Monday!

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!  Today, we had a great day!  We started out by finishing our "See" sight word page from last week.  Then we introduced our new letter of the week "Ii" which says the /i/ sound, like in igloo!  We read a story about "Iguana on Ice," and did our picture guess of all the things that start with an Ii.  Then we did our Calendar and Daily News.  After that we had indoor recess today.  After recess, we worked on our counting pathway and careful counting skills.  We read another story about different ways people get around called "On The Go."  This book was a non-fiction book, which means that it was all about real ways people get around.  In the AM class, we discussed what we liked most about our Thanksgiving break and then we wrote about it.  In the PM class, we had a Royal Reader and we went to Library to check out our book and we read the story "Moosetache."

Reminders:

1) Homework folders came home tonight!  Please encourage your child to do their best!  They are going to share their best sentence on Friday to the class.  Also, please rate your child's effort on their homework.

2) If you have not sent in the goldenrod form for the field trip, please do so!  This will let me know if we have enough volunteers, as of right now, we are close, but do not have enough volunteers.  

3) Please send in the $10 cash for the field trip for your child.  If you are volunteering, on the day of the trip, you will need to bring $3 cash for your bus ride.

4) Next Take Home Book Exchange is on Thursday!

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Tuesday!

What a wonderful snowy Tuesday we had today!  We started off with graphing the number of shapes we found.  Students did a great job graphing the shapes and coloring the shapes!  After our graphing activity, we had calendar, daily news and read one of my favorite stories, "Bear Says Thanks."  It is a great story about friendship, having a happy heart, and as a class we brainstormed all the things we can be thankful for.  After that, we bundled up and went outside for our outdoor recess in the snow!  The students had so much fun playing in the snow and making snow angels and snowmen!  The snow was perfect for rolling and creating a big ball for a snowman.  After our recess, we came inside and created our turkey hats!  Each part needed to be cut out and students had to follow directions to put it together!  We were able to capture a cute class picture that will go in our memory books!

Reminders:

1) Make up conferences are tomorrow!  If you haven't yet emailed me to let me know if you can make it or cannon make your arranged time, please email me.  Because the conferences are only ten minutes, I wanted to give you an idea of how they will go.  

a) I will go over the report card and how to read it.  This is a new report card, so even if you have had a kinder in the past, this is a different report card.  

b) I'll go over your child's progress on the magic 5 and a few other areas.

c) We'll end our time together with questions or concerns, etc.

2) Kinders have a normal day tomorrow, even though the rest of the school has a half day.  

3) No school on Thursday and Friday for Thanksgiving Break (November 26th and 27th).

4) Please fill out and return the goldenrod volunteer/acknowledgment half sheet.  Even if you cannot volunteer, I need you to mark "NO" and that you understand the field trip is all day and return the goldenrod sheet to school.  

5) Please send your child to school in long warm pants, coats, hats, gloves and boots!  It is very cold and wet outside and we continue to go outside for recess even as the snow comes.  

Thank you!

Have a great evening!  See you tomorrow!

~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Monday

Whew, what a crazy wind storm last week!  I hope you all have power at your house!  We didn't get power until 8pm last night, so it was a chilly five days camping out at home without any power.  Luckily, our saving grace was that we did have hot water.  

What a great Monday we had everyone!  Our class earned a movie party and they were going to get to do that last Friday, because school was canceled due to the power outage, our class got to watch part of "Horton Hears a Who" today.  If time permits we will finish the movie throughout the week.  After watching part of Horton, we had a short recess outside.  After recess, we colored our Shape Train.  Each part of the train was a different shape that we colored according to the key, then we counted the number of each type of shape.  After the shape train, our math lesson of the day was reviewing the difference between flat and 3D shapes.  We also learned how to write our letter of the week Tt, did calendar and the Daily News.  The PM class went to their Library checkout today!

Reminders: 

1) If your child did not turn in their homework today, please send it in tomorrow.  Along with their disguised turkey, which are so adorable by the way!  I love the creativity that went into them!  

2) If you have not checked your email regarding our field trip and conferences, please check your email and get back to me. 

3) We are not going to have reading groups this week due to short week.

