We are still collecting data, so we can't tell your our findings... but we wanted to show you a few pictures and let you see what we're working on. :)
Our Science Experiment is on preserving the life of a pumpkin. We have four of them. 1-controlled pumpkin. 2-bleach and water mixture. 3-acrylic spray. 4-Vaseline. We carved different mouths in them to help the students remember which pumpkin they are collecting data on.
We also did a Pumpkin Investigation. :) The kids loved it!!
Be sure to check the blog next week. We will be collecting data and will share our findings with you! Also, we're posting all the date on the Bulletin Board outside the classroom. :)
We hope all the students went home with lots of stories about today. :) The day was GREAT!! The students all loved the parade and I think they enjoyed seeing the cool costumes worn by the teachers and Administrators. LOTS dressed up today!! They received candy and presents... Plus we carved pumpkins for our Science Fair Project.
Check out the slideshow and you'll see the students plus the teachers. :)
We wanted to say Thank You to everyone that participated in the "Gratitude Tree!" We've turned in all the leaves we've received and they are hanging up proudly on the tree. :) For those of you curious about seeing the tree in person~ it is located across from the Media Center.
This quarter the students are expected to read 40 Sight Words. Many of the students have informed us that they have lost or accidentally thrown away past sight word papers. SO we are posting them on here for you to print extra copies.
(The third set of Sight Word Money is going home this week on Cardstock.)
Here's to another Super Busy week in Kindergarten!! :) We have a Resource every day, Book Fair on Monday at 9:35, the Storybook Character Parade Tuesday at 9:30 and we have our first field trip to Amazing Grace Crop Maze on Friday. We will also be working this week on our Science Fair Project!! It's sure to be GREAT!! ooh and we almost forgot that Thursday evening is Family Night at the Book Fair. It goes from 4:00-6:30p.m.
The Resources this week are: Monday~ #1-18 ART (Schmidt) & #19-37 P.E., Tuesday~ #1-18 COMPUTER LAB & #19-37 MUSIC (Biernacki), Wednesday~ #1-18 ART (Schmidt) & #19-37 ART (Phillips) and Thursday~ #1-18 MUSIC (Broach) & #19-37 MUSIC (Biernacki).
MATH
We are continuing continuing counting sets to 10 using a ten-frame. Along with using strategies when counting one more and one less. (Be ready- this quarter the expectation is counting sets to 15! Many of the mistakes we have noticed are because the students count too fast. So remind your child to slow down a little bit.) We will also be working on sequencing numbers from 1-10 and then backwards from 10-1.
Our end of Module Test will be at the end of the week. So make sure to review all the Problem Set papers that have been going home and ones that go home this week.
Here are two video's for your child to watch~ one is on 1 more and the other is 1 less.
READING
We are beginning a new module titled STORIES. This module allows students to retell the events in a story from beginning, to the middle, through the end. (*Practice doing this at home with the stories from the Module or from your child's favorite books.) The stories we will read are Chicken Little, The Three Little Pigs and Three Billy Goats Gruff. HOWEVER, in celebration of Halloween, on Tuesday we will read The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything. :)
CLICK THE TITLES OF THE STORIES TO ACCESS THEM. The stories are the Duval Reads versions and they may be different then the original versions of the stories.
SAXON/SIGHT WORDS/SKILLS
We are adding a lot of info here!! This quarter we will be practicing (and assessing) syllables, beginning sounds, coding/reading CVC words, rhyming. WOAH!! So much!!
We have taught the students to count syllables in words by resting their hand under their chin. This allows the students to say a word and feel how many times their chin taps on their hand. Examples: chair (1 syllable) pencil (2 syllables) backpack (2 syllables) etc.
For beginning sound practice we will practice by pointing at items in the room and having students tell the beginning sound. Along with say a word and the students replying with the beginning sound.
For CVC words, the students will be expected to code them with a breve and then read them. All the words are made up with the letters we have learned in Saxon. Note: we have only practiced words that have a vowel of a and e. Here are two words that will be on the test: hat & can.
Rhyming (or words that sound the same at the end) will be assessed by the students figuring out if the words rhyme or do not rhyme. In class we have practiced this by giving a big smile and two thumbs up if the words rhyme. If the words do not rhyme, the students stick out their tongue and give two thumbs down.
