Saturday at Ikea

Oh, what a feeling! We all woke without alarms (at least no electronic alarms). It was still 8:00 am, but the extra hour was great. It was an easy & relaxing morning. Ahhhh!

We spent the afternoon at Ikea. It was Shawn's first visit to SmalLand - hard to believe, I know! While he played for an hour, Raj showed me a desk that he had picked out for Shawn's room. We actually found a corner unit with a hutch of the same line (Micke). It was a lot of desk to fit in a small space - Ikea's specialty!  We also picked out a blue desk chair and a mirror to go over his dresser. Before we retrieved Shawn from SmalLand, we also picked out pieces & parts for me to make a desk in the craft/guest room - I'm excited! Then we got Shawn, had lunch (we all got Swedish meatballs), found our things in the warehouse level, and checked out. A successful trip (especially considering that our last visit ended up with SmalLand under construction and the cafe closed as we approached it)!

Both kids fell asleep on the way home, so Raj and I left them in the car to snooze while we brought the boxes into the house. (It's incredible how heavy small boxes can be!) Then, Raj was ready for a break and catch his breath from a cold/allergies... And the Bears / Packers game was on. I was motivated to get our new stuff put together!!

Before:

I managed to get Shawn's desk completely put together (with some supervision from Lilly and occasional help from Shawn, who was actually super helpful at just the right times).

Raj was shocked when he came upstairs at the end of the game! I was almost done! He thought I'd be working on my own desk, but I feel like that project is a bit more involved, and I wanted to get something totally done. While Shawn and I finished the desk, Raj and Lilly went to Best Buy to get a wireless converter for his new computer and they checked out an alpaca farm just a few miles away from our house. When they got back, the desk was done! Mission complete!

After:

Raj hung the curtain rod and we decided not to hang the mirror until Shawn gets a little taller.  (Tomorrow I'll assemble his desk chair.)

Sept 29

Update:

Shawn couldn't wait to do serious work at his new desk after school!(Not homework yet, but he has that to do, too.)
Tonight we discovered that the shiny portion of the white board at the back of his desk is actually a magnetic white board! We dug out the alphabet magnets that we can't use on our stainless steal fridge and gave them a new home on Shawn's desk.  I also found some dry erase markers in my old teaching supplies. I gave him a desk lamp, a hand held pencil sharpener, some glue, and kid scissors that he often needs for his homework. Tomorrow, we'll find something to corral his pencils, etc.

Eventually he did use his desk to do his homework.

Kindergarten news

Kindergarten news

Hi Everyone

We are really getting into a routine!  The past few weeks have been very busy. We are still working on being good listeners all the time. Please continue to help with this at home!

In Literacy: We can now read to ourselves for 15 minutes. This gives Miss Meeks and me a chance to listen to individual students read or tell us the story from the pictures. We can reinforce the use of good reading strategies of pointing to the words, using picture clues, checking the text and making sure it makes sense. Some of the children are text readers, some are using picture clues and beginning letter sounds to figure words out and others are telling the story from the picture.  With the picture readers Miss Meeks and I are pointing and reading a page and then the student will point and read after us (Echo Reading). These are all normal ranges of reading ability in a kindergarten classroom.

On Mondays just before lunch or at the end of the day Mrs. Kerr or Mrs. Schaaf’s 5th grade students read or write with the kindergartners. The children love having 5th grade reading buddies!

We are working on letter recognition, letter sounds and letter formation on a daily basis. Some of the children are able to stretch words and write independently while others need support for this. Many of them use the resources around the room for support.

In math we are counting to 100 by 10’s, to 20 by 1’s, writing numbers, learning the terms greater than, less than, equal to, some simple addition and subtraction of one more or one less. A lot of the math concepts are taught through our calendar time.

