Jog-A-Thon Success

What a fun day it was yesterday! The children had such a blast being together with all of the Kindergarten students for the Jog-A-Thon and picnic. We heard today that the fundraising for this event at SCS for 2012 was over $6,000. Wow! Thanks for all of the support!

A Few Things to Remember

These next few weeks a packed with lots of "Zig-Zags" as our class likes to call changes to our schedule. Here are a few things to be sure to note right away. 1. Jog-a-Thon is tomorrow. The Kindergarten children will run at 9 am. You are welcome to come and cheer them on. Please be sure to put sunscreen on them at home before the children come to school. Please be sure that they wear sneakers. Water is provided and they will enjoy a special treat together after running. 2. The Journey Team picnic will be Thursday, June 7 at Shelburne Farms. Last year every child had at least parent/family member there to help celebrate the end of our year together. We are asking that other arrangements for siblings be made on this very special day for your child and you. Please come to meet us at Shelburne farms at about 11:45 am. A "Save the Date" paper will come home today and more information will follow next week.

Guinea Pigs, Oreos, One Fun Trip

We had a blast as a team at the Flying Pig Bookstore's story time today. Tracey Campbell Pearson read aloud a book that she illustrated called Guinea Pigs Add Up. We got to meet a real guinea pig named Oreo and enjoyed eating oreos on the way back to school. The children were so well behaved! I was so proud of them once again!

Learning About Our World

We had a special guest speaker today. Cate's mom, Allison, came in to teach the children about some places where she has lived. Here is a description of her time with us today. "Today Mrs. Hazen’s Kindergarten Class went on a global adventure far away from Shelburne, Vermont. We set off to the Middle East, a huge region that covers parts of the African and Asian continents. We learned that people in the Middle East live in hot deserts but also in green farmlands and by mountains, rivers, and oceans. They speak many different languages, like Arabic and Hebrew. Cate’s mom lived in the Middle East, and we saw pictures of her at the ancient pyramids of Egypt, the Old City in holy Jerusalem, and the Mediterranean cost of Tunisia. Cate’s mom showed us how once upon a time she spoke Arabic and Hebrew, and we learned how to write our names in Arabic. Arabic is written backwards, from right to left! We also learned that hamsa is a special good luck symbol in the Middle East. Hamsa means “five” in Arabic, and it is an open palmed image of five fingers that represents blessings and protection. Different religious traditions have different names for the good luck hamsa. Muslims call it the hand of Fatima (Muhammad’s daughter); Jews call it the hand of Miriam (Moses’s sister); and Christians call it the hand of Mary (Jesus’s mother). We made a hamsa by tracing our thumb and first two fingers of our left hand and then the thumb and first two fingers of our right hand. Then we cut out our hamsa, covered it tightly with magical silver foil, and etched symbols into the silver. Finally, we painted a big eye in the center of the palm for protection. The kids can make the hamsa a necklace, hang it on a window, keep it as a bookmark, or just hold onto it as a good luck charm. We closed our global adventure by talking about how the world is very big, very interesting, and very different. When asked where in the world the kids might like to explore one day, they answered enthusiastically: Egypt! South Africa! California! Mexico! Lebanon! Florida!"- by Allison Kingsley

Questions, Questions

The children have been participating in some whole group mini-lessons on questioning non-fiction text before reading to find out new information. Today I read aloud a book called Tornado by Catherine Chambers. Before reading, they helped me to fill in a t-chart graphic organizer with questions they had before reading the text. After reading the book, they helped me to figure out if our questions were answered and we wrote down new information that was learned. We also call them "Ah Ha Facts!" Tomorrow they will be working with their reading partners on trying to complete these graphic organizers with books they can read and facts they learn all on their own. They are all such great writers, thinkers, and readers now! I love this time of year because it allows them to incorporate all of their skills into fun projects.

Arbor Day Celebrations

Today our school celebrated Arbor Day by planting two new trees together on the School Street playground. Our class read some sentences about trees in front of the group for part of the celebration. The kids enjoyed may books, songs, and art opportunities around the topic of trees today.

Walking Field Trip

Journey Team Field Trip Our team has been invited to visit with the author named Tracey Campbell Pearson at the Flying Pig Bookstore on Wednesday, May 9th. We will be leaving school at 10:30 am to walk to the book store. The kids will be having lunch at school when we arrive back at approximately 12:00 pm. Please be sure that your child wears appropriate clothing and sneakers for walking on this day.

