Week of September 2

  

Our Resources for the week are on: Tuesday-Art and Thursday- Music. Also, we'd love if everyone can show their School Spirit by wearing a Sports Shirt on Friday. (Above are the shirts we will probably wear. :) Seminoles for Mrs. Pitts and Bucs for me! ) Kian will be bringing in Fun Friday Snacks for the class, so no need to send a snack in with your child. (We still have lots of available dates for Fun Friday Snacks. Check the dates on the left side of the blog, then send us an email with the date you'd like to sign up for. ) Also, if you returned a filled out Flu Mist paper, your child will be receiving the Flu Mist on Friday.

MATH

We will continue our Calendar routine and practicing writing numbers 0-10. Then we will be comparing Math Tools- discussing what attributes are the same and what attributes are different. (We are starting simple by comparing buttons and then we will compare the different Math Tools to each other.) Practice having your child compare objects at home. Ask them, "What attributes are the same about these two items?" (Responses could include they both have curved sides, flat sides, the number of sides, etc) Then we will introduce the Math Journals and the routine that we will follow when using them. :)

I tried finding a video that discusses attributes of shapes... but I didn't have any luck with Youtube. So here is a video that reviews all the different shapes. :)

ELA

(English Language Arts~ Reading and Writing)

The letters we are focusing on our Tt, Pp, Cc, Rr, Nn and the words are color words again- blue, purple, white and brown. We will read the Big Book I Am Six by Ann Morris and Mac the Cat by Nadine Bernard Westcott. We will focus on answering/ asking questions about the stories and retelling the stories. We will also focus on tracking the words in a big book while we read/listen to the story. (This is making a 1-1 connection with the words.) Then we will end by making an entry in our ELA Journals. We will focus on adding more details to our pictures (details on the faces, NO stick figures- arms, legs hands, feet) and then writing a story to match the picture. (At the current time "writing" may consist of letters, scribbles or any sight words they may know. All of this is acceptable right now.)
I wasn't able to find a Youtube video about either book. So I took pictures of the book Mac the Cat and I put the pictures into a Smilebox slideshow. :) Enjoy!!

SCIENCE

We will continue to discuss the Five Senses and the different ways to describe the texture of things we touch- rough, smooth, hard, soft, light, heavy, fuzzy, etc. We will practice closing our eyes and only allowing our fingers to describe the object we touch. Then we will introduce the Science Journals and the routine to follow when we use them. Practice having your child describe objects to you with their eyes closed. Make sure to get them to use the different vocabulary. :)

Here is the touch video again and then a sneak peak video for Friday and next week's lesson. :)

Silly Sock Day

The students were adorable walking into the classroom yesterday and explaining why their socks were silly. :) I heard all sorts of things!!  Just a few  comments that were made: "Mine have cats." "One is short and one is tall." "One is black and the other sock is red." "They have circles all over them!" :) After every statement I received the biggest smile and giggles. haha

Anyway, during Recess time the students enjoyed popsicles from Ryan N. and they were asked to show off their socks for a quick Silly Sock Picture (some had to take off their shoes and pose so we could see the socks).  Enjoy the cute pictures!! 

**ooh and I apologize if your child wore silly socks and didn't get their picture taken... I asked the students who were wearing their silly socks to follow me for pictures and these were the students that did.**

Class Birthdays!!

Here is our 1st Slideshow of the year. It was a little tricky taking the pictures, but the first time always is.... Another week or two and they will be old pro's smiling up at us!! :) Our pictures show the students posing with other classmates that have a birthday the same month as them. Most students are holding a number card telling their birth date. However a few of the students share a birthday, so you will see a few students holding the number card with a friend or their sibling. (We have a set of twins in the classroom this year!)   

Hope you enjoy watching the students sweet smiles! The pictures are adorable!!

(We apologize if your child is missing from the photos. We took pictures over the past few days and some students were absent, did not come when they were called to take their picture or we have not received a signed Media Release paper. )

This free picture slideshow was made with Smilebox. (I have the program through the Teacher Toolbox. :) If you have never used Smilebox before... try it!! I'm sure you'll fall in love with them. I sure have!)

Pages Column

We have been updating our Pages Column  (it is a side bar on the right side of the screen) with important information for all of you. :) We added links for the 2014-2015 Lunch Application, our updated Daily Schedule, our Class Book Log, plus we added all the Sight Word Money!! (This file is for the large bills we use in class. We will still send the small Sight Word Money home as we learn the words in class.)

