It is a busy week for Kindergarteners with lots of reminders

Movies

We plan to watch two movies this week and I wanted to check in to be sure you were okay with movie choices.

1)  Happy Feet

In honor of an old WW tradition, all K-6 students will have the opportunity to participate in "Lunch and a Movie" where students will be able to enjoy Happy Feet (rated PG) throughout the week during lunch time.  Please let me know by Monday at 11:30 if you'd like for your child to participate in alternate arrangements during lunch time.

2)  Velveteen Rabbit

As we have finished our second chapter book read aloud, The Velveteen Rabbit, and earned our second Gem Party where, on Tuesday, we plan to watch the movie (rated G) of the same name.  Please let me know by Tuesday morning if you have questions or concerns about this movie choice.

Also don't forget...

Wednesday Library Trip

We'll be headed to the library on Wednesday from 9:30 - 12:30.  Please be sure your child has their library card.  I am also looking for a parent to join us.  You are welcome to meet us at Willowwind or the library.  Your help would be much appreciated.

Authors' Cocoa

As a reminder, Authors' Cocoa is this week.  Students will be reading their original poetry on either Thursday, December 17 (12:30 - 2:00) or Friday, December 18.  Please look to the link on the previous blog post for a link to the schedule which details which day your child will be presenting.

Makers Homework

Your parent Maker Homework is due Friday, December 18th.  Please use the flashcard that went home to complete the homework and turn it in to our classroom mailbox with your child

Winter Break

Winter Break begins December 19th.  The school and office will be closed until school resumes on Monday, January 4th.  Enjoy the time off.

Reminders: Homework, Gear, Volunteers

A few December reminders to send your way...

1)  Extra Homework
Don't forget!  Please have your child bring in their 3d shapes by tomorrow (Wednesday, December 9th).  Also, please complete and return YOUR Makers homework (see blog post below and homework in your child's Take Home Folder) no later than next Friday, December 18th.  Please let me know if you have questions.

Your Kindergarten recently brought home an "extra" Enrichment packet for Math.  This packet contains "tricky" problems that require your child to follow multi-step directions while using higher order thinking skills.  Many parents requested or were interested in this additional packet based on our Fall Parent-Teacher conferences.  An Enrichment Packet will go home at the end of each Math unit and is an optional activity for your family to complete.  Please confirm you ARE interested in receiving an Enrichment packet for your child by Friday, December 18th.  This will help me with my copying numbers.


2)  Winter Gear
The snow has come and gone, but the mud is here to stay.  Please be sure your child continues to bring snow pants AND boots to school daily.  These items not only provide added warmth but protect our clothing from the muddy Winter conditions.  They must have both of these items to play beyond the concrete.


3)  Parent Volunteers
NEXT Wednesday, December 16th.  We will be traveling to the Iowa City Public Library from 9:30 - 12:30.  I am in need of one volunteer to join us.  Please let me know if you can attend.  In addition, please be sure your child has their library card next Wednesday.  In addition, we are in need of volunteers for our upcoming Authors' Cocoa please look to the above blog post for a volunteer sign up sheet.


4)  Rest Time Blankets
NEXT Friday, Rest Time Blankets will go home for the last time.  Upon our return from Winter Break our Rest Time will transform into a Quiet Reading Time where we will continue to build our reading fluency and comprehension skills.

Many thanks for all your support!

Authors' Cocoa 12.17 & 12.18

Willowwind is pleased to announce our annual Authors' Cocoa! This event is a celebration of our students as writers.  Each student will get the chance to stand up and read an original piece of writing into a microphone in front of the entire Willlowwind family.

You are invited to:

Willowwind's Annual Authors' Cocoa!

Who: Willowwind Friends in Grades K-6
What: Sharing Writing
When:  Thursday, Dec. 18 12:30-2:00 pm and Friday, Dec. 19 1:30-3:00 pm
Please click here to find your child’s presentation day.
Where: GD Space
Why: To share our love for reading and writing with you.

Come and listen to our wonderful poetry, stories, and songs!

We are in need of parent volunteers to help out with the following:

Donating supplies

Setting up chairs (Thursday & Friday)

​Making Hot Cocoa and serving (Friday)

  Click HERE to sign up.

Makers Make - Parent Homework Due Friday, 12.18

Calling all MAKERS!

Willowwind’s thematic question this year is: How can I, as a Maker, impact the world?

We are asking all of our students to think about themselves as a maker and how that impacts the world around them. We are beginning to create a display board in the GD Space that highlights how students and teachers are Makers. Stay tuned for more and MORE flash cards (AND pictures / props) to be added to the GD display.

NOW, we are asking our parents and community members to do the same. On the flash card sent home on Monday, December 7th please document how YOU are makers to add to our wall. Ideas may include professional ideas, side jobs, hobbies, passions, etc. Please return your flash card AND a picture, if possible, of you as a Maker to your classroom teacher by FRIDAY, DECEMBER 18th.

In addition, PLEASE click THIS link to add your name and thing/things you make, and please describe how you are a Maker. If you have a picture to go with your “make” please email that as well. We are so excited to motivate our students to see how EVERYONE is a maker!

