A few shots of our AM Party

Thanks to Taunya for the great pictures!!!

Here's the Link!!!

Oops!!!

http://www.google.com/ig/adde?moduleurl=http://www.labpixies.com/gadgads/norad/norad_new.xml&source=imag

Santa Tracker

Thanks to Trina Eller (Julie's mom) PM for this post!!!

Hello, I found this Santa Tracker online and the kids can watch where he's at. Here is the link:



I thought some of the other parents might like that. I think google maps is also tracking Santa on Christmas Eve.

December 11, 2008

Ray’s Ramblings
December 11, 2008

Dear Parents,

I cannot believe we have only 6 days left until Christmas Break!!! I have a lot of fun things planned in this time. We also have our end of second nine weeks assessment to complete!!! Report cards will go home on Thursday after we start back in January!



HOLIDAY CENTRAL – I have to say a tremendous “Thank You!!!” to everyone who was able to give to the Holiday Central fund! Our class collected PLENTY of money to make a very special Christmas for two families in our school!!! I knew you guys would come through. This is my very favorite part of Christmas! You guys are the BEST!!!

Here are the highlights for the next six days:

Monday – Polar Express kick-off. We will go to the computer lab, board the train and watch “the Polar Express” (reading of the book, not the feature movie, sorry – no time!)

Deadlines: I need each child to send in their gifts for the class AND a large shopping bag (to collect their presents) by Wednesday. (This will give me time to see who needs assistance with gifts or bags!) Many children have used the bag to send in their presents. If you happen to have extra shopping bags (Macy’s; Dillard’s, etc.) please send them in. I have some children who are unable to locate a bag. These DO need to be big enough to hold 24 gifts. Some children’s may send a party bag for each child. Some may send party rings. We never can tell. Just be prepared

Please send me a note tomorrow If you are planning on sending a treat for the party – by note tomorrow or via e-mail – cjlray@gmail.com We will need juice boxes, cookies OR cupcakes, plates, napkins.

Thursday - Our Christmas Parties will be at 9:45 and 1:45. The students will go to Music at 10:30 and at 2:30.

Friday – All children will wear pajamas to school. Just like our last PJ day, children must wear regular shoes for outside but may bring slippers to wear at school. They may bring a stuffed ‘buddy’ to share the day. If anyone wants to donate a large canister of cocoa mix, I need enough for both classes. Marshmallows, cookies. (I have a cookie volunteer for the AM!) Also cups for cocoa – Styrofoam. We will have a ‘somewhat’ regular day on Friday. We will have ELF groups but lots of storytime! Parents are welcome to come but should wear their PJ’bbs!!!

I will be sending home my second FAMILY HOMEWORK activity next week. This will be due on the Friday after we come back to school. More about this next week!

December 4, 2008 Newsletter

Ray’s Ramblings
December 4, 2008

Dear Parents,
It is so hard to believe that we only have 11 days of school left before our Christmas Break!!! Where is this year going?

Our Christmas Party will be on Thursday, December 18 at 9:30 and 1:30. At 10:30 and 2:30, the children will go to music. Remember, all children need to send in a SHOPPING SIZED Christmas bag to collect all their presents. Make sure your child’s name is on the bag! Many children have already sent in their presents. Each child will pass out their gifts that day. The big entertainment will be looking in our goody bags. However, if someone wants to send in juice boxes and/or a treat, let me know. We won’t need much! If you have not sent in presents, remember, each child is to send in 24 like things to give 1 to each child.

Friday, December 19 – we will end our Polar Express Week with a pajama/hot chocolate party. We will re-read the story and take it easy!!! If you want to help with the hot cocoa and maybe cookies, let me know.

Holiday Central – We have received $50 so far to shop for 4 children. We need more money! If you are able to send in a dollar or two, please do so.

Next week: Gingerbread Week (stories and activities related to the Gingerbread Man/ Gingerbread Baby/ Gingerbread Girl)

Week of 12-15: Polar Express Week (stories and activities related to the Polar Express!) Remember, party on Thursday – Pajamas on Friday!

HOMEWORK: Since we were not in school the last Friday of November, all children turning in their November homework packet will receive double treasure box tomorrow. I had a number of children who did not complete or turn in this packet. If you have it at home, please do so tomorrow. I would like to have the December homework packets turned in on our last day – 19th if possible. New January packets will go home after Christmas.

December 19 is the end of our second 9 weeks. Report cards will be going home the first week after Christmas. Remember, this 9 weeks, we will be assessing more things. Those items that were grayed out last time but are white boxes this time will be the new assessments: skip counting by 2, 5, 10, one to one correspondence, more/less, This marks our half-way point in the year. This means your child should know ½ of the vocabulary!!!! Don’t wait until the last nine weeks to start work on this! Letters and sounds should be pretty much under their belt. We will test writing numbers to 20 as well as recognizing the numerals 0-20. These are all things that you should be working on nightly!!!!

We wrote letters to Santa this week (using kidwriting). These letters will go in our portfolio and on to first grade AND, they will be published in the Jessamine Journal!!! Look for the special Santa Letter edition of the paper!!!

BOOK ORDERS: I sent the orders home on Monday (AM) and Wednesday (PM). Please send orders to me by tomorrow or you may order online through Sunday in order to receive the orders by the 19th. Let me know if the orders are for Christmas and I will ‘conceal’ them before sending home!!! 

November 20, 2008

Ray’s Ramblings
November 20, 2008

Dear Parents,

We are still learning a lot about Native Americans and are looking forward to our FEAST on Tuesday! I am sending out a very special THANK-YOU to Taunya Turner tatdynamite@aol.com 885-7905(AM) and Mary U’Wren 858-3474(PM) for organizing the feasts! If you have questions, please contact them or send a note to me at school. I have the greatest volunteer moms in the world!! All of them!!!

Picture Retakes are tomorrow (Friday 11-21). In last week’s letter, I instructed that if you want the free retakes, to send in the old pictures and I would send you another envelope.

