In Our Class This Week...

We have a really busy week coming up, but as always, I will try to make it fun while my kiddos learn. As a team we decided to not do any official curriculum (as our days will be filled with many school planned activities). If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me or stop by the room.

Here are some important dates to keep in mind:

12/16

Christmas performance practice (school wide @ 8am-please have your child arrive to school on time)
Emergency Drill @ l0:20

12/17

Spark of Love- Fire Department to pick-up toys 9:00-10:30am (TK-1 Only)
Cynthia Fraser Read & Grow Rich Engineering Project (ALL GRADE LEVELS)
Our class time will be from 8:50-9:35
Thank you to all those families that have signed up to bring in items!

12/18

December awards assembly
Christmas program-performances begin at 2:00 pm
Continue to practice songs at home
Video links in previous blog post

12/19

Pajama Day
Polar Express Party 12:00 - 3:00 (invites went home last week and there is a sign up sheet on our door)
Vision and Hearing screenings
After school program closed

Language Arts:

Christmas Stories
Comprehension Questions

Math:

Shapes (solid and 3D shapes)

Social Studies:

Continue learning about Winter Holidays
Christmas and New Years

Science:

North Pole and Arctic Animals

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me or stop by the classroom.

In Our Class This Week...

We have two weeks left and they are going to be busy, busy BUT also very fun! Here is a list of dates and events coming up at our school and in our classroom!

12/10:

Coffee with Director @ 8

Hour of Coding 9:15-10:15 (in the classroom) - Students will learn about coding.

If you are interested in coming in at this time to help in the classroom please let me know. If you are able to come in at this time, it would be great if you could bring in a laptop or iPad/tablet. You do not need to worry about signing the electronic device form for this day. You may visit the website if you would like to practice coding at home: Code.org

Wacky Wednesday - Sturdy Structures 10:45am -12:15pm (in the classroom)

Student will create the longest, tallest or strongest structure using unconventional materials. Parent volunteers are welcomed during this time to work with the different teams (5). If you are interested in coming in at this time to help in the classroom please let me know.

12/12:

Family Lunch Friday

Report cards go home

12/16:

Emergency Drill @ l0:20

12/17:

Spark of Love- Fire Department to pick-up toys 9:00-10:30am (TK-1 Only)

Cynthia Fraser Read & Grow Rich Engineering Project (ALL GRADE LEVELS)

You may begin to bring in donated items to the classroom

12/18:

December awards assembly @ 8:00 am

Christmas program-performances begin @ 2:00 pm

Continue to practice songs at home

Video links in previous blog post

12/19:

Pajama Day

Polar Express party (more information to follow soon)

Vision and Hearing screenings

After school program closed

If you have any questions on any of the upcoming dates and events please feel free to email me or stop by the classroom.

Here is a look into our week

Language Arts:

Unit 2 Week 6 "Jack and the Beanstalk"

Friday: Unit 2 exam

Math:

Continue and finish up Chapter 6: Numbers 0-20

Students will be able to compare groups of up to 20 objects.

Students will be able to order groups of up to 20 objects

Chapter 6 test

Begin Chapter 7: Shapes

Students will be able to recognize and name basic solid shapes.

Science:

Gingerbread Man - making predictions and what dissolves in water

Social Studies:

Continue learning about Winter Holidays

This week: Kwanza

Leadership:

Resilience: Never Give Up

Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns.

Hour of Code

On Wednesday December 10th, we will be participating in the national event Hour of Code. During this hour the students will be on electronic devices, such as iPads, tablets and laptops to experiment with programming. Because the students will be exploring on the website code.org it is important that I have volunteers who can monitor student behavior and activity during this time.

PLEASE let me know know if you are available to help. Also, if you have a device we can use for that hour PLEASE let me know!

Help Wanted!

I am looking for parent volunteers who are available Friday after school and during school on Tuesdays and/or Thursdays.

On Fridays I need someone who can clean the desks and chairs.
On Tuesdays and/or Thursdays I'd love someone who could read with the students.

Please let me know if you are available to volunteer any of these days.

In Our Class This Week...

I hope you all enjoyed this week off and had a wonderful Thanksgiving Day! Time to get back to work before our next mini vacation. I am looking forward to these next few weeks as they will be filled with many fun activities.

Upcoming REACH dates:

12/5 End of 1st Trimester
12/8 PTO Meeting
12/10 Wacky Wednesday, Hour of Coding (more information to follow -volunteers will be needed) and Coffee with the Director @ 8:30am
12/12 Family Friday Lunch and Trimester 1 report cards go home
12/18 Award Assembly @ 8am and Holiday Performance @ 2pm
12/19 Vision and Hearing Test

Look into Our Week

Language Arts:

Unit 2 Week 5: "A Bed for Winter"

Weekly comprehension: Sequence

Math:

Continue with Chapter 6: Numbers 0-20
Students will be able to read and write from 10-12
Students will be able to read and write from 13-16
Students will be able to read and write from 17-20
Students will be able to compare groups of up to 20 objects

Chapter 6 Test on Friday

Social Studies/ Leadership:

Winter Holidays
This week students will learn about Hanukkah

Leadership - Resilience: What is resilience?

