Weekly Report

We've buzzed right through another week of Kindergarten, and had lots of fun learning about insects and bugs! Did you know that insects are bugs, but not all bugs are insects? We know that insects have specific characteristics that make them insects!

Look for a note about lunch on Field Day, May 19. Please fill that out and return it if you can. Spring pictures are in binders today, for families that ordered those. 

Please consider signing up to help on Field Day, May 19, especially in the afternoon. (We have two volunteers for our class for the morning, but none for the afternoon.) Coach Luna and Coach Small ask that if you would like to help, please click here to sign up.  Thank you!

It's not too late to sign up to be a zoo chaperone on May 11! Sign up here if you're interested. Thank you all for turning in permission forms! We're all set to go!

On Tuesday, May 2, we will have a special celebration for Mr. Schoenekase, our assistant principal, in honor of his receiving his doctorate. Dr. Parker is asking that we all wear his signature look--a button-down shirt and tie, if we can. (I'm going to try--I know the Peeps will laugh!) 

We've continued reading new books in our reading groups this week, and most of the Peeps have been eager to read with our iPads on the MyON site. We've learned how to search for books, in addition to reading books that are recommended for us. There are LOTS of insect books on MyON, and some of the children love to read the "Garbage Gang" books. If you lose your log-in information for home, and you'd like to have your child use MyON, just type "Long Elementary" in the school section (and be sure it's Lindbergh Schools; there are several Longs). The log-in is 29 and your child's full name. The password is "read." If you have any trouble, email me. I'm happy to help!

May reading logs are in binders--I know that several families were probably planning to reach their reading goal this weekend. That's OK! If you were only off by a few books, I consider that to be "goal met." Thank you for the time you spend reading at home. It definitely shows at school!

Please look in your child's binder today for our latest masterpieces--My Very Hungry Caterpillar (complete with a caterpillar that can eat his/her way through the book). We have worked very hard writing sentences for this book, and following the pattern of using a day of the week and a number for each page. The Peeps are so proud of these books. Please take the time to let your child read his/hers to you. (You'll love seeing their ideas for the food on each page!)

On Thursday, the math chapter for measurement came home. We didn't spend a lot of time this week working in our books--we decided that those pages were WAY TOO EASY for us! We spent most of our math time this week measuring things with cubes, rulers, and our balance. We weighed our shoes, and discovered that some shoes are very light, even though they were bigger than some heavier shoes! We used clay to make snakes to measure. We can explain the difference between the words "length," "width," and "height."

Our beanstalks are growing! The Peeps have been excited to come to school every day to see the progress that those little seeds have made! (I know the feeling, but I feel that way about watching their growth!) We've also been reading and learning about insects. (Have you heard your child sing the song, "Head, Thorax, Abdomen"?) Insects have three body parts--head, thorax, and abdomen. They have compound eyes, antenna, and six legs. Spiders have eight legs and only two body parts. They're arachnids, not insects. During our lessons, we've read fiction insect stories, such as The Giant Jam Sandwich, and non-fiction, like Bugs From A to Z. The Peeps have gotten good at noticing if illustrators draw insects correctly (with the legs coming from the thorax and not the abdomen). We've enjoyed watching A Bug's Life during our rest times this week--it takes all week to watch a movie! Look for our stick bugs today--they look like the picture at the top of this weekly report!

Monday is E Day - Library 
Please remember library books. 

Tuesday is A Day - Art

Wednesday is  B Day - Music

Thursday is C Day - P.E. 
Please have your child wear tennis shoes.

Friday is D Day - P.E.
Please have your child wear tennis shoes.

Click here to view our lunch menu.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

Thursday 5/11: Zoo Field Trip (Wear Peep Shirts)
Friday 5/12: No School (Professional Development Day)
Sunday 5/14: Happy Mother's Day!
Friday 5/19: Field Day (Wear Peep Shirts) AND Long School Night at Grant's Farm
Friday 5/26: Last Day of Kindergarten (Dismissal at 11:50, no lunch will be served)
Wednesday 5/31: Long Day at the Ballpark

Enjoy your weekend!

Beautiful Bugs!

