SOUPer Reader Night

SOUPer Reader Kindergarten Family Night will be held on Monday, December 12.  A supper of chicken noodle soup and chili will be served from 5:30-7:00, followed by information on the current gold standards your child is working on.  After the presentation, you are free to explore the different activities/games in the kindergarten classrooms.  There will be free books and games to take home.  You can come dressed as your favorite super hero or book character.  Come for all or just part of the night!  We have a fun night planned and we hope to see you all there!   

Math

We learned about tally marks in math today. We spent some time practicing tally marks on our smartboard and then students had a chance to walk around and survey their friends using tally marks. The survey was on our favorite kinds of cookies. The choices were chocolate chip, peanut butter, or sugar. Have your child find out what kind of cookies each of you like in your family by conducting a survey and recording the answers with tally marks.

Nielsen's Farm Visit

Farmer Luke Nielsen brought farm life to school for our kindergarteners. On Thursday, November 10th, our students were able to pet and feed sheep and baby pigs. They were surprised at how noisy the baby pigs were. After spending time with the animals the students checked out the tractor. They got to climb up and sit in the driver's seat. They thought this was pretty great. They were impressed with the size of the tires on the tractor. It was a great way to finish up your unit on farms. We would like to give a huge thank you to Luke Nielsen and his father for bringing farm life to school. To see more pictures from our farm visitors please click on the picture below.

Help!

I am in the process of making some new literacy and math games for our classroom.  I am looking for a few items to create these games.  If you have any of these items at your house that you are no longer using, please send them to school.  We will use them to create fun learning games for our literacy and math centers!

Here are the items I am looking for:

• Candyland
• Chutes and ladders
• Jenga
• Boggle Junior
• Clothes pins
• Plastic containers with covers
• Decks of cards

Halloween Party 2011

We had a blast at our Halloween party! First the students participated in Halverson's costume parade. Then the kindergarten students rotated amongst the three classrooms for their party. One classroom had games, another a craft, and the last one had apple slices with chocolate or caramel sauce and sprinkles. It was a busy but fun day! You can click on the picture below to view our Halloween party photo album.

Walk-A-Thon

We had another cold day to be outside for our walk-a-thon last Wedneday, but we managed to have fun despite the cold. After our nice walk to Frank Hall Park, we got to eat a yummy snack and drink hot chocolate. After resting our legs and filling our tummies the students played at the park. It was too cold to eat our lunch at the park so we headed back to school and ate our lunch inside our classroom where it was warm. Many students were not able to do the tatoos or face painting at the park, so the PTO brought them back to our classrooms for us. The kids loved the tatoos an face painting!

We want to thank everyone who helped with the walk-a-thon and also a big thank you to those who pledged money. Our fundraiser was very successful! We are excited to find out tomorrow how much our school raised, and which classroom raised the most money. Click on the picture below to view the photo album from our walk-a-thon.

Pumpkin Patch 2011

We had a blast visiting farmer Larry's pumpkin patch today! It was a little cold, but it did not stop us from having fun. The kids played a variety of outdoor games and then they got to pick their own pumpkin. Click on the picture below to view the album from our fun trip. A group picture will be posted soon. The batteries in my camera died so I am waiting to get a copy of our group picture from one of our parents volunteers.

Firefighters visit and Read for the Record

We had a fun filled week in kindergarten last week. We learned about fire safety and had firefighters visit. We also read the book Llama Llama Red Pajama for Read for the Record. To help us celebrate Read for the Record we were visited by some alpacas. Click on the picture below to view pictures of our fun week. Ask your child to share with you about their favorite part of our week!

Kindergarten All Start Sports Night

Please join us Monday, October 10 at 5:30 for our Kindergarten All Star Sports Night in Mrs. Reed's classroom (Rm 112).  We will start the night at 5:30 by eatting hot dogs and chips.  We will then share with you the gold standards we are working on in school.  After a brief time spent on the gold standards you will be able to go to the different kindergarten classrooms and make and  take games to help your child practice these gold standards.  There will also be a room where you can swap your old books and spend some time reading with your family.  It is bound to be a fun night!  Come for all or part of time!  We look forward to seeing you there!

September Reading Buddies

Click on the image to go to pictures from our time with our fifth grade reading buddies.

