Room D-6 News

10/26/11

Homework policy At Back to School Night I mentioned that my homework policy was to complete assigned homework at home, and to keep homework at home for review. Homework does not need to be returned to school. I know that seems counterintuitive; I believe that homework is an extension of our school day for home time. It is a tool for you as a parent. I do not need to see it, grade it, or review it when it's complete.

The same policy will apply to homework given from your child's math teacher. This homework does not need to be returned either. Keep it at home for review. Thanks for your support!

Conferences If you don't remember signing up for a conference at Back to School Night, please email me so I can add you on the schedule. If the time you originally signed up for no longer works, please let me know. Although I am not rescheduling conferences, we can have an email conference instead.

Red Ribbon Week We are celebrating Just Say No to Drugs week with some school-wide spirit days:

Monday - Wear your ribbon (and wear it all week)

Tuesday - Turn your back on drugs by wearing your shirt backwards - Backwards T-shirt day

Wednesday - Care about yourself and be drug free - wear RED

Thursday - Sock it to drugs - Crazy Socks Day

Friday - Wake up to a drug free world...and stay in your PJs - Pajama Day

Unit 1 Math test I gave the Unit 1 Math test to our class on Friday. I will send it home tomorrow. Please note that many times kindergarten students miss questions not for lack of understanding, but for lack of attention or focus (careless mistakes). You may see that reflected in your child's score. Every child could have easily scored 100% on it; nothing was too tricky. But many kids missed questions because they weren't listening carefully to the directions. This is something that we will work on all year.

Multicultural Fair

A BIG Thank you to all the volunteers who helped make our Italy booth a success on Friday night. I REALLY appreciate all your time and effort ~ I know how much work went in to it all. Again, thanks a million!!

10/12/11

Guided Reading Guided reading (reading groups) has been going well. I'm really trying to fit my groups in each day so that each student takes home 2 - 4 new books a week. Please remember to have your student bring his or her Ziploc bag to school every day. I can't send home a new book with your child until he/she returns the old ones. Thanks!

Columbus Day We celebrated Columbus Day on Monday. We read a few books, retraced his journey on a globe, and even made an art project. The kids were very engaged, and thought his story was really interesting. I hope they came home and shared something they learned!

Symmetry Yesterday we made a bat and moon using symmetry. We discussed what symmetry is, and what a line of symmetry is. Then the students made their project by folding paper and tracing just half a shape. To practice this concept, ask your child to tell you things that are symmetrical.

Art with Ms. Kara This week we had our first lesson with the art teacher, Ms. Kara. She came to teach us about Laurel Burch. We drew cylinders using her techniques. If you'd like to extend this activity and learn more about Laurel Burch, she has a Gallerita in Old Town you can visit. The website is: http://bazaardelmundo.com/shops2006/burch.html

PE Thursdays Starting tomorrow, we will have PE on Thursdays. Our PE coach, Coach P, will teach our class games while working on gross and fine motor skills. She comes every other week; Mrs. Marino and I will do PE on the alternate Thursdays. Please have your student wear tennis shoes/sneakers on Thursdays. Thanks!

New Character Pillar, Caring We will begin learning about the new character pillar, Caring. In class, we will talk about the "Caring Kangaroo". If you hear your student liken their behavior, or some one else's, to the kangaroo, it's a compliment! Caring kangaroos take care of others by being a kind friend, helping and getting along. She carries endless kind words and actions in her pouch. Feel free to use this analogy at home. :)

Covering the pictures in your child's reading books If you are reading this and am guilty of doing this, please STOP! Kids at this age need the picture support to help them decode. In fact, one of the best reading strategies we teach is to look at the picture! If you REALLY want to see if your child knows the words in their books, wait until they've finished reading it, and ask them to write the words on a piece of paper. Chances are this could be tricky - and that's ok! Help them write the words; turn it into a spelling activity. Just don't cover the picture when your child is reading their book!

9/28/11

Small Moment Stories We have begun a new unit in writing, personal narratives. In her book, Lucy Calkins quotes researcher Gordon Wells: "Constructing stories in the mind - or storying, as it has been called, is one of the most fundamental means of making meaning." She says, "If children are going to 'be at home' with literacy, they need to read, write, and talk the language that creates new worlds. So, for us, this unit is not only about storytelling, but is also about the sort of responsive listening that can lead us to gasp in empathy and laugh in delight at each other's stories." "Because our goal is to teach youngsters to retell a sequence of events with precise detail, and to write in such a way that a reader could follow those events, we decided that in this unit we would set children up to write very focused vignettes - what we call Small Moments - from their lives. "

You can support this unit at home by "speaking the language of stories", or storytelling. For example, when your child draws a picture of something he or she did, ask, "Tell me the story that goes with your picture." If your child says, "Oh, that's me skateboarding," then you can say, "Oh, so the story goes, 'One day I was skateboarding.' What did you do next? So, let's staple another piece of paper and put that!"