We are also learning how to sort things by different attributes. We play a mystery sort game. I have a group of students stand in the middle of our carpet and the other students have to figure out what is alike about all of them. It could be they all have Velcro shoes or they all have blonde hair. This is leading into having them sort objects or people also by different attributes and to explain their sort. We will be doing this for math as well as for literacy.

I hope you all enjoyed the 1st 12 days of Kindergarten book and our body Alphabet Book. The Bus Ride story is coming home next week.  Please use these books at home as a practice reader. (I'm hoping to get electronic versions of these class made books - stay tuned!)

We started to bring home our baggy books this week. The children may keep their book for more than 1 day or exchange it daily, but they should at least trade out for a new one once a week. Please have them read the book several times before returning it. Rereading familiar books increases a child’s fluency and comprehension skills.

I hope you are all enjoying the treasure book activity. This will give you some idea of how to support your child’s emerging reading skills. I know the children get very excited when I bring out the treasure chest and pull out our new book.  This week's book The Enormous Watermelon encourages the children to work together to accomplish a tough job.

Last week we discussed the importance of Constitution Day. We discussed all the wonderful things about living in America and about all the people that help and protect us. We discussed how we are all helpers when someone needs help or support. I hope you saw the booklets the children brought home about the Constitution. We connected the writing of the Constitution to the rules we have for our school and classroom. These two subjects are difficult for young children to comprehend but I feel they did a good job getting the ideas presented.

In Science we are working on the five senses. We went on a super duper looking hunt. The children then had to draw and write 4 things they saw on their hunt. Each week we will focus on a different sense.

Please read with your child at least 15 minutes a day!

Thank you for sending only healthy snacks for our morning snack time. The fruits and veggies have been great! Please remember no cookies or chips as a snack. Having a water bottle is also a good thing!

**Important up coming date!**

Our first field trip will be to Norton Farm on Thursday Oct. 2nd from 12:45-2:30.  I drew names from a hat from all those that volunteered and I will be emailing you individually. (I got picked!)

Wednesday, Oct. 8th we are having a family reading night from 6:30-7:30. The children are invited to come in their Pajamas so they can head to bed as soon as you return home.

Have a great weekend!

Ms. Karen Johnsen and Miss Meeks

Karen.Johnsen@d303.org

PJs and compliments in Kindergarten

Lilly helped me set out the flag this morning. The morning DJs on the radio were doing a lot of remembrance and dedications.There was an eerie feeling in the air. I wonder when (if) that will ever go away.

Shawn's kindergarten class has been working on their goal of 50 compliments. For each compliment they earned as a class, they received a link in a paper chain. When the chain reached the floor, they met their goal. They voted as a class for a pajama and stuffed animal day.

Wednesday, the class met their goal! Shawn was so excited that he pulled out just the right pajamas to wear to school as soon as he got home. He had no trouble getting dressed this morning and was very excited about their reward.

About 15 minutes *after* Shawn's bus left on Thursday morning, I got an email blast from Mrs. Johnsen announcing the reward the class earned. For tomorrow. Friday. Ooops!

Since I hadn't heard anything official from school about pajama day until then, I had packed regular clothes in Shawn's backpack just in case (though he didn't end up changing). Today would have been a perfect pajama day, if you ask me. It was 48°F at the bus stop this morning! (I highly doubt we ever reached the forecast high of 61°F!)

From Ms. Johnsen:

Hi Everyone
Great News! The compliment Chain hit the floor this week!  The children votes to have a pajama day and bring-a-stuffed-animal-to-school day.!
So tomorrow, Friday, the children will be allowed to wear pajamas and bring ONE stuffed animal that will fit into their back pack. It will be a fun day of learning, teaching our favorite animals all about kindergarten. If the girls are used to wearing night gowns please have them wear shorts or slacks under it.  If your child prefers not to wear pajamas it is a choice! They can just bring their stuffed animal.
They are all very excited that they earned this reward!  We have already started earning new chains towards our next reward day!
Have a good day.
Karen Johnsen

Lilly and I went to Gymboree for Level 4 Play & Learn. The equipment was set up for the theme "Rocking & Rolling." Lilly's favorite activity was rolling/throwing whiffle balls down a ramp. Of course, she also likes the routine of bubbles, parachute, and "Gymbo the Clown Goes Up and Down" song.