If we think of any other important information that we need to share with you, we will put a link under the Pages Column.  :)

Week of August 25

So last week was good... but we know this week will be GREAT! The students are really getting the hang of CHAMPS and knowing what we expect from them. :)

Our Resources for the week are on: Monday, Wednesday and Friday. Also, we'd love if everyone can show their School Spirit by wearing silly socks on Friday. Ryan N. will be bringing in Fun Friday Snacks for the whole class, so need to send a snack in with your child. (We still have lots of available dates for Fun Friday Snacks. Check the dates on the left side of the blog, then send us an email with the date you'd like to sign up for. )

MATH
We will begin our Calendar Routine- counting the days to figure out what day it is, singing the days of the week to figure out yesterday-today-tomorrow, counting the amount of days we are in school (the 100th day is big for Kindergarten!! and we discuss how we come to school for 180 days) and counting to see how many students are in our class- boys, girls and total amount. We will also discuss why double checking our answers is very important. :) Then we will focus on numbers 0, 1, 2, 3. Making a group for each number, writing each number, counting a group of objects and then labeling it with the correct number.
We will be observing, comparing and counting the different math tools in our room- pattern blocks, geo blocks, snap cubes.  (Last week the students got to explore snap cubes, counting bears and pattern blocks. They loved them! It was amazing to see the different things they built and we loved hearing them count how many pieces they used in their creation.) If you notice your child is having trouble counting objects correctly, maybe because they go to fast... make them practice doing 1-1 matching. This means they can only count when they are pointing at one of the objects.

Here are pictures of the different math tools:

pattern blocks

geo blocks

snap cubes

 

counting bears

Here is a Youtube number writing video for you to practice writing numbers (the voice in the video has a strong Austrailian accent, be prepared to sing the song just like her. :) I was and it totally made me smile!)with your child and look back at our last post and you'll see the Counting to 100 song. Enjoy! :)


ELA
(English Language Arts~ Reading and Writing)
We are going to be busy with letters, sounds and sight words!! The letters we are focusing on our M, A, S, D and the words are color words- red, orange, yellow and green. We will read Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten, No, David! and A Day at School. The students will be asked questions about the books we read- about certain details in the story, about the events and the order they happen and how we can retell the story to others.  We will also be discussing empathy using the puppet Impulsive Puppy. :) The students will be asked why we have rules and what rules belong to the different school settings- Classroom, Cafeteria, Playground, etc.

Here is a picture of Impulsive Puppy and Slow-Down Snail.

We will begin discussing Writing Journals and the routine we will follow when we use them- writing our date at the top of our paper (simple date 8-25-14), drawing a detailed picture on the top half of a page and writing letters/words/sentences that match the picture on the bottom of the page. (We do not expect the students to be able to complete the routine at this time!! It's all an introduction and the more we practice, the easier it'll become. :)

Here are Youtube Videos for two of our stories and a fun colors song that makes you want to get up and march! We use it in class to get the wiggles out of the students.  Enjoy! :)


 **I'm not sure how many of you are familiar with No, David! so I wanted to give a quick disclaimer... David is a boy that does EVERYTHING wrong. At the 1:11 minute mark of the video, David will run down the street naked and the video will show his naked bottom. During the reading of the book we have his bottom covered up with a stickie note, but we aren't able to do that to the video.**





SCIENCE
We will continue discussing GERMS. (Please practice having your child sneeze and cough into their elbows and washing thier hands- outside, in between fingers and then the palms.Thanks!!)
We will begin discussing the Five Senses and introducing all of the new vocabulary- touch, taste, smell, hear, sight. We will discuss the different ways to describe the texture of things we touch- rough, smooth, bumpy, fuzzy, etc.

Here are two Youtube videos to get your child excited about Science.

 

Update on Donors Choose Project

 I woke up this morning and saw I had an email from Donors Choose. The email said: CONGRATULATIONS! DONORS HAVE FUNDED YOUR PROJECT. (I started screaming with excitement!! I set the project up back in May, so  I've been waiting a long time for this email to come.)

I wanted to show you exactly what the project entailed. I'm sure this is going to be one of the students favorite centers at school. It's definitely going to be one of mine!!  

