Wet Wednesday

      This morning's morning meeting was lead by Henry. Afterwards, the children wanted to color, so we worked on another addition to our Journals. This time, the topic was "My favorite thing at school is..." and the children drew their favorite thing to do at school. I then wrote their words under their pictures. These journal pages aren't coming home quite yet - I'll share them with you at your child's conference on November 9th. I'll collect them all year and we'll put them together at the end. This way, your child will have a complete journal at the end of the school year to take home.
     After fruit break recess, we had music class with the rest of the Seadogs. We then had a bit of science and art. We discussed the leaves changing again and talked about the colors leaves turn in the fall. We then painted leaves of our own with some watercolor paints. They turned out so beautiful! The leaves are wooden and will have a magnet added as soon as they dry. This way, you can easily display their work at home.
     We also had another wet recess. The children are still loving it! Please be sure to send in more clothes if your child has wet or muddy ones sent home. There are a couple missing spares.

     Please take note of the papers coming home today in your child's folder. They have the rescheduled date for pictures. Early Learner and sibling photos will be FRIDAY, OCTOBER 1.

Outside play on Tuesday, Sept. 27

Tuesday

     Today's morning meeting was lead by Sylvia. After morning meeting, we worked in small groups of 2 for math workshop. The children worked together to sort objects by color, then by size. We used all kinds of items from blocks to teddy bears. Sorting is a strange concept when you've never done it before! The children got frustrated, but stuck with it and figured it out.
     After fruit break, we had drama and Spanish. In drama class, the children have been learning about their personal space and respecting other people's personal space. Julie also said they're working hard on using their muscles to strike a pose and hold it. Each child is getting to use their creativity and leadership to come up with a pose and the rest of the class gets to be a follower and copy the pose. In Spanish class, Elena has been teaching the children colors and animals in Spanish. To reinforce colors, Elena gives each of them a stamp on their hand at the end of class. Before she'll stamp them with it, they must tell her the color ink they want in Spanish. Rojo(red) must be an easier one to remember because most of them had red stamps today!! :)
     You may notice your child is either a little muddy or has on different clothes. We had a blast outside today in the water puddles. They were having so much fun filling up the buckets and pails with water I didn't want to stop them. They were experimenting what happens when you add water to the mulch, the sand, and the grass.  They too had to take time to splash around a bit. ;) We'll play in conditions like these a lot this year, so just keep sending me changes of clothes and the rain boots! I hope to have pictures soon. Another teacher took pictures this morning while out during drop-off.
     Ruth Ann (one of our 4-6 year-old teachers) had a last minute doctor's appointment, so her class ate lunch with us today. After lunch, three of her students stayed with us for a sleepover during quiet rest. I loved watching as our class show Ruth Ann's students where everything in the room is. They got to feel like the big kids today!

Rainy Monday

     This morning, we played in the classroom until our usual time for morning meeting. Today's morning meeting was lead by Ashlynn. After morning meeting, we read a book about Muck, a bulldozer who has a sleepover. Afterwards, we learned what a character is in a book or story. We then picked one character and worked on our first journal page. A journal page is a standard paper with a box for a picture and a few lines underneath for writing. The children draw their picture, and I write their words at the bottom. At the end of the year, we'll have a whole folder full of journals.
      We then had fruit break and fruit break recess. Afterwards, we had music class with Kim. The children did a "statue game" where Kim calls out different things and they have to pretend to be that statue. For instance, if Kim calls out "table" the children pretended to be a table. They also sang a song about finding someone named Chipper.
      After music class, we had reading buddies with Katie's class. Her class read to ours and they drew a picture from the book. They then played a game where they had to work together with their partner in order for the game to run smoothly.
     We did have recess outside today, for the rain had subsided. The children had a blast playing in the puddles and wet sand!! It was wonderful to watch them experience it. Keep the rain boots coming on rainy days!!


Thanks to everyone who turned in the Blog Survey I sent home. It's important for me to know how you all feel so I can make adjustments as needed.

Friday

     This morning, morning meeting was lead by Jenna. Soon after morning meeting we had fruit break because we have Spanish a little early on Fridays. The children got to be with their Seminarian buddies while in Spanish today. Seminar students are the oldest on campus and will work with your children each Friday in Spanish class. After returning to class, we had a discussion about the type(s) of home we live in. We learned that some people live in apartments, some people live in houses, some people live in huts, and some live in tepees. While having this conversation, the children were not only learning about types of houses, but they were also learning how to have a conversation. Being actively involved in a conversation means taking turns talking and listening. This is sometimes challenging for a child of their age while conversing with 1 person. Today they practiced with 9. I must say it went fairly well!
     Later this morning, we had buddies with Betsy's class. This will also happen every Friday. Today in buddies, we learned 5 things about our buddy and they learned 5 things about us. They traced our hands and wrote a fact about us on each finger. We then helped them trace and do the same. It's so cute and heart-warming to watch the older students interact with the little ones. They're so patient and kind to them. Pictures will be added soon.