Science:

Animals in Winter

Please feel free to email me if you have any questions or concerns. 

What To Do Before, During and After Reading

Here is a great resource for what to do before, during and after you read with your child. These are great techniques to help with comprehension.

Winter Performance

Our Winter Performance will be on Thursday, December 18th at 2pm in the Sanctuary.

We will be performing two songs: Run Rudolph Run and Santa Claus is Coming to Town. We have been practicing in class but PLEASE practice with your student as often as possible.

The links below have the words to the music:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KeZEn7Tq0GU

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pkimySRWiiw

Thank you and enjoy your Thanksgiving Break!

Thanksgiving

I wanted to thank everyone for their donations to our Thanksgiving Feast. The parents did an AMAZING job decorating, setting up and serving all 4 classes! THANK YOU so much for making this event possible and special.

If you attended and took pictures please don't forget to post them on our Shutterfly page.

It was a crazy week with lots of crafts and unfortunately not all students were able to complete their turkey hats so I sent home the supplies needed to complete their hats (brown "headband", 4 feathers, eyes, etc.). Here is a picture of what the hats are supposed to look like when finished.

I am so thankful that I get to share my day with your children, thank you for entrusting me with them day in and day out!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

In Our Class This Week...

We are approaching the end of another month for us at REACH. This next week will only have three days, but we still have so much to do! Here are some important dates to keep in mind for this short upcoming week:

Wednesday 11/19 and Thursday 11/20 Parent-teacher conferences. Reminders about your time and date were sent home on Thursday.

Tuesday 11/18:
Art with Mr. Ruben (we are still in need of two volunteers who can help assist Mr. Ruben from 12pm to 2pm).

Wednesday 11/19:
November award assembly @ 8 am
Emergency Drill (please talk to your child about listening to their teacher and lining up quickly. Also, please remind them that this is only a DRILL - we are just practicing staying safe in case of a real emergency).
Kindergarten Thanksgiving Feast from 10:15-12:00

THANK YOU to all those families that have signed up to bring in items on this day.  We are still missing our main food dishes (chicken nuggets and mashed potatoes), if you would like to sign up for these or any other item(s) you may be able to donate to the class please stop by our classroom to sign up, or send me an email. Once again, thank you for all the donated items, special fun activities could not be accomplished without your help and support!                  

Our Week

Language Arts:

As a Kindergarten team we decided it would be best to begin a new week in our Language Arts curriculum when we come back from Thanksgiving break.
In our class, during our Language Arts block, we will be learning about the first Thanksgiving along with making some different hats to represent the people present that day.

Math:

Chapter 6-Numbers 0-10
Count from 0-10
Write numbers from 0-10
Represent numbers 0-10

Science:

Chapter 6 Test: Objects

Making Butter

Social Studies:

Unit 6 Lesson 1: What is a holiday?
Students will be able to describe the meaning of a holiday.

Leadership:

Service: Gratitude and giving back

The Kindergarten team will be sending home a homework packet on Monday 11/17 to be due back Monday 12/1. 

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel to email me or stop by the classroom.

In Our Class This Week...

Here are some important school dates to keep in mind this month:

11/11  NO SCHOOL Veteran's Day
11/12  Coffee with director @ 8am
11/14  Family Lunch Friday- Kindergarten lunch @ 11am
11/19  Awards assembly for the month of November @ 8am
11/20 - 11/21  NO SCHOOL Parent-teacher Conferences and Staff Development
11/25 - 11/28  NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving Break

Classroom Dates: (please make sure your child is present on these day for some fun/educational activities)

11/12  Kaiser Literacy Assembly @ 8:30am

11/13  4th grade Reading Buddies 

REACH PTO news:

Language Arts:

Unit 2 Week 4 -"Bear Snores On"

Weekly comprehension: realism and fantasy

Math:

Finish Chapter 5 
Students will understand the concept of same-sized
TEST on 11/13
Students will be able to describe size and position of objects.

Science:

Objects and their composition

Social Studies:

Unit 5 Lesson 1 - How can we show time?
Months of the year, days of the week

Leadership:

Service: Military

Disguise a Turkey project

Due: 11/12/14

Examples of completed projects

Cant wait to see what our class comes up with, have FUN!

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me.

In Our Class This Week...

Can you believe another month has come and gone?! This school year seems to be flying by, but I hope your kiddos are enjoying their Kindergarten year at REACH! I wanted to say THANK YOU to all those families that donated items towards our class party and also to those that donated their time. If you would like to help out more in the classroom please let me know and we can set up a time and date. I truly enjoy the help!

