Field Day is Coming!

Our kindergarten field day will be on Friday, June 8th and we are so excited!
Just a few reminders before this fun day-
JBD staff is not permitted to put suntan lotion on your child. PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE put suntan lotion on your child before coming to school on Friday!

Parent Connection Workshop!

Mark your calendar and plan to attend the fourth annual Parent Connection Saturday Conference! On January 28, 8:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Landstown High School, Dr. Katharine Kersey will deliver a compelling keynote address followed by your choice of breakout sessions. Sessions will include a variety of choices for parents of gifted students along with workshops covering topics such as college planning, stress and the family, financial literacy, special education, and much more! Attendees will also have the opportunity to visit the Reading Bus and a variety of community resource tables.

Come join the fun! Registration is not required but more information can be requested by calling 263-1936.

Donations Needed:)

Hi Parents- We are down to our last bottle of soft soap. If possible, please send in any soap donations with your child. We love to be healthy in kindergarten and always wash our hands before snack. Thanks!

Thursday is Library Day:)

Hi parents! We had to tweak our class routine for checking out library books. In the past, I have always had my kindergarten students check books out each day they brought one back. But this year our school population has expanded- we have added a new class in several grade levels and have almost 900 students in our school (we are currently the second largest elementary school in Virginia Beach). Anyways, we have tried really hard to do daily checkout this past few days and it is a bit overwelming for our cute little kindergarten students because so many older students are using the library. Our grade level has decided to let the older students establish their library routines first and then later we will try daily checkout in all kindergarten classes. We will now only checkout books on Thursdays- so please make sure your child brings back their library back before or on Thursday of each week. Thanks!

Dr. Adolf Brown

Tonight I went to hear Dr. Adolf Brown speak about bullying at John B. Dey for his program called "one love". Dr. Brown is a national speaker and one special thing about him is that he graduated from Virginia Beach Public Schools. For me, the most compelling part of his program was when he called his third grade teacher (who was his teacher at Newtown Road Elementary) and put her on speaker phone. They chatted about how they both made a difference in each others lives. I always think that no student will remember me because I can't remember my own kindergarten teacher, but knowing that a student and teacher are still in touch after all these years is really inspiring!
Check out his bio and website at http://www.docspeaks.com/.

Library Lessons on Thursdays

Today was library day and your child was able to check out a book to take home. In my class each day a child brings back a library book they are able to check out a new book. Last year I had several students who checked out a new book each day! Occasionally the library is closed for special events- if this happens I will post it on twitter and your child will check out a book the next day. Your child will be responsible for taking the library book out of their backpacks each day. Occasionally we might have a mix up where your child's book is returned, but they didn't bring a new one home (keeping track of 44 students who may or may not bring back library books can get a little confusing for subs or half days). If this happens simply put a note in your child's folder or email me and we will fix the situation immediately. Thanks!

Electronic PTA and School Information

Would you like to help our school system save money and valuable volunteer time not to mention make things simpler for the classroom teacher? Please consider signing up for my school mail on the JBD website at www.deyes.vbschools.com. This will allow you to receive PTA and school information through your email on Thursdays.

WANTED: MORNING ROOM PARENT

Please email me if you would consider being our morning class room parent. It is very hard to have a successful year without a room parent and we currently don't have anyone volunteering to do this rewarding job for the morning class. Don't worry! I'll help you with the activities, but I do need a room parent to make our year awesome:) Thanks!

Curious about BookFlix?

Bookflix is something special we use in class and I'm sure your child has meantioned "we watched a bookflix or we watched a book on the smartboard". Last year I wrote and was awarded a grant from a subscription to Bookflix for our entire school. After being awarded the grant, a film crew came to my class to show the educational value of Bookflix in our classroom. I have posted the short video below. I plan on rewriting the grant this year (due around the end of October). The great news is that you can also use Bookflix at home with your child. Please email me if you are interested in using Bookflix and I will email you the login and password. Enjoy the video below!

Open House Information

This is my class letter that I hand out at Open House to my parents in case you are unable to attend. We also show a short movie with general information and examples of hands on learning from last year. . If you are a teacher and would like an electronic copy (which was created in microsoft publisher) to make your own, please email me at rebecca.rose@vbschools.com and I will send it to you immediately. Thanks!

Open House Video

Room Parent Wanted!

