Shepherd's Flock

We had a great short week! Miss Douglas' official last day with us was on Monday. We will miss her greatly, but fortunately she will still be at Walhalla El. next semester. She will be in Mrs. Gardner's second grade class to student teach. Miss Douglas is an excellent teacher and we hope she will visit us often! On Monday two baseball players from Clemson read some books to us. Then, for snack, Miss Douglas had a special suprise planned for us. What a great day!
On Tuesday, Miss Douglas came back to participate in the Thanksgiving Feast. Before we ate, we rotated classes. Each kindergarten teacher did an activity with each class. Mrs. Bibb had the classes decorate tableclothes with things they are thankful for. Mrs. Morgan make teepees with the classes while Mrs. Phillips taught the kids how to make homemade butter. I was able to teach the kids how to play The Pin Game and then they each got to make their own version to take home. Then it was on to the feast!
We hope you enjoy the slideshow below!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Everyone looked GREAT Friday!!! Below is a slideshow of our parade. Hopefully I'll have our class picture on the top of the page soon. (You can click on the pictures in the slideshow to zoom in.) Enjoy!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Tuesday, November 3 is Chick-fil-A Spirit Night: this is the BIG one!!! If our school brings in the most profit, they will DOUBLE our check and we will be able to restock the Starbuck Store. PLEASE come out and support the school by going to Chick-fil-A of Seneca if you can on this night. You DON'T have to have the form we send home. If you misplace or forget it, just tell your cashier you are with Walhalla Elementary. You can also do this when going through the drive-thru. Thanks for all of your support!

Here is the schedule for Red Ribbon Week, which is this week:
Monday- "Put a Cap on Drugs" - Wear your favorite cap/hat.
Tuesday- "Shade Out Drugs"- Wear your sunglasses.
Wednesday- "Sock It to Drugs"- Wear your craziest, tackiest, or mismatched socks.
Thursday- "Drugs Turn You Inside Out"- Wear your clothes inside out.
Friday- "Team Up Against Drugs"- Wear your favorite team jersey OR as much red as you dare!

Big Book: Take-Home Readers: Computers:

Buddy Reading:

Classroom Library:

Writing:

ABC/Word Work:

Poetry Station:

SMART Board:

Listening:

We had a great day! Here's a slideshow to showcase the fun:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

1. Tonight is Chick-fil-A Spirit Night. If you can, come out between 5-8. A portion of the profit CFA makes goes to our Starbuck Store. Don't forget to tell the cashier you are from Walhalla Elementary (this applies to the drive-thru, as well!).

2. I will be available Oct. 6 from 3-6 for parent conferences, however, you do not have to wait until then, I am also available M-W, F from 12-12:30 and M, W-F at 3 PM. Please let me know if you would like to set up a conference and what day/time you prefer.

Well....those are the names of our new hermit crabs! We voted on names and here are the results:

Our gray-clawed hermit crab is the boy: Tiger.

Our red-clawed crab is the girl: Lollipop.

You've heard this in an email and in the newsletter, but here it goes again:

Mrs. Smith and I are in the process of sending home words/letters your child already knows in his/her ziploc bags in addition to the one we have already taught. We are assessing children daily to find out what they know. If there is a No Excuse Word your child already knows how to read that we have not taught yet, we will go ahead and place this word in your child's bag. If your child can name the capital, lowercase, and sound of a letter we have not taught, we will also go ahead and send these home. We do NOT accept it when 'uh' is added to a sound. For example, the letter m makes the sound "mmmmm" not "muh." I tell them that we say "mom" not "muhom." If you are practicing letter sounds at home, please keep this in mind. Also, for the letter y, we teach that it makes the "yee" sound.

I attached the No Excuse Words we will learn this year to an email I sent earlier in the week incase you would like to get a jump-start. If you do not have email access and would like for me to send a copy of the list home, let me know!

What is an ILES? ILES is an Individual Language Experience Story. One child is randomly chosen to tell the beginning of a story (3 sentences). After the child tells the teacher each sentence, the teacher helps the class 'stretch' the sounds in the words and the teacher writes the sentences. Then, 2 other children (also randomly chosen) get to ask one question each about the story. After the author answers the questions in complete sentences, the teacher writes the sentences the child dictates using the same strategy as above. After the story is written, the author chooses a title for the story. The teacher then reads the story to the class and author. The author then reads the story. These stories build confidence while teaching phonemics, grammar, handwriting, and punctuation. As the year progresses, the stories will become more elaborate and detailed due to the natural teaching of writing that occurs during this time. It also meets a language arts standard for kindergarten in which children are to ask 'how' and 'why' questions. I will be sending copies of our class ILES' on Monday. Enjoy!

Here is September's homework:
9/14- Draw 3 things that start with p.
9/15- Math Sheet
9/16- Draw 3 things that start with c.
9/17- Tell an adult at least one thing about fall and draw a picture.
9/21- Math Sheet
9/22- Draw 3 things that start with a.
9/23- Draw 3 things that start with n.
9/24- Math Sheet
9/28- Draw 3 things that start with d.
9/29- Name sheet (front)
9/30- Draw things that start with g, Math Sheet.

