It's been a GREAT year!

Saying goodbye is never easy. So I will start by saying thank you to ALL of you who took the first step last year by registering your child for Wilson Primary Center. It was a new venture for Summit, and, myself included, there was some doubt as to whether this Primary Center idea was going to "fly".

But it "took off" without a glitch and the entire year has been "one smooth ride" with maybe a bump or or two along the way.

I would like to thank Gail Lenck, who was there smiling each day, ready to open up car doors, buckle and unbuckle seatbelts and mentally log in all the verbal playdates! She was a daily presence in our classroom and an invaluable member on our WPC staff.

Thanks also to Mr. Gil, who took the challenge to create an environment that was child-friendly, safe, positive and cheerful for all who entered. We could not have asked for a better leader!

This year in kindergarten, I hope you saw growth in your child. Mrs. Lenck and I saw daily progress and we enjoyed each day with the children, listening to their stories, calming their fears and helping them to solve some problems.

Thank you to all the Guest Readers who found time to come into the classroom to read. And a "round of applause" to our Class Moms who coordinated parties and miscellaneous activities.

But most importantly, a standing ovation for your children, who came in each day, with a smile and a story, eager and ready to learn.

I think I have the best job in the world!!

I am starting to get teary-eyed, so I guess I should start to end, what in essence, is really the beginning of a new direction for your young learner.

I hope you will continue to be an active part of your child's education, being involved with their activities and their learning.

It has been my pleasure to be a small part of your child's life.

I hope you will come back to visit us at Wilson Primary Center and tell us all about the new and exciting things that are happening.

Thank you for your generous end of the year gifts, cards, thoughtful words and hugs.

Your child will be receiving their final report card on the last day of school, which is a shortened day. Please see the reminder sent home this past Friday with the arrival and dismissal times.

As a small memento from Gail and myself, there will be included in the envelope, a copy of the DVD slideshow that I presented at our end of the year ice cream party.

I hope you will enjoy watching it many times. Let it be the first page to a video scrapbook that will continue to document your child's academic career.

Best of luck to you as you "graduate" to your new home schools.

Sincerely,

Judi Fisher

Catching Up

           

I MUST start this by saying a BIG Thank You to all of you for your kind words and gestures of appreciation during Teacher Appreciation Week. I enjoyed all the hand made cards, flowers, voice mails and gifts. If it isn't already obvious, I love my job and working with (and playing with) your child. This is what I look forward to each day. We are having a great year and are sadly counting down the days until school ends. 

This week we will be welcoming the "newbies" and giving them a tour of the classroom along with reading to them. 

Our studies on ants is coming to an end as the ten"ants" in  our formicarium (ant farm) are dwindling. Thank you to Mrs, Lenck, our resident myrmecologist. The children were fascinated by her wealth of knowledge in this area. Hopefully your child has shared several ant facts with you. Ask them to name the parts of an ant and some jobs that ants have.

All children are progressing nicely with their reading and have recently gone "shopping" for new books. We read daily with our "just right" books and the students are very proud of their accomplishments. Having a strong word base of high frequency words and "power" words are critical in being a successful reader. Continue to practice these words daily and point out words that show up frequently in your reading together. 

Throughout the year I have been sending home weekly reading assignments. Hopefully you have been implementing these strategies and applying them whenever you are reading with your child. Using picture clues, and looking at beginning, middle and ending letter sounds, are 2 strategies that kindergartners should have mastered. These will help them as they move on to more challenging books. When choosing books for your child, please use caution, as you do not want to pick books for your child that will be frustrating for them. If they cannot read at least 3 words on several pages then the book is too difficult. Keep this tip in mind when shopping for your book selections. Following is a suggested list of books that you might enjoy reading to your kindergartner (almost first grader!) during the summer months.http://www.pineview.leon.k12.fl.us/Shared%20Documents/Summer%20Reading%20List.pdf

As the year is coming to an end I hope you will look back on your child's first Public School experience here in Summit, NJ. Thank you for your support throughout the year. You were ALL instrumental in making this first year at the Wilson Primary Center a success. We could not have done it without you and your wonderful child!

I will continue to update this blog through the summer and  I hope you will occasionally check

http://wilsonkindergartenrocks.blogspot.com/

Enjoy your weekend. 