It would be great if you could have a spot in your home where your child has access to blank/ lined paper, markers, crayons, pencils, and a stapler. Many of your kids have already begun to think like a writer. When something interesting happens, a writer says, "I should write a story about that!" You can help at home by modeling the same thinking. When your child spills his/her cereal, or loses a tooth, or wrestles dad on the carpet, or finally earns allowance because all the chores get done, say, "You should write about that today at school!"

Gift Wrap Fundraiser... Ends Friday. Please turn in your order forms/money collected. Thank you for your support!

Returning Library Books Last Thursday we visited the library for the first time. The kids did an awesome job listening quietly to our librarian read a story and choosing a book to take home. Library books are due back on Wednesdays. They go in the red tub on top of the cubbies. If your child forgot their library book, they will not be able to check out another one until they return it. Although considered late, your child may return their book on Thursday and still check out a new one. (They are due on Wednesdays to give us time to scan them all in and prepare a list of overdue books. It's not a good idea to make 28 4, 5, and 6-year olds wait in the library while we check in a bunch of books!) Thank you in advance for your support!

Guided Reading (Yay!) I began reading groups today! This is one of my favorite parts of our day. Watching a child read is almost magical. However, I was only able to read with 4 reading groups out of the 11 I have this year!! I'm hopeful that as the kids get better acquainted with our routines, I'll be able to squeeze in more groups each day. One way you can help is by getting your child to our line up spot with their folder open no later than 8:59 each morning. Right at 9:00am, I bring the students in and read with 1 reading group. If your child is late, and I'm starting with his/her group, your child will miss their guided reading instruction that day. You can also help by writing your questions down and sticking them in your child's folder rather than asking me as I'm trying to get the kids through the door (however, I know occasionally things come up and you need to tell me something quickly that morning). Additionally, I will try to squeeze in two groups first thing in the morning, so the quieter and quicker the kids file in to class in the morning, the quicker I can begin and possibly get to that 2nd group.

When your child does bring home their reading book bag, you will see a note (you can take this out of the bag and toss after you read it), your cue card (for you to use when you are listening to your child read), a white reading log, and the book from today's reading group. Your child should read their book to you. And hopefully, if they've remembered everything we worked on that day, the reading should be easy. If not, pull out that cue card for help. Don't re-write the name of the book (or any other book read) on the reading log; just put a checkmark in the column and initial. Have your child re-read the book as often as they can. Read it to siblings, to your pet, to their stuffed animals...the more practice the better. Finally, return everything to the Ziploc and put it back in the green folder to return to school tomorrow. Thanks!

Halloween (my favorite holiday!) Not sure why that is, but Halloween is by far my favorite holiday. Ok, I guess maybe candy and chocolates have something to do with it! :) Today your child took home a notice for our Halloween party. Our room mom Sheila Lee is in charge so she will be sending you info about how you can help. I do Halloween in a big way - a huge fun party with lots of games and prizes. Look for more info to come home in October about costumes and volunteer shifts.

Computer Lab Fridays If you are a cleared volunteer and can come for the last hour or so of school on Fridays, please let me know. Our computer lab time is 2:40 on Fridays, and an extra pair of hands would be great for logging in kids and helping with technical difficulties. Please let me know if you can help.

Book Fair Our first Scholastic Book Fair begins next Monday. Our library turns into a book shop for you and your kids to shop in! There are special events at the book fair so be on the look out for the schedule. And, our class will get to visit it on Thursday October 6th during the school day for an opportunity for your kindergartener to buy their own book (I will send an email next week with instructions for this). Our very own Sofia's mom, Steffany Rowen, is in charge of the Book Fair this year so let's all come out and support it!

