Goodbye Kindergarten, Hello First Grade

This isn't goodbye, it's see you later...

As we reach the end of our kindergarten year together, I just want to say thank you from the bottom of my heart for sharing your children with me this year. Teaching is such a gift, and after 22 years in the classroom, I can honestly say this class has been one of the most special groups I have ever had. They have brought so much joy, laughter, kindness, personality, and love into our classroom every single day, and it is so hard to let them go.

Your children are truly amazing. Watching them grow academically, socially, and emotionally this year has been one of the greatest joys of my career. I wish I could keep them forever! Please know how much each and every one of them means to me and how proud I am of all they have accomplished.

I hope they will always remember their kindergarten year and know they will forever hold a special place in my heart. I also hope they will come back to visit often because nothing makes a kindergarten teacher happier than seeing former students return with smiles and stories to share.

Thank you again for your support, kindness, and partnership throughout the year. It has been an honor and privilege to be their teacher. I will never forget this incredible group of children.

Packmate of the Month: Yay, Ian! He was chosen as our final Packmate of the Month for the year! Please see my post from Monday on our class Facebook page regarding Packmate of the Month and why it is okay if your child was not chosen this year.

Senior walk: high school seniors from Rock Bridge High School and Hickman High School did a walk through their former elementary schools on Wednesday.  We loved seeing them in their cap and gown and cheering them on.  A few even stayed to play with kindergarten on the playground. I hope when your child is a high school senior they will come back to do the same.  A video is on the class Facebook page. 

5th grade graduation: our 5th graders graduated on Wednesday evening.  This is always such a special night and I love seeing my former Kindergarteners.  In the blink of an eye, your sweet kindergarteners will be at their 5th grade graduation and I will be there cheering them on as well! 

5th grade walk:  Thursday morning our 5th graders took their final walk around Beulah Ralph.  Everyone in the school lined up along the sidewalk to cheer them on.  Such a fun tradition!  You can find the video on our class Facebook page. The next time they walk around the school like this will be when they are Seniors in high school and hopefully come back for their elementary walk through, like the seniors mentioned above. 

Kindergarten Celebration: thank you to everyone who attended the Kindergarten Celebration today!  Having you there meant so much to your children!  The musical performance, led by Mr. Fears, was adorable and I hope you loved the slideshow from the year as much as I enjoyed making it!  Thanks for getting cozy and enjoying a picnic together in our classroom since the grassy area was too muddy.  

Kindergarten hopes and dreams: during the first week of Kindergarten we discussed what each child hoped to learn during their first year in school.  We wrote them down and they hung up all year!  On the last day of school we went over the list and most discovered that they learned what they hoped to! 

Alphabet Countdown to Summer:  this week we did some workouts and yoga on Monday for W is for Workout Day, exchanged autographs and received our yearbooks on X is for eXchange autographs day, cleaned out the classroom and had a "yard sale" with all the things we worked on this year (you're welcome lol), and Zipped up and Zoomed off to summer and first grade on our final day! Such a fun 26 days leading up to summer! 

May Sneaky Reading Challenge: yes, school is over, but that doesn't mean that reading should stop!  If your child hasn't completed May's sneaky reading challenge, read with a stuffed animal, I encourage them to do so next week and ask that an adult snap a picture and post to our class Facebook page! 

They have become such amazing readers this school year.  To continue this momentum, it is important that they read and are read to daily this summer!  Make it a goal to read for 15-20 minutes per day.  Quiet time for mom and dad and building their confidence as readers!  A double win!

The Daniel Boone Regional Library does a summer reading challenge and the kids can win some amazing prizes!  I encourage you to check it out here.  CPS is also doing a reading challenge this year.  Information on both was sent home in the Friday Folders a couple of weeks ago. 

Summer School Open House: if your child is attending summer school, open house/meet the teacher is on Thursday, May 28th from 4:30-6:00 p.m. Summer school runs June 1-26th.  

Have a wonderful, safe, and memory-filled summer! I hope you all enjoy lots of sunshine, fun, and time together as a family. I also hope to see many of you at some of our summer playdates this summer (information was sent home in last week’s Friday Folder). Thank you again for such an amazing year — once a member of our kindergarten family, always a member of our kindergarten family!

Some final photos...

Field Day fun and more!