Let the sun shine in!

What a finale to Earth Week! Finally!!! The weather we have all been waiting for.  This week we all enjoyed reading and learning ways to be good friends to our planet. The children enjoyed watching a video that showed what happens to garbage and then worked well as teams to create a "Trash to Treasure" sculpture, using all the recyclables brought in. Most interesting! 

We also celebrated Arbor Day with a tree planting ceremony by the City of Summit and the Board of Ed. Next time you are on school property, take the time to admired the lovely shrubbery and landscaping. Two dogwood trees were also planted. Each kindergarten class performed a brief and very age-appropriate presentation demonstrating, not only their love for trees, but also their knowledge about the many things that trees give us. All children in attendance were given a fir sapling to take home and plant. Hopefully, it got home safely, and you have seen the planting and caring instructions that were included in your child's folder. This weekend is a perfect weekend to plant it.

Looking ahead to next week, we will do a letter review and bring back the Letter People. Our class enrollment next week will be increased by 26!! I am planning several activities throughout the week where the students will have fun with these characters and learn at the same time. 

As we conclude our Non-fiction Unit, there will also be directions for a Non-fiction book report sent home on Monday. Please take the time to read the directions and help your child choose a book. However, they should do most (if not all) of the work.

In the following weeks, I will be out of the classroom to assess this year's students and also to welcome and assess the "new" incoming kindergartners for September! (Do you remember doing this last year??). Mrs. Lenck will be in charge and I will be planning closely with her.

 I will also be meeting with the all First Grade teachers from Washington, L-H, and Franklin schools to do what is called an "articulation". This is an opportunity for me to meet and share info on students with the first grade teachers. We will not, however, be putting together class lists. Respective building Principals will have that task.

So, I am off to do some serious biking. First,  one foot powered and later, one that goes a lot faster than my legs can go!

It's just too nice to be inside any longer!

Have a fabulous weekend. 

Zoom zoom

Let's Take Care of Our Earth!

                   

I hope you all had a restful vacation. Hopefully while you had some time way  from your usual schedule, you were able to spend more time with nature.  Maybe you worked in the garden, started a compost bin (like me!) or went to Reeves-Reed Arboretum to see the magnificent display of daffodils. Despite all the rain, for me, Spring is a constant reminder of new growth and new life.

I am enjoying watching my back yard "come alive" as the trees begin to form new buds. Each year, as I look out my kitchen window  I like to mentally document this slow but steady process. Gradually, it seems that things change from dull brown to smidgeons of green, until finally there is a vibrant palette of various shades of green. Although it takes several weeks, this transformation is so inspiring to me that I am in awe of how this ritual of mother nature occurs so silently and beautifully. 

As we celebrate Earth Day this week, please find the time to pause to enjoy these natural resources. We will be discussing Earth Day and what it means to us and what we can do to help the Earth. You can visit several websites for more information and even download a coloring book for your child to reinforce the 3 R's at home. http://www.epa.gov/region5/publications/happy/happy.pdf

We will be taking the Earth Day Pledge this week  and hopefully your child will invite you to participate in this as well. 

On April 24th, there will be a brief ceremony to celebrate Arbor Day. A tree, donated by the City and the Board Of Ed,  will be planted on Wilson School Property. All are invited to attend. More details to follow.http://www.arborday.org/arborday

This week we will be spending time focusing on ways we can be a Friend to the Earth,  and our centers will have activities to reinforce this. 

We continue to read non-fiction books and your child should be reading the book that they brought home as well. 

As part of our writing program, in the next few weeks, I will also be focusing on writing poetry. We will learn ways to observe objects (in this case, nature) and then choose words that are descriptive. We will talk about metaphors and similes and try to incorporate this into our writing. Now is a great time to invest in a child's thesaurus. http://www.Amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/1841382485/thewordpool.

Or visit this interactive site:http://www.wordsmyth.net/

Happy Earth Week! Let's take good care of our earth. There is a new Disney flick coming out this week called Earth, view the trailer:http://www.apple.com/trailers/disney/earth/trailer_large.html

This would be a great play date! Have fun!

Enjoy the week. 

The Eagle has landed!

