Bring a lunch!

Just a friendly reminder that tomorrow (Wednesday) and Thursday, your child needs a packed lunch!  Thank you!

Permission Slips

Two different permission slips for our field trips next week went home today.   Please return those as soon as possible, as the trips are Wednesday & Thursday next week.  Both days required a packed lunch and no cost is needed.

Remember, no school on Monday!

Thank you!

Coming Up

What a beautiful Sunday!  I hope you are enjoying yours.

We have some special activities coming up in the next couple weeks:

This week:

Last week, because of some scheduling mishaps, we were not able to take one of our NWEA tests.  Therefore, we will take it this week on Wednesday, May 22nd at 10:30 AM.  It is the Math 1 test.

Our May Scholastic Book orders are also due this Friday, May 24th - start stocking up on books for Summer!  In order for your child to maintain his/her reading level, it will be important to keep reading together over the summer.  Scholastic will often have "Leveled Books" that you can order, that will be just right for your child.  For most children, it would be a good idea to read Level C and Level D books over the summer.  If you have a question about your child's reading level and are looking to order books, let me know.  You can view the catalogs here: https://clubs2.scholastic.com/clubs/.

You can also use the Scholastic Book Wizard to find out what level books are.

http://www.scholastic.com/bookwizard/

Select "Guided Reading" level and enter in the book title.  It will generate the approximate reading level.

Remember, you can also use this tool to help you approximate a reading level: Click here.

Here is the leveling system for how the levels progress:

Ann Arbor Public Library should also be able to help you find and select Leveled Books for your child.  They also have some great "book bags" that include books and activities around a theme.  They also have listening libraries (books on CD).  All great resources to keep your children reading over the summer! :)

Next week:

Monday, May 27th:  No School

Wednesday, May 29th:  Health Exploration Station

We will be taking a field trip to learn about our bodies.  Please keep your eye out for permission slips this week.  We will be going from 10:30 AM to 1:30 PM.  This means, we will probably eat lunch BEFORE we go and snack after.  Please plan to PACK A LUNCH and HEARTY SNACK this day for your child, as school lunch will not be available for us.

I will also need a few chaperones (not sure how many yet).

Thursday, May 30th:  Haisley Pen Pal Field Trip

We have been writing letters back and forth with the Kindergarten classrooms at Haisley Elementary!  Each child has a buddy that he/she has been writing to, and we will get to meet them soon!  In the morning, we will be heading to their school to do some math activities, and then Haisley students will come to Carpenter for lunch and literacy activities.  Lunch will be at 11:30, and we hope to eat outside with our buddies.   Your child will need a PACKED LUNCH this day too.  From 12:15-1:15 we will do some literacy stations.  I may need a few parents during this time slot to help out.  Please let me know if you are available.  Thank you!

Friday, May 31st:  Field Day!

Each year, Mrs. Cope organizes outdoor field day activities for Carpenter.  It is a fun day!  Kindergarten activities will go from 9:00 am to 11:30 am.  Parents are welcome this day.  You may also contact Mrs. Cope if you are interested in running activities this day.

WOW we have a lot going on!

Heads Up: No Bagel Sale tomorrow!

There is no bagel sale tomorrow morning: Friday, May 17th.  Please plan to give your child a good breakfast at home.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother's Day!  I hope you all enjoyed some precious family time today and made our moms feel extra special! :)
Each Kindergartener made some special things for mom, so I hope they remembered to give those! :)

Here are some things from our week:

Mrs. Wishy-Washy
This week we read a fun story called Mrs. Wishy-Washy.  The kids enjoyed reading it multiple times throughout the week, and on Friday each Kindergartener made his/her own story props to practice re-telling the story.  Wow, did we do great with our re-tellings!!
Here is a video of the book:


Your child brought the story props home, so ask your child to re-tell you the story! :)

Cultivating Culture & Gardening Festival...
    was a hit!  Unfortunately I had a graduate class that evening, so I missed out on all the fun.  But Ms. Moray shared some great pictures with me:

Poetry

Here are some more examples of poetry from our little poets:

Our upcoming week:

MONDAY:  For this week, Mrs. Burau has switched our library check out to Monday (instead of Tuesday).  If possible, please send your library book in tomorrow.  Sorry for the short notice!

NWEA Testing

Wednesday at 10:30 AM

Thursday at 9:45 AM

and then we are done with the testing!

Resources for You!

Per my previous post regarding budget cuts, here is another way you can become involved in deciding what is cut in our district.  Here is a website that explains why we, as a community, should support Reading Intervention:

http://www.a2ri.com/

You will also find a link to a petition you can sign to support this effort.  I encourage you to learn about the program and decide for yourself.


Reading Text Levels
Today I came across a great document that explains reading text levels.  This will help you understand what your child is reading and what he/she should be able to read at different points in elementary school.  It gives some great examples.
Click here to view.
For Kindergarten, the goal is that all children be reading at Level C or above by the end of Kindergarten.  Many children do go beyond this in Kindergarten.  Keep up that reading! :)


Learning at Home
Remember to visit our "Learning Links for Kids" page for online learning activities!  Here is a great way to practice skip counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's.
Interactive 100s Chart

Watch this with your child for some fun learning at home:



Creative Consequences
Here is an article I stumbled across regarding consequences for misbehavior.  Give it a look!
Click here.


THANK YOU to all of the families who have donated things to our classroom.  THANK YOU to the Carlson family who donated 2 box fans to help keep our classroom cool in this warm weather!

AAPS Budget News

Once again, we are expecting major cuts for the upcoming school year.

This type of information is very important and affects your child's education.  

Click here for more information on what may be cut.

Teachers and Reading Intervention 1-2 Service are on this list.

This means larger class sizes and less support for young struggling readers.

So, how do you get your voice heard?

* Go to School Board Meetings to share your voice.

*  Email/write/call administration

Updates

This week we have a few events of importance:
NWEA Test Wednesday 10:30-11:10
Thursday, May 9:  Cultivating Culture & Gardening School Festival 6-8 pm

For next week, keep in mind our last two NWEA Tests:
Wednesday, May 15th: 10:30 am
Thursday, May 16th: 9:45 am


Home Reading Book Packages
I hope you all have been enjoying reading at home with your children!  It is so exciting to see the progress in your children!  Remember to read each day and to return the books every week to week and a half.
For some books, I am starting to include some additional "worksheets" that correspond to the A to Z books.  These worksheets work on beginning reading skills and comprehension.  These may require some teaching from you to your child and should be done AFTER your child reads the book.  THE DIRECTIONS FOR THE ACTIVITY CAN BE FOUND AT THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE! :)
Here are some examples you might see:

 For example, this works on sequencing the parts of the book.

For example, this works on a writing skill - adding a period to the end of sentences.

For example, this works on comprehension skills:  main idea and details.

Again, the instruction are found at the bottom for you.

Over the Summer, it will be important to continue reading together at home.  We will have two remaining book orders left this school year, so start stocking up!  May Book Orders were sent home today.  Click here to view and order online!

Spring Shoe Choices

As the weather gets warmer, we begin to see our beloved sandals and flip-flops.  Yahoo for Spring!  However, please do keep in mind that some shoes are not ideal or safe for recess play and P.E.  Dressy sandals and flip-flops are not very safe during these times, and we often see lots of tripping and falling.   My suggestion is to avoid sending your child to school in flip-flops.  Please make sure on Wednesdays and Fridays your child has tennis shoes/sneakers for P.E. as well.

We are in-need of the following supplies to keep our classroom running:

* Tissues

* Electric pencil sharpener