Happy Halloween!

We are really in a groove in kindergarten now. The project presentations went very well for every child. I was amazed at how much information each child had learned about 'their' animal.

Now we have moved into learning about the habitats in San Diego County. The children have been sharing stories of close encounters with local native animals. Last Monday we visited Mission Trails Regional Park, where our friend Ranger Heidi taught us how to look for signs of wild animals around us. Later in November we will visit the San Diego Natural History Museum for a workshop about how the Kumayay utilized the native habitat. I will need five drivers/helpers on that trip.

I am sticking a reminder here about signing up to work in the classroom during centers (8:30 to 10). If every family does two mornings a month, we will be able to offer more challenging academics to the children. If you can, please sign up. If you are hesitating, please talk to me about how I can make it easier for you. You’ll be glad you did!

Halloween was fantastic. Thanks to all of the many parents who were able to help with the carnival. I thought the middle-schoolers did a great job of setting up fun activities for the younger children. And I was proud of how our class adapted to having our cubbies taken over by a haunted house. They did better than I did!

I am very excited about our next holiday observance. Tuesday is Dia de los Muertos, a holiday of remembrance of loved ones who have passed. Ariadne’s Mother Marina has offered to help us learn how this holiday is celebrated in Mexico. We will have a small ofrenda and the children will be bringing home paper skeletons to decorate and return to school. If you like, you can send a picture of a departed loved one (even a pet) for us to include on the ofrenda. Here is a description of the holiday: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Day_of_the_dead

I hope everyone who is Trick or Treating has fun and stays safe. See you tomorrow.

Love,

Ms Morgan

Mission Trails

The weather was very cooperative - it stopped raining just as we got there and stayed nice and cool for the hike.

Pumpkin Patch, 2010

Excellent field trip! The weather was great, the children were delightful, and we had the place to ourselves most of the time. Thanks to all of the parents who made this such an easy field trip for me. Everyone else: Look at these faces to see how much fun we had!

Birch Aquarium

We had a great time.
Many things were touched and explored.


A wonder-full time was had by all.

White Sparkle Horses News Sept. 18, 2010

I was delighted with the turnout for our class meeting. I hope those of you who attended felt it was a good use of your time. It’s always a balancing act – to give enough information without overwhelming you with tangents and histories. One thing I forgot to tell you was to take a good look at your fellow kindergarten parents. Our experience tells us that these people will be with you in the child-raising journey for a long time to come.

This week brings our first field trip. On Wednesday we will visit the Birch Aquarium, view the exhibits, and participate in a hands on workshop about tide pool animals. Please send your children in comfortable shoes and sunscreen them. Most of the exhibits are inside, but we will eat our snack, our lunches, and have a bit of running around time on the patio. We may return as early as 2pm, but I indicated 3pm to be on the safe side.

On Tuesday our school recognizes International Peace Day with a whole school assembly. The classes each perform or lead a song or poem to celebrate peace. The kindergarteners will sing, “Make New Friends.” You are welcome to join us. Expect to be crowded, and to stand. It’s quite a trick getting all of the classes into the auditorium at the same.

I now have a camera, so I am able to share with you the first in a series of photos of White Sparkle Horses enjoying kindergarten.

-Morgan

Our First Week

I think the first week of school went exceptionally well. The children are adjusting quickly to our class routines, forming friendships and exploring the classroom. They seemed to especially enjoy “Book Buddies.” We will be reading with our fifth grade book buddies every Thursday. Your child is welcome to bring a special book to school to have their buddy read to them on that day. Sometimes the fifth graders will bring a book to share and that’s fun too.

I hope you all have checked out the sign up for our class parent meeting on Thursday at 6pm. I am inviting you to bring a snack or beverage to share if you like. This is a meeting for parents so if you need childcare, please sign up on the parent bulletin board. Childcare will be offered in Jacob’s classroom next door.

Our agenda for the meeting will cover class curriculum, field trips, more about volunteering, school events, and any thing else you would like to have me talk about. One important item will be how you can help your child thrive in kindergarten.

On Friday we had ‘Found Art’ as our art center activity. The children use tape and scissors to assemble creations from a box of recycled items. I like to offer this activity every Friday and I need your help by donating the recycled things for the children to use. Suggested items include:

Ribbon

Small boxes

Cardboard tubes

Small packing Styrofoam shapes

Wrapping paper

Buttons

Small toys

Odd plastic bits

Feathers

Plastic or paper flowers

Etc – You get the idea. The found art box is on the parent work counter near the cubbies.

Over the next two weeks I am planning to do individual assessments of academic skills with each of the children. This means I will need to have periods of time, preferably in the morning when I can focus on one child at a time. The data I gather will be especially helpful during our goal setting meetings in the first week of October.

Thank you all for your support this week. You are a very conscientious group of parents and I appreciate it. Here’s to continuing adventures in learning.

Sincerely,

Ms Morgan