Spring is here....

Welcome back from Spring Break! I hope you all got to enjoy some time together with your kids and especially while we had a little bit of sun! Spring is here and I want to remind everyone to encourage your kids to take on a few more things....I still see a lot of parents doing things for students that they do not need help with. Your child is responsible and capable. Allow them to show you this by trusting them to take care of things like hanging up their backpacks, putting lunches and water bottles away, gathering papers etc...it will take some tasks off your plate and gives them a chance to shine in their independence! We will be really reviewing school expectations and students can be expected to be tired after school as they adjust back to the routines. Please help your child remember to be safe, respectful and responsible. We give brief reminders such as "hands safe, kind words", and you can talk to your child about what these rules look and feel like in various settings - what does safe look like in the cafeteria? The bathroom? etc...

Brrrr!   It's getting colder and with that comes a few quick reminders....

*please make sure your child wears a coat for our recess breaks
*review hand washing, coughing & sneezing protocol (in our elbows)
*please keep your child home if they have had a fever, vomiting or diarrhea, or need medication to feel well enough to be here!

We are moving right along in our literacy work.   We still have a few friends struggling to hear a letter sound and identify the corresponding letter.  Please help your child with this.  It is critical to both their progress in reading as well as writing.   All of our friends are doing such a great job focusing and participating in activities during literacy and are eager readers!

Math lessons are focusing on measurement and use of tools.   We will continue to discuss scales, rulers, thermometers and other tools used for various forms of measurement.   Our class is also still trying to get everyone to count to 100!  We are about half way there, so keep encouraging your child to count 100 if they aren't yet doing so.

I want to compliment everyone on what great friends we have in our class.   Beyond the academic work and routine workings of our school day, the students in our room are consistently demonstrating behaviors that are kind, helpful, thoughtful, empathetic and brave.  Every day I see our students go above and beyond to help each other and make their friends feel cared for.   I appreciate that so much.  Coming to school with people who make you feel seen, safe and cared for is an incredible and important thing.

Spring Days

Hello Kindergarten families!

We have been busy as the end of the year approaches OH SO QUICKLY!

I can not believe these friends are almost ready for first grade!  They are a loving, thoughtful and hard working group of learners.  I have definitely fallen in love with this group.  

Caterpillars have arrived!  We will be working through the scientific process with a few different science activities and experiments.  We got to observe the baby chicks in 1st grade today and saw 2 chicks emerge from their eggs!  It was very exciting!

The Red Yarn puppet show is coming!  

The kids have designed puppets, learned songs and practiced presentation skills to prepare for a great show.   We hope you can join us Thursday at 1:30pm in the auditorium for a sing along with all three Kindergarten classes. 

Check out more songs, videos and upcoming show dates with Andy/Red Yarn on his website:

http://redyarnproductions.com/

Here are a few pictures from our school days lately...

A new crew!

Welcome to Kindergarten!

A little about me:  My name is Wendy.  I grew up in Portland, attended Portland Public Schools, starting with Arleta, then Kellogg and eventually graduating from Franklin.   I attended PSU and Warner Pacific College.   I have 3 children (Henry is 15, AvaJane is 12 and Gunnar is 5).   This is the 19th year I have been a teacher in Portland, previously teaching for 4 years in preschools.  I love teaching, knitting, coffee, eating out, the beach and painting.

This year we are looking forward to seeing your children grow and become confident, thoughtful, caring and hardworking learners!   Teacher Anne and Teacher Kristin are here to assist students and together I am sure we will have a fun and inspiring year.  

Our classroom is a Classroom Champions class and that means we have been assigned an Olympic athlete to video chat with, and to share character development lessons with.   We will work on things like perseverance, sportsmanship and goal setting.  Please let me know if any questions come up.

A few housekeeping things:
please keep sick kids home

toys and stuffed animals should stay home or in backpacks to be safe

extra clothes in backpack are a good idea - accidents happen in kindergarten

read read read with those kids - 30 minutes/day (enjoy it - don't teach it)

Any questions or concerns, please see me as soon as possible.  

Thank you so much for trusting me to spend all day with your most precious people!  

Wendy

Gunnar <3

Spring Is Here!

Happy Spring!

The kids are moving along so beautifully both socially and academically.  Please keep reading every night for at least 30 minutes and encourage those sweeties to be reading independently to build stamina.  We have been wrapping up our study of planets and are moving to oceans.  So far we have been discussing the animals and plants that call oceans home, how the ocean is a part of our lives, what the ocean needs to stay healthy and the names of the oceans.  Our conversations will be on-going for the next several weeks.

Please check your Thursday notes to keep up on school activities and deadlines.  Grout Gallup money is due as soon as possible.  Also look for the upcoming STEAM night and come check out some fun activities, have some pizza and do some art with Lee Ogle!

Red Yarn and lunch...

Hello Kindergarten families!

We have been talking a lot about healthy food choices.  We sorted foods into red/yellow/green groups and have looked at the good and bad things in our foods.   A dental professional came in not too long ago and  showed us just how much sugar is in some of the drinks we enjoy!  Hopefully your kindergartener is able to talk to you about the slow vs go foods on their plate!  We will start looking for ways to "eat a rainbow" each day.  In an effort to help our friends stay healthy and make good food choices at school, please help your child look for the healthy foods they are bringing in their lunches and limit the amount of treats and sugary drinks being packed.  Thank you!  This helps keep kids healthy and helps them feel strong and good all day.

Red Yarn has been amazing as always!  Andy brings some puppet magic to us and the kids are singing and creating and its so much fun to watch.  You are invited to come watch the performance on Friday April 21.  We will perform in the auditorium at 1:40.  Hope to see you there!  You can check out Andy's website for local performances, music to listen to and cool videos of him and his puppets singing!  http://redyarnproductions.com/

Marching along...

Hello families!
We have been working so hard and our littles are making huge progress!  Please support your kids by making sure to READ together every day for at least 30 minutes.

Kindergarten friends have been busy celebrating all kinds of fun stuff...the 100th day of school and Dr. Seuss' birthday snuck up on us!

We have a kinderkonzert and our Red Yarn residency coming up soon!  Watch for notes home about when the residency is happening (in April) and let us know if you can volunteer.  The kids will perform on the final day so we hope many of you will be able to join us!