Happy Thursday!

The students did an amazing job today!  We started by reviewing The Invisible Boy and Chester's Way, two books about friendship that we read over the last two days.  Then each student picked which one they liked better and wrote their opinion about it.  They did a great job drawing their picture to match their opinion.  After that we enjoyed recess. Then we had reading groups focusing on reading our leveled readers, which were all about how to plant trees.  Seeds needs sunlight, soil and water to grow.  Then we worked on our "said" sight word page, making the number 10 and listening to "How Martha Saved Her Parents From Green Beans."  After reading groups, we worked on finding different ways (without repeating numbers) to make 9 using dots, number bonds and number sentences.  In the PM group, we ran out of time with this, so please help finish this at home tonight if you can.  Thank you!

Reminders:
Tomorrow:  Homework folders are due.
Tomorrow:  AM library books are due.
Take Home Books were exchanged today!
Conference week is next week!  I can't wait to see you next week and share all the wonderful things your little one has been up to!

Have a great evening!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Wednesday

Today was a great day!  We started our day with decorating our conference folders for our parents.  Then we worked some more on number bonds and writing number sentences to match.  Today we worked specifically on subtracting with number bonds and number sentences.  After math, we did our Calendar and Daily News routine.   After that, we enjoyed an indoor recess, followed by reading groups.  During reading groups, we worked on the /k/ sound at the end of the word made by the letters ck, as in pack, etc.  We also worked on our sight word "little," reading the decodable book and writing a few sentences.  We also listened to the story "Betty Bunny Loves Easter."

    We finished up the day by reading the story "The Invisible Boy."  This story is about friendship and what makes a good friend.  The main character in the book, Brian, feels invisible until he makes a friend.  We talked about ways to include people so that they don't feel invisible.

 Reminders:
1) Tomorrow: Take Home books are due with sticky notes.
2) Friday: Homework Folders are due.
3) Friday: Library books are due for the AM class.
4) Monday: Library books are due for the PM class.
5) Next week is conference week!  Our schedule does not change for our AM and PM classes.  The rest of the school has early release, but our schedule doesn't change!
6) Please check to make sure the conference time I emailed you works, if it doesn't please email me or call the office at 465-7800 to reschedule.
7) Spring Break is April 4-8, school resumes as normal on April 11th!

Have a great evening!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Monday

We had a wonderful Monday!  Our new letter of the week is Kk and our new sight words are "said" and "little."  We started our day by reading our AlphaTales book, Kangaroo Kazoo.  Then we guessed what was in our Alphabet Can and did our Picture Guess for things that start with K.  After that, we had a social lesson with Mrs. Pittz on feelings.  We learned how people can feel differently about the same thing and how that is ok.  Everybody has feelings, sometimes we feel them in our bodies, show them on our faces and say them with our voices.  We enjoyed an outdoor recess!  Then we did our last math assessment with number bonds and number sentences.  We finished up with our March Self Portrait.  Students are getting really good at drawing themselves!  

Reminders:

1) Today, Homework Folders and Take Home Books came home.

2) Next week is conference week.  If your time doesn't work please email me or call the office.  Thank you!

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Fun Friday!

Today was such a great day!  We started off with an AMAZING turnout at Grandparents Day!  Thank you to all the grandparents who showed up for their kiddos!  

Today we had Art-A-Baloo with our amazing art parents.  It is so cool the different projects that we get to do, and this one was just as amazing!  Cherry Blossoms are a sign of spring and soon the Cherry Blossom Festival will happen in Washington D.C.  Students did a great job following directions and putting their blooms on the trees.  Cherry blossoms only last from 4 to 10 days once they bloom, depending on the weather.  Today we also had PE and Music.  The AM class had Library and the PM class had Free Choice and played a short game of 4 Corners.  

Reminders:

1) Keep practicing the Magic 5!  

I can real all my letters (Capital and Lowercase). 

I can say all my letter sounds.

I can read all my sight words.

I can read all my numbers (0-31)

I can count to 100 without any errors.

 Our goal is to get all students to master them by the end April! 

2) Homework Folders will come home on Monday.

3) Take Home Book Exchange is Monday, please do not forget the sticky note!

4) If the conference time that I emailed you does not work, please email me and let me know so we can find a time that does work. Thank you!

Have a great weekend!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer 

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

We had such a great day today!  We started out with looking at all the tricks Silly McGilly, the leprechaun did to our classroom.  Students walked around with clipboards and tallied up all the silly tricks he played on us.  There were quite a few!  Then we colored the coloring page he left us.  After that we worked on pot of gold number bonds, up to ten.  After that we enjoyed a nice recess outside.  Then we had reading groups focusing on the /L/ sound and blending with that sound.  It is a tricky little sly sound sometimes that blends easily into other sounds.  Then we wrote words that have the /l/ sound.  At the other rotations we listened to the story "Peanut Butter and Cupcake," Jacks Rainbow Beans (focusing on shapes), and read and wrote sentences from our decodable book.  We finished our day with cutting and making our shamrock glasses.  

