Day in the Dark

Although we've had a small class the last few days, we still continued with our day in the dark and pajama celebration yesterday. To launch our new science unit about the sun and its impact on earth, students got to experience what it would really be like without the sun.  We definitely appreciated the sun for the light and heat it provides and realized how difficult it would be to work each day without light.  Students are learning about why we have day and night and what makes that happen. Thanks for sending in lights to help your child do their work on "Day in the Dark!" 

Message From the Nurse

'Tis the season...

A couple of you have shared your concern about children returning to school before they are healthy enough to do so. 

We do have the following guidelines to help make that decision about sending a child home sick, or keeping them home.  Please share this information with your families as you will.

Signs and Symptoms to keep/send a child home

• fever, over 100 degrees.  Children must be fever free (without medication) for 24hrs. before return to school.
• diarrhea or vomiting within the past 24 hours.
• persistent sore throat with fever or enlarged tonsils/glands
• persistent upset stomach or headache
• undetermined rash
• reddened, itchy eyes with drainage
• suspected/known head lice. Children will be seen by the nurse for return to school.

As always, parents can call the health office and speak with myself or Sarah Mele, RN.
225-8206

Have a restful, healthy break!
Trees-ah Elder, RN

Gingerbread

We have been reading a variety of Gingerbread stories this past week. While reading these stories we have been talking about the different characters in the book. We also have been comparing and contrasting the different characters that are found in across the stories and noticing that many of the stories have different endings. INQUIRE with your child over the holiday break, what Gingerbread story was their favorite. Tomorrow morning we will vote and use a ballot to mark our favorite story that was read. Although we've been reading a range of gingerbread stories, five will be available to choose from. Students have completed some writing responses about their favorite characters and have used their imagination to connect with the texts. This afternoon, we enjoyed a "baby" gingerbread cookie while creating a gingerbread craft with our buddies!

Guest Reader

Jen stopped in last Friday to share a funny story about some pigs who escaped!

Extra Clothing

Extra sets of clothes went home today and or will be coming home tomorrow.  Please check the bag and make sure the set is complete and appropriate for winter.  I noticed some bags were picked through (sometimes just needing shorts, or socks, etc) and some were more spring/summer clothes.  If your child does not seem to ever need extra clothes, that is fine, no need to return. If they do, however, please return a complete set after break. (Many kids need it  just for ECO, so if this is the case, perhaps just send in extra clothes just on those days).  Thanks!

Day in the Dark

 Day in the Dark    

On Monday, December 22nd all kindergarten classes will be having a “Day in the Dark” to reinforce learning about day and night, including solstice the shortest day and longest night of the year!  If you have anything at home that would light up in the dark we would appreciate it if you could send it to school.  Here are some suggestions:

• Flashlights
• Headlamps
• Lite Brites
• Black Lights
• Glow in the dark markers/paint
• Lava Lamps
• Glow Sticks
• Glow in the dark stickers/beads
• Disco Balls

We will return your items that day. Please label all items sent to school. If you have any questions, just let us know.

Thanks,

The Kindergarten Team

Happy Birthday, UES!

Yesterday, students participated in an allschool assembly. Did you know UnionElementary School is celebrating a birthday this year? We are turning 75-years-young!!

We saw skits by the 4th grade classes depicting school life from UES' first year. This year we will celebrate our school community's birthday through song and art across the school year. We will also celebrate with a special winter carnival. Classes will make contributions to a time capsule to be opened 25 years from today. 

A lesson about creating a time capsule... "Should we add an iPod Shuffle or an iPhone so the future knows our technology? A newspaper from today?"

HOOT CELEBRATION

We counted our hoots yesterday and believe it or not, we have over 300 new hoots in the basket.  As a celebration, we will have "pajama day" on Monday, December 22nd.  This will coincide with Day in the Dark - please read the letter sent home regarding how you can help with materials.  Please, no stuffies for Monday - we'll save that for another day!  

More Guest Readers

Grammy Lucinda came in for guest reader last Friday to read us a book about an orangutan.  Lucinda engaged the children in conversation about endangered animals and how we can help keep them alive.  Thanks Lucinda for coming in!   If you're looking to be a guest reader, follow this link: Guest Reader Sign Up.  We look forward to having Jen join us on Friday morning.  Guest Readers are invited to join us for morning meeting on the day they read (at 8:20).  

5th grade bake/craft sale

This Thursday and Friday the 5th grade will be hosting a craft sale. All monies raised will benefit the annual grade five field trip to Boston this Spring. Items range in price from $.25 to $5.00. Our class will visit sometime Thursday, if you'd like your child to purchase something. If you would like your child to make a purchase, please send an envelope with change/cash to school sealed and labelled with their first and last name. Thank you!

