Griffin

Happy Halloween

Everyone had fun on the trip to the Pumpkin Patch.  We went on a tractor ride, picked out our own pumpkin, learned about colonial days and made a wooden yo-yo.  Thank you to Makenna's mom and Tristan's dad for chaperoning the trip.  Unfornutately the battery died on my camera, but I did get a few pictures.

                                                                                

This week our Center Parents are:

• Monday..........Parker's Mom
• Tuesday..........Philip's Mom
• Wednesday..........Kyle's Mom
• Thursday..........Olivia's Mom
• Friday..........Aaron's Mom

Our Guest Reader is Philip's Mom.

Please have your grasshopper bring a push toy or a pull toy to share on Thursday.  We will sort the toys by the way they move. 

Please help us by making sure your child isn't bringing candy to class.  If you want to pack a couple of pieces in their lunchbox that is fine.  We just don't want them sneaking Halloween candy during class time.

Library time is Thursday morning.  If you have any Library books that need to be returned, go ahead and send them.

There is no school on Nov. 5 and 6.  The teachers will be attending inservices.

This week we will be working on:

• writing and making the sound of the letters "v" and "w"
• using small shapes to build large shapes (and objects)
• breaking large shapes up into smaller ones
• estimating measurements of our pumpkins
• discussing how we are growing
• exploring how objects can be pushed or pulled
• using location words to describe where something is
• comparing our Principal to the President

We have something special scheduled everyday this week. 

• Monday..........Story Teller
• Tuesday..........Guidance with Ms. Murphy
• Wednesday..........5th Grade Buddies
• Thursday..........Library Check Out and Story
• Friday..........Guest Reader and a visit by Mrs. Whalen

Shape Up and Get Moving

The Week in Review

Our grasshoppers:

• Read fiction and nonfiction stories about apples.
• Discussed fall
• Identified pairs of rhyming words.
• Created a graph showing the amount of each colored apple that was brought into class.
• Graphed our favorite apple product (apple pie won).
• Created a puppet to retell the story of Johnny Appleseed.
• Estimated by comparing to five.
• Counted sets from 0-10.
• Wrote stories about our favorite season.
• Learned about the letters "l", "h", and "k".

Looking Ahead

Our grasshoppers will:

• Read and respond to stories about fall, pumpkins and scarecrows.
• Practice the KWL reading strategy.
• Write creative stories.
• Learn about the letters "p" and "j".
• Conduct experiments to discover how objects move.
• Practice following directions.
• Explore 2 dimensional shapes.
• Problem solve ways to record data.
• Experience a storyteller.
• Go to the Pumpkin Patch

Thank you to all that volunteered to chaperone the fieldtrip.  Unfortunately, we can only take two.  Tristan's dad and Makenna's mom will be chaperoning this trip.  If you plan on packing your grasshopper's lunch, remember to pack it in a bag.  We have to be able to throw everything away.  If anyone has a cooler we can borrow to pack our lunches in, please let me know.  Have your grasshopper wear long pants and walking shoes.  Hopefully we'll have our class shirts for the trip.  The company has been working hard to get the shirts to other grades that have had fieldtrips before us.  Three grade levels have trips this week so keep your fingers crossed.

Please remember:

• To send back your child's poetry notebook.  We will be adding more poems this week.
• To send in a bath sized towel for rest time. 
• When sending in changes in transportation notes to use full size paper and sign and date them.
•   To return the white signature card and report card envelope.  If you have any questions about the report card, I'd be glad to schedule a conference (in person or by phone).  I know it can be confusing.

Thank you to the many parents sending in trinkets for our good behavior rewards. 

Thank you to Parker's mom for being our story parent.   

Center Parents for this week are:

Monday..........Melis' mom

Tuesday.........Philip's mom

Wednesday......Kyle's mom

Thursday........Fieldtrip

Friday...........Sebastian's mom

Story Parent is A.J.'s mom

Our Grand Grasshopper this week is Natalie!

Apples

Please send an apple on Monday or Tuesday with your grasshopper.  Any kind of apple will do.  We are hoping to have a variety to work with this week.

We'll be reading stories about apples, leaves, fall... and engaging in some seasonal fun. 

We are continuing our number study in math.  This week we'll focus on numbers from 6-10.

Our new letters of the week are "l", "h", and "k".

No new sight words will be introduced this week so that we may have more time to practice those already  studied.

This week is Red Ribbon Week.  We will be celebrating each day in a special way.

