Today was the first Friday of the year that we had S.O.A.R time which is based on the behavior plan-I mentioned my behavior plan in a post last week, which we started this week. If the students can stay on green or above on my clip chart for at least 3 days, they get to participate in S.O.A.R time at the end of the week. This week was a bit of trial and error, because it takes over a month for kindergarten students to fully understand and follow the rules at school. We have been doing an amazing job, though, and students who were moving clips down at the beginning of the week have gained an understanding of the consequences. Everyone is improving!!
During our classroom meeting on Friday we talked about working as a team and celebrating our classmates success. You would be amazed how well your children do with this. When someone in our class moves their clip up, they all congratulate them. When they notice that someone needs to work a little harder, they encourage them to try their best. It's so great to see. I was honestly almost in tears the other day during recess when my leader of the day came up to me and let me know that they told one of their classmates how proud they were that their classmate got to move their clip up.
They're really starting to gain a sense of ownership of their classroom and the people in it. We're starting to feel like a family-making friends, encouraging each other, and working as a team. Because of all of that, I didn't really stick with the "you can only participate in S.O.A.R time if you don't have to move your clip down for at least 3 days" thing. Everyone was able to watch The Magic School Bus Sees Stars. I was amazed at how many students hadn't seen any Magic School Bus movies! They loved it!
Have a good long weekend with your kindergartener! Ask your child to show you how to track their name, cheer their name, and count the syllables in their name. The cheering is the cutest thing you'll ever see :) We've also been counting and looking for numbers in our environment (as you know from their homework). Continue to practice these things. ALSO (as a side note) please, please, please do not do your child's homework for them! I know some of you may feel like I won't be able to tell what their paper says or what their picture is, BUT we had a huge discussion about whose responsibility it is to do their homework. I did not grade their math on their drawing ability. They simply got a sticker if they turned it in. I was sad to see that when we discussed the homework in class, some of them couldn't even tell me what their pictures were of because they didn't draw them. Your child will feel more proud of their work if you allow them to do it themselves. Yes, it is ok to help them. I want you to work with them on their homework. It is important for you to show them that you care about what they are doing in school. I just want them to do the drawing (when their homework calls for it) even if you don't think I won't be able to tell what it is. They will remember and gain more information when they do the work themselves. Thank you!
Friday, August 31, 2012
Thursday, August 30, 2012
M my name is Mrs. Webster
We wrote our first class book today called "We Are Here". On each page the students wrote the letter their name started with, their whole name and something that they like. We then talked about drawing with a pencil and coloring with crayons/markers. Each page says something like M my name is Mrs. Webster, and I like pizza. They did a great job! I can't wait for you all to see the book at our next open house!
Today we also went for a walk on the playground to talk about playground safety. The students in our class were great role models for the Pre-K kids who were playing at the time. We talked about the correct way to use the equipment and not to throw mulch- you'd be amazed how popular throwing mulch is among the kindergarten and first graders. :)
Remind your child to take the papers out of the red folder/ backpack each evening. They will probably be reminded, but try to make it their responsibility to clean their backpacks out. It is their responsibility to pack them at school, so if they practice unpacking at home they will have more practice and more sense of responsibility.
Thank you for your comments so far! It feels good to know that there are some of you reading the blog!
Read with your children tonight :)
Today we also went for a walk on the playground to talk about playground safety. The students in our class were great role models for the Pre-K kids who were playing at the time. We talked about the correct way to use the equipment and not to throw mulch- you'd be amazed how popular throwing mulch is among the kindergarten and first graders. :)
Remind your child to take the papers out of the red folder/ backpack each evening. They will probably be reminded, but try to make it their responsibility to clean their backpacks out. It is their responsibility to pack them at school, so if they practice unpacking at home they will have more practice and more sense of responsibility.
Thank you for your comments so far! It feels good to know that there are some of you reading the blog!
