Today we wrote a letter to Santa telling him that his was "thumbody" special.
Tuesday, December 22, 2009
Thank You!
Dear Kindergarten Friends, Thank you so much for all of the yummy treats, fabulous giftcards, and wonderful gifts. We really appreciate you thinking of us during the holidays! We hope you have a wonderful holiday and we will see you next year!
Your Friends,
Mrs. Rose and Mrs. Greene and Mrs. Gabriel
Friday, December 18, 2009
Craft Time!
Tuesday, December 15, 2009
Progress Reports
Happy Holidays children and families!
We wanted to let you know about the concepts we will be assessing soon after the December holidays. We hope you enjoy your time together reading and learning.
Sincerely, Your Kindergarten Teachers
• Read a book together and discuss the events in order
• Identify the upper and lower case letters
• Identify the letter sounds
• Practice your kindergarten sight word flashcards
• Use the correct beginning letter for a word
• Write letters the school way
• Write your first name and last name “the school way”
• Applies knowledge of word study in daily reading and writing
When writing your child should be applying these writing skills as often as possible:
-picture matches your words
-begin sentences with uppercase letters
-finger spaces between words
-stretch your words by sounding them out
-sentences end with punctuation
• Count forward to at least 30
• Identify objects that have symmetry
• Count backward from 10, from 12, from 15
• Write numbers 1-15 in order, can you write 15-20, 20-30? etc. the “school way.”
• Look for patterns around your house and be able to create and describe 2 and 3 part patterns.
• Tell number stories
Example, I have 2 cookies and my friend has 3 cookies. How many cookies do we have in all?
We wanted to let you know about the concepts we will be assessing soon after the December holidays. We hope you enjoy your time together reading and learning.
Sincerely, Your Kindergarten Teachers
• Read a book together and discuss the events in order
• Identify the upper and lower case letters
• Identify the letter sounds
• Practice your kindergarten sight word flashcards
• Use the correct beginning letter for a word
• Write letters the school way
• Write your first name and last name “the school way”
• Applies knowledge of word study in daily reading and writing
When writing your child should be applying these writing skills as often as possible:
-picture matches your words
-begin sentences with uppercase letters
-finger spaces between words
-stretch your words by sounding them out
-sentences end with punctuation
• Count forward to at least 30
• Identify objects that have symmetry
• Count backward from 10, from 12, from 15
• Write numbers 1-15 in order, can you write 15-20, 20-30? etc. the “school way.”
• Look for patterns around your house and be able to create and describe 2 and 3 part patterns.
• Tell number stories
Example, I have 2 cookies and my friend has 3 cookies. How many cookies do we have in all?
Monday, December 14, 2009
Friday, December 11, 2009
Christmas Lesson
Today we had our Christmas lesson and the kiddos had so much fun! Thank you Mrs. P and Mrs. M for such a great lesson! 
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Coming Soon! Polar Express!
Dear Parents,
On Tuesday, December 22nd, my class will be reading The Polar Express. To help celebrate this exciting story, I can wear my pajamas to school just like the children in the book! (Students must wear clothing under their pajamas and regular shoes). The entire class will board the pretend train in our pajamas with our most special belongings. Please allow me to bring a special belonging that I usually take to bed with me to share with the class.
On Tuesday, December 22nd, my class will be reading The Polar Express. To help celebrate this exciting story, I can wear my pajamas to school just like the children in the book! (Students must wear clothing under their pajamas and regular shoes). The entire class will board the pretend train in our pajamas with our most special belongings. Please allow me to bring a special belonging that I usually take to bed with me to share with the class.
Thank you for your support!
Mrs. Rose’s Kindergarten Friends
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Learning About Kwanzaa
Today we had a lesson on Kwanzaa and learned all about this special holiday. We also sampled a Kwanzaa treat, colored in a picture of the Kinara, and watched a bookflix "Seven Candles for Kwanzaa". Thank you Mr. S. for a great lesson!
Monday, December 7, 2009
Learning about Hanukkah
Today our class had a lesson on Hanukkah. We learned about Hannukah, played the dreidel game, ate gelt, and colored in a picture of the menorah. Thank you Mrs. W for a great lesson!
Thursday, December 3, 2009
Looking for a Good Book for Your Kindergartener?
Mrs. Hardesty, our school librarian, has created a booklist of her favorite books for kindergarteners. A fun and captivating book for a kindergartener is always an excellent holiday gift. You can also share this list with other parents by using the email link at the bottom of this post. Enjoy!
BabyMouse Dragon Slayer
by Jennifer L. Holm and Matthew Holm
The Babymouse series is written in graphic novel format. It’s fun to read about this glamorous mouse’s adventures.
Mercy Watson : Something Wonky This Way Comes
by Kate DiCamillo
This is an easy chapter book. It’s a series written by one of my favorite authors, Kate DiCamillo. Mercy Watson is a great pig hero!
Skippyjon Jones... Lost in Spice
by Judith Byron Schachner
This is the newest SkippyJon Jones book. These books are so much fun to read aloud, but you have to do the Latin accent.
Too Many Toys
by David Shannon
I love all of the books by David Shannon, but this has to be my favorite! Kids and parents definitely relate to this problem! Terrific pictures too!
