Dear Families,
During Vv week the boys and girls enjoyed riding a bus down to the North Tama Veterinarian Clinic. Dr. Boerm and his staff taught us about taking care of pets, and they showed us some really interesting (and sometimes gross) x-rays, bugs, worms, etc. The kindergartners learned about the different jobs in a veterinarian clinic. They journaled about the vet clinic visit in their journals. For report cards the kindergartners colored and cut out different hearts and turned them into a dog. These projects were kept by the teachers so that we can use them for report cards. We practiced counting by fives and working with nickels. We watched a Ground Hog’s Day filmstrip on Thursday. Throughout the week we did different Valentine’s Day activities.
Next week we will be learning about the letter Jj. Kindergartners may bring an item that starts with the letter Jj.
This week the kindergartners started something new. Lately the class as a whole has been talking a lot and not listening to directions. We start every day on green. (Green is great!) If the class is loud or isn’t following directions as a group, the green will turn to yellow. (Yellow is a warning.) If the boys and girls work hard and begin listening and following directions we can move back to a green. If they do not, we move to red. (Red is BAD!) If the kindergartners get to red, they eat snack silently. If they get two in a day, they eat snack silently AND put their heads down on their tables for a few minutes.
Please send hats or earbands and mittens or gloves to school everyday. When it is cold outside we make them wear them. If they do not have hats/earbands (or hoods) and mittens/gloves the boys and girls have to borrow from us, and they do not like our selection. Please send snowpants to school, too. Kindergartners have a really hard time staying out of the snow, and we do not want them coming back in the building with wet pants. The rule is no snowpants – no snow. Please put extra socks in your student’s backpack. Socks tend to get wet at recess or after recess when they walk to put their boots away.
Keep sending the snowpants and boots everyday until further notice. Even though the snow may be almost gone at your house, we still have a lot of snow at school. The North Tama playground has big snowpiles on it that take a LONG time to melt away.
There is no school for the students on Friday, February 10th so that teachers can attend professional meetings. There is NO SCHOOL on Monday, February 20th so that families can celebrate Presidents’ Day. Conferences are scheduled for Monday, February 27th from 4:00 – 8:00 and Thursday, March 1st from 4:30 – 8:00. Students will be dismissed one hour early on Monday, February 27th. There will be no school on Friday, March 2nd. Please mark your calendars!
In kindergarten we would like to start something called Daily 5. Daily 5 activities concentrate on reading (and possibly math or science). The students will rotate through 5 different Daily 5 centers. The teachers want to raise money for some supplies for Daily 5. We want to buy each child a chair pocket. We are planning on having a bake sale on Wednesday, February 8th. We would like to have each child bring AT LEAST 6 individually wrapped bake sale items for this fundraiser. (Of course families may send more!) Each item will be sold for 25¢. The kindergartners will get to purchase items first. More information will come home about the bake sale.
On Thursday, February 23rd the kindergartners will be attending a play at the Blackhawk Children’s Theater in Waterloo. The performance is at 9:45, and it usually lasts about an hour. The kindergartners will not be back to school in time to eat the hot lunch in the lunchroom. Families will need to decide if they want their student to bring his/her own lunch or purchase a sack lunch from the cooks. We will be eating lunch in our classroom that day. Forms were sent home last week. Please return those forms! Remember that we do NOT have refrigerator space for 33 lunches, and pop is not allowed as a drink.
On Monday, February 6th North Tama is hosting an AR Family Reading night from 6:00 – 7:30. Families may go to their students’ classrooms and participate in different reading activities. In the kindergarten room students have the opportunity to make foam books. Each page of the foam book is a different theme. Each book costs $3. We sent home an order form for families to fill out a couple of weeks ago so that we know how many will be making books. (Other family members are welcome to purchase and make a book!) You are welcome to pay now or that night! ALSO, Mrs. Ehlers will have the book fair open during media time next week. If your family is not able to make it during the special Monday night AR festivities, then fill out the book order we sent home this week and return it to school. Mrs. Ehlers will help fill the orders during media time.
Valentine’s Day is right around the corner! Attached to a January newsletter was an up to date class list. Kindergartners may make valentines for every boy and girl in the whole class, or they may make valentines for just the “red team” or just the “blue team”. We recommend that families start writing names early! Families may help write the students’ names on the cards/envelopes. Your student should be able to write his/her own name on each valentine.
In the elementary newsletter it stated that Valentine’s Day parties are on Thursday, February 9th. NOT ANY MORE!!! THE BOYS AND GIRLS IN KINDERGARTEN, FIRST, AND SECOND GRADES WILL HAVE THEIR PARTIES ON VALENTINE’S DAY, TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 14TH!!!!!!!!
Have a great weekend!
Mrs. Turner and Mrs. Daugherty
No comments:
Post a Comment