Hello Families!  I want to take this time to say that I am so thankful for the wonderful and supportive families I have this year!  I have had a wonderful group of students and families each year I have been in Williamston, but this year is a stand out!

Yesterday, Levi's mom came in to help us decorate pumpkins for Levi's birthday.  Evan's mom helps with our library time and reading groups.  Adrian's mom helps with reading groups and volunteers time for other things.  Mason's mom and Grace's dad are helping with our book bags.  Daniel's mom is helping with our party and helps out in the classroom when I need it.  This does not even mention the parents who have generously donated items to use in the classroom.  I cannot begin to thank you for all of your help!  I know there are others waiting to lend a hand and as I get more familiar with all that Kindergarten entails I will be calling on you.  For example, I am looking for a parent to be in charge of my book orders from scholastic.  I am also looking for a parent who would like to come in for about 30-45 minutes per week to work with students on their weekly tests.  I am also looking for a parent who would be willing to help prepare weekly materials on a day that works for them.  Lastly I am still looking for parents who would be willing to help with our Friday art projects.  This Friday we do not have one, but I am looking ahead to next week.  We are doing Turkey hand prints and I could really use paint shirts and extra hands on deck to help decrease the mess.

I also want to take this time to tell you that we have been working on learning The Pledge of Allegiance.  They are not quite there yet, but this would be a great thing to practice at home.  We are also working on washing hands and keeping those cold bugs and germs at bay.  We have been learning about coughing and sneezing into our elbow.  We have been practicing the importance of washing our hands and not just using sanitizer.  We have been working on using tissues to blow our noses and not paper towel or something else.  I am making a concentrated effort to clorox tables at the end of each day to help keep our classroom healthy and safe.  Please know that I do not let students use the wipes.  Students are given baby wipes to clean up messy snacks or accidents.  Please encourage your child to use healthy habits so that we can all stay well and healthy.

Tomorrow is Friday!  Let's make it a good one!  :)

We are in need of Paint Shirts.  I know that it was on the list of supplies, but we still have students without.  If you have a spare shirt in your drawers or closets and can send it in for our messy projects, that would be great!

Hello and Happy Monday!  Today was a FABULOUS Monday all around.  We started our day by video taping a lesson for my evening class.  My professor and I will be the only ones to watch the video.  The Crew rolled with this change and did a great job.

Today was also our computer lab day.  We went and explored starfall and ABCya.com.  Both sites expose students to letters and sounds in a game format.

We also had several parents in to help out today.  Daniel's mom manned the video camera, Mason's mom helped with book bags, and Levi's mom helped with some reading and in the computer lab.  It takes a village and I really appreciate all of the help that has come my way.

Lastly, the Reading Street for this week will be stretched into two weeks for all K classrooms.  That means that you can take two weeks to complete the pink sheets that came home today. 

Reminder:  Conferences are next TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 1st, 2011.  If you have not returned your form, please do so.  This is the time that you chose at open house and will be the same for our conferences on MARCH 26, 2012.  The sooner you let me know of a conflict the easier it will be to reschedule if need be.

Happy Monday!  :)

Hello and Happy Thursday!  Today we will host our first annual Curriculum Night.  I hope to see you all there!

This week we met with our second grade buddies and they read stories from their Reading Street books to us.  Some of us noticed their heart words in the stories that they read.  We hope to make this a monthly event.

We also had our first scheduled library time.  We will go to the library every Thursday from 10:30-10:50.  We will hear a story and get to pick out a library book to bring back to the class.  I am hoping to have everything in place so that books can be checked out to students, but until that happens, they will stay here in the classroom.

This has been a hard week trying to focus without the benefit of outdoor recess.  I have been encouraging The Crew to remember that each day we start fresh and that we will be having outdoor recess on Friday.  It is really tough to be couped up inside all day.  Today we took a walk around the building, just to get moving!

A special note.  For some reason the spelling on this blog changes from the draft to what is published online.  Please do not hesitate to point them out and I will fix them if I am able.

Thanks all and have a Great Thursday Night!  Hope to see you here at 5pm.  :)

Hello!  I apologize for my lack of commitment and follow through with this blog.  With being out two days last week, and the approach of Halloween and Conferences, my circits are fried! 

Since we last spoke, we have had a visit from the Williamston Fire Department, another visit to the computer lab, and done an art project about a book called Sky Tree. 

Tomorrow The Crew will be visited by our second grade buddy class, the Stargazers.  They will bring a book to share with their buddy and get to know each other.  This will be a monthly event. 

On Thursday we will have our first scheduled trip to the library.  We will be checking out books, but they will stay here at school because they will be checked out in my name.  It is my hope that after Christmas they will come home with your child when I can check them out to individual students rather than myself. 