As April arrived,  the children also arrived to school on April 1st to new table arrangements and table names. There's lots of chirping going on as our groups are now named after local birds such as the Robin Red Breast, Cardinal, Pileated Woodpecker , Hummingbird and Black-capped Chickadee. 

I also have placed little chirping stuffed animal birds from the Audubon Society  at the tables and the children have been enjoying listening and mimicking them. 

As an added treat we have also been watching a live cam from Duke Farms showing a mother Bald Eagle sitting on her eggs. They are expected to hatch any day. Click on the following link to watch the action!

http://www.dukefarms.org/page.asp?pageId=565

As Spring brings so many beautiful signs of life, take the time to enjoy nature at its best. Take your child on a Nature Walk, pause to hear the sounds of birds. Get some non-fiction books out from the Library on birds, plants, flowers and trees. Go to the Reeves Reed Arboretum with a book and sit under a cherry blossom and drift into another world and escape the hustle and bustle! Bring some watercolors or colored pencils and draw, using detail, what you see. 

As our Writing program becomes more intense, I am working with the children and teaching them that detail is critical. As you  continue to have conversations with your child, try to elicit more information, having them use describing words, and elaborating on their thoughts. We will be working with the children during writing opportunities, having them begin to write more than one sentence. They will continue to expand on their writing, and conversation is the best way to begin this skill. Good talkers are good writers!

We continue to read many non-fiction books and are learning lots of facts about birds, bugs, whales, and sharks and baby animals. Did you know that a baby kangaroo is only as big as your fingernail when it is first born?  Ask your child to share some facts that they have learned. This week I will have the children choose a non-fiction book which they will bring home. These books belong to the various Summit Elementary Schools Libraries and you and your child will be responsible for it. If the book is lost you will be responsible for its replacement and fines. Please take the time to read this book and collect some facts with your child. You will be amazed at what you will learn!! Please remember that the book chosen is on a topic that your child has expressed an interest in. Encourage daily reading and follow up with more books to expand their knowledge! Here are some suggestions: http://www.amazon.com/Favorite-Nonfiction-books-Preschool-Kindergarten/lm/R2RTHTDGFFKOIE

Heads Up! There is no school on Friday, April 10th. Spring break begins April 10th and classes resume on Monday, April 20th. Have a wonderful vacation, wherever you may be!

Spring Arrives in Summit, NJ!

      
Has your child asked you to take a ride or walk to a store or building in Summit, New Jersey? 

This week the children continued their studies on their Community and also worked together as a community during several "Summit" centers this week. Those included visiting the Summit Post Office, where the children had an opportunity to write a letter to Mr. Gil and then fold it to fit into an envelope (this was a challenge!) and then "mail" it in the mail  basket. 

Creating a sculpture at Color Me Mine, eating snack and taking "orders" at the Broadway Diner; playing Candyland and pretending that we were having a party at Ricky's; and "driving" all around the town and playing with all the wonderful buildings that both classes created were enjoyed by all. Thanks again for assisting your child on that project. We will continue to have them on display outside our classroom. Please find the time to come in and view them. 

Continue this learning by pointing out establishments when you are walking and driving around town.  Next week we will focus on Community workers, so start looking for Postal workers, Police Officers, Doctors, teachers, construction workers, etc. 

Hopefully you heard how the leprechaun "trashed" our classroom; he turned over chairs, spilled crayons and even turned the water in the toilet bowl green!! One activity the children enjoyed was shining dirty pennies. Although it seems like magic, the mixture of vinegar and salt created a chemical reaction. Very scientific!  

We continue counting backwards as we do our calendar work. Can you believe there are only 61 days left of kindergarten?!!! 

In math, the students were introduced to the concept of symmetry. Challenge your child to find examples of symmetry in their world. They created kites, coloring various shapes to reflect this concept. They are on display on our hallway bulletin board, Soaring into Spring! 

As we discuss the newly-arrived season of Spring, why not take the time to "go fly a kite" on a windy day! Go on a pussy willow and crocus hunt. (Hocus pocus, it's a crocus!) How many signs of spring can you find? Click here and print out the booklet. Find the flowers and color them. Go to the local Arboretum and soak in the beauty of this, my favorite, season. Play some Vivaldi to really get you in the mood! Read some books on this season. 

