Back To School!

Welcome to Kindergarten!!

This week we began the 2012-2013 school year.  We had a fun and exciting first few days of school.

Ms. Marzoni's kindergarten class at Purvis Lower Elementary!  Looking great, Star Students!

Enjoy this video of the students giving a tour of our school.

On the first day of school we read the book "The Kissing Hand".  This is a wonderful story about how to be brave when you start a new school year. 

 Everyone made a handprint keepsake with their own "kissing hand". 

 They also made a "first day of school" certificate.

 For snack the class worked together to make a "friendship salad".  We pretended the bowl was our classroom and we want to put kind friends in our class.

Fruit cocktail: Friends that share

 Strawberries: Friends that are hard workers

 Grapes: Friends that are kind

 Marshmallows: Kind words

 Yogurt: Happy days in Kindergarten

Then last ingredient was a rotten banana, the rotten banana represents hurtful words and friends that are not kind.  The students quickly decided they did not want a rotten banana in the fruit salad, and we discussed how if we were to act unkind we would add trouble to our class.  

After all the mixing, it was time to enjoy our delicious "Friendship Salad"!

 We played a fun game were students chose a card from the basket and shared either their favorite color, food, or animal.  This was a fun way to begin to learn about our new classmates.

Everyone's favorite part of the day - CENTERS! 

 The students are quickly learning their daily routines.  Each morning after they unpack their backpacks they make their lunch choice on the Promethean board.  They have learned this very quickly, they're on their way to becoming Promethean Pros.  In a few weeks when everyone is comfortable with the board, we will start using individual "voters" to make the lunch choice.

We read many wonderful books this week. 

 We especially loved the books "The Gingerbread Man" and "The Gingerbread Girl".  In both of these books the gingerbread runs away!  The baker and many other characters chase after him to find him.  

 We pretended that the gingerbread man was loose in our school.  We went all over the school on a gingerbread hunt!

First stop - The library with Mrs. DeFatta.  

 He wasn't there so we were off to the cafeteria.

 Still chasing the gingerbread man and checking in the gym with Coach Harvison.  

 Maybe he is hiding in the music room with Mrs. Rose?

 Still looking, Mrs. Scarlett in speech said he was still on the loose.

 Nurse Katie couldn't find him either!

 Mrs. Pressley, our school counselor, said he had just passed by her office.

 Finally!  We caught up with him in the principal's office!  Mrs. Downs gave us each a gingerbread cookie for snack.  What a fun hunt and an excellent way to learn our way around PLE!

 The students had their first homework assignment on Thursday night.  They were asked to bring items from home to share with their friends.  This was fun and we found out some pretty cool stuff about our classmates.  

 We had a great start to a fun school year!  

Coming Up Next Week....

Phonics: Mm

Math: 2D Shapes

Thematic Unit: Our School

If you have not returned all of your registration forms and emergency card please do so ASAP.  If you need additional copies I can send some home with in your child's folder.

If you send money to school, please place it in your child's folder in an envelope.  On the envelope write what the money is for and your child's name.  Thanks!!

Friday, August 17 - The deadline for T-shirt orders and fees is this Friday.  Please get your orders in this week.

Friday, August 17 - Each month your child will have a Scholastic Book Club order form in their folder.  If you are interested in ordering mark the order form, send cash or check payable to SCHOLASTIC.  I will place the order and send the books home when they are delivered.  This month's order form will be in your child's folder on Monday and the orders are due Friday.

Monday, August 27 - Grandparents' Day Lunch - We are inviting all grandparents to a special lunch with their grandchild.  Mark you calendars!  More information about this special lunch will be going home soon.

Monday, August 27 - Open House - 5:30 pm - 6:30 pm - Come see what your child has been learning in Kindergarten at the fun back to school night.  

Behavior-

The students are doing an excellent job learning the rules and procedures at school.  In our classroom we "turn cards" if we are unable to follow the rules.  We also have a "WARNING" system in place.  Before they "turn their card" they are given two warnings, they are asked to move their pin (clothespin) as a warning before turning their card.  This is strictly a warning and a way to help the students keep their behavior in check.  They are not punished for moving their pin and this is not documented.  So if you hear your child say they have moved their pin, it was only a warning, they did not lose recess.  I find that by giving students a visual cue for warnings it allows them to be more aware of their behavior before "turning their card".  

The "blog password" is a fun way for students to remind parents to check out the blog and what they have been learning at school.  The class blog allows for the student to share with their parents and family what they have learned in Kindergarten that week.  At the end of each blog post there will be a "blog password," when the student tells me the password at school (remember to whisper, it's top secret :D ) they will receive a special prize.

BLOG PASSWORD: KINDERGARTEN