 A look at our learning...

Fundations: the final parent packet of the year is in your child's Friday Folder.  While we want students to rest and relax over the summer, it is also important to work on things over the summer, at least a couple times a week.  Reading is SO important and should occur daily.  Reading to them and having them read to you.  Both are important.  Please continue to practice their spelling words and reinforce correct letter formation, sounding out words, etc. over the summer.  This will help them begin first grade with ease!  

Inside the Friday Folder are also several papers from me with ideas on how to extend their learning throughout the summer in fun ways and math games that only require dice or a deck of playing cards.  I hope you find these helpful and will try some of the activities throughout the summer!  

Spelling Test: on Thursday, we took our final Word Wall spelling test over all 49 words we have learned this year! These tests will come home with report cards next Thursday. If your child missed any words, it is very important to continue practicing and mastering them over the summer. Make it fun by creating flashcards, writing the words in chalk outside, using magnetic letters, or turning practice into a game. A little practice throughout the summer can make a big difference in helping them feel confident and prepared for first grade!

Math: we have completed our final math unit of the year and the final parent packets are in your child's Friday Folder.  

Writing: we are working on special Kindergarten Memory books that will come home next week.  

Field Day: we had a BLAST at Field Day and could not have asked for more perfect weather!  A huge THANK YOU to Coach C, teachers and parent volunteers who helped make this day possible!  BEU does Field Day like no other!  A few pictures are below, but so many more are posted on the class Facebook page. 

Final Week of Kindergarten:  even though next week is our final week of kindergarten, it is still very important that students are at school every day and stay for the entire day. We have many fun, exciting, and memorable activities and final projects planned that we do not want anyone to miss out on, and attendance remains important through the very last day of school. Students will also still need all of their normal school items each day, including their backpack, take-home folder, water bottle, and snack — even on the last day of school.

Year 10 Drone Photo: one of our favorite traditions at BEU is to capture a school-wide drone photo in the shape of the number representing how many years our school has been open. This year marks our 10th anniversary, and we had so much fun taking this photo on Monday.  Look for it to be hanging in the halls next year along with the other numbers! 

Lunch with the Principal:  yay Gwen and Ian!  They were chosen to have Lunch with the Principal for the month of May.  Gwen was our classroom winner and Ian was chosen by Mrs. Trumbower, our media teacher, as specialists also get to pick a student each month!  She chose him out of all students in grades K-5! 

Reading Logs & Sneaky Reading Challenge: May reading logs are due on Wednesday! Our final Sneaky Reading Challenge, which was sent home earlier this month, is to read with a stuffed animal. This should be an easy and cozy one to complete, especially at bedtime! I would love to see photos of all of our students completing the challenge shared on our class Facebook page as we wrap up our final reading challenge of the school year. Thank you to all of the families who have participated in the Sneaky Reading Challenges throughout the year and supported the importance of reading at home. Your encouragement and involvement have truly made a difference!

1st grade visit: on Wednesday, we visited Mrs. Clark’s first grade classroom to get a sneak peek of what next year will look like! The students had the opportunity to ask questions about first grade, learn about some of the exciting things they will do next year, and begin getting excited for what’s to come!

Alphabet Countdown to Summer: this week, we enjoyed an extra morning recess on Monday for R is for Recess Day. Mr. B (a former art teacher and principal) also taught the students about monochromatic art and led them in a fun art project featuring the letter R and the color red, which they brought home earlier this week.

On Tuesday, we enjoyed learning with our stuffed animals for S is for Stuffed Animal Day. Wednesday’s Show & Tell time was a hit, and we loved learning about the special treasures our classmates shared. On Thursday, students had so much fun building forts for U is for Under the Table Day. Finally, on Friday, my class definitely showed up and showed out for V is for Vacation Day! We saw so many great outfits, props, accessories, and creative ideas. They truly understood the assignment!

Next week they will need to wear workout clothes and tennis shoes are a must on Monday for W is for Workout Day!  

Surprise visitor:  we had a very special surprise visitor on Thursday! Miss Brinkman came back one final time to spend recess, snack, and free choice time with us. Today, she officially graduated from the University of Missouri! Be sure to check out the stole she made with help from the students. Each child added their handprint and name, making it such a meaningful keepsake from her time in kindergarten with us.

More fun at school