                    

                        
 (All the items will be purchased from Lakeshore Learning Materials and the pictures were taken directly off of their website.)

Classroom Music/ Youtube Videos

The students have really enjoyed participating in our daily songs. :) We thought we'd keep the enjoyment going by posting the Youtube videos on the blog. 
Enjoy!!



Many of the students knew this song from VPK.





The students are expected to count to 100 by the end of the year. If your child has trouble counting, refer back to this video and practice counting/exercising with them.




This video stops at letter H, but we wanted to post it to make you all familiar with the song.

Week of August 18

Your child is going to have a busy week! :)

We have planned a ton of stuff! Some fun stuff and then all the necessary stuff... rituals and routines. We will also be reading the students some wonderful books. The titles include...
                   
                  

We will be focusing on CHAMPS, This is our school wide behavior program. Allow me to briefly explain what each letter stands for. Then if you are interested in seeing the file with the pictures we use, let me know and I will email it to you.

C- Conversation (the voice level students should talk on)

H- Help (the way to get help with the activity at hand)

A-Activity (the type of activity we are doing~ group or alone)

M-Movement (what movement is able to be done during the activity at hand~ free movement/ no movement at all)

P-Participation (how the teachers will know students are participating)

S-Success (the reward students will receive~ sticker, stamps or high five) 

We've also included some fun centers: playdough, puzzles, drawing, computers. Woohoo!! :) And we didn't forget Recess. We will be having Recess daily at 12:00.

I'm going to end the post with a video of the Kissing Hand read by the author Audrey Penn.  Enjoy!

Kindergarten Orientation

I just wanted to write a quick post saying "Thank You" for coming to Orientation today. It was great getting to meet all of you and your children. :) Mrs. Pitts and I loved all the sweet smiles and handshakes from the students. We also LOVED watching the students count the little squares on our Bulletin Board, they had great 1-1 matching while they counted!! And I want to give a quick shout out to London and Orion~ Hope you both enjoy your Superhero Prizes. :)

We know we went over a lot of information... the beginning of the year can be overwhelming, but we are here to answer any questions or concerns and ease any pain you have. If you have any questions that need to be answered this weekend email us: Pittsa1@duvalschools.org and Finocchiaj@duvalschools.org or wait and ask in person on Monday. :)  The two main questions we will be asking all of you on Monday morning are: "How will your child be having lunch today? (lunchboxes or buying lunch from the Cafeteria) and "How will your child be going home today on the first day and the remainder of the year? (We looked over the dismissal papers and wrote down the information everyone gave, but we know changes can be made over the weekend and we want to make sure everyone's dismissal information is correct.)


Enjoy the weekend and we'll see you all Monday!! ooh Don't forget your cameras to take pictures of your Big Kindergartners. :)

Bus Routes for 2014-2015

 

Every year the question we get asked most often by parents is, "What's the bus route for "such and such" neighborhood?" The truth is... we don't know! Most of the teachers at school don't live near the school and every year they change the routes a teeny bit. So this year I found the bus routes on the District Website for Transportation and I'm posting them on here. :) Along with the number to the transportation office (904) 381-7433.

While we are on the subject of buses:  Kindergarten students that ride buses to or from school need to fill out a Bus Paper. (Some of you may have already filled one out, but we will have them available at Kindergarten Orientation to fill out.). If a paper is not completely filled out, the child will not be allowed to ride the bus.
Also, Kindergarten students are not allowed to get off the bus and walk home alone. If no one is at the bus stop to greet your child, they will be driven back to school.

Bus 79:
Stop#1- 7:45 Eagles Perch Dr. & Rampart Rd (Northbound)
Stop#2- 7:50 Blackberry Ln & Rampart Rd
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:10 Blackberry Ln & Rampart Rd
Stop#2- 3:14 Eagles Perch Dr. & Rampart Rd (Northbound)


Bus 86:
Stop#1- 7:45 Argyle Forest Blvd & Prestwick Cir (Eastbound)
Stop#2- 7:49 Argyle Forest Blvd & Candlewood Dr W (Westbound)
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:10 Argyle Forest Blvd & Prestwick Cir (Eastbound)
Stop#2- 3:20 Argyle Forest Blvd & Candlewood Dr W (Westbound)


Bus 104:
Stop#1- 7:40 8500 Argyle Business Loop @ Lindsey Apts Park Lot
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:11 8500 Argyle Business Loop @ Lindsey Apts Park Lot