Super Kid I will choose our very first Super Kid this Friday! The students are so excited about it. If your child is chosen as the Super Kid, you have the weekend to gather up some pictures to display at school the following week. I will send home the bulletin board in a canvas bag, and the directions are taped on the back for you to reference. Then, during school the following week, your child's photos will be displayed and he/she will get to be my special helper! And don't forget about the cape - they get to wear the special cape too! :)

WITT lesson On Friday, our class will have a quick training on WITT. This stands for "walk away, ignore, talk it out, tell an adult." These are the 4 steps we are using school wide to encourage kids to be problem solvers. You can even use these at home to encourage your child to be an independent problem solver when it comes to small problems with a sibling, neighbor, etc. So if you hear your child mention "using their WITT" that's what it means. :)

October Calendar We make monthly calendars at school. Tomorrow we'll start on the October calendar. I encourage families to post it up somewhere for your child to reference. It helps teach those tricky time concepts like "last week, next month, next week, at the end of the month". Start having your child cross off each day as part of their bedtime routine. When you cross off the last day of that week (on Saturday), ask him or her questions like, "What's something you did this week?" Then, have a conversation about what will happen next week. Then, as the weeks go by your child will develop a better sense of time. When you cross off the very last day of the month, reflect back on what you did that month. Think of all the things that happened and talk about them. Not only does this give you some special time with your child, but they are learning at the same time. Finally, you can ask your child to predict some things that will happen in the following month.

MAPS Next testing date: This Friday, Sep. 30th at 9am. I guess we'll miss Friday Flag. :(

9/19/11

1st Field Trip: ...is to see a live performance of Mulan! We are really excited to give our students the opportunity to experience the arts this way. The play is on November 9th in Rancho Bernardo. The show begins at 11:15 but I don't have any information about bus times yet. Of course the worst part of this is I can only have 5 parent chaperones accompany us; the seats are limited and that is our given allotment (so you can't meet us there either - sorry!). If more than 5 parents volunteer, which is always the case, I will draw 5 names out of a hat. Look for a permission slip to come home next month, and attached will be sheet for parent chaperones to fill out.

What a whirlwind these first 13 days have been! The students have been doing a tremendous job learning independence, as well as the rules of school. I am impressed with not only their skills, but their great attitudes and joy of learning. I know this will be a great year! :)

Tomorrow we will attend an assembly to learn about our Fall fundraiser, the Great American Gift Wrap campaign. Last year our school raised over $20,000 for PTA. This money funded Art, PE, Music, Teacher Mini-Grants and other programs. Our goal this year is $25,000. Packets will be sent home tomorrow, and all the instructions for how to participate will be included. The fundraiser will go for 2 weeks, with order forms/collected money due on Fri, Sep. 30th. Let's raise some money, Monarchs!

To and the are Corduroy's new words. Homework was sent home today. Please practice, practice, practice these words! The most important detail for kids just learning to write is to start at the top. No putting your pencil on the bottom line and going up to make t's and h's. Thanks for your support.

In honor of Johnny Appleseed and the beginning of fall, we will make applesauce at school on Friday the 23rd. I will be sending a note home Friday asking for each student to send in an apple (don't send apples in before you get the note - I will share the good news with the students on Friday). We'll count the apples, graph them, sort them, and then cook them!

I should also tell you that I like to cook at school, and we cook often. However, if your child is a picky eater, no need to panic. My rule about cooking at school is 'if you don't want to eat it/try it, you don't have to'. I don't force kids to eat what we've made, so if your child is nervous that I'll "get mad" if she/he doesn't like applesauce, you can set their mind at ease.

Beginning Writer's Workshop Our first unit in writing is Launching Writers' Workshop. The lessons we will work on revolve around the logistics of Writers' Workshop, such as what do I do when I'm done writing, where do I store my work, what tools do I use, etc. as well as fundamentals such as the kinds of smart writing moves writers use.

We began Writers' Workshop under the guise that all writers have a story to tell. For some kiddos, that was a tricky concept! Some kids have never been asked to illustrate or even "write" about something that has happened in their life. Many have only drawn stick people, cats, hearts, rainbows, etc. or colored in coloring books. Now I am asking them to draw representational pictures - illustrations with details that tell a story! For example, if you remember a time when your dad took you to the park and watched you go down the slide, then your picture should show all those things.

Along with detailed pictures, the students will add writing that tells the story. For some students, labeling the picture with words such as slide (or "s" or any other letter they write!) is a challenging job. Kids who demonstrate proficient sound/symbol knowledge (i.e. that the word slide is spelled s-l-i-d-(e)) are encouraged to write sentences that tell the story. For example, "My dad took me to the park. I went on the slide. My dad watched me. I went around and around." We will spend the next week or so, and off and on throughout the entire year, on stretching words. This is what we call it when we say a word slowly and record the sounds we hear.