Christmas Gifts are already coming in! That’s great. Jamie Tippey’s mom, Amanda, has offered to get together a group order for oriental trading company. This is a great idea for those of you who haven’t already come up with an idea. There are many items you can purchase for the entire class for as little as $3 – 10. Go to www.orientaltrading.com to see what they have. If you are interested, you can e-mail Amanda at amanda.tippey@gmail.com or call her at 421-3503 to give her your order.

In lieu of teacher gifts for Christmas, I would appreciate more treasure box stuff!!!



Don’t forget Holiday Central. I have ‘adopted’ two families for our two classes to sponsor. This includes four children: two boys and two girls. We need enough money to provide a gift for each child and an outfit for each. Any money over and above that will be put on a Kroger gift certificate for food. I know it is early but I have only had 2 donations so far. I have 46 children. If each child could bring $1, that would go a long way!

In the next few weeks, I am planning a number of craft projects and activities for Christmas. Check e-mail and my blog as I will be posting things I need. Right now, I would like you to be saving toy ads and inserts. We will be cutting pictures and making ‘Christmas lists’. Send me your Sunday inserts from Toys R Us, Wal Mart, Target, etc.
Conferences: I have set a personal goal to conference or home visit with every child before our Christmas break. I am trying to schedule 4 visits each week. When I send you a request, please reply quickly so I can schedule with you as soon as possible.

Next Week:
Monday – we will be creating our costumes to wear to our feast. Children will choose between Native American dress and Pilgrim. We will be viewing videos of Native Americans in the Computer lab.
Tuesday – We will have a special story, a writing activity and our feast. The Feast will be at 9:45 and 1:45. Parents are welcome! We will have Motor Mouth at 10:30 and 2:30, then dismissal at 11:10 and 3:10, as usual.
No School on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday next week!!! Have a wonderful Thanksgiving with your family!

Charles Schultz Philosophy

Here's a quiz I received in e-mail. This one really hit me and I decided to pass it on to you! See how you do:

The following is the philosophy of Charles Schulz, the creator of the 'Peanuts' comic strip. You don't have to actually answer the questions.? Just ponder on them.

1. Name the five wealthiest people in the world.
2. Name the last five Heisman trophy winners.
3. Name the last five winners of the Miss America pageant.
4. Name ten people who have won the Nobel or Pulitzer Prize.
5. Name the last half dozen Academy Award winners for best actor and actress.
6. Name the last decade's worth of World Series winners.?




How did you do?
The point is , none of us remember the headliners of yesterday.
These are no second-rate achievers.
They are the best in their fields.
But the applause dies..
Awards tarnish.
Achievements are forgotten.
Accolades and certificates are buried with their owners?




Now try answering these questions:

1. List a few teachers who aided your journey through school.
2. Name three friends who have helped you through a difficult time.
3. Name five people who have taught you something worthwhile.
4. Think of a few people who have made you feel appreciated and special!!
5. Think of five people you enjoy spending time with.?
Easier?
The lesson:
The people who make a difference in your life are not the ones with the most credentials..
the most money...or the most awards.
They simply are the ones who care the most.?
''Be Yourself. Everyone Else Is Taken!'??

Christmas Gift Ideas

This is a list of items that have been popular in years past: Every child brings 24 gifts. These should be all alike or same for girls/boys. There is no price limit - it is entirely up to you. The beauty of this plan is that every child gets the same thing!!! A Big grab bag of Christmas goodies from their friends!!! These are just suggestions! Be creative and have fun! Fancy pencils, stickers, fancy erasers, candy bar, Little Debbie Xmas cakes, party toys, gift certificates to Frisch's/ McDonalds, coloring books, markers, headbands for girls, gloves for boys, craft items - ornaments, candy, quarters, 50 cent piece, pencil grips, playdoh, books, etc. I have had children make necklaces for their classmates, make ornaments, bookmarks, doorknob hangers, etc.

November 13, 2008 Newsletter

Ray’s Ramblings
November 13, 2008

Dear Parents,

PICTURE MAKE-UPS: Make-up picture day is November 21. If you wish to have remake pictures made of your child, send the old picture packet back in order to get free make-ups and I will send home a new order envelope for you to fill out.

HOLIDAY CENTRAL: I have chosen two families for my classes to help sponsor for Christmas. The families each have 2 children. If you are able to help sponsor these families so they can have a special Christmas, please send me a donation of $1 or more. I have parents who have volunteered to ‘shop’ when the money is in. We will choose an outfit for each child and a couple of toys. Any extra money received will be used to purchase a Kroger gift card for the family. Put any money for this cause in a special envelope marked Ray’s Xmas.

THANKSGIVING FEAST: We will have an ‘authentic’ Native American feast on Tuesday, November 25. I would like the children to experience foods that may have been served /gathered at the first Thanksgiving. These include: raisins, nuts, breads, jerky, fry bread, vegetables. If you have something special you would like to prepare (pumpkin bread, jerky, etc. drop me a note. Otherwise, I will have my parent volunteers call and randomly ask for donations. Be looking for their call. We will also need plates, napkins, cups, drinks.) Our feast should be at 10:00 and 2:00. Parents are invited.

