Cottontail Parents,
I am still in need of two or three more parent drivers for Monday's field trip to Wilson's Apple Orchard. We will be leaving Willowwind around 12:30 and will return by the end of the school day. Your support is much appreciated and so important. Field trips like this one can happen with your help and assistance. Please help us out if you can. Email me if you are available to drive. Thank you in advance.
In addition, don't forget your child's booster seat for Monday's trip and their $10 to cover our Wilson's and Sass adventures.
Friday, September 30, 2011
Wednesday, September 28, 2011
Hike It / Bike It to School Day - Wednesday, October 5
This NEXT Wednesday, October 5th is national Hike It / Bike It to School Day! We are so excited to be participating in this nationwide wellness initiative!
Students and families who live close enough to safely walk or bike to school may do so from home. Those who do not, can park at the First Avenue HyVee (812 South First Avenue). We will be gathering on the South side of the building near the bike path. Parents are welcome to join in the walk or bike with their child. The route will be marked with balloons. HyVee's nutritionist is donating fruit and drinks for breakfast and she wants to join us for the walk. We will aim to leave the parking lot around 7:45 a.m.
K-6 students will be practicing sidewalk and street-crossing safety this week as a part of their Movement class. They have discussed the importance of bright clothing and biker's should be reminded to always wear a helmet.
If you choose to bike, bring a lock!
Whether from your home or from HyVee's parking lot we hope to see you join in!
Students and families who live close enough to safely walk or bike to school may do so from home. Those who do not, can park at the First Avenue HyVee (812 South First Avenue). We will be gathering on the South side of the building near the bike path. Parents are welcome to join in the walk or bike with their child. The route will be marked with balloons. HyVee's nutritionist is donating fruit and drinks for breakfast and she wants to join us for the walk. We will aim to leave the parking lot around 7:45 a.m.
K-6 students will be practicing sidewalk and street-crossing safety this week as a part of their Movement class. They have discussed the importance of bright clothing and biker's should be reminded to always wear a helmet.
If you choose to bike, bring a lock!
Whether from your home or from HyVee's parking lot we hope to see you join in!
Monday, September 26, 2011
Fall Fun - Inside and Out!
Our weeks continue to fly by and we continue to grow and learn from one another. Fall is officially here and the Cottontails are excited to learn about the changing seasons. This past week we began studying answers to the question why do seasons change. Using our globe and our own bodies, we studied the earth's trip around the sun and how this journey affects our changing seasons. Our birthday girl, Margaret, was excited to be the sun while Aidan and Stella helped Earth rotate and travel (or "orbit" we discovered). We learned that our specific location on Earth determines the variety of weather we experience. Friends in southern California or Mexico do not experience the change of seasons like we do. We were surprised to learn that the weather in the southern hemisphere is on an opposite schedule from our own weather. In the coming weeks, we will continue to focus on why seasons change as we begin to observe the changing weather patterns in our own community. Our trips to the library, Wilson's and Sass will prove to provide us with opportunities to see and feel the changing weather. At school, through our Literacy time, we will read a variety of fiction and nonfiction books describing the beauty of fall.
As we've learned, Fall brings beautiful sunny days with cooler temperatures. We are enjoying these temperatures as we run and play at recess time. It has been fun to watch the K-6 friends invent and play new recess games together. The Cottontails really enjoy this time with their older friends. It is a wonderful sight as our older friends embrace their role as mentor. In addition, to our school wide games, the Cottontails are getting stronger and stronger in their climbing and exploring skills. Comments likes, "I can do it!" and "Look, I persevered!" are being used all over the playground. It is fun to watch our friends climb high and spin fast. The Spikas have become a new favorite where Cottontails pretend to be famous ballerinas and figure skaters as they create elaborate spins around the Spikas.
We stay busy inside the classroom, too. Centers continue to be a great time to work, play, and learn from each other. Our Art Cart and Writing Station has become a popular choice during this time. With four birthdays in one week, we were busy Cottontails making birthday cards for our friends. It has been a great joy watching the class work together to make beautiful cards. What makes this activity so spectacular is the fact that it was their choice to use their words and drawings to create these wonderful birthday gifts. Sayan and Jimin have done a wonderful job showing our friends that they can use our classroom walls as writing resources. Nina, Maggie, and Rosie like using the Word Wall and birthday presents to help with the spellings of their friends' names.
In Guided Reading, our Frog & Toad group meets a couple times of week to read realistic fiction titled Long Ago and Today. Long Ago and Today is about boy and his great-grandma. It is amazing to read about Great-Grandma's life and how different it was. It is also fun to look at the similarities in the two characters' lives, too. The Frog & Toad group has also focused their time to understand the use and differences between a question mark and a period. They have also gone on word hunts for L-family blends like fly, black, clap, glad, play, and slug.
We continue to grow excited for each new activity that is added to our daily schedule week by week. Our spelling time has become a great routine, full of interactive chatter and letter sound study. I can tell that the Cottontails have been continuing their word study practice at home. We were eager to sort and glue our pictures into our new spelling notebooks last week. I am already amazed at the large growth in letter sound identification. Throughout our entire day students are discovering words that start with our focused letter sounds. Our letter sound studies have gone beyond the school day, too! At the Harvest Fest, Rosie wanted me to guess the name of her preschool class from last year. After repeated attempts she finally told me that I needed a hint. She said, "Ms. Michelle, it starts with mmmmm just like your name". Sure enough, she was right! Our friend was a Marblewing last year. Way to go!
Speaking of the Harvest Fest, thank you so much for coming out to Willowwind for an afternoon of fun. It was great to see your wonderful family. I was so proud of the Cottontails (and all of our K-6 friends) for their amazing job with our Prairie Play. Many Cottontail parents shared with me the excitement the Cottontails had for our play leading up to our Harvest Fest event. i know that we have already learned so much about tallgrass prairies. We hope our play helped you learn a bit about the creation of tallgrass prairies in Iowa. We are excited to continue our prairie curriculum and prairie research as we plan to restore part of Willowwind's campus. Also, thank you, thank you, thank you for your support at the Harvest Fest. The Book Walk was a huge success, the set up and clean up throughout the entire Harvest Fest went so smoothly and the food was absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing your time and your favorite foods with us!
Did you know?!?! A crazy mystery was solved thanks to the Harvest Fest! Willowwind students have been puzzled by the arrival of an ever growing squash vine outside the K-2 Project Room. Although we have enjoyed watching the vine and squash fruit evolve over the last six weeks the mystery of how it got there remained. On Monday, Ms. Brooke helped us conclude that our squash vine is perhaps the result of the last year's Harvest Fest's Squash Bowling. After Sunday, there were seeds everywhere! Surely, one of the seeds from last year's Harvest Fest took root and planted itself right in our rock bed. Ezra, Lucas, Jimin, Sayan, and Rayne were excited to pick up the seeds from this year's Squash Bowling station. They have great plans to plant these seeds to see if they can perhaps grow into another beautiful vine. We shall see…
Don't Forget!
We will be traveling to the library THIS Friday. Please see that your child has their library card with them. We are excited to select books to check out and take home!
Also, NEXT Monday we will be traveling to Wilson's Apple Orchard. DRIVERS ARE STILL NEEDED. Please let me know if you are interested in joining us. Don't forget to leave your child's booster seat here at Willowwind on Monday.
Please make sure I receive your family's $10 for our trip to the orchard and the farm. Please send your family's $10 to me directly. Thanks!
