1-26-09 Update!!!

I want to make sure everyone know, WE DO HAVE SCHOOL TOMORROW, JANUARY 26 - unless it is called off due to snow.

I have mentioned before that I get our homework packet offline from kellywkindergarten.com. I usually check it carefully and adjust it for our needs. Evidently, I overlooked the fact that THEY have a conference day on the 26th. WE DO NOT!!! I didn't catch this when I ran the copies. I am sorry for any inconvenience this may cause.

Remember, this week is Count Me In week. We are aiming for perfect attendance. If we have 100% attendance for 4 out of 5 days, we will earn a hot chocolate/cookie party!!! We also have special days planned to encourage attendance!

Monday is kick off day
Tuesday is BLUE and WHITE day (to support the CATS!!)
Wednesday is CRAZY SOCKS DAY ( I bought a new pair and am ready!!!)
Thursday is "Wear your hall color day". We are on the GREEN hall!!! Be looking for GREEN!
Friday, the entire Village will wear PJs to school! We are really looking forward to this!

Please make every effort to have your child at school everyday. However, if your child has to miss, be sure to send in a doctor's excuse or a handwritten parent note. This will count the day as present for the purposes of the contest!

Last week, Mrs. Areaux did a count and compared our days in school with the other elementary schools. My count was off. Officially, last Friday was our 95th day of school. If we have no snow days this week (???!!!?!?!?), our 100th day will be on Friday - along with our pajama party!!! I will still accept the 100s day projects until next Friday, February 5.

We will celebrate the 100th day on the 100th day of school (that makes sense! hahaha). So, I need the collection of 100 things to count and the 100 things to eat for our 100 mix ON the 100th day. I will attempt to keep you up to date on this. Just remember, 100th day is Friday, January 30 if we have no snow days!!! If it snows, just keep adding on days.

Is this clear as mud???

Let me know if you have any questions!!

January 22, 2009

Ray’s Ramblings
January 22, 2009

Dear Parents,

We have been enjoying our study of Inuits and the Arctic!!! Please ask your child what they have learned!

Tonight is our first Family Fun Night of 2009! I hope you all can come and have lots of Family Fun!!! Our Snowman projects are on display in the Library!!! Be sure to stop by and see them!!!!

We are off and running in 2009!!! Report cards have already gone home and we are almost finished with our mid-year testing. The mid-year math assessment is complete. By Friday, we should have completed our PAS testing! It has been a rough week but we are surviving!!! I am very proud of your children. Bubbling in circles is something we have certainly never done before!!!

I am attempting to make my last home visits/conferences. I am down to single digits. If I have not yet completed a home visit or school conference with you and have not been in touch with you, PLEASE drop me a note and I will schedule you ASAP. Once I have completed first visits on all 46 children, I will begin 2nd rounds for those who request!

COUNT ME IN WEEK – Next week is “Count Me In” week at the Village! This is the week we push for 100% attendance from all children. If we have at least 4 days of perfect attendance out of the five, we earn a hot chocolate and cookie party!!! Help us earn our party! If your child is sick and has to miss school, please bring in either a doctor’s note or a handwritten note explaining the absence and we can still count it as being present! You received a YELLOW sheet that details this day and the special activities! To encourage attendance we are having the following special activities each day:

Monday 1-26th – First day of competition
Tuesday 1-27th – Blue and White day – everyone wear UK colors!!!
Wednesday 1-28th – Crazy sock day – wear the craziest socks you can find!!!
Thursday 1-29th – Wear your hallway color – We are on the GREEN hall so try your best to wear GREEN!!!
Friday 1-30th – ENTIRE SCHOOL WILL WEAR PAJAMAS!!!

Join me in celebrating the inauguration of our new president, Barack Obama!!! What a historic day!!!





BOOK ORDERS: We had an unexpected 4 day weekend last week!!! Book orders were supposed to be ordered on Sunday but I waited to see if any orders were coming in for Friday (there were!!) So they will be a bit late. Should be in next week!


