Thankfully we had good weather for field day on Friday. The students had a great time and got a lot of good exercise. I'm working on a special project that I will send home with students on Tuesday. I think you're gonna like it! Remember that we don't have school on Monday. Have a safe and fun Memorial Day!

We got to see the 5th and 6th graders perform some fairy tales this morning. Lauren's mom hung out with us for part of the day and Joe R.'s dad and dog came to visit at the end of the day. As long as the weather holds out we will have field day tomorrow. I reminded students that they need to wear sneakers and not flip flops.

New Links

Check out the new links for kindergarten summer reading lists. Keep your child reading all summer so they don't lose their skills!

We played some fun math review games today and did a unique writing project. Each student wrote one sentence on the sheet of paper in front of them and then students moved to the next seat to add a sentence to someone else's story. They did this 3 times, until their original sentence had been added onto by 3 other students. They did such a great job of staying on the original topic and using correct sentence structure.

Believe it or not, today was the perfect day for our zoo field trip. It was very cloudy but did not rain on us at all. Yes, it was a little cool, but not cold which meant that the animals were more active. We were there at feeding time and were able to watch the bear cubs "hunt" for their food that the zookeeper had put in various places in the exhibit. It was also nice because there were very few other groups there because of the threatening weather. Thanks so much to our wonderful volunteers who chaperoned the trip. Tomorrow is supposed to be field day, but might be rescheduled for next Friday if it rains. Your child needs to wear tennis shoes in case we have it tomorrow. Tomorrow is the due date for all library books. Please be sure to turn them in.

It sounds like we only have a 40% chance of rain for our field trip tomorrow. The last time I looked it was supposed to be 90% so that's an improvement. Pray for sunshine and send your child dressed for the weather. I told them they might want to bring their backpacks for holding their lunch, umbrella, jacket, etc. I have everyone's permission slip and money and we are good to go.

Zoo Field Trip

Thankfully the zoo has re-opened and we can take our field trip on Thursday. Yay! I will send detailed information in your child's Monday envelope. Thank you all for getting the permission slips and money turned in on time. To make things easier upon our arrival, I will go to the zoo on Wednesday and pre-pay. Anyone is welcome to meet us there. Just pay for your admission at the front gate. It should be a nice day.

Library Books

This is the last week that students may check out a library book. All library books are due next week. If your child has lost a library book you will receive a notice with the replacement cost of the book.

Summer Reading

I have had several wise parents ask me for suggestions for summer reading material. It is very important that your child practice their new reading skills on a regular basis so they do not backslide over the summer. I was looking through the Scholastic book order forms I sent home today for some suggestions. Don't be fooled by #71 Get Ready for First Grade Reading Library. Most of those books are far too difficult for our students. They will be great by the middle of next year, but they are too hard right now. I think #56 Science Sight Word Reader Weather Pack is a great choice. This would give you the chance to discuss fiction versus non-fiction. I also like #22, #32, and #66, the Phonics Boxed Sets as well as #20 Guided Reading Set. Don't forget to keep reading to your child. They need to hear fluency (smooth reading) in order to learn it.

Happy (Early) Mother's Day

I hope you enjoy your Mother's Day gift. I will give you a little information about it on Monday, after I can be sure you've received it (so I'm not giving any secrets away). Pizza day was a big hit and students want to do it again, but with only 18 days of school remaining, it is unlikely. We received 12 sturdy jump ropes for our class earlier this week and the students are already making excellent progress with their jumping skills. Remember that we don't have school tomorrow. Enjoy your 3-day weekend and I will see you on Monday.

Pizza Party Tomorrow

Yippee! Pizza party tomorrow! Send your child with a drink or 60 cents to buy milk in the lunchroom.

The class has finally earned their pizza party. I had to give a couple days notice to Domino's so we will have out pizza party on Thursday. Therefore you do not need to send a lunch to school on Thursday. It will be fun! We are painting umbrellas for a special project tomorrow. Please send a solid colored umbrella to school tomorrow morning.