A WORD ABOUT CHRISTMAS: For the past several years, I have had a very successful plan for Christmas. I ask each child to bring a gift for each child in the classroom!!! This is very simple and entirely up to you. You may choose to do something as simple as purchasing 24 pencils, or 24 pieces of bubble gum, or 24 stickers, or 24 Little Debbie Christmas cakes, or you could be as extreme as hand crafting 24 handmade ornaments. I ask each child to send in a Christmas shopping bag size bag with their name on it. When it’s party time, we will sit in a circle with our bag in front of us and each child will go around the circle and pass out their treats. Every child gets the exact same thing – a total grab bag full of goodies. A good place to shop is a party store!!! Be creative! I’m giving you advance notice so you can be on the lookout for just the ‘right’ gift to give. If you need more suggestions, I will be posting successful treats from the past on my blog. http://www.clray.blogspot.com/

INDEPENDENT BOOK CHECK OUT - PM Class – we have had 2 days this week with no parent volunteer. When the parents are unable to come in, we usually don’t get books checked out. Hopefully, we will be back on target next week. I am moving ALL children up a basket. As they move up, there is a wider variety of difficulty levels in the basket – especially once they reach ‘C’ level and above. If your child gets a book that is a little more difficult for them, just do your best and make sure they have fun with the book. Note this on the book sheet and hopefully, the next one will be a better fit.

COAT REMINDER: As the weather gets colder, it is important that you send your child with the proper outer wear. Remember, we will make every attempt to go outside for a few minutes each day. If the weather is in the 30’s, your child must wear a COAT – not a sweatshirt, sweater or light jacket. If you do not have a winter coat for your child and need assistance, let me know and I will see what I can do! Just let me know. Also, if you have outgrown ‘gently used’ coats, we have children who could use them!!

HOMEWORK: I’m seeing lots of good homework!!! Keep up the good work!! I love seeing the kidwriting come in! If you could get a pad of primary lined paper and begin helping your child learn to write on the lines that would be greatly appreciated. I would like to see you doing 2-3 kidwriting exercises per week, practicing sounding out what they hear.

Native American Sites

I am having a lot of trouble realizing that we only have 9 school days left before Thanksgiving. I am not getting in as much Native American studies as I would like. Our time just doesn't allow it!

I just found a fantastic site! Check this out and explore it with your child. There is a lot of information and great pictures. They will love it!!!

http://www.nhusd.k12.ca.us/ALVE/NativeAmerhome.html/nativeamhome.html

Veteran's Day

http://www.va.gov/kids/k-5/games_activities.asp

Check out this linkfor interactive activites to play online with your child pertaining to Veteran's Day. We will be talking this week about Veteran's Day and writing letters to Veterans saying "Thank You" for their service to our Country!

Finally!!!

After being at home all week in bed, I finally got around to going through the pictures I have received, deleting those with no picture permission and getting them posted! Enjoy! We had a great time - both classes!!!

Pumpkin Patch 2008!!!

November 6, 2008 Newsletter

Ray’s Ramblings
November 6, 2008

Dear Parents,

I am writing this from my bed. I have been hit with the stomach flu – and BAD!!! I hope to be back on my feet and well enough to be back to school on Friday. The class has been in great hands with Mrs. Chrissi Polson who has been subbing for me and Mrs. Jump.

SCHOOL PICTURES: The word is that the pictures should be delivered to school on the 7th. This means they should go home on Monday, the 10th. Make up day for pictures is November 21.


MUSIC WALK: Monday we will be taking a walking field trip to Asbury College for a demonstration of their piano, harpsichord and pipe organ. This is always an exciting trip for the children. They will get to play each instrument. Any parents wanting to go with us are welcome. I don’t know the time for the walk. I’m assuming Mrs. Dolive, the music teacher will send something home or you can contact the school to find out.

HOLIDAY CENTRAL: The deadline for a family to apply for Holiday Central Christmas assistance is November 21. I am planning to sign up to sponsor two families this year -- hopefully one for my AM class and one for the PM class. As soon as the family is chosen, I will let you know what is needed. Anyone interested in helping me with this charitable project is welcome. Just send me a note and let me know if you are willing to shop, send money or whatever!!!

CLOTHING NEEDED: Whenever a child has an accident or a spill at school and receives a change of clothes from our clothes bank, we need to have the clothes laundered and returned to school. We are running out of pants sized 7-16 for boys and girls. If you have ‘gently used’ clothing that you could donate for this cause, please send them in!

10-31-08

Boy have we had fun this week!!! I hope your child is telling you all about what we are learning about Native Americans. We have been focusing, so far, on the Ojibwe Tribe, because Kara, in my afternoon class has Ojibwe ancestors. Her father came to school to get us started and shared a lot of his heritage. He brought deer skins, drums, deer hooves, flutes, music and LOTS of information!!! This was a great incentive to get us started. We have been working with Mrs. Barb Greenlief and Jessie Owens from the computer lab this week. We have learned about smudge pots, Native American pictographs, medicine men, and we made medicine wheels!!! Ask your children about the meaning of the medicine wheel. (It is divided into 4 parts – the Native American magic of four- and represents many things: the 4 seasons, the 4 directions, the 4 winds, the 4 stages of life, the 4 groups of people (white skin, yellow skin, red skin and brown or black skin), and the 4 major parts of nature – animals, fish, birds and plants – where the Native Americans got everything they had!!!) Morgan’s grandfather shared many of his Native American artifacts with us, too! Thank you so much to Mr. Ostroske and Mr. Staton!!!

We will continue our study of Native Americans, leading to the Pilgrims at Thanksgiving through the month of November. Lots more to come!!!



TOMORROW: Don’t forget our career day parade!!! Children are to dress to show what they want to be when they grow up. This is NOT a HALLOWEEN parade!!! No HALLOWEEN COSTUMES, PLEASE!!! The parades will be in the gym at 10:30 and 2:30. Parents and cameras are welcome!

REPORT CARDS went home last week and I am getting lots of requests for conferences. Remember, my planning time is on Monday, Thursday and Friday at either 10:30 or 2:30. If you want to schedule a school conference, send me a note!!!


NEWS::: I am going to begin posting my newsletter on the class blog as soon as I have completed it. I am posting more items on the blog. Please read it. I give directions as to how you can subscribe automatically. Also check my website. www.carlaray.net I am not posting new entries to my website because it is just so much easier to blog!!! However, the website has lots of resources that I put there for parents to use!!! Have fun!!!

Remember, NO SCHOOL on Tuesday! Everyone, be sure to go vote!!!

