Wonderful Wednesday!

Thank you for such a wonderful day downtown!  I have to say that was a pretty cool field trip!  Thank you so much for your support in making this happen!  The kids had a great time, I can't wait to hear what their favorite part was!

Our concerts are tomorrow at 9:45 and 2:30!  Please have your child dress up in their nice clothes for our concert!

Friday is our pajama party!  Remember, they still need to wear tennis shoes for PE!

Have a great evening!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Terrific Tuesday!

Whew!  We got a lot done in a short amount of time!  I could definitely tell the students are excited for the next three days!  Today, we had reading groups, finished our cards for you, read the book "Rudolph To the Rescue" at the listening center!  We have a fabulous new Listening Center thanks to our PTO!  It is amazing, so thank you for your support with our fundraisers!!  Also, we played a reading and writing game!

Important things for tomorrow:

• Dress warmly:  It is COLD, so please dress your little guy or gal in warm warm clothes so they can enjoy their adventure!  Remember part of our scavenger hunt is in Riverfront Park, so lots of layers!
• Backpack:  If you are a volunteer, I am asking that you bring a backpack to wear and carry all those layers because part of the scavenger hunt is indoor as well.  Also to carry your scavenger hunt bag.  
• Stamps:  Also, if you are coming please have one or two extra stamps on you so that if the line is too long at the post office you can have your students "buy" the stamps from you.
• Camera:  Remember you are going to take pictures for our memory books downtown.  If you need a camera please let me know.  I haven't gotten an email yet, so I am assuming that everyone has a camera so far!  :)
• $3 for STA bus fare for you!  
• Show up by 9:05 in my classroom for a brief meeting!  When you come in on my big table will be a bag with your name on it!  Please get your bag and wait for the meeting to start.  When you get your bag, please check to make sure that there is exactly $7.49 in it.  

I think that is it for tomorrow, I will email if I think of anything else.

For Thursday, please have students dress up in their nice clothes again for our concert!  We did a rehearsal concert today, and they were so great!

For Friday, please make sure they only bring 1 stuffed animal or 1 pillow pet that they can fit in their backpack.  Also, they must wear PE shoes because we still have PE on Friday!  They will also get to check out a book from the Library for the break! :)

Happy Trails!  Please email me if you have any questions!

Thank you,
Angie  

Marvelous Monday!

What a fun wintery day we had today!  We started with making one of our last surprises for you!  I have to say that they were all very careful when creating this piece of art just for you!  Also, we had calendar and our math lesson focusing on the number that is one less.  In the AM class we were able to read a precious story called "Santa's Book Of Names," about a little boy who learns to read when he gets to help out santa.   The PM class will get to read this tomorrow, but today we had our December art that our AM class had last Friday!  We made wonderful little snowflakes made out of coffee filters!  They turned out really cute!  The morning class had just a few minutes of Free Choice and the PM class voted to go outside for just two minutes.  Both classes practiced our songs for our concert on Thursday, and right in the middle of our practice, Santa came in and joined in singing with us!  Wow!  The students were super excited and surprised!  He read us the story, "The Night Before Christmas," answered some questions we had for him, and then we got to take a picture that will be in our memory books!  Santa was so nice because he gave us all a candy cane from the North Pole!  It was definitely a sight to behold!  

This week is such a busy, but a fun week, so please read all the information below carefully so you know what is happening!

Tomorrow is a normal Tuesday with reading groups!  Whew!

Wednesday:  Our ALL-DAY Field Trip is this Wednesday the 17th!  

1. If you haven't emailed me yet how your child is going to get home that day, please do (parent take home from STA Five Mile Park and Ride, Pick up at Prairie View, or ride the School Bus Home, or other options). 
2.  If you are volunteering for this field trip, please come to my classroom at 9:05 to get your student group list and scavenger hunt form.  I will have a brief meeting with you, than you may leave to go to the Park and Ride at the bottom of Five Mile.  Remember, we do not have room for parents on the school bus, so you will meet us at the Five Mile Park and Ride.  Don't forget to bring $3 for your STA bus fare.  
3. If you are a volunteer, please review the scavenger hunt form that I sent you via email.  Please let me know if you have any questions.  
4. Part of the scavenger hunt includes students visiting the post office downtown and purchasing a stamp.  I have counted out exact change for your child so that it goes very quickly.  The lines could potentially be long, so I suggest bringing two extra stamps in your purse or pocket so students can "purchase" the stamp from you instead of waiting in a long line.  If you do not have extra postage please let me know.  
5. Volunteers please bring a camera to take 2 pictures downtown for our memory books, if you do not have a camera please let me know.

Thursday is our Christmas Concert!  The AM class will perform at 9:45 and the PM class at 2:30.   Please check in the office and wait until you are invited into the Multipurpose room.  The janitors are working hard to put the tables away from breakfast (AM) and lunch (PM) and put out the chairs for our concert. :)

Friday is our class party!  Students are allowed to wear pajamas and bring one small stuffed animal or pillow pet to cuddle with during the movie.  We have PE still, so please make sure tennis shoes are worn, not slippers!  Thank you!!  If you can help out during the party or by sending in treats, please email me ASAP!  :)  We still need helpers in both classes!

Winter break will soon be here!  Thank you for all your wonderful support throughout this year!

Happy Trails, 

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

  

Thursday!

Hello Parents,

It is hard to believe how fast this week is going and how we are almost to our last week in December!  Wow!  Yesterday, our PM class did an amazing job at their performance and I can't wait for you to see them next Thursday!  Remember the AM time has been moved to 9:45 and the PM time is still at 2:30.  Both of these shows will be in the Multipurpose Room (cafeteria).

Today we had reading groups focusing on our sight word "have" and writing the letter c within words that start with the letter c.  We are working hard on sounding out those words we want to write.  Today, we wrote a letter to Santa telling him if we've been naughty or nice!  They turned out pretty cute!  In both classes, we finished part of our Christmas gift to you and it is adorable!  In the PM class we had a Royal Reader to celebrate Brianna and her birthday!

