Peace

Hello Families,
     Last week felt like a very mixed up week with the Monday and Tuesday break from school then the day off on Thursday.  Here's hoping we have a full week of school this week!  We finished up our unit on Pushes and Pulls, are working on correct letter formation for upper case letters, practicing tapping and reading 3 letter words and getting ready to write about melting snowmen and learn a new math game that uses adding skills.  As we talked about Martin Luther King Jr. and all the important messages he wanted to spread, we made Peace Plates and discussed what we think PEACE means.  Some of the Kindergarten ideas were....Peace means love, working out problems with friends, staying calm when you're mad about something and being a kind person.  Here are some photos from that project.





This project opened up great dialogue around different ways to express yourself in art and how unique our individual ideas are.  As the students sat at the table revealing their designs, I heard comments like, "I love the dots on yours."  "Wow, I know you like blue!"  "I might try that flower design next time."  We learn from each other every day in Kindergarten.

Some photos to share....

Hello Families,
     The Kindergartners have loved having some snow to romp around in on the playground!  Here are some photos of what we have been up to....


Our Nature Art we created after looking at Andy Goldsworthy's work.....

 
Creating the art with Mr. Paul.


We are learning about Force and Motion....


Time with our Big Buddies.  (See the calendar in the background?  Ask your child about the pattern on the calendar this month!)


Our Big Buddies helped us make Name Snowmen.


Playing a letter/word game with a partner.

Happy New Year!

Hello Families,
     Together again in 2019!  After watching a short video and learning a new song about the New Year and different ways to celebrate, we had a class discussion about wishes for the new year.  Here is what the Kindergartners had to say about that....


We welcomed a new student to B-3 and started a nature art project by walking out in the woods behind school.  I shared some pictures by Andy Goldsworth and the students talked together about what he used to express himself while out in nature.  We will be creating something next week with what we collected....

We are approaching the halfway mark of the school year and our classroom could use a few things to resupply our Kindergarten cupboards.  If you would be willing to send in some small plastic or paper cups or ziplocs of any size (snack, sandwich, quart, gallon) it would be greatly appreciated.  Also, if your child doesn't have a sweatshirt and extra socks packed in their backpack, please put those items in for them.  It can get chilly at times in the classroom and a sweatshirt can come in handy.  After a wet, snowy recess, socks can be wet and soggy and uncomfortable so extra socks would be great.  On that note, when I was in the nurse's office to borrow socks for a student one day, Nurse Becky commented that she doesn't have a good supply of smaller socks for Kindergartners.  A donation of small sized socks would be helpful for our school supply.  Thanks!

A Busy Week Ahead.....

Hello Families,
     Just a quick note to tell you about the fun-filled week we have ahead of us in Kindergarten!  Monday afternoon we will be walking down to see the Gingerbread House Exhibit at the Folklife Center.  Tuesday is our Holidays Around the World celebration in all 4 Kindergarten rooms.  Tricia will visit with a story and craft on Wednesday.  Friday is our annual Mary Hogan Holiday Sing Along at 10:00 - families are welcome.  We will also see our Big Buddies on Friday to share books and wish each other a Happy Vacation!

December Fun and Learning

Hi Families,
      We gathered as a whole school on Friday for our Readathon Closing Ceremony.  We laughed and cheered and felt great pride as readers and as Mary Hogan Hawks. 



The excitement was high...we knew the school had read enough minutes to beat the goal of 350,000 minutes read by the end of the Readathon.  That meant we would get to see Mr. Lindemann and Mrs. Urban compete in the Principal's Challenge!  It was very fun to watch!



On December 18th, the whole Kindergarten group will take part in a Holidays Around the World learning event.  The classes will rotate through all 4 Kindergarten rooms to learn about a holiday celebrated in a different place in the world.  Would anyone like to come in for that afternoon to be a classroom helper?  It is always helpful to have some extra hands for the crafting part of the afternoon.  Let me know if you would like to volunteer to help on that day.  It is from 12:00-2:00. 
Here are some photos from our week.....


Making strawberry frozen yogurt pie....it was a hit!


Mr. Pratt was our last Mystery Reader.


We've been learning to count by 2's....this is our hallway bulletin board.


Working together to build marble mazes.


Our classroom quilt....

Sledding Fun

We had a great time sledding with our Big Buddies today!

  

  

A Fun Snowy Day in Kindergarten

Hello Families,
     Everyone seems happy to be back together in B-3 this week and the snow today was such a treat for the kids!  Thanks for keeping tabs on all your child's snow gear and making sure it all gets to school each day.  The students are working hard to get dressed on their own so they can get out to play! 
     You probably heard about the fire that damaged one of our classmate's homes over the break.  It seems at this point that financial donations are the best way to support that family right now.  Our friend was back in school today and we were all happy to have her with us so we could support her and show her how much we all care.  Our school has a donation jar in the main lobby and a note went home about it yesterday with a link to the GoFundMe account to support the family.  When the family moves in to a new home, there will be a new set of needs and I will be in touch to see if our class can help support that new challenge, as well.  Thank you for keeping them in your thoughts.
     Here are a few pictures from our work stations over the past 2 days.


Letter Q is on center stage this week, so Miss Bettee
showed us some of her quilts that she has made.


Then we worked on paper quilt squares of our own.


Independent book bin reading


Partner letter work


Letter Z was introduced today, as well.