REACH FOR THE STARS!!! If you come in to school, please be sure to look at our door. Each child has a mitten on the door. They are earning stickers as their knowledge grows! We are earning stickers when we:

• Count to 20
• Write to 20
• Count by 10
• Count by 5
• Count by 2
• Know all 26 capitals
• Know all 26 lowercase
• Know all 31 sounds
• Can write first name correctly with initial capital letter
• Can write last name correctly with initial capital letter
Help us earn our stickers!!!! We are going to be working hard to correct our backwards letters, form letters correctly and try to write on LINED paper. I have had a few questions about what I mean by lined paper. I mean top line is solid, midline is dotted, bottom line is solid. This is NOT regular notebook paper. You can find nice pads of handwriting paper at Wal-Mart!!!

I am sending another copy of correct formation of letters. Please use this when practicing handwriting. ALL LETTERS START AT TOP AND COME DOWN!!!

1-9-09

Ray’s Ramblings
January 8, 2009

Happy New Year!!! We are officially half way through kindergarten and on the way to first grade!!! Hopefully, your children are telling you about our transitions. Before Christmas, the children began being dismissed by their drivers at the bus and they are walking on their own into the building and to the classroom! That was our first transition! This week, we began going through the lunch line on Tuesdays. We will do this (like first graders) for the rest of the year (on Tuesdays). In about a month, we will begin punching in our cafeteria account numbers at the end of the lunch line. I will be sending these numbers home soon. You will need to work with your child to help them learn their 4 digit number. This number will stay with them through the Jessamine County school system (high school).

REPORT CARDS are going home today. Again, please look over each item very carefully. ALL I NEED BACK IS THE SIGNED YELLOW ENVELOPE! You may keep the report card and all other pages included. At this point in the year, your child should have mastered (or be very close to) ALL capitals, lowercase and sounds. They should be counting, and writing to 20. We will spend the rest of the year building vocabulary and developing our writing stages. Hopefully, all will be at a stage 5 or 6 writing by the end of the year. We will be doing much more addition and subtraction. Numbers and letters should be formed correctly. I will begin to be much more picky about this. All writing should be done with LOWER CASE letters except for the beginning of a sentence or a name. Please help your child with this at home. Spaces should be put between words. We will be focusing on lined paper and will be ‘correcting’ our mistakes. You may see papers going home to be corrected for homework.

CONFERENCES/HOME VISITS: I have almost had a chance to meet with all 45 families!!! I believe there are only 6 left for me to have 100%!!! I am sending home request forms for my remaining students. Please indicate whether you prefer a school conference or a home visit. Send these back and I will contact you to schedule a time. Anyone who would like to schedule a conference to discuss the report cards or any other concerns, please just send me a note! I would be happy to meet with anyone. Remember, my planning times are on Monday, Thursday and Friday at either 10:30 or 2:30.

JANUARY BOOK ORDERS: Are going home today. Please have them turned back in by next Friday, January 16 (or complete online ordering by Sunday, the 18th.)

TESTING: For the next two weeks, we will be testing. We will, once again, have a team of teachers giving the DIBELS test. We will also be taking a PAS test. Both of these tests will measure their achievement for mid-year. They will be given again at the end of the year. Because of testing, individual check out books will NOT go home until testing is over (last week in January). I WILL still need my parent volunteers to assist with testing. I now have openings both AM and PM on Wednesday for a volunteer. If you are interested, please let me know.

SNOWMAN PROJECT: The snowman projects that were sent home on December 19 are due tomorrow – January 9. These projects are being displayed in the library. You will need to make a point to go and see them if you are in the building! What we have so far are FANTASTIC!!! All children who have returned this project will get an extra prize from the treasure box on Friday!!!

UPCOMING DATES:

Week of 1-12 to 16 – PAS testing
Week of 1-19 to 23 – DIBELS and MATH Assessments
January 19 – NO SCHOOL – Martin Luther King Day