Read  these

books,

The children were challenged during computer lab, where they had to create their name in Secret Code. 

Ask your child to demonstrate this to you. See if they can create your family members names in this "secret code". We will be using these to decode and reinforce letter sounds during future centers. (see example at top).

Have a beautiful, springy weekend!

Traveling All Around the Town

This week we talked about transportation and its importance. The children enjoyed several centers that focused on this topic,  including working cooperatively to design a sign/name for my wheelchair. YES! How convenient that I should get a stress fracture and have to keep off my feet as much as possible. Perfect timing! The children have been great, taking turns pushing me here and there, to get from one place to another! They also created their own lists of ways to travel using Kids Spelling and were so excited when both classes were able to read each other's lists! My son Ken and I working together on a long distance project doing some brain research regarding children and how they learn to read. The following is a brief video that explains the process:

http://www/scilearn.com/our-approach/the-fast-forward-program/brain-science-video/index.php

Take the time to view it, but it by no means is an endorsement or "sales pitch" for the product. You may be interested, however, in doing some of your own research to understand the process. Visit www.scilearn.com

Many of you have asked if  I have given new sight words recently; the answer: not written cards, but we have been making lists of words and doing more labeling in our writing activities. I am focusing on the children giving more detail during writing opportunities, which also includes drawing. You can continue this learning at home by having more detailed conversations with your child; ask them "why", "how", etc. When doing their buildings for the town of Summit, take the time to walk/drive past it and notice the details; are there windows, doors, lamp posts, chimneys, awnings, colors, etc? In Kindergarten, it's all about detail, detail, detail!

In the next few weeks we will learn about Community Workers. Do a little pre-teaching and start to notice people in Summit who help us; Postal Workers, Firefighters, teachers, Doctors, nurses, crossing guards, etc. 

Have some fun while you are out driving and make a list of all the different Environmental signs (STOP, Caution, Playground, Men at Work, etc.) that your child can read, (these are considered high-frequency words). We read a good book, I Read Signs, by Tana Hoban. Throw a little math in for good measure and have your child use tally marks to keep track of the different signs. Which sign got the most, least?

In celebration of St. Patrick's Day this Tuesday, let's try to wear a little bit o'green. Will that little Leprechaun visit Room 112? Stay tuned!

 Looking for a little luck? Click on the following site and have some fun! Hope that you get that dream at the end of the rainbow!  www.kidsdomain.com/craft/potgoldgame.html

Looking ahead:

March 20.....first day of Spring

April 2..........Shortened session. AM = 8:15-11:00  PM= 10:00-12:30

Oh Lawdy!

What a week it' s been!

Welcoming March in with a snow day was a treat so when we returned to school on Tuesday wearing our pajamas, we were ready to begin our  Read  Across America Week festivities. It was a great success. Thanks to all the Guest Readers who came to class with a variety of stories. Well done!

We had our first school-wide D.E.A.R. time and all enjoyed wearing pajamas and slippers and cuddling up with a good book in the hallway.

The children did a great job presenting their book reports. Thank you for encouraging and working together with your child. It gave us an opportunity to discuss fiction and non-fiction books as well.  Next month our reading  will focus on both fiction and non-fiction books. 

Some Centers enjoyed this week were: reading and writing rhyming words, playing rhyming bingo, practicing word families; _am, _in, _en, _op, _at, _ug. 

Have you met Little Bookworm? The children enjoyed cutting, coloring and reading a little booklet helping to re-enforce good book habits. Please continue to practice these at home. 

Playing a Green Eggs and Ham board game and Tic Tac Toe, doing a Dr. Seuss word search and reading many Dr. Seuss books were some activities enjoyed. A "Crazy Hat Fashion Show" was a big hit.

And if you haven't heard our newest song, "Pick a Bale of Cotton", the words to the song were included in your child's folder on Friday. It's a catchy tune and  both classes can't get it out of their heads. The children couldn't believe that their jeans, and coats and tee shirts came from a bush! We watched a brief video clip on where clothes come from and it included a segment on cotton bushes and how the cotton is picked. Most of the students just thought cotton was just on Q-Tips. 

