Dear Families,

I am sorry that this post is late.  I couldn’t get on the blog site yesterday.  Hope all is well with you.  Here is  what is happening in our classroom this week:

Letters of the Week:  I   i

Words of the Week:   in   have

Science Experiment:  Ping Pong Blow.  This went home yesterday and is due on Monday, December 16th.  Good luck!

Math Homelinks 3.12 and 3.15 are due by Monday, December 16th.

Tomorrow is Late Start!  Please arrive at 9:35 a.m.

Over the next several days, I will be individually administering a District Math Assessment. to each child in our class.  I started administering them after lunch today and so far every student has found it very easy!

In Social Studies, we are studying Needs and Wants.  Please feel free to ask your child if something is a need or a want.  This is a great time of the year to be having a conversation about Needs and Wants.  I know my younger son often gets these two concepts confused!  🙂

In Science, we are continuing our study of Pushes and Pulls. Last week the students made some great ramps out of small wooden blocks and had lots of fun testing them out.  On Wednesday we will be making our own catapults.  I can’t wait to see what we launch!  Thanks for sending in some pictures showing pushes and pulls.  We could use some more for our bulletin board.

We have the Raz-Kids subscription up and running!  Please try it out at home.  I have received many positive responses about it.  Your child can either listening to a story or read a story.  They can actually tape themselves reading  and then listen to the recording.  After your child is finished with the story, have them click on the question mark to take the quiz.  This is a good check to see if they are really understanding the story.  Another positive thing about Raz-Kids is that it is good practice  reading on a computer.  Starting in second grade, many tests will be on-line and your child will need to be able to read on the computer.  Good luck with the site and feel free to email me if you need any help!

Also, please ask your child if they need a dry erase marker to use at school.  We use them all the time and go through them quickly.  Please send in black only.  If possible, write your child’s name on it with a permanent marker.

Here are some pictures I took while the students were playing math games:

Many thanks!

Ms. Wright

Hello Families,

Good News!  I recently purchased a Raz-Kids subscription for our classroom.  Raz-Kids has hundreds of leveled eBooks that your child can access at school or at home.  My own boys loved reading on Raz-Kids all summer long and I really noticed a difference in both of their reading performances.

Tomorrow I will send home a log-in sheet. The website is really easy is to use.  Please let me know what you think, since it is a paid subscription.

Good luck!

Ms. Wright

Hello Families,

I hope you had a restful Thanksgiving break!  Although I enjoyed the break, it feels great to be back.  In fact, we had a “green day ” today!  Everyone stayed on green.  Here is a picture of the students who read every day in the month of November and brought in their Monthly Reading Log!  Last month, we had a special incentive to read each night!  Billy’s mom donated 25 beanie babies to our classroom.  Since not many students brought back the Monthly reading calendar in October, I thought this might just be the incentive our kindergartners needed.  It worked!  Look at all of those smiling faces!

Thank you to the Schook family!  Plus, the Book-It pizza coupons will be sent home tomorrow.  Double Bonus!

The December Monthly Reading Homework went home today in your child’s red folder.  Make this a daily habit at home.  Please be honest about marking the calendar only when there really is reading going on at your house.During this time, make sure that your child reads to you as well as you are reading to them.  Five and six year old children are very honest and will tell me whether or not they have done their reading.  Important Lesson:  there are no secrets in kindergarten!!:)

Letter of the Week:  L  l   -letter books went home today and need to be returned by Friday

Words of the Week:  on   here-  these words were placed on your child’s ring of cards today

Math Homelink 3.7 has been assigned this week and is due next Monday!

Science for the Week:  a worksheet went home about pushes and pulls today.  Please make sure that it is completed and returned by Monday, December 9th.  Extra Credit:  I would like to make a Push and Pull bulletin board in our classroom.  I am looking for real photographs of your child demonstrating a push or pull.  Anything you could do, I would really appreciate!

Here is a picture taken during Science where we raced ping pong balls against marbles on our homemade “noodle” ramp!

Also, on the Ms. Wright’s calendar that was sent home today, it stated that the Late Start is on Wednesday, December 18th.  It is really on Wednesday, December 11th. Sorry for the confusion!

Have a great week!

Ms. Wright

Hi Families,
Due to the shorten week, I did not send home Letter books today.  There are no Homelinks assigned this week.  However, over the break, please check out the math games found www.everydaymathonline.com.  Your child’s username and password was taped in the cover of his/her Math Homelink  book.  My family and I really enjoyed playing “Monster Squeeze” and “Disappearing Train” over the weekend.
I didn’t send home a science experiment for this week.  We have begun our study on Pushes and Pulls.  Please have your child find different ways we use pushes and pulls in everyday life. 
Lastly, be on the lookout for something special in your child’s folder tomorrow.  Hope you enjoy it.  🙂
Here are some pictures taken during Daily 5:

Have a great Thanksgiving!  I am so thankful for our wonderful kindergarten class!
Ms. Wright

Ford Motor Company, watch out!  Here is a look at our own car ramp testers! 

Gotta get back to conferences.  🙂
Ms. Wright

Dear Families,

Hope you had a restful weekend!  It sure was nice seeing so many families for conferences last week.  I look forward to seeing the remaining families this week.  If you have a conflict with your scheduled time, please let me know.  Also, I really appreciate how prompt everyone has been.