Sink or Float

Today the kids worked in cooperative learning groups to complete a science activity. They were given roles within the groups. We will be doing more of this in the weeks to come.

New Daily Sign In

The kids are now signing in every day by their last names. It is a little tricky but great practice.

2nd Annual SCS K-2 Field Day

Tomorrow the kids will be taking home a very important note about our SCS K-2 Field day which will be Friday, June 1 from 9-11am. We will be purchasing team t-shirts and will need you to return the order form with the size you would like your child to have. No need to send money as it is our pleasure to buy the shirts for the kids as a fun memory keepsake for the year. If you can help run one of our field day "Dress Up" stations, please let me know. We will need each volunteer to be able to commit to being available for both Friday, June 1 and on the rain date of Monday, June 4th.

Goodbye Butterflies

Goodbye butterflies! The kids had the opportunity to watch five caterpillars transform into butterflies just before vacation. Today we let them go!

The Beginning of the Journey Garden

Our class practiced being botanists today. Each child helped to prepare our team garden. They planted our school's early crop spinach and radish seeds.

Our Little Seeds!

Today Stella's mom, Halina, came in to teach the kids about seeds. They learned about their three main parts: embryo, endosperm, and seed coat. Joshua got to be dressed us as our cool classroom seed. Ask your child to find items around your house to act out being a seed for you. VERY CUTE!

Little Scientists

Today we had a group of parent volunteers come in to make lava lamps with the children. They had so much fun observing what happens when oil and water come in contact with each other. I sent home directions just in case you wanted to try it again at home.

New Classroom Guests

Our room is turning into a very cool science lab. Last Friday our Painted Lady Caterpillars arrived for the children to observe. Jacob Whitcomb also brought in an abandoned hornet nest today. We will be begin growing an enchanted garden and some crystals later this week.

Congratulations Authors!

Today was our Kindergarten writing celebration day. The TreeHouse team came down to our space to share their "How To" books with us. Our team has been writing poetry and every child had a small collection of poems to choose from while partner reading with kids from TreeHouse. Our class lead a sing along of the song "It's a Small World". Every child took home an author medallion. It was a fun time!

A Few Fun Recent Photos

Popcorn, Poetry, and the Five Senses

Plastic bottles

We still need one small, empty plastic water bottle for every child in our class for an experiment on 4/6. If you have any, please consider donating. Thanks.

Request from Front Office

Please remember to go to the office to sign your child out of the building whenever s/he is leaving early. The office will then call the classroom and we will have the child get ready to be picked up.

Also, if your child is arriving after 8:10, please be sure to go to the office for a blue slip first. The child will then give this slip to the teacher.

Thanks for your help.

Happy Spring: Classroom Update

Here is a breakdown of what the kids are studying in each subject area:

Reader's Workshop/Guided Reading Groups: Reading Comprehension strategy of Questioning, Poetry

Writer's Workshop: Poetry-We are getting ready for a Kindergarten writing celebration with the Treehouse team on Monday. By then, the kids will have written about 5 poems each. On Friday, they will bind their own poetry to make their own poetry anthology books to share at the celebration on Monday:)

Math: Measurement, 5 new math workplaces will be introduced by Monday of next week.

Science: Being a scientist unit- They are learning how to record their observations in a science journal. They will be applying these observational skills to an activity where they will write poems about jelly beans and popcorn using their five senses. Of course they will get to eat them as well! I am looking to borrow some microscopes for our new dramatic play area which the kids want to turn into a science lab. The offer still is out there for any parents to come in to teach the kids something they may know about science. They love to hear other voices!!!!

Personal/Social Development: We have been getting outside again in the AM for an extra recess. The kids love this ten minute break and it comes right between writer's and reader's workshop so it revitalizes them for some more deep thought and successful work time.

This time of year is so much fun. They can do so much and are all continuing to love school.

Thanks for taking the time out of your busy schedules to meet with me for conferences! FYI-If you have scheduled a time to meet with me these past two weeks, you do not need to schedule another conference for April 20.

