Classroom News-May 20, 2017

I can hardly believe we are headed into the last week of the school year.  I have enjoyed having your children in my classroom this year.  We have learned a lot from each other and will miss each other over the summer. 

Since the last post, we have had several Experts Present their information to the class.  I'm so proud of the work all the children did on these!  L taught the class sign language for colors, S presented information about the sun, Sh presented information about the movie Frozen and snow, J taught us about dinosaurs, and K presented information about heavy construction equipment.  As an audience, the children learned the difference between a statement and a question (this is a huge skill for kindergarteners).  Thank you for the support you offered these children as they created their presentation and you prepared them to speaking in front of the class.  That is a difficult thing to do and they did a great job!  Take a look at the pictures at the bottom of this post. 


Here's what the last "week" looks like:
Monday is Field Day.  When the children arrive at school, they will be given their Field Day t-shirt and given an opportunity to change.  Thank you to the parents that sent in the $5 for the shirts.  This is an expensive project (not paid for by the school) and I appreciate the support with the expenses.  We will go out for Field Day at 9:30 and will be out until 11:00.  There will be a number of fun activities available to us.  Please be sure the children are wearing appropriate clothing.  No sandals.  Mr. Bianco encouraged everyone to bring a water bottle, but know that your child is responsible for keeping track of that water bottle (which can be difficult as they bounce from activity to activity).  I'm not outside with them the entire time so I will not be in a position to be the keeper of the water bottles.   Please consider sending a change of clothes because some of the activities involve water and the kids will get wet!  We will come inside, clean up and go to lunch followed by an afternoon of classwork. 

I will be sending home student portfolios and an array of school work.  Please be sure your child has their backpack!  This will be the last day they will bring papers home.  All they will have on Wednesday are the Expert Presentations. 

Wednesday, children will come to school at the normal time.  We will do classroom activities until just before 11:00.  Then we will prepare for the Expert Presentation Museum Walk.  I invite and encourage all parents to come in and participate in the Museum Walk.  The children worked hard on these presentations and are really proud of their work (and they should be proud!).  This is their opportunity to show off their vast knowledge.  It is also a good idea to arrive at school a little early because between 5th grade graduation and everyone coming to school for the picnic, parking will be a challenge.  Get here before the crowd!  At 11:30, the 5th graders will complete their commencement in the gym.  They will walk through the halls one last time as we applaud their effort through their time at Legacy.  Following that we will go outside for the All-school picnic.  Please be sure your child brings a lunch for this event.  The cafeteria will not be providing lunch on that day.  After you finish eating with your child, you are welcome to start summer vacation! 

I look forward to seeing everyone as we celebrate our wonderful school year!

Classroom News-May 10, 2017

It's been too long since I posted news on the blog!  I apoligze.

Our chicks have grown.  Most of them have gone to the farm where they will lay eggs.  It was a lot of fun to watch them hatch and grow! 

The last day of school is two weeks from today.  I can hardly believe it! 

Thank you to those who have sent in field day t-shirt money.  The $5 requested covers the cost of the shirt and the cost of the puffy paint we will use to decorate them next week.  We will wear the t-shirts to field day on Friday, May 19 from 9:30-11:00.

  On Wednesday, May 24, we will have our Expert Presentation museum walk from 11:00-11:30.  At 11:30, we will applaud our 5th grade "graduates" and then go out for the all-school picnic.  Please plan on being at school for the museum walk.  Fifth grade commencement starts at 10:30, I believe.  Starting then, parking will become an issue.  I recommend getting here early so you have a good place to park.  Parking during the picnic is difficult!  Your child will need to bring a sack lunch for this day.  No lunches will be served on the last day of school.  After you finish eating, summer vacation begins!

Since the last post, several Experts have presented to the class. 
H taught the class about the responsibility of taking care of cats, J taught the class about dinosaurs, N presented information about Power Rangers, V taught us about how to prepare for a horse show, GR taught us about space, D presented information about farm life, J presented information about dinosaurs, and G presented information about Bronco football. 