We concluded RAA Week with a school-wide Assembly by gathering in the MPR to watch a Dr. Seuss DVD, the old version of The Cat in the Hat. The children loved getting together.

Mr. Gil gave the kids this challenge: How many Dr. Seuss books are there? (actually written by Dr. Seuss (Theodore Geisel). Will you take him up on this challenge? First to bring him the correct  answer wins a prize! (Hint: it is more than 20).

Things to look forward to: 

We will begin our Social Studies Unit on transportation and Community Helpers. Do a little pre-teaching over the weekend and try to take notice of all the different types of vehicles on the road. Use tally marks to keep track of the cars, busses, trucks, construction, big cars, little cars, convertibles, (yes! I just got mine back!), SUV's, red cars, trains, planes, etc. 

Don't forget to set your clocks one hour AHEAD over this weekend, giving us more hours of daylight! Yeah!

Although Spring and warmer weather is only a few weeks away, we still have sneezes and drippy noses. Our supply of tissues is almost depleted. If you would like to donate a box of tissues it would be greatly appreciated. We could also use a few packages of colored cellulose sponges to clean up after snack.  

Have a great weekend!

Read Across America Week

So...... right now now weathermen are saying that the "BIG" snow is on it's way. Good news and bad news! If we get a snow day, it delays some of our RAA activities (not to mention that it extends the school year to June 23rd) but also gives us a day to "cuddle up" with a good book and READ!

A schedule of events was sent home on Friday, so you can refer to that. To get you  started: 

Monday is red and white day;  come to school dressed in the colors of Dr. Seuss' hat. (If there is no school on Monday, let's make red and white day on Weds.)

Tuesday is Pajama Day. Coming to school dressed in your jammies should be lots of fun! (please wear shoes for safety). The week continues with several Guest Readers on tap and fun RAA centers planned, including getting together with other kindergarten classes to have some new reading buddies. 

Friday's finale is a school-wide Assembly to watch a Dr Seuss movie. 

Homework this week is, you guessed it, reading together, with your family, by yourself, with a flashlight, under the covers, in a secret hiding place, in the kitchen, in the car, in the bathroom. See how many different places you can read in this week! Try  reading a magazine,  a comic book,  a silly book or a serious one. 

A reading calendar was sent home, so your child can record  (with your help) the time he/she spends reading either alone or with a partner. 

Be a Reading Role Model. So......Turn off the TV and video games and grab a book. No batteries or assembly required!

Did you hear about our exploration of balls? The children came up with an extensive list of different kinds of balls. See how many you can think of and find at home. Our studies of balls and their "bounciness" will continue for the next several weeks. (Maybe you will have a chance to "explore snowballs" tomorrow!)

Coming up: 

This week I plan to talk about vowels (a, e, i , o, u)  and word families (_at, _op, _in, _en, _ig, _an, _ig.  While reading with your child this week try to point out any of these letters and word families. 

By the end of this week we will have covered all 26 letters of the alphabet and will have met ALL of the Letter People!

If you have not yet had an opportunity to be a Guest reader or want to come back again for more , please contact MaryAnn Bonomo. 

Happy Reading!

 

V is for Valentines and Vacation!

Thanks to all my Lovebugs for the beautiful, funny and creative Valentine's Day cards and candies. 

I hope you are enjoying some time doing  activities together and maybe even relaxing with a good book or seeing some good movies or having some playdates.

I am enjoying some time in Texas with my daughter. Besides getting a new pair of boots, and eating some incredible Texas BBQ, and  going to the Harry Ransom Center,  one of the  highlights of my trip so far has been going mountain biking through some awesome trails in Austin, home of Lance Armstrong's Mellow Johnnys. Some of these  trails brought me through creeks and river beds where I had to maneuver over large boulders. It made me smile because while I was riding the trail I realized I was experiencing a new meaning to "Kindergarten Rocks"!

Later in the week, we then ventured down to South Padre Island where the weather was warm and sunny and a swim in the ocean and long walks on the beach collecting shells were welcomed each day. A quick trip to Matamoras, Mexico was fun as well. The schools there even do car lines!

Before the break, we celebrated Valentines Day and 100 Days of School. Some activities the children  enjoyed were: collecting 100 names, sharing their 100 posters, counting 100 hearts and doing 100 jumping jacks. We visited some of the other kindergartens to participate in activities with them as well. We even tried to keep quiet for 100 seconds!