I have talked with the ICFD Captain and we have scheduled our trip to the fire department for Tuesday, October 11th from 10:00 - 1:30. We will take the Towncrest bus downtown, and I will be in need of one or two parents to travel along with us. Please let me know if you are interested. In addition to our trip to the fire department, if the weather cooperates, we will eat lunch downtown and play on the library's play structure.
Lastly, we will be consistently cleaning our our book bags as our reading collection grows. When we are done with a black & white book we will place a sticker in the corner of the cover. This will tell you and your family that these books can remain at home and no longer need to travel back and forth to school. We will also try and rotate our paperback books on a weekly/biweekly schedule.
Thanks for all you do!
As we've learned, Fall brings beautiful sunny days with cooler temperatures. We are enjoying these temperatures as we run and play at recess time. It has been fun to watch the K-6 friends invent and play new recess games together. The Cottontails really enjoy this time with their older friends. It is a wonderful sight as our older friends embrace their role as mentor. In addition, to our school wide games, the Cottontails are getting stronger and stronger in their climbing and exploring skills. Comments likes, "I can do it!" and "Look, I persevered!" are being used all over the playground. It is fun to watch our friends climb high and spin fast. The Spikas have become a new favorite where Cottontails pretend to be famous ballerinas and figure skaters as they create elaborate spins around the Spikas.
We stay busy inside the classroom, too. Centers continue to be a great time to work, play, and learn from each other. Our Art Cart and Writing Station has become a popular choice during this time. With four birthdays in one week, we were busy Cottontails making birthday cards for our friends. It has been a great joy watching the class work together to make beautiful cards. What makes this activity so spectacular is the fact that it was their choice to use their words and drawings to create these wonderful birthday gifts. Sayan and Jimin have done a wonderful job showing our friends that they can use our classroom walls as writing resources. Nina, Maggie, and Rosie like using the Word Wall and birthday presents to help with the spellings of their friends' names.
In Guided Reading, our Frog & Toad group meets a couple times of week to read realistic fiction titled Long Ago and Today. Long Ago and Today is about boy and his great-grandma. It is amazing to read about Great-Grandma's life and how different it was. It is also fun to look at the similarities in the two characters' lives, too. The Frog & Toad group has also focused their time to understand the use and differences between a question mark and a period. They have also gone on word hunts for L-family blends like fly, black, clap, glad, play, and slug.
We continue to grow excited for each new activity that is added to our daily schedule week by week. Our spelling time has become a great routine, full of interactive chatter and letter sound study. I can tell that the Cottontails have been continuing their word study practice at home. We were eager to sort and glue our pictures into our new spelling notebooks last week. I am already amazed at the large growth in letter sound identification. Throughout our entire day students are discovering words that start with our focused letter sounds. Our letter sound studies have gone beyond the school day, too! At the Harvest Fest, Rosie wanted me to guess the name of her preschool class from last year. After repeated attempts she finally told me that I needed a hint. She said, "Ms. Michelle, it starts with mmmmm just like your name". Sure enough, she was right! Our friend was a Marblewing last year. Way to go!
Speaking of the Harvest Fest, thank you so much for coming out to Willowwind for an afternoon of fun. It was great to see your wonderful family. I was so proud of the Cottontails (and all of our K-6 friends) for their amazing job with our Prairie Play. Many Cottontail parents shared with me the excitement the Cottontails had for our play leading up to our Harvest Fest event. i know that we have already learned so much about tallgrass prairies. We hope our play helped you learn a bit about the creation of tallgrass prairies in Iowa. We are excited to continue our prairie curriculum and prairie research as we plan to restore part of Willowwind's campus. Also, thank you, thank you, thank you for your support at the Harvest Fest. The Book Walk was a huge success, the set up and clean up throughout the entire Harvest Fest went so smoothly and the food was absolutely amazing. Thank you for sharing your time and your favorite foods with us!
Did you know?!?! A crazy mystery was solved thanks to the Harvest Fest! Willowwind students have been puzzled by the arrival of an ever growing squash vine outside the K-2 Project Room. Although we have enjoyed watching the vine and squash fruit evolve over the last six weeks the mystery of how it got there remained. On Monday, Ms. Brooke helped us conclude that our squash vine is perhaps the result of the last year's Harvest Fest's Squash Bowling. After Sunday, there were seeds everywhere! Surely, one of the seeds from last year's Harvest Fest took root and planted itself right in our rock bed. Ezra, Lucas, Jimin, Sayan, and Rayne were excited to pick up the seeds from this year's Squash Bowling station. They have great plans to plant these seeds to see if they can perhaps grow into another beautiful vine. We shall see…
Don't Forget!
We will be traveling to the library THIS Friday. Please see that your child has their library card with them. We are excited to select books to check out and take home!
Also, NEXT Monday we will be traveling to Wilson's Apple Orchard. DRIVERS ARE STILL NEEDED. Please let me know if you are interested in joining us. Don't forget to leave your child's booster seat here at Willowwind on Monday.
Please make sure I receive your family's $10 for our trip to the orchard and the farm. Please send your family's $10 to me directly. Thanks!
I have talked with the ICFD Captain and we have scheduled our trip to the fire department for Tuesday, October 11th from 10:00 - 1:30. We will take the Towncrest bus downtown, and I will be in need of one or two parents to travel along with us. Please let me know if you are interested. In addition to our trip to the fire department, if the weather cooperates, we will eat lunch downtown and play on the library's play structure.
Lastly, we will be consistently cleaning our our book bags as our reading collection grows. When we are done with a black & white book we will place a sticker in the corner of the cover. This will tell you and your family that these books can remain at home and no longer need to travel back and forth to school. We will also try and rotate our paperback books on a weekly/biweekly schedule.
Thanks for all you do!
Thursday, September 22, 2011
Harvest Fest - THIS SUNDAY
Our Harvest Fest is this Sunday, September 25th from 2:00 - 4:30 and we are so excited to celebrate the arrival of Fall! We are also eager to share our Prairie Play with you! The Cottontails have been busy bunnies practicing their important role with Ms. Christine while in Movement class. Our class role is the all important tallgrass prairie. We will be practicing our part with the rest of the school tomorrow throughout the afternoon. We are excited to put the final touches on our play.
Please Note: On Sunday, Ms. Christine is asking all Cottontails to come dressed in tallgrass prairie colors. Greens, browns, yellows, purples, etc… Let's make our Cottontails resemble the beautiful tallgrass prairies. PLEASE no need to go out and stock up on prairie colors. Please just search through your child's existing wardrobe. I know there is something that'll look great! :)
Also Note: Thank you so much to our parents that have volunteered to lead the Book Walk. Please check the link on the Welcome page's sidebar to confirm your Book Walk time slot. Please Note: With the Prairie Play scheduled for 3:30 the final time slot (the clean up time slot) has been moved back 15 minutes to 3:45 - 4:15. Thank you again!
Can't make it to this year's Harvest Fest? We will miss you! Please let me know if your child won't be here for our school wide prairie play.
See you Sunday!!