Here is what you need to know for the week ahead:

• Letters of the Week:  C c
• Words of the Week:  my   a
• Math Homelink 3.6 is assigned today and needs to be returned next Monday.  During this Homelink, your family will be introduced to a new math game.  Please keep the game pieces at home and return the top portion to school.  Thanks!

• Monday:  Letter books went home today.  Science Experiment went home today.
• Tuesday:  If your child has not brought back his/her library book, please do so
• Wednesday:  Mad Science at 1:00 p.m.  We are now moving onto to Physical Science and investigating Pushes and Pulls (Forces and Motion).  Evening Conferences.
• Thursday:  Evening conferences
• Friday: Please return letter books today.

Last week during Writer’s Workshop, we were learning about facts.  A fact is something that is true.  Please ask your child what a fact is.  Today we started talking about opinions.  Whenever you can, ask your child his/her opinions on different things.  Some examples might be:  what is your favorite book?, what is your favorite dinner?  As you already know, your child has lots of opinions!!  🙂

Have a great week!

Ms. Wright

This week’s Mad Science experiment was called  “How many pennies can you float in your boat?”  Each scientist was given a square piece of aluminum foil.  They created a boat and then tested out their design to see how many pennies they could get to float. Here are pictures of the boat launchings:

Thanks to Billy’s mom, Logan’s mom, Ibrahim’s mom and Reina’s mom for helping us!  During this fun, hands-on lesson, students were practicing counting, problem solving as well as writing a fact which tied into our writing objective for the day.  Well done Scientists!

Dear Families,

Okay I didn’t win the Mad Science basket at Lindbergh’s Holiday Boutique!  However, Billy’s grandma did win our awesome classroom basket!  Yeah!!!! 🙂

Your child’s red folder was packed full today, here is what you should have found:

•     his/her letter book.  We are working on the P p page.  (Due Friday)
•     A science experiment called Autumn Treasures (Due Monday)
•     A Lindbergh PTA fundraiser called School Mall ( Due Friday)
•    Conference Reminder slip- let me know if you need to reschedule!
•    Checked homework (Keep at home)

Also, this week’s Math Homelink 3.2 has been assigned.  Please make sure to have your child write his/her name on the top, complete the page and return to school next Monday.  So far, Homelinks 2.1, 2.5, 2.8 and 2.13 have been assigned and should have been returned to school.

Letter of the Week:  P  p

Words of the Week:  to  play

Quick Reminders:

• Tuesday is our Media Day.  If your child has not returned his/her library book, please do so!
• Wednesday is Late Start day!  The first bell rings at 9:35 a.m.
• Wednesday is Mad Science.  We could really use some excellent volunteers to help us with our latest Sink and Float experiment.  Let me know if you are available.
• Thursday evening is our first night of Parent/teacher conferences.  This is where you will receive your child’s report card.
• Friday is Popcorn Day!  25 cents a bag!

Until next time….

Ms. Wright

Hello Families,

Here is a glimpse of  what will be happening this week in our kindergarten class:

• Letter of the Week:  F  f   Letter books will be sent home on Monday and will need to be returned by Friday.
• Words of the Week:  the  up     These  words will be added to your child’s ring of cards in their book bag.  Please practice at home!
• Math Homelink 2.13 needs to be completed and returned to school by Monday, November 11th.  This homelink can be found in your child’s Everyday Math Homelink Book that was sent home before the break.  Please carefully rip out, complete and return.  Make sure that your child writes his.her name at the top of the Homelink paper.
• A Sink or Float Science Experiment  will be sent home on Monday.  The completed experiment needs to be returned to school on Monday, November 11th.
• There will be no school on Tuesday, November 6th, 2013.  Teachers will be attending Professional Development sessions.  Don’t forget to vote!
• There will be a Mad Science Experiment on Wednesday, November 6th at 1:00 p.m.
• On Friday, November 8th, dismissal will be at 11:45 a.m.  This is due to the end of the card marking.
• On Saturday, November 9th, please support Lindbergh’s PTA and our classroom by attending the Holiday Boutique!

Note:  Our classroom is participating in Book-It.  This is a partnership with Pizza Hut to encourage students to make reading a daily habit at home.  I used the Nightly Reading Record papers that were returned on Friday.  Eleven students in our class received a coupon to get a free personal pan pizza.  Congratulations!!  Please make reading a daily habit in your home and record it on November’s Nightly Reading Record.

One last thing:  I am noticing a decline in homework being turned in on-time.  This includes letter books, science experiments and math Homelinks.  I realize that families are busy.  However, I try to give you as much notice so your child has plenty of time to complete them.  It is very rare that I give short notice (due the next day) for homework.  Therefore, your child will be moving his/her clip if homework is not returned on time.  Thank you in advance for helping your child to learn responsibility!

Have a great week!

Ms. Wright

Dear Families,

I just wanted to give a big thanks to the awesome Homeroom Helpers who transformed our classroom into a Glow in the Dark Science Lab for our Halloween party!  They were amazing!  The funny thing was that our classroom was actually cleaner after the Halloween Party than before!   Which is quite rare in kindergarten. 🙂  Also, thanks to everyone who sent in treats and goodies for our party.  Here are some pictures that Logan’s family sent us:

If you don’t know what to do with all that Halloween candy, try some candy science experiments!  Here is what our scientists did last week during our Mad Science Lab.  Thanks to Andrew’s mom, Billy’s mom, Evan’s mom, Ibrahim’s mom, and Logan’s mom (and photographer) for helping our scientists.  Here, take a look:

Enjoy your weekend with your family!

Ms. Wright