Then, we picked up a gift at Babies R Us and visited my friend Melissa, with whom I used to teach. She had her second little boy 3 months ago, and I had yet to meet him. With her maternity leave ending this week, we made a point to set a date to see each other, otherwise we'd run the risk of not doing it until next summer! Lilly fell asleep on our way there, but it was more of a mom-playdate than a kid one anyway. Baby Alexander was very sweet, and I even got to cuddle with him for a little while :) Most of all, it was great to catch up with Melissa. Lilly and I said goodbye in time to pick Shawn up from the bus stop.

Instead of being disappointed or embarrassed that today wasn't actually pajama day, Shawn was thrilled that he gets to do it again tomorrow! He'll bring a small stuffed animal, too. The trouble is... which one? Decisions, decisions!

A view from the other side--First PTO meeting

I went to my first PTO meeting today. I held back from signing up for every committee or open position, for now. I am hoping to see how things run in the school before diving in headfirst. I did share a few ideas from Jennifer's experience at her PTO and I got to know our current president, also named Shannon! She was very curious about the composting program that Sparks has. The VP wants to start a butterfly garden to help repopulate the dwindling butterflies in Illinois. (She seems to have a very green interests, from what I could tell today.)  I said a composting partnership could be a great way to support the local farms and benefit the butterfly garden project in return.

One thing I like already about Ferson Creek is the fact that they don't do the typical (dreaded) door-to-door sales for fundraising; however, they just come right out and ask families to please write them a check for whatever amount we're comfortable with! At the meeting, I expressed my gratitude for the lack of sales pushed on our students. I also suggested that families may be more willing to support specific projects when they know how money is being spent. I would be much more willing to write a larger check to help with the butterfly garden, for example, than to  give money for an unknown purpose. I think that got the president's attention as well.

Jennifer sent me pages of PTO related information for me to share with our group. Maybe I am getting involved already! LOL

Instead of taking her semi-usual nap around 11:00 this morning, Lilly did not go down until 2 PM! Then, she slept until almost 6! I never know what to expect from her these days. It was nice to have one-on-one time with Shawn when he came home from school though. We went through the papers in his backpack, had a snack, played lots of games inside and out - until we were getting eaten by mosquitoes, which I'm sure were infected by the West Nile virus that has now been detected in our county. Ugh.

When Raj got home, I left to have dinner with one of my Gymboree Playgroup friends. Now that school has started and our kids are all in kindergarten, we don't see each other on a weekly basis anymore. I think the moms in our old playgroup are missing our times together more than the kids are!

From Ms Johnsen:

From Ms Johnsen:

 

...We have had a wonderful first 13 days of school. Today the compliment  chain reached the floor! Tomorrow we will be voting on what special treat we want for our reward!  I will keep you posted!

This class is a wonderful group of students!  They can get silly or chatty at times but they can also get settled and be good listeners!

This week we have a wonderful addition in Kindergarten. Mrs. Vera Lynch joined the kindergarten classrooms for 5 hours a day! She has aided in Kindergarten before and moves easily between both classrooms. She is helping support students by working along side the teachers during a lesson and helps the few who need support when most of the class has finished. She is able to work with small groups or one on one for review or extra practice when needed. She is a wonderful extra set of hands in our busy rooms. By the end of October we will also being getting a High School helper each day for 1 hour and 20 minutes. These are students who are planning to pursue a teaching career in college. I have had a high school helper for the last 2 years.They have been a wonderful addition to my classroom, and the children benefit from additional adult support.