Please Note: On Sunday, Ms. Christine is asking all Cottontails to come dressed in tallgrass prairie colors. Greens, browns, yellows, purples, etc… Let's make our Cottontails resemble the beautiful tallgrass prairies. PLEASE no need to go out and stock up on prairie colors. Please just search through your child's existing wardrobe. I know there is something that'll look great! :)
Also Note: Thank you so much to our parents that have volunteered to lead the Book Walk. Please check the link on the Welcome page's sidebar to confirm your Book Walk time slot. Please Note: With the Prairie Play scheduled for 3:30 the final time slot (the clean up time slot) has been moved back 15 minutes to 3:45 - 4:15. Thank you again!
Can't make it to this year's Harvest Fest? We will miss you! Please let me know if your child won't be here for our school wide prairie play.
See you Sunday!!
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Volunteer Opportunties!
Your help is needed in the Cottontail Rabbit classroom! Please email me if you are interested in helping out. Thank you in advance for your help and support.
Harvest Fest Book Walk - THIS Sunday, September 25th
One more parent volunteer is needed to cover the final shift (3:30 - 4:00) at our Book Walk station. Please use the sign up sheet found on the Welcome page's right sidebar. Please, please help out if you are available.
Drivers for Wilson's Apple Orchard Field Trip - Monday, October 3rd 12:30 - 3:15
Drivers are needed for our first Kindergarten field trip. Please let me know if you are available to drive. If you are, let me know how many booster seats you can fit in the back row(s) of your vehicle. Drivers, please be sure to submit a copy of your driver's license and auto insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
Drivers for Sass Family Farms Field Trip - 11:00 - 3:15
Drivers are need for our trip to the Sass Farm in Riverside, Iowa. Please let me know if you are available to drive. If you are, let me know how many booster seats you can fit in the back row(s) of your vehicle. Drivers, please be sure to submit a copy of your driver's license and auto insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
Social Studies Workbook Copying
A classroom set of our Social Studies workbook is needed. Please let me know if you are interested in copying a class set. This can be done using WIllowwind's copier and can be done at a time convenient for you. This should take about 30 minutes.
Assembling Social Studies Workbooks and Writing Portfolios
We are ready to use our workbooks and portfolios, but they need to be assembled. Please let me know if you are interested in assembling our binders. This can be done at Willowwind at a time that is convent for you. This should take about 45 - 60 minutes.
Harvest Fest Book Walk - THIS Sunday, September 25th
One more parent volunteer is needed to cover the final shift (3:30 - 4:00) at our Book Walk station. Please use the sign up sheet found on the Welcome page's right sidebar. Please, please help out if you are available.
Drivers for Wilson's Apple Orchard Field Trip - Monday, October 3rd 12:30 - 3:15
Drivers are needed for our first Kindergarten field trip. Please let me know if you are available to drive. If you are, let me know how many booster seats you can fit in the back row(s) of your vehicle. Drivers, please be sure to submit a copy of your driver's license and auto insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
Drivers for Sass Family Farms Field Trip - 11:00 - 3:15
Drivers are need for our trip to the Sass Farm in Riverside, Iowa. Please let me know if you are available to drive. If you are, let me know how many booster seats you can fit in the back row(s) of your vehicle. Drivers, please be sure to submit a copy of your driver's license and auto insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
Social Studies Workbook Copying
A classroom set of our Social Studies workbook is needed. Please let me know if you are interested in copying a class set. This can be done using WIllowwind's copier and can be done at a time convenient for you. This should take about 30 minutes.
Assembling Social Studies Workbooks and Writing Portfolios
We are ready to use our workbooks and portfolios, but they need to be assembled. Please let me know if you are interested in assembling our binders. This can be done at Willowwind at a time that is convent for you. This should take about 45 - 60 minutes.
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
Upcoming Field Trips
Our calendar is quickly filling up with exciting field trips into our surrounding community. Your help is needed. We'd love to have you come along! Please let me know if you are interested.
Please note that $10 is needed to help cover the cost of our upcoming field trips. With our field trip fund we will be purchasing apples and pumpkins to bring back to our classroom. We will also enjoy apple turnovers at Wilson's and a hayrack ride at Sass Family Farms. Please see that I receive your child's $10 no later than Friday, September 30th.
Iowa City Public Library - Friday, September 30th 1:00 - 3:00
With our Prairie Racerunner friends, we will be taking our first ride on the city bus to visit the public library. Please see that your child has their library card.
Wilson's Apple Orchard - Monday, October 3rd 12:30 - 3:15
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY! Drivers are needed for our October 3rd field trip to Wilson's Apple Orchard. If you are interested in driving please let me know. All drivers must submit a copy of their driver's license and proof of insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
We are so excited for this adventure to Wilson's! Here we will be able to taste test a variety of apples, venture out into the apple orchard to handpick our very own apples, and we will even take time to enjoy Wilson's famous apple turnovers. Please see that your child has their booster seat at school on this day!
Sass Family Farms - Monday, October 17th 11:00 - 3:15
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY! Drivers are needed for our October 17th field trip to Sass Family Farms. If you are interested in driving please let me know. All drivers must submit a copy of their driver's license and proof of insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
Our yearly trip to Sass Family Farms is quite fun. Sass Farms knows how to have a good time! With their petting zoo, "haunted house", corn bin, playground, pumpkins, squash, gourds, and hayrack ride we will surely have a blast. Farmer Maurice is great, too! He'll give us a hayrack tour of his farm and chat with us about the life cycle of a pumpkin and his work as a farmer. Each Cottontail will even get to pick out their very own pumpkin to take back to Willowwind! We will be eating lunch at Sass Family Farms, so please be sure to pack a healthy lunch that can help your child sustain a busy day! Please see that your child has their booster seat at school on this day!
I am still in the process of booking our field trip to the downtown Iowa City fire station. I will keep you posted on this upcoming event. We will take the city bus to visit our local fire department/ I will be in need of one parent volunteer to come along with us.
What an exciting October we have planned! It is always such a pleasure to use our community as a resource for amazing learning and a wonderful time!
Please note that $10 is needed to help cover the cost of our upcoming field trips. With our field trip fund we will be purchasing apples and pumpkins to bring back to our classroom. We will also enjoy apple turnovers at Wilson's and a hayrack ride at Sass Family Farms. Please see that I receive your child's $10 no later than Friday, September 30th.
Iowa City Public Library - Friday, September 30th 1:00 - 3:00
With our Prairie Racerunner friends, we will be taking our first ride on the city bus to visit the public library. Please see that your child has their library card.
Wilson's Apple Orchard - Monday, October 3rd 12:30 - 3:15
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY! Drivers are needed for our October 3rd field trip to Wilson's Apple Orchard. If you are interested in driving please let me know. All drivers must submit a copy of their driver's license and proof of insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
We are so excited for this adventure to Wilson's! Here we will be able to taste test a variety of apples, venture out into the apple orchard to handpick our very own apples, and we will even take time to enjoy Wilson's famous apple turnovers. Please see that your child has their booster seat at school on this day!
Sass Family Farms - Monday, October 17th 11:00 - 3:15
VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITY! Drivers are needed for our October 17th field trip to Sass Family Farms. If you are interested in driving please let me know. All drivers must submit a copy of their driver's license and proof of insurance to Amber at the Front Desk.
Our yearly trip to Sass Family Farms is quite fun. Sass Farms knows how to have a good time! With their petting zoo, "haunted house", corn bin, playground, pumpkins, squash, gourds, and hayrack ride we will surely have a blast. Farmer Maurice is great, too! He'll give us a hayrack tour of his farm and chat with us about the life cycle of a pumpkin and his work as a farmer. Each Cottontail will even get to pick out their very own pumpkin to take back to Willowwind! We will be eating lunch at Sass Family Farms, so please be sure to pack a healthy lunch that can help your child sustain a busy day! Please see that your child has their booster seat at school on this day!
