Field Trip
On Thursday, November 9, the Kindergarten and First Grade will travel with William, Libby and Tracy to the Brattleboro Museum of Art to view exhibits and enjoy an art activity. We will leave school on the bus at 8:30 and arrive back in time for lunch. Check out the following link for more information about the current exhibits.
http://www.brattleboromuseum.org/exhibits/current-exhibits/
Sowing the Seeds of Spring
Monday, December 6, 2010
Greetings From the Kindergarten!
It's that time of year when the weeks fly by. Just today, as we marked the 61st day of school, the children were remarking that the school year is going by very fast. The K-4 Winter Concert is on Wednesday, December 15, at 6:30 p.m. Students should arrive at 6:15 and meet in our classroom. As I mentioned in a recent e-mail, the last day of school before the holiday break is Thursday, December 16, which is a half day with a noon dismissal. Over the next two weeks students will be part of some Grammar School traditions including seeing the Mummer's Play and taking part in the Secret Santa fun. Look for information at the end of the week about Secret Santa.
In the classroom, we have been learning about Haiti and The Dominican Republic, the subjects of our school-wide December theme study. These two countries are a bit hard to speak about with Kindergarten age children, given the extreme poverty, as well as the devastation and disease that has resulted from natural disasters. I have chosen to discuss aspects of the culture in terms of how we are similar and how we are different. We have talked about the languages spoken, the landscape of both countries, some of their holidays and traditions, and the foods. We have been reading some folk tales as well. On Wednesday, the mixed-age activities begin and students will travel with their buddies to work with different teachers on a variety of projects. I am curious to know what your children will take away from this study and what they will share with you at home. Please let me know.
I will continue to send home easy readers for your Kindergartener to read aloud with you. If you have any at home now, I ask that you send them back in, and I'll get together another packet for each student. If you have been able to log the times you have read together, please send that in as well. It's a great way for me to open up a discussion about reading at home, books they enjoyed, and if they are enjoying reading at home.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
All best,
Libby
It's that time of year when the weeks fly by. Just today, as we marked the 61st day of school, the children were remarking that the school year is going by very fast. The K-4 Winter Concert is on Wednesday, December 15, at 6:30 p.m. Students should arrive at 6:15 and meet in our classroom. As I mentioned in a recent e-mail, the last day of school before the holiday break is Thursday, December 16, which is a half day with a noon dismissal. Over the next two weeks students will be part of some Grammar School traditions including seeing the Mummer's Play and taking part in the Secret Santa fun. Look for information at the end of the week about Secret Santa.
In the classroom, we have been learning about Haiti and The Dominican Republic, the subjects of our school-wide December theme study. These two countries are a bit hard to speak about with Kindergarten age children, given the extreme poverty, as well as the devastation and disease that has resulted from natural disasters. I have chosen to discuss aspects of the culture in terms of how we are similar and how we are different. We have talked about the languages spoken, the landscape of both countries, some of their holidays and traditions, and the foods. We have been reading some folk tales as well. On Wednesday, the mixed-age activities begin and students will travel with their buddies to work with different teachers on a variety of projects. I am curious to know what your children will take away from this study and what they will share with you at home. Please let me know.
I will continue to send home easy readers for your Kindergartener to read aloud with you. If you have any at home now, I ask that you send them back in, and I'll get together another packet for each student. If you have been able to log the times you have read together, please send that in as well. It's a great way for me to open up a discussion about reading at home, books they enjoyed, and if they are enjoying reading at home.
Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.
All best,
Libby
Tuesday, November 9, 2010
Greetings From the Kindergarten!
We have had a busy few weeks in the classroom. Students continue to learn letter formation and key word sounds. They are becoming more comfortable with sounding out letters to form words as they label their journal entries and pictures. Rhyming helps students listen for letter sounds and word families and we have learned a number of nursery rhymes and rhyming games. Ask your student to share some with you. We have also been playing rhyming and letter bingo.
I have been reading with individual students during silent reading time. As a result, students are interested in bringing home easy readers to read with you in the evenings. I will be sending home reading sheets with these books and ask that you help your student fill in the sheet and keep it in their reading folder. This helps give them a great sense of accomplishment when they see what they have read over time. It also has a spot for them to tell me if they liked the book, which allows them to begin to form opinions about stories. Look for these folders toward the end of the week.