4) Although grades 1-6 have a half day on Wednesday, our AM and PM kindergarten classes go to school at the same time and leave at the same time as normal.

5) Please read the Field Trip Letter and please send in the goldenrod form that went home today in your child's backpack.

6) No homework will be sent home this week.  Everything will start back to normal next Monday! 

7) Please be sure your child wears a warm winter coat with a hat and gloves!  It is getting super cold and the playground equipment is super cold too. 

 Have a great evening!  

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Happy Monday!

Hello Parents!

Today was such a fun and busy day in Camp Kindergarten!  We started out with our fall turkey cutting project.  This is a big project where students must follow directions for coloring and cutting out the shapes that create a turkey!  Students worked so hard on their 3 Star coloring skills and 3 star cutting skills!  I can't wait to show you at conference time!  Today was a special day because we hosted our fourth grade buddies!  They came down to our classroom, we talked about all ways we might be thankful with our buddies.  Students then wrote what they were thankful for on their buddy turkey project.   We also had a few fun minutes of free choice time with our fourth grade buddies!  After buddies, we went out for a short recess in the chilly weather.  Please be sure your child has a warm winter coat, gloves and a hat for our recess time!  After recess, we created our conference portfolio and our November Self Portrait!  Our new letter of the week is Tt and our sight word of the week is "see."

1.  Homework folders came home today!  You will notice we changes a few things on the front and back of the homework page.  We added a homework attitude section on the bottom of the front page.  This is really for me to see how things are going with homework each day.  We talked today about how students give me their best work at school, they need to give me their best work at home too!  I want you to mark on the homework how your child approached homework each day, were they: Focused and Amazing (great attitude), Slow to start, but finished strong, or Yikes, cranky! (any fighting to do homework or crying).  Please email me if you have any questions.  Also, the kinders will be choosing one sentence to share on Friday, so please encourage their best work.  :)

We also changed the lines on the back of the homework page, so that it matches what we use during the day.  The sentences are the same, so please still have your child do only one sentence per night.  I did discuss with students that they are not to write about the same thing each night, change it up so it is fun for your reader.  


2.  Please call the office to schedule your child's conference if you have not yet at 465-7800!  Please let me know if there isn't a time or day available that you need.  Thank you!

3.  During conference week, grades 1-6 have early release days, this is not for Kindergarten.  We still have our normal AM and PM half days.  Your child will come to school and go home at the same time they do every day!

Have a great night!
Love,
Mrs. Wittwer 

Happy Veteran's Day!

What a wonderful day in Camp Kindergarten!

We didn't quite finish making Camilla Cream yesterday, so we started our time together by making a few finishing touches on our project. We then did our calendar and Daily News routine. The students are working very hard on their counting and place value skills. We then headed down to the cafeteria for our Veteran's Day Assembly. The kinders did a wonderful job singing! After the assembly, we went outside for recess. Again, it's very cold outside, please be sure your child is dressed appropriately for the weather! Finally, we came inside and continued our discussion about Camilla Cream. If you remember from yesterday, Camilla Cream LOVED lima beans, but didn't want to admit it because she thought others would make fun of her. We talked about being yourself and being proud of who you are and what you like. Keeping with the theme, we started our writing lesson on opinions! 

  All the kinders tried a lima bean and some actually liked it! :) The kinders then wrote an opinion paper about whether or not they liked the lima bean. The students have really been building up their writing stamina and they actually wrote for 20 minutes! So amazing!

Important Information:

1. NO SCHOOL TOMORROW, WEDNESDAY 11/11!

2. Please call the office (465-7801) to schedule your child's conference. Students do not attend the conference.  

3. DURING CONFERENCE WEEK (NOVEMBER 19-25), GRADES 1-6 HAVE HALF DAYS; HOWEVER, THE KINDERGARTEN SCHEDULE DOES NOT CHANGE. AM KINDERS GO FROM 9:10-11:45am AND PM KINDERS GO FROM 12:45-3:20pm.

4. Start thinking about whether or not you can join us for our all-day field trip on Dec. 10th. We must have one adult for every two kinders or we cannot do the trip. For safety reasons, we cannot take siblings on the trip. Please find childcare for younger kiddos, if you plan on attending. 

