Week of December 5 - 9

Dear Parents,

What a great start to the month of December! The scholars and I had a glorious time this week creating “short a” sound words, cutting and pasting letters onto a card and reading the words they made (van, man, ran, fan, etc.).  We worked on Chapter 3 (Matching and Counting) in our math book and learned about “more” and “less” to count objects.  We also explored our five senses in order to observe the world around us with more accuracy.  Throughout the week, each scholar completed worksheets in a packet I put together for them. They all did a great job - please look for the completed packet when it comes home on Monday.  The students also made snowmen that will displayed in our front hallway this Holiday season.  Each child designed clothing, etc. for a snowman.  They are so cute! Enjoy!

Lessons This Week...

This week in phonics, we are moving past “short a” and onto “short i.” We will begin a new book in our phonics series, “Six Kids.” As such, we will be making words and playing rhyming games to get familiar with the sound. Accordingly, two of our spelling words this week have this sound - “fit” and “pin.”

Our sight words this week (the other two spelling words), “but” and “had,” will become very useful to us as our reading skills improve.  We will use the word “but” to show comparison and talk about “had” in terms of what we possess. *When you are studying the words with your scholar this week, pay special attention to how he/she writes the “b” and “d” in these words. We want to make sure they not only see the difference in the letters, but understand the different sounds attached to each.*

In math, we will be completing chapter 3 and taking our “test” on Friday. This week, we will be interacting with counters (small objects) to be able to see when things are more and/or less. 

I’m very excited for our science lessons this week. We are starting our Earth Science curriculum and will be discussing mountains, rivers/oceans, valleys, and deserts. As we learn a new concept each day, we will be creating a “scene” of landforms. I can’t wait to see how they turn out!

Manner and Classroom Management

We spent some time last week learning about manners. Each scholar drew a picture about what he or she thought good manners looked like. I wrote their thoughts down and then each scholar came up with his or her own discipline strategy if he or she was ever in a situation where good manners were not being used.  They really understood the concept and challenged themselves with appropriate restrictions.  As the children are getting older, exploring the boundaries between classroom versus playground behavior, I think this new management strategy might hold them even more accountable for their actions.  

Also, based on the book How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath, on Monday we will be implementing another management strategy, too.  Each scholar will be given a jar (we are going to refer to it as their “bucket”) with a certain number of “drops” in it.  For every good action, students receive a “drop.” For every not so smart action (silly choices, I call them), a “drop” gets taken out.  Our goal is to have our bucket overflowing, for that just makes life all the better...

If you have any questions about either of these strategies, please do not hesitate to contact me. Ms. Diane knows all the ins-and-outs of this, too, if you need some clarification when you pick up your child in the evening.

Holiday Festivities

Santa Claus is coming to our farm on Wednesday, December 14th. We will also be having our Holiday party in class that afternoon. This time, we are going to do a lunchtime party. Details will be posted our our classroom clipboard this week.  

Our Winter Recital is on Friday, December 16th. Kindergarten, along with Ms. Melissa’s toddlers and Ms. Denise and Ms. Sandy’s Pre-Kindergartners, will be singing especially for you!  The concert starts at 2:30 p.m. in Room 2. 

Book Club

Okay, this isn’t a “club” per-se, but I still want to share with you books I think your children will enjoy... so here are some more books for you to peruse - - 

Whoops... first thing's first, though - don't just take my suggestions... as a parent of an emergent reader, you MUST buy this (includes lists of AMAZING titles - quality words, quality literature):  

The ABCs of Literacy: Preparing Our Children for Lifelong Learning by Cynthia Dollins, EdD

Okay, onto some suggestions...

How Full is Your Bucket? For Kids by Tom Rath

Red Sings from Treetops: A Year in Colors  by Joyce Sidman

Owl Moon by Jane Yolen

Never Smile at a Monkey by Steve Jenkins

Miss Rumphius by Barbara Cooney 

Once a Mouse... by Marcia Brown

Dreams by Ezra Jack Keats

Interrupting Chicken by David Ezra Stein

Always Room for One More by Sorche Nic Leodhas 

We could be a club, though. I’ll come up with a catchy name...

As Always...

If you have any questions, comments, or concerns please feel free to email me, stop by the classroom, talk to Ms. Diane, or leave a comment on our blog.  Please become a “follower” of our blog and “like” our school’s Facebook page, if you haven’t already done so.

Have a terrific week!

Mrs. Stuhr

... and Santa Claus visits on Wednesday, December 14th

Our Classroom Rules (as discussed today in class)

In terms of classroom conduct, the main ideas we will explore this year are 

being responsible for your actions, 

making good choices, 

and following a series of directions.  

My motto: If we follow the directions, we can have fun.

I began the school year by introducing a model for the students to follow when I have directions to give.  This is a “quiet signal” to help get their attention. When the students hear me say, “Can I get a High-Five?” this means: 

1. Eyes on the teacher, 

2. Ears listening, 

3. Mouths closed, 

4. Feet quiet, 

and 5. Hands still. 

Making good choices and following directions always results in something positive. There are three ways I reward good behavior in our classroom: 

1. Stickers to feed our tree pet, Warren Fuzzy (just something fun to keep the kids guessing!); 

2. Good Behavior/Good Work Awards (awards are available daily and a prize drawing is every Friday); 

and 3. Super Points for our Super Word Wall (each day, a “Super” goal is set to be met by the entire class by the end of the day. If the entire class, for instance, was “Super Polite” for the day, a letter will be revealed on the Super Word wall. The letters spell a sentence, revealing a class prize).  

If, unfortunately, a child is having a rough day and not making good choices, I feel its important to give that child an opportunity to make a better decision for him/herself. We have a “Time to Think” chair in our room for just this.  This is how it works:  each child is given two warnings when poor choices are being made.  If a third warning is reached, I ask him/her to spend two minutes in the thinking chair to make a decision: Do you want to stay in the classroom or do you want to leave?  If they want to stay, the child is given the opportunity to start the day anew (as simple as reentering the classroom on a clean slate).  If they child wants to leave, he/she will leave the classroom to talk to Ms. Diane.  Hey, some days are just terrible, horrible, no good, very bad days... Knowing this, each child is given two chances in the “Time to Think” chair each day.

Lastly, I have a ZERO TOLERANCE POLICY for bullying (i.e. hitting, spitting, name-calling, etc.). If a child hits another student, he/she is sent to the office. Period. Also, I do not accept a simple “I’m Sorry” for bullying behavior.  This year, we are going to pay special attention to “I feel” statements to work out our problems.  I will help the students “talk it out” and make sure they end by “hugging it out, too.”  Everyone should feel loved in our classroom!

From the bottom of my heart... the only place I want your child to be is in our classroom.  I can honestly say - our classroom is a better place with your child in it.  Each of us our worthy of an education and the love and respect that comes from being in a safe, productive classroom. 

If you have any questions, concerns, or comments about this policy, please do not hesitate to email me, stop by the classroom, or talk to Ms. Diane.

Thanks for your help reinforcing our behavior models for the school year,

Mrs. Stuhr