September Blog Update

Hello kindergarten families! 
It has been a while since my last blog post.  We are growing and learning new things every day.  One thing you may hear your child talk about is Daily 5.  Daily 5 is our literacy center time.  So far the students have learned how to do the read to self center and the work on writing center.  We are working on building our stamina so we can work at each center for about 12 minutes. Next week, we will learn how to do the ABC word work center.  While the students participate in literacy centers, I will be working with small groups of students in gruided reading groups.  This is a time where I can focus in on each child's learning needs and help them towards becoming successful readers and writers.  Ask your child about our Daily 5 time.  Watch for pictures of daily 5 to come soon!

You may also hear your child talk about reading buddies.  The fifth grade students at Halverson are paired with a kindergarten student.  The fifth graders read books to their kindergarten buddy.  As the kindergarten students become readers they will begin to read books to their reading buddy.  I will post pictures from our reading buddies time as well. 

 

Free choice 2011

We have had a fun start to our school year! If you click on the picture above you will get to see all of the different free choice centers the students can choose from. There are also pictures from snack. Ask your child about their favorite center.

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

Hello kindergarten families!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 school year.  We have a fun year of growing and learning ahead of us.  I enjoyed getting to know many of you at fall interviews and I look forward to working together with you throughout the school year.  Enjoy your last few days of summer!

See you Tuesday!
Mrs. Reed

Jump Start to Kindergarten

Thank you to all of the families that participated in the Jump Start to Kindergarten program at Halverson. It has been a fun three weeks and the students have grown and learned a lot. I look forward to seeing all of you again when school starts. Click on the picture below to view the album of pictures taken during the program. A huge thank you to the sponsors who made the Jump Start to Kindergarten program possible: Innovance, Mayo Clinic Health System in Albert Lea, Mrs. Gerry’s, Farmers State Bank, Nancy VanderWaerdt with State Farm, Culligan Water, Ecowater, and Kiwanis and Rotary clubs donated.

I look forward to seeing you all in a couple of weeks. Enjoy the rest of your summer!

Last Day of School

This year has flown by!  We have all grown and learned a lot.  It has been a fun journey and I hope your child has had a wonderful year.  Don't forget...your child needs to read and practice the skills learned so they don't lose any of it!  Have a fantastic summer! 

Kindergarten Picnic

We enjoyed beautiful weather for our picnic. We played some fun games and then we enjoyed eatting our lunches together. For dessert our PTO supplied us with ice cream sundays. It was a very fun day! Check out the photos to learn more.

Museum Trip

We had perfect weather for our field trip to the historical museum. The kids had a blast learning about the history of our area. Click on the picture to view the album from our trip.

Read-A-Thon Pajama Day



Friday, May 13th we will be having a read-a-thon day in kindergarten.  I thought it would be nice if parents could come throughout the day and read their favorite book to our class.  If you would be willing to come and read to our class, please e-mail or call me and let me know what time would work best for you.

Don't forget that your child should wear pajamas to school on Friday, May 13th and they may bring a blanket to lay on throughout the day when they are reading independently or listening to someone read.

Items Needed to Make Games for Our Classroom

I attended the Minnesota Kindergarten Association conference last Friday and Saturday and I walked away with some great ideas!  Many of the items I need to make the games and activities are household items that you may have lying around your house. 

If you have any of these items around your house and you would be willing to donate them to our classroom the students and I would really appreciate it.  The items will be used to make games for our Daily 5 (Reading) and Daily 4 (Math) centers.

-Gerber Clear Baby Food Containers w/ Lids (3.5 oz Plastic Containers not Glass)
-Clear Bottles w/ Lids (ex: Nestle Quick Bottles/Smaller Water Bottles)
-Small Cans w/ Lids (ex: Pringles Cans)
-Cool Whip Containers w/ Lids
-Butter Container w/ Lids
-Clothespins
-Paint Sticks
-Jenga Blocks
-Scrabble Letters
-Candyland
-Chutes & Ladders

Thanks so much!  If you have any questions, please give me a call. 

Class Poems

We have had a blast reading and writing poems for poetry month.  Below you can read a few of the poems we have written as a class.  Ask your child to share with you about some of the poems they have written.

Spring

Hot sunny day

Green grass

Pretty flowers

People playing

Birds chirping

Digging with a shovel

We love spring!

Easter

Sparkly eggs

Soft bunnies

Glittery clothes

Yummy candy

Sweet Chocolate

Easter is fun.

Winter

Snowy day

Cold wind

Making snowmen

White snow

Kids play

Slippery ice

Kids skating

Sledding down

I like winter.

Diamond

I am small.  I am soft

I am happy.

I like to play.

I like to bark.

I play tug-of-war with socks.

I run fast.

I love people.

Plant Update

Our class planted bean and pea seeds.  We have had fun watching them grow roots and begin to sprout.  Watch this video as two of the friends from our classroom share about our plants.

