day is now on Friday due to the snow day). Please help your child to dress up like a 100 year old man or woman! We will be spending our day working on many different activities to help us count to 100! We will also be making a snack of 100 different items. Please check your child's folder tomorrow and let me know if you are able to help out with this.
Friday: Valentine's Day! We will dress up fancy, exchange Valentine's Day cards, read some books, have some treats, and create some fun crafts to help us celebrate friendship and kindness in our kindergarten classroom.
Thank you so much for your support with our activities this week. I hope you all have a wonderful February break with family and friends. :)
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
Sunday, February 1, 2015
Welcome February!
This week we will learn about Groundhog's Day as we begin the month of February. I'm guessing that Punxsutawney Phil will predict a late spring, but you never know! We will read some fun books and work on a craft to go along with our learning. We will also continue to learn about penguins this week. We have read many different nonfiction books and have watched some really interesting video clips of penguins. We love watching penguins jump out of the water and slide on their bellies! They sure are fantastic swimmers.
Last week we began working on Daily Five literacy activities. During this time the children rotate through different literacy stations while I meet with small groups of readers. Your children will again be bringing books home to read with you periodically. Please be sure to send the books back the next day so that other children and teachers can use them. They are so very excited to be taking off as readers. We have been doing a great job. Thank you for your support with this! :)
During writing, we have begun working on information books. We are writing teaching or 'how to' stories about many different topics. Some examples are: How To...ride a bike, make a sandwich, build a snowman, go sledding. We are learning that we know how to do lots of different things and that we can write books to teach other people how to do these things too! We will continue with this new writing unit for several weeks.
During the month of February we will celebrate Valentine's Day and the 100th Day of School. The 100th Day of School will take place on Thursday, February 12th. We thought it would be fun to dress up like 100 year old ladies and gentlemen on this day! Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Friday, February 14th. We thought this would be a great day to 'dress fancy'! We will also be exchanging Valentine's Day cards and sharing some treats. I will send home a note this week with a class list of names. Please do not attach food or candy to the cards. Pencils or stickers are fine, but please avoid food related items. Thank you!
One last reminder, please be sure to send in winter snow gear each day. The children have so much fun playing in the snow during recess. Writing your child's name or initials inside clothing items is helpful for when items get mixed up or lost. We are becoming more independent each day! :)
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a great week with your children.
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
Last week we began working on Daily Five literacy activities. During this time the children rotate through different literacy stations while I meet with small groups of readers. Your children will again be bringing books home to read with you periodically. Please be sure to send the books back the next day so that other children and teachers can use them. They are so very excited to be taking off as readers. We have been doing a great job. Thank you for your support with this! :)
During writing, we have begun working on information books. We are writing teaching or 'how to' stories about many different topics. Some examples are: How To...ride a bike, make a sandwich, build a snowman, go sledding. We are learning that we know how to do lots of different things and that we can write books to teach other people how to do these things too! We will continue with this new writing unit for several weeks.
During the month of February we will celebrate Valentine's Day and the 100th Day of School. The 100th Day of School will take place on Thursday, February 12th. We thought it would be fun to dress up like 100 year old ladies and gentlemen on this day! Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Friday, February 14th. We thought this would be a great day to 'dress fancy'! We will also be exchanging Valentine's Day cards and sharing some treats. I will send home a note this week with a class list of names. Please do not attach food or candy to the cards. Pencils or stickers are fine, but please avoid food related items. Thank you!
One last reminder, please be sure to send in winter snow gear each day. The children have so much fun playing in the snow during recess. Writing your child's name or initials inside clothing items is helpful for when items get mixed up or lost. We are becoming more independent each day! :)
As always, please contact me with any questions or concerns. I am looking forward to a great week with your children.
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
Monday, January 19, 2015
January 19th
I hope you all had a terrific weekend and enjoyed
the extra day off from school.
Last week we spent time reading and listening to
different snowy stories, and comparing and contrasting some of these
stories. We learned about Venn Diagrams to help us organize our thinking
after reading two different versions of The Mitten. The children
did a terrific job sharing what they remembered from the stories.
During math, we have been working hard on
subtraction numbers. We are using pictures and manipulatives to help us with
our learning. We read a fun story, Pete
the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons, to help us begin this unit. We will continue working on adding and
subtracting numbers each day.
During writing, the children are learning
all about revising and editing their true stories. We are trying so hard to
make our personal narratives (true stories) easy to read. The children are
growing so much as beginning writers!
Our Word Wall is also growing. Each week
we continue to add three new words to our classroom wall. We also practice
reading and writing words in the same word family. Ex: at is on
our wall. We are reading and writing bat, cat, hat, sat... Try doing this
at home too! You can use white boards, chalk, markers…
This week we will begin learning all about
penguins. We will read fiction and nonfiction stories. We will also create some
fun penguin projects to go along with our penguin theme. Be sure to ask your children all about
penguins!
Report Cards will be uploaded to Aspen at the beginning of
February. I have sent home a yellow note regarding conference
times. Please return the note and I will schedule conference times
according to the responses I receive.
We will be going on a Class Trip to see some of Eric Carle’s stories performed at The
Egg. Please return the permission form
if you have not already done so. We are
so excited to be able to see this performance!
*We will celebrate our 100th Day of School on Thursday, February 12th. We will celebrate Friendship and Valentine's
Day on February 13th at 12:00 in our classroom. Additional notes will
be sent home with more information, but I wanted to make you aware of the
dates.
Thank you so much for your support.
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne :)
Saturday, January 3, 2015
Welcome 2015!
Happy New Year!
I hope you all had a wonderful break and were able to spend quality time with
your family and friends. I am looking forward to seeing my kindergarten
friends again this week!
This week we will spend time gently easing back into the routines of our kindergarten day. We will practice our reading, writing, math, and listening skills as we read stories about snowy weather. We will read Lois Ehlert's Snowballs and Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day. We will also begin reading Jan Brett's The Hat and The Mitten. We will talk about main characters, settings, problems, solutions, as well as the beginning, middle, and end of stories. We will also work on some fun snowy projects to go along with our reading!
Please check your child's folder for our January Family Project. The children love sharing their work with their classmates. All projects will be displayed in our kindergarten hallway for our school to enjoy. Also, please return reading calendars each week. New reading calendars will be sent home each Monday. Thank you for your support with our monthly projects and with all of our kindergarten learning!
I am looking forward to a fun week in our kindergarten classroom!
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
This week we will spend time gently easing back into the routines of our kindergarten day. We will practice our reading, writing, math, and listening skills as we read stories about snowy weather. We will read Lois Ehlert's Snowballs and Ezra Jack Keats' The Snowy Day. We will also begin reading Jan Brett's The Hat and The Mitten. We will talk about main characters, settings, problems, solutions, as well as the beginning, middle, and end of stories. We will also work on some fun snowy projects to go along with our reading!
Please check your child's folder for our January Family Project. The children love sharing their work with their classmates. All projects will be displayed in our kindergarten hallway for our school to enjoy. Also, please return reading calendars each week. New reading calendars will be sent home each Monday. Thank you for your support with our monthly projects and with all of our kindergarten learning!
I am looking forward to a fun week in our kindergarten classroom!
Sincerely,
Eileen Browne
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)