Reminders:
1) Tomorrow is our Fun Friday!  Don't forget PE shoes and your child's library book!  

2) Also, if you are able to help out next Friday with the Holiday Party please email me and let me know!

3) Next week is a busy week!  Wednesday is the ALL-Day field trip.  Have your child to Prairie View by 9:15, please email me how your child is getting home if you have not yet.  Thank you!!  Thursday is the concert and Friday is our Holiday Party!

Have a great night!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Monday!!

Hello Parents,

We had such a wonderful day today!  We introduced our new letter for the week "Cc" and our new sight word "have!"  In math today, we worked on greater or less than the number 5.  We started our Christmas present for our parents today!  It is kind of a long project and they did such an amazing job following directions and painting!!  In the PM class we have only one more day left to practice before our concert at Fairwood on Wednesday!  They are practicing very hard and are just too cute!

There has been a change to our AM performance time for our concert on the 18th, it is going to be at 9:45, instead of 9:30, so please let all the people know that are coming in your family.  We have so many people coming we moved it to the multipurpose room!  :)

**Please turn in all permission forms and your $10 cash if you have not yet, I will be sending some emails tomorrow if I haven't received it yet, because we have to get things ready for our big trip next week!  As you can imagine, we are getting very excited!

Just a heads up that a very special North Pole visitor is going to be stopping by our classroom on Monday to read us a story!  This is a surprise!

Have a good night!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Thursday!!

What a snowy, beautiful day!  We had such a wonderful day!  The morning class had their concert this morning and they did such a FANTASTIC JOB!  The senior citizens loved it and raved to Mrs. Mulder for 30 minutes afterwards!  We did calendar, our Daily News, math and had a Royal Reader for Ella's birthday!

In the PM class, we practiced our songs for our concert next week on Wednesday, and had our Daily News.  We had reading groups, working on our letter Nn and the "N" sound, and our sight word "To."  In math, we worked on math vocabulary of greater and less.  In addition we worked on following directions so we knew which numbers to circle.  We worked on our retelling skills of our story "Apple Farmer Annie."

Important Reminders:

1) If you haven't turned in your little half sheet that I gave you at your Conference, please send that little half sheet in so I have your information.  Remember to keep the top half after you cut it so you have that information!  Also, remember this day is a full day field trip, from 9:15-3:15!

2)  If you haven't turned in your yellow PM concert form yet, please send that in tomorrow!

3)  If you haven't turned in your $10 cash for the Field Trip on the 17th, please send that in.  I'm sorry but we cannot accept checks because we have to break the money up to get change for our different activities.  

4) If you are volunteering for the Downtown Field Trip on 17th, please do not forget to bring your $3 on that day for your STA bus fare.  

5) Students have PE, Music and Library tomorrow!  Please do not forget to wear PE shoes!

6) If you can help with the Christmas party on the 19th, please let me know!  See times on the schedule of events.  

7) We will be performing our Christmas songs for parents and grandparents on December 18th!  

AM performance is at 9:30 AM

PM performance is at 2:30 PM

The concert will last about 30 minutes.  

Happy Trails, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Tuesday!

We are working on the /Nn/ sound this week and the sight word "to". We read a great book and learned how apples get to our supermarkets in "Apple Farmer Annie". We also did a piece of writing about what we did on Thanksgiving. 

Today, we continued our focus on the /Nn/ sound and the sight words "to", "go", "see", "like", "a", "the", "we", "can" and "I", as well as reading (sounding out, blending) words that include the sounds a, i, m, n, p, s, t.  

The students are bringing home a blue piece of construction paper where they worked on the following question: How many different ways can you place 5 pumpkins on the ground and in a wagon? Most students found a few different ways. Help your child find as many as they can (AM will bring theirs home tomorrow). 

On Thursday the AM class will be visiting an assisted living center to perform the songs we have a been practicing the past few months. 


Next Wednesday the PM class will have their turn visiting the assisted living center. 

If you have not already, please send in the field trip permission slip for your child to attend. 

I am so happy to be back!  I was able to jet down to the courthouse today right after school and they finally agreed to let me postpone my jury duty to this summer!  Yea!

Have a great night!
~Love, 
Mrs. Wittwer 

Thanksgiving!

Hi Parents,

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving with your families and safe travels!  My time was wonderful getting to catch up with family and friends.  I am so thankful that I get to teach your little Kinder!  I couldn't have a better job!  To add to that, having wonderful supportive parents is such a blessing!  It was SO great getting to meet with each of you during conference week and plan for your child!  These next few weeks will be very busy and super exciting!  I have so much planned, that I am excited just thinking about all that we get to do!

Some big things happening in December:

1) Holiday Party on December 19th:  I am looking for one parent helper from each class to head up the Christmas Party Rotations and Snacks.  I will also need volunteers during the rotations on that day.  I am planning the schedule for that day to look like this:

• 4 Rotations @ 10 minutes each = 40 minutes
• Pajama Party!  Kiddos come in their pj's to school!  They bring one stuffed animal or a pillow pet (that can fit in their backpack) to snuggle with while we watch the Snowman Movie by Raymond Briggs.  
• Specialists (PE, Music, and Library) 

2) Concerts at Retirement Communities!  Remember there isn't room at the facilities for parents to come watch, but we will have a concert for parents and grandparents to come watch!  Look below!  :)  

        December 4th our AM class going to Fairwinds!  

        December 10th our PM class is going to Fairwood!

3) Concert in Classroom for Parents and Grandparents on December 18th!  

     AM concert will be at 9:30 and PM concert will be at 2:30!

4) All Day Scavenger Hunt Field Trip on December 17th!  This is a walking Field Trip so you will be indoor and outdoor!  Please make sure your child (and you) dresses in super warm gear so they can enjoy the whole field trip.  I would rather them be too warm, than too cold!  Also make sure they wear shoes appropriate for walking around all day.

