Someone tricked me and gave me a bunch of first graders! These kids are sooo good at recognizing numbers that they blew me away today. Our letter of the day was Aa. Each student brought their name tag to a bulletin board that asked if they had an A in their name and they put their tag under "yes" or "no." By the way, they really like to say "no" in sign language. Aleah's mom came in to help today and she read Superhero ABCs to the class. Our star of the day was Noah. We learned that Noah has 1 younger brother and a mom and dad. His dad makes wooden things for people and I truly apologize but I can't remember what he told us his mom does but I was very impressed that he went into such detail. Noah likes the colors red and white and his stuffed dog. Today was library and it was the students' first day to be able to check out a book. They can keep their book until next Wednesday but are welcome to return it any time between now and then, to the library basket in our classroom. There were several papers that had to go home today. I apologize because I try to only send papers home on Mondays. There is a dark pink form that the principal really needs back by tomorrow so I told the class that if all of them return those forms tomorrow, we can have extra recess. Tomorrow will be much cooler (thankfully!) so please remind your child to bring/wear a jacket.

The students met Mr. Besel, our school counselor, today. Mr. Besel came to talk about what a school counselor does. He told the class he'd be back in a few weeks to talk about being a "bully buster." Students also had their first day of PE today with Miss Lisa. Thank you for sending your child to school in appropriate shoes today. I overheard Miss Lisa reminding students by having them repeat, "Tennis shoe Tuesday." Sam was our star of the day. We learned that Sam has 3 older brothers, a mom and day, and 2 dogs. Sam likes steak, the color red, and monster trucks. Our letter of the day was T. This morning students reviewed yesterday's letter and learned to write the letter Ee. Please help your child with this. What we want to watch is that they don't begin their letters at the bottom and work their way up. They need to start at the top and work down so that they are ready to switch to cursive in 3rd grade. I will send home a handwriting sheet in next Monday's envelope that describes the proper letter formations.

This is Sennett's VIP week. He shared his poster with the class then he called on his classmates as they asked questions about the photos. His poster is on the VIP bulletin board for the rest of the week. He also had special visitors at the end of the day -- his grandma and grandpa who are celebrating their 47th anniversary today! Abbie was our star of the day. We learned that Abbie has 3 brothers and 1 sister (all older), and a dog. Her favorite food is macaroni and cheese and her favorite color is pink. Our letter of the day was E. Students had to look at their names and decide whether or not their name had an Ee in it. They also colored the E page in an alphabet book. We practiced what to do and where to go during a fire drill as we will have an actual fire drill later in the week. This week we are reading books by the author Mo Willems. Today's book was Knuffle Bunny Too. I sent home Scholastic book order forms and requests for permission to put your child's photo on this blog. Please return the forms ASAP. I am also missin some of the pink and green forms that were sent home last week. I will send you an additional form if you need me to.

VIP Schedule

Beginning next week, each student will be the VIP for one week. I tried to keep their VIP during the week of their actual birthday and for summer birthdays I used their "half birthday." During your child's VIP week, please send a poster of family photos. Your child will show the poster, talk about each photo, answer their classmates' questions and then I will put the poster on the bulletin board for the remainder of the week. Also during their VIP week, your child may bring a special show and tell, such as a pet or baby brother or sister. I try to have special visitors during the last 10 minutes of the day for your convenience but I am happy to set up another time. Your child might also want to bring birthday treats during this week. I have added a link for the VIP schedule in the Links section on the right.

We started something new today -- star student of the day. I put each student's name into a cup and each day I will choose a different name. Today I pulled out Joshua G.'s name. Joshua told the class that he has an older brother and sister and a pet hamster and that his favorite color is green. We counted how many letters are in his name. Each student wrote Joshua's name and drew a picture of him and some of the things they learned about him. Joshua took home all the pictures drawn by his classmates. For art today, I had written each student's name on white construction paper with white crayon so they couldn't see it. As they painted over it, their name was revealed. They finished a little faster than anticipated so we had time to watch a Chicka Chicka Boom Boom video. I read two of my favorite books to the class today, and I think they fell in love with them, too -- Bad Dog Marley by Josh Grogan and Knuffle Bunny by Mo Willems.

We re-read the book The Gingerbread Man Loose in the School and then I gave each student some homemade gingerbread playdough and let them make a gingerbread man. They rolled the dough with mini rolling pins I made with wooden dowels and used cookie cutters to cut shapes. They played appropriately and seemed to enjoy themselves. I asked students to show me what they know so I gave each of them a sheet of paper. I asked them to write either letters, numbers, words or to simply write their name. I learned that this is a group of smart cookies! We started our classroom behavior plan today. Since every student stayed on a green card, the class earned a paper chain link. When the chain goes from my desk to the floor, the class can choose to have extra recess, a video, or a popcorn party. Students who stay on a green card will have a stamp on their hand at the end of the day. If your child does not have a stamp on their hand, ask them what happened. After a student accumulates 10 days of green cards, they can choose a prize from my prize box.

First Day!

I've got to say that today was the best "first day of kindergarten" I've ever had. Not a single student cried when they left their parents behind as we went into the building. I taught students the main 5 rules of the classroom: 1) Follow directions quickly. 2) Raise your hand for permission to speak. 3) Raise your hand for permission to leave your seat. 4) Make smart choices. 5) Make your dear teacher happy. I love sign language and believe in using it to teach phonics and certain concepts (such as up, down, under, over). I was impressed by how many of my new students already know some sign language! Yippee! I taught them how to say the Pledge of Allegiance in sign language, taught part of the alphabet, showed them the sign for thirsty so they can silently ask permission to get a drink from our classroom water fountain. I read two books about Pete the Cat that were both big hits with the kids. I've put a link to one on the right so please check it out. You've probably already heard your child singing this song because it is such a catchy tune. I hope tomorrow goes as smoothly as today. In the comments (observations) area below, will you please share with me your child's impression of the day? I'd love that.

Thanks for coming!

Thank you all for coming to the Meet and Greet tonight! I am impressed that all 20 students and their families showed up. After meeting you all, I'm even more excited about the start of school. I will spend tomorrow labeling your child's personal items that went into their cubbies as well as planning some special activities for our first few days of school. You can see now why I didn't want you to label everything, since some of the items will be shared. Please call or email me if you have any questions or need clarification on anything. I want you and your child to be completely comfortable about starting school. See you Wednesday!

Happy birthday, Sennett!!

Let's Meet!

Rose Park is having a "Meet and Greet" from 5-6pm on Monday, August 22nd. Bring the whole family, tour the school, meet the teachers, secretary, principal and drop off your school supplies in your classroom. I can't wait to meet you! See you then!