Plants

We kicked off a new science unit yesteday.  We are learning all about plants; the parts of plants, what plants need to grow, and the lifecycle of plants.  Please check out our video by clicking on the link below to see what we have learned so far about plants.

Mrs. Reed's Kindergarten Class Learns about Plants

Poetry Month

During the month of April, we will be talking about poetry.  We will  also be reading poetry and writing poetry as a class, in small groups, and individually.

Check out the links below to find some great poetry sites...

http://www.gigglepoetry.com/

http://www.poetry4kids.com/

Eagle Cam

Our class has started following a nest of eagles located in Decorah, Iowa.  So far two eaglets have hatched..You can follow the eagles at home by clicking on the following link.

http://www.ustream.tv/decoraheagles

SOUPer Bowl Sports Family Night

SOUPer Bowl Sports Night

Kindergarten families attended SOUPer Bowl Family Night on Monday, March 28th. Families had chicken noodle soup and cookies before heading off to their classrooms to make educational games to take home. Students made a sight word game in Mrs. Leach's class, addition and subtraction game in Ms. Rowland's class, and non-fiction animal trading cards in Mrs. Reed's class. Thanks to everyone who was able to make it! We had a great turn out!

Kindergarten SOUPer Bowl Sports Night

Don't forget to attend our SOUPer Bowl Sports Night tonight.  Our students have been working hard to help decorate our classroom for this event and they are excited to show their families.  We will be serving soup in the cafeteria at 5:00.  At approximately 5:30, we will move up to Mrs. Leach's classroom for a brief group meeting.  After the meeting, you will be able to go to the different kindergaten classrooms and make games to take home.  You will also be able to spend some time reading nonfictions books and create your own trading card to show what you and your child have learned.  You can come for all or just come for part of the night!   I hope to see you all there!

Ipod Applications

I have had parents asking me for a list of the applications we use on our iPods.  Please, check out my wiki to find pictures of the applications we use on our iPods. 

Students share what they have learned in kindergarten.

Our class did a writing project focusing on what we have learned in kindergarten.  Each child wrote about the things they have learned this year.  Below you will be able to enjoy video clips of the students telling you what they have learned.  You can also see their writing hanging up outside our classroom. 

Email updates for blog posts

It has come to my attention that some parents are not always aware of when I make new posts on our blog.  I have established a list of emails, based upon emails that you gave me at the beginning of the school year.  From now on, you will recieve email notifications informing you of new posts made to our blog.  It has become a fun and effective tool for us to communicate about daily happenings in our classrooms. 

St. Patrick's Day

The students were surprised to come into our classroom today and find that a leprechan had made a huge mess. They found some notes and a letter from Lucky the Leprechan. He was looking for gold in our classroom, but he did not find any. He appologized for leaving our room such a mess, and left treats for us to find. Check out these pictures from our fun day!

Online Educational Games

Check out some of the new links I have added to help your child practice reading CVC words, sight words, and addition and subtraction facts.

Iktomi Play

Iktomi

Today our class attended the play Iktomi at the Marion Ross Performing Arts Center.  Iktomi means spider. Iktomi is sometimes called Spider or Spider-Man in English, but he is usually depicted as a human man in Native American legends and stories. Iktomi is known as a trickster because he plays tricks on people. He also has some magical powers.  The students seemed to really enjoy the play.  It was a fun way to learn about the Dakota indians.  Check back soon for pictures from the play!

Seussville

Check out Dr. Seuss's webpage, Seusville at http://www.seussville.com/.

Kindergarten Registeration

Kindergarten registration is underway.  We will be hosting registration at Brookside on March 1st from 9-11am and also Thursday evening from 5-7pm.  We look forward to the new year and seeing your student in our school.  When you come to register, you will want to be sure you have an updated copy of your child's immunization records and birth certificate.  In addition, you will be asked to register in the school attendance area that you currently reside.  If there are changes, that information will be communicated sometime in May.

Dr Seuss's Birthday

We will be celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday tomorrow (March 2nd). Please remind your child to wear red and white.  Your child is more than welcome to bring in Dr. Seuss books from home to share (please write their name in the book). 

Valentine Party

We had a blast at our Valentine Party on Monday, February 14. Thank you to Angie Teeter and Carol Farris for putting together our party. The kids enjoyed making valentines, played bingo, and ate yummy snacks.

Fun Night

Fun night is on Friday, February 25th from 5-8pm.  We are always in need of people to help run the different games.  If you are able to help, please let me know and I will pass your name and phone number along to the Fun Night coordinator.