I am still in the process of booking our field trip to the downtown Iowa City fire station. I will keep you posted on this upcoming event. We will take the city bus to visit our local fire department/ I will be in need of one parent volunteer to come along with us.
What an exciting October we have planned! It is always such a pleasure to use our community as a resource for amazing learning and a wonderful time!
Friday, September 16, 2011
Fall Is In The Air
The chilly wind and crisp mornings are here! Fall is definitely on it's way. Please make sure your child dresses appropriately and in layers as the temperatures change throughout the day. This week, we will begin answering the question: Why do seasons change?
Another great week has come and gone in the Cottontail Rabbit classroom. First off, thank you so much to the families that attended Thursday's Curriculum Night. It was a great success and I feel so lucky to be involved with such a wonderful and supportive community. If you were unable to attend this year's Curriculum Night please don't worry. Take some time to check out the website and really go over each page. The website is stocked full of information that we covered at Curriculum Night. Please look to the recent addition of the Cottontail Handbook as this will give you anything you may want to know about our Kindergarten routines.
This week we started many new activities in our classroom. We were very busy learning our Word Study routine, our Guided Reading routine, and a handful of new songs and activities during our Handwriting time. Our Word Study time was a great success. Check out the pictures of your child spelling with shaving cream and working with their sorts. They seem very excited to be studying letter sounds. Thank you for helping implement a consistent Word Study routine at home. Check out the Word Study Routine document on the Welcome page for more information.
In addition, I was able to meet with each Guided Reading group once or twice this week. The students love their book bags and it has been a pleasure to work with small groups of four students. The Dr. Seuss group discussed the word "the" and identified the parts of a book (the front cover, the back cover, the title page). The Dr. Seuss group was also excited to hear that they would have "homework" this weekend. At a time convenient for your family please help your child add two more sentences to the book The Classroom. There is space at the end of the book for your child to do so. Our next meetings, we will share our additions with our small group.
Our Handwriting time was interactive and so much fun. I bet your Cottontail has gone home singing some of our new favorite songs including: Where Do You Start Your Letters?, Tap, Tap, Tap, Picking Up My Pencil, and Frog Jump Letters. Through the use of song and dance we are working on controlling our fine motor skills to help with our printing. Picking Up My Pencil is a great song to help encourage proper pencil grip. I also introduced a new Center activity where students can use wood pieces to create letters and words. The Cottontails also worked in their very own workbooks where we focused on our fine motor skills and printing the capital letters, B & M. What a busy week full of letter fun!
Here are some fun peeks into classroom conversations!
~ The blocks have become quite the Center activity. Students have used our big blocks to create classroom wide domino courses and bowling alleys. It is fun to watch them work and create together. When trying to move the heavy bucket of blocks, one student said to another, "Come on, girl, you can totally do it!" The other student said, "Thanks, girl! Let's do it together!"
~ During Morning Meeting, we are learning to count in Spanish. As we were counting, "dieciseis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve" the question "Come se dice 20 in Espanol?" came up. With much confidence a Cottontail Rabbit chimed in, "diecidieci". So much logic was put into his response! Although 20 is veinte in Espanol I was so impressed with this friend's thought process!
~ While at Wednesday's GD, we were participating in a timed Roll Call. When we found out our Roll Call only took 33.3 seconds one Cottontail said, "Hey! With the Racerunners gone that means it took us about one second per person." They were so right! There were 35 of us at GD that day. Amazing!
~ It was time to weigh our trash at Friday's GD. A few weeks back the K-6 students set a goal of only accumulating two pounds of trash at lunch. When we weighed our trash (trash, recycling, and food waste) we found out that we had about 1.5 pounds of trash. To determine this amount our older friends had to complete quite a bit of fraction reconfiguring. One Cottontail whispered to another, "Wow! They are doing a lot of Math!" The other whispered back, "I know! After all that Math, I still hope we will be under our goal." We were happy to see that we did even better then our goal and set an even lower goal of one pound for our next lunch trash weigh in!
The things our friends say are just too cute!
A few quick reminders:
~ Please sign up for a PEP Conference. In addition, if you have not filled out your Parent Survey please do so. Both links can be found to the right on the Welcome page.
~ Don't forget! Each day, please see that your child is prepared for school by bringing their take home folder, Cottontail Communicator, spelling sort and book bag. These items are incredibly important parts of our day.
~ The Harvest Fest is THIS Sunday from 2:00 - 4:30. We can't wait to see you there. Please sign up to host a half hour block at the Cottontails' Book Walk station. Also, gently used or new books are need for this event. Lastly, look to Ms. Carly's Weekly Note or the Front Desk for information on what food to bring for our potluck.
~ We will be traveling to the library on Friday, September 30th. Please make sure your child has their library card.
~ Check out our "Volunteer Opportunity" section on our Welcome Page. A handful of volunteers are needed for various activities.
Have a great week, friends! Thanks for all you do!
Another great week has come and gone in the Cottontail Rabbit classroom. First off, thank you so much to the families that attended Thursday's Curriculum Night. It was a great success and I feel so lucky to be involved with such a wonderful and supportive community. If you were unable to attend this year's Curriculum Night please don't worry. Take some time to check out the website and really go over each page. The website is stocked full of information that we covered at Curriculum Night. Please look to the recent addition of the Cottontail Handbook as this will give you anything you may want to know about our Kindergarten routines.
This week we started many new activities in our classroom. We were very busy learning our Word Study routine, our Guided Reading routine, and a handful of new songs and activities during our Handwriting time. Our Word Study time was a great success. Check out the pictures of your child spelling with shaving cream and working with their sorts. They seem very excited to be studying letter sounds. Thank you for helping implement a consistent Word Study routine at home. Check out the Word Study Routine document on the Welcome page for more information.
In addition, I was able to meet with each Guided Reading group once or twice this week. The students love their book bags and it has been a pleasure to work with small groups of four students. The Dr. Seuss group discussed the word "the" and identified the parts of a book (the front cover, the back cover, the title page). The Dr. Seuss group was also excited to hear that they would have "homework" this weekend. At a time convenient for your family please help your child add two more sentences to the book The Classroom. There is space at the end of the book for your child to do so. Our next meetings, we will share our additions with our small group.
Our Handwriting time was interactive and so much fun. I bet your Cottontail has gone home singing some of our new favorite songs including: Where Do You Start Your Letters?, Tap, Tap, Tap, Picking Up My Pencil, and Frog Jump Letters. Through the use of song and dance we are working on controlling our fine motor skills to help with our printing. Picking Up My Pencil is a great song to help encourage proper pencil grip. I also introduced a new Center activity where students can use wood pieces to create letters and words. The Cottontails also worked in their very own workbooks where we focused on our fine motor skills and printing the capital letters, B & M. What a busy week full of letter fun!
Here are some fun peeks into classroom conversations!
~ The blocks have become quite the Center activity. Students have used our big blocks to create classroom wide domino courses and bowling alleys. It is fun to watch them work and create together. When trying to move the heavy bucket of blocks, one student said to another, "Come on, girl, you can totally do it!" The other student said, "Thanks, girl! Let's do it together!"