What a Day! April 26, 2017

What a busy day!  We did a little classwork before leaving for the field trip.  We had a perfect day for a trip to the farm!  When we got there, we went into the barn for a presentation on the life cycle of a pumpkin plant.  While we were there, we also planted a sunflower seed in a pot.  Next, we went on a tractor ride out to the field.  We were each given a pumpkin seed to plant in the field.  Our last stop on the farm tour was to see and feed the goats and llamas.  After washing our hands, we ate lunch at the picnic tables and spent some time playing on the playground equipment they have.  I've included some pictures of our trip. 

When we returned to the school, we found one of our eggs had a crack in it!  The children took turns visiting the incubator and saw it hatch!  It was very exciting! 

I went to school this afternoon to check on the chicks to find that we had 5 chicks hatched and 3 more with cracks in them.   I'm excited to share this with the children tomorrow!

Classroom News-April 24, 2017

Wednesday is Field Trip day!  We will leave the school at 10:00 and will return by 1:30.  Please be sure that each student has a sack lunch since we will be eating lunch at the Farm.  Students should wear weather appropriate clothing, and good walking shoes (NO SANDALS). 

On Friday, in honor of Earth Day, Eco-Cycle came to our classroom and taught us about things we can recycle and things that have to go to the trash.  It was a terrific presentation and I think the kids learned a lot about recycling. 

Today, two students gave Expert Presentations.  J taught us about many different kinds of Rocks and S taught us about Baking.  S shared cupcakes to help us experience baking first hand! 

Classroom News-April 21

This is such a busy time of year!  Here are a few dates you need to know about. 

-Wednesday, April 26 is our field trip to Anderson Farm.  Please be sure to send children with a sack lunch since we will be eating lunch at the farm.  Children should wear weather appropriate clothing and good walking shoes (NO SANDALS). 

-Our chicks are also expected to hatch on Wednesday, April 26.  I'll post pictures when they hatch!

-Wednesday, May 3 is a Late Start Day.  School will start at 11:30 and we will dismiss at 3:40. 

-Friday, May 19 is Field Day.  I will be sending home a flier next week about Field Day t-shirts.  This is a tradition in my class.  We decorate these shirts and wear them out to Field Day.  I will be asking for $5.00 for the t-shirts.  This covers the cost of the shirt and the puffy paint we will be using to decorate them. 

-Wednesday, May 24 is the last day of school.  We will come to school at 9:00, as usual.  Our Expert Presentation Museum Walk will be at 11:00.  Please plan to come to this.  The children love being able to talk about their presentations and share their knowledge with as many people as possible.  At 11:30, we will go outside for the all-school picnic.  When you are done eating, it is time to start summer vacation! 

Classroom News-April 19

What a busy day!  We went to centers this morning.  We read passages and drew pictures of what happened first, next, and last.  We wrote in our journals and practiced leaving spaces between words and using punctuation at the end of the sentence.  We worked on counting and finding groups that have more and less.  Finally, we created a birthday book for one of our classmates.

This afternoon, we read the story The Tiny Seed by Eric Carle.  We talked about why the wind was important in the story, why it was good the seed was so small, and what the seed grew into.  We also went to the music room.  The children had the opportunity to play xylophones!  We also wrote in our chick journals.  Our chicks should hatch a week from today!

A week from today is our field trip to Anderson Farm.  Please be sure to send in a signed permission slip with your child, along with $7.00 CASH.  I must have the signed permission slip to take them on the field trip.  Children need to wear weather appropriate clothing, good walking shoes (no sandals), and they need to bring a sack lunch since we will be eating at the farm.  

Three Experts presented information today.  G presented information about Heavy Construction Equipment, R presented information about Thomas and Friends, and K taught us how to plant a flower in a pot.  I look forward to more presentations next week!  If you are not sure when your child's presentation is or have any questions, please give me a call or send me an email.

Classroom News-April 17

Our field trip to Anderson Farms is on Wednesday, April 26.  Please be sure to send the signed permission slip and $7.00 CASH to the school by Friday, April 21.  I can not take children on the field trip if I do not have a signed permission slip.  If you need another one, please let me know.  Children will need to wear good walking shoes, weather appropriate clothing, and bring a sack lunch since we will eat lunch at the Farm. 

We listened to more Experts present information to the class today.  J presented information about Colossal Squid, H presented information about the Human Body, and M presented information about Dolphins.  Take a look at the pictures!