Classroom News:
No School Tuesday 11/4 and 11/11
No School Thursday 11/20 for parent teacher conferences and Friday 11/21 for staff development
No School 11/24 to 11/28 for Thanksgiving Break

Parent teacher conferences: I will be sending home more information soon about parent teacher conferences. Those parents that return their forms first will have priority (towards the time slot they choose).

School Updates:

Our Week

Language Arts:

Unit 2-Week 3: "Animal Babies"

Comprehension exam: Main idea

Math:

Chapter 5

Students will understand the concept of same-size
Students will explore the idea that only a few big objects fit into small spaces and many small objects fit into big spaces
Students will identify positions of objects
Students will use language such as before and after to describe relative positions in sequence of events

Science:

Objects and their composition

Social Studies:

Voting Day and Veterans Day

Leadership:

How we serve others

Classroom Shutterfly page:

Please feel free to upload any pictures you have taken of our kiddos

As always, please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns or stop by the classroom.

Reading Buddies

Today was our first day reading with our 4th grade reading buddies! Students were introduced to their buddy and then enjoyed as their buddy read a story to them. Ms Sanchez and I are super excited to continue this program bi-monthly.

Check out our class Shutterfly page for more pictures!

No Bake Pumpkin Pie

For our Fun Foodie Friday this past week we made (and enjoyed) No Bake Pumpkin Pie. Per request of one of the parents, I am sharing the recipe for you to make and enjoy with your family and friends.

Mini No Bake Pumpkin Pies

Ingredients:

2 packages of mini shortbread pie shells (16 shells each)
1 (8oz) package cream cheese (or dairy free cream cheese), softened
1 (15oz) can pumpkin
2 tablespoons sugar
1/2 tablespoon cinnamon or pumpkin pie seasoning
whipped cream, optional

In a medium mixing bowl combine cream cheese, pumpkin, sugar, and cinnamon. Use a wooden mixing spoon to thoroughly incorporate ingredients. Taste and adjust spices and sugar if needed.

Fill a pastry bag or a ziptop bag with a small cut out of one corner and gently pipe pumpkin mixture into shortbread shells. Top with a dollop of whipped cream and cinnamon.

Happy (no) baking!

In Our Class This Week...

Wow what a week! I hope your kiddos shared their excitement but also some new information they learned this past week. Thank you to all the families that were able to donate items towards our pumpkin pies; all of this could not be done with out you!

REACH News:

Our class will be having a small celebration following the festival. Flyers went home Thursday and there is a sign up sheet on our door if you can bring anything. You can contact me or one of our wonderful room moms Mrs. Hua or Mrs. Cash for more information.

Classroom News:

Our class will be partnering with Ms. Sanchez's 4th graders to begin a reading buddy program. This  will be a great opportunity for the kiddos to increase their reading fluency and skills. 

Language Arts:

Unit 2-Week 2 "Nature Spy"

Weekly Test: Comprehension- Setting

Math:

Finish up Chapter 4 (Count and order numbers 0-10)
Students will understand the meaning of less
Students will use more and less to compare number values
Chapter 4 Test: Wednesday
Spooky Math 

Science:

Spiders, Bats, Skeletons, Oh My!

Social Studies:

Continue with Halloween Around the World

Czechoslovakia, England, Germany, Mexico

Leadership:

Famous leaders

Please feel free to email me, or stop by the classroom with any questions or concerns you may have. 

I will do my best to get back to you as soon as possible.

Thank you all once again for always donating items to our classroom and helping in any way possible. OUR classroom would not be what it is without your support!

Thank you!

B.Y.O.T

B. Y. O. T (Bring Your Own Technology)

If you attended the meeting and signed the proper paperwork, students may begin to bring their devices. Check the Educational Websites and Apps link at the top of the blog for some fun apps. 

For now, please download a QR reader. I have many stories that are linked to QR codes. If students bring their own headphones they can scan the code and sit quietly anywhere in the room to listen to a story. 

In Our Class This Week...

First, I'd like to thank you for all the donations for our Fun Foodie Friday. The kids made their own pumpkin dip to enjoy with vanilla wafers and apple slices. I have some fun activities planned for this week! 

School News:

Language Arts:

Unit 2 Week 1: "Flowers"

Weekly comprehension exam: Compare and Contrast

Math:

Continue with Chapter 4
Students will be able to compose and decompose numbers to 5.
Counting and ordering up to 10
Students will order numbers 0-10
Using fingers and toes to count on
Same number and more
Students will show and understand the meaning of same and more

Science:

All About Pumpkins!
Parts of a pumpkin
Life cycle of a pumpkin
Fun Foodie Friday- Pumpkin Pies!

We have plenty of pumpkin pie mix, however, if you can donate individual graham cracker pie crusts, cream cheese and whip cream that would be greatly appreciated. 

Social Studies:

Halloween Around the World
Places covered this week:
Ireland, Australia, Canada and China

Leadership:

Safety with products and medicine

Please feel free to email me or stop by the room with any questions or concerns; I would be more than happy to help! 

Thank you for all that you do, my class would not be what it is without YOU!