Bus 144:
Stop#1- 7:40 8500 Argyle Business Loop @ Lindsey Apts Park Lot
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:12 8500 Argyle Business Loop @ Lindsey Apts Park Lot


Bus 244:
Stop#1- 7:42 Star Rush Dr & Swamp Flower Dr N
Stop#2- 7:47 Argyle Forest Blvd & Meadow Bend Dr (Westbound)
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:10 Argyle Forest Blvd & Meadow Bend Dr (Westbound)
Stop#2- 3:17 Star Rush Dr & Swamp Flower Dr N



Bus 249: (MAGNET/STAR)
Stop#1-7:30 Sandler Rd & Sandler Chase Trl
Stop#2- 7:34 Shindler Dr & Weston Living Wy
Stop#3- 7:40 Hawks Cliff Ct & Redtail Dr
Stop#4- 7:45 Macnaughton Dr & Westport Rd
Stop #5- 7:50 Amandas Crossing Dr S & Rampart Rd (Southbound)
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:10 Hawks Cliff Ct & Redtail Dr
Stop#2- 3:15 Sandler Rd & Sandler Chase Trl
Stop#3- 3:20 Shindler Dr & Weston Living Wy
Stop#4- 3:25 Macnaughton Dr & Westport Rd
Stop#5-  3:32 Amandas Crossing Dr S & Rampart Rd (Southbound)


Bus 290: (MAGNET/CHOICE/STAR)
Stop#1- 7:08 Justin Rd N & Sharon Lake Dr
Stop#2- 7:13 Fouraker Rd & Herlong Rd near Church
Stop#3- 7:15 Normandy Village Elementary
Stop#4- 7:19 Normandy Village Pkwy & Spring Branch Dr N
Stop#5- 7:25 Hyde Grove Elementary
Stop#6- 7:37 Oak Hill Elementary
Stop#7- 7:41 Melvin Rd & Redstone Dr
Stop#8- 7:46 Ricker Rd & Willow Run Rd
Stop#9- 7:55 Argyle Forest Blvd & Loch Highlands Blvd (Westbound)
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:15 Argyle Forest Blvd & Loch Highlands Blvd (Westbound)
Stop#2- 3:30 Enterprise Learning Academy
Stop#3- 3:50 7:46 Ricker Rd & Willow Run Rd
Stop#4- 3:57 Melvin Rd & Redstone Dr
Stop#5- 4:00 Oak Hill Elementary
Stop#6- 4:10 Hyde Grove Elementary
Stop#7- 4:20 Normandy Village Pkwy & Spring Branch Dr N
Stop#8- 4:28 Normandy Village Elementary
Stop#9- 4:30 Fouraker Rd & Herlong Rd near Church
Stop#10- 4:40 Justin Rd N & Sharon Lake Dr


Bus 526:
Stop#1- 7:45 Cinnamon Tea Ln & Rampart Rd
Stop#2- 7:46 Cinnamon Lakes Dr & Rampart Rd
Stop#3- 7:48 Allspice Cir W & Collins Rd
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:13 Allspice Cir W & Collins Rd
Stop#2- 3:16 Cinnamon Tea Ln & Rampart Rd
Stop#3- 3:18 Cinnamon Lakes Dr & Rampart Rd


Bus 806: (MAGNET/CHOICE/STAR)
Stop#1- 6:40 Timucuan Elementary
Stop#2- 6:58 Hurricane Dr & Shamrock Cir
Stop#3- 7:02 2069 Mustin Rd @ Youth Center
Stop#4- 7:19 5170 Collins Rd @ Collins Place Apts (Inside)
Stop#5- 7:20 Collins Rd & Ortega Bluff Pkwy/ Whispering Pines Dr
Stop#6- 7:25 8102 Blanding Blvd @ Around the Clock Kid Care
Stop#7- 7:30 Winding Greens Dr & Plantation Bay Dr N
Stop#8- 7:35 Blanding Blvd & Longchamp Dr (Northbound)
Stop#9- 7:40 6942 Seaboard Ave @ Park
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:30 Enterprise Learning Academy
Stop#2- 3:47 8102 Blanding Blvd @ Around the Clock Kid Care
Stop#3- 3:54 Winding Greens Dr & Plantation Bay Dr N
Stop#4- 3:57 Blanding Blvd & Longchamp Dr (Northbound)
Stop#5- 4:03 6942 Seaboard Ave @ Park
Stop#6- 4:06 Timucuan Elementary
Stop#7- 4:20 Collins Rd & Ortega Bluff Pkwy/ Whispering Pines Dr
Stop#8- 4:21 Collins Rd @ Collins Place Apts (Inside)
Stop#9- 4:32 Hurricane Dr & Shamrock Cir
Stop#10-  4:44 2069 Mustin Rd @ Youth Center