A Fall F.Y.I. is in your child's folder today! Just in case you misplace it, I've added it to the bottom of our blog as well. Please look over it, for it includes a lot of information about upcoming events.

Quiet rest items will be sent home today as well.

Have a great weekend and see you next week!

Thursday

     This morning, our morning meeting was lead by Ezperanza. Afterwards, we continued our study of our school theme by learning about the types of foods kids eat in the United States. We discovered that children eat chicken nuggets, fruit, cereal, and mac-n-cheese, to name a few. We then buddied up with Katie's class and made mac-n-cheese during MWS. This is a great way for our class to learn about following steps, ingredients, and build confidence that they too can cook. Katie's class is able to learn about measurements and fractions, as well as following steps, ingredients and building their confidence. The children had a blast and couldn't believe they helped make the mac-n-cheese. They worked on a recipe card with their big buddy while waiting on everyone to have a turn. Shortly thereafter was fruit break, so we took that time to test our cooking. The children all agreed it was right tasty!
     You may begin hearing your child singing about a green jellybean. They came back from music singing it this morning! It is a very funny song about eating a green jellybean and the remedies their friend comes up with to cure it. They also spent some time dancing and shaking out their wiggles.
     When the children came back, we went on a bear hunt. Several of the children had not done it before and had heard other children talking about it. Once I heard there were children who hadn't done it, I had to pull out the CD with "Going on a Bear Hunt" on it. Thus, we went on a friendly bear hunt. We didn't search for scary bears. The children said they found fuzzy, nice bears in the cave they went into. If you don't know what "going on a bear hunt" means, please ask! The children absolutely love it!
     Hope everyone had a great first day of Fall. Hard to believe with it being 90 degrees out. Come on, cooler weather! :)

Wednesday

     Today's morning meeting was lead by Dawson. After morning meeting, we completed our Family Pictures. I will soon have them hanging in the room - stop by and take a look!You will surely love your long, lean legs and big eyes. We had our Early Learner music class later this morning with Ruth Ann's and Tulie's classes. After music we took a look at some different leaves and discussed why they're beginning to change colors. We then read Fall Leaves Fall by Zoe Hall. This book discusses all of the wonderful things we typically do during the fall. We talked about raking leaves, collecting leaves, comparing leaves, wearing a jacket, etc. The children seemed just as excited as I am for Autumn to begin(all except the raking part!). Hopefully, the weather will cooperate and let us enjoy it!

Couple reminders:

• Quick Notes came out yesterday. Please click the link on the right hand side of our blog to check it out.
• SCHOOL PICTURES: Thursday, September 30th. These are individual portraits; we will take class pictures in the Spring. Sibling photos may be taken, but you must call the office (540-563-5036) by Tuesday, Sept. 28 and sign your children up. Sibling photos will only be taken of siblings on the list. Thanks!

Tuesday

     Some of you may have noticed the children gathered at the gate/fence at 8:40 this morning. We celebrated "Imagine Whirled Peace" by placing pinwheels the older children at school made in art class all along the fence. We helped hang them on the fence and got the whole school together to sing "The Big One". Some teachers were taking pictures so I hope to gather some up soon and add them to the blog.
     As always, we began our classroom time with our morning meeting lead today by Tallulah. We then worked in small groups sorting blocks by color and building during MWS. We took a break to eat our fruit break and have recess. After fruit break recess, we went to Drama class with Julie. Today, the children traveled from one place to another in the room while pretending to be something of their choosing. Julie uses this activity to teach the children spacial relationships and self control. Some of the answers I got when I asked the children what they pretended to be were:  ballerina, snail, camel, princess, frog, and bat. Ask your child what they pretended to be in Drama class! Julie uses this activity to teach the children spacial relationships and self control.
     After Drama, the children had Spanish with Elena. Unfortunately, we were so wrapped up in what we were in Drama, we ran out of time to talk about what we did in Spanish! They came back very happy and excited so I feel confident it must have been something fun! :)
    
     Be on the lookout for more information pertaining to Fall Festival this week. I plan to send home our first F.Y.I. within the next couple days.

