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!