Journey Spring Clothing and Boots

We just wanted everyone to know that you can keep the snow pants at home from now on. However, every child still needs to wear boots and a proper coat as well as hats and mittens if needed. Rain pants may also be helpful because the children do love to crawl around and sit on the ground. With rain pants, we can avoid having to have them sit in wet clothing for the remainder of the day. We asked the children to be sure to wear their boots to and from school so that their backpacks can lighten up a little. Shoes take up a lot less space.

Also, I am sending home extra clothing today for you to check to be sure that they fit and that they are appropriate for the current weather. Every child should keep a change of clothing either in their backpacks or their cubby.

Thanks for your help in trying to eliminate the dirt and mud mess in the classroom by sending boots to school EVERY DAY until further notice.

Progress Reports and Conferences

Progress reports were sent home in the students' yellow folders. I am excited to discuss your child's progress at our conference time in the upcoming weeks.

K-5 Unified Arts Teachers will be available in their classrooms on Monday, April 16th from 3-5PM for Parent Conferences. Please feel free to schedule a conference or simply stop in to see them if you have questions.

Calling All Water Bottles

We are in need of empty plastic water bottles for a craft/science experiment on Friday, April 6th. We need one for each child. The smaller 12-14 oz. personal sized ones would be best. Please send one for your child. If you have extras, we will take them as well.
Thanks a bunch once again!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

After beginning the day with listening to The Cat in the Hat, the kids got to create their own hat to wear to our school assembly to honor Theodor Seuss Geisel. We began work on a bulletin board within our classroom inspired by the story called And To Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street. Two guest readers, Ms. Miller and Mr. Madden came in to read various favorite Seuss books. There was green eggs and ham for lunch. Fun stuff on this first day back!

Hello Over Vacation

I hope that everyone is enjoying this winter vacation. Finally, snow in the Champlain Valley! I also hope that everyone is staying healthy. Just before break many kids were home sick with a common illness that seemed to sweep across the classroom. I even got it and am thankful for some quiet time home to recuperate. I still do not have my voice back fully but am on the mend!

During the month of March, we are beginning a science unit called "Being a Scientist". If you are interested in coming in to do an experiment or discuss a job that you have that is in the science field, please let me know. The kids always love this unit.

Well, goodbye for now and I cannot wait for Dr. Seuss's birthday festivities at school on Tuesday!

Corking

The children had fun learning how to do a new knitting activity called Corking today. Thank you so much Nikki, Dana, and Jeanne for teaching us this craft. Please encourage your child to continue with his/her corking at home this weekend. Who knows, maybe you will want to cork too!

Spring Conferences

Our classroom conference sign up has been updated and is ready for everyone to sign up for a time to come in to discuss student progress. Simply go to www.scsvt.org, click on teams, then Journey Kindergarten, and finally find the page line on the left for our classroom conference sign up.

Thanks so much! Can't wait to talk about everyone's progress!

Zero the Hero

SCS Book Fair News

The Scholastic Book Fair is coming to SCS next week. Our class will be going to preview the books on Monday morning. Our buying time is Friday 2/17 at 9:30. If you would like to send your child in with money to buy a book, please do so next week and we will send kids with money down with our team para on Friday. I would prefer for families to come buy books together with their children at the after school family night times. The after school hours will be Tuesday and Thursday from 3-8PM. If you cannot make any of those times, no problem. Just send your child to school on Friday with money. Happy reading!

Happy 100th Day of School

Hip, hip, hooray! It is the 100th day of Kindergarten. We celebrated by making these special crowns that helped the kids count to 100 by tens and ones. They also tried really hard to write 100 words from an activity that we call "Write Around the Room." The Hiyaku snack was really yummy and the kids worked together to count by hundreds to see how many pieces of food were in our trail mix...1900. Wow! This afternoon the kids will enjoy a special visit from our 100th day hero named "Zero the Hero". They will also begin learning how to work their way around a hundreds chart. All of this on Kindergarten concert day! What great workers!

News About the Kindergarten Concert

I am excited to announce we will be streaming, LIVE, our kindergarten program! A first at SCS!! Those not able to attend will be able to view the concert over the Internet! I am sending a note home today with the details. Check it out!

Healthy Choices Restaurant

Our classroom restaurant in now open. Thanks for the many donations. As of now, I think we are all set with items. If you have anything out of the ordinary that you think we may not have and the kids would enjoy, please consider donating it to our dramatic play area.

Calling All TP Rolls

We will be doing a craft in a few weeks that involves empty toilet paper rolls. Please send any that you may have in. Thanks.

