Today is our last Friday of Kindergarten! We have worked so hard to get to first grade!
Today we also reached our goal of reading 100 books! Because of this, Scholastic will donate 100 books to a school in need.
I am going to be sending things home over the next few days. If you can, please send a shopping bag on Monday and Tuesday so we can put things in there to take home. Backpacks are too small/heavy to carry a majority of these things.
As we had previously announced, I was prepared to move to first grade to follow this large class. However, there have been some changes from within. Mr. Pacini will be moving to third grade which leaves a position open for me to remain in kindergarten. Mr. Berger will be hiring a new first grade teacher to join the first grade team.
I will be sending home notes regarding field day and the last few days of school as things come up. Otherwise, I wish everyone a fun and relaxing summer!
May 8, 2009
Eight of our ten caterpillars have emerged as butterflies! We have been very excited today as we watch them dry their wings and test them out!
Wednesday is our field trip. The bus is coming for us at 8:45am, so please be sure to be on time. There is no need for backpacks or folders on Wednesday. Just a disposable bag with the lunches would be sufficient. Remember, it is an out of uniform day, so dress for the weather, but try to wear as much green as you possibly can so we can keep track of our group.
If you have specific questions about the trip, please do not hesitate to email me and ask.
The final Scholastic book order is due on Monday. If you wish to order any books, please send the order to school on Monday or go online to order over the weekend.
May 1, 2009
As the weather warms up, we can see our caterpillars beginning to make their transformation into butterflies. We have safely moved them to the large pavilian so we can watch while they continue to change. This week we read books about different insects and transformations they make. We will be doing more on the life cycle when we are actually able to see the complete transformation. This unit will conclude with our trip to the museum to see butterflies up close.
The day of our field trip (May 13) will be an out of uniform day. We plan on playing in the exhibits and outside for part of the time, so play clothes would be appropriate. We do ask, however, that you try to wear as much green as possible in order to make counting and keeping the group together easier.
I sent home a small index card with a note asking you to list any countries from which you and your child have heritage. I received most of them back, but it is important that I have them all by Monday so we can do our project.
I am also sending home a week-long calendar. I have already explained the assignment to the students, so they should know what to do. Beginning on Monday, I would like them to record something they did to care for Earth's land, water, and air each day. Examples of what can be done to care for the land are planting something, picking up garbage outside, choosing to put garbage in a garbage can instead of littering, recycling instead of putting garbage in a landfill, etc. Examples of the water are turning off water when brushing teeth, washing hands, etc., taking shorter showers or shallower baths, not unnecessarily flushing the toilet, turning off leaky faucets, etc. Examples for air are walking or riding a bike instead of driving, carpooling, taking the train or bus, etc. The boxes are pretty small, so you can definitely help write. I really appreciate your cooperation and assistance with assignments like these!
Going home today is an order form for a math workbook that is supplied by the school. Several parents asked what can be done over the summer to work with your child, and this book is my big recommendation for math. It is designed for incomming first graders, so the level will be appropriate for your child. They also receive a prize if they bring in a note from you on the first day of school letting Mrs. Cassidy know that the book has been completed over the summer. As for reading, my suggestion would be to sign up for a summer program at the library. Since your child is a student in Wilmette, he or she is eligable for the Wilmette summer program. You can also check your local library to see if a summer program is offered. The important thing at this time is to just keep reading. We already know the letter sounds and we know how to sound out words, so fluency will come with practice, practice, practice.
April 23, 2009
I hope everyone has adjusted well after our break! The children were very excited to share what they did on vacation.
I have already gotten some field trip forms back. I did not put a due date on the form, but I'd like to have them back by Friday.
Please carefully read the letter regarding snacks and lunch that was attached to the permission form. It is very important that you send TWO paper bags each labeled with your child's name and room number (110). We have a strict 20 minutes to only eat a sandwich and a drink. We will eat the rest of the lunch (packed in the second bag) outside after we leave the museum. Hopefully it will be a nice day, so we can have a picnic.
Our caterpillars arrived yesterday! We have ten, and we named them yesterday. We decided on Cutie, Angel, Monny (short for Monarch), Zee, Lily, Rosie, Cody, Bentley, Amelia, and Oliver. We started butterfly journals so we can track how the caterpillars change and grow each day. Hopefully they will change into butterflies by the time we take our field trip!
I will be sending home the last Scholastic order next week. There are a lot of really good summer reading materials in there. Keep in mind that Seesaw is for K-1, so you may want to stock up on a few first grade materials.