Thanks to all the Moms who came in and organized great Valentine's Day parties.

Upon our return, we will get back into our routine and look forward to Read Across America Week at the beginning of March. More on this to come when we return to school.

Enjoy your time away from school. I know I am! 

See you on Feb. 23rd!

"HEADS UP"... For those of you who read this before Monday:  for our Monday writing activity

the children are now making "lists". Please help to refresh your child's memory by reviewing some activities they did over the break. They will then choose one to write about. Can't wait to hear all about the fun they had while away from school. 

 

100th day poster assignment

100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 100 

If there are no snow days, we anticipate Friday, Feb. 13th, to be 100 Days of school.

In the past, we have always celebrated this day with some special 100th Day activities. 

Over the next few days, I am asking each child to gather 100 of “something” and glue them onto a poster board or paper (please... no larger than 18x24). Get as creative as you like. Although this may require some adult supervision,  I ask that your child do most of the work, especially the counting. Encourage your child to count in “bundles” of ten.

Please do not go out and spend a lot of money on purchasing items. Have your child put on his/her ”thinking cap” and s-t-r-e-t-c-h their brain.

Some examples: 100 cheerios, 100 M&M’s, 100 pennies, 100 buttons, 100 nails, toothpicks, pictures, dots, names, bows, stickers etc.  I think you get the idea!

You can really have fun with this!

This is NOT an optional assignment. We will share and display all posters. 

Goodbye January, Hello February!

I can't believe that in just a few more days we will be celebrating 100 days of school!

Our time here at Wilson Primary Center has been an environment where we are having lots of fun and where  lots of learning is taking place. Thanks to all of you for your support in helping our time here be a memorable one.

I enjoyed meeting with all of you during our conferences and hope that you found the time worthwhile. Thanks to Mrs. Lenck who took charge in my absence and, among other topics, also introduced the children to our new Social Studies Unit on our place in the world. 

While I see the progress your child has made since September, it was satisfying to see the surprised looks on so many faces when you saw the fabulous writing, spelling and drawing that your child is doing. They are all working very hard and as we begin to "count down" our days to First Grade, I can happily say that everyone is progressing nicely and will be well-prepared for their move to their "home" schools. 

Here's a quick review of things we have done in January. 

The children enjoyed creating flags on the computer to celebrate the inauguration of Barack Obama. See them on display in the Main entrance. Afterwards, we had a spontaneous snack in  the teacher's Faculty room.  The kids felt "so important" sitting in that teacher's chairs and adult tables. Some "F" centers enjoyed were; finger painting, Go Fish, Franklin letter matching game, stamping funny faces and tickling with feathers, reading Frog and Toad and Franklin books, and studying our high-frequency words. 

We did a lot of wiggling, walking and winking during W week, along with learning how to play the card game, War, making numbers, letters and words with wikki stix, using a dictionary to write words in a wagon and doing word sorts. Reading Where the Wild Things Are, and Wemberly Worried and looking at books about the World, were just a few of the books read this week.

In Math, we continue to estimate objects during the day and on Friday, the children predicted if the groundhog will see his shadow on Groundhog day. We will follow Punxsutawney Phil and hope that he does not see his shadow, bringing warmer weather 6 weeks early! Oh, how I am looking forward to that!

In your child's folder on Friday, you received instructions on how to make a poster for the 100th day of school. Please work with your child to create an interesting math creation. Encourage them to work in counting bundles of ten. Get creative and have fun! All posters will be displayed. This is NOT an optional assignment. 

Valentine's Day will be celebrated on Friday, Feb. 13th. Cards are optional. Have your child sign their cards, but please DO NOT put names on the outside of the envelopes. The children will be distributing them throughout that week. 

Thanks to all who worked together with your child to use technology to research and learn about NJ. We will be sharing the facts that we learned about Summit, NJ, and continue to become more aware of the world around us. 

This week we will take a look at "Q". If you have a quilt in your home, please take the time to show it to your child as we will be creating our own class quilt. If you are interested in quilting, there is a wonderful exhibit called the Quilts of Gees Bend. 