Conferences are coming.  They are on Tuesday, November 1, 2011.  A reminder of your time will come home on Friday in your child's green folder.  Please check the time that you signed up for and put it on your calendar.

Have a great night!

Wow, What a week and it is only Wednesday!  We have had several students out with the crud of one kind or another.  The best way to keep healthy is to drink plenty of WATER, wash our hands, and use tissues or our elbow when we cough and sneeze.  Please review these tips with your child at home.  I will do my part by making sure to disinfect the desks and surfaces daily.

This week we have been reading the story Smash, Crash.  It is centered around our reading street Trucktown Series.  The Crew gobble up these strories! 

In Math we started a counting book.  Ask your Crew Member about the counting activities we have done in class.

ATTN:  Next Thursday Kindergarten will host a Curriulum Night for parents.  It will be done as a grade level and we will all meet in the Library at 5pm.  It will last until about 5:45.  More information about this will come home on Friday.

Thanks for all of your hard work at home and your continued support thoughtout the st

Hello!  I am sorry that I didn't post yesterday, but weebly was down and I could not make changes.  What a great week we had.  We had four students share about things they like to do with their family.  Mason and his family like to go to amusement parks and ride rollercoasters.  Claire and her family like to do several different things together, including skiing and going to football games.  Mathew and his family like to read stories.  He brought in a wonderful book about butterflies to share with the class.  Our last share of the week was from Adrian.  He likes to carve pumpkins with his family and brought in a wonderful picture of a pumpkin that he carved with his family.

On Friday we did a great art project.  We have been reading fall stories all week, so it only made sense to do a fall project together.  We made scarecrows.  They are adorable.  I am going to take some photos and post them on the site so that you can see how creative The Crew was on Friday.  I am thinking of making Friday our art project day, so if there are parents who are able to come in on Friday afternoons from 1:45-2:30 let me know and I will work up a schedule.  I am thinking of doing handprints this next Friday and I would like about 3 extra sets of hands to help.

I also added a Calendar outside of our classroom.  On the calendar I have listed any important events we have going on at school for students.  I have also listed other things that you might need to know, like birthdays.  Check it out when you are in.  I am having trouble getting the dates to "stick" to the calendar

Okay, I am off to enjoy the rest of the weekend!  It is a GORGEOUS fall day outside!  See you on Monday!

Wow!  I love the positive feedback about this blog!  I am so excited each time I log on and begin to type about our happenings in room C-2.  The last two days have brought challenges and changes to our routines and schedules.  The Crew has met each challenge with a smile and willing attitude.  A great example was our Fire Drill on Tuesday.  The Crew impressed me.  They took it seriously and were quiet the entire time.  Students waited patiently for the all clear and walked quietly back into the building.  Each student earned a buzz ticket for their behavior and for exceeding my expectations.  Look for Buzz Tickets to come home and ask your child what they are for.

We have also been doing some assessments and have had guests in to work with students and The Crew has been friendly and welcoming!  I am so proud of the growth of this group of students over the past four weeks. 

This week we have also been plugging away at writing both our numbers and our letters.  Today in Math we showed that we can represent a number with a picture or with a number.  The Crew liked working at the carpet and figuring out new ways to write "7".  I would say it was the best lesson of the year!  :)

This week is still Spirt Week.  Tomorrow is wear your favorite tee shirt day and Friday is GREEN AND WHITE day!

I also wanted to thank parents and family members for letting me know about changes to the end of day routine.  It makes it so much easier on us at the end of the day when we know where everyone is going as soon as possible.

Lastly, I know that some of you are anxious to help out in the classroom.  After Friday, I will have a better idea of where to work you into the rotation.  I am new to Kindergarten as many of you know, and the longer I am at it, the more things I recognize that I need an extra set of hands for especially being alone with 21 Kindergarteners.  :)  Another option is to select a book with your child and come in for 15 or 20 m

What a wonderful Monday!  Our guest teacher from Friday left a wonderful note about The Crew!  They earned their final Hornet for the Hive and we will have our reward tomorrow in the afternoon.

We started sharing this week!  Today Mason shared with us that his family likes to ride rollercoasters together!  He brought in a great photo to share that captured one of those moments.  Tomorrow is Garrett's turn and on Wednesday it is Claire's turn to share.

We also had two birthday's today.  Madison and Isabelle turned 5 today.  They each brought in a book to share and trinkets for their classmates. 

On top of all of that fun stuff on a Monday, we also learned a new routine called the question of the day.  Ask your Crew Member what the question was and what it helped us to find out.  I reading we learned a new song.  We didn't like it as much as Purple Platypus, but we sang along anyway. 

I hope you all enjoyed your weekends!  Thanks Crew for starting our week off right!