We have been exploring numbers in a variety of ways - counting up to and down from twenty; learning about place value; and using language to compare numbers such as is equal to, is greater than, is less than, how many more, and how many less. Students have been making pattern block pictures and have been "taking a picture" using pattern block stickers.
Our unit on bats is winding down. We will begin a study of our families in the coming weeks. I will be sending home a short at-home project that will help launch this unit. We have also been discussing family traditions as the holidays approach.
On November 17, there will be a buddy activity that has become a holiday tradition and is part of our school's community service efforts. Students will put together Thanksgiving food baskets for those in need in the greater Putney community. In preparation for this we ask students to bring in food items to help fill the baskets. Kindergarten has been assigned to bring in two bags of stuffing per student. Then, on November 17 we will all gather and put the baskets together. Please plan to bring the stuffing bags in before the end of the week. I will collect them in the classroom. If you have any questions or are unable to do this please let me know.
After the Thanksgiving break, we will begin a school-wide study and community service project about the cultures and countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Students will learn about these cultures in the classroom and in mixed age groups as they work on a variety of hands-on projects and a service learning initiative.
The next two months are fun but busy ones at TGS. I will endeavor to keep things consistent in the classroom and continue to work to ease transitions. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
We have had a busy few weeks in the classroom. Students continue to learn letter formation and key word sounds. They are becoming more comfortable with sounding out letters to form words as they label their journal entries and pictures. Rhyming helps students listen for letter sounds and word families and we have learned a number of nursery rhymes and rhyming games. Ask your student to share some with you. We have also been playing rhyming and letter bingo.
I have been reading with individual students during silent reading time. As a result, students are interested in bringing home easy readers to read with you in the evenings. I will be sending home reading sheets with these books and ask that you help your student fill in the sheet and keep it in their reading folder. This helps give them a great sense of accomplishment when they see what they have read over time. It also has a spot for them to tell me if they liked the book, which allows them to begin to form opinions about stories. Look for these folders toward the end of the week.
We have been exploring numbers in a variety of ways - counting up to and down from twenty; learning about place value; and using language to compare numbers such as is equal to, is greater than, is less than, how many more, and how many less. Students have been making pattern block pictures and have been "taking a picture" using pattern block stickers.
Our unit on bats is winding down. We will begin a study of our families in the coming weeks. I will be sending home a short at-home project that will help launch this unit. We have also been discussing family traditions as the holidays approach.
On November 17, there will be a buddy activity that has become a holiday tradition and is part of our school's community service efforts. Students will put together Thanksgiving food baskets for those in need in the greater Putney community. In preparation for this we ask students to bring in food items to help fill the baskets. Kindergarten has been assigned to bring in two bags of stuffing per student. Then, on November 17 we will all gather and put the baskets together. Please plan to bring the stuffing bags in before the end of the week. I will collect them in the classroom. If you have any questions or are unable to do this please let me know.
After the Thanksgiving break, we will begin a school-wide study and community service project about the cultures and countries of Haiti and the Dominican Republic. Students will learn about these cultures in the classroom and in mixed age groups as they work on a variety of hands-on projects and a service learning initiative.
The next two months are fun but busy ones at TGS. I will endeavor to keep things consistent in the classroom and continue to work to ease transitions. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns you might have.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Apples and Pumpkins and Cider Doughnuts, Oh My!
This week has been busy with a trip with the Preschoolers to Green Mountain Orchards to take a hay ride and pick apples and the Kindergarten's performance of two poems -- one about pumpkins and one about bats.
Friday will be our day to share costumes. Students may bring them in to share, though I ask that they not wear them for the entire day, as it can be distracting. We will have a celebration with the Preschool at snack and a gathering with PreK, K, 1st and 2nd grades in the afternoon.
Happy Halloween!
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Parent Letter 10/24/2010
Dear Kindergarten Parents:
The Kindergarten had a wonderful field trip to the Grafton Nature Museum to learn about bats. Thank you to Judy Wagenbach (Kemp's grandmother) and Madeline for driving. Your child might have shared with you that, upon our arrival, a state trooper was there. Sadly, the museum had been burglarized the night before, so there was some extra excitement at the start of our visit. The rest of our time was spent exploring the museum's permanent exhibits and then enjoying an informative session about bats.