~ During Morning Meeting, we are learning to count in Spanish. As we were counting, "dieciseis, diecisiete, dieciocho, diecinueve" the question "Come se dice 20 in Espanol?" came up. With much confidence a Cottontail Rabbit chimed in, "diecidieci". So much logic was put into his response! Although 20 is veinte in Espanol I was so impressed with this friend's thought process!
~ While at Wednesday's GD, we were participating in a timed Roll Call. When we found out our Roll Call only took 33.3 seconds one Cottontail said, "Hey! With the Racerunners gone that means it took us about one second per person." They were so right! There were 35 of us at GD that day. Amazing!
~ It was time to weigh our trash at Friday's GD. A few weeks back the K-6 students set a goal of only accumulating two pounds of trash at lunch. When we weighed our trash (trash, recycling, and food waste) we found out that we had about 1.5 pounds of trash. To determine this amount our older friends had to complete quite a bit of fraction reconfiguring. One Cottontail whispered to another, "Wow! They are doing a lot of Math!" The other whispered back, "I know! After all that Math, I still hope we will be under our goal." We were happy to see that we did even better then our goal and set an even lower goal of one pound for our next lunch trash weigh in!
The things our friends say are just too cute!
A few quick reminders:
~ Please sign up for a PEP Conference. In addition, if you have not filled out your Parent Survey please do so. Both links can be found to the right on the Welcome page.
~ Don't forget! Each day, please see that your child is prepared for school by bringing their take home folder, Cottontail Communicator, spelling sort and book bag. These items are incredibly important parts of our day.
~ The Harvest Fest is THIS Sunday from 2:00 - 4:30. We can't wait to see you there. Please sign up to host a half hour block at the Cottontails' Book Walk station. Also, gently used or new books are need for this event. Lastly, look to Ms. Carly's Weekly Note or the Front Desk for information on what food to bring for our potluck.
~ We will be traveling to the library on Friday, September 30th. Please make sure your child has their library card.
~ Check out our "Volunteer Opportunity" section on our Welcome Page. A handful of volunteers are needed for various activities.
Have a great week, friends! Thanks for all you do!
Willowwind Benefit - Was The Word THIS SUNDAY
Join the Willowwind community at the Englert theater on Sunday, September 18th at 7 pm. Was the Word is hosting a benefit in our honor. Come for a fun evening of spoken word and music. Proceeds straight from the event will directly benefit our school. This Was the Word season is titled Show and Tell: Stories from the Schoolhouse.
Check out Was the Word's website for more information. See your there!
Check out Was the Word's website for more information. See your there!
Website Updated - 9.16.11
Continual updates are being made! I have added some more excited features to keep you more in touch with your child's time at school. Check out the following new features.
~ a new Websites tab - This page includes some of our favorite websites. Take a look and have fun! If you have a favorite website let us know. We'll add it to our page!
~ a functioning Calendar tab - This page should be working now. If you continue to get "busy" messages in place of daily events please let me know.
~ a Daily Schedule subpage - Please find this under the Curriculum tab.
~ Specials' blogs - Our Movement, Music, and Spanish blogs are up and running. Look for them under the Newsletter tab. The Scholar's Studio blog should be ready when Ms. Buffy returns for Art on Monday!
~ a Facebook button - Our Welcome Page is linked to Willowwind's Facebook page. Check out the "f" button in the top right corner. WW's Facebook page is a great way to communicate with our community and beyond!
~ updated September photos - Check out the fun we had this week. There are pictures of our shaving cream spelling time and singing and dancing while using our wood letter pieces.
~ Handouts Sidebar: I have added two new handouts to our Welcome page's right sidebar. Please check out the Cottontail Handbook and Word Study Routines documents. The Handbook is your go to place for anything and everything you may want to know about the Cottontail Classroom and Willowwind as a whole. The Word Study Routines document can provide you with helpful reminders of what your child's at home spelling routine should look like.
~ Volunteer Opportunities Sidebar: I am in need of parent volunteers. I am looking for two parents to help with weekly book assembly. This can be done from home. I am also looking for parent volunteers to make copies of our Social Studies workbook and assemble our Social Studies binders and Writing Portfolios. Please let me know if you are interested. Don't forget we are also in need of Cottontail parent volunteers for our Harvest Fest Book Walk. Use the sign up sheet on the sidebar to select a time.
~ a new Websites tab - This page includes some of our favorite websites. Take a look and have fun! If you have a favorite website let us know. We'll add it to our page!
~ a functioning Calendar tab - This page should be working now. If you continue to get "busy" messages in place of daily events please let me know.
~ a Daily Schedule subpage - Please find this under the Curriculum tab.
~ Specials' blogs - Our Movement, Music, and Spanish blogs are up and running. Look for them under the Newsletter tab. The Scholar's Studio blog should be ready when Ms. Buffy returns for Art on Monday!
~ a Facebook button - Our Welcome Page is linked to Willowwind's Facebook page. Check out the "f" button in the top right corner. WW's Facebook page is a great way to communicate with our community and beyond!
~ updated September photos - Check out the fun we had this week. There are pictures of our shaving cream spelling time and singing and dancing while using our wood letter pieces.
~ Handouts Sidebar: I have added two new handouts to our Welcome page's right sidebar. Please check out the Cottontail Handbook and Word Study Routines documents. The Handbook is your go to place for anything and everything you may want to know about the Cottontail Classroom and Willowwind as a whole. The Word Study Routines document can provide you with helpful reminders of what your child's at home spelling routine should look like.
~ Volunteer Opportunities Sidebar: I am in need of parent volunteers. I am looking for two parents to help with weekly book assembly. This can be done from home. I am also looking for parent volunteers to make copies of our Social Studies workbook and assemble our Social Studies binders and Writing Portfolios. Please let me know if you are interested. Don't forget we are also in need of Cottontail parent volunteers for our Harvest Fest Book Walk. Use the sign up sheet on the sidebar to select a time.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Kindergarten Moments: Big and Small
September is in full swing and another amazing week has come and gone. Our short week was packed with amazing adventures. The highlight of our week was definitely our midweek school wide field trip to Kent Park. We learned so much and had an amazing time. A big thank you goes out to Naturalist Brad who is a prairie professional! The Cottontails are excited to mail our thank you letter and drawings to our new friend, Brad. Please look to our updated September newsletter for more information regarding our recent trip to Kent Park. Here you will also find a link to updated photos and a wonderful blog posting regarding our trip from our dear friend Ms. Brooke.
New friends are being made all around! Our recent Partner Reveal has created some amazing multiage friendships. It has been fun to watch these partnerships quickly grow. Our multiage Movement time has also fostered many new friendships. On Friday, one Cottontail came back excited that she made a new friend in the Prairie Racerunner room. She was eager to see this new friend at lunch, recess, and GD. This excitement for new friends is a wonderful demonstration of perfectly understanding the "Willowwind Way".
On Tuesday, the Cottontails were introduced to our classroom's iPad. Two or three times throughout the week students will be able to spend time exploring educational apps on the iPad. Take a look at our updated Technology page for more information. The iPad apps sub page will give you a comprehensive list of apps found on our classroom iPad.
On Friday, students participated in a somber discussion regarding the recent 9.11 anniversary. During GD, Ms. Brooke read Fireboat and book detailing the John J. Harvey's call to duty and how this fireboat sprang into action providing countless hours of aid amongst the tragedy at Ground Zero. Our school wide discussion was truly amazing. Students shared what the knew and their own recollections, we made text to text connections as we compared Fireboat to the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, a Willowwind favorite, and many students asked the all important question, why did this happen? As a school, we understood the importance of always remembering what had happened that day and how we can use this tragic day to become a stronger country, unified together.