Snowy ECO day

We couldn't have asked for a better day. With temps in the mid-30's and snow lightly falling, we set out for an afternoon of fun.  Students participated in 5 activities all relating to our classroom learning about animals getting ready for winter.  The children have been looking at how animals in Vermont either migrate, hibernate, or stay active throughout the cold winter months. As the snow falls this week, children are not only thinking about how they are taking care of themselves but also looking at what animals are doing to get ready for winter. While outside children pretended to be squirrels and hid their stashes of food while escaping from predators, looked for deer tracks, pretended to be otters, migrated south as a bird facing many obstacles along the way, and finally helped some grouse make some homes to survive in (and some fun snow scultpures).  INQUIRE with your child their learning about animals and what they do to survive the winter ahead.  Thanks to Keith, John, Jen, and Melissa for hanging out with us this afternoon!  

This week, students are exploring weight and measurement vocabulary and learning to use a variety of tools to measure length and weight.  Students work together to weigh a variety of classroom materials, and at the same time continue to build and practice classroom community as they include new friends into their learning and friendships.

Number Corner

WOW! Can you believe we've been in school over 62 days.  Every day I'm amazed with our class community.  They work hard to help each other learn, and themselves each and every day. The growth I get to see build is profound.  

During number corner, we continue to look for patterns, understand vocabulary associated with days, weeks, months, and build our number sense.  Students are learning to look at larger numbers in groups of tens and ones when tracking the days in school, practice writing numbers without reversals, and counting forward and backward.  Every day we practice "math hands," and use our hands to show a variety of number combinations up to 20.  Most recently, students are building their fluency with naming numbers before and after.  

This month's patterns involves a bear and a box.  Students work on position words, such as inside, outside, to the right, to the left, behind, in front of, etc to describe where the bear is each day.  

Todd Parr

Our newest author study is on works written by Todd Parr. The learning purpose of our study is to notice the simple pictures Todd draws to match his words. We will also focus on the simple sentences he writes to make his message clear to the reader. Yes - students are learning to combine words together to create sentences that convey their thinking to the reader! Todd Parr's writing also engages readers in thinking about, and asking questions about feelings. He focuses on taking care of yourself, others, and the community and we will uses these messages to help children continue developing mindful habits as a member of our class community, friendships and independence in Kindergarten. He writes a simple but special message to the reader at the end of every book. This past week, in addition to learning about Todd Parr's life, reading and responding to his stories, we explored and tried to mimic some of his illustrations by looking closely at his work. This coming up week, we'll do an art project expressing different feelings in the style of Todd Parr.  

Favorite Read-Alouds!

Kurt joined us Friday as our 2nd guest reader.  Students thoroughly enjoy having their family come in and share their favorite stories with us. If you'd like to come read to the class, follow the link on the post below.  We can't wait to have you!

Guest Reader

Before Thanksgiving break, Keith came in for our first guest reader.  Keith read a few stories, one of them being the paper princess.  Students loved listening to Keith read and even made their own paper princesses/princes later in the day.  There are many opportunities to join us on Friday mornings for guest reader.  Choose your favorite titles, and bring them in!  Many of our friends expressed interest in their moms and dads joining us some Friday.  This week, we'll have Kurt and next week we look forward to having grandma Lucinda! Here is the link - and if this day or time doesn't fit your schedule, just let me know and we can make other arrangements.
(sorry Keith, I'm having some trouble with pictures and can't get you up on the blog....to be coming!)

Sign Up Here for Guest Reader

Counting Links

Students count with their classmates and independently daily. Practice counting aloud is key to supporting Kindergarten students ability to meet the end of Kindergarten math standard for counting, reading and sequencing teen numbers (11-19) accurately, and doing the same for
B-I-G numbers to 100.


The following links will take you to two very fun counting songs. Each have video with the number visuals connected with the counting song. These are just a couple of ways we are practicing counting up and back together at school. We hope you will also enjoy using them to practice counting at home too. Learning is Fun... practice, practice, practice!

Learning new dances with our buddies

Making Butter

Thanksgiving Learning

For the week before Thanksgiving, children read, re-read and learned to retell with pictures then without the story of the Pilgrim's first Thanksgiving. To bring the story to life toward the end of the week, after each had significant experience with the story sequence and details of the events, we acted it out! Taking time to role play, recall what happened when and with/to who is important to building a foundation for strong literacy comprehension - we understand what we read! Of course, acting out an event in literature is incredibly fun too!

Along with learning about the Pilgrim's first thanksgiving, our friends have been making connections to their own celebrations. Many children have been sharing stories about spending time with cousins and grandparents in years past and getting ready for the upcoming celebration. We've been exploring various traditions different families have at home and thinking about what we look forward to this year. As we continue to explore the difference between fiction and nonfiction, students are beginning to make a clear distinction - especially when the turkey's dress up and start to run away from thanksgiving dinner. We've read some true stories about pilgrims and the first thanksgiving but have also mixed in a few of my favorite stories involving turkey shenanigans!  

Last Tuesday, students learned about life as a pilgrim child.  They learned to ask questions while reading a text about a pilgrim girl.  In this narrative, we learned how the children would work hard to help cook, so we decided to do a little cooking ourselves.  Following a recipe, students read and mixed up the ingredients for some tasty cornbread.  Be sure to ask your child about how the butter was created (see video on next post!)