Would you like to be our class room parent? The class room parent will organize volunteers for class and school activities and also work closely with teachers on various projects. Please email me at rebecca.rose@vbschools.com if you are interested. We only need one parent for the morning class and one parent for the afternoon class. Thanks!

Become a Techno-Savvy Parent

Are you overwhelmed by technology and all a “twitter” over social media? If so, the Parent Connection Technology Academy is for you! This ten-month series of evening classes is designed to provide parents with the tools and resources needed to assist children with their technology needs.

All sessions will be taught by Virginia Beach School’s Technology Experts – the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) students from the Advanced Technology Center. Each class will offer hands-on sessions, an informational booklet and student teachers assisting participants. Sessions will be held at the Advanced Technology Center Theater located at 1800 College Crescent, in Virginia Beach, from 7:00-9:00 p.m. and pre-registration is required. To register, contact the Office of Community Relations at 757.263.1936.

Parent Connection Technology Academy sessions include…

Word Processing—Thursday, August 18, 2011
Internet—Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Buying Computers & Accessories—Wednesday, October 19, 2011
Wireless Networking—Wednesday, November 12, 2011
PC Maintenance & Troubleshooting—Thursday, December 8, 2011
PowerPoint—Wednesday, January 18, 2012
Social Networking—February 15, 2012
Spreadsheets—Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Internet Security—Wednesday, April 18, 2012
Freeware & Tips and Tricks—Wednesday, May 16, 2012

End of the Year Fun!

Just some snapshots of the end of the year activities....choosing a book to keep for the summer and signing our autograph sheets.

Summer Vacation is Coming!

Summer vacation is almost here!
We are getting very excited in kindergarten because we are about to be first graders. Things are a little hectic at school with finishing up everything before the end of the year. We do have some fun last things planned in the next week.
1. Science Lab this Thursday- this is the lab where we explore pennies. Stay tuned for pics:)
2. Field Day this Friday- we are very excited. I have to confess this is a long day for kindergarten teachers because we are basically outside all day (field day for both am and pm classes), but the kiddos have a ton of fun and I love getting a tan:) Don't forget to put suntan lotion on your child.
3. Lots of playground time- we've been cooped up inside because of SOL testing and the kiddos were so well behaved during these last two weeks. We are going to make time to stretch our wings and run around.
4. Spend quality time together as a class so we have happy memories of the end of first grade.
5. Have the kiddos paint (this goes under quality time).
6. Singing our favorite songs
7. Finishing up the chapter book "The Miraculous Journey of Edward Tulane"

I have a few teacher things to do before the end of the year and I am trying really hard to keep up with email and lnotes, but if something needs to be done before the end of the year- please let me know as soon as possible by calling me at 648-2440 ext 51330. Thanks!

Get Ready for JBD's Annual Book Swap!

John B. Dey’s Annual Book Swap
Help us to gear up for the 2010
JBD Summer Reading Club

COME ALONG AND JOIN THE FUN
Starting June 1st, all students are encouraged to bring in their gently used books.
For every TWO books brought in the student will be able to choose ONE book to take home.
Bring all the books you can!
TAKE the books to your classroom between June 1st and 6th

Swap Dates:
Pick Out books: Wednesday June 8th
John B Dey is supporting the Reach Out and Read program at CHKD by donating all of the extra books.

Family Activities and Summer Reading!

FREE kids projects at the Home Depot!


Check out this free farm in Hampton. For more information click on the picture.

Check out the free planetarium programs for families through VBCPS.

Click the picture for more information about programs at the Contemporary Arts Center.

The Chrysler Museum has a special exhibit this summer on the artwork of "Curious George". I took both of my sons about two weeks ago and they loved the artwork. One of the best parts of the exhibit was a reading room filled with Curious George books and comfy chairs for kiddos and parents to read.

Don't forget to sign up your child for Barnes and Noble's free summer reading program- fabulous! Click on picture above for more information.

Thank you so much to Mrs Grant for all the tips and ideas for free family activities and educational events:)

Kindergarten Registration

Information for Upcoming Kindergarten Parents

Many thanks to the parents, director- Jean Edwards, and staff of The Parish Day School of Eastern Shore Chapel for allowing to speak about easing the transition to kindergarten for rising kindergarteners. I was a pleasure to chat and meet with everyone. Thanks!

Don't Forget! Picture Day is Friday

FRIDAY IS PICTURE DAY!