THiS weEk!!!!

EARTH day clean up!

Filling the bag....Spring clean up around school!

Gideon brings dried hollyhocks to the dumpster.

ANd then everyone else does too!

My EArth day promise: Turn off the lights.

Young Author's night: Congrats Kindergarten!

Look at all these authors of great books!

Look at that CROWD!

This week in reading:
Letter /Uu/
We are working on summarizing a story by pointing out the main idea and also being able to share details from the story. Students will practice this skill independently this week on their own graphic organizers.
This is our final week in Unit 4 and next week we begin Unit 5!
Lots and Lots and Lots of review!

We will be visiting the WILSON farm tomorrow at 10 - 11:30 before lunch. Have your child wear their mud boots and jeans if you want. Feel free to join us there or come on over and ride the bus!

NEXT WEEK is the Missoula Children's play...Little Mermaid.
This is a WEEK long event with a Saturday performance at the Driggs High school. Time to be announced later in the week.

Math skills this week include:
More measurement
tally marks
Addition
Coins

During Science this week we are working on cleaning up our schoolyard and cleaning out the garden. The kids have made an EARTH day promise. They will be coming home on Wednesday. Work with your child on their promise.

April 16th - 20th

Happy Monday to everyone!

I have someone new to introduce to you!

Meet Swinger (named by class of 2012)

AS you may of heard, Virgil retired in February. He has been busy for 7 years traveling to Kindergartners and first grader's houses. Sooooooo, Mrs. Griffin went looking for a new monkey and while in Las Vegas, NV at the rainforest cafe this one came swinging onto her table! Swinger will be making HOME visits beginning next year. 

This week in Kindergarten:
We will be reading Max takes the train and talking about story sequence. Kindergartners will be practicing using graphic organizers this week. You will see T charts, prediction papers, sequencing charts,  Venn diagrams, and other organizers so that they better understand the text.
Our letter of the week is X however we will go back and review J and W.
Snap words include: yellow blue green and have
We will be reading and writing poetry as well!  Check out our SPRING poems in the hallway.

WRiting this week is lots and lots and lots of preparing and reading our YOUNG AUTHOR's story because THURSDAY is the big day. Thursday night at 7pm is our ANNUAL Young Author's celebration night. This year you will receive an invitation about our STORIES ALIVE WAX MUSEUM. It is a formal affair. I look forward to see you all there. Please let me know right away if your child won't be there.

Math this week includes:
Measurement by our foot
Measurement by the REAL foot
Playing addition top it with DICE
Counting by 5's and graphing sums
Tally Marks and Equivalent names for numbers
Teaching coin exchange (pennies and nickels)

OTHER THINGS TO KNOW:
1. Thursday is Young Author's night.
2. Friday April 19th Kindergarten registration paperwork is DUE.
3. Kindergarten pre-screening is April 24th
4. WHITE t-shirts are due by FRIDAY.
5. April 30th - May 4th is Missoula children's theatre
6. May 7th - 11th is our ABC dance preparation...with a performance at 2:00 that Friday!!!! Mark your calendars please.
7. June 7th is our VOLUNTEER appreciation luncheon at the Alta school.

post Spring Break...9 weeks left!

Bear Mountain hike in Sedona with Mrs. Stitt

I love cactus!

WE clean up pretty nice!

Yea...for a date!

And yea for shorts and ice cream!

We had an adventurous...fun...exciting...camping...and some glitz-filled spring break! I hope you had fun too. Judging by the stories that were shared in morning meeting and the journal entries during writing time...it sure sounds like all the kids had a blast!

It's good to be back. I can't believe we have 9 weeks left. I have my work cut out for me. We have 3 short units in math to breeze through...2 writing units and 2 reading units...

Some things to know:
NO more volunteers are needed. I will be calling on a few on an as NEEDED basis...but it is this time of year when I like to start weaning the K's from all the support and start them on the INDEPENDENCE TRACK. Please understand that I appreciate all of your help. I will be having a VOLUNTEER luncheon in May. More details to come!

NEW kindergartners for the 2012-13 year SCREENING is coming up on April 24th. If you have one coming in...please stop by and get your packet. It is due by the 19th. Please call and schedule an appointment for the 24th. If you know any new K's coming in...help by spreading the word. Thanks!

I will be taking a leave of absence next year until January. I will not be here at all until after the Christmas break.

Young Author's night is coming up April 19th at 7:00pm. We have an exciting evening planned for you all this year. :)

NO school on April 20th (TEACHER in-service day)

April 30th - May 4th is Missoula Children's theatre

Reading this week consists of:

Graphic organizers and Summarizing

Letters of the week: Ee, Jj, and Ww

Snap words include: go, from, down, help and away

We will be practicing our DAily 5...book shopping for new books for our book boxes...honing our word attack skills and practicing reading EXCELLENT.

WRiting this week and next week will consists of poetry in honor of April. Be sure to check out of SPRING poetry coming this week and will be featured in our hallway. 

Math:

1. Order of daily events

2. More patterns (workbook time)

3. Attribute review and GUESS my number games

4. Count with calculators (review)

5. Measurement with children's feet

ALL KIDS need their WHITE t-shirts this week!!! Please have them no later than FRIDAY because Ms. Farrier will want to start planning her VISUAL piece to our ABC dance in May. *More information on this later too!