As always, let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Monday

     We kicked off this week by having morning meeting. Lindsay was our leader today so she lead us through attendance, weather, the calendar, and our schedule. Afterwards, we began another literacy project that is also incorporated with our theme (weaving a world wide web). We shared who lives with us and drew a picture of our household. We then had fruit break and recess. In music class, the children must have sang "Old MacDonald" because they came skipping back in the room singing it.
     We then got together with Katie's class and did a buddy activity. The buddy in Katie's class read to their buddy in our class. They then drew and colored a picture from the story. We're going to try to do this every Monday at 11:15am. Both classes seemed to really enjoy it. I'll refer to this time as "Reading Buddies".

Thursday

     Hello everyone - this morning we began our morning with our regular routine of our morning meeting. Afterwards, we welcomed our buddies from Katie's class into our room and we worked on patterns for MWS (math workshop). The children went outside with their buddy and discovered two different items to make a pattern out of. Some chose rocks and sticks, others chose walnuts and mulch. The children then assembled their patterns on a piece of tag board - it's like thick cardstock. Most buddy pairs made an AB pattern (rock/stick), but some made ABB patterns (rock/stick/stick).

     After MWS, we headed in for fruit break and recess. We then had music with Kim. When the children came back, we rehearsed for our name skit tomorrow. Don't ask our class name, it's a secret! Class names will be revealed tomorrow at our Class Name Skits,  10:30 a.m. on the basketball court. We will perform first and it will be less than 5 minutes.


We hope to see you then!

Wednesday

     First of all, THANK YOU to everyone who came to Gatherings last night. If any questions arise, please don't hesitate to email, write, or talk to me. There are still several of your email addresses I don't have on file, so if you could, please send me a quick email so I have it easily accessible. (katlync@communityschool.net)
     What a productive day! We completed our "All About Me" projects this morning during literacy. Be sure to check them out on the windows when you're at the classroom next. We learned a lot of neat things about each other while working on this project.

     It has been truly amazing to watch as our class has bonded over the past week. They're all looking out for one another and are making sure everyone is happy. It really warms my heart to watch and listen to them on the playground as they take care of each other.

Quick Reminder:

• Friday Sept. 17, 10:30 a.m. - Class Name Skits (on the basketball court) Rain Date: Sept. 24
• We will perform promptly at 10:30, will be less than 5 minutes. Our performance will reveal our secret class name. Please come by and watch if you'd like! 

Gatherings

Tonight is the night! Gatherings are this evening at 7pm in the art room (big white building). Please try to attend! This event isn't only for new families, but is for returning families as well. We will go over several things pertaining to this school year. A few things we'll touch upon are: Fall Festival, Communication, Clothing, and our school-wide theme. Childcare is not provided at this parent-only event.

See you all tonight!

A Couple Reminders...

Please remember that this Tuesday(9/14) is our Early Learner Gathering. We will be in the Art room (on main level of big white building) and begin at 7:00pm. Please refer to Quick Notes for more information. Please try to attend ; it will be a great opportunity to learn about our plan for the year and to ask questions that may have come up since school has begun. Please note: This is an adult only event, childcare is not provided.


There are 5 spots left to be added to the email list of blog posts. Please let me know if you'd like to be added!

Also, when you get a chance, please send me a quick email so that I can have your email address on file and easily accessible. 

Thanks!

Monday

     After coming in from the playground, we quickly started our morning with our morning meeting. We then read If You Give a Cat a Cupcake by Laura Numeroff and talked about what we thought a cat would do with a cupcake. I had all kinds of answers from getting really excited to sitting on it. We then had fruit break and recess. Afterwards, we headed to music class with Kim. Kim says we have a very music-loving group and she's excited to work with your children. Have they been singing "The Big One" at home? They seem to love it and sing it in the classroom throughout the day.

     After music class, we came back to being our unit that really focuses on our school-wide theme: "Weaving a World Wide Web". We're beginning our journey by learning about ourselves and where we live. Next, we will begin exploring North America and travel to different areas by car, bus, motorcycle, and dirt bike across the country. We'll continue our focus on North America through October. 

     We started learning about ourselves and each other by reading All About You by Catherine and Laurence Anholt. We discussed what things we like, we don't like, people we live with, and how old we are. We then started a project where the children were to pick out our basic outline of a paper body and add eyes, a nose, their mouth, hair, and clothes. Only a few of us were able to complete the project today, but we'll continue it later this week.

We'll play outdoors again tomorrow. I have duty, so I'll be out on the playground as well. See you all tomorrow! 

Happy Friday!