March 19, 2009
I hope everyone has a great long weekend!
I sent home a book order over a week ago, but was unable to key it into the website until today for some reason. Well, it's up on the website if you are interested in ordering any of the books online.
If so, go to www.scholastic.com/parentordering
Our Class User Name is misscupalsclass
Our password is ClubOrders
I recommend several books:
83 Word Family Tales Collection
51 Monarch Butterflies
26 Green Kids Pack
32 I'm Going to Be a First Grader Set
61 Oarts of Speech Tales Set
Remember, we also accept checks and paper orders. I'll send home the reminder sheet on Monday, but it seems that most book orders are placed over the weekend, so I wanted to give you time to do it.
In math we started our addition unit. So far, we have been making up addition stories such as, "There were two squirrels on the fence. Two more squirrels joined them. Now there are four squirrels." There are many opportunities to tell stories like this in your everyday life, and the more practice students have with this, the better they will do with addition in the future.
I will be sending conference forms home on Monday. I meant to pass them out today, but we ran out of time! Everyone got their first or second choice for a conference time. If you need to know prior to Monday, please email me and I will get back to you with your individual time. I'm sorry this slipped my mind!
Again, I hope you all have a fun weekend! I'll see everyone on Monday, and I hope everyone is feeling better by then!
March 13, 2009
Hello Everyone!
I'm sorry to say that we had almost a third of our class out sick today! A note went home about a case of strep, and it seems like others have a strange bug. I remind students constantly about hand washing, hand sanitizing, and the importance of mouth covering. Please remind your children of these things. And I hope you and your families remain healthy this weekend!
I sent home a reading packet, that you can feel to work on at your leisure. These are skills that we have already covered in class, so I would really appreciate if you could let me know if your child struggles with any of these pages.
Over the next week, I am going to be assessing every student in terms of where they should be by the time they enter first grade. By doing this, I can let you know at conferences what skills your child has already mastered, and what we have left to accomplish this year.
Another reminder that conference forms are due on Monday. We are having a meeting to schedule conferences at that time. If you do not wish to schedule a conference, please note that on the form.
I hope everyone has a great weekend!
February 6, 2009
Monday is the 100th Day of School! We have a lot to celebrate at school. I have many things to count, fun stories to read, 100 things to do, and a special 100 Day treat! At this point, we have been counting to 100 everyday, so everyone should be able to do it (with a little help so entire decades are not skipped.) I encourage you to count to 100 many times over the weekend. If you do a lot of counting this weekend, and have time for a project, I welcome the children to bring in 100 of something they counted. This is not mandatory, but it would be fun to share.
A fun 100 day activity to do on Sunday night is to count out 100 pieces of cereal for Monday morning!
What a busy week! There is no school on Friday, so our Valentine's Day party will be on Thursday afternoon. I believe emails are going around to get volunteers. This party is not as wild as Christmas, but we are still looking forward to it.
In Fun and Games with Mrs. Breen, the children decorated tissue boxes to use as mailboxes for Valentines. I encourage everyone to bring in Valentines to share with the class. Please be sure, if you do bring in Valentines, that there are enough for everyone. You can decide whether or not you want your child to write individual names on the Valentines or just bring one for each child. You may also bring a small treat to put in mailboxes, but please remember that we have small tissue boxes, so if the treat is too big, it will be difficult to pass out.
Again, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns about this busy week!
February 2, 2008
The groundhog has seen his shadow! That means more winter for us. :(
Catholic Schools Week was a success! Thanks for all the class and individual gifts. I really felt appreciated, and I know the kids had a fun time with all the extra treats and activities.
I just wanted to make a note that I sent home another Scholastic order that I just received. I am making the due date February 9 so that you have a little more time to look it over. I wanted to point this out because this order contains only non-fiction books. These types of books are a very hot item in my library. Favorites are sharks, dinosaurs, and bugs. These books are available for really good prices, and I know the kids love them. I am ordering some for my classroom, but I wanted everyone to have the opportunity to expand your home library.
January 23, 2009
I realize I have not updated this website in quite a while! I apologize, and will be certain to update weekly from now on!
Report cards went out last Friday. Please sign and return the envelope to school by Monday. If you would like to discuss anything, please do not hesitate to email me to set up a meeting.
January book orders have been placed, and we are expecting the books to arrive early next week. February book orders will be out soon.
Mrs. Breen sent home a notice asking for an empty botique-sized tissue box. They need this for a project they will be doing during Fun and Games time.
