Welcome to School!

9-7-07

The days are just packed! In math we are exploring pattern blocks, making a pictograph by counting the boys and girls in our class and using teddy bear counters. We are up to the numeral 6 in our handwriting. According to our calendar, we have been in school for seven days.

In Voyages, our bible time, we enjoyed the story of creation through songs, books, and a flannelgraph story. We are also coloring a book. We have begun learning several songs to reinforce our lessons. We have devotions each day after lunch during our rest time.

Perhaps you have heard that we are reading stories about Woof a mutt that shares life with the Peterson family. The stories are perfect for read aloud during rest time.

We enjoyed a surprise on Tuesday when Mrs. Slaybaugh (Rachel’s) mom brought the butterfly that had hatched recently back to school for us to see.

Together we wrote a story entitled Colors. The children each chose a color they liked. We wrote the words I like_______. Then we each read our sentence. We discussed the idea that a sentence is words that make sense together and that sentences have different numbers of words in them. They begin with a capital letter and end with an end mark.

The letter Ll was our letter of the week. Of course Logan was excited about that because it is his letter and also his 6^th birthday. Today we read the story Leaf Man by Lois Ehlert.

The leaves in the book are arranged into different creatures. We also did some leaf rubbings.

We enjoyed a visit from a monster named Animal who is a character from Sesame Street. He helped read numerous books about monsters. Some of the titles include…Five Little Monsters Went to School, Ten Monsters in a Bed, Safety Counts! , and The Monsters’ Tea Party. He helped us discuss our classroom/school rules.

Library News: Mrs. Miller gave us an introduction to the library on Wednesday.

We will go to the library on Wednesday afternoons from 2:15-2:45 p.m. The children may check out two books and return them on or before the following Wednesday.

There is a date slip in the books that will have a return date recorded. The books that were checked out this week will be due next Wednesday 9-12-07. Please have your child bring their books back in their bag each week. This keeps the items together, protects the covers and pages and keeps them separated from our classroom library books. The children were quite excited about taking materials home.

A few dress code reminders: If your daughter wears a skirt or dress, please make sure that she wears shorts underneath for all of the activities on the monkey bars and slides. It is best not to wear a dress on Wednesdays as we have P.E. and will be playing games etc…

Dresses tend to get caught in the wheels of scooter boards and can make it difficult to move around and do warm-up exercises. All children should wear athletic shoes on Wednesdays as we do a lot of kicking, running and jumping. There is much less chance of injury to themselves and other children (flying shoes hurt when they hit you) when they wear supportive shoes. Take a look at the dress code part of the parent handbook.

During warm weather, it is important for the children to wear shoes with toes and a strap in the back. This saves kids feet from sharp wood chips, tripping down the stairs, scraping toes on the pavement, and falls. If your child cannot tie, please send your child in shoes with a Velcro or other easy on/off closure. Thank you for your attention to these details. I want to make sure your child is safe, comfortable and able to participate in their day fully.

Beginning next week your child will bring home a progress report. A sheet will be stapled into your child’s folder. This form should aide us in keeping in close communication with each other. Please feel free to write a comment if it would help me better understand your child’s mood or needs. For instance, you may want to write a note that says your child had a rough night, isn’t feeling top notch, your favorite family pet died etc…I will also write comments at times.

This is how the system works. Your child starts out each day with 5 tally marks on the board. The goal is to keep as many tally marks as possible each day. You lose tally marks by not following our classroom or school rules. This means that you are not in control of yourself. The goal is to help students regulate their own behavior. I do not expect perfection. I give the children a warning and then another chance. As you know some children will test the limits often. If your child has a good day, it will be a “HIGH FIVE” day and the 5 will be circled on their report. Congratulate your child for this as they were doing a great job of being in control of themselves throughout the day! If it is a 3 or lower, your child did not have a good day. Usually this means that they were not listening, and following the classroom rules or they hurt someone with their hands or words. Our rules are very basic. Your child may not remember why they lost a point. That’s “ok” as I will have talked with them about the situation when it happened. Please do not stress “perfect” behavior as this would be stressful for anyone of any age. I do not expect your child to have a 5 star day every day. The goal is to help your child begin to regulate their own behavior. If you have questions, please feel free to contact me in person or with a note.

It is a joy to work with your child. The children are catching on quickly to the routine.

Worship the Lord this weekend with your family.

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