Great Websites for Awesome Books
Our wonderful retired librarian, Jean Koch, has offered a few great reading websites that may give you some gift ideas for this holiday season.
1. http://readkiddoread.com/
This site is by Judy Freeman and James Patterson. They are really into kids and reading.
2. http://www.peggysharp.com/
Peggy Sharp – Presenter and kids book expert
This website gives a variety of titles for good reading, great transitional books, and great illustrated books.
3. http://www.booksintheclassroom.com/gradeindex.php?grade=K
This site offer excellent reviews of books for kindergarten students.
4. http://www.teachersfirst.com/100books.cfm
100 Best Books
1. http://readkiddoread.com/
This site is by Judy Freeman and James Patterson. They are really into kids and reading.
2. http://www.peggysharp.com/
Peggy Sharp – Presenter and kids book expert
This website gives a variety of titles for good reading, great transitional books, and great illustrated books.
3. http://www.booksintheclassroom.com/gradeindex.php?grade=K
This site offer excellent reviews of books for kindergarten students.
4. http://www.teachersfirst.com/100books.cfm
100 Best Books
Music Fun
Today in music the kindergarteners used scarves to explore different types of international music. The kindergarteners had so much fun!
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Spelling City: Fun Games Using our Sight Words
Looking for some new ways to help your child learn sight words? Why not play some online games with our list of kindergarten word wall words? Check out the link below!
http://www.spellingcity.com/Community.html
http://www.spellingcity.com/Community.html
Five Years Already?!
Both Mrs. Gabriel and I received service awards for five years of service and dedication to Virginia Beach Public Schools. I was completely surprised- time flies when you are having fun!
Tuesday, December 1, 2009
Positive Parenting Tips
Ms. Booth, our school guidance counselor, has shared this article with our blog on positive parenting. Ms. Booth has been a guidance counselor in Virginia Beach Public Schools for nine years, three years at John B. Dey.
Hello Parents!
To help your child achieve success as a well balanced child, these tips might help
Responsibility: Encourage your kids to admit their mistakes, and take the time to treat it as a learning experience. Remain calm, discuss the decision that was made, and explain that poor choices have consequences. Mistakes are everyday teaching moments. More than likely, the consequences from poor decisions will have an impact on the child making more successful choices in the future.
Stress: Our kids have busy lives!! What helps when things get chaotic? Lower the volume in your home. Studies reveal that kids growing up in chaotic, hectic, loud homes often have more anxiety issues and difficulty problem solving in their environment. To help de-stress, turn the TV off when it is not being viewed. Often, background noises are distracting and time could be better spent talking or sharing family time. Have a quiet time period after school or before dinner to let the kids unwind, read their favorite book, or even have a short nap. Talk to your kids in calm tones and show them what active listening is all about. Finally, have daily routines to help maintain order and consistency in the home.
Discipline: It is important to keep in mind what we really want to get out of discipline. We want kids to realize from any situation that they are able to learn the difference between right and wrong. Self-discipline is a goal from positive parenting techniques- praise, discussion of choices, discussion of expectations, and building trust. Studies show that a nurturing parent- not too harsh and not too lenient- has the most positive impact on kids. Parents who are kind, understanding, and send nurturing messages to their kids usually have better behaved children. Some nurturing messages: I love you, you are important in our family, let’s learn from this together, I have faith in your abilities, I care about you. Anger is a natural emotion of parents when their children disobey, however be sure to take the time to calm down before speaking to your child. Children learn from modeling, so when they see you take time to calm down, they are more likely to assess their choices to get the best response from you!
Source: Firm, Fair and Consistent, The Parent Institute, 2006.
Hello Parents!
To help your child achieve success as a well balanced child, these tips might help
Responsibility: Encourage your kids to admit their mistakes, and take the time to treat it as a learning experience. Remain calm, discuss the decision that was made, and explain that poor choices have consequences. Mistakes are everyday teaching moments. More than likely, the consequences from poor decisions will have an impact on the child making more successful choices in the future.
Stress: Our kids have busy lives!! What helps when things get chaotic? Lower the volume in your home. Studies reveal that kids growing up in chaotic, hectic, loud homes often have more anxiety issues and difficulty problem solving in their environment. To help de-stress, turn the TV off when it is not being viewed. Often, background noises are distracting and time could be better spent talking or sharing family time. Have a quiet time period after school or before dinner to let the kids unwind, read their favorite book, or even have a short nap. Talk to your kids in calm tones and show them what active listening is all about. Finally, have daily routines to help maintain order and consistency in the home.
Discipline: It is important to keep in mind what we really want to get out of discipline. We want kids to realize from any situation that they are able to learn the difference between right and wrong. Self-discipline is a goal from positive parenting techniques- praise, discussion of choices, discussion of expectations, and building trust. Studies show that a nurturing parent- not too harsh and not too lenient- has the most positive impact on kids. Parents who are kind, understanding, and send nurturing messages to their kids usually have better behaved children. Some nurturing messages: I love you, you are important in our family, let’s learn from this together, I have faith in your abilities, I care about you. Anger is a natural emotion of parents when their children disobey, however be sure to take the time to calm down before speaking to your child. Children learn from modeling, so when they see you take time to calm down, they are more likely to assess their choices to get the best response from you!
Source: Firm, Fair and Consistent, The Parent Institute, 2006.
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