 I was fortunate to see this exhibit "up close and personal"  in San Francisco and it was very moving. Although there are no upcoming exhibits scheduled, there are some books which illustrate the amazing geometric patterns of these quilts that tell a story. 

During February, our reading homework will be focusing on patterns in stories. Try to select books this month that have patterns, see list.

Here's what's happening in February:

Mark your calendars:

Feb. 13th.....  Valentine's Day celebration and 100th Day of School

Feb. 16-20...  Winter Break.. NO SCHOOL

Feb. 23.........  Classes resume

 

 

We ROCK!!

Looking out our classroom window we are constantly reminded of this winter weather. 

"Our" rock is covered with snow and the children have been excited to be able to vote for "snowy" when doing our weather graph. 

This week we have become "estimation experts" and enjoyed several centers reinforcing this concept.  Optional Home Connection sheets were were included in your child's folder on Friday to help reinforce this at home. 

The afternoon class gave a spontaneous concert to Dr. Nathan Parker, Superintendent of Summit Schools on Friday. This was prompted by an activity done in computer class where they created an American flag in Kid Pix to celebrate the upcoming inauguration of Barack Obama. 

We paraded down to the Board Offices and sang several of our "flag" songs, including, 3 Cheers for the Red White and Blue, This Land is Your Land, and You're a Grand Old Flag. 

They were a BIG hit and the children are already looking forward to another opportunity to entertain them in the near future. 

In this same patriotic theme, if possible, we would like the children to wear some red, white and blue on Tuesday to commemorate the inauguration of the 44th President of the United States. 

On Wednesday, we hope to have a video of the actual ceremony to watch on our classroom TV. 

This week the reading homework will be all about high-frequency words and sight words. 

These are words that the children see in their daily lives and are able to read "in a snap". 

Having a strong core of these words is what helps learners to be fluent readers. 

Before the holiday break I sent home a baggie with several index cards with these words that your child made in class. 

If you have not returned them to school, please send them in  this week. We will be focusing on new words and the students need these cards for  practice. If you have unfortunately misplaced them, please make new ones at some and return to school. There will be a list of the words on the Reading Homework that will be sent home on Tuesday. 

When we meet at our conferences next week we will continue this conversation. I will be sending home a conference reminder. Please have any questions you want to address so we can maximize our time together. Report cards will be sent home on Friday, January, 23rd. Please review it along with the accompanying Comments and Goal sheet.

Enjoy the day off on Monday. Stay warm. 

let's try this again!

As you may  know,  the teachers in Summit have been working without a contract since September. If you would like to learn more information about what's going on and how you can support the dedicated teachers at Wilson and all the teachers in the District, please visit this website:www.summiteducationassociation.org

Thank you for your support.

Ma!! It's snowing!

As I sit here on a Saturday afternoon with my cup of tea, I look out the window and see that the weatherman's prediction has come true! That white stuff is falling from the sky....again!

I stare out into the woods and see the squirrels scurrying and the trees beginning to get their ermine-colored coats. And I begin to reminisce to my days when I was 5 and 6 years old. Just hearing my mother say that it might snow got me so excited! I would prepare my outdoor wear...lining up my snow boots, my one-piece red snow suit with fur on the hood, and of course, my white angora  scarf and mittens that my Babci had knitted for me. I wasn't allowed to use the phone, so I would run next door to my friend, Holly, and together we would begin to scheme. Which of us would sneak through the hole in the fence to the lumber yard to find chunks of coal for the eyes of the soon-to-be snowman? What would we  use for the nose? arms? Would your mother let you use her real scarf and hat?

For me, growing up in the winter was always a blast! It seems that there was just so much more snow then, (or was it that I was just so small and the mounds of snow so much bigger?)! When the accumulation of snow  would end, my sister, my Dad and I would drive to the Paterson Mountains to go sledding. What a thrill it was (and how brave I was!) to do a "running jump" onto my sled and go all the way down to the bottom of the hill! To this day, it is still such a happy and vivid a memory!

So why am I sharing this with you? Maybe I am getting sentimental as I already miss my children since they visited for the holidays; or maybe to remind you that spending quality time with your child is so important! Make memories with them that will last a lifetime! No one can ever take those away from them! The cleaning and miscellaneous chores can wait. There's no time like the present to begin.