5) In addition to reading groups, I will be doing some grouping for math at different times throughout the week.  This way each child gets individualized attention when it comes to math too!  

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer    

Happy Thursday!

Wow!  What a great day!  We were able to get through everything today in AM and PM classes, including a recess at the end of the day!  Today, we started out making all our letters with Play Dough, and even creating things that start with some of our letters that we have learned (snake, snail, turtle).  Then we had calendar, and today was a very special day because Zero The Hero came because today is our 50th day of school!  Can you believe it?  We are half way to our 100th day of school!  Then we wrote about something special we can see in our classroom!  I can see ____.  Students wrote the sight words they know how to spell and sounded out the words they wanted to write to finish their sentence.  During reading groups, we read our readers, worked on our sight word of the week:  see, ex: I am so happy to see you here today!  Our letter of the week is Tt, so we worked with words that start with Tt!  In math, we were working on the numbers 8 and 9, counting, filling in a five frame and coloring counters.  You can see this page in your child's backpack tonight!

Reminders:

1. Tomorrow we have Library, Music and PE so please return any Library books and help your little peanut to get their PE shoes on!
2. Schedule your child's conference if you have not yet at 465-7800
3. Dress your child in a warm coat, hat and gloves (label them all with your child's name).
4. If you can come on our Field Trip December 17th please email me to let me know you can make it!  If you have emailed me, I have you down!  Thank you to those of you who have said you can come already!  I am still looking for about 5 more adults to come, so if you can, please do!  It is all day on the 17th!
5. Homework Folders are due tomorrow!
6. Conference week is our normal schedule for Kindergarten, it is different for every other grade but us from November 20-26th!  :)  

Have a great night!  Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Wonderful Sunny Wednesday!

The kiddos were very happy to be back! They worked so hard and we had an awesome day!

We started our day with entry task (writing the number 9), a loop and a down line, thats the way to make a nine! We had reading groups today where kids worked on writing the letter Tt, the letter T sound, our ABC books, reading, and listening. We also did our question can for the letter T (ask your child what was in the can), and "What's in Mrs. Wittwer's bag?" picture guess for the letter T. During math we worked on reviewing numbers 6 and 7, counting the objects, writing the number and drawing how many counters fit the picture. Finally, we used our detective eyes to adventure walk around our classroom to find something new that we haven't noticed before, so to "see what we could see." 

Important Information:

1. If you have not scheduled your child's conference yet with me, please call the office at 465-7800 to do this.

2. During conference week (Nov. 21-26), grades 1-6 have half days; however, kindergarten will keep our normal schedule (AM: 9:15-11:45 and PM: 12:45-3:15). Please let me know if you have any questions regarding conference week.

3. December 17th is our ALL DAY field trip. We will be sending more information home at conference time. We need 1 parent to every 2 students,  otherwise we cannot go on this field trip.

4. Tomorrow is our book exchange. If your child needs a new book OR level, please send a note in their plastic folder.  Remember book exchange days are only Monday and Thursday!   
5. Library books are due tomorrow as well.

Today was a great day!  So beautiful outside and so great to be back with your child!  With the chilly weather, please make sure you have your little peanut in a warm coat, gloves and a hat!  It also helps me out if you label your child's clothing, I have a little lost and found in my room, but I can help get it to the right child if there is a name!

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Thursday!

What a wonderful day!  The students did a marvelous job today at the Veteran's Day Assembly!  I was so proud of them and their performance!  It was very cool to see your family photos that you turned in for the Veteran slideshow.  We also read the folktale of "The Little Red Hen!"  Discussing how the mouse, cat and dog were not good helpers, so they didn't get to partake in the reward at the end.  In math, we also worked on the count on strategy in math with a ten frame.    

Tomorrow, we have PE, Music, and Library!  Please have your child wear their PE shoes!

Also, tomorrow is a funky day because the rest of the school has a half day, and our PM class still has school like normal!  Just to give you a heads up, this schedule will also happen the week of Conference Week!

Reminder: No school on Monday and Tuesday!  Please remember to honor your friends and family that are Veterans of our great country this weekend!

Happy Wednesday!

Today, we had a great day filled with Reading, Writing and Math!  We read a Times Article for Kids about Helping Hands and all the ways hands can help others!  Talk about some of the ways your child can help with their hands.  We worked on "math pathways" today!  This means having a strategy when counting to make sure we count every bean (or something else) and to make sure we don't count it more than once.  This week we are reviewing how to read and write all 6 of our sight words, and all 4 of our letters, sounds and even how to blend them together (map, sam, sap, etc.)!

I, can, we, the, like, a

Mm, Aa, Pp, Ss

Don't forget, tomorrow is the Veteran's Day Assembly!  Please have your child wear Red, White and Blue for our performance!  Come about 10 minutes early to make sure you get a seat!  This is the only time these two songs will be performed!    

AM performance is at 9:45

PM performance is at 2:00  

This Friday is a half day for grades 1-6, but for Kindergarten it is business as usual, so there is school for the AM (9:15-11:45) and PM (12:45-3:15) classes this Friday like normal.  

If you have not signed up yet for our Fall Conference, please call 465-7800 to schedule a time that works for you!  I love partnering with you parents, and this is a very special time that you and I get to talk and discuss your little peanut!

Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Tuesday!

Wow, we worked super hard today!  We completed two of our fall assessments today, so students were taught how to use our "offices" and the expectations for how we work on our assessments.  Today we started with writing upper and lowercase letters from A to Z or as many as we could.  Then had a great time at calendar, and played a little "Mrs. Wittwer Says" (like Simon Says).  This week we are reviewing our sight words and reviewing Ss and Pp.  We learned about a panda today, so our Daily News is about "A panda..."  Then we had our first rehearsal in the cafeteria for our Veteran's Day Assembly.  We finished strong with our fall writing assessment, showing me everything they know how to do on their own!  I am so proud of my students and the wonderful effort they gave me today!