Catholic Schools Week is next week. There is something fun happening each day of the week. There is a prayer service in the gym on Monday. On Tuesday, we are doing something with our buddy class. On Wednseday, teachers have a luncheon, and students will be taught for a period by a few parent volunteers. Thursday we have a performing arts group coming in to do a show for us. And Friday is our Variety Show! What a fun week!
December 12, 2008
The past few weeks we have been learning about winter holidays! We read books about many of them, played with Dreidels, made Kwanzaa books, and even had a visit from St. Nicholas! Saloni Desharnais came in and gave a lesson on India and the winter holiday Diwali. The children loved this, as they love learning about other cultures.
Some parents expressed to me that they would like to come into the classroom, but don't really know what to do. An idea would be to give some sort of lesson on your culture. This can include, but is not limited to story books, videos, cultural clothing, show and tell items, games, etc. The children will be excited to see parents, and I feel that these are valuable social studies lessons. Please email me and let me know if this is something that interests you. I would be happy to help you think of an activity to do. We can work our schedule around your availability!
Next week is our last week before Christmas break. Monday and Tuesday we have practice for the Christmas show, which is at 7:00 on Tuesday. More information will be passed out soon.
Next week we will be reading and learning more about the religious part of Christmas. If you are following along with stories at home, we will be doing some Nativity books and learning about the holiday of Las Posadas.
December 1, 2008
I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving break!
Just a reminder that all food for the food drive is due tomorrow. The eighth graders are picking it up from our classroom and bringing it to the pantry tomorrow.
This week we are going to be learning about other winter celebrations besides Christmas. Our stories this week include Hanukkah, Kwanzaa, and St. Nicholas Day.
November 21, 2008
This week we learned about Thanksgiving. We read stories about the first Thanksgiving, prayed prayers of thanks, and prepared for our feast. Our class made blueberry crisp and applesauce.
So far the menu for the feast is Banana Muffins, Corn Muffins, Blueberry Crisp, Applesauce, and Popcorn. To drink we will have apple juice and grape juice. Several parents in this class are responsible for bringing the juice. I already received some. Please either send it with your child on Monday or bring it with you if you are planning to help set up.
Next week is a very short week with fun activities planned. Part of Monday is consumed by our feast, and Special Friends Day is on Tuesday right after lunch. While we hope to be very productive, I have lots of fun Thanksgiving projects to do because I know everyone is excited!
I hope you have a great weekend!
November 14, 2008
This week we learned about Native Americans. We read stories and made Native American pouches.
Next week we will begin to learn about Thanksgiving.
On Monday, November 24, we are going to have a feast. During Mrs. Breen's time, she will be making different food items for the feast. If you are available on Monday around 2:00, and would like to do something to help, let me know, and I will let you know what tasks need to be done. Please do not take off work for this, but if you are free, we could use the help.
A note went home about the 8th grade collecting canned and boxed food for the St. Ignatius Food Pantry. They are asking kindergarten to bring either tuna or macaroni and cheese.
Special Friends Day is on Tuesday, November 25. From 1:00-2:00 we will be doing a special craft in the classroom. From 2:00-3:00 there will be a Mass across the street. Students are welcome to sit with their special friends. We are hoping that if at all possible, each child will have a special friend. Remember, parents are special friends too!
Have a great weekend!
November 6, 2008
This has been a short, yet productive week. We did a lot of work on the election, and even had our own election in class! John McCain was the winner of our classroom election.
I did not send home a math packet for this chapter. We have been working on patterns, and have been doing a lot of work together. I felt that the worksheets were more confusing than the concept of patters, so we did a lot of non-written work and moved through the chapter quickly. We have still not gotten through all of Unit 2 in Reading, so the packet that was handed out at the beginning of Unit 2 should still have some work to be done.
I am starting to get very picky about how letters are made. We are working on lowercase letters and making each letter the correct size and shape. Please try to encourage this in your child's writing at home.
Tom Turkey may have stowed away in your child's backpack. Please help disguise him and make sure he gets back to school on Monday!
I already placed the November Scholastic order. I am hoping they come today, but if not, they should be here early next week. I sent home one catalog that offers religious/virtuous books. I will send home the December issue of Seesaw as soon as I get it. Both of these are available online.
We are in need of stickers! I have been communicating that a job is well done by putting a sticker on it, and my supply is running pretty low. If you could either donate some stickers that you are not using at home, or pick up a pack to have your child bring to school, it would be much appreciated.