We LOVE Math! - Special Homework - Due Wed, Dec 9

It has been fun to watch their love for Math grow.  By Wednesday, December 9 please have your child bring in a real-life 3D shape - perhaps a rectangular prism, a pyramid, a cone, a cylinder, a sphere...any three-dimensional shape.  We have been talking about shapes being everywhere.  The Cottontails enjoy going on real-life shape hunts.  Flat and 3D shapes are all around us!

This has been an incredibly fun unit, and the students often comment,
"That wasn't Math!"
"That was too much fun!"
"Shapes are fun!"
"I love Geometry!"

We've started our unit off by identifying flat shapes: triangle, square, rectangle and circle. We used shapes from to make patterns and pictures. Students focused on not only recognizing the shape everywhere around us but also on how to recognize the word.  Questions we asked ourselves about each flat shape:

How many sides / corners does it have?

What makes this shape the same as the rest? What makes it different?
Ask your Cottontail about our new math game that uses attributes to sort shapes.

We will begin to transition into identifying and understanding 3D shapes as well.  We will begin to recognize 3D shapes in our world: cube, cone, pyramid, sphere, cylinder and rectangular prism.  Click HERE for a FUN 3D shapes song!  Questions we will ask ourselves:

What shapes can you stack, slide, roll?

Have fun shaping hunting with your child, and have them bring in their chosen 3D shape no later than Wednesday, December 9.

Sorting shapes by attributes.

Making Pattern Block pictures.

We LOVE Math! - At Home Resources

We have surrounded ourselves with numbers and our number awareness and  number sense is growing rapidly.  I am very proud of the Kindergarteners and their passion for our math time.  Whether we are working together as a large group, using hands-on manipulative, playing math games, or completing workbook pages they show the same enthusiasm and love for what we do each and every day.

Our Math curriculum has an online component that you can access from home.  These student accounts are set up for your child to use.  Visit THIS website.  Your child's user name is their first and last name - all one word (example: john doe) and their password is their six digit birth date  - mmddyy (example: 123109). 

When logging in for the first time you will be prompted for the following information:
Country: United States
State: IOWA
District: Private School
School:  Willowwind School, Iowa City 52245

As we approach the half way point of our Kindergarten year, students will begin to use our class iPads on Tuesday and Thursday mornings for Brain Breakfast.  They will be able to investigate various Math and Literacy apps during this time.

On Tuesday and Thursday evenings, I encourage you to take some time to allow your Kindergartener to use their favorite device to further investigate Math concepts.  Like our Monday, Wednesday, Friday Math homework packet this investigation time can occur for a simple 5 or 10 minutes, or longer based on your families own desires.  Use the above log in information or the apps listed Below to explore various online Math resources.  I haven't had a chance to use all apps below (some yes!), but they have received great online reviews from teachers and parents.  Some are FREE! and some are fee based.

Butterfly Math Addition
Price:  FREE
Summary:  Takes a hands-on approach teaching kids math concepts of counting and addition. It is fun to catch the butterflies. If they answer the question right, kids get rewards of tiles to add to the coloring page. Both the butterflies and the tiles are small, so it is also a good fine motor practice. Kids also have to practice a lot to finish a coloring page.

Madagascar Math Ops
Price:  FREE
Summary:  Kids will have fun by using intuitive, simple gameplay as they race to rescue the Madagascar gang. Children solve mathematical problems and use special jetpack abilities to finish every level.

APlus Click
Price:  FREE
Summary:  Not an app but a website that functions well on devices, APlus Click's problems are not just simple math fact drills. All problems require logical and creative thinking, and math is just a tool or a stepping stone in the problem solving process. The site also uses intuitive visuals well.

Fetch! Lunch Run
Price:  FREE
Summary:  This app requires a bit of parent preparation by printing some materials off the app's website.  However, doing so gets kids up and moving all while using a device.  From the PBS Kids show Fetch with Ruff Ruffman, it is a very active game.

Ten Frame Mania
Price:  FREE
Summary:  The goal of the game is eliminate numbers moving on a pathway. To eliminate them, you have to make them using a ten frame. As you progress through the levels, the numbers will enter the pathway sooner and will move faster through it.

1st Grade Math Splash
Price:  FREE
Summary:  The best math app aligned to common core standards with virtually infinite number of questions.  Covers the following topics:  addition, subtraction, place value, counting, comparison, time, measurement, graphs, geometry, money.

IXL
Price:  $9.99 monthly; $79 yearly
Summary:  Create an account for your child and select a place to start.  Problems build as your child progresses through problems and concepts.  Requires an annual fee but really fun and engaging!  We have a classroom license where your child will be able to explore IXL at school.

THIS, too, is a great link to 45 Math Game Apps that are categorized by age level and skill.  Some apps in the list may be outdated and no longer available but many of the apps are worth while in checking out.

Measurement - Baking

Math Games

Number Sense - 10 Frames

Number Sense - 10 Frames

Number Sense - Addends & Sums

Geometry - Shapes for Jack O'Lanterns