As GD ended, the Cottontails wanted to know more about 9.11. We used our classroom map to locate New York City and the Twin Towers location in NYC. One student asked an incredible question: "Ms. Michelle? If 9.11 happened before we were born, and New York is so far away, why is important for us talk about it here in Iowa?" With tears in my eyes, this was a question I was proud to answer. The insight our young friends brought to our conversations was simply amazing. Through our discussions, the Cottontails begin to understand, at their own level, the importance of what had happened on this day. They wanted to know where I was on 9.11…a Sophomore in college just waking up hearing the tragic headlines come across my alarm clock's radio. They wanted to know what I did that day….a Sophomore in college glued to the coverage on TV who made time to break away from the TV to travel the nine miles home to hug my family and eat dinner together in my childhood home. They wanted to know if it will happen again, and most importantly, they wanted to know what they could do to remember. I was happy to foster their need for discussions regarding September 11th. I encourage you to further any 9.11 discussions that may continue at home in the coming days.
Thank you for allowing me to share these moments, big and small, with your child!
New friends are being made all around! Our recent Partner Reveal has created some amazing multiage friendships. It has been fun to watch these partnerships quickly grow. Our multiage Movement time has also fostered many new friendships. On Friday, one Cottontail came back excited that she made a new friend in the Prairie Racerunner room. She was eager to see this new friend at lunch, recess, and GD. This excitement for new friends is a wonderful demonstration of perfectly understanding the "Willowwind Way".
On Tuesday, the Cottontails were introduced to our classroom's iPad. Two or three times throughout the week students will be able to spend time exploring educational apps on the iPad. Take a look at our updated Technology page for more information. The iPad apps sub page will give you a comprehensive list of apps found on our classroom iPad.
On Friday, students participated in a somber discussion regarding the recent 9.11 anniversary. During GD, Ms. Brooke read Fireboat and book detailing the John J. Harvey's call to duty and how this fireboat sprang into action providing countless hours of aid amongst the tragedy at Ground Zero. Our school wide discussion was truly amazing. Students shared what the knew and their own recollections, we made text to text connections as we compared Fireboat to the book The Man Who Walked Between the Towers, a Willowwind favorite, and many students asked the all important question, why did this happen? As a school, we understood the importance of always remembering what had happened that day and how we can use this tragic day to become a stronger country, unified together.
As GD ended, the Cottontails wanted to know more about 9.11. We used our classroom map to locate New York City and the Twin Towers location in NYC. One student asked an incredible question: "Ms. Michelle? If 9.11 happened before we were born, and New York is so far away, why is important for us talk about it here in Iowa?" With tears in my eyes, this was a question I was proud to answer. The insight our young friends brought to our conversations was simply amazing. Through our discussions, the Cottontails begin to understand, at their own level, the importance of what had happened on this day. They wanted to know where I was on 9.11…a Sophomore in college just waking up hearing the tragic headlines come across my alarm clock's radio. They wanted to know what I did that day….a Sophomore in college glued to the coverage on TV who made time to break away from the TV to travel the nine miles home to hug my family and eat dinner together in my childhood home. They wanted to know if it will happen again, and most importantly, they wanted to know what they could do to remember. I was happy to foster their need for discussions regarding September 11th. I encourage you to further any 9.11 discussions that may continue at home in the coming days.
Thank you for allowing me to share these moments, big and small, with your child!
Website Updated - 9.12.11
Our website has been updated! Check out the new Prairie, Specials, and Technology pages under the Curriculum tab. Under the Technology page you will also find an iPad sub page. In addition, I have added September's newsletter and updated September photos. The Important Tidbits sidebar has also been updated. Take a look and enjoy!
Don't forget, Curriculum Night is THIS Thursday, September 15th from 5:30 - 7:00. All parents are expected to attend. See you there!
Remember to use the links on the sidebar to sign up for your child's September PEP Conference on September 22nd or September 29th. In addition, if you have not completed your Parent Survey for our PEP conference please do so asap. This survey is used to help us create appropriate academic and social goals for your child.
There is also a link you can use to sign up and help with hosting duties at our class's Harvest Fest Book Walk on September 25th. Each shift goes towards 30 minutes of volunteer hours. Willowwind is still in need of new or gently used books for this year's Harvest Fest Book Walk. The donation bin is located outside our classroom entrance.
Lastly, the Cottontails are traveling to the Iowa City Public Library on Friday, September 30th. Please make sure your child has their library card. Check out September's newsletter for more information.
Don't forget, Curriculum Night is THIS Thursday, September 15th from 5:30 - 7:00. All parents are expected to attend. See you there!
Remember to use the links on the sidebar to sign up for your child's September PEP Conference on September 22nd or September 29th. In addition, if you have not completed your Parent Survey for our PEP conference please do so asap. This survey is used to help us create appropriate academic and social goals for your child.
There is also a link you can use to sign up and help with hosting duties at our class's Harvest Fest Book Walk on September 25th. Each shift goes towards 30 minutes of volunteer hours. Willowwind is still in need of new or gently used books for this year's Harvest Fest Book Walk. The donation bin is located outside our classroom entrance.
Lastly, the Cottontails are traveling to the Iowa City Public Library on Friday, September 30th. Please make sure your child has their library card. Check out September's newsletter for more information.
Friday, September 9, 2011
Updated & Working PEP & Harvest Fest Links
Cottontail Families,
I noticed that the PEP Sign Up and Harvest Fest Book Walk Sign Up links were not allowing families to type in sign up for desired spots. I have edited each sign up sheet and you should now be able to add in your name for your preferred time slot. If you have any further issues using the links please let me know. You will find the revised links in the previous blog postings on the right side bar.
Thanks so much!
I noticed that the PEP Sign Up and Harvest Fest Book Walk Sign Up links were not allowing families to type in sign up for desired spots. I have edited each sign up sheet and you should now be able to add in your name for your preferred time slot. If you have any further issues using the links please let me know. You will find the revised links in the previous blog postings on the right side bar.
Thanks so much!
Thursday, September 8, 2011
Rest Time Blankets & Picnic Blankets
Due to Ms. Amber's recent email regarding a reported case of head lice, I will be sending home your child's blankets to be washed this afternoon. Please wash both of your child's blankets thoroughly. I also ask that you wait and return them on Monday. Thank you for your help.
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
PEP Conference Sign Up
Fall PEP Conference dates are right around the corner. During our 20 minute conference, we will discuss potential academic and social goals we would like to set for your child's Kindergarten year. We will also highlight your child's strengths and how we can use their strengths to further benefit their Kindergarten year. PEP goals are used to personalize and differentiate your child's instruction.
Please use the link below, or in the right sidebar, to sign up for a 20 minute conference. PEP Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd from 2:00 - 5:00 and Thursday, September 29th from 2:00 - 7:30. Please sign up for a PEP conference time slot by Monday, September 19th.
Fall PEP Conference Sign Up
Please use the link below, or in the right sidebar, to sign up for a 20 minute conference. PEP Conferences are scheduled for Thursday, September 22nd from 2:00 - 5:00 and Thursday, September 29th from 2:00 - 7:30. Please sign up for a PEP conference time slot by Monday, September 19th.