Here we are with some of the amazing bugs we made today. Some of the Peeps made more than one, so they came to me to have their picture taken twice! (Everyone didn't pose for a picture, though.) We were very excited about making such fancy bugs...if they have all of the characteristics of an insect, then we decided that they're insects! (All insects have three body parts and six legs--with the legs coming from the thorax, or middle part.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

My Very Hungry Caterpillar

We re-read an old favorite book this week, The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle. We were amazed to find out that this book was written in 1969, so it's exactly as old as Mrs. Powell! We decided that it's an old, old book! 😄

This book is a pattern book. There is a days-of-the-week pattern, and a number pattern. We had a great time this week writing our own hungry caterpillar books, and making hungry caterpillars to eat the food on each page. Be sure your child reads his/her book to you!

The Peeps are hard at work during Writer's Workshop!

Insect Inspectors

When we learned about the characteristics of insects (three body parts, six legs, antenna), we had to find some to investigate! We went to our Outdoor Learning Area with our hand lenses to see what we could see!

By Friday, our eagle eyes were so good at spotting insects that we found a group of ants in the classroom! Never fear...these friends decided to make pictures of frogs to put near the ants. Those ants will be so scared of getting eaten by the frogs that they'll leave!

Weekly Report

Fee! Fi! Fo! Fum! Our days in kindergarten are never glum!

We've had a terrific time this week planting beanstalks, reading different versions of Jack and the Beanstalk, and learning about length and height! Some of the Peeps are suffering from allergies, but I'm proud of the way that they keep trying their best!

Please consider signing up to help on Field Day. Coach Luna and Coach Small ask that if you would like to help, please click here to sign up.  You would be with the Peeps, and there are several time frames to choose from. Thank you!

It's not too late to sign up to be a zoo chaperone on May 11! Sign up here if you're interested. If you have not turned in your child's permission form, please do so as soon as you can. Thanks!

Look for Progress Reports in binders today, along with MyON log-in information. We have been using our four iPads this week to practice this new program. All of the children have completed their initial assessments at school, so they're ready to read books either at home or at school!

Along with your child's progress report, you'll find some of their latest writing! Be sure to ask your child to read his/her work to you. Being able to re-read what we've written is challenging sometimes, but it's a very important skill for writers to have. We are working hard at school on using our writing time wisely, and not distracting ourselves or others during Writing Workshop time. We're also practicing conventions (spacing, punctuation, and using capital letters correctly) while we're writing our ideas. That's a LOT for kindergartners to think about! I am very proud of the children's efforts...be sure to praise your child for all of the good things that you notice about their work!

Today we wrote persuasive letters to Jack (from Jack and the Beanstalk). We gave him safety tips for going up the beanstalk, or tried to talk him out of it!

We've been measuring all sorts of things in our classroom this week, and working hard to distinguish between length and height. As the Peeps measure, they are discovering effective ways to share their information. When we measured lots of things without writing down WHAT we measured, we learned that we needed to be more detailed with our data! The boys and girls were so excited to measure with cubes this week, and then try using a measuring tape. Please encourage your child to practice measuring things at home.



Be sure to see the pictures of the Peeps planting their beanstalks! They can't wait to bring those home and see if they really produce green beans to eat. (Today they were disappointed to see that they are STILL not growing. After all, Jack's magic beans grew into a beanstalk overnight! What's wrong with the beans that we planted?)

This week, we learned that plants are living things that have a life cycle. Plants make seeds, and those seeds are spread in amazing ways. Seeds are different, depending on the type of plant. After recess, we explored the area outside to see what types of seeds we could find. There are lots of dandelions, and maple "helicopters." It can be fun to help seeds scatter!

Monday is E Day - Library 
Please remember library books. 

Tuesday is A Day - Art

Wednesday is  B Day - Music

Thursday is C Day - P.E. 
Please have your child wear tennis shoes.

Friday is D Day - P.E.
Please have your child wear tennis shoes.
Long School Night at Grant's Farm

Click here to view our lunch menu.

Dates to Keep in Mind:

Thursday 5/11: Zoo Field Trip (Wear Peep Shirts)
Friday 5/12: No School (Professional Development Day)
Sunday 5/14: Happy Mother's Day!
Friday 5/19: Field Day (Wear Peep Shirts)
Friday 5/26: Last Day of Kindergarten (Dismissal at 11:50, no lunch will be served)
Wednesday 5/31: Long Day at the Ballpark

Enjoy your weekend!