• Monday.....Wear red                                                                           
• Tuesday.....Wear crazy socks
• Wednesday.....Wear a team jersey or numbered shirt
• Thursday.....Bring in a red snack or lunch item
• Friday.....Bring a stuffed animal to donate to Children's Services

Important Reminders:

1. Please remember to send in your permission slips and fieldtrip money.
2. Wednesday is Early Release
3. Send a bath size towel for rest time (no blankets or beach towels)
4. Library books are due Thursday

Please continue to work with your child on learning their address.  We are halfway to meeting our goal for our pizza party. 

Many thanks to our Center Parents: Melis' mom, Natalie's dad, Allie's mom, Makenna's mom and Aaron's mom.  Aaron's mom also was our guest reader.

Also thank you to the parents of Melis, Allie, Natalie, Alexis , Olivia, Nicole and Sebastian for sending in the supplies for our "mud".   We learned that grasshoppers love mud!                                    

Our new Grand Grasshopper is...........Sammie!!

Those Dirty Grasshoppers

Yes, we'll be getting dirty this week while studying about soil.  We'll be using our senses, once again, to describe what is in soil, and to compare top soil to sand and clay.  On Friday we'll be making mud, the chocolate kind.  I'm requesting the following people send in the listed items :

Jello chocolate pudding cups (6 pack)......Melis, Allie, Nicole, and Olivia

Small bag of gummy worms........Philip, Alexis, Sebastian

Baggie of crushed chocolate cookies (Oreos, chocolate graham crackers...)......Natalie

Please let me know if this isn't going to work for you.

Our letters of the week are "e" and "u".  We are still working on lowercase letters only.  Your grasshoppers have been doing an excellent job with their letter sounds.  I'm so very proud of them.

Our sight words this week are "one", "two" and "three".  The children should work on recognizing these words in isolation. 

Our words of the week go along with our new math unit on numbers.  We'll be working on counting, modeling numbers, matching numerals and number words to models, and writing our numbers.  At this time our focus is on numbers 0-5.

Please remember that PE is on Monday and Tuesday and appropriate footwear is necessary.  Appropriate footwear is also required for climbing on the playscapes at recess.  If your child is wearing flipflops, they will not be permitted to climb.  However, they are always welcome to play in the field.

On Friday you received a Kindergarten Parent Portfolio.  It is a very important folder.  Its purpose is to inform parents of the keys teachers use to evaluate student progress toward each 9-week period's expectations.  The information will help you support your student's learning and collect a portfolio of the progress reports and work for the year.  On October 22, from 9-10 am, there will be an informational discussion about the kindergarten reports. 

Fieldtrip permission slips will be sent home on Monday.  There are forms for two fieldtrips.  You can write one check to cover the cost of both fieldtrips.  We will be needing chaperones for the Pumpkin Patch fieldtrip only. Let me know if you're interested.

Thank you to:

Kyle's mom for putting together our book orders.  This is such a great opportunity to buy some wonderful books at fantastic prices. 

Chris' mom for her fabulous pumpkin decorating skills.

Kyle and Alex for bringing in supplies.

Chris' dad for reading to us while we made our Stone Soup.

I enjoyed seeing everyone at the Oktoberfest. Everyone seemed to be having a great time.  It is always a pleasure to see the students creating memories with their families. 

Our Blog:

I hope that you've been able to access the blog.  I'm trying to go green and have this blog serve as my newsletter.  As a parent I've found it very convenient as I can access my child's class blog at home or work.  I can print it out if I need to and it doesn't get lost in the blackholes that develop in bookbags.  By signing up for feedblitz, you can be notified of updates to our blog. 

Buddies

We had fun with our 5th grade buddies.  They created a lesson on the smart board for us.  Then we made patterns together.

                                                      

                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                        

October 1

I'd like to thank Aaron's mom for coming to read Friday.

Another thank you goes out to Kyle's mom for organizing our book orders.

On Friday we'll be making stone soup.  Please have your grasshopper bring a snack size bag of a favorite vegetable chopped or sliced.  Each grasshopper will get to add their vegetable to the pot.  Please remember one carrot, stalk of celery or small potato would be plenty. 

I hope to see you at the Oktoberfest  Remember to purchase your wristbands.  Come and bid on the kindergarten teacher outing.  Our outing is a Ball in the Hall.  Your grasshopper could come and build their own ice cream sundae, play games and ride scooters down the hall.  They can join Mrs. Kerzie and me for an afternoon of fun filled activities at Sope Creek.  Invite a friend and gather with all the other K teachers and students for a fantastic afternoon.

If you haven't purchased your darling grasshopper's pictures, please send your payment in ASAP.

We will be having a Code Red drill next week.  During a Code Red drill the school will go into lock down.  Students will be locked in their classrooms.  Please help us prepare your child by talking with them about this possibly frightening event. 

Help the classroom by donating the following:

2 gallon size ziploc bags                     snack                 trinkets for our rewards