This past week we spent quite a bit of time exploring two pumpkins we have in the classroom. We extracted the seeds from each pumpkin and students estimated how many seeds they thought were in each. Estimates ranged from 15 to 1,220. We then actually counted the seeds, dividing them into groups of ten. After counting the seeds by tens, it was determined that the curvy stemmed pumpkin had 470 seeds and the straight stemmed had 430 seeds. In addition, we estimated their weight and then weighed the pumpkins with and without seeds.
Students have been practicing their letters and drawing and writing in their journals. This is a time for them to explore invented spelling, as they begin to decode words by sounding them out. Students have been labeling their pictures and are beginning to write short sentences. Encouraging them to use invented spelling at home is a great way to reinforce these burgeoning skills.
On Tuesday, the Kindergarten and Preschool will travel to Green Mountain Orchard for our traditional hay ride and apple picking. All are welcome to join us. We will leave school on the bus at 10:30 and return in time for lunch at noon.
On Wednesday, the Kindergarten will perform two poems for All School Meeting at 2:15 p.m. in the theater space. Please join us if you can. One is about bats and one about pumpkins.
Finally, I want to officially let you know that Olivia is a big sister. Willa Jane Burns was born on October 14 and all are doing well. We hope to visit with Olivia this week via Skype to learn more about her new baby.
It was a pleasure to meet with you all on Thursday for conferences. This is a wonderful, curious and exciting group to work with. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Best,
Libby
The Kindergarten had a wonderful field trip to the Grafton Nature Museum to learn about bats. Thank you to Judy Wagenbach (Kemp's grandmother) and Madeline for driving. Your child might have shared with you that, upon our arrival, a state trooper was there. Sadly, the museum had been burglarized the night before, so there was some extra excitement at the start of our visit. The rest of our time was spent exploring the museum's permanent exhibits and then enjoying an informative session about bats.
This past week we spent quite a bit of time exploring two pumpkins we have in the classroom. We extracted the seeds from each pumpkin and students estimated how many seeds they thought were in each. Estimates ranged from 15 to 1,220. We then actually counted the seeds, dividing them into groups of ten. After counting the seeds by tens, it was determined that the curvy stemmed pumpkin had 470 seeds and the straight stemmed had 430 seeds. In addition, we estimated their weight and then weighed the pumpkins with and without seeds.
Students have been practicing their letters and drawing and writing in their journals. This is a time for them to explore invented spelling, as they begin to decode words by sounding them out. Students have been labeling their pictures and are beginning to write short sentences. Encouraging them to use invented spelling at home is a great way to reinforce these burgeoning skills.
On Tuesday, the Kindergarten and Preschool will travel to Green Mountain Orchard for our traditional hay ride and apple picking. All are welcome to join us. We will leave school on the bus at 10:30 and return in time for lunch at noon.
On Wednesday, the Kindergarten will perform two poems for All School Meeting at 2:15 p.m. in the theater space. Please join us if you can. One is about bats and one about pumpkins.
Finally, I want to officially let you know that Olivia is a big sister. Willa Jane Burns was born on October 14 and all are doing well. We hope to visit with Olivia this week via Skype to learn more about her new baby.
It was a pleasure to meet with you all on Thursday for conferences. This is a wonderful, curious and exciting group to work with. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions or concerns.
Best,
Libby
Tuesday, October 5, 2010
Parent Letter
Greetings From Kindergarten!
It has been a busy week in the Kindergarten classroom -- learning letters, counting to 20 and beyond, making bat mobiles, writing bat books and journals, and making bags with our buddies for the Medieval Faire. We have have also been happy to have Olivia back for the week. We all missed her and were happy to hear about New York and her recent visit to a Red Sox game.
Next Wednesday I would like to take the class on a field trip to the Grafton Nature Museum for a presentation on bats. We will leave school around 9:30 and return by lunch. The presentation is about an hour long, and we will have time to explore the museum and have snack before our return. I have space for two car seats in my car so need transportation for three more children. Please let me know if you can join us and take some children. FYI, Ken and I will also be planning a trip to Green Mountain Orchards to pick apples in October. I'll let you know as soon as we have a date.
A reminder that, if possible, it would be helpful to have an extra pair of shoes or slippers that serve as inside shoes. This keeps mud out of the classroom where we spend so much time on the floor. I also want to let you know that, in addition to organic 2% milk, I now have organic soy milk available to the children each day.