The Veteran's Day Assembly this Thursday will be the only time they are performing these songs we have been working on in music.  At the end of the year, we will have a performance, but we will be singing different songs.  So if you want to see these songs, this Thursday is the day!  9:45 (AM) and 2:00 (PM)!  Also, if you have a picture of a loved one that served in the miliary, please send them tonight or tomorrow to:

 melanie.wiser@mead354.org

Have a great night!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

November is here!

We had such a nice Monday! We are reviewing the letter sounds /p/, /s/, /m/, /a/ this week and the sight words we have learned so far: "I", "can", "we", "the", "a", "like". Our really big focus of the day was on writing!  We went through the whole writing process today, starting with our routine of getting our folders, how to sound out the words they want to write, sketch, label and color their picture when they are done.  The students wrote and illustrated the sentence "On October 31 I...". They had so many great stories and memories about this past Friday! :)  

I am going to get on my homework soapbox just for one minute.  On your nightly homework, please remember to help your child sound out the sounds in the words/sentences they want to write.  If you are writing it and having them write (copy) it, they are working on handwriting skills, not the skills in "writing."  I know it is so hard, but that is what I am looking for on their homework each week.  If students only know a few sounds, help them to write down the sounds they know.  Each word should be separated by a finger space so we know that is a word.  For example, if your child wants to write the sentence "I like to bike!" they could write "I lik t bik" or other variations, but these are great because those are the sounds they hear.  If you have any questions about how to help foster this at home I would love to chat about it.       

In the AM class, we read a wonderful book about friendship titled, "Simon and Molly Plus Hester" (PM will read this book tomorrow). 

 

We are also continuing to practice our songs for the Veteran's Day assembly this Thursday. They are doing a really great job singing and performing the hand motions.   Assembly times: 

9:45 for AM

2:00 for PM

Have a great evening!

Love, 

~Mrs. Wittwer

Also, tomorrow is a very important day because it is when your voting ballots are due!

Happy Halloween!

What a fun day today!  We visited our buddies and had a really fun time in PE and Music in the gym with Mrs. Snider's Kindergarten class!  Also, our Minute To Win It games were a huge success!  So much fun!

Here is what the students did as fast as they could in 1 minute:
1)  Mummy Wrap: Wrap a friend like a mummy and be mummy wrapped by a friend with Toilet Paper.
2) Spider Pick Up: Where students picked up glow in the dark critters with chop sticks or tweezers.
3) Cookie Face:  Where students start with a cookie on their forehead and without using their hands they had to try to get it into their mouth.
4) Spider Toss:  Students tossed as many critters into a bowl as they could.
5) S'more Vampire:  Using vampire teeth (or just their own teeth) students moved as many marshmallows from one plate to another.

We had such a fun time!  Thank you parents for all your help today and support!  It was a huge success because you were able to help run the stations!  Thank you!  Thank you!

Have a happy and safe Halloween!

Reminders:
1) Monday is a book exchange day, so please send in your child's book with a note.  If you send it in on other days, I do not have a helper to exchange it, sorry!

2) The Veteran's Day Assembly is next Thursday at 9:45 (AM) and 2:00 (PM).  Please have your child wear Red, White, and Blue on Thursday for the Assembly!

3) Call the office to schedule your conference time with me at 465-7800.

Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

 

Happy Thursday!!

We started the day adding details to our ABC books. This was followed by calendar time and reporting our daily news. During reading groups the students worked on their sight words, letter sounds for /m/, /a/, /p/, /s/, reading, and listening.  Also during reading groups, students created the letter Pp with Play Dough, and made a sweet Halloween Page that we will get to take home tomorrow.  During math, the students worked on the number 8, as well as finding the hidden partners within the number 8 (eg. 5+3). Finally, we read the story The Lion and the Mouse and made it outside for a short recess. 

Information about Halloween tomorrow:

1. Please send your child in their costume tomorrow, as we do not have time to change into them.    
2. Don't forget tennis shoes for PE!
3. Please apply any makeup or face painting at home.
4. If you are a parent helper coming, please see the schedule below to be sure of the time.  Please arrive at least 5 minutes early to help with any set up (9:45 AM) (1:55 PM).  If you need to bring a sibling or younger child, that is great!  
5. Please no weapons, blood, guts or scary costumes (G rated)!  :)

Can't wait!  It's going to be awesome! 

AM Schedule:
9:25-9:45     4th Grade Buddies
9:50-10:50   Halloween Party in our classroom (parent helpers needed during this time)
10:55-11:45 PE and Music (No Library on this day) 

PM Schedule:
12:45-1:35 PE and Music (No Library on this day)
1:40-2:00   4th Grade Buddies
2:00-3:00   Halloween Party in our classroom (parent helpers needed during this time)

Happy Tuesday!

What a great day!  It was packed full of fun!  We practiced saying the sound and writing our letter of the week...Pp!  Our sight word of the week is A!  As in "A bug sat on a log."  We practiced writing our sight word of the week today in reading groups, as well as reading our leveled readers that had our sight word (and review sight words).  The listening center book was a cute Halloween story "A Ghost In The House," where all the scary things are scared of a boy.  We read several poems today, discussing rhyming words and how some poems rhyme and some do not.  For math we worked on the hidden partners of the number 7 and we wrote the number 7 in our number books.  Here is how we write a seven:

Fall Conferences are coming soon!  Over the next few days, I will be starting our Assessments for Fall Conferences.  Please call the office at 509-465-7800 to schedule your conference time with me.  If there isn't a day or time that works for you, please email me and we will find a time that works.  

*Remember for Halloween, students and anyone coming to school can (and encouraged) wear a costume.  We only ask that students and parents:

• not wear masks and have minimal face painting (so we can tell who they are)
• do not have a bloody or gory costumes
• follow school dress code policy
• not have any real or fake weapons

If you have a treat you would like to send in, please remember our school policy of store bought items only that do not have any traces of nuts in them.  We do not have any nut allergies in our room, but we have many students traveling around the school and come into our classroom for buddies, etc.  

Happy Trails!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer    

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!