The baby cubs have arrived!

Lily the black bear gave birth to two cubs this evening! 

Lily and Hope Update

Our class has been anxiously awaiting the birth of Lily's new cub(s).  We check in on Lily and Hope often throughout the day.  We have been studying black bears and reading all the books we can find to learn more about them.  At 5:08 this evening, Lily showed signs of being in labor.  Last year, Lily was in labor with Hope for 22 hours, so hopefully some time tomorrow the new cub(s) will arrive.  Through our research on black bears our class learned that they usually have 2-3 cubs at one time (although one book we read said anywhere from 1-5 cubs).  We tallied how many cubs the students in our class thought Lily would have.  Two students thought she would have two cubs, and 13 students thought she would have three cubs.  Unfortunatly, we do not have school tomorrow so we cannot check in on Lily and Hope together.  If you get a chance, please go to http://www.bear.org/ and click on the link to Lily and Hope's den cam.  You can also read updates on what has been happening on the website.  I can't wait to watch and learn more about these bears with along with the students.

AIMSweb testing on Thursday, January 20th

The kindergarteners have a very important AIMSweb testing day coming up on Thursday, January 20th.  We use the data from theses assessments to determine your child's progress and learning needs.  Please make sure your child gets plenty of rest and eats a good breakfast.  It is  very imporant that your child comes to school that day, as we may not be able to have a make up testing day. 

Thanks for helping your child be successful with their AIMSweb tests!

Lily & Hope Update

As mentioned in an earlier post, we have been learning about bears and watching Lily and her one year old cub Hope.  Lily is about to give birth to her new cub any day now!  We are anxiously awaiting the new cubs arrival.  You can follow Lily and Hope by clicking on the following links.  One link is for the den cam and the other link will take you to Lily's facebook page where you can read updates on Lily and Hope.

http://www.bear.org/livecams/lily-hope-cam.html

http://www.facebook.com/lily.the.black.bear

Reading books at your child's level

It is a very exciting time in our classroom as many of the students have begun reading!  I have had parents ask where they can get books that their child can read.  I recently sent home scholastic book order forms.  There are several selections in the January book orders that would be great for your child to work on reading on their own at home.  See some selections below:

Firefly:

• Guided Reading Set 1 #24 - 30 books for $25 (includes reading levels A-C)
• Sound-Out-the-Words Phonics Reader Pack #71 - 10 books & 2 workbooks for $22
• Learn to Read with Spongebob Phonics Boxed Set Level 1 - 12 books & 12 flashcards for $12

Seesaw:

• Animal Safari Collection #4 - 5 non-fiction books for $15
• Spider-Man Phonics Fun #72 - 12 books for $12
• High-Frequency Readers Library #27 - 15 books for $18
• Guided Reading Set 2 #25 - 30 books for $25 (includes reading levels A-C)

Remember: Book orders are due January 19th.  You can send forms to school with a check made payable to Scholastic or you can order online at www.scholsatic.com/bookclubs.  Our class activiation code is: H4DCJ.  If you need new catalogs and order forms let me know.  Don't forget our class earns $3 in FREE books for our classroom library when you order online.  

 

 

Reading and math printable games on my Wiki

If you have not had a chance, please check out my wiki, which is located on the right side of my blog.  I have added some reading and math games that you can print from home and use to help your child practice different literacy and math skills. 

Lily & Hope - Bear Watching

We have been learning about Lily the bear.  Lily and her cub Hope are hibernating in their den right now.  However, Lily is expected to give birth to a cub soon.  We will be watching and keeping up with Lily, her cub Hope, and her soon to be new cub.  You can follow these bears at home by clicking on the following link. 

http://www.bear.org/livecams/lily-hope-cam.html

Mrs Reed's Wiki

Because I am unable to upload documents to my blog, I have attached a wiki page where you will be able to access our newsletters, flashcards, and a variety of other documents.  Please check the wiki periodically as I will be adding new things to it.  The link to my Wiki is located on the right side of my blog.  Right now you will find sight word flashcards on the wiki that you will be able to print from home. Many of the students have mastered or are close to mastering their letters and sounds.  We are shifting our focusing to reading words.  Please help your child practice these sight words at home.

Reading Buddies

Before winter break our reading buddies helped us create a stocking book. Both the kindergarteners and third graders enjoyed their time together.

New Year's Resolutions

Winter Party

We had a blast at our winter party. We made Christmas number books, decorated snowflakes, played bingo and ate yummy snacks. Thanks to our room parents Carol Farris and Angie Teeter for all of their hard work!