Pictures are supposed to be here by November 7. Make-up picture day is Friday, November 21. This is for anyone who is dissatisfied with their pictures or who missed school on October 3. Re-takes may be done (free of charge) if families are not satisfied with the original picture. If you want pictures made on this day, let me know and I will send a new payment envelopes to you.
Sally Foster Fundraiser Items are here and ready to be picked up!!! They are in the computer lab.
HOLIDAY CENTRAL Applications have gone home. If your family needs assistance with Christmas this year, please let us know. I plan to draw a family for our class to help. I will let you know what is needed when I choose the family! If you are able to help, it would be greatly appreciated!!
HOMEWORK PACKETS: Completed October Homework packets are due tomorrow in order to receive the October Pizza Hut Book-it certificate. November packets are going home today!!
INDEPENDENT CHECK-OUT BOOKS: As we progress in our reading groups, I will be moving the class up in the level of their check-out books. A and B books are pretty much the same. If your child is moving into the C-D level, there is a lot of difference in the books. You may get an easier one then a more difficult one. Do your best and have fun with them. Praise your child for progressing in reading levels! I am very proud of the progress of ALL students!!!

Great Links

I am getting requests for websites to help with homework. Don't forget to go to my website!!! I am not updating the website since I started the blog! Blogging is much easier! BUT, the links on the website are extensive and are a good resource for you! Check it out!

www.carlaray.net

The most requested site is the handwriting help site:

http://www.handwritingworksheets.com/print-k/make-pk-all.htm

Right now, the kids would really love to be using the Native american abc flash cards. The link is on the site! Actually there are lots of different sets of flash cards!

www.kellyskindergarten.com is a wonderful site. Many of the games I use in the classroom come from this site. You can print out your own copy and use it at home.


Here's one more tip. I don't mean to push Google over any other site but this is just what I am familiar with. If you set www.google.com as your home page, you can create/design your own homepage with igoogle. You can add things of interest to you. One add-on is Google Reader. This is where you can put my blog address in. Then whenever I post a blog, it will show up in your googlereader box like "you have mail". I use this to keep up with the blogs I subscribe to. This way, whenever my friends post a new entry, it automatically notifies me. I'm sure other providers have something similar - I just use google.

Let me know how it works!

Fundraiser

Fundraiser items have arrived and may be picked up in the computer lab! Thanks for your help and support for our school!

Letters and Sounds

Today at home visits, I was asked by most all, "What is the one thing I should be working on with my child." If your child did not have all their letters and/or sounds, this is the answer. I want all students to have a firm foundation in sounds! Vocabulary will come!

If you have misplaced or lost the vocabulary cards I sent home, please let me know and I will send another set! The same goes for the Phonics Song Page. These are the two most important things for you to work on EVERY NIGHT until they have learned the letters and sounds. The report card told you the number of capitals out of 26, the number of lowercase and the number of sounds out of 31. ___/26 ___/26 ___/31

There are 31 sounds because vowels have two sounds!!! Check the number in front of the slash to see how many your child knew. Many of the children know all the names of the letters but really need to work on the sounds.

Remember, I gave the suggestion at Parent Orientation to get two lunch bags. Mark one with a smiley face. Put the letters/sounds your child knows in this bag. Go over this bag each night (for reinforcement). Then try to add 2-3 new letters from the 'don't know' bag. Keep this up until the smiley face bag is full!

Cut up the cards and put them in a bag or bowl. Have your child draw a card. If they draw a letter, have them tell you the name of the letter and the sound that letter makes. Then see if they can tell you something that begins with that sound. If they draw a picture, have them name the picture and tell you the letter that makes that sound.

Get an empty egg carton. With a magic marker, put the letters that your child needs to work on. Get M & Ms, Trix cereal, or something your child likes. Put one in the carton. Have your child shake the carton. If they tell you the name of the letter and something that starts with that letter, let them eat the treat. Then put in another!!

Work with the song sheet nightly. Don't just have your child sing the song. They all know the song. They need to be able to USE the sheet as a resource. After they have finished the song, give them a sound: /m/ make the sound and see if they can point to the picture/letter that makes the sound (Monkey). When playing the letter games, the first thing that should come to their mind is the song picture. Drill them on these pictures. Once they have these down (and many already do), they will be able to transfer to other objects : mouse, moon, etc. But 'monkey' should be where you would begin if they don't know.

I hope these suggestions have helped. Let me know if you need another set of flash cards or song sheets!

News and Updates

Dear Parents,

I have been a bit distracted by Fall Break and report cards. I haven't been very good with the blog. I have decided that I will start posting my newsletter on the blog every week as soon as I type it. That way, it will insure that everyone gets it.

About 2 weeks ago, I mentioned in my newsletter that today would be a half day and if anyone was interested in a homevisit this afternoon to let me know. I had a great response and had a full afternoon of visits. In the meantime, report cards came out and I have had a flood of new home visit/conference requests. I had some parents call to let me know they would not be available today for a home visit but I had not scheduled one! I promise, I will never 'drop in' on you without scheduling a visit with you in advance!!! If you have not talked or corresponded with me directly, don't worry about me just 'showing up'.

Now, just to remind you all, my planning times are Monday, Thursday and Friday at 10:30 and at 2:30. Any time you want to schedule a conference at these times, just let me know. This would be the easiest way to conference with me. There are so many of you who only indicated times after 6:00 at night for home visits. This is very difficult for me. I don't mind doing this on occasion but can't do it for all!

I want to keep my communication lines open and am here for you whatever your need - conference, home visit, e-mail, etc.

I hope that being more regular with the blog will help as well.

9-25 Ray's Ramblings

Ray’s Ramblings
September 25, 2008

Dear Parents,

Lots of important things coming up at the Village! Read carefully!

Picture Day will be Friday, October 3. We are scheduled to have our pictures made at 10:30 and at 2:30. Remember, pictures are to be prepaid. If you have not sent in your payment and need another picture order envelope, please let me know and I’ll send another home.