I hope you all had a great weekend! We had a marvelous Monday! Today our focus was the /Pp/ sound and the sight word "a". We read words, books, and several poems with the initial sound being /Pp/.  We discussed and practiced how writers use their writing tools and paper correctly, then we practiced what it looks like to free draw and free write.  We also read a beautiful story titled "Friends All Around".  We discussed how friends may be the same and different and even argue or disagree at times and how to handle it. (In the PM class we will read this book tomorrow!)  At the end of the day, we practiced our songs for the Veteran's Day Assembly with Mrs. Longmeier's class.  In the PM class, we had a wonderful finish to our afternoon with Art!  Thank you to all the volunteers that showed up and helped plan this event!  It was a complete success thanks to you!!   


For our Halloween party coming up this Friday, don't forget, all students come to school in their costumes!  If you are volunteering, please plan on joining the fun and dress up too!  We are still in need of:

8 bags of big marshmallows
4 sets of chop sticks

Everything else people have said they will bring!  Thank you parents!
Have a great evening!  Happy Trails!
~Love, 
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Friday!

Today was a great day that rushed by!  We had a Royal Reader this morning for Max's birthday!  We traced and colored a leaf art project with our 4th grade buddies!  It was great fun because we got to go up the stairs and see their classrooms!  In the AM, we got to make our portfolio holders for all our art for the year!  We also wrote the number 6! Make a stick and a loop, a six makes a hoop!  We start at the top line, write a line down and make a loop! Make sure the loop connects and there are not any corners!  6! Then we had Music, PE and Library!  In Library we were able to preview the Book Fair, if you would like to come in with your child, here are the book fair hours for next week:

Monday 9 am - 7 pm 

Tuesday 9 am - 7 pm

Wednesday 9 am - 4 pm

Thursday is the last day!  Open from 9 am - 4 pm

Whoohoo!  I am so excited for our Halloween Party next week!  We are going to play some really fun "Minute To Win It" games!  Parents if you can come join us, I know your kiddos would love it and I can use your help running a table!  We have a special activity planned with our 4th grade buddies next week for Halloween too, so below I will post the times for AM and PM!  If you are able to come, email me (some of you already have!  Thank you!!)  For our games, I do have some items that would be helpful if you could send in:

Please email me if you can bring in or have any of the following you could send in:
40 Toilet Paper rolls
4 bags of Oreos or other store/bakery bought cookie (small cookies only please, size matters for this game)  :)
10 bags of big marshmallows
4 sets of chop sticks

I ordered or have everything else we need!

AM Schedule:
9:25-9:45     4th Grade Buddies
9:50-10:50   Halloween Party in our classroom (parent helpers needed during this time)
10:55-11:45 PE and Music (No Library on this day)

PM Schedule:
12:45-1:35 PE and Music (No Library on this day)
1:40-2:00   4th Grade Buddies
2:00-3:00   Halloween Party in our classroom (parent helpers needed during this time)

Have a fantastic weekend!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Today started in a great way!  Wow what an AMAZING turnout for Donuts with Dad!  I don't know if I've ever seen that many dads here before!  So cool!  The students were so excited to have you here and show you our classroom and also the writing they have been working super hard on!  

After Donuts with Dads, we worked on a writing piece "I can___."  We are working on writing sentences, sounding out the words we want to write, and writing the sounds we hear.  Our math lesson today was working with beans and putting them in different arrangements to count them (array, circle, square, etc).  This is working up to our subitizing standard, being able to look at a number of items and tell how many are there.  We also discussed our school rules, routines, and how to be a good friend.  In reading groups, we read the book "When Dinosaurs Came with Everything," as well as drew 6 pumpkins, seeds and the numbers that corresponded with the number of seeds and continued to work on Ss and our sight words.  We also listened to the Fable "The City Mouse and the Country Mouse."  We learned a fable is short story that teaches a lesson.  Today's lesson learned was to be happy with what you have, like the country mouse.  A question you could ask your child is "What are some things that you are happy or thankful you have?"  

One last piece of information, the students will be performing at our Prairie View Veteran's Day Assembly. 

The assembly will be at 9:45 (AM class) and 2:00 (PM class) on Thursday, Nov. 6th.  Please join us for the assembly and have your child wear red, white or blue colors (if possible). 

Important Information:

1. Homework folders are due tomorrow! Please be sure your child's homework is in the folder and ready to be turned in. 

2. We have P.E. tomorrow. Please be sure your child wears appropriate shoes.

3. We have library tomorrow. All library books need to be checked in tomorrow.

4. October 24-30 there will be a Book Fair in the library.

5. Just a heads up: on November 7, 2014 1st-6th grades have a half day; HOWEVER, PM kindergarten class will still be held from 12:45-3:15pm.

Links to Websites

Hi Parents,

I spent a few hours tonight researching some good websites that help promote academic learning for our little kindergarteners, so if your child has some free time after homework or on the weekends, they can look or play on some of these websites.  All of them are free except for the two IXL websites, however IXL does give you 20 free questions per day, you could also buy a year membership if you are so inclined.  The website Adapted Mind looks like a really good free math website (it looks a little similar to IXL) that works on a lot of our skills, it says first grade, but most of those skills are our Kindergarten Common Core standards that we will be working on this year.  I hope this serves a great resource for you and your family!  As I find more I will add them to the list.

Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Wednesday!

What a rainy day!  I hope you are cozy and enjoying the rain from inside this evening!  Just a little reminder to make sure you help your child to dress in appropriate gear for the weather so when we go outside they are warm and snug.  We had an exciting day of working with our math cubes to continue to find the hidden partners, and to arrange our manipulatives in an array, and to find how many more we need to have a complete set.  In writing, we continued our practice of writing our sight words and finished the last of our writing for our dads for tomorrow!  We also continued to write our letter of the week, Ss, words that begin with Ss and sentences that include S.  In reading, we read our decodable books.

Dads, see you tomorrow morning from 8:15 to 9:00!