***Your child should read at least one book per night and you should fill out and initial the reading log.

***Your child should practice his/her No Excuse Words and Letters/Sounds nightly.

Our latest slideshow:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

This week was AWESOME!!! We even had one day where EVERYONE but one person was on purple!!! A few notes for you:

*As of Monday, I WILL allow your child to bring a water bottle with his/her name on it to be used ONLY for recess. If you choose to send a water bottle with your child, please be sure you explain to your child that this is ONLY for recess and they are responsible for keeping it in their backpack until that time.

*If you would like to order books online, go to www.scholastic.com/clubsordering. Our name is bshepherdsclass and our password is bookclub.

*School picture day is Sept. 3. Please dress your child appropriately. We WILL have PE that day, so if you need to, you can send sneakers in your child's backpack. Picture days are the ONLY days we allow students to change shoes at school.

*Library books will come home today. The best way to keep up with these is to keep them in your child's backpack and return them there when you are done reading them with your child.

*Our first Early Release day will be Sept. 11. You will getting info soon on dismissal. I will post this on our blog, too.

*If you have any questions/concerns, I will be available for conferences 'after hours' on October 6. I can schedule conferences as late as 6. If you would like to go ahead and schedule a conference, let me know!

*This is the BEST class so far about keeping all notes/money IN the homework folders and returning them daily. Great job!!!

I'm posting more pics this afternoon, so keep a lookout! Have a great weekend!

We had a great first week of kindergarten! Everyone is adjusting well to the rules/expectations of our school. We have had a lot of fun!

We went on a bear hunt!!!

And we weren't afraid!!! I'll post pictures of everyone in centers soon! Remember to check your child's orange folder EACH day for important information. Have a great weekend!

If you are reading this blog, I'm guessing someone you know will be in my class this year. I am very excited to meet you and get to know your little one. As you know, in the letter I provided my email address. Please feel free to email me with any questions or concerns. And PLEASE be sure to attend Back to School Night on Thursday, August 13 from 4:30 to 6:30. This will be a great time for you and your child to see our classroom and ask any questions you may have.

On the back of the letter you received in the mail was our kindergarten supply list. I crossed out scissors and pencil box because we use community supplies in our classroom. If you have already bought these things, feel free to keep them at home for homework or return them to the store. Also, please do NOT write your child's name on the bottle of glue, glue sticks, or crayons. As mentioned, these will be community supplies. Please DO write your child's name on his/her backpack (full-sized, non-rolling) and his/her extra clothes.

Also, please feel free to see any previous posts on this blog to get an idea of what your child will be doing/learning this year. If you look to the right of this post and scroll down, you will see the list of No Excuse Words your child will learn this year, as well as links to previous posts. In the coming weeks, be sure to continue to check the right side of the screen as skills of the week, upcoming events, and our poem of the week will be posted.

I can't wait to meet all of you! Here's to a fun, exciting year!!!!!!!!

The graduation program will begin at 8:30. After that, you are invited to come back to our classroom for a reception. Then, we will have our grade-level pizza party. The cost is $3 for children and $4 for adults, to include drinks. We need the money to be turned in ASAP. Thanks!

This is all from the green flyer sent home on Wednesday:
Dismissal times for June 1-3 are as follows:
Early Car Riders 10:50 dismissal
Late Car Riders 11:05 dismissal

No School Monday, May 25.

Kindergarten Graduation is May 28th at 8:30.

Please have your child check lost and found for any missing items. All unclaimed items will be donated to Goodwill.

Please be sure to clear all balances before school ends.

2009-1010 School Year:
August 13- Back to School Night from 4:30-6:30
August 17- First Day of School

I will be doing report card assessments and will be sending home more individualized homework to meet your child’s needs. For example, if your child cannot count to 100 by him/herself that will be the homework your child is assigned until it is mastered.

Therefore, if you do not get notes from me or Mrs. Smith telling you what your child’s homework is, then he/she should work on the book in your child's folder for at least 10 minutes. If he/she finishes the book, please send it in and we’ll send another one.

Your child should also read for at least 10 minutes each night.

May 22- Mud Day:
Each year after our unit on Matter we have Mud Day. Mud Day is a time when the entire kindergarten class goes out to the kindergarten playground and we have a time of experiential learning (not sure if that's a word, but if not, it should be!). From playing in mud, to racing cars down slides, to melting ice, this day is meant for children to experience matter in a new way. Armed with all of their new knowledge, children begin making observations and comments that demonstrate what they have learned. The kids WILL play in mud and water, so you will want to be sure to send them in clothes appropriate for the activities. More info will be coming soon.

May 27- Field Day:
Mrs. Marvin, our PE teacher, had this to say about PE day: It starts at 8:30 and goes till about 11 or depending on when kindergarten goes to eat. Parents are definitely welcome to come walk around with their kids. There will be 6 areas with 4 stations at each area. The events will be individual, partner and team.

May 28- Awards/Graduation Day:
Certificates of Completion and awards will be given to all kindergarteners at 8:30 in the cafeteria. After the awards are given, you are invited to come down to our classroom to celebrate the year with your child. We will then have a Pizza Lunch with the other kindergarten classes. Pizza and drinks will be $2. You are welcome to stay and eat lunch with your child. Each adult and/or sibling must also pay for pizza. Everyone will be asked to pay the $2 per person BEFORE the day of the lunch. We will be sending forms home for this, so keep an eye out!

We are in the process of doing LOTS of assessments.

We will be having a reception and pizza lunch after Awards Day on May 28, I'll post more info later today!

Thanks to all of the wonderful guest readers! We've had some from our class visit other classes and some from other classes visit ours. Here are pictures: