Kinder News 2.24

WEEKLY HAPPENINGS
Literacy Centers:
- Students did creative writing, imagining themselves as the president "If I was President I would..."
- The lyrics of "Magic Penny" were in the form of a little book that students could color and read
- Magnetic Letters: building words
- 100s Day coloring activity which involved reading color words and coloring picture appropriately
Guided Reading: After completing assessments, we were finally able to dive into Guided Reading this week. I had a chance to meet 1-on-1 with every student to talk to them about the structure of guided reading. (That they will be pulled, either by themselves or with a group, to learn something about reading and then practice it with me. I explained that they may feel frustrated during Guided Reading sometimes, but that it's my job to make sure that they are reading books that are just right for them. Students will keep books at school in their Book Boxes to practice and periodically take them home for additional support there. This week I focused with most students on pointing to words as they read them. This ensures that they are matching spoken words to written.) This is a very exciting time for Kindergarteners as they are beginning to build confidence in their reading skills and strategies and look forward to the journey that lies ahead.
Writers Workshop: Students used photos with their flat dolls (or drew their own illustrations) and wrote about their Winter Break. Students are beginning to really excel with phonetic spelling and are taking more risks, a huge step to becoming independent and successful writers!
Math: Mrs. Chiappe taught students a game called Racing Bears. In our classroom, we examined pennies (President Lincoln) and recorded results of a penny toss activity.
Science: We have said goodbye to our Animals Two by Two unit. We explored fish, snails, and worms! Our classroom will continue to house the fish and snails for students to make observations and care for.
Art: Students created both squares for our February quilt (one was simple cutting and gluing and the other was watercolored). We also colored our February self portraits. This month we focused on filling the entire space, most students did this by coloring their picture's background blue as the sky.
Social Studies: This week we focused on Presidents day. We talked especially about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington. I read several Read Alouds, they read leveled reader about Washington, we talked about Holidays and even watched a DVD segment (complete with a song about holidays).
Buddies: Our buddies helped us to create George Washington hats this week. Then we were able to read them our new guided reading books.
Lifeskill Assembly: This month Andrew was honored with our award for Perseverance: "I will finish what I start".

NOTES AND REMINDERS
Conferences: The week of March 9th contains two Minmum Days, set aside for conferences. This round of conferences is for students who are below grade level or who I have other concerns about. I will not be meeting with most families during these days. I will be sending letters home early next week, to schedule with those of you who I'd like to conference with. If you have concerns and feel that a conference is necessarily, please email me with your inquiry.
Field Trip: Please remember that money to cover the cost of tickets is $6 per person. (This also means that parents who are coming must purchase a ticket). If you are able to contribute toward a scholarship, it is appreciated. I am also looking for volunteers to chaperone our field trip to San Francisco on March 24. We are able to take 4 parents, and I will give priority to those who have not yet attended. I will open the opportunity up to those parents on Monday if I have not recieved enough.
Dr. Seuss Day: Monday, March 2nd we will celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday. We will spend the day reading Dr. Seuss stories, making Green Eggs and Ham, and creating Cat in the Hat hats. I am looking for parents who might be interested in being "Guest Readers" that day to read a Dr. Seuss story. (I will forward the Jooners sign up - Please sign up no later than Sunday night so I can plan accordingly)
Photos: They are uploaded on Picasa. Please enjoy, and once again sorry for the huge gap in time. I will do my best to keep them more up to date in the future.

IMPORTANT DATES
Monday March 2nd: Dr. Seuss Birthday
Tuesday March 3rd: Hina Matsuri (Japanese Doll Festival)
Friday March 6th: Minimum Day
Tuesday March 10th: Minimum Day (Conferences)
Wednesday March 11th: Minimum Day (Conferences)
Friday March 13th: Report Cards Go Home
Tuesday March 24th: Field Trip
Wednesday March 25th: Blue Day
Friday March 27th: No School