Parent Newsletter: Fourth Week of School

Dear Parents,

                The activity that students enjoyed most today was the alphabet race. Throughout the past few weeks we have been learning the letters of the alphabet. In addition, we are working on memorizing the vowels. I set up a pile of alphabet letters on one side of the room. Then I grouped the students into three groups. In the pile there was three of every letter. I then explained the rules and guidelines and rules to the game. Then the groups lined up and when I called out a letter one student from each group would race to the pile and try to be the first to find the letter. We kept track and I awarded one point to the group that found the individual letter first. In the end, the group with the most points was the winner. This was an interactive lesson that the kids were able to use their minds and energy. It was fun seeing the kids laughing while they were learning.

                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Fourth Week of School

Dear Parents,

                Today in class we learned about nutrition and healthy eating habits. First, we gathered around the carpet and talked about the different food groups. I had made a food pyramid poster to demonstrate to the students the different amounts of each food group they should eat daily. Then I separated the children into six groups. Each group of children was given a different category of the food pyramid, the carbohydrates, fruits, vegetables, meat/ protein, dairy, or fats. They then were instructed to search through the food magazines I had provided and find foods that fit their specific food category. For example, the fruit group cut out pictures of apples, oranges, and bananas. After each group completed their food group collage, we taped them on the food pyramid poster. Each child was allowed to say their favorite food in the food group and explain why. The children really learned a lot about the different food groups and daily recommended amounts.

                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Third Week of School

Dear Parents,

            Today in social studies class we learned about the different kinds of transportation. We gathered on the carpet and came up with a list of different means of transportation. The class came up with: car, boat, airplane, bus, train, and bicycle. We then made a class chart of who has had the chance to ride on each. For example, I asked the class who has traveled by airplane. Then the kids that had traveled by plane raised their hand and we added there name to that section of the chart. We then discussed how an airplane works and the students shared what their experiences were like traveling by means of these forms of transportation. Some of the student responses for traveling on an airplane were, “it was fun”, “I could see the clouds”, and “we went really fast.” The students were then given a coloring book I had previously created including photos of these means of transportation. Each student colored the pictures and shared their favorite one with the class. The students learned a great deal about transportation and had a lot of fun doing it.

                                                                                    Sincerely,

                                                                                    Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Third Week of School

Dear Parents,

                This week we started a weekly activity for reading class. Today I read the children’s book, A Rainbow of My Own by Don Freeman. In this book a young boy imagines what it would be like to have a rainbow of his own. After reading the book, we discussed all the colors of the rainbow. We are now focusing on learning and identifying our colors. Each week we will add a scoop to our classroom ice cream cone of a new color until we have discussed all the colors. Each day we will make a list of different things that are that specific color. For example, today we put the brown ice cream cone on the board. We made a list of things that were brown. The students came up with items such as dirt, tree branches, the table, a teddy bear, and some dogs. We then posted the list on the bulletin board next to the cone. We will continuously add different colored scoops until our ice cream cone is complete. Once it is complete we will have a class ice cream party. I am asking parents to help students create flash cards that go along with each weeks color. I have created a tutorial to aid you in this task. Simply hit the word labels and begin watching the tutorial. Thanks so much.

                  LABELS                                                                                              

                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Third Week of School

Dear Parents,

Today we explored the different parts of the body in our science lesson.  On a large piece of butcher block paper I traced each child individually using a permanent marker. After each child was traced out, I had them color in their outfits using crayons. They colored their shirts, pants, and shoes based off of what they wore today. This allowed us to tell who each body outline belonged to. Next, we looked at the outlines and I had the students point out different parts of the body such as leg, arm, foot, head, etc.  I then labeled these parts on the students’ body outlines.  After labeling, I had the students draw and color in the eyes, nose, mouth, and hair. We then discussed these parts and labeled them on the body outlines. Once all of the body outlines were complete we hung them all over the classroom. The kids loved this activity and it was a fun way to learn about the body. The kindergarteners love to show off their outlines to each other.