Read with your children tonight :)
Wednesday, August 29, 2012
Our Daily Schedule
Some of you have asked for a schedule so that you know what your child is doing at certain times throughout the day. :)
Our schedule on Monday and Tuesday is as follows;
8:25-8:45-Students begin arrival. Please drop your child off at the main building on the first floor (if you bring them to school). After this week, we are asking parents to no longer walk their student to the classroom.
8:45-unpack and sign in
8:55-attendance and lunch count
9:00-morning meeting
9:10-circle time-weather, news of the day, calendar
10:00-11:30-90 minutes of uninterrupted reading/ language arts
11:35-12:05- Recess
12:05-12:35- Lunch
12:40-1:00-quiet time
1:00-2:00-60 minutes of uninterrupted math
2:00-2:10-prepare of dismissal
2:10-2:30- daily centers (free time)
2:30-2:45- snack
2:45-3:25-P.E
3:25-Dismissal
Wednesday- Friday look like this;
8:25-8:45-Students begin arrival. Please drop your child off at the main building on the first floor (if you bring them to school). After this week, we are asking parents to no longer walk their student to the classroom.
8:45-unpack and sign in
8:55-attendance and lunch count
9:00-morning meeting
9:10-circle time-weather, news of the day, calendar
10:00-11:30-90 minutes of uninterrupted reading/ language arts
11:35-12:05- Recess
12:05-12:35- Lunch
12:40-12:55-quiet time
12:55-1:55-60 minutes of uninterrupted math
1:55-2:05-prepare of dismissal
2:05-2:45- Music or Art-we alternate days
2:45-3:25-Read aloud (Wednesday) /World Language (Thursday and Friday)
3:25-Dismissal
If you are coming to do read aloud on Wednesday, all we ask is that you finish up by 3:15. We have been having to rush to the main floor for dismissal since, you can see, that we are busy right up until 3:25 most days. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Our schedule on Monday and Tuesday is as follows;
8:25-8:45-Students begin arrival. Please drop your child off at the main building on the first floor (if you bring them to school). After this week, we are asking parents to no longer walk their student to the classroom.
8:45-unpack and sign in
8:55-attendance and lunch count
9:00-morning meeting
9:10-circle time-weather, news of the day, calendar
10:00-11:30-90 minutes of uninterrupted reading/ language arts
11:35-12:05- Recess
12:05-12:35- Lunch
12:40-1:00-quiet time
1:00-2:00-60 minutes of uninterrupted math
2:00-2:10-prepare of dismissal
2:10-2:30- daily centers (free time)
2:30-2:45- snack
2:45-3:25-P.E
3:25-Dismissal
Wednesday- Friday look like this;
8:25-8:45-Students begin arrival. Please drop your child off at the main building on the first floor (if you bring them to school). After this week, we are asking parents to no longer walk their student to the classroom.
8:45-unpack and sign in
8:55-attendance and lunch count
9:00-morning meeting
9:10-circle time-weather, news of the day, calendar
10:00-11:30-90 minutes of uninterrupted reading/ language arts
11:35-12:05- Recess
12:05-12:35- Lunch
12:40-12:55-quiet time
12:55-1:55-60 minutes of uninterrupted math
1:55-2:05-prepare of dismissal
2:05-2:45- Music or Art-we alternate days
2:45-3:25-Read aloud (Wednesday) /World Language (Thursday and Friday)
3:25-Dismissal
If you are coming to do read aloud on Wednesday, all we ask is that you finish up by 3:15. We have been having to rush to the main floor for dismissal since, you can see, that we are busy right up until 3:25 most days. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask!
Monday, August 27, 2012
You Are My Wonders
Today was the first somewhat "normal" day that we have had. We started out the day with our job chart, and some of the students were assigned classroom jobs. We have a greeter, door holders, flag holder, meteorologist, librarian, floor checker, and play center helpers. Each child will get the chance to do each job more than once. I like the idea of classroom jobs because it gives the students a sense of responsibility and ownership of their classroom.
