Thursday, November 6, 2014

Letterland Parade!

Letterland Parade
Is This FRIDAY!

Please send your child to school dressed in their Letterland costume.  If it is a costume that’s not easily worn on the way to school, just send it in a bag and we’ll be glad to help them get dressed in the morning.   Don’t forget to send in an object for your child carry in the parade that begins with the Letterlander’s “special sound”!   

Our goal is to start the parade right after the news.   News usually begins around 8:20-8:25 and so we should be parading down the hallway by 8:40.  I hope you will be able to join us in the hallways for the parade and then immediately following the parade, we’ll gather in the gym for a quick assembly.   The assembly is a chance for each “Letterlander” to gather on the stage and show off their costume and their object! 
We look forward to seeing you on Friday!!!

IB Learner Profiles
The children and I have been reading literature to help us learn our IB Learner Profiles.  As a response to the readings, the children drew pictures and gave me a quote about how they exhibited that particular learner profile.  It has been a wonderful tool to build the vocabulary and the understanding about each profile.  We often take the opportunities to recognize circumstances in which we can practice specific profiles such as being principled or open-minded. 

Here is a list of our IB Learner Profiles
Principled
Knowledgeable
Open-Minded
Reflective
Inquirer
Caring
Thinker
Risk-Taker
Communicator
Balanced

1st Quarter Parent-Teacher Conferences
I am scheduling parent-teacher conferences beginning next week.  Look for the yellow conference sign up sheet coming home in OTIS today. 
I look forward to meeting with all of you! 


Wednesday, October 22, 2014

CREEPY CRAWLY DAY

*CREEPY CRAWLY DAY-

We will have a Creepy Crawly Day in Kindergarten to celebrate this SPOOKY time of year.  On Friday, October 31 from 8:45 - 10:30 am we will have some creepy centers in our classroom.  We will need some supplies and some parents to help out.  If you can donate any items or can volunteer your time, please sign up by clicking on "Creepy Crawly Day sign up" under Important Classroom Links. 

Creepy Crawly Day is a fun time for the students so we appreciate all your help in making this a successful event!  Please send in items as you get them, or at least by Monday, October 27. 


*Library Books-
Please make sure your child returns his/her library book after they finish reading it.  We will visit the library every Wednesday as a class and children are allowed to check out a new book if they have returned their other book.  Kindergarteners are allowed to check out one book at a time at this point in the year.  After books have been checked out for 2 weeks, they are considered overdue.  Please encourage your child to take care of the library books as you will be charged the cost of replacing the book should it be lost or damaged. 

*Highlights Magazine

Highlights Magazine order forms will be sent home this week in OTIS.  For every signed order form-WHETHER OR NOT YOU ORDER- our class can earn free items.  We would like to get more books for our class library, so if you can return these order forms, we would appreciate it!  Remember, we receive free items even if you are not ordering; we just need parent signatures to show you were offered the magazines!  There are 4 different magazines published by Highlights, so please return all of them so we can earn more free gifts.  Thank you for your help with this!!

Friday, October 17, 2014

October 17 Update

Our Pumpkin Field Trip
was a HUGE success yesterday!
The weather held off and the sun came out!  We couldn’t have asked for a nicer day! Thanks to all our chaperones who made the trip so awesome! 
If you have any pictures that you can share, please send them my way so I can share them with the class! 


VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES
Book ‘n’ Bite: One week in every month will be Book ‘n’ Bite!  What’s Book ‘n’ Bite you ask.  Well, it’s a time to volunteer to come to school, armed with picture story books, and read to a small group of children while they eat their lunch in our classroom.  It’s loads of fun and the kids LOVE it!  I have made a Google document for you to sign up to be a Book ‘n’ Bite reader.  It is posted as a classroom link.   Youll meet us in the cafeteria at 12:10 and Ill have a list of 5-6 children for you to take back to the classroom where you can read to them while they eat their lunch!  If you forget your books – don’t worry we have tons in our classroom book nook!  This is a great time for your children to share their favorite stories!  So please take time to look over the dates and sign up!!

Mystery Reader:  The mystery reader will read a book of their choice to the class at 11:40 AM on most Friday mornings.  Mystery readers should email me with three clues about themselves.  The clues will be revealed throughout the week and the class will have the opportunity to guess who will be the Mystery Reader.  Make sure the clues aren't too easily guessed by your child and please dont tell your child as it is a surprise.  The mystery reader does not have to be a parent.  We have had grandparents, older siblings, uncles, aunts, etc.  Mystery Readers do not need to be registered as a volunteer as there will be a teacher with them the whole time.  We will start Mystery Readers next Friday-October 24.  To allow all parents an opportunity to participate, please just sign up for one date at this time.    

