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

Kindergarten Eve

I had such a great time with you all on Thursday! It was so good to spend a few minutes each with most (not all) of my students. I feel like I have a pretty good head start on tomorrow. And I enjoyed hearing from many of you that your child is looking forward to kindergarten with a little less anxiety.

Thursday would not have worked nearly so well for me if not for Ruby Kocher, Summer’s mom, who worked along side my daughter and me getting everything in order for the children. Special thanks to Tanner, Summer’s brother and my former student, who organized the Legos.

Here are some notes to help you navigate tomorrow:

When you come in, there will be a place for lunches over the cubbies. The children will choose where to put their cubbie in the shelves. They will also be asked to make a nametag. If they arrive early, they may play outside, but not in the classroom. I don’t want them to get started in play and be interrupted when it’s time to come to group. As close to 8:30 as possible, I will welcome the children to the circle, where we will have a group time focused on learning some basic things about our class. After that, I will release them to the centers: art, math and language arts.

You are welcome to stay for as much of the morning as you think will help your child feel comfortable and will support their growing independence. You should let your child know the plan before you come to school, (i.e., “I am going to stay until you go to centers,” or “until you sit down for group.”) Make sure you tell them exactly when and where they will see you again, and how fun it will be for you to hear how their day went. If you need to leave and are having trouble with separating, please let me know. If you stay, I will likely put you to work.

If you would like an update as to how your child is doing, you may call the office and Joan will come and check in with me and let you know.

Please email me with any questions about tomorrow. Beginnings are so important, and I am looking forward to a great one!

Morgan