                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                Ms. Gammell

Parent News Letter: Second Week of School

Dear Parents,

                Today we focused on mathematics, specifically numbers and counting. The first activity we did today was creating a numbers book. Each child was given paper and instructed to color in the worksheets I had passed out. On the pieces of paper were the numbers ranging from one to ten. At the bottom of the paper was space to glue objects. We practiced counting with buttons today. On each sheet of paper we practiced counting buttons then gluing the correct amount of buttons to the paper. For example, for seven I had the students color in the seven. Then we learned to count out seven buttons. Once we had seven buttons we glued them to the paper. This will help the students visually represent the number seven. After all the pages were completed we put all the pages together and stapled them together making a “Numbers with Buttons” book.  Every day we will practice counting using our Numbers with Buttons book and occasionally I will bring in candy to practice counting such as M &M’s or Smarties.

                                                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                Ms.Gammell

Parent Newsletter: Martin Luther King Jr. Day

Dear Parents,

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day. In order to teach about and honor Martin Luther King Jr., we read and discussed the poem by Esther Yost that goes as follow:

 I have a dream, said Martin Luther King 
We're gonna make that dream come true. 
Let freedom ring, said Martin Luther King, 
It's up to me and you. 
It's not the color of your hair, 
It's not the color of your skin, 
It doesn't matter what you wear,  
It's the character within. 
I have a dream, said Martin Luther King 
We're gonna make that dream come true, 
Let freedom ring, said Martin Luther King 
It's up to me and you.

We talked about how Martin Luther King Jr. had a dream that all people would be treated equally. In addition, we discussed how everyone is equal no matter how they look and we should be nice to everyone. I then asked the kids to think of a dream they have. We then created “A Dream Quilt”. Each child drew a picture of a dream or goal they had in life. For example, what they wanted to be when they grew up or something they wanted to accomplish. We then arranged the drawings on a bulletin board and called it “The Dream Quilt”.

Hopefully the students learned that Martin Luther King Jr. is known for following his dream of equality and that if they have determination their dreams can also come true too!

                                                                                                Sincerely,

                                                                                                Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: First Week Of School

Dear Parents,

                Today we read the book, The Kissing Hand, by Audrey Penn. This book talks about a young raccoon, Chester, who is just beginning school. He talks to his mother about the fears he has about going to school. His mother shares a secret with him that helps him through his fears and anxieties while at school. I know that the first week of school can be very overwhelming and scary for some Kindergarten students. I read The Kissing Hand and then as a class talked about the different fears each student had about attending school. We also talked about the fears that mom or dad might have while their child is at school.  After reading the story and discussing our fears we then decided to make a gift for our parents.

                On a piece of paper each student made a red handprint with red paint. Then while the handprints were drying I had each student draw a family portrait on a smaller piece of paper.  I then stapled a small heart in the child’s handprint. When the student’s gifts were complete we gathered around the carpet and I had each child share one thing about their gifts.

                I told the students to go home, give the gift to their family, and tell them the story of The Kissing Hand. I also told them to tell the parents not to be sad because they were thinking of them every day at school.

Have a good evening and don’t forget your students are always thinking of you while they are away.

                                                                                                               Sincerely,

                                                                                                               Ms. Gammell

Parent Newsletter: First Week Of Kindergarten

Dear Parents,

This is the first week of school for students. For the first couple days I have been describing class rules and duties. I know beginning Kindergarten can be a stressful time for children so I would like to make their transition as easy and comfortable as possible.I have tried very hard to make the Kindegarten students feel at home by pointing out the bathrooms, main office, gym, and other classrooms that the students will utilize such as the art room. Today, we learned the rules of Kindergarten. Our classroom rules are as follows:

1.)  Be nice to others.

2.) Raise your hand

3.) Share with your friends

4.) Follow directions

5.) Always do your best

In addition to discussing our class rules, we assigned class duties. There are five main duties that the students will be assigned to complete as student helpers. Each week new students will be assigned to the five duties. Throughout the year each student will be able to complete each of the five duties as a student helper. The various duties include:

-Line Leader: Leads the class to and from the classroom.

-Caboose: Stands at the end of the line and makes sure everyone in the classrooms stays together.

-Door Holder: Holds the door open for classmates as we exit and enter the classroom.

-Lunch Helper: Helps pass out lunches and carries the lunch basket to the lunch room.

-Electrician: Turns on and off the lights as we exit or enter the classroom.

I am excited to begin the school year and look forward to teaching your children.

                                                                                             Sincerely,

                                                                                             Ms. Gammell

First day of Class

Today is the first day of Educational Technology  and I just created my first blog.