Reminder that tomorrow is a half day!

School lets out at noon tomorrow for the parent/ teacher conference day.  Lunch will still be served at school so they can bring  a lunch box or they order a hotdog lunch from the cafeteria.  

Sorry, I forgot to check out new homework readers.

I am not in the routine yet and forgot to send out the new homework books this afternoon.  I still hav a couple of kids that have not returned the book from Tuesday.  Please return  those so they can check out a new one. 

Carnival This Saturday & Book fair

The Parkview Carnival is this Saturday.  Kindergarten will be running 3 booths:  an Oobleck booth (making a mini science experiment of cornstarch and water), a bouncy castle and a balloon dart game.  We are needing parent volunteers to sign up to work the booth for a 30 min or 1 hr time slot.   Come out and play from 12-5.  There will be snowcones, a dunking booth, bouncy castles and much more.  Vendor booths are available to parents to shop.   I will see you there!

Book fair is coming up next week and will be in the library all week.  Kids will go "window shop" on Monday and make a mini wish list.  You can send money in an envelope labeled book fair and we will send them to shop during their specials class time.  Book fair does charge tax so please account for that when you send in money for a book. 

Kelloggs is teaming with Scholastic to offer free books for every 2 codes

http://www.scholastic.com/kellogg/?eml=SMP/e/20111013///Kellogg//gonow/EDU///&ym_MID=1371782&ym_rid=8903725

I received an email that for every 2 Kellogg's codes you enter you receive a $5 book!
Had a read this a couple of hours ago I would have bought Kellogg cereals instead of Quaker and General Mills.  Well, I will know for next time. Only catch is that the special label products are only at Walmart.

October Book Orders Coming Home Next Week

I am sending out the October book orders on Monday.  I will accept orders until Friday, Oct.21st. You also my order and pay online.  This option also gives the class a $3 book voucher for each online order.  I have our class  code at school and will add it to the comment area under this post tomorrow.  You will need it to online order.  I will also accept orders at school.  Make checks out to Scholastic, and you only need one check for the total even if you order from both forms.

If you are looking for good suggestions for what your kids might like, I recommend  the following books:


SeeSaw Order Form:
1. The Silly Pigeon Set of 4-  (silly classroom favorites)
2. Splat the Cat  pack
3. Pete the Cat with CD- (this seems to be on all the teacher blogs as a new hit book but I don't have it yet)
4. Word Family Tales Pack- (I may order these for the classroom since we are starting word families)
5. The Magic Tree House series are great bedtime read aloud chapter books for boys and girls- we will begin to read a couple at school as the bathroom break read aloud books

Firefly Order Form:
1. Spookley the Square Pumpkin  (they read this in art and made pumpkins that are displayed in the school stairwell)
2. Llama Llama Pack  (great rhyming books)
3. Fantastic Froggy Pack
4.Brown Bear, Brown Bear with CD
5. Pajama Pirates
6. Turkey Trouble
7. Berenstain Bears pack

8. Alexander and the Terrible Horrible No Good Very Bad Day pack
9.Guided Reading box of 30 books for $20  ( I may buy that for the room so we can have a few more homework readers to choose from)

Thanks,

Ms. R--

October Parent Conferences

If you have not already sent in your slip with your top three choices of time slots please do so as soon as possible.  Nearly everyone has gotten their 1st choice of time slots.  I will send out conformation slips on Monday so you can plan accordingly. 

Our time with our student teacher, Mrs. Winemiller, has come to an end and she is moving upstairs to teach 7 weeks in the 5th grade science class with Ms. Bernard.  She will still drop in to say "Hi" and I will have a box for the kids to drop any notes or pictures off for her to ease in their transition of her leaving.  However, I am very excited to fully have my class back and have tons of fun things planned for our upcoming weeks with Pumpkins, Spiders and Bats!

Pumpkin Week

This coming week is pumpkin week.  We will be doing a variety of math and science lessons with pumpkins.  If possible, please send a small mini pumpkin with your child this week.  We will also be having a Pumpkin Products Tasting on Friday.  They will be tasting pumpkin seeds, pumpkin pie, pumpkin bread and we will make our own pumpkin pudding cups.  We will send a note home on Monday.

It's Homework Book Time!!!

It is an exciting time at school.  The kids are beginning to recognize sight words and sound out words.  Reading is just around the corner!  It is time to start the homework readers.

Your child will be bringing home a homework reader every Tuesday and Thursday night. The book is one they have chosen from the level tub. They are to read the book 3 times, pointing at each word as it is read before returning it.

       Books must be returned to get a new one.

 

1st read– let them try to sound out the words but help them if they need it and read together. You are reading to try and figure out the words and point out picture clues and sight words.

2nd read– They should try to read alone. This time they are reading for comprehension.

3rd read– They should be able to read it quickly and are reading to improve fluency and expression.

Book Care– Please encourage children to take care of the books.  They are my personal books to share.  If one does get lost or damaged, let me know and we can discuss how to replace it.  Most of the books came from 1/2 Price Books, book orders or ebay.  You don’t have to replace the exact title but I would like it to be in the same reading level box so we don’t run out of that level books since 22 are out at a time.

As the books become too easy, they will move up to the next color box..  I will be reading with them in reading groups in class but if you notice the books are too easy let me know.

                                                    Ms. R-

Discovering Light and Sound energy is going to be FUN!!!

In science this week, we will be learning about light and sound energy.  Some of the lessons are hands on and I hope will excite the kids.  We will be using toilet paper tubes (if you have any, please send them in) and wax paper to discover vibrations.  I have a cool screaming balloon trick to teach them that involves vibrations as well as discovering chemiluminescence, a chemical reaction that produces light without heat, better known in glowsticks.  I have even cut one open to see how it works on the inside.  We will be doing several glow stick experiments as well as making Glow Water from old highlighters, and bending light using mirrors and flashlights.  The kids don't know it but they are even going to get some fun items that they can take home from the lessons.




The Sound Hose