Parent/Teacher conferences are Thursday, October 21. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's time in Kindergarten. There is no school on that day. You may sign up for a conference by calling or stopping in to see Tammy in the office. Long Fall weekend follows so there is no school on Friday, October 22.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Hope to see you all at the Medieval Faire this Saturday!
It has been a busy week in the Kindergarten classroom -- learning letters, counting to 20 and beyond, making bat mobiles, writing bat books and journals, and making bags with our buddies for the Medieval Faire. We have have also been happy to have Olivia back for the week. We all missed her and were happy to hear about New York and her recent visit to a Red Sox game.
Next Wednesday I would like to take the class on a field trip to the Grafton Nature Museum for a presentation on bats. We will leave school around 9:30 and return by lunch. The presentation is about an hour long, and we will have time to explore the museum and have snack before our return. I have space for two car seats in my car so need transportation for three more children. Please let me know if you can join us and take some children. FYI, Ken and I will also be planning a trip to Green Mountain Orchards to pick apples in October. I'll let you know as soon as we have a date.
A reminder that, if possible, it would be helpful to have an extra pair of shoes or slippers that serve as inside shoes. This keeps mud out of the classroom where we spend so much time on the floor. I also want to let you know that, in addition to organic 2% milk, I now have organic soy milk available to the children each day.
Parent/Teacher conferences are Thursday, October 21. I look forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's time in Kindergarten. There is no school on that day. You may sign up for a conference by calling or stopping in to see Tammy in the office. Long Fall weekend follows so there is no school on Friday, October 22.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Hope to see you all at the Medieval Faire this Saturday!
Monday, September 27, 2010
Parent Letter
Dear Kindergarten Parents:
It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last Thursday. Thank you for taking the time to come in and learn more about all we are doing in Kindergarten.
This morning we began our week with a Skype visit to Olivia in New York. We were able to connect with her and Julie Burns for some of our morning meeting today, and it was wonderful for the children to talk, share what they are doing, and be in touch with Olivia. She told us that she is learning about the ocean and showed us a beautiful octopus collage she had made. We look forward to keeping in touch with Olivia until she returns in November.
Our work with the Fundations program began last week and yielded extensive word lists for the letters t, f and b. We practiced writing these as lower case letters, and we learned that a sentence is made up of several words and usually ends with a period. We put up our word wall for high frequency words and have added "is" and "we," two words we often see in our morning message. We have also continued our explorations with pattern blocks and counting to 20. Students counted to 100 using dinosaur and bear counters in groups of 10. We discussed the teens and how interesting it is that eleven and twelve are not "oneteen" and "twoteen."
Just a quick reminder to please send a raincoat with your child on days when it is drizzly or raining. Rain boots would also be great if you have them. If it is not pouring, we will try to go out for fresh air and exercise. We might even go for a puddle jump.
Here are a few important dates to remember:
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy the beautiful foliage.
It was a pleasure to see so many of you at Curriculum Night last Thursday. Thank you for taking the time to come in and learn more about all we are doing in Kindergarten.
This morning we began our week with a Skype visit to Olivia in New York. We were able to connect with her and Julie Burns for some of our morning meeting today, and it was wonderful for the children to talk, share what they are doing, and be in touch with Olivia. She told us that she is learning about the ocean and showed us a beautiful octopus collage she had made. We look forward to keeping in touch with Olivia until she returns in November.
Our work with the Fundations program began last week and yielded extensive word lists for the letters t, f and b. We practiced writing these as lower case letters, and we learned that a sentence is made up of several words and usually ends with a period. We put up our word wall for high frequency words and have added "is" and "we," two words we often see in our morning message. We have also continued our explorations with pattern blocks and counting to 20. Students counted to 100 using dinosaur and bear counters in groups of 10. We discussed the teens and how interesting it is that eleven and twelve are not "oneteen" and "twoteen."
Just a quick reminder to please send a raincoat with your child on days when it is drizzly or raining. Rain boots would also be great if you have them. If it is not pouring, we will try to go out for fresh air and exercise. We might even go for a puddle jump.
Here are a few important dates to remember:
- The Library Book Faire begins on October 7th.
- The Medieval Faire is Saturday, October 9th.
- Parent Teacher Conferences are October 21st from 8:30 - 4:30. There is no school.
- Long Fall Weekend begins October 22nd.
Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Enjoy the beautiful foliage.
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