Finally... our Sight Words for the week are listed in the slideshow below. :)
WRITING
We will all be drawing a picture of our kitchen, so that we all have a clear setting. The students will be able to choose who and how many characters they draw. Then we will circulate the class making sure the students TRY writing independently. The students will write using their knowledge of sounds and sight words.
Here are some examples of sentences we expect to see written by students. :)
I like to et fud. (eat food) We cuk to getr. (cook together) I like pizza. I cuk wif mi Dade. (cook with my Daddy)
OUR CLASS SCIENCE FAIR PROJECT
We decided a great project to do with the class is one that involves pumpkins! We are going to figure out what substance preserves a pumpkin the longest. We are going to use four pumpkins. One won't have anything in the inside. One will have a bleach water sprayed inside. Another will be rubbed inside with vasoline and the final one will be sprayed with an acrylic spray.
We look forward to having lots of questions from the students and taking lots of pictures!! When the project is complete, we will hang the findings on the bulletin board outside our classroom.
ooh almost forgot! On November 16, there will be a PTA Meeting and you will be able to view the Science Fair Projects completed by each classroom. Along with projects that were done by individual students. :)
The second quarter is in full swing and we wanted to inform you all of the Second Quarter Expectations. ~ Please be advised these are the expectations for every Kindergarten class at Chimney Lakes. :)
We will be sending this paper home next week, but wanted to make you all aware of the expectations now. Please contact us if you have any questions.
We are looking forward to Friday's field trip to Amazing Grace Crop Maze and we hope all of you are too! :) We wanted to remind everyone that the students need to bring a bagged lunch. We are also requesting that the students wear sneakers and a school shirt/ blue shirt.
We have 11 parents attending as chaperones, so we are sure to have a great time and take lots of pictures!
The Attractions at Amazing Grace Crop Maze are: Barnyard Ball Zone, Corn crib, Corn hole, Cow train, Crop Maze – Fall Only, Duck races, Family Photo stations, Farm animals, Haybale Maze, Jump Pad, Playground, Pumpkin Patch – Fall Only, Rat Rollers and Wagon Rides
If anyone has any questions about the field trip, please email us at Finocchiaj@duvalschools.org & Crofth1@duvalschools.org.
The Halloween Activity Day was a HUGE success!! The students made a Halloween Trail Mix, a Q-tip Skeleton, A Frankenstein Sun Catcher, a Monster Hand, a Bat and they got to eat yummy treats. Apples with caramel, fruit snacks, candy and a Halloween Cake! (Thank you Catalia. We missed you, but we all hope you're feeling better!!)
Also, thank you goes out to all the parents that sent in donations & our Room Mom, Charleane Conner for planning and prepping everything. (Mrs.Conner got sick and wasn't able to attend the event. But we got lucky and Tahlia's Mom, Mrs. Ramirez came!!!) We were a little nervous we couldn't pull everything off, so Ms.D.D. came down from the Front Office to help us out. Thank you Lady!
**We were SUPER BUSY, but Mrs. Croft managed to get a few pictures taken. :) **
Today we had a Fundraiser Kick-Off Assembly on the TV by a 'Ninja Turtle!" Leonardo to be exact. :) He informed the students that he wants everyone to participate in our Run-A-Thon on Thursday, November 9. And he would love if the students received pledges for their running!!
This flyer will be going home in your child's daily folder on Monday, but we wanted to post it here for you to check out over the weekend. :) Here is a link to the pledge page~ https://99pledges.com/fund/cle
Mrs.Noah Thomas visited us again and the students cheered as she entered the room. :) She reviewed the information from last time~ she discussed how many libraries are in Jacksonville and how many books students can check out at a time. She even threw in the fact that she works at the Webb Wesconnet Library and the students could sop by to get books and see her. :)
Since Halloween is getting close, she focused her lessons on Monsters! Even cute ol' Cookie Monster came up during the lesson. Her letter focus was M and her number was 8. She read the students two cute books that made them squeal! They were Don't Push the Button and Frank was a Monster Who Wanted to Dance. Check out both books below and then catch the slideshow of pictures at the end. :)
The Book Fair begins on Monday- October 30 and continues on until Friday- November 3. :)
Our class is scheduled to go on Monday at 9:35-10:05. We need volunteers to help our students SHOP!! So if you can stop by the Media Center at 9:30 and help, we would greatly appreciate it.
ooh The Book Fair not only sells books, they sell lots of other small items. Book marks, erasers, posters and so much more!!