If your child is writing at home, here's a quick list of questions/prompts to help him/her along:

1. Think of a time that you want to write about. 2. Do you have that picture in your mind? Go ahead and illustrate that. 3. I see that you have a great illustration! Tell me about it. 4. Now you are ready for some words. What do you want your words to say? 5. After your child tells you the story, encourage them to write down those words.

If your child says, "But I don't know how to write that!" then say, "Just say its slowly and write down any sounds you hear." If your child records "nonsense" (oyndhhfhp), that's okay! We want all students to see themselves as writers, and...gibberish is a stage of writing! Sound/letter correspondence will come soon!

We survived the first week!! The students are doing a great job learning our routines and procedures. Thank you all so much for your support at home. I've noticed all the big and little things that you are doing at home to help me keep our days running smoothly, like kindergarten-sized snacks being sent in disposable bags and your reinforcement of our before school routine. Again, thank you!

Yesterday Corduroy gave us 3 words to learn: a, I and is. We wrote them on whiteboards and practiced reading them together. Not only do we practice reading and spelling Corduroy's words, but I also use them for letter formation ("printing") practice. The more automatic writing a word becomes, the more fluent a writer can be. Think of all the effort that goes into writing a sentence: coming up with an idea, holding the pencil correctly, stretching out the sounds in words, forming the letters correctly, sitting the letters on the lines...that's a lot for a beginning writer to do! So, the more high frequency words we have memorized and can write quickly, the more focus we'll have to use on the other skills.

Welcome to My Class! Welcome to kindergarten! In order to ease your student's anxiety (and probably your own!), the kindergarten teachers are hosting a Meet and Greet the day before school. On August 23rd you and your child are invited to come visit your new class! Meet your teacher and new classmates, and learn about the schedule and pick-up/drop-off procedures so that our first day of school runs smoothly! I know it will be tempting, but we will not take out any activities. Your job will be to learn where the bathrooms are, find your cubby, and say Hello to Corduroy. Parents - details about homework, field trips, snack/recess/lunch, birthdays, etc. will be presented at Back to School Night, scheduled for September 1st at 5:45 (grades K - 2). I can't wait to meet you!

Drop off/pick up procedures The kindergarten playground will be open after 8:40 each morning. Kindergarten students that come to school before 8:55 may play on this playground. At 8:55, the line up bell rings. Our class will walk out of the kindergarten playground and line up in front of our door. If your child brings a backpack, please hang it up first before getting in line. Your child should have their green folder (I will hand these out on the first day of school), their lunch, and their snack (packed separately from lunchbox) while in line each morning. At 8:59, we will walk in and begin our day promptly at 9:00am.

After school, students will be dismissed from the classroom door. Students attending ESS (on campus after school care) will be picked up at our door by an ESS aide. At 3:20, I will open our door and hand each student off to the approved pick-up person. Please let me know who that will be. If someone other than the normal pick-up person will be picking up your child you will need to let me know ahead of time. You can slip a note for me in your child’s folder or email me.

For the first 5 weeks of school, please follow the same procedures but note that dismissal will be at 12:55pm.

Volunteering at school Classroom and school wide volunteers are welcome and encouraged at Monterey Ridge! However, the safety of our students is of the utmost importance!! Therefore, each parent volunteer needs to have 2 forms on file with the office before any volunteering will be allowed. The first is a current, cleared TB test. TB test results are good for 4 years. Our district offers free TB testing for parent volunteers. Please check the Monterey Ridge homepage for a testing schedule under "For Parents" or click here. The second form you must complete is for Megan's Law. If you have already filled out this form at another school in PUSD, you can file it with the Monterey Ridge office and you will not be required to file another one. If you are a new volunteer, please complete and return the form to the office. You can print a form at home from the Monterey Ridge homepage, under "For Parents". The turn-around time for getting cleared for Megan's Law takes several weeks (especially at the beginning of the school year!) so my advice to any hopeful volunteers would be to get these forms to the office ASAP so they can begin processing them.

School Supplies At MRES, kindergarten kits were made available by PTA during registration to be purchased and sent to your child's classroom. If you didn't take advantage of one of these kits, I'm sure your teacher will have other items that can be purchased and donated to your child's classroom - just ask. Additionally, some of the kindergarten classrooms at our school supply a special folder for your child to use in addition to/in place of a backpack (including me!). I will hand these special "take home" folders out on the first day of school. Your child will not need a backpack so purchasing one is not necessary.