5. Thursday is the Take Home Book Exchange!  

Options for the Take Home Book Exchange:

- If your child needs more practice with this book, return the book in the envelope so I can check off  that you have that book. 

- If the book was at an appropriate level of difficulty, but you are done with this book write on a sticky note: New Book 

- If your child could read this book in the first sitting and they know all the words, write on a sticky note: New Level.
**If a book doesn't have a sticky note, it doesn't get exchanged, just checked off.

6. Please send your child to school with a coat!  We will still go outside even though it is getting colder!  

7. Please practice the flash cards you were given at Open House with your kiddo (sight words and numbers). Daily practice for just a few minutes is better than one big chunk at once.  

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

A Bad Case Of Stripes

We had a wonderful Monday together!

We started our day reading a great David Shannon book called A Bad Case of Stripes. The book is all about being yourself and not worrying about what others say or think. After reading and discussing the book, we transitioned to math.  We went on a Math hunt,  where the kiddos worked on finding circles and hexagons around the room. They were great shape detectives and found quite a few circles and hexagons! We then did our calendar and Daily News routine. After Daily News, we went out for a fun, but very chilly recess. Just a reminder, we will continue to go outside, even as the weather gets cooler. Please make sure your child is dressed for cold, windy weather.  After recess, we practiced our songs for the Veteran's Day Assembly tomorrow. The students did a wonderful job listening to directions and singing. I can't wait for you to see them tomorrow! :) Just a reminder, because it's a Veteran's Day Assembly and we'll be performing, please dress your child in red, white, and blue. After our assembly practice, we came back to class and worked on making our very own Camilla Cream (the main character in A Bad Case of Stripes). The students worked so hard and their Camilla Cream art is absolutely adorable! 

Important Information:

1. Homework folders came home today (11/9). Please note that our building policy is to only give between 5-8 minutes of homework per day in kindergarten (that includes writing their sentence, three math problems, and reading their take home book). If you would like to give your child extra work, that's up to you. If you have questions regarding your child's homework and/or our homework policy, please email me.     

2. Take Home Books came home today!  

3. Just a reminder that the PTO and school calendars are linked on the side of the blog. All upcoming events are posted there and is a great resource.

4. The Veteran's Day Assembly is tomorrow at either 10 a.m. with our primary students (AM-K, 1, 2, and 3) or at 2:00 p.m. with our intermediate students (PM-K, 4, 5, and 6). Click HERE for more information about the assembly!

5. Please call the office (465-7801) to schedule your child's conference. Students do not attend the conference. 

6. DURING CONFERENCE WEEK (NOVEMBER 19-25), GRADES 1-6 HAVE HALF DAYS; HOWEVER, THE KINDERGARTEN SCHEDULE DOES NOT CHANGE. AM KINDERS GO FROM 9:10-11:45am AND PM KINDERS GO FROM 12:45-3:20pm.

7. Start thinking about whether or not you can join us for our all-day field trip on Dec. 10th. We must have one adult for every two kinders or we cannot do the trip. For safety reasons, we cannot take siblings on the trip. Please find childcare for younger kiddos, if you plan on attending. 

8. NO SCHOOL THIS WEDNESDAY, 11/11.

Have a great night!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Conferences are coming!

This week was a busy week of assessments!  I can't wait to update you at our conference about your child.  If you haven't yet, please call the office at 465-7800 to schedule your conference time with me.  If for some reason there isn't a day or time that works for you, please email me and we will find a time that works for you.  Conferences are one of my favorite times of the year, because we have uninterrupted time to discuss your little one and how we can both help them to be as successful as possible in school.   Kindergarten students do not attend these conferences.   

During Conference week, the Kindergarten schedule does not change.  It changes for grades 1-6, but not for kindergarten, so your child will come at their normal time and end at their normal time.  

Reminders:

**Please call the office to schedule your child's conference! 465-7800**  

1. Take Home Books are due Monday! Options for the Take Home Book Exchange:1. If your child needs more practice with this book, return the book in the envelope so I can check off  that you have that book.2. If the book was at an appropriate level of difficulty, but you are done with this book write on a sticky note: New Book3. If your child could read this book in the first sitting without any errors (they knew every single word) write on a sticky note: New Level.**If a book doesn't have a sticky note, it doesn't get exchanged, just checked off.