Next Friday is Halloween!  We have a very fun tradition here at Prairie View that the students come to school dressed up in their costume!  We also do a Kindergarten version of the school parade and we get to parade into our 4th grade buddies room and sing a song with our buddies.  We will then have a class party that will be about 50 minutes long.  Parents if you can help with this party that would be amazing, please email me if you can come and stay for those 50 minutes in our classroom to help run rotations!  We do not participate in the whole school activity since that is something they will get to do when they are first graders.  We will still have our specialists that day, so please be sure to help your child wear their PE shoes.  It is going to be awesome!  Parents if you would like to send in a non-edible surprise for the class to give out as prizes that would be great.

Happy Trails,
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Terrific Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!  We had a great and busy day today!  We started with counting the sides and points of triangles and squares, putting beans on the corners and creating number sentences with them.  A number sentence is 3 + 1 = 4, it shows that 3 + 1 is the same as 4.  Then in the morning class we finished our special surprise for our dads.  We had reading groups, where we worked on writing our sight words, Like, I, am, The, and can!  We also worked on our word of the week Like!  Then we worked on the Ss and the sounds that the letter S make, Ss (sit) and Sh (shoe).  In addition, we read a non-fiction story about how "Friends Follow Rules."  Including why rules are important at school and at home.  Tomorrow we will continue to talk about rules, why they are important, and how to be a good friend!  We also had our vision and hearing screening today in the Library!

1. Hopefully I will see you tonight at the Twigs fundraiser, don't forget your paper coupon!
2. Dads, I look forward to seeing you on Thursday morning at 8:15-9:00 for Donuts with Dad!
3. Don't forget, Thursday is the next day that Take Home Books and envelopes are due!  Remember that sticky note!  :) 
4. If you can help tomorrow morning with reading groups from 10:20-11:10, please email me, our usual helper isn't available tomorrow (this is only for tomorrow).
5. Also, PM parents, if you can help out Monday afternoon from 2:30-3:00 please email me, I am still looking for 1-2 more parents to help out for our art project.
6. If you can volunteer to come on our Field Trip on Wednesday, December 17th, please email me and let me know!  

Thank you so much parents for all your help!!!  It is such a joy to work with you and your child!

Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday Everyone!

Yeah!  I am so happy to be back and feeling better!  This week we have a very exciting week!  Remember, Thursday, October 23 from 8:15 to 9:00 is Donuts with Dad!  Please come, get a donut with your peanut/s, and visit your child's classroom.  We have been preparing something very special for you dads!

Today, we had a great day starting with writing our new letter of the week, Ss!  We wrote Ss with old fashioned chalkboards and then took turns with Play Dough making an Ss!  Then in the morning class we made our Camilla Cream pictures, PM did this on Friday.  We have continued our David Shannon author study.  He wrote the book "A Bad Case of Stripes," which is a great book, about how Camilla Cream needed to be true to herself.  When you come to school you will see them in the hallway!

We continued working on our special project for our dads, worked on writing our letter Ss in capital letters and lowercase letters.  Our sight word for the week is the work "Like."  Please practice reading, spelling and writing these at home.  Then practiced writing our numbers 4 and 5 as well!  We read the book "Seal eats a Sandwich," which as you can probably guess has a lot of "s" words in it!  It's very silly what the seal has for supper!

Help needed:

1. PM Help!  Next Monday in the PM class, I need as many volunteers as I can get from 2:30-3:00 as we can for our art.  Lets just say it involves a lot of paint and when we did it in the morning class last week we had a lot of parent help, which was very helpful for this particular project.  So if you can come Monday the 27th from 2:30-3:00 please email me and let me know you can make it!
2. Hip Hip Hooray, we have our Field Trip Day planned!  It is going to be Wednesday, December 17th all day!  If you can volunteer to be a parent helper that day, I would SO appreciate it!  We need as many parent helpers as we can that day!  Our goal is to have a 1 to 2 ratio if possible.  So please put it on your calendars and email me to let me know you can make it! 
3. Tomorrow is Twigs night!  Our school gets a percentage of what ever you spend if you give them the paper copy of the twigs coupon that went home in the homework folder.  You can also print a new copy at our PTO website if you misplaced that.  They ONLY accept the paper copy, no just showing it on your smart phone.  

Thank you so much for all your support parents!  I love partnering with you to help your sweet little peanuts successful!  Prairie View is a great place to work because of your kiddos and parents like you!!

Happy Trails!

~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Magnificent Monday!

Happy Monday!

Now that everyone has had a chance to be the "Happy Camper"; today we started our "Camp Ranger" routine. Ella (am) and Emily (pm) were our "Camp Rangers" in class today. They were the special helper with calendar, morning/afternoon message, and Kindergarten Daily News. The "Camp Rangers" will also be bringing home their class' bear and Happy Camper binder. In the binder you will find our classroom rules and a note to read together, along with all of the students' interviews from when they were the "Happy Camper". Please take a moment to read through the binder with your child when your child is the Camp Ranger!

Today, we had a wonderful day! We began working on a special project for Doughnuts for Dads (Thursday, October 23 from 8:15-9:00 am), read and discussed a wonderful book titled, "Peter's Chair", reviewed sounds and words that began /m/ and /a/ and "the" and "we" sight words, learned that the math word for none is zero, wrote zero and learned the chant while writing we say: 

"Curve from the top, be a hero, 
Close the loop and make a zero!"

Students were able to get some free choice time today, so be sure you ask your child what they chose to do.  :)    

Homework folders came home today, please make sure you are taking the time to help your child sound out the words they want to write.  They should be writing the sounds they hear while stretching out the word.  Right now it's ok and expected that they are not spelling words exactly correct, we want them to be listening for the sounds they hear and writing those sounds.  For the sentence " I like biking" they might write  "I lik bikeng" or a different variation.  Please keep practicing the sounds different letters make every night at home, in the car, any time you can because this helps the reading and writing process SO very much!  Thank you for all your support!

Have a great night!
~Love, 
Mrs. Wittwer

Rockin Thursday!