     We made it! You can probably tell from your exhausted children that today is Friday. Overall, the class was a bit sleepier today than the rest of the week. Their little bodies are still getting used to their new routine, and will begin adjusting soon. Your child may also seem to be more hungry than usual. They've been playing (and working) very hard and may need more fuel to keep going.
     We started our morning with our morning meeting and everyone got out their "teddy bear"(we had a lot of bears in disguise!) and we shared them with the class. We talked about why that animal was special to us. Note: Don't worry if your child didn't bring one in, a couple of us shared our animals for quiet rest or picked one out of our stuffed animal bin. Here is a group photo of us with our animals:

     Today we went to spanish class with Elena and to a very special puppet show. The middle school students put on a puppet show for us to teach us about safety of the playground. We learned that sticks are for building and that we go to a teacher if we need help.We also learned that the big swings aren't safe for us to use yet - only when we're bigger.

Couple reminders :

• Weather permitting, we will begin playing outside beginning Monday, 9/13 upon arrival at school. The children will bring their bag up to the door of our classroom and head down to the playground to play.
• Sleep items will come home today to be washed. Please remember to send them back with your child Monday.

Thank you everyone for the supplies you've brought in! They are greatly appreciated. Have a great weekend with your child and I'll see you all next week! :)

Thursday

The kids had a blast this morning with Katie's class for MWS(Math Workshop). Katie's class introduced a classification concept. They grouped things with similarities together, and things that are different together. What better way than to get to get to know one another and find out what you have in common, and what is different? The children discovered some sets of buddies have the same color hair, and some buddies don't. They also discovered that some of them have a pet dog while others have a pet cat. Katie's kids wrote the differences and similarities on paper while our class helped draw and color the pictures.

We also had music class again today. The children have been singing about "The Big One" in class.

This week has flown by already! Tomorrow will be the last morning we'll all meet in the classroom before 8:45am. The children have been asking why they aren't playing outside, so I'm taking that as a sign that they're ready to go! The children all seem comfortable on campus now and the staff knows your children. Starting Monday, 9/13, the children will come to the classroom and put their bag by the door and head down to the playground to play until the 8:45 bell rings. PLEASE dress your child appropriately for the weather. Chilly Fall mornings will be starting soon. I'll still be around in the morning, preparing for the school day. Some mornings, however, I'll be on the playground for playground duty. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

Wednesday

We had another great day today! We started off this morning with our morning meeting and quickly moved into Literacy Centers. Since there were 7 of us today, I sat up 7 different stations around the table and the children rotated through them. We had a play-doh station, a station using clothes pins, and lots of different stations involving large, kid-friendly tweezers. In the tweezer stations, the children moved various things from one place to another, only using the tweezers. No fingers! These stations seemed to be the trickiest, but they'll get the hang of it once their hand muscles are more developed. You may be wondering why in the world we were playing with play-doh and scissors during Literacy. All of these centers help develop your child's hand strength and increase their fine motor skills. Among other things, strong hands are essential for writing and cutting.


The children had music with Kim today alongside all of the Early Learners. Our class, along with Ruth Ann's and Tulie's all go to music together on Wednesdays. They seemed to have a blast and from what I could tell, began learning a song about "The Big One". "The Big One" at Community School is: "Treat yourself, others, and the environment with care." What other way to teach the little ones that than through a song? Kim was creative and willing enough to write a song for the Early Learners to learn this concept at school.

Through this blog, I can set it up to email you whenever I make a post. Space is limited to 10 spots total, so if you or your spouse know you'll check it every day, please save the email option for someone else. If you'd like me to add you to the email list, please jot me a note in your child's folder with your email address.

I am enjoying all of your sweet children so much already! I am very excited to get to know you all this year.

I know the beginning of the school year is busy and you get a lot of information at once. PLEASE don't hesitate to ask me anything either in person, through your child's folder or via email : katlync@communityschool.net

Happy First Day of School!

     We had a wonderful first day! This morning, we went over some classroom rules and talked about different routines we have throughout the day. I was so surprised how engaged the children all were during our morning meeting. They were all so polite and sweet to one another. We introduced ourselves to the class and shared one thing we did over the summer. Looks like we have lots of beach-goers! We then did our "circle time" where we do the calendar, weather, season, attendance, schedule, etc. 

Later this morning, we had drama class with Julie, where the children acted out a story about a frog. We pretended to be frogs by jumping like them and eating flies, of course! 

     We then had spanish class with Elena. She brought in a few of her puppets and the children starting learning names of animals in spanish. They learned cat(gato) and duck(pato). They loved sitting in the floor and speaking closely with Elena. 

     We also had some time to explore in the classroom and of course, recess. Don't be surprised if they sleep hard tonight! They've had a very busy day. See you all tomorrow!