IMMUNIZATION DEADLINE: The date for turning in immunization records has passed. I have a number of students who have not turned in a current immunization form. These names have been given to me by the office. You will be receiving notices very shortly (if not with this letter). Your child will not be able to return to school without a current immunization form. If you know you are one of these students, please make an appointment with your physician as soon as possible.

LIBRARY BOOKS: The computer in the library was down yesterday, therefore, we are unable to send library books home this week. We are keeping them in the classroom since we have no records of check-out. Next week we should be up and running as normal.

FIRE SAFETY: This week, the specials teachers have had lots of exciting activities surrounding fire safety. Next week, we will follow this up in the classroom.

HANDWRITING: Please continue to work on the letters we have been practicing in class. We have covered:
• the “c” family: c, o, a, d, g, q
• the “down” family: l, i, j, t, f
• the “slant” family: v, w, x, y, k
• the “bounce” or “trampoline” letters: r, n, m, h, p, b
Next week, we will spend time reviewing these letters. As you practice them at home, remember to have your child say the name of the letter as they write. Letters ALWAYS start at the top and come down.
I have had questions about how we are learning all letters at one time, yet the homework packet is taking the letters in order. Please use these letters as a chance to practice the handwriting. Remember, I did not design this packet. It is the best overall packet for ‘across the board’ practice at multiple academic levels. You are always free to do activities NOT in the homework packet. Additional practice in handwriting or kidwriting practice would be great!
VOCABULARY WORDS and ABCs: I gave everyone a copy of the popcorn words. I am sending ABC flash cards home today. As your child brings home the little independent reading books, find the vocabulary words that are found in that particular book. Work with them on these words. Get two paper lunch bags. Label one: “Words I know” and the other one “Words I need to Know”. As you work on the words, put them in the “I know” bag. The next night, add the words from the next book. Review the words from the night before. If they remember them, keep them in the “I know” bag. Continue this through the year and they will quickly build a sight word vocabulary! (Do the same with letters!) I have checked all children on capital and lowercase letter recognition. I am very pleased that almost half of the class already knows all the letters! If your child does not know the letters, please be working on these nightly. We will be targeting letter sounds and letter sound assessment next week.

FIELD TRIP TO PUMPKIN PATCH: Thank you for all the quick responses with the permission slips and payment. Remember, if you are willing to pay for a child who is unable to pay, please note that on the permission slip or send a note (if you’ve already sent the slip in.) Any adults planning to accompany the class on the trip MUST be registered as a volunteer in the Family Resource Center.
Be reading upcoming school newsletters for upcoming activities in October. We have a Book Fair coming soon, as well as one of our most popular Family Fun Nights of the year – the Hoedown!!!
Thank you to all my WONDERFUL volunteers! I depend on you to help with the independent book check-out. I am fortunate enough to have enough volunteers so that we can check out books every night of the week. As far as I know, I am the only classroom at the Village who is able to do this! Your children will benefit greatly from this program!!

Book Orders

Book orders are in the mail!!! I am so impressed. I just turned in what is probably the biggest book order in my entire 26 years of teaching. You guys are awesome. This is truly a good thing - not because you're big spenders, but because you recognize a tremendous bargain and are interested in your child's education! I am very pleased with the number of students who ordered one or both of the sight word sets that I recommended. These are excelent books and will really help your child learn to read!

Thank you for participating in our Scholastic Book Clubs! I will send the October Book orders home at the end of this month!

News News News!!!

I sent a very big packet home with your child today. Lots of important things for you to read and some to respond to! I'm sending the first book orders home today. Please read the directions carefully. If you wish to order online by credit card, there are advantages. There are more selections online. I have placed two other club orders on the website. If you are reading this, you have access to internet! I seem to have a much more technologically savvy group of parents than ever before. Online you will find the CLICK order - it's full of Nintendo DS games, Wii games, and computer software, all at very reasonable prices!

Sally Foster Fundraiser packets went home today. Do your best to collect orders help raise money for our technology at the Village.

Read the newsletter carefully.

NO SCHOOL ON MONDAY!!!

All the Color Word Songs

Color Word Songs

by Frog Street Press



RED

(Tune; ARE YOU SLEEPING?)



R-E-D, red.

R-E-D, red.

I can spell red

I can spell red.

Fire trucks are red,

Stop signs are red, too.

R-E-D,

R-E-D.
BLUE

(Tune: THE FARMER IN THE DELL)



B-L-U-E SPELLS BLUE

B-L-U-E SPELLS BLUE

HI-HO DID YOU KNOW

B-L-U-E SPELLS BLUE?



THE BIG SKY IS BLUE

THE OCEAN IS TOO

HI-HO DID YOU KNOW

B-L-U-E SPELLS BLUE?



ORANGE

(Tune: THE WHEELS ON THE BUS)



O-R-A-N-G-E,

O-R-A-N-G-E,

O-R-A-N-G-E

ORANGE IS WHAT THAT SPELLS



JACK-O-LANTERNS ARE ALWAYS ORANGE

CARROTS ARE ALWAYS ORANGE

ORANGES ARE ALWAYS ORANGE

O-R-A-N-G-------E!
WHITE

(Tune: LITTLE BROWN JUG)



W-H-I-T-E

THAT SPELLS WHITE, SING WITH ME

MILK IS WHITE, AND SO IS GLUE

GHOSTS ARE WHITE

AND THEY SAY BOO!



W-H-I-T-E

THAT SPELLS WHITE, SING WITH ME

THE CLOUDS ABOVE, THE SNOW BELOW

SANTA’S BEARD, HO, HO, HO!



PINK

(Tune: JINGLE BELLS)



COTTON CANDY, FAT PINK PIGS,

GIRLS WITH SOCKS AND BOWS

P-I-N-K, P-I-N-K THAT IS HOW IT GOES

BUBBLE GUM, VALENTINES

THESE ARE ALL PINK TOO

PINK ICING AND PINK BALLOONS

WE CAN SPELL CAN YOU?