YAY!-New Math Kits-We recently received individual student math kits.  The kits are full of math manipulatives that need to be put into ziploc bags to make it easier for the children to use the kits.  Are you someone who likes to organize?  We are hoping that someone might volunteer to come in & work in the classroom, or take the kits home, open the plastic bags and insert the materials into individual ziploc bags.  If you are interested, please let me know!  Thank you!

Sand Toys Needed!  Do you have any left over beach toys?  We could use any shovels, buckets, or any miscellaneous sand toys for our sand play areas. 

Letterland
I’m sure many of you having been hearing about Letterland.  This is an imaginary and secret place where all the letters live. We have almost finished fast tracking all the Letterlanders and their sounds! We will next begin teaching each Letterlander for mastery, introducing capital letters, segmenting sounds, building words and working on correct letter formation.
What exactly is Letterland??
Letterland is a unique, phonics-based approach to teaching reading, writing and spelling to 3-8 year olds. The Letterland characters transform plain black letter shapes into child-friendly pictograms and they all live in an imaginary place called Letterland.
Simple stories about the Letterland characters explain the full range of dry phonics facts so that children are motivated to listen, to think, and to learn. These stories explain letter sounds and shapes, allowing children to progress quickly to word building, reading, and writing.

Letterland fast tracking sounds:

a – Annie Apple
i – Impy Ink
b – Bouncy Ben
j – Jumping Jim
c – Clever Cat
k – Kicking King
d – Dippy Duck
l – Lucy Lamp Light
e – Eddy Elephant
m – Munching Mike
f – Firefighter Fred
n – Noisy Nick
g – Golden Girl
o – Oscar Orange
h – Harry Hat Man
p – Peter Puppy
q- Quarrelsome Queen
r- Red Robot
s- Sammy Snake
t- Talking Tess
u- Uppy Umbrella
v- Vicky Violet
w- Walter Walrus
x- Fix-it Max
y- Yellow Yo-yo Man
z- Zig Zag Zebra


LETTERLAND PARADE!!
We are going to celebrate finishing the fast track portion of our Letterland curriculum by having a parade!  It is scheduled for Friday, November 7 at 8:30.  Be on the look-out for a detailed letter in Mondays OTIS. 

Important Dates:
Tuesday, October 28 – End of Quarter
Wednesday, October 29 – Teacher Workday
Friday, October 31 – Creepy Crawly Day-details to come
Friday, November 7- Early Release Day
Friday, November 7 – Letterland Parade
Tuesday, November 11 – Holiday
Thursday, November 13 – Picture Make Ups
Friday, November 14 - Science Go Round

Monday, September 22, 2014

September 22 Update

We have had a great few weeks at school; it’s hard to believe that the children have been kindergarteners for almost a month.  During that time, they have really learned a lot about our classroom procedures, school routines, and how to work together as a class.  We have really enjoyed getting to know your children!

Curriculum
LITERACY:  We have been using big books, our names, and simple poems to learn about print concepts.  Most children know how to “handle” a book – they know where the front is and most know where to find the title, but we are working to build the vocabulary that goes hand in hand with the early reading behaviors.  You can find a complete list of these print concepts in your child’s OTIS.  It’s been fun!  This week, we are working on a book about a cat who does NOT want to share his mat with any of the other animals!  Be on the look-out for something to come home by the end of the week!

MATH:  We are working with numbers 1-10.  We’re using a ten-frame to help us recognize how a set of 7 might look compared to a set of 4.  We’re using the word “set” when we are explaining about a group of objects.  Each day we use calendar activities to count, predict, group and share in “math talk".  
During math centers each week, Mrs. Ward and I are working with small groups.  These small groups allow us the flexibility to meet the needs of each student.  It allows us a greater opportunity to get to know where each student is working and to build upon their strengths and focus on the areas in which they may need a little more practice and support.  Math in Kindergarten is all about hands-on.  These concrete learners need to touch and feel math.  This first quarter, we are spending a great deal of time on numeration.  This foundation is so important as children build a working knowledge of numbers.  

Just a couple of miscellaneous things….

Ganyard Hill Farm Field Trip-A permission form for our first field trip will be coming home in OTIS tomorrow.  We will be visiting Ganyard Hill Farm on October 16.  Please fill out both sides of the form & return to school.  The cost of the trip is $15 per student.  Students may pay online or by sending in cash or check made out to Joyner.   If you are interested in chaperoning, please let me know!  We can use as many chaperones as we can get.  Chaperones will pay the day of the trip at the farm.  The cost for chaperones is $10 and you will need to provide your own transportation.  ALL CHAPERONES MUST BE REGISTERED VOLUNTEERS!  You must register as a volunteer through Wake County Public Schools.  This registration is open at any school site until October 1, so please register now if you haven’t already. 

Lunch and Lunch Money:  Please make certain that you have money on your child’s lunch account.  Even if your child brings their lunch most days, it is helpful to have a little money on the account in case a lunch box is left in the car one morning!  Also, keep practicing to open packages at home.  Just imagine for a second 21 children that need several things apiece opened at lunch….Whew! 