Don't forget that conferences are this afternoon/ evening and tomorrow. If your forget your time, you can give the office a call, and they will let you know what time you are scheduled.
November 3, 2008
I'm sorry I have not updated in quite a while. Last week was very hectic with Halloween.
This week, we are focusing on the election and the voting process. Today we read Duck for President, and we are holding an election in class tomorrow.
Just a reminder that conferences are this week. You were given a time either Thursday or Friday. Please be prompt for this appointment because someone else may have the time slot immediately following yours, and I would hate to have to cut your time short. Please be prepared to discuss any concerns you may have, as we will address those first. I have a goal sheet for each student that I will give you at the time of our conference.
Here are several questions to ponder to get you thinking about some topics at conferences:
1. In what ways is your child working up to your expectations?
2. In what ways is your child not meeting your expectations?
3. In what one area would you most like to see your child improve this year?
October 16, 2008
This has been a very short week. We focused on Christopher Columbus and exploring this week.
Next week we will be learning about leaves. If you would like to go on a "leaf hunt" this weekend, we would be so happy to see what you have found!
Students are bringing home pumpkin seed sprouts in bags. You can plant these in a pot at home, so that they will stay warm all winter. If you have a place outside, you can plant them in the spring and they will grow pumpkins!
October 10, 2008
We had such a fun week as we learned all about pumpkins! On Monday we made predictions about our pumpkin, weighed it, and counted the stripes. On Tuesday, we cut open our pumpkin and counted all of the seeds. There were 514 seeds in it! No one's guess even came close! On Wednesday we roasted and ate the pumpkin seeds. Thursday we carved our Jack-O-Lantern. And on Friday we ate pumpkin cookies and enjoyed some apple cider again.
Next week is a short week at school. There is no school on Columbus day (Monday), and Friday is a Religious Institute Day for teachers. Of course, our next theme will be Christopher Columbus and explorers. Art and Kindergarten Time have prepared us for our next week!
This time I sent home entire chapters for Reading and Math. I will continue to do this. You can decide which pages your child can do at home based on what he or she comes home with from school. Please note that we have not learned much of the material (especially in math). Reading is mostly a review at this point, and we are getting ready to move forward into Unit 2 next week. At this point, I will send home all of the work for Unit 2. I will not be sending home more Math work for quite a while.
I sent home the next three Scholastic order forms. Please note that these are all available online. If you'd like to order books, you can either choose to send in a check or pay online with your credit card. They are due November 2. Please don't feel obligated to order anything. I get tons of these in the mail, and I figure that it is worth it to send it home because they carry high interest as well as educational books. I order most of the theme ones for my classroom, so if you'd like to follow along with our themes, you can order them from there as well. The October orders that were due on October 2 arrived yesterday. We received the September ones today, so if you ordered from that one, students are bringing them home today. The turn-around time is very quick, so if you order Thanksgiving or Christmas books from our next order, they will arrive in plenty of time to read for these holidays.
I just wanted to remind everyone that if you have anything that you would like to do with our class, you are welcome to come in and work with us. Some examples are if you have an awesome story that goes along with our theme, you'd like to make a craft or project with the class, you know a lot about a topic and would like to do a lesson on it, you know some holiday songs and would like to sing them with us, etc. Journal parents is not the only time that we would have you in the classroom. But please keep in mind that you may not work in the classroom until you have completed the Virtus training.
As always, if there are any questions or concerns about anything that has been going on at school, please do not hesitate to contact me.
I hope you enjoy your long weekend!
October 3, 2008
This week on apples has been really fun! We read all stories about apples and tried different kinds of apples. We made apple pies today and sampled apple cider. Students should know all the parts of an apple as well as the stages an apple goes through as it grows.
Next week our theme will be pumpkins. We are going to read pumpkin books. We will also analyze a real pumpkin by counting the stripes, estimating the seeds, counting the seeds, weighing the pumpkin, etc.
In reading we are beginning to really learn certain letter sounds. So far we have focused on N and A. Students can recognize these letter sounds in reading, so be sure to have them point these letter sounds out to you when you read at home.
Yesterday, I sent home the results of the math assessment at the end of chapter one. It seems like everyone understood the material. If there was anything that needed to be reviewed, I wrote a note on which concepts needed additional work. If you think there is an issue with these, I would be happy to provide more materials for you to use at home. The next chapter deals with counting. I will be sending home the "homework" on Monday.
Have a great weekend!
September 30, 2008
It looks like Friday and Monday went well.
I just wanted to remind you that Scholastic orders for September and October