Busy February

Please be sure to look at the list of upcoming dates to remember. I will outline a few in this post.

2/8 Kindergarten Concert at 9:00 AM in the gymnasium

2/8 100th day of school-We will be celebrating by having a day filled with fun math activities. We will also be making a special trail mix snack on that day together. Each child will be asked to bring in a small bag with 100 small food items to add to our special mix. More information will go home with the kids on Friday about this snack.

2/13-2/17 Book Fair week- We will have a preview time on 2/13. There are night hours that you can bring your child to. I actually prefer this over having you send money in. We will have a time as a class to send any children to the Book Fair that have money. That is TBA.

2/14 Valentine's Day Party- Please let me know via email (ahazen@cssu.org) if you might be able to send in one of the following items as I want to plan a special AM snack: muffins, juice boxes, napkins, fruit salad.

As you can see, February is a very busy month. We also have Ground Hog's Day and Presidents' Day to celebrate. For these many reasons, Rue and I have chosen to hold off on beginning our next science unit called "Being a Scientist". That will begin in March. Instead, we have begun a unit on Friendship. The kids have been listening to many books about friendship and have been role playing different scenarios about how to be a good friend. Be sure to ask your child about our new "Friendship is..." candy heart inspired bulletin board. I'll try to post a picture of it tomorrow.

Date to Remember

The SCS Kindergarten Concert for 2012 will be Wednesday, February 8th at 9:00 am. Mark your calendars for a fun event.

Classroom Work Update

Here is a breakdown of what your children have been learning recently:

Fundations: Uppercase letter formation and multisyllabic word work
Reader's Workshop: Guided Reading Groups have begun and the kids are working in groups based on reading levels. They are also continuing to work on independent and partner reading skills work incorporating use of taught reading strategies.
Writer's Workshop: Personal Narratives, sentence structure, adding details to writing pieces
Math: numeral writing 11-20, addition concepts, money (penny and nickel), many new math games for workplace use

Assessments in all academic areas are complete once again. I love checking in on the kids. Their progress at this time of year is impressive and it's always fun to form new work groups to get everyone to the next level!

Items Needed

Next week I will be on a mission to collect new items to make the dramatic play area of our classroom into a restaurant. If you have any of the following items at home and would like to donate them, please send them in. I am looking for the following:
aprons,oven mitts, table clothes, fake flowers and plastic vases, menus from different local restaurants, trays, place mats, etc. If you can think of anything else fun it would be appreciated. This will be a literacy and math center as well. I will be teaching the kids how to make lists by taking food and orders. They will learn how to identify coins as well as bill values. The cash register will be in full swing I am sure.


The Doctor's office in our classroom has been a blast for all of the kids to play in. They loved all of the unique items sent in. I will put the items aside for later use unless I hear back from you. I know many of the items families may need back. Please email me to make arrangements for getting them home.

A big thank you once again for helping to make our classroom such a fun place to be!

1,2 Buckle My Shoe

The kids have begun reading groups and are learning the first steps to becoming active readers. Today, we used this prereading activity to talk about keeping track of where they are in their reading. We call it 1-1 match and as the kids are reading at home, please cue them to use their fingers to track the text they are reading and to get their mouth ready for the next word. Please encourage your child to read 1,2 Buckle My shoe to you at home using the rebus pictures and the real text.

A Big Thank You

I want to thank you all for the generous holiday gifts. I know that I've told you before but I want to reiterate how much of a gift you already give me every day by sharing your wonderful children with me. Have a great, snowy weekend:)

A Peek at Work Time

As the kids were working today, I took a couple of photos so that you could see how dedicated they are to work time. Picture Perfect!

Active Readers

The kids are on the move and ready to continue learning how to be active readers and writers. The past two days we have reviewed the workshop processes and their brains are once again ready to continue learning to better themselves. Here are a few photos from today as they were "Reading Around the Room".

Winter Clothing

Snow is finally here is Shelburne. Please remember to have the kids wear boots, hats, mittens, and snow pants to school every day until further notice. They must also have an extra pair of shoes to change into to wear in the building. Thanks for your help!

Happy New Year

Hi everyone! I hope all is well with you and your family in the beginning of this new year. I can't wait to see the kids again tomorrow! Happy New Year!