We had a great day today finishing our David pictures (they turned out super cute), working more on the hidden partners (break apart numbers) within a number and how they add up to the whole number (up to 5).  We created our /a/ apple puppets during reading groups and played a game called "Starts With" listening for the sounds in a picture or object I am holding and sorting them according to the sound.  It was great fun!  Today we had a Royal Reader in the PM class for Bo's birthday and we finished up our Happy Camper interviews!

1. Book envelopes due back on Monday!
2. Homework and Homework Folders come home on Monday!

Upcoming events:
October 10th- No School!
October 13th- Mr. Hoglund's Hot Topics at 9:45 in the cafeteria
October 13th- PTO Meeting in Mrs. Drouin's Room at 6:30 PM
October 14th- Cookie Dough Distribution Day from 2-6 PM
October 17th- Spirit Apparel Order Forms Due!
October 21st- Tuesday at Twigs
October 23rd- Donuts with Dad!  8-9 AM

Happy Trails!  Have a great three day weekend with your family!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Wednesday!

Today, we had a great day working during our writers workshop again!  Students have learned that they are writers and that when "You think you're done, you've just begun."  To elaborate they add details to their picture, color to their picture, they add letters or words to help describe what something is, or what they are doing, then we also showed how we start a new piece of writing.  It was great seeing students add details to the writing they started on Monday.

We worked really hard on writing the letter Aa today!  When writing the lowercase a, please start with the magic "c" and then keep going up, bring it back down and give it a little tail, to make the a.

 When making the capital A, start with diagonal stick like / then add another one going the other way, it should like like tent, then give it a zipper going from one stick to the other and make a window, A!  We also wrote our sight words that we have worked on like: We, can, I and the!

We are almost all done with our Happy Camper interviews, next week, our Happy Camper Binder and our class bear will come home one night to the student who is drawn randomly that day.  When you get the binder, please read the binder with your child and return the next day!  Thank you!

Don't Forget:

• Tomorrow Homework and Homework Folders are Due!
• Take Home Books are Due! If you need a new book, write a note!  :)
• No School this Friday, October 10th!

Have a great evening!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Terrific Tuesday!

We had a great day today!  Our main focus today was reading and math!  We read a non-fiction photo essay called "Night Animals" learning what nocturnal animals are, how they are awake when we are asleep, also that a mammal is warm blooded animal that has hair or fur.  Our sight word of the week is "The" and our letter of the week is Aa, so please practice spelling and writing these at home  as much as you can would be great.  In math, we worked on the "hidden numbers" or two numbers that make up the whole.  Essentially working on breaking apart the number 5 into as many ways as we could using number cubes ( 4 + 1 = 5, 3 + 2 = 5, etc).  In reading groups, we worked on learning to blend our two sounds we have learned and how to blend them with other sounds we know /a/ /m/ = am.   Then we read a decodable book and I have to say I am very impressed with how students are working hard at sounding each letter and learning to string them together!  Wowza!

Notes:

1. Turn in Take Home Books in envelopes and the Homework page in the Homework Folder on Thursday!  If your child needs a new book, please do not forget that note.  :)
2. October 10th- No School
3. Monday- New Homework will come home!

If you ordered a Scholastic Book Order it should be here within the next week, it usually takes 1-2 weeks to get here.  I will send them home in your child's backpack and I will also post on here when they come home!  :)

Happy Trails,
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Marvelous Monday!

Today we had a wonderful day!  We were so busy I heard one student comment how they thought today went really fast!  :)  We had a great time working on writing today!  We had a "Writing Workshop."  We each sketched something we did this weekend, then we labeled our picture, sounded out the words we wanted to write/label as best as we could, then we colored the rest of the picture.  I am teaching them that they are All authors and what that looks like, and I loved watching them today as they wrote one thing they did over the weekend.  Our students did a very good job of labeling themselves and whom ever was with them in their picture, what they were doing and what was in the setting.

Our letter of the week is Aa and our sight word of the week is The.  We are still reviewing the sight words I, We and Can.  The more you can work on these words with your child at home (making sure they recognize it, spell and can write it) the more it will help us in class.  We read a fun story about several families going on a picnic and what fun they would have there in "The Picnic at Apple Park."  The students did a great job predicting what would come next in this fictional book!  We read the book "David Gets Into Trouble" and we started making our very own David, which we will finish later this week!    

Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Fun Friday!!

Today was FUNtastic!  We had our Music, PE and Library, in addition we also started our author study of the local author David Shannon, starting with the book No David!  David Shannon is an American author and illustrator of children's books.  He grew up in Spokane and even came to visit Prairie View a few years ago!  He won the Caldecott Honor for the book we read today!  We will be making David soon! :)  Finishing the week we reviewed our sight words I, can, and we!  

Students did a great job turning in their homework today!  I am loving the sentences that I am seeing!  Way to go!  I LOVE how I can tell what sounds the students are hearing when they are sounding out the words they want to write in their sentences!  This is such a great start!  I also LOVE how many students are choosing to do the math challenge on the front page!  The students who are choosing to doing it, are doing a great job!

Happy Trails!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Thursday!

What a beautiful day!  Students showed up today ready to learn and boy we did a lot!  We worked on counting objects and finding the correct number that represents how many!  Students did a fantastic job at this!  We also worked on listening and recognizing when the sound /m/ is at the beginning or end of a word, then we practiced writing m, read a book with our sight words with Ms. Dody and listened to the story "Class Two at the Zoo."  Yesterday, we learned a new days of the week song to the tune of "The Adams Family," see if you can sing it with your child, it is great fun!

Reminders:
1) Tomorrow Homework is due!  Please help your child to get their homework in their folder and into their backpack!  Remember, our kindergarten homework not only helps your child practice a math skill we have been working on, but also practice writing their name, sound out and spell words, and it also teaches them how to be a student.  Your child is doing an amazing job!  Please keep encouraging them because they are doing awesome!      
2) PE is tomorrow, so please make sure your child puts on those tennis shoes! :)
3) No School next Friday on October 10th!

