Happy Thanksgiving

From Room 3!

We have so much to be thankful for.

It was nice to see so many of you at Parent Information Night.  I hope you found the night to be informative and have a better understanding of how your child spends his or her day in kindergarten.  

The children have been busy learning the routines and forming wonderful friendships. 

With only a few weeks of school, the children have been very busy learning about letters and sounds.  Our Fundations program has already introduced the lowercase letters b, t, f, n, m, i and u. In teaching these concepts we often work with magnetic letter boards and white boards to practice letter formation and identification.   

 Please take a look below at the children during Writer's Workshop. They have named themselves the "Super Duper Teddy Bear Writer's".  

During Writer's Workshop the children often share their ideas and writings with a friend.  They ask each other questions about their stories and offer each other suggestions on how to add detail to their stories and pictures. They have been doing a fabulous job and are becoming enthusiastic writers and illustrators.  

We are finishing up Topic 1 in our new enVision math program. During this Topic we focused on being able to identify, read, write, and count from 0 to 5 and learned that there is more than one way to show a number.  The children are also learning that good math thinkers use math to explain why they are right.  They can talk about the math that others do, too.

Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up. They are scheduled for Tuesday, November 10th and Thursday, November 19th. I plan on sending a sign up sheet out in the very near future.  Please look for an email coming from me so you can sign up for a slot.  Children will have a half day on conference days.  

I have enjoyed getting to know your children over the past eighteen days. As I said at Parent Information Night, I am truly blessed to be working with kindergarten children. Their enthusiasm and innocence are qualities that I find extremely endearing. 

Despite the heat, Kindergarten got off to a great start!  The children have been learning classroom routines and procedures.  We are getting to know each other through name games and free choice time.  On Friday we went over our class rules.  There are only four, so hopefully the children can remember them.  They are . . .

 1.  We are safe.

 2. We are kind. 

3.  We are good listeners.  

4.  We always try our best.

Please talk to your child about how important it is to follow the classroom rules. 

In keeping with our first rule of keeping safe, we practiced a fire drill and a safety drill during the first week of school.  The children did a fabulous job at moving quickly, quietly and safely during both drills. I was extremely proud of them! 

I want to thank all of you who sent in supplies.  With flu season soon approaching we can never have enough hand sanitizer!  Please remember to send your child in with a snack and a labeled water bottle every day.  The water bottles are available throughout the day for children to sip from if they become thirsty. 

Please look through the Memorial School handbook for important information.  Please be advised that Parent Information Night is this Monday, September 21^st from 6:30-8:00.   Parents will first meet with Dr. Bilsborough in the gym and then come down to the classroom for a presentation on a typical day in kindergarten.  Spirit Day is also coming up, please read below.

Memorial Spirit Day - DOTTY DAY!

The Memorial School's first Spirit Day of the school year will be held on Wednesday, September 16th.  In honor of International Dot Day, we would like to invite everyone to "get dotty"and wear their dots!

 "International Dot Day, a global celebration of creativity, courage and collaboration, began when teacher Terry Shay introduced his classroom to Peter H. Reynolds’ book The Dot on September 15, 2009.

The Dot is the story of a caring teacher who dares a doubting student to trust in her own abilities by being brave enough to “make her mark”. What begins with a small dot on a piece of paper becomes a breakthrough in confidence and courage, igniting a journey of self-discovery and sharing, which has gone on to inspire countless children and adults around the globe."

I look forward to seeing you all at Parent Information Night.  Please email me at pgrace@email.medfield.net  if you have any questions or concerns. 

FIELD DAY

Southwick Zoo Field Trip

As you know, kindergarten will be going to Southwick Animal Farm this Thursday, May 28th (rain date Tuesday, June 2nd).  This will be an all day adventure.  The children , staff and parent chaperones will ride school buses to the farm, leaving at 9:00 a.m. and returning by 2:00 p.m.

Everyone will need a bag lunch (no lunch boxes).  Please put your child's full name on the bag, along with my name.  Include one disposable drink box (no glass bottles please) and lunch.  Children should dress for the weather.  Children will not need backpacks for this day.

Kindergarten Field Day

Kindergarten Field Day is scheduled for Thursday, June 4th (rain date Friday, June 5th).  My class will be participating from 12:05-2:35.  Events for the day will take place on the field between the Memorial and Dale Street Schools.  All student will be able to keep their regular schedule, such as taking their bus to and from school or their usual day care plan.  Kindergarten parents are not required to attend this events.  However, like all field days in every grade parents are welcome.

IMPORTANT REMINDERS FOR THE DAY

• Students can bring or buy a bag lunch from our school cafeteria.  
• All children are asked to wear sneakers and comfortable outdoor clothing.
• For parents who plan to attend, parking my be limited.  Please do not park on the school side of Adams Street (no parking allowed) or parking in fire lanes.
• No siblings
• Application of sunscreen and/or bug repellent is the responsibility of each child's parent. Please apply before sending your child to school.

Parent Volunteers will be needed for set-up, events and clean-up.  An email for volunteers will be out soon.

Class End of the Year Reception

Our class will be having an end of the year reception/celebration on Friday, June 19th from 1;30-2:30. All parents are invited to attend.

Today a Painted Lady Butterfly emerged from its chrysalis!

Writing Workshop Moments

Sharing Their Writings!