COTTON CANDY, FAT PINK PIGS,

GIRLS WITH SOCKS AND BOWS

P-I-N-K, P-I-N-K THAT IS HOW IT GOES

BUBBLE GUM, VALENTINES

THESE ARE ALL PINK TOO

PINK ICING AND PINK BALLOONS

WE CAN SPELL CAN YOU?
BLACK



B-L-A-C-K, SPELLS BLACK

B-L-A-C-K, SPELLS BLACK

FLYING BATS ARE BLACK

SCARY CATS ARE BLACK

JELLY BEANS ARE BLACK

I LIKE BLACK.



B-L-A-C-K, SPELLS BLACK

B-L-A-C-K, SPELLS BLACK

SUNDAY SHOES ARE BLACK

SANTA’S BOOTS ARE BLACK

B-L-A-C-K SPELLS BLACK.



BROWN

(Tune: BINGO)



THERE IS A COLOR WE ALL KNOW.

CAN YOU GUESS WHAT IT IS?

B-R-O-W-N.

B-R-O-W-N.

B-R-O-W-N.

THAT’S HOW YOU SPELL BROWN.



TEDDY BEARS AND SQUIRRELS ARE BROWN.

AUTUMN LEAVES ARE TOO.

CHOCOLATE CANDY IS ALWAYS BROWN.

CHOCOLATE CAKE IS ALWAYS BROWN.

CHOCOLATE MILK IS ALWAYS BROWN.

I LIKE BROWN, DON’T YOU?
PURPLE



P-U-R-P-L-E, PURPLE, PURPLE

P-U-R-P-L-E, PURPLE’S WHAT THAT SPELLS

PURPLE GRAPES ON THE VINE

PURPLE KOOL-AID'S FINE

P-U-R-P-L-E, PURPLE’S WHAT THAT SPELLS



P-U-R-P-L-E, PURPLE, PURPLE

P-U-R-P-L-E, PURPLE’S WHAT THAT SPELLS

PURPLE GRAPES ON THE VINE

PURPLE KOOL-AID'S FINE

P-U-R-P-L-E, PURPLE’S WHAT THAT SPELLS



GREEN

(ROW, ROW ROW YOUR BOAT)



G-R-E-E-N, G-R-E-E-N

I KNOW HOW TO SPELL GREEN, G-R-E-E-N

CATERPILLARS ARE GREEN

AND GRASSHOPPERS, TOO

I KNOW HOW TO SPELL GREEN, G-R-E-E-N
YELLOW

(IF YOU’RE HAPPY AND YOU KNOW IT)



Y-E-L-L-O-W SPELLS YELLOW.

Y-E-L-L-O-W SPELLS YELLOW.

LIKE THE EARLY MORNING SUN

WHEN THE DAY HAS JUST BEGUN.

Y-E-L-L-O-W SPELLS YELLOW.



DAFFODILS AND BABY DUCKS ARE YELLOW.

LEMONADE AND SCRAMBLED EGGS ARE YELLOW.

I LIKE THE SMILEY FACE THAT’S YELLOW.

HE IS SUCH A HAPPY FELLOW.

Y-E-L-L-O-W SPELLS YELLOW.

Number Rhymes

Straight line down
Then you’re done.
That’s the way
To make a one!

Around and back
On the railroad track.
Two! Two!
Two! Two!

Around a tree,
Around a tree,
That’s the way
To make a three!

Down and over,
Down once more,
That’s the way
To make a four!

Straight line down,
Then around,
Hat on top
And five’s a clown!

A stick and a hoop
Do the tricks
That’s the way
To make a six!

Across the sky
And down from heaven
That’s the way
To make a seven!

Make an ‘S’
Do not wait
Come back up
And that’s an eight!

A hoop and a line
That’s a nine!

Straight line down
Then around with a grin
That’s the way
To make a ten!

Color Word Songs

RED

r-e-d, red r-e-d, red
I can spell red!
I can spell red!

Firetrucks are red!
Stop signs are red, too!

R-e-d r-e-d

(tune of Frere Jaques or Are You Sleeping)



BLUE

B-l-u-e spells blue!
B-l-u-e spells blue!
High ho! Did you know?
B-l-u-e spells blue!

The big sky is blue
The ocean is, too!
High ho!, Did you know?
B-l-u-e spells blue!

(tune of A Hunting we will go!)

8-21-2008 Newsletter

Ray’s Ramblings
August 21, 2008

Dear Parents,

This is the first official copy of Ray’s Ramblings, my weekly newsletter. I will be sending it home every Thursday. This way, if anything needs a response, you can send it back to me on Friday in your child’s take-home folder.

FORMS – I am sending home a notice of any forms that have not been returned to me. Please send these back as soon as possible. Even if you feel the form does not apply to you, just check the box that tells me that, sign and return. We have to have these forms on file.

Upcoming Fundraiser!!

Each year the technology team helps organize a fundraiser to keep our school on the cutting edge by purchasing new technology for the students and teachers. Once again we will be selling Sally Foster gift-wrap and products. This year we are excited to announce we will earn a 50% profit. Look for packets to come home on Friday August 29. The sale will end on September 12th, and the merchandise should arrive around November 19th for pick up on Family Fun Night. We will let you know more later. Thanks for your support.

