Apples, BBQs, and puppets

Hello Families,

This week was a fun week learning about apples! We got to make an apple puppet, taste test apple items and learn about Johnny Appleseed!

On Friday we had a Western BBQ.  The students ate outside around the planter and some parents were able to come spend time with their student! Here are some pictures of them enjoying their BBQ lunches.

We also got to make Apple Puppets! The students had a blast making this and a few of them even told me that it was "the best day ever!"  Which of course was adorable and I loved hearing it! :)  They are getting very good at cutting and came to show me how well they had improved with cutting on the line.

We also had our 2nd grade reading buddies come down and read with us! They love being able to spend time with their reading buddies and show them our room.  It is so fun to see the 2nd graders helping them with reading and sounding out words.  They are like little teachers when they are in our room.

Last but not least, we had our apple taste testing snack! You were so generous with all your apple donations that we will be eating healthy apple snacks for the next week!

We had a great week learning about apples! :)

This week in Kindergarten...

We will be learning about the Fall/Autumn season.  I have to be honest-my favorite time of year is October-January! I love everything about fall and winter.  I love the holidays and the fun stuff we get to do with it.  

I will also be sending home the first scholastic reading order from home.  It will be due in 2 weeks! If you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Library is on Monday.  Please make sure your child's library book is in their bag so they can get a new book this week!

I am still assessing for report cards.  I hope to have it all done before fall break.  Please make sure your student is at school every day so they can be assessed.

Next week (October 6-10) is fall break.  

Have a great Sunday!

Shannon Leopold

Western BBQ and more

The Western BBQ is tomorrow! Kindergarten lunch is from 10:30-11:00.  You are invited to come spend time with them and eat lunch! An adult meal is only $3.00. When you come you have to come through the office.

Pictures are in! I will be sending them home today.  I will discuss how important it is to NOT bend them and to put them in their BEE Binder.  :)

Report cards are coming up, along with Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences! I will be assessing students for their grades! Please make sure your child is here every day so that I can assess them.

Library! Our Library time is on Mondays.  Please make sure your student return the books on time.  If it is not returned they will not be permitted to get a new book.

I think that is all! Have a great Thursday!

Mrs. Leopold

Apples, Apples, Apples

Hello!

Sadly, I don't have any pictures this week.  I forgot to bring my camera with me during the Poetry in Motion and the Bus Safety event.  However, we will continue to do apples next week and we will get to do plenty of things that I can take pictures of!

We did learn about Johnny Appleseed this week.  We have two more books to read about Johnny Appleseed and we are going to compare and contrast the books.  For, science we are learning about the parts of an apple, apple trees, apple orchards and picking apples.  We are also going to taste test apples, apple juice, and applesauce!

We also got to see Poetry in Motion. It is a dance group that shoes how poetry and dance are types of art.  We read the book "Sneetches" by Dr. Seuss to prepare for the show.  They did a mini-ballet to that book. The students loved it.

We also learned about how to be safe on a bus.  We got to watch movie about bus safety and then go on a bus and meet the bus driver.  The students had a lot of fun on the bus!

This week in Kindergarten...

Homework: I am adding a math sheet of homework for every day.  I will put the day on there to do it because it will be corresponding with what we learned in class that day. If you would like even extra practice or more worksheets for you student then please let me know. I don't want to overwhelm them, but I had a lot of parents ask for extra practice. 

Donations: In order to do our taste tests of apples we need the following

• Apples (Green, red and yellow.  Each child will just get a slice of apple)
• Apple Juice (If you get a big container we also need cups. Or you can get the apple juice  boxes.)
• Apple sauce without cinnamon (If you get a big container we also need plates)
• Spoons (for the applesauce)

Remember, we don't have school on Wednesday because it is Professional Development for us teachers.

I think that is all for now!  I hope you have had a good weekend.

Mrs. Leopold

Farming and Centers

Happy Sunday!

I hope you have found your weekend to be relaxing and energizing!

This last week, we were learning about Farms and farm animals! We read the book "A Farm" in our reading group which slowly getting underway.  It is a lot to learn just learning how to do a reading group! We practiced "Partner Reading" this week.  The students sit knee to knee and elbow to elbow and take turns reading the pages.  Here are a few of our students practicing...

We also practice writing, even if that meant scribble writing.  They were told to write about their S picture. For example, I modeled drawing a snowman and wrote "A snowman."  Here are some examples of our friends writing!

We also practiced working in centers during our scheduled intervention time.  This is used to pull small groups so students get extra needed attention. If they are not in a small group they are working in centers with a partner.  Right now, all of our centers are letter naming games or putting the alphabet in order.  As they master letter names and putting the letters in order we will add different centers.

As you can tell, they LOVE to play in centers and with their partners! 

Coming up this week in Kindergarten...

 APPLES! I love the fall and enjoy doing all the units that come along with it! :)

Also, coming home tomorrow (Monday) is a progress report! It has a part on the bottom that you need to write your child's name, sign it, and comment anything if you wish.  It must be turned into me by the 24th!! Thank you for helping your child be successful in school!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please let me know! All of my information is sent home on my Newsletters!

Enjoy your Sunday Night!

Shannon Leopold

Pete the Cat

Happy Monday!

I hope that the "Rain Day" did not cause you much frustration! Here are some pictures of what we did last week....

We are practicing Daily 5 for reading and writing! :) I have seen several teachers use Daily 5 successfully in their classrooms and was eager to start it with your students! The goal of Daily 5 is to have each student working at their own personal level which allows me to pull small groups or work individually with students.  The first few months of Daily 5 is rough with such a young age group. We are practicing "Read to Self" right now.  Students are given book(s) and they choose a spot and read.  They can read the pictures, read the words (if able), and retell the story.  My goal is to get them up to 15 minutes before we move on to another skill.  Right now, we are at 2 minutes and 21 seconds after just 3 days!!! I am so proud of your students for being such good learners!

We also did a cut and paste activity for the letter Cc! We tried a new gluing technique that helps not get everything covered in glue and/or ruin the glue sticks.  So far, it has worked beautifully! Your student was to cut out the pictures and glue on the ones that started with C.  I am proud to say that EVERY student completed the assignment correctly!!! :)

Overall, it was a great week! I see your child improving and learning EVERY DAY in school whether it be just remembering routines to seeing them understand a new concept.  That is one of the many reasons I love teaching Kindergarten!

This week we will be learning about FARMS! We will be making some arts and crafts and reading about real life farms along with stories about farms. 

As always, I hope you enjoyed your weekend and "Rain Day"!

Mrs Leopold.

Reminders

Happy Labor Day!

I just wanted to remind you about some important events happening!

Tomorrow is PICTURE DAY! Each child will be photographed individually.  Our class picture is in the spring.  If you forget to, or don't have money right now, you can order pictures at a later date!

Starting tomorrow, if your child forgets to bring their ID to school they will be sitting out at recess.  I have been talking to them everyday about the importance of a school ID. 

Also starting tomorrow is 'Homework Club".  If your child returns their BEE Binder every day AND it is signed by you they will get a special surprise at the end of the month!

I think that is all for now!

I hope that you were able to enjoy your extended weekend! I will see you bright and early tomorrow morning!

Mrs. Leopold