In the first 3 weeks we have been working on getting into a routine with our schedule. In Literacy we are working on using our letter sounds to stretch our words and write what we hear. All the students are willing to at least try and write something. We have a large range of skill ability in the room. Those that know all their letters and sounds are being encouraged to write more and to work independently as much as possible. The students who only have a few are getting support when needed.  Miss Meeks and myself have been pointing out all the wonderful beginner writers we have in the room. Even the beginning letter is celebrated!

We have been listening to a lot of stories and doing some comparison of different versions of the Gingerbread Man. On Friday the Gingerbread Man had left the back page of our book so we went looking for him around the school. The children had to figure out different clues and we moved around the building looking for him. We ended back in our classroom where we found some gingerbread play dough and a little bag of teddy bear cookies for each student.  The play dough was home-made. Not really meant to be eaten since they played with it but it is all edible. (very salty though!)

In Math we have been working on writing the numbers from 0-10 and learning all the different ways we can represent a number. We started our math books. As we work through the math curriculum we will be doing some paper and pencil activities and lots of hands on  manipulative activities.  As we work with the math book there will be homework pages as well as stapled packets of a mix of completed pages and pages that can be used as extra practice at home.

I hope you are enjoying the treasure story questions as a time to discuss stories with your child.

This week our Treasure story is The Rainbow Fish. Look for their canister on Friday.

Please read with your child daily!

...Have a good night.

Green Belt Karate

Lilly slept until 11 am! She had the right idea. It was dark, gloomy, and rainy well into the afternoon. I didn't try to wake her since her sleep schedule is all over the place lately. Unfortunately, that also meant that she didn't nap. This evening could be interesting...

When we went to the bus stop to get Shawn, it wasn't raining anymore, but it was muggy and +90°F! Blech!   

Shawn tested for his 3rd stripe for his green belt in Karate today! (Next test is in about 2 weeks for purple belt!) He wasn't as motivated or energetic about class today as he usually is. He seemed floppy instead of intense. Not sure what's going on with that.  

Meanwhile, Lilly watched eagerly perched in the doorway while snacking on crackers. She chimed in with, "Aa-YAH!" and a stomp/kick or an arm flail every once in a while.

This was actually taken yesterday, but she was doing the same thing today. "The anticipation of starting her own Ninja training is almost too much for Lilly to stand!"

Lilly and Shawn had dinner early, so when Raj got home, he and I had a stay-at-home dinner date and the kids played. Not entirely romantic, but there was candlelight! 

I made chicken & potato Vindaloo, saag (creamed spinach), and onion kulcha (flatbread). The Vindaloo sauce was pre-made; I just added chicken and potatoes. The frozen kulcha just needed to be warmed. I made the saag from scratch. It's not hard, but when Raj asked where I got the mix or the package for it, I took that as a good sign! We also had Moose Drool Brown Ale from Big Sky Brewing Company to cool down the spiciness. (Shawn loved the name!)

Shawn breezed through his math homework (counting). Then we had a  serious family talk about how karate went today. He admitted he was just making excuses about being tired. Raj and I explained that it's totally reasonable to be tired: school + karate is tiring! On the other hand, if he says he's tired, then it's time for bed and not time to play or do other activities. He can't turn on/off tired-ness at his convenience! (I wish I could!!) Seeing that he had no trouble being awake when we got home from karate, he must not have been THAT tired; therefore, even though he passed his stripe test in spite of his 'tired-ness,' his attitude in class and his test performance wasn't a reflection of his true effort. That's not okay. He apologized for (what he called) lying and agreed that faking wasn't a good choice. Regardless of if he was tired, 'tired,' or not, it was time for bed.

Lilly cat napped through the family meeting. When she woke, she wanted her Daddy and no one else. The two of them played quietly for a little while to have some much needed time together. Before long, she was ready for bed, too. 

Though they both went to bed easily, neither slept particularly well; therefore, I didn't either. Glad tomorrow's Friday. We need a chance to re-charge.