2. Homework folders are coming home on Monday. Please note that our building policy is to only give between 5-8 minutes of homework per day in kindergarten (that includes writing their sentence, three math problems, and reading their take home book). If you would like to give your child extra work, that's up to you. If you have questions regarding your child's homework and/or our homework policy, please email me. 

3. Please practice the flash cards you were given at Open House with your kiddo (sight words and numbers). Daily practice for just a few minutes is better than one big chunk at once.

4. We will have a Veteran's Day Assembly. The kinders will be singing two songs at the assembly. The assembly is on Tuesday, November 10^th, at either 10 a.m. with our primary students (AM-K, 1, 2, and 3) or at 2:00 p.m. with our intermediate students (PM-K, 4, 5, and 6). Kindergarten does not do a Thanksgiving or Christmas program. The only big production we do is in the spring.

6. DURING CONFERENCE WEEK (NOVEMBER 19-25), GRADES 1-6 HAVE HALF DAYS; HOWEVER, THE KINDERGARTEN SCHEDULE DOES NOT CHANGE. AM KINDERS GO FROM 9:10-11:45am AND PM KINDERS GO FROM 12:45-3:20pm.

7. Start thinking about whether or not you can join us for our all-day field trip on Dec. 10th. We must have one adult for every two kinders or we cannot do the trip. For safety reasons, we cannot take siblings on the trip. Please find childcare for younger kiddos, if you plan on attending.

Have a great day!Love, Mrs. Wittwer

Monday!!

 

Today I had a sub while I assessed the kiddos one-on-one. All the kinders did a wonderful job and I could tell many of them had been practicing their Magic 5! I didn't get to everyone today, so I will continue assessing tomorrow.

Our new letter of the week is P and our new sight word is "a."  Today, kinders learned about shape attributes and how to classify shapes into categories.  We read the AlphaTales book for the letter P, and we guessed what things I had in my ABC can that started with the /p/ sound. We did calendar and the daily news with our Camp Rangers.  We read a non-fiction story, "Friends All Around."  We worked on counting and matching the number of dots to the correct number.  The morning class had a little free choice time and our PM class went to the library to check out a book! 

Important Information:

1. Homework folders came home today (11/2). Please note that our building policy is to only give between 5-8 minutes of homework per day in kindergarten (that includes writing their sentence, three math problems, and reading their take home book). If you would like to give your child extra work, that's up to you. If you have questions regarding your child's homework and/or our homework policy, please email me.     

2. Take Home Books came home today!  

3. Just a reminder that the PTO and school calendars are linked on the side of the blog. All upcoming events are posted there and is a great resource.

4. Please practice the flash cards you were given at Open House with your kiddo (sight words and numbers). Daily practice for just a few minutes is better than one big chunk at once.

5. We will have a Veteran's Day Assembly. The kinders will be singing two songs at the assembly. The assembly is on Tuesday, November 10^th, at either 10 a.m. with our primary students (AM-K, 1, 2, and 3) or at 2:00 p.m. with our intermediate students (PM-K, 4, 5, and 6). Click HERE for more information about the assembly.

6. DURING CONFERENCE WEEK (NOVEMBER 19-25), GRADES 1-6 HAVE HALF DAYS; HOWEVER, THE KINDERGARTEN SCHEDULE DOES NOT CHANGE. AM KINDERS GO FROM 9:10-11:45am AND PM KINDERS GO FROM 12:45-3:20pm.

7. Start thinking about whether or not you can join us for our all-day field trip on Dec. 10th. We must have one adult for every two kinders or we cannot do the trip. For safety reasons, we cannot take siblings on the trip. Please find childcare for younger kiddos, if you plan on attending. 

8. Cookie Dough delivery will be November 5th. You can pick up

orders between 11:30-5:30 pm. Please note, Prairie View cannot store any cookie dough orders. All orders must be picked up on the 5th.
9. Kindergarten does not do a Thanksgiving or Christmas program. The only big production we do is in the spring at the end of the year.