T-Shirt Money – "Kindergarten Rocks" t-shirts have been ordered.  They are $10 apiece.  We will be asking that your child wear these several times a year for various Kindergarten activities.  If you have paid for your child’s t-shirt – Thank You! If you haven’t paid yet, you can click onto the link that’s on the right side of the blog and pay for it online!  - We could use a little help with the t-shirt expense for some students and so if you are able to pay for an extra tee shirt, that would be GREAT!  Thank you!  

Scholastic – Let’s Find Out Classroom Magazine:  $6.00.  Please send in $6.00 to cover the cost of this great classroom resource.  This fee can be paid online or by sending in cash or a check made out to Joyner.  Again, if you’re able and willing, a donation toward another child’s subscription would be greatly appreciated!  THANK YOU! 

Scholastic Book Order-If you’d like to order books during the month of September, please do so by Friday, September 26.  The October order form will come home next week.  Scholastic Books are an inexpensive way to have quality books at home!

Lost and Found-Please be sure to label your child’s lunchbox and any sweaters or coats they may bring to school.  Joyner has a lost and found, but the best way to have items returned to you is having it labeled with your child’s name.  We do our best to help the children keep up with their items, but there are always a few that don’t make it home.

Room Moms- Last but not least, I wanted to let you know that we have 3 moms who have graciously agreed to be our class’ Room Moms.  Denise Hughes, Laura Moreschi, & Julie Rosa will be helping our class to organize events and collect needed supplies.  Thanks so much ladies!!


IMPORTANT DATES: 
September 25 – Teacher Workday-NO SCHOOL
September 26 – Wear green
October 1 – Deadline to register to be a Volunteer – (after this day, you may only register on Mon or Wed.)
October 3 – “When the Relatives Came” - MORE INFO TO COME!
October 10 – Joyner Jamboree

October 16 – Field Trip to Ganyard Hill Pumpkin Farm 

Sunday, September 7, 2014

Class Blog


JYJ is such a great place to be and I am very excited to work with you and your child this year!

Our class blog is the best way to stay up to date with life in Kindergarten. I will post classroom curriculum updates, pictures, and important information on a weekly/biweekly basis. Please know you can always contact me via email, spiner@wcpss.net or at school, 856-7650.

Our children are quickly adjusting to the fast-paced life of Kindergarten!! We have been focusing on routines and procedures, as well as our classroom rules. We also rotated to different developmental centers. It’s amazing how well the children are already working together!!

Thank you to all the families that have sent in school supplies and wish list items!! We greatly appreciate it!!

      

Kindergarten COLOR Schedule
Over the next few weeks our Kindergartners will be celebrating different colors. Please make sure your child wears the color of the week every Friday. Thanks!!

September 5th – Red
September 12th – Orange
September 19th – Yellow
September 26th – Green
October 3 – Blue
October 10th – Purple

October 17th – Rainbow

Mystery Bags
We will send a Mystery Bag (brown paper bag) home with your child this week.  On the bag is your child’s name and the day to bring in the Mystery Bag. Every week we will have a different Mystery Bag clue and  each child should find something at home that matches the clue of the week.  Your child will keep his/her item a surprise and then when we share Mystery Bags, he/she will give clues about the item.  The rest of the class will try to guess what’s in the bag based on the clues given.  The children will have to use descriptive language in order for the class to guess their item.  
Next week’s clue is SOMETHING YELLOW.  Mystery Bag clues will be listed to the right on the blog.   
**If your child loses his/her Mystery Bag, any bag from home can be used, as long as it is not see through. 


Tuesday, September 2, 2014

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Welcome to Kindergarten at J.Y. Joyner! We are thrilled to have your children here and hope they are VERY excited about beginning the school year. All of the anxiety about the "newness" will soon disappear and we will all be having such a great time as we begin learning our routines and making new friends to enjoy throughout the year. 
I am sure you have many questions about your child's kindergarten year, so I hope this blog will answer many of them. If you ever have a question the blog does not answer, please feel free to contact me!
spiner@wcpss.net 

A Little About Me: 

I have been teaching in Wake County for 17 years and this will be my 7th year here at Joyner. I am married and my husband & I have 2 great children. Ella, who is in 2nd grade at Joyner, & Walker, a JYJ alum, who is in 6th grade at Daniels.  I am from Virginia and grew up sailing in the summer & skiing in the winter. When I go to visit, I always try to work in a sailing or skiing trip, depending on the season. But when I’m in North Carolina, my favorite thing to do is go to the beach with my family. We love going to Shackleford Banks during the day-floating & playing in the surf. Some of my other favorites are: soft-shell crabs, DARK chocolate, flowers, & reading.

I am excited about the new school year and look forward to working with you and your child!