Fall PEP Conference Sign Up
Volunteer Opportunity: Harvest Fest Book Walk
Your help is needed at this year's Harvest Fest on Sunday, September 25th!
The Cottontail class is hosting this year's much anticipated Harvest Fest Book Walk. Much like a traditional cake walk, participants of the Book Walk walk around a circle from number to number. Players walk around in time to music until the music stops. When the music stops, a number is then called out. The person standing on that number wins a book as a prize!
Willowwind is looking for Cottontail Rabbit parents to sign up for 30 minute blocks of time to manage our Book Walk event. In the right side bar, and at the bottom of this blog post, you will find a link where you can sign up for a 30 minute shift. Please note that the starting shift and ending shift are for set up and tear down, respectively. This is a fun opportunity to earn 30 minutes of volunteer time! When signing up for a shift, please make sure that each shift is covered with one parent volunteer before choosing to double up on shift help. Please sign up for your time slot by Wednesday, September 21st.
In addition, don't forget to bring in new or gently used books to donate as Book Walk prizes. The book drop off bin is outside the Kindergarten classroom door. Thank you in advance for your help in making this year's Book Walk a success. We can't wait to see you there!
Harvest Fest Book Walk Volunteer Sign Up Link
The Cottontail class is hosting this year's much anticipated Harvest Fest Book Walk. Much like a traditional cake walk, participants of the Book Walk walk around a circle from number to number. Players walk around in time to music until the music stops. When the music stops, a number is then called out. The person standing on that number wins a book as a prize!
Willowwind is looking for Cottontail Rabbit parents to sign up for 30 minute blocks of time to manage our Book Walk event. In the right side bar, and at the bottom of this blog post, you will find a link where you can sign up for a 30 minute shift. Please note that the starting shift and ending shift are for set up and tear down, respectively. This is a fun opportunity to earn 30 minutes of volunteer time! When signing up for a shift, please make sure that each shift is covered with one parent volunteer before choosing to double up on shift help. Please sign up for your time slot by Wednesday, September 21st.
In addition, don't forget to bring in new or gently used books to donate as Book Walk prizes. The book drop off bin is outside the Kindergarten classroom door. Thank you in advance for your help in making this year's Book Walk a success. We can't wait to see you there!
Harvest Fest Book Walk Volunteer Sign Up Link
Tuesday, September 6, 2011
Prairie Discovery at Kent Park - TOMORROW
Tomorrow brings our much anticipated school wide field trip to Kent Park. Here we will continue to discover tallgrass prairies by experiencing them first hand. Willowwind friends will meet Kent Park's naturalist, Brad, where he will guide us through our day in the prairie. Here a few reminders to help you and your child prepare for tomorrow's field trip.
~ Please be at Willowwind between 8:15 and 8:30. The bus will leave shortly after 8:30, so your prompt arrival is important in ensuring that your child is ready for our big day.
~ Please see that your child dresses appropriately for tomorrow's outdoor field trip. Long pants, comfy walking shoes (no flip flops), a sun hat, t-shirt and long sleeve shirt are preferred.
~ Apply sunscreen before school.
~ Pack a healthy lunch and snack. Willowwind friends will be eating their morning snack and lunch at Kent Park. Please see that their food provides them with the energy needed to help with our busy day. We will be eating our afternoon snack at WIllowwind upon our return.
~ Please make sure your child has a water bottle here at school to bring on our trip.
~ Your child's $5 transportation fee can be dropped off with Amber or me before tomorrow's 8:30 departure.
The Cottontail Rabbits and Prairie Racerunners will return to Willowwind at 1:30. Our older friends will return around 3:00. We will finish our day by discussing our Kent Park adventures and illustrating our favorite parts from our day in the prairie.
Please let me know if you have any questions. See you tomorrow between 8:15 and 8:30. We are looking forward to it!
~ Please be at Willowwind between 8:15 and 8:30. The bus will leave shortly after 8:30, so your prompt arrival is important in ensuring that your child is ready for our big day.
~ Please see that your child dresses appropriately for tomorrow's outdoor field trip. Long pants, comfy walking shoes (no flip flops), a sun hat, t-shirt and long sleeve shirt are preferred.
~ Apply sunscreen before school.
~ Pack a healthy lunch and snack. Willowwind friends will be eating their morning snack and lunch at Kent Park. Please see that their food provides them with the energy needed to help with our busy day. We will be eating our afternoon snack at WIllowwind upon our return.
~ Please make sure your child has a water bottle here at school to bring on our trip.
~ Your child's $5 transportation fee can be dropped off with Amber or me before tomorrow's 8:30 departure.
The Cottontail Rabbits and Prairie Racerunners will return to Willowwind at 1:30. Our older friends will return around 3:00. We will finish our day by discussing our Kent Park adventures and illustrating our favorite parts from our day in the prairie.
Please let me know if you have any questions. See you tomorrow between 8:15 and 8:30. We are looking forward to it!
Friday, September 2, 2011
Happy September!
September is here, and the Kindergarten class is in full swing. We certainly enjoyed our second week together. It was packed with many fun adventures. Here is a peek into our past week. These kiddos are so cute and full of so much excitement.
GD Read Aloud: Every Tuesday during Group Discussion, Ms. Carly reads from The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. This week, Omakayas, the main character, was laying on the ground of her home listening to the rain outside. When we returned to our class for rest time, the Cottontails were excited to lay in their rest time spot and listen to the pouring rain outside - just like Omakayas had done in the story. What a great text to self connection!
Math: Math and numbers are on the brain! There were many moments of real life math that took place throughout our week. Here are just a few wonderful stories.
When a friend asked how many minutes until lunch I mentioned that there were two more minutes until lunch time. Approximately two minutes later, this Cottontail mentioned that she had counted to 120. She proceeded to share with me that there were 120 seconds in two minutes and 120 minutes in two hours! What a great time teller!
Another Cottontail wanted to know if we could study a googolplex this year. The desire to study a googolplex in Kindergarten started with a Cottontail class from a few years back. The Cottontails' interest in a googolplex continues on for another year!
Other friends were interested in counting as high as they could. How high did they count? They counted all the way to 1100. When one friend asked the other, "What comes after 1099?" The other friend quickly responded, "1100, of course. That's math!" He was right, that right there IS math!
Investigating Books: The Cottontail Rabbits are really excited about the books in our classroom library. Reading books has become a favorite Center activity. As a class we began talking about the parts of a book - the front cover, back cover, title page, dedication page. During Center time the Cottontails wanted to inquire further. Their question? How do we know how old a book is? What a perfect moment to show them where to find the copyright date. We learned that the first Curious George book was written in 1941, 70 years ago. One friend commented, "Wow! That means Curious George is old! He should know better when he is causing so much trouble then." So cute!
Respect: Throughout the week, we focused on our first Core Virtue, respect. We defined respect and used a web to finish the sentence, Respect is… Check out our web displayed outside our classroom. We read many books about showing respect. One book, Chrysanthemum, was about a cute little mouse with a long name. The Cottontails were sad for Chrysanthemum as the other mice in the story made fun of Chrysanthemum and her long name. The class thought Chrysanthemum's classmice were being very disrespectful. One friend suggested that Chrysanthemum should give the other mice an "I-Message". Another friend agreed and thought ALL of our Four Steps would help Chrysanthemum solve the problem. I love that the Cottontails were looking to use our own problem solving techniques to help this mouse feel better!