We also had our first library day. Half of the students went with Ms. Pat to the library while the other half stayed with me to start learning how to read and spell our classmates names. Tomorrow we will switch. Also at station time today, we talked about the meaning of top, middle, and bottom. I can tell that the class is getting more and more used to the routine and classroom rules. We did a lot of kissing our brains today! They are all doing so great! Don't forget to remind your children that you know about the behavior clip chart too. Talk with them about classroom rules (they know what they are).
Todays read aloud book was You Are My Wonders. It's all about what students mean to their teacher. I love it!
REMINDERS:
We also had our first library day. Half of the students went with Ms. Pat to the library while the other half stayed with me to start learning how to read and spell our classmates names. Tomorrow we will switch. Also at station time today, we talked about the meaning of top, middle, and bottom. I can tell that the class is getting more and more used to the routine and classroom rules. We did a lot of kissing our brains today! They are all doing so great! Don't forget to remind your children that you know about the behavior clip chart too. Talk with them about classroom rules (they know what they are).
Todays read aloud book was You Are My Wonders. It's all about what students mean to their teacher. I love it!
REMINDERS:
- Sign up for read aloud days on www.VolunteerSpot.com! I already have some volunteers and we're excited to host our first parent read aloud of Wednesday!
- If you have not turned in your child's shot records, we need them!
- On P.E. days (Monday and Tuesday) the students HAVE to wear tennis shoes. Mr. Woods will not allow them to participate otherwise.
- Email me or call the school if you have ANY questions or concerns. I love parent involvement. I feel that it is very important. I want to hear from you!
- Read to your child for at least 20 minutes a night. Next week we will start a sign in sheet where you will write the amount of time read and what was read and sign it. If you would like to use books I have in the classroom, please let me know!
- If your child would like to bring a book to school for me to read on their leader day, feel free to send it with them. Make sure your name is on the inside cover, though.
Friday, August 24, 2012
Feathers and a Dunk Tank
I'm sure you heard all about how crazy our day was compared to the last two. Things were a little out of whack with the schedule. First we had a fire drill, then music in the morning instead of after lunch, and a reading celebration in the afternoon. Our class took the changes in their (just adjusted to) schedule very well. I was pleasantly surprised!
Over the summer the Easton Eagles were asked to keep track of all the books they read. Since we are new to Easton, we just counted the books read in class over the past couple of days. One of my students also went to the summer reading celebration and checked out a book from the library. Since we were able to count this as a book read over the summer, he had one extra book read than the rest of the class. He received a $10 gift card from Wal-Mart!! We were all so proud of him! Each student had their name on a feather for each book read, and we added our feathers to a "naked" eagle. The students thought it was hilarious that the eagle had no feathers! During our reading celebration, the Easton Eagle was revealed and had been completely covered in feathers from books read. It was great for us all to see the amount of books read just over a summer- and the first few days of school.
After the reading celebration, we got to stay and watch the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders dunk their teachers in a dunk tank for reaching their goals on the WesTest. The kids loved it! I was laughing just as hard as they were- probably because it wasn't me in the water! We had a blast!
In the midst of the crazy schedule, we did have some time to talk about some things that will be starting for our class on Monday. Monday is going to be the first day that we have a "leader of the day", classroom jobs, and we will start our behavior plan. We will be moving clips in my class for the start of the year, and by the end of the year we will start using the school-wide behavior plan so that the students understand how it works in 1st-5th grade. Our chart looks like this-
Over the summer the Easton Eagles were asked to keep track of all the books they read. Since we are new to Easton, we just counted the books read in class over the past couple of days. One of my students also went to the summer reading celebration and checked out a book from the library. Since we were able to count this as a book read over the summer, he had one extra book read than the rest of the class. He received a $10 gift card from Wal-Mart!! We were all so proud of him! Each student had their name on a feather for each book read, and we added our feathers to a "naked" eagle. The students thought it was hilarious that the eagle had no feathers! During our reading celebration, the Easton Eagle was revealed and had been completely covered in feathers from books read. It was great for us all to see the amount of books read just over a summer- and the first few days of school.
