August 26, 2011

Dear Families,
    
We have made it through 5 days of school.  We are still adjusting to our classroom routines, classroom rules, and school rules.  Things get better and less hectic each day!
   
Kindergarten newsletters are sent home every week.  They normally go home on Fridays so please be sure that you check in your child’s folder for this important information.  We tell you about what we have done in school, and we try to give you advanced warning on the upcoming kindergarten and school events.  It is advised that you check your child’s folder EVERYDAY and take out the papers we have completed.
   
The breakfast bell rings at 8:00, and kids eating breakfast are allowed in the building then.  Other students should not come in until 8:10.  If your child does not ride the bus, and he/she arrives early, he/she should go to the playground.
   
Some children do not have all of their school supplies here yet.  If you have not sent gym shoes, a paint shirt, markers, etc. please send them ASAP! 
   
Along with learning the many important school rules, we have started worked on shapes, colors, and following directions.  We will continue to work on these next week.  On Friday next week we hope to take a “Shape Walk.”  (If the weather is inclement, we will have to skip the outside walk.)  We will look at buildings, cars, and natural items and discuss the shapes found in them.  When we return to class we will make our own shape creatures and items using colorful shapes, glue sticks, and crayons. 
   
Most days we do some kind of math work.  The boys and girls will bring home worksheets that have “homework” on one side.  The homework might be as simple as make the number in the air.  We want families to look at these math worksheets and work with your kindergartner on the homework side.  Parents can sign the paper and send it back to show they worked on it together.  Children that do their homework and return the paper to school get to pick out a sticker from the sticker box.  Families may also send a note stating that their kindergartner has done their homework.   
   
This year the kindergartners are using the Saxon Reading Program.  We will learn how to write each capital and lowercase letter of the alphabet.  The children will learn a keyword for each letter and the sound the letter makes.  Worksheets will go home most days to show families what we are working on.  Next week we will start learning about the letter Ll.  We will be doing many different Ll activities.  Each week we learn about a new letter. 
  
Lunch has gone well with the majority of students being willing to try new or unfamiliar foods.  We will not make the children eat all of the food on their plate, but we will encourage them to try each food and then eat enough to get them through the afternoon. If your child needs to buy a milk to drink because they brought their own lunch, then 37 cents will be subtracted from your family’s hot lunch account.
   
During most of our full days of school we have rest time.  We try to rest about 20 - 30 minutes each day.   We feel rest time is important and necessary.  We are playing soft, relaxing music and the lights are off.     
   
Our classroom schedule was sent home this week in the Back to School Night packet found at your child’s table spot.  Look at this schedule carefully so that you can help your child dress appropriately for the day.  Sharing is on this schedule.  We have not started sharing yet.  We will let you know when sharing will start. 
   
Don’t forget, we will not have school on Monday, September 5th.  We get out of school one hour early on Friday September 2nd.  Town kids are dismissed at 2:20 and bus kids are dismissed at 2:25.
   
Due to Homecoming on Friday, September 30th, we WILL have school on that day.  We were supposed to have the day off, but now we have moved the day off to Monday, October 3rd.  Please fix your school calendars!
   
Mr. Cue, our new superintendent, really believes in school spirit.  Every Friday he is encouraging the staff and the students to wear our school colors (red and white) or Redhawk clothing.
   
This year Mrs. Daugherty and Mrs. Turner are trying to keep copies of the newsletter on the internet!  The address is http://northtamak11.blogspot.com.  Families may add this address to the home computer’s bookmarks or favorites areas.  You can also find a link to this blogspot by going to the North Tama web page.  The North Tama web page can be found at www.n-tama.k12.ia.us.
   
Please have your child sign the contract that you received at the Back to School Night.  You will also need to sign it and return it to school.  This paper says that the teacher, the student, and the parents will work to the best of their abilities during the school year so the student can learn to their fullest potential.
   
If you need to contact Mrs. Daugherty, you may call her at home at 478-2844 or you may use the following email addresses: kdaugherty@n-tama.k12.ia.us. Mrs. Turner may be reached at school at 478-2265 or at the following email address: aturner@n-tama.k12.ia.us.
   
On Monday Michelle Davis will get to join our classroom as a student teacher.  She is attending Buena Vista and will be with us through most of October.   
   
We look forward to another week of school with this enjoyable group of children!  We know that things will improve and run more smoothly each day!                                                       

Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Daugherty

August 22, 2011 - The First Day of School

   

    I had a good first day of school!   The day went by very quickly!   If I couldn't come to school last Thursday evening, Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Daugherty helped me put my school supplies in the right places, and they told me where I would be sitting for the first nine weeks of school.  Please ask me to tell you my table number.   We talked about the rules we have in our class that help things run smoothly for everyone.  These rules are written on the next page, and the teachers would like you to read them over with me.

    Today we attended a Welcome to School assembly in the big gym, worked in our room, went outside for recesses, and ate lunch. We learned a couple of action fingerplays and listened to some stories about the first day of school.  We wrote our names on a paper for our teachers to save until the end of kindergarten so we can see our improvement.   Here is how I wrote my name.


_____________________________________________
   
    Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Daugherty have several more important things to tell you about my kindergarten class.  They want you to watch for the notes I'll be bringing home during the school year.  They also say to feel free to send a note or call if you have any questions or concerns.
    Please make sure that you fill out the volunteer form and the emergency number form if you haven’t already.  This information is very important to my teachers!  Remember, there are many times throughout the year that they can use extra help in the classroom.

      It is also very important to send a note if I am to leave school with someone different, or if I am to go somewhere other than where I normally go.
   
    I think kindergarten will be a fun place to learn!
I bet you can't believe I 'm really old enough to be in school now!
__________________Kindergarten Class Rules

1. Be kind to each other
2. Be helpful to each other
3. Listen when someone else is talking
4. Raise your hand to talk
5. Share
6. Take turns

Welcome!

Welcome to North Tama! We would like to invite you to our blog! This is a tool to help you keep connected to the school and our kindergarten classroom! We hope to post pictures, links for learning tools appropriate for your child and copies of the weekly newsletters. Feel free to add comments to the blog to help us stay connected.

Mrs. Daugherty and Mrs. Turner