Bus 814: (MAGNET/CHOICE/STAR)
Stop#1- 6:50 4000 Chaffee Rd S @ Lauren Oaks
Stop#2- 7:00 Cold Creek Blvd & Stratton Rd
Stop#3- 7:05 Cold Creek Blvd & Normandy Blvd (Eastbound)
Stop#4- 7:15 Piper Glen Blvd & Sandler Rd
Stop#5- 7:19 Connie Jean Rd & 103rd St (Eastbound) near Westview Elementary School
Stop#6- 7:25 Gregory Drive Elementary
Stop#7- 7:28 Fouraker Rd &Old Middleburg Rd
Stop#8- 7:37 7730 Wheat Rd @ Park
Stop#9- 7:47 Grey Fox Ln & Rampart Rd
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:30 Enterprise Learning Academy
Stop#2- 3:49 Grey Fox Ln & Rampart Rd
Stop#3- 3:59 7730 Wheat Rd @ Park
Stop#4- 4:03 Gregory Drive Elementary
Stop#5- 4:05 Fouraker Rd &Old Middleburg Rd
Stop#6- 4:10 Connie Jean Rd & 103rd St (Eastbound) near Westview Elementary School
Stop#7- 4:13 Piper Glen Blvd & Sandler Rd
Stop#8- 4:18 4000 Chaffee Rd S @ Lauren Oaks
Stop#9- 4:26 Cold Creek Blvd & Stratton Rd
Stop#10- 4:28 Cold Creek Blvd & Normandy Blvd (Eastbound)


Bus 900:
Stop#1- 7:45 Collins Ridge Blvd & Collins Rd
Stop#2- 7:47 Cholo Trl & Collins Rd
Stop#3- 7:48 Cayuga Trl N & Westport Rd
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:05 Collins Ridge Blvd & Collins Rd
Stop#2- 3:06 Cholo Trl & Collins Rd
Stop#3- 3:08 Cayuga Trl N & Westport Rd


Bus 904: (MAGNET/CHOICE/STAR)
Stop#1- 7:08 Melson Ave & 12th St W near Biltmore
Stop#2- 7:11 Annie R Morgan Elementary
Stop#3- 7:23 Hyde Park Elementary
Stop#4- 7:30 Blanding Blvd & Confederate Point Rd
Stop#5- 7:40 Jammes Rd & Morse Ave
Stop#6- 7:50 Argyle Forest Blvd & Chimney Oaks Dr (Westbound)
Arrive at School at 8:00
    ~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Depart School at 3:00
Stop#1- 3:15 Argyle Forest Blvd & Chimney Oaks Dr (Westbound)
Stop#2- 3:25 Jammes Rd & Morse Ave
Stop#3- 3:32 Blanding Blvd & Confederate Point Rd
Stop#4- 3:40 Hyde Park Elementary
Stop#5- 3:47 Annie R Morgan Elementary
Stop#6-  3:50 Melson Ave & 12th St W near Biltmore

Last Wednesday of Summer Vacation...

This is our last week of Summer Vacation... Mrs. Pitts took a family vacation and the kids I'm nannying are sick, so we are just sitting around the house doing nothing. (Secretly I'm enjoying it. I'm catching up on all the shows I've missed.)

Anyway, I've been looking at a lot of Teacher blogs lately and I really like their Currently posts. They tell a few things about themselves~ what they are listening to, thinking, loving, hating, etc. Well I went on TPT (Teacher Pay Teacher) and saw a Currently Pack being offered by Farley from  ohboy4thgrade.   I am thinking of picking two students every Wednesday to ask the Currently questions. :) But for starters... here is my Currently. :)

Enjoy! I'm off to school today to "attack" some of the Disaster Area. haha

**bug dope is bug spray for those that are reading this and are SERIOUSLY confused! haha**