Library Check-out day!

Today was our first library checkout day!  So exciting!

Please check your child's take home folder for a detailed note about this. 

The 2 big things to remember

1) Our library check out day is every Tuesday

2) It is VERY important that your child keeps their library book IN THEIR BACKPACK when they aren't looking at it.  We want you to take it out and enjoy at home, but it must always be kept in the backpack when finished.  Every Tuesday we will take them out at school and return to the library! 

Don't forget to record this book on their August reading log!

1st full week of Kindergarten

Whoo-hoo! We survived the first week of Kindergarten!

Twice a month we will send home a Kindergarten newsletter that is from all 5 Kindergarten teachers in place of a detailed blog post.  This will come home in the Friday Folders.

 Please check the Friday Folder today to see the first newsletter of the year.

Enjoy a few pictures from our week...

Exploring math tools

exploring math tools

exploring math tools

exploring math tools

exploring math tools

Nurse Lynn reading a book about allergies

Nurse Lynn's book about allergies

Friday is craft day

Friday is craft day

Torn paper craft helps us practice our name and works our finger muscles--great fine motor skills

We won the first "Fast Pass Award" at the Monday Morning Meeting!
This means we did the best job out of any K-2 class at following the rules at recess and lunch!
We were able to go in first to lunch all week and were able to keep Flash the Timberwolf in our room this week!

Solar Eclipse

What a FUN day! Probably one of the coolest and most fun school days EVER in all my years of teaching!  We had a blast and the kids did GREAT with keeping their glasses on! Such a neat experience that I hope they all will never forget!

Click photos to enlarge

You can also click and save them for yourself as well

Solar eclipse hats

silly faces!

picnic lunch

picnic lunch

picnic lunch

picnic lunch

First Friday Update

The first two days of Kindergarten have been awesome!  I truly enjoy getting to know your special little people.  It has honestly been one of the smoothest first two days of school in my 14 years of teaching.  I can tell that so many of them went to preschool, daycare or summer school by the way they catch onto routines and expectations so quickly!  

Today we colored, practiced as a whole school for the solar eclipse (they did great with their glasses), read a book (they have a copy in their Friday Folder) and watched a Sid the Science Kid video about the eclipse, read The Kissing Hand and made a Chester the raccoon puppet to go along with the book, went to Media with Mr. Heidlage for our specials, played outside and had snack and center time.  We also read a book called Manners at School and talked about ways we use manners at school.  

 click on photos to enlarge

Friday Folders

Today your child is coming home with a blue Friday Folder.  These will come home every Friday packed full of important papers.  Just like the daily take home folder, there will be some things for you to sign and return to school in the folder and some things for you to keep at home.  Please make sure you return the folders every Monday.  Anything that needs to be returned can be placed on the "return to school" side.   

Reading Logs

In your child's Friday Folder is an August/September reading log.  At Beulah Ralph Elementary the only required homework for K-4th grade is reading to your child or having them read to you (once they acquire this skill) at least 4 nights per week. Please record this reading on the reading logs.  You can keep these logs at home in a safe place or in their daily take home folder, whatever is easiest for you.  I will collect the reading logs at the end of each month.  I will not take it out of their folder until then.  At the beginning of each month I will send home a new log.  

Monday Meetings

Every Monday the entire school meets in the gym, rather than their classroom, for Monday Morning Meetings.  This is also our school spirit day and we encourage everyone to wear a Beulah Ralph shirt.  There is an order form for apparel in the Friday Folder.  On Monday's, please remind your kiddos to go straight to the gym and not their classroom.  They bring their backpack and everything with them to the gym.  The meeting starts at 8:20 and lasts anywhere from 5-15 minutes.  Once it is over, we head to our classroom to start our day!  

Solar Eclipse

I am looking forward to all of the fun activities we have planned on Monday for the solar eclipse!  If you would like to send a blanket or towel for your child to sit on while we are outside from 12:30-1:30, that would be great!  Please make sure it is something that will fit inside their backpack.  You can also send a water bottle if you'd like.  

Have a great weekend!

First Day of Kindergarten 2017-2018

It was a GREAT first day of Kindergarten!

I can already tell it is going to be a great year with some amazing kiddos!

Today we:

*colored

*read books-Pete the Cat, First Day Jitters and Wemberly Worried

*played at recess and centers

*went to music with Ms. Martin

*shared how we felt on the first day of school and something fun we did this summer

*enjoyed snack time

*listened to music

*learned LOTS of rules and expectations (playground, lunchroom, line order spots, lunch table spots, how to raise our hand when we want to talk, how to listen and wait our turn when others are talking, etc.)

Click on the photos to enlarge them!  Enjoy!

Before Kindergarten...

After Kindergarten...

Haha! But seriously, it was a great day!