After the reading celebration, we got to stay and watch the 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders dunk their teachers in a dunk tank for reaching their goals on the WesTest. The kids loved it! I was laughing just as hard as they were- probably because it wasn't me in the water! We had a blast!
Talk with your children about what each of the colors mean. We have a set list of rules in my classroom. The students have been learning them slowly over the last couple of days. We know that we are to keep our hands to ourselves, respect each other, use careful movement (no running), raise our hand and wait to be called on if we have something to say, and we take care of our room and supplies. They know that, if they cannot follow these rules, they will have to move their clip down. If they are following all rules and going above and beyond, they get to move their clip up! Each Friday we will have something called S.O.A.R time. If the students have to move their clip past yellow two or more times, they will not be able to participate in our S.O.A.R time. Some of my S.O.A.R time ideas include: movie and popcorn, show and tell, bring a stuffed animals to sit with us for the day, and no shoes (only in the classroom) all day. We will come up with some things as a class as well.
I hope everyone has an awesome weekend and is ready for their first full week of kindergarten next week-parents included! If you have any questions about anything, do not hesitate to email me at lwebster@access.k12.wv.us, comment on a post (if it's not confidential), or call me at school.
ALSO, thank you to everyone who as already signed up for read aloud! Give me some feedback on VolunteerSpot. Do you like it? Is it easy to use?
Thursday, August 23, 2012
Peanut Butter and Spanish
I don't know how many of you have heard of Dr. Jean, but if you haven't, your children LOVE her! The class and I listened to some new songs of hers today during circle time to wake ourselves up and feel a little more at ease about being in school. Ask you children about the Peanut Butter song. Oh my goodness, they were so funny dancing and singing!
We also started our Spanish class today, and we learned so much! Your kids are picking it up a lot faster than I am! In the near future our Spanish teacher will be speaking 90% in Spanish to our class. We learned three colors, numbers 1-10, and some vocal commands (stand up, sit down, raise your hand, listen, and look) today. I love watching the students open themselves up to other cultures. They are our further. It is important for them to know and understand that people are different. I was so pleased to see that none of the class giggled at Ms. Judy when she began to speak. I read today that learning a foreign language can improve your memory skill resulting from reading, learning and memorizing. It will also open up your mind to be more acceptable to other people’s differences. I am excited to see what all they (we) learn!
We also started our Spanish class today, and we learned so much! Your kids are picking it up a lot faster than I am! In the near future our Spanish teacher will be speaking 90% in Spanish to our class. We learned three colors, numbers 1-10, and some vocal commands (stand up, sit down, raise your hand, listen, and look) today. I love watching the students open themselves up to other cultures. They are our further. It is important for them to know and understand that people are different. I was so pleased to see that none of the class giggled at Ms. Judy when she began to speak. I read today that learning a foreign language can improve your memory skill resulting from reading, learning and memorizing. It will also open up your mind to be more acceptable to other people’s differences. I am excited to see what all they (we) learn!
Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Our First Day of Kindergarten!
Our first day of kindergarten for the class of 2025 has come and gone, and I can already tell that I am going to love this group of students! I waited all summer to meet their toothless smiling faces, and the day was well worth the wait. Today we wiggled and giggled and learned new rules. We had to learn how to put our things away, check our "mail" and even the correct way to sit on the carpet. We met new friends and even started reading! It's going to be a great year!
Today I sent home a snack/leader calendar, a photo consent form, and your child's first homework assignment. Practice reading environmental print with your children. Any word that they recognize on a sign, advertisement, or food label helps them understand that text conveys meaning, which is very important when it comes to reading and learning how to read. Also, next time you read with your child help them practice parts of a book (front cover, title page, etc). We have also started talk about the care of a book. We turn the pages from the corner and put the books back where we got them when we are finished. Practice these habits with your son/ daughter. Last but not least, reenforce the use of the red folder with your child. Remind them to check it every morning when they get to school and every evening when they get home.