Box Tops for Education

We are collecting the Box Tops coupons off General Mills products. Go to this website to see a complete list of items bearing these coupons. http://www.boxtops4education.com/Downloads/Global/products.pdf

Assessment

We are still getting to know each other and things are going well! The kids are already getting comfortable and learning our routines and rules. I hope you are hearing about these at home. I have been giving my initial assessment called the Early Literacy Assessment. This gives me a baseline on where we need to begin in our reading groups. I already have some children bringing in homework. I will be giving you the first homework packet at the Parent Orientation night and going over how to use it. Until that time, I would like everyone to practice writing their name. We encourage using an initial capital letter and the rest lowercase. Many of the children are still using all capital letters. Please help them with this. We have already learned the correct way to form the numbers 1-7 (8 tomorrow). I am sending home a sheet with the rhymes we use to form these numerals. Practice these at home as well. We have also learned the color word songs for red and blue. I’m sending home a song sheet. Please create a folder or a binder to keep my handouts at home for reference. I’ll be sending things home regularly. I will also post them on my blog and on my website.

http://www.clray.blogspot.com/
www.carlaray.net

I am sending home a handwriting guide. THIS IS VERY IMPORTANT!!! Please take the time to really look at this guide to see the CORRECT formation of letters. This is what I will be teaching. With our very limited time in a half day session, I depend on you to spend time at home reinforcing school work. Every letter should begin at the TOP and come to the bottom. We NEVER start at the bottom and go up. If your child has already developed these bad habits, please help me break them!

Parent Orientation Night (September 11, 2008)

At Open House, I had a sign-up sheet for the parent orientation night. I really need at least one parent represented at this meeting. I will be going over our handwriting and demonstrating many other things you will need to know in order to help your child at home. We will be going over kindergarten curriculum and expectations and the kindergarten report card. Those of you who were unable to come to Open House night or who did not sign up, I need a note telling me which session you would like to attend. This night is for parents only. Please make childcare plans. Each session is only 30 minutes long. Sessions are: 4:30-5:00, 5:15-5:45; 6:00-6:30; 6:45 – 7:15. If you have not signed up, I am sending a reminder home today. Please send in your choice for sessions.


Parent Orientation Night:

Child’s Name: ________________________________

Parent(s) attending: __________________________________________

Please put me down for the following session:

_____ 4:30 – 5:00

_____ 5:15 – 5:45

_____ 6:00 – 6:30

_____ 6:45 – 7:15

The Star Polisher

"My job is to take the stars in, and shine them and buff them and then send them out into the sky" by Leah Becks

I have a great job in the universe of occupations. What do I do? I am a "star-polisher". It's a very important job. If you want to know how important, just go out at night and look up at the stars twinkling and sparkling.

You see, I'm a teacher. The stars are the children in my class. My job is to take them in - in whatever shape they come - and shine and buff them and send them out to take their places as bright little twinkling beacons in the sky.

They come into my room in all shapes and sizes. Sometimes they're bent, tarnished, dirty, crinkly, and brokern. Some stars are cuddly, soft and sweet. Some stars are prickly and thorny.

As I buff, polish, train and teach my little stars, I tell them that the world cannot do without them. I tell them they can do anything they set their minds to do. I tell them they can be the brightest, shiniest stars in the sky and the world will be a better place because of them.

Each night as I look at the sky, I'm reinded of my very important job and awesome responsibility. I go and get my soft buffing cloth and my bottle of polish in preparation for tomorrow and for my class of little stars.

August 18, 2008

I am working hard to get ready for our first full week of kindergarten!!! I have many exciting things planned for your children this week. As we are still getting to know each other and the routine, we are not truly following the schedule I gave you at Open House. We will be working this week on writing and recognizing our names, assessing pencil grips, cutting and gluing. We will be going over our colors and learning some color words. We will be practicing counting and recognizing numbers to 10. Please be practicing these skills at home.

If your child cannot write his name, please put this skill at the top of your homework list! We write our name on every paper we do!

I did not send a newsletter home on Thursday because I felt like I had given you enough paperwork for this week!

We will begin writing in our writing journal this week. If you have not sent one in, please do so soon. We will go to the computer lab and to Art on Monday, Tuesday our Occupational Therapist, Julie Wells, will come in and have a lesson/assessment on pencil grips. Wednesday we will not have a special but I have an art project planned. Thursday is Music and Friday is Gym.
We have new wood chips on the playground. Many of the children who were wearing flip flops last week complained about getting stuck. There are some fixtures on the playground that the children are not allowed on if they do not have on tennis shoes. If at all possible, tennis shoes would be the best choice in footwear for school.

I am getting a tremendous amount of response via e-mail. I am thrilled that I have such a tech savvy group of parents. This will make communication much more effective!

We have a great week planned! You have a good one, too!

Exciting Times

It's almost time!!! I have been working very hard to get our room ready for Open House on Monday. It's just about ready. I will have an information packet for you. There are some forms that you will need to fill out on Monday night and leave with me. Please come prepared with all emergency names, phone numbers and driver's license numbers. You will need this information for anyone you list as a person to call in an emergency. Other forms, you may take home and fill out. Please complete the forms and return them to school with your child on their first day.

Monday night, please come in, help your child find their cubby in the hall. Find their name on the bulletin board. Find their seat at a table. Put their supplies in their chair pocket.

AM children will have names printed in red and will use the TOP chair pocket and the TOP cubbyhole. They will also use red folders. I have used ladybugs to designate AM class.

PM children will have names printed in blue and will use the BOTTOM chair pocket and the BOTTOM cubbyhole. I have used bees and/or flowers to designate the PM class.

There will be a sign-up sheet for you to choose the time you will attend the Class Night on September 11.

I look forward to seeing you all on Monday Night.

It's In the Mail!!!

My welcome letters went out on Wednesday this week to my new 'family'. I am already receiving e-mails from my new parents. I got to thinking that since I gave you the address of my blog, I would post a new entry.

First of all, let me give you a tech tip. I, personally, use google as my home page on my computer. If you do this, you can set up a google account. It's free! You can use the classic home page that just has the google search box AND you can click on the igoogle link and create your own individualized home page. There is an 'add stuff' link to add different components to your page. One of these is "google reader". This is a blog reader application. You can copy the link to this blog and add it as a subscription. Then, whenever I post a new entry to the blog, it will show up in google reader, just like getting new e-mail in your mailbox.