Reminders:
1) Today the books were exchanged.
2) Students have received their Magic 5 Certificates if they have met all five targets.  If your child has not met the Magic 5 yet, please keep practicing them at home.  Email me when your child is ready to test in a one of the areas.  Please keep practicing the magic five even after your child has met them, so they do not forget.  I want them to be super solid on them when they go to first grade.
3) Homework folders are due tomorrow.
4) AM Library books are due tomorrow.
5) The book fair is going on now, it started today and goes through next Wednesday!
6) Grandparents day is tomorrow at 8:15 am!  
7) Silverwood Reading Logs are due tomorrow!!  

Have a great night!
~Love, 
Mrs. Wittwer 
   

Friday!

We love our Fridays together!

Both classes had P.E. and music today with Mrs. Mulder. They played games, used rhythm sticks, and listened to a story. Our am class also had library today. Pm kiddos will have library on Monday (3-14-16). During our class time, we talked a lot about being yourself. We then read a book called Elmer. 

It's all about an elephant who isn't gray like the others, he is patchwork. It's such a wonderful book about being yourself, but also friendship. After discussing the book, the students made their very own Elmer. 

Next week, I will be finishing all my spring assessments with kiddos and giving out their certificates if they met a Magic 5 target!  All the kinders did such a wonderful job!  If your child met a Magic 5 Target it will come home next week!  Just a loving reminder to please continue to practice all the Magic 5 Targets! If the kinders don't keep reviewing their letters, sounds, numbers, counting, and sight words, they forget. If you need any supplies (e.g. flashcards, 100 chart, etc.) please let me know! I want the kiddos to go into first grade feeling SUPER confident in their skills! 

 

Important Information:

1. Homework folders will be coming home on Monday (3-14-16).

2. Take Home books are due on Monday (3-14-16).

3. Grandparents Day is Friday, March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders!

4. With the spring weather, please make sure your child has layers so that we can go outside. We still need coats and hoods, so we can go outside to play. Thanks! 

Have a great weekend!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Wednesday!

Today we started our day with a math fluency activity.  There have been more of these coming home recently.  These fluency activities are to help students figure out strategies to count and find how many more are needed to make a specific number up to 10.  The more they practice these strategies, the more fluent they will become.

After our fluency activity, we transferred our informational Fox writing from our graphic organizer to lined paper.  I was SO impressed with students writing skills today!  I cannot wait to show you at conference time!  After writing, we had recess (indoor in the am, and outdoor in the pm).  After recess, we had reading groups working on reading our leveled readers, sight word practice, the "and" sight word page, and we listened to "Froggy's Worst Playdate."  After reading groups, we finished strong with our math lesson of the day.  We are working on "Part" + "Part" = "Whole/Total."  We are working on writing our number sentence/equation both ways.  Our focus is to keep the total by the = sign and the two "parts" on both sides of the + sign.  The more you can help your child individually at home with this, the more comfortable they will become.

Students know that it doesn't matter which "part" comes first, just that both parts need to be by the plus sign.  The equation can start or end with the total!  Equations can be written both ways:

8=2+6

6+2=8 or
2+6=8  

Reminders:
1) Tomorrow the Take Home Book Exchange is due.  Please be sure your child has a sticky note!  :)
2) If you haven't returned the Kindergarten Conference pamphlet, please do so! :)   I need it returned for every student, if you have other students that attend Prairie View, please notice the kindergarten pamphlet is different from the rest of the school.  Thank you for your help and patience as we pilot this new conference system!
3) Grandparents Day is March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders! 

Have a great night!
~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer

Monday!

We had a great day back!

We started our day with introducing our new letter of the week, Bb!  We then welcomed Mrs. Pittz into our classroom for another social skills lesson. The lesson focused on how feelings can be expressed with facial expressions, but also voice, and body posture. Once the lesson was over, we did our calendar and Daily News routine, as well as our picture guess. We guessed different pictures that started with the /b/ sound and read a story called "Bubble Bear". Recess was once again outside, which felt great...even though it was a bit chilly. :) We transitioned to math after recess, where the kiddos again identified/wrote what the two parts were, as well as the whole (e.g. 2 + 6 = 8). Lastly, we started our first independent informational writing task today. 

The students listened to different facts about foxes, looked at pictures, and also got to see a short clip about how foxes use their incredible hearing to catch their prey. I've included the video link below, as it is quite amazing to see. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0yUwM5mHBD8#action=share

Important Information:

1. Homework folders came home today (3-7-16).

2. Take Home Books were exchanged/checked in today (3-7-16).

3. Grandparents Day is March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders!

4. If you haven't turned in your child's Conference Form, please do so as soon as you can (or by Friday).  Thank you!  :)  Every kindergartener should have a form filled out, even if they have other siblings, this is a different pamphlet with different times.  Thank you for your patience as we navigate this new conference scheduling process!