You all have amazing children! I am so excited to spend the year with them!
Today I sent home a snack/leader calendar, a photo consent form, and your child's first homework assignment. Practice reading environmental print with your children. Any word that they recognize on a sign, advertisement, or food label helps them understand that text conveys meaning, which is very important when it comes to reading and learning how to read. Also, next time you read with your child help them practice parts of a book (front cover, title page, etc). We have also started talk about the care of a book. We turn the pages from the corner and put the books back where we got them when we are finished. Practice these habits with your son/ daughter. Last but not least, reenforce the use of the red folder with your child. Remind them to check it every morning when they get to school and every evening when they get home.
You all have amazing children! I am so excited to spend the year with them!
Mrs. Webster
Friday, August 17, 2012
Handwriting Without Tears
In your red folder, I added two sheets that shows how your child should learn to write letters and numbers. This curriculum is called Handwriting Without Tears. "Handwriting Without Tears® aims to make legible and fluent handwriting an easy and automatic skill that students can master. Our dynamic curriculum design, teaching strategies, and compelling lessons make it easy for parents to teach Handwriting Without Tears in the home, in only 15 minutes per day."
I wanted to share their web page with you, because there is some information I thought you all might want to know. ALSO, if you have an iPad, you can download an app called Wet-Dry-Try. It looks like something the students would like. From my experience, I know that they love technology. Why not make it something educational? http://wetdrytry.com/
http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/parents
I wanted to share their web page with you, because there is some information I thought you all might want to know. ALSO, if you have an iPad, you can download an app called Wet-Dry-Try. It looks like something the students would like. From my experience, I know that they love technology. Why not make it something educational? http://wetdrytry.com/
http://www.hwtears.com/hwt/parents
Wednesday, August 15, 2012
Links!
On top of trying to get the classroom ready, staff meetings, our parent meeting, and preparing for our home visit, I have been looking a websites that are great for kindergarten parents/students. Take some time to look through them. I'm sure I'll be posting more as I find them.
If you and your child have not already discovered pbskids.org, check it out! It has a lot of educational games and resources that I guarantee your child will LOVE!
VolunteerSpot.com
We’re using VolunteerSpot (the leading online sign up and reminder tool) to organize our upcoming activity. Please sign up - here’s how it works in 3 easy steps:
1.Click this link to go to our invitation page on VolunteerSpot:
2.Enter your email address. (You will NOT need to register an account on VolunteerSpot.)
4.Sign Up! Choose your spots. VolunteerSpot will send you automated confirmation and reminder messages. Easy!
Note: VolunteerSpot does NOT share your email address with anyone or send spam emails. If you prefer not to enter your address – please contact me and I can sign you up manually
Welcome!
I wish to welcome you all, parents and students, to the new and exciting world of kindergarten! There will be a lot of change happening for all of us this year. I spent last year teaching at Woodburnn so, like most of my students this year, I am new to Easton. I am very excited about it, though! Easton Elementary has this amazing atmosphere that makes you feel right at home as soon as you walk through the doors.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for allowing me to be a part of your child’s life during this precious time of growth and discovery!
I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for allowing me to be a part of your child’s life during this precious time of growth and discovery!
Since we will be moving to a green school some time this year, I would like to go paperless when it comes to sharing information about the class. Over the school year I plan on updating my blog at least once a week so that I am able to share what your child is doing at school, useful websites, pictures, volunteer sign up, etc.
I am very big on building a solid parent-teacher relationship. I urge you to play a big role in your child's schooling. I like to look at it like we are a team. You know your child better than anyone. Please feel free to share anything you think I should know about them. I will also get to know your child quite well. Think about it-I will be with your child 40 hours a week!
I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. Please feel free to send me a note or email me at lwebster@access.k12.wv.us. I'm looking forward to a wonderful year with you and your child!
-Mrs. Webster
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