There may be other ways to do this, but I am most familiar with Google!



NICKNAMES: I am already getting responses telling me your child goes by a nickname. This is fine. I just need to know what name you want them to be called in the classroom and what you want them to write. I will use this name to label their cubbies, nametags, etc.

Please get this to me as soon as possible via e-mail: cjlray@gmail.com since I will be spending the next few weeks preparing name tage, cubby tag, desk tags, bus tags, etc. Tags, tags, tags,.

It would be great to begin having your child practice writing their name now. I will quickly begin to have them write their name with a beginning capital letter and the rest lowercase. No time to begin like now! We will do papers on the very first day of school and we always start by writing our name!

This is a very exciting time of the year! I'm getting excited and I know your little ones are, too!

See you soon!

Getting Ready

I can't believe it's getting to be that time of year! Next week, I will pick up my new class lists. I can't wait to find out who my new friends will be this year!!! My Welcome Letter should be in the mail by next Friday. My parents should be receiving their letters by the 29th.

I am working hard on getting our room ready. This is always an exciting time for me! I will be posting our supply list on this blog shortly. (I don't have a copy with me right now!) I will not need everything on the list. I have many supplies stockpiled from the past few years. I basically need each child to purchase a zippered cloth pencil bag and fill it with: 3-4 sharpened pencils, 8-pack crayons, fiskar scissors, 1 large glue stick and 1 pack of colored pencils. I will post the additional items needed later.

Just wanted to let everyone know that I am getting excited and hope you are, too!

My Zoo Favorites!

I have to post my favorite pictures. Enjoy!

This guy was so serene! He wasn't paying any attention to us at all!

I love the orangutans! They are my favorite. I could watch them for hours! I will never forget a little girl from years past! When we went into the orangutan house, she didn't like them at all! She said, "I don't like that man looking at me!" I tried to explain that it wasn't a man. It was an animal. She insisted, "No, there's a man inside there!" I tell the class that this is my husband's twin brother!

Eric Carle

Prior to our trip to the Louisville Zoo, we used many Eric Carle books to learn about the animals we would see. We also studied Eric Carle himself and the style of art he uses to create his books. We went to his website and viewed videos of him creating his pages. We saw his studio. The children were inspired and decided to create our own book. We had read Eric Carle's book, Do You Want to Be My Friend. We decided to use this as our basic idea. We did a study of Africa and it's three main regions: desert, rainforest and grasslands. We learned about many animals that live in each region. We then selected the animals we wanted to put in our book.

To create our book, we began by creating our pages. We needed background pages (blues), rainforest trees, vines (greens), water (deeper blues), tree trunks (browns), grasslands (brownish, yellowish, green), and the different colors and patterns of the animals. Then we divided into groups to create the pages. Some children worked on the backgrounds of the pages (rivers, rainforest, grasslands, coast) and some chose to create animals, either alone or working with a friend. I gave very little assistance! I was amazed at the product we created!

We had to decide on who our main character would be. In Do You Want to Be My Friend, the main character was a mouse who traveled around looking for a friend. He finally found another mouse, just the right size! We had to find an animal that would be able to travel to all the regions of Africa. We decided a bird could do this easily! We wanted a tropical looking bird, similar to the colorful birds we would see in the Lorakeet house at the zoo.

Author's note: One of the most popular animals at the zoo are the peacocks who roam freely. We included one in our book, although it probably wouldn't be found in Africa!)

Check out my Slide Show!

Our Final Week!

The week of June 2 to June 5 will be our last week of school. Report cards will go home on the 5th. We will spend this week enjoying a study of PIRATES! We will make treasure maps and search for treasure. Weather permitting, our search may lead us to the pond behind the school or to the Wilmore City park. It would be good for children to be prepared to walk any day this week! This means tennis shoes!!!

We will begin by reading about our favorite pirate - Peter Pan!!!

Then we'll enjoy some other pirate literature. I hope this will be an enjoyable end to your child's kindergarten experience!

Three Little Pigs

The week of May 26 to May 30 will be Three Little Pigs Week. As in the Cinderella week, we will begin with the familiar Disney version (the happy one) of the three little pigs. We will read a few other versions as well.

Last 3 Weeks of School

We have three weeks of school left - all are four day weeks.

Next week, May 19 to 23 (No school on Tuesday the 20th). This will be Cinderella week! We will read the traditional Disney version of Cinderella. But, we will enjoy some not so traditional versions as well.

ZOO Trip

Our field trips to the Louisville Zoo were a tremendous success! I was a bit worried about the weather - for the PM trip, but all turned out well. Tuesday (AM trip) was perfect! Great day! Great kids! Great parents! Wednesday was 'iffy'. It poured on us the entire way to the zoo. But, just like magic, it stopped just as we entered the zoo parking log. No sunshine but NO RAIN!!!! The crowds were small on Wednesday, too! I am posting some pictures from the AM trip that Alyssa's mom sent to me. If anyone else has any other pictures, please e-mail them and I'll post them as well!

First Grade Prep

We are on the final downhill slope to first grade! Can you believe it?? As we prepare for our transition to first grade, I am expecting much more of your children. Their first grade teachers will expect them to know how to write on lined paper. They will not want to see reversals. They should know that a sentence begins with a capital and ends with a period. It's time to 'crack down' on these skills. When doing homework, it is important that you look over their work. If they are making letters or numbers backwards, point this out and have them correct their mistake. Be sure they are writing on lined paper correctly. Practicing something over and over incorrectly is not good. Show them their mistakes as they make them. Read my notes on homework. I try to give you pointers.

Pictures from AM field trip to Patterson's Pumpkin Patch

This slideshow is composed of pictures sent to me by AM moms. Thanks! Enjoy!

Check out my Slide Show!

More Pictures

These were taken at Open House in September. Thanks Victoria's mom for the pix!