Extra Change of Clothing

Please be sure that your child has a full set of extra clothing in a labeled zip-lock bag here at school. The nurse does not currently have extra clothing to loan out. I encourage the kids to keep this set of clothing in the bottom shelf of their mailbox area.

December PTO Notes

PTO NOTES & NEWS FOR DECEMBER 2011
The PTO gave out $3618.78 for our FALL GRANTS. Grants included: Flat screen TV's for the office to better monitor the doors, new e-readers and e-books for the library, new books for the library, recess equipment, sheet music for the chorus programs, and a portable induction cooktop for FEED in-class cooking activities.
We voted to spend $500 to help fund a speaker in March who will work with students, teachers and parents doing a BULLYING WORKSHOP.
WANTED: There is a 2 YEAR SCHOOL BOARD OPENING. This will replace Mary Catherine Jones who is not running for re-election. If interested you would need to file and have 30 signatures by January 30. You can get forms from the town clerk and can call Mary Catherine Jones (985-9882) if you have any questions.
Winton teacher, Lisa Phelps and middle school counselor, Rachel Petraska, organized a FACULTY FOOD DRIVE that provided Thanksgiving meals to over 20 Shelburne families.
HOLIDAY COAT DRIVE is still going. They are still in need of coats and any winter gear - boots, hats, gloves, etc.
The PTO HOLIDAY FAIR was a great success as always! There was some talk of making it shorter next year (currently it goes from 9:30-1:30). Let us know if you have any thoughts on that.
At the Holiday Fair the PTO did silent Auctions of a family membership to The Edge and a donated book which brought in $785 that will go to the Angel Fund.
The SKAT LEGO ROBOTICS class traveled to Dartmouth College in November to participate in a LEGO Robotics tournament.
VISITING TEACHER FROM CHINA, Tao ye has been working with K-8 classes sharing lessons on Chinese culture, language, calligraphy, art and even eye massage.
Thanks to the Teaching from Space Office at Johnson Space Center, Allan Miller has real ANTARCTIC METEORITES & MOON ROCKS that he has been sharing with students in all K-8 classes.
On November 28 when we all had off, SCS faculty participated in a PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Day which included work on: curriculum mapping, defining goals for the School Action Plan, sharing curriculum work done over the summer and a meeting of the configuration committee.
On December 9 a team of 6 middle school teachers and our math and literacy coordinators attended a ONE DAY WORKSHOP ON BRAIN RESEARCH at Dartmouth College. They explored what recent neurophysiology discoveries mean in terms of designing our best classroom instruction.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS:
Friday, 12/16 - Middle school dance
Thursday, 1/5 @7:30p - Jazz/Pop and Show Choir Concert
Friday, 1/6 - Red Barn fundraiser begins
Thursday, 1/12 @ 7p - School budget forum
Thursday, 1/19 @ 7p - 4/5 Chorus concert
Friday, 1/20 @6p - PTO International Potluck Dinner
Monday, 1/30 @ 6:30p - Youth Risk Behavior Survey dialogue with Margo Austin

THANK YOUS TO:
Sharon Harkness, Wendy Hallock, Leslie Borrok and Courtney Tharpe for coordinating the wonderful Holiday Fair!
Kate Danforth for running the coat drive
Jan Thabault for organizing the holiday baskets
Everyone who helped on the grants committee
Everyone who helped and shopped at the Holiday Fair.

NEXT MEETING: Tuesday, January 12, 2012, 6:00pm
As always babysitting and pizza provided!

Story Bit: The Little Engine that Could

This week we read the story of The Little Engine that Could by Watty Piper. The children were introduced to the words dingy, bellowed, and persevere. A large part of our discussions about the book were around the topic of perseverance.

Chinese Numbers

Today we had the privilege of having a visiting teacher from China come to our classroom to teach us Chinese characters and pronunciations for numbers 1-10. She showed a slideshow of her home town. Thank you Tao!

Moon Rocks

This morning the kids had a special surprise presentation from Mr. Allan Miller, our SCS 6-8 Principal. He brought in some rocks that came from the Moon to show our inspiring scientists. He has connections to NASA and the rocks are on loan to SCS for a little while. How cool! The discussion that followed in the classroom raised some very important questions that our class jotted down. We will invite Mr. Miller back in to answer some more of their questions. I am very proud of their observations and wonders! Great scientific minds already!