Friday Morning Sing Along: Friday morning marked the beginning of Sing Along Fridays at Willowwind. Today, the K-6 students gathered together to sing some favorites from last year's Sing Along. The Kindergarteners have been eagerly awaiting this event. Every other Friday, we will meet our friends in the GD space to sing some of our favorite songs. Each month, we will learn a new song, focusing on reading the lyrics and following along with the words as we sing. You are always invited to join in if you'd like!
Partner Reveal: During Friday's GD, students participated in the much anticipated Partner Reveal. Here students learned who their partners for the year are. Each Kindergartener is partnered with one or two older friends. Throughout the year, your child will have opportunities to participate in many activities with their partners. The relationship that is created between partners is truly special. The older friends adore their younger partners and the younger partners truly look up to and respect their older friends. Great friendships were created today! Ask your Cottontail who their partners are!
I've updated our pictures from the month of August and now September. Take a look!
DON'T FORGET! $5 is needed by Tuesday, September 6th to help cover transportation costs for next Wednesday's field trip to Kent Park.
There is no school on Monday. Enjoy your long weekend!
GD Read Aloud: Every Tuesday during Group Discussion, Ms. Carly reads from The Birchbark House by Louise Erdrich. This week, Omakayas, the main character, was laying on the ground of her home listening to the rain outside. When we returned to our class for rest time, the Cottontails were excited to lay in their rest time spot and listen to the pouring rain outside - just like Omakayas had done in the story. What a great text to self connection!
Math: Math and numbers are on the brain! There were many moments of real life math that took place throughout our week. Here are just a few wonderful stories.
When a friend asked how many minutes until lunch I mentioned that there were two more minutes until lunch time. Approximately two minutes later, this Cottontail mentioned that she had counted to 120. She proceeded to share with me that there were 120 seconds in two minutes and 120 minutes in two hours! What a great time teller!
Another Cottontail wanted to know if we could study a googolplex this year. The desire to study a googolplex in Kindergarten started with a Cottontail class from a few years back. The Cottontails' interest in a googolplex continues on for another year!
Other friends were interested in counting as high as they could. How high did they count? They counted all the way to 1100. When one friend asked the other, "What comes after 1099?" The other friend quickly responded, "1100, of course. That's math!" He was right, that right there IS math!
Investigating Books: The Cottontail Rabbits are really excited about the books in our classroom library. Reading books has become a favorite Center activity. As a class we began talking about the parts of a book - the front cover, back cover, title page, dedication page. During Center time the Cottontails wanted to inquire further. Their question? How do we know how old a book is? What a perfect moment to show them where to find the copyright date. We learned that the first Curious George book was written in 1941, 70 years ago. One friend commented, "Wow! That means Curious George is old! He should know better when he is causing so much trouble then." So cute!
Respect: Throughout the week, we focused on our first Core Virtue, respect. We defined respect and used a web to finish the sentence, Respect is… Check out our web displayed outside our classroom. We read many books about showing respect. One book, Chrysanthemum, was about a cute little mouse with a long name. The Cottontails were sad for Chrysanthemum as the other mice in the story made fun of Chrysanthemum and her long name. The class thought Chrysanthemum's classmice were being very disrespectful. One friend suggested that Chrysanthemum should give the other mice an "I-Message". Another friend agreed and thought ALL of our Four Steps would help Chrysanthemum solve the problem. I love that the Cottontails were looking to use our own problem solving techniques to help this mouse feel better!
Friday Morning Sing Along: Friday morning marked the beginning of Sing Along Fridays at Willowwind. Today, the K-6 students gathered together to sing some favorites from last year's Sing Along. The Kindergarteners have been eagerly awaiting this event. Every other Friday, we will meet our friends in the GD space to sing some of our favorite songs. Each month, we will learn a new song, focusing on reading the lyrics and following along with the words as we sing. You are always invited to join in if you'd like!
Partner Reveal: During Friday's GD, students participated in the much anticipated Partner Reveal. Here students learned who their partners for the year are. Each Kindergartener is partnered with one or two older friends. Throughout the year, your child will have opportunities to participate in many activities with their partners. The relationship that is created between partners is truly special. The older friends adore their younger partners and the younger partners truly look up to and respect their older friends. Great friendships were created today! Ask your Cottontail who their partners are!
I've updated our pictures from the month of August and now September. Take a look!
DON'T FORGET! $5 is needed by Tuesday, September 6th to help cover transportation costs for next Wednesday's field trip to Kent Park.
There is no school on Monday. Enjoy your long weekend!
Get your Library Card (and FREE book) Today!
Ms. Kathy, Iowa City's children's librarian, paid a visit to the Cottontail classroom on Thursday. This first visit marked the beginning of her monthly story times with the Kindergarten class. It is a monthly ritual that the students grow to love and enjoy. At this month's visit, Ms. Kathy read books about respect and responsibility. She also talked about the importance of applying for a library card. With our monthly field trips to the Iowa City Public Library it is important that you set aside an upcoming evening to help your child journey through the momentous occasion of obtaining their first library card. Please look for a library card application (and other fun handouts) to go home in your child's take home folder. Fill out the application, make a trip to the library, and help your child get their FIRST library card. This is an activity that Cottontails always look forward to! When your child gets their library card, don't forget to stop by the Children's Library desk so they can get a FREE book to celebrate their new library card.
Does your child already have a library card? If so, great! Make sure to still stop by the Children's Library desk to receive your child's FREE book.
A September date will soon be set for our first field trip to the library. Please make sure that your child has their library card before this date. It is an important part of their monthly trip to the library.
Does your child already have a library card? If so, great! Make sure to still stop by the Children's Library desk to receive your child's FREE book.
A September date will soon be set for our first field trip to the library. Please make sure that your child has their library card before this date. It is an important part of their monthly trip to the library.
New Friends: Geoffrey & Ginny
The Cottontails met two new friends this week, Geoffrey & Ginny. They are giraffe cousins and play important roles in our class. Geoffrey is rather shy at first but shows how outgoing he can be especially when friends show him Core Virtues. He loves to sit in the classroom watching all the fun that takes place. He beams and celebrates when he sees students working well together, following directions, listening, and ultimately showing the Willowwind Way. Ginny, is adventuresome. She loves to travel! When I am away from school, Ginny travels with.
On Thursday, Ginny traveled to Chicago. Geoffrey and Ginny communicated throughout the day, and Ginny was so pleased to hear Geoffrey's AWESOME reports from the classroom. In return, Ginny emailed Geoffrey pictures of our day, so Geoffrey and the class should see how we were doing.
The Cottontails were amazing throughout the day. Ginny & I were so happy to hear this. I am one proud Kindergarten teacher! Check out Ginny in action…pen and paper in hand with water and coffee to keep her fueled while listening to a day's worth of wonderful, informative independent school speakers!
On Thursday, Ginny traveled to Chicago. Geoffrey and Ginny communicated throughout the day, and Ginny was so pleased to hear Geoffrey's AWESOME reports from the classroom. In return, Ginny emailed Geoffrey pictures of our day, so Geoffrey and the class should see how we were doing.
The Cottontails were amazing throughout the day. Ginny & I were so happy to hear this. I am one proud Kindergarten teacher! Check out Ginny in action…pen and paper in hand with water and coffee to keep her fueled while listening to a day's worth of wonderful, informative independent school speakers!
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