We want lots of readers...so send your child with money to shop. :) **Many parents fill out the book form so the Volunteers know exactly what your child is planning to buy. However, this is not mandatory. Also, the flyer does not picture all the books that are in the Book Fair.**
INCLUDE MONEY FOR SALES TAX.
There will also be a Family Night for the Book Fair on Thursday, November 2 from 4:00-6:30.
We've had a great response to the Red Ribbon Week activities and today was no exception!! So many students came to school in pajamas... and we did too. :) Nothing was cuter than seeing the class in pj's. So cute, that we allowed the students to pose any way they wanted on the carpet to get their picture taken. :)
So you may have noticed that Red Ribbon Week is now all week long with FUN Activities!! Here is a picture of the daily breakdown... However on Friday please send your child in a Fall/Halloween type shirt so they will be ready for our Activity Day. :)
I tried 4 times to get it to flip and the picture WOULD NOT cooperate. Sorry...
Many of you still need to pay for the Field Trip to Amazing Grace Crop Maze- Payment will not be accepted after this Friday, October 27. So get your fund in!! If you still want to give a donation to the Halloween Activity Day please do. :) There's still time. Our Resources for the week are: Mon- #1-17 P.E. & #18-36 COMPUTER LAB, Tues- #1-17 MUSIC (Broach) & #18-36 MEDIA and Wed- #1-17 COMPUTER LAB & #18-36 P.E. Wednesday is also an Early Release Day. Thursday we have a Library Visit from Noah Thomas. Friday We have our SUPER Halloween Activity Day and Makayla is bringing in Fun Friday Snacks! :)
MATH
We are working on adding 1 MORE to a group. You may hear your child come home saying, "2 and 1 more is 3, 5 and 1 more in 6, etc" This is great practice. It will really help us out in class.
Continue to practice discussing parts of a group and the whole group amount. Some students are having some difficulty understanding this concept. Also, make sure to review the Math Problem Sets that go home. :)
SAXON
We are really focusing on coding and reading CVC words. Some of the students are having difficulty figuring out the words. So practice simple words like these: hop, lap, fat, cot, lag, etc. We are also working hard at reading sight words!! We are in the second quarter and the goal is to read 40 Sight Words. :)
READING/ SCIENCE
We are finishing up our module on the Five Senses and we will be taking the test at the end of the week. Please make sure your child knows the names of the five senses and can match it to the body part. The students seem to do great with the body parts, but when asked questions like, "What body part do you use for smell?" they get very confused.
Next week we will begin the Stories Module and we will work on retelling stories with Beginning, Middle and Ending events. :)
The students looked too cute in the hallway waiting to enter the room this morning. :) I saw tons of jeans, plaid and quite a few cowboy hats. I even saw some cute pigtails! Enjoy the pictures and maybe we'll have another Western Day dress up before the school year is over...
The guys from Station 52 were great!! They discussed how the students should call 911 in an emergency and that if they are ever in a house or building where there is fire to GET OUT! They said toys and video games can be replaced, but they can not. :) They showed the students all the secret compartments on the truck and explained what a fire fighter would look/sound like if they ever came to their house for a fire. Then as if it wasn't the coolest visit ever... they blared the sirens and allowed all the students to climb through the cab. Aaron even got a chance to sit and listen to the walkie talkie. :) ooh and I almost forgot the neatest thing~ they allowed the students to ask as many questions as they wanted and the students did GREAT asking real questions. Only a few told them sweet and silly stories. haha
Enjoy the slideshow and make sure to check out the silly picture the class took with the fire fighters at the end!!
Free slideshow design generated with Smilebox
I almost forgot... pictures of Future Fire Fighters taken during Recess. :) They are adorable!!
We celebrated Mrs.Croft's birthday on Thursday, but she emailed us pictures today so we could see how she CELEBRATED!! She spent the day in her home town of Crescent City with her husband, visiting her brother, sister and nephew at school. :) And she's a cool Aunt, so she brought them the food they LOVE~ tacos for the boys and Wendy's for her sister.