Happy Trails!
Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Wonderful Wednesday!

Today, we had a great day!  In math, we worked on sorting things according to how many are in a group, what belongs in a group and what doesn't belong.  Our letter of the week is Mm, so today in reading groups we worked on phonemic awareness with words that have the /m/ sound, as well as how to write the M.  We also started making our ABC book today and listened to a fun story!   We are also focusing on words that rhyme together! It is so much fun learning about our Happy Campers of the day, who were Stella and Corvin!  So much fun jam packed into our days!

 Important Notes:

1. Tomorrow is our book exchange. If your child needs a new book/level, please send a note in their plastic folder. 

2. No school on October 10, 2014.

3. October 13, 2014 there is a PTO meeting at 6:30pm in the library.

4. The week of October 20, 2014 is cookie dough distribution.

5. Just a heads up: on November 7, 2014 1st-6th grades have a half day; HOWEVER, pm kindergarten class will still be held from 12:45-3:15pm.

6. We have specialist on Friday. Please be sure your child wears appropriate shoes for P.E.   

Happy Trails!

Love, 

~Mrs. Wittwer

Mmm.. Monday!

We had such a great day!!  We started the day with a Letter Hunt!  Each student had a letter I assigned them and they had to use their detective eyes to hunt for it in our room!  It was great fun!  Then for math, we played "Where Do I Belong?" where w sorted according to things you could do or wear in different weather and tallied them up.  Our letter of the week is Mm and our Sight Word for the week is We!  Today, we also read about baby animals in the book is Who's Baby Am I?  It is an adorable book where we match up the baby to its parent.  We also learned a lot about our Happy Campers of the Day, Joshua (AM) and Ella (PM)!

Remember the two days to return and switch the Take Home Books (for Homework) are Mondays and Thursdays.  Today in the AM class we had 15 books turned in and only 10 in the PM class, some of them turned in did not have notes to exchange for a new book, so they are still on the same book.

If you would like to order from Scholastic, you can send in the paper copy I sent home by Friday, or complete your order online by Wednesday.  If you order online, our class gets a free book.    

What a great start to our week!  Wow, I cannot believe September is almost done!  Thank you for all you do to help your child be successful!  I am so blessed to be your child's teacher!! Happy Trails!

Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Thursday!

We had a very busy day!  We got to play a few new fun math games!  One was called Red Light/ Green Light, and one was called Pop Up!  Then we played a dice game where we had to put the number rolled of birthday candles (crayons) on a cake.  Today we finished the alphabet with Y and Z.  During reading groups, we worked on the sight word Can, letters, sounds and students read a book with me, working on concepts of print and phonemic awareness.

Everyday we have been working on our social skills of being kind and respectful to others in class.  This includes staying in our bubble, not touching others in the class and keeping our hands and feet to ourselves.  Today, we had the opportunity to discuss and practice what it looks like to be a polite and respectful team member of our classroom.  Emphasizing that using our best manners and treating people respectfully is an important life skill.

1. Yeah! Tomorrow is our Specialist Day and we get to meet our 4th Grade Buddies for the first time!  Don't forget your P.E. shoes!  :) 
2. Please help your child to turn in their homework folder with their homework tomorrow!  
3. Tomorrow, I will send the current Scholastic book leaflet that you and your child can look through together.
4. If your child didn't receive a different reading book for homework today, it is because we didn't see a note attached saying to change the book for a new one.

Happy Trails!

Love, 

~Mrs. Wittwer

Wonderful Wednesday!

We had such a wonderful day together! We started our day with reading groups, where the kiddos worked on writing (using "kindergarten writing" - capital at the beginning and all other letters lowercase), listening, sight words, sounding out words, and reading. After groups, we did calendar, celebrated our Happy Campers Katie and Sienna!  We worked on two more letters (Ww and Xx) and had our Daily News. During math we sorted ourselves different ways, and then items that would go in a backpack or a toy box. Finally, we read the text "Made From Clay" in the AM class, and we read "Cool Dog, School Dog" in the PM and talked about what types of books are fiction and non-fiction.  We were able to fit in a short recess and then our day was done. 

 Thank you for sharing your child with me! I truly feel blessed to teach and work with each and every one of them! 

Important Notes:

1. October 1st - Box Tops are due!

2. Tomorrow is the book exchange! Please be sure your child has their book in the plastic envelope, ready to be checked in tomorrow. If your child needs a new book or a new level, please put a note IN THE PLASTIC ENVELOPE...otherwise, your note may be missed!

3. Homework is due on Friday! 

4. Scholastic Book Orders due online by October 1st!

First day of Autumn!

What a great day!  I have to say that these reading group days fly by!  Everybody did a great job helping me get our tables set up for reading groups, they gave their best effort in reading groups and all day today!  In reading groups, we wrote about what we can do (I can _____) and drew a picture about it, listened to a different story about a bear, and worked on more sight words.  For math we worked on sorting real life pictures that go together, ex: a lamp and light bulb, or a cup and straw, etc.  We learned about our Happy Camper friends Hayden M. and Chevy today!  In the AM class we read a really fun rhyming book, Cool Dog, School Dog (we will read this tomorrow in PM).  Today in the PM we had a Royal Reader for Emily's birthday and she read Pete the Cat, Too Cool for School, another really fun book about being yourself!

Another great day in Camp Kindergarten!   Happy Trails!

I have assigned a due date for Scholastic Reading Clubs online order for October 1st!  Here is the code:

HGCGT

You can look online and order online, remember for every online order we get a free book in our classroom.  They get shipped right to my room and I send them home, it is is a great system!

Coming Up This Week:
Thursday is a big day:

1. Turn in book envelopes with a note if your child is ready for a new book!
2. Turn in library books!

Friday: 

1. Homework is due with Homework Folder!
2. First day of 4th Grade Buddies!
3. All Specialists: Library, Music and P.E.

Love, 

~Mrs. Wittwer