This week I read several books on Winter, including Jan Brett's adaption of the Ukrainian Folktale,  The Mitten. Ask your child to name all the animals that crawled into the little boy's white mitten. What happened to the mitten at the end? Have them tell you about the "hula hoop" activity we did. 

Thank you for remembering to send in either a pair of gloves or mittens to do "mitten math". The students did a great job sorting, comparing, counting and describing the many varieties. It was a perfect opportunity to introduce  a Venn diagram, because "where do you put the pair that is part glove and part mitten?" We will be doing more of this as the year progresses. 

And thanks for filling the baggies with "a handful" of objects from home. We have begun our unit on Estimation and the children will be doing lots of estimating for the remainder of the year. You can continue this teaching  at home, but avoid using the word "guessing". I am teaching the children how to use previously learned knowledge (such as knowing how many 10 of something looks like) to make their estimate. Estimating isn't "magic". Skillful estimation is based on making reasonable, accurate numerical inference based on facts and prior knowledge. By using the word "guess" you are suggesting that no information is available against which to draw a logical conclusion. So, (1) begin to use words like, "try to figure about how many" and, (2), give them more information to use by having a referent jar. Get 2 jars that are identical, and in one jar put 10 objects, making sure to count them together with your child. This will be their reference. Then in the other jar, using more of the same object, put more or less and have your child estimate how many are in the second jar. Have them record their answers. If they are "way off the mark" then start with a smaller amount of objects and only increase them when they seem to stop taking random "guesses". It's lots of fun and you will all enjoy it!

Congratulations to our Star Students for the month of January. Olivia Levy and Luke McManus in the AM and Olivia Engmann and Nils Holman in the PM. This month, I had the previously chosen Star Students help me with this month's selection. They had to tell me their criteria for choosing their candidate. It's a difficult task, as most students use kind words, are respectful, are helpful and cheerful, and attentive. Working on raising hands, not calling out, lining up quietly and following basic classroom rules, both indoors and outdoors,  is the criteria is for being selected. Some students are still fine-tuning these skills.  

I will be sending home conference reminders soon.  You will be receiving the report cards on Friday, Jan. 23rd. Please review the card and have your list of questions or areas of concern ready. I am looking forward to meeting with you. Please try to arrange a babysitter for those few minutes we are together so that we can utilize our time together to the fullest.

How things change! How happy I am as I look out the window to see  that it has stopped snowing and that there doesn't seem to be too much accumulation. I won't have to shovel, and I can still drive to do my errands. But I will enjoy the beauty of the season while it lasts. Before long it will be Spring! 

Did I ever tell you the story about when my friend Holly and I used to put on our pink boots after a Spring shower and...........

To be continued!

Happy New Year!

I hope you had a relaxing and fun-filled vacation. I enjoyed spending time with my family (see pix). Our celebrating got off to a great start when we went to Princeton to see Dickens' "A Christmas Carol". Over the vacation, we walked around NYC, went to the Whitney (there's a great Calder exhibit), and ate at some good restaurants.

Now that everyone is gone and the house is quiet,  it's time to get back to the routine of things. Although it was crazy at times,  it was fun while it lasted! I am already looking forward to our next "family reunion".

The New Year always brings the dreaded question, "So, what's your New Years resolution?"

I resolve to eat less sweets (which lasts about 12 hours), but I seriously resolve to make better efforts to give back to the community, by volunteering and doing more random acts of kindness. 

Before you get back to the hectic schedule of carpooling and keeping on a schedule, take the time to ask yourself, "What changes would I like to make for myself and others?"

Check out scholastic.com.

for some good conversation starters to have with your child about some goals that they would like to make for themselves in 2009. We will have a discussion in class upon our return to school.

Reminders:

Classes resume on Monday, January 5th. 

No School on January 19th....MLK observance

Parent -Teacher Conferences the week of January 26th.

Shortened session on Friday, Jan. 30th.

On a final note, I would like to thank you for the generous and  thoughtful presents you gifted me with. I enjoyed the home-baked goodies, handmade cards, photographs and good wishes. 

Once again, I would like to extend my good wishes to you and your family, for a very happy, healthy, and productive New Year.