At the end you can see the short video of the class singing Happy Birthday. :)
(We know the Fire Truck is coming to visit on Friday... but we couldn't postpone our Western Day Dress Up Time on Friday!)
The breakdown this week: Monday is NO SCHOOL/Teacher Planning Day. Ms.Finocchiaro is out Tuesday and Mrs.Croft is out on Friday. Tuesday is Vision Screening in the morning and Friday is the Fire Truck Visit in the Afternoon. The Resources are Tuesday #1-17 ART (Phillips) and #18-36 ART (Schmidt), Wednesday MEDIA (Both Groups!), Thursday #1-17 ART (Schmidt) and #18-36 ART (Phillips), & Friday #1-17 MUSIC (Broach) and #18-36 MUSIC (Biernacki). Friday is Western Day and Zacari will be bringing in the Fun Friday Snacks for the Class.
Also, Mrs. Croft's birthday is on Friday~ October 20. (And for those of you that know Mrs. Ahnemiller in Kindergarten. It's her birthday Friday too!!)
**Don't forget to turn in Field Trip Money and Permission Slips! Also, if you plan on Volunteering you NEED TO FILL OUT THE ONLINE VOLUNTEER APPLICATION. As of right now there is only one parent that has signed up to Volunteer~ We thank you Mrs. Ramirez!! :) **
MATH
We will be focusing on making groups for number 5 and adding MORE. We will be adding different amounts to groups of 5~ this is all for showcasing parts of a group and figuring out the whole groups. Also, make sure to practice writing numbers at home and counting to 50 or higher. The 2nd quarter is quickly approaching and the bar in math has been raised! :)
SAXON/ SKILLS
We will focus on a. We will discuss how it is a vowel and it makes two sounds. Recently Saxon has had us read CVC (consonant vowel consonant) words that have the vowel o. Now they will be mixing it up and having us code and read words that have either letter o or a in the middle. :)
**I made a slideshow you can use with your child. I recorded the chopping up and reading of the words. If you want it, send us an email and we'll email it to you. I wasn't able to embed on here because the sound bites would not work.**
Our Sight Words this week are five, on, get & so. Here is a slideshow for you to use and practice the words at home with your child.
READING/ SCIENCE
We are continuing on with the Five Senses! We will discuss the sense of touch. (Clock HERE to read the Duval Reads story.) We will complete our Popcorn Activity with the Five Senses and work on a Five Senses Book. :) Later in the week we will focus on Fire Safety and how our Five Senses keep us safe from harm. We will also learn about the different parts of the fire truck.
Check back on the Vision Screening and Fire Truck Visit post to see the Youtube videos we'll be watching. Plus enjoy this book about a dragon who starts a fire in a house.
On Tuesday, (Oct. 17) the students will participate in the Vision Screening. In class last week, we reviewed the pictures that would be used in the screening. Please discuss them with your child so that vocabulary is not a problem in the screening.
The pictures are: circle, square, house and apple. (These are not the exact pictures. The real pictures have a thick border similar to the border on the circle.)
On Friday, (Oct.20) we are scheduled to have a Fire Truck visit us at school. Please understand that there is a chance this visit could get cancelled due to them having to go put out a fire. (We are knocking on wood that it doesn't happen!!) Anyway, we will be discussing Fire Safety this week and viewing some Youtube videos. The video at the bottom showcases all the parts of a fire truck. :) And if you want to make an escape plan for your home~ click HERE. (It'll bring you to a page you can print out and draw your home escape plan on.)
Stuffed Animal Day is adorable!! The students were able to sit with their stuffed animals at the tables and at the carpet. We caught them smiling at their animals multiple times throughout the day. :) However, some animals were "silly" and stopped the students from learning... so a few animals had to go in the closet. No worries, though because all the stuffed animals were able to go to recess and PLAY!
Enjoy the slideshow of bears, fish, Elsa and even a rabbit hoodie!!
ooh before I forget~ next Friday is Western Day. You can dress as little or as much western as you want. :) Have fun with it!!
We saw some of the cutest pumpkins yesterday!! The students were so excited to tell their friends the names of the pumpkins too... IT WAS ADORABLE!! We plan on hanging them up in the room until our Fall Activity Day. :) They will bring lots of smiles to the class!!
Here is the cutest slideshow we've seen this week! :)