Have a great evening!

~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer   

Friday Info!

Today, in your child's backpack, there is a Prairie View Spring Conference Scheduling Pamphlet. 

This spring there will be a new scheduling process. Please read the entire pamphlet, fill it out completely, and return it on or before March 11, 2016.

Important Information:

1. Homework folders will be coming home on Monday (3-7-16).

2. Take Home books are due on Monday (3-7-16).

3. Grandparents Day is March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders!

4. With the spring weather, please make sure your child has layers so that we can go outside. We still need coats and hoods, so we can go outside to play. Thanks! 

Thursday!

We had a wonderful day in Camp Kindergarten!  

We started our day with a Dr. Seuss activity page!  Then we worked on a math fluency activity, making seven!  Students had to add carefully to make seven.  We then did our calendar and Daily News routine.  We attempted to go outside, but the rain started right away, so we had to have an indoor recess. :) After that, we transitioned to reading groups, where the kiddos worked on decoding, identifying where the /e/ sound was in different words, words that rhyme with all and cup, our sight word "do", and listening (The Rain Came Down by David Shannon). The students then gathered at the calendar rug to listen to our anthology story (Frog and Locust). Speaking and listening is an important skill, but also, it's a very large piece of the SBA testing that starts in third grade.  Lastly, we celebrated a couple birthdays today with a Royal Reader in the both the AM and PM classes!  

Reminders:

1. Homework folders are due tomorrow (3-4-16).

2. We have P.E. and music tomorrow.

3. We have fourth grade buddies tomorrow!  Hooray!

4. Jump Rope for Heart money is due tomorrow.

5. Grandparents Day is March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders!

6. With the spring weather, please make sure your child has layers so that we can go outside. We still need coats and hoods, so we can go outside to play. Thanks!

Have a great evening!

~Love,
Mrs. Wittwer 

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

In honor of Dr. Seuss today, we made our very own Cat in the Hat!  Students did a wonderful job coloring, cutting and gluing their cat together.  We took a class picture out in the hallway with our cats!  We read Dr. Seuss' book "Green Eggs and Ham." We learned that before we say we don't like something or can't do something, we should try it first, because we might like it!  After that we had a nice recess outside!  After recess, we had reading groups focusing on our leveled readers, the /e/ sound in words and where that sound is in the word.  We also had a few Dr. Seuss activity pages, our sight word "This" page and listened to "Goldi Rocks and the Three Bears."

Reminders:

1) We have had some students have a lot of "toys" in their backpack and it has been difficult to get take home books and homework folders in and out of backpacks.  It is a school rule that toys stay at home.  If your child goes to a daycare where they can have toys, please make sure it goes to daycare and not school if possible.  Thank you!

2) Tomorrow is the Take Home Book Exchange!  Please make sure you have a note with your child's book!

3) Grandparents Day is March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders!

4) Elementary BoundaryRecommendation Community Input Forums will be taking place on March 2nd at Mead High School and March 9th at Mt. Spokane High School. 

5) With the spring weather, please make sure your child has layers so that we can go outside.  We still need coats and hoods, so we can go outside to play.  Thanks!  :)   

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer

Tuesday!

Happy Tuesday!  We had a great day today!  We started our day with a fine motor activity, writing our name and cutting very carefully in a circular motion.  After we completed this activity, we did our Calendar and Daily News routine.  After that we enjoyed an indoor recess with Mrs. Snider's students.  After that, we had our reading groups focusing on the sound the letter /e/ makes.  We also worked on blending, sounding out decodable words and reading sight words. We also worked on our ABC book (an Easter Egg), writing the letter Ee and listening to a story.  After reading groups we learned what a number sentence is using an = and + sign with our number bonds.  We are now writing number sentences to go with the number bonds, for example: 3 + 2 = 5.

Tomorrow is Dr. Seuss' birthday, so we will be celebrating by doing some fun Dr. Seuss activities!

Reminders:

1) We have had some students have a lot of "toys" in their backpack and it has been difficult to get take home books and homework folders in and out of backpacks.  It is a school rule that toys stay at home.  If your child goes to a daycare where they can have toys, please make sure it goes to daycare and not school if possible.  Thank you!

2) Take Home Book Exchange is on Thursday!  Please make sure you have a note with your child's book!

3) Grandparents Day is March 18th from 8:15-9:00am for both AM and PM kinders!

4) Elementary BoundaryRecommendation Community Input Forums will be taking place on March 2nd at Mead High School and March 9th at Mt. Spokane High School. 

5) With the spring weather, please make sure your child has layers so that we can go outside.  We still need coats and hoods, so we can go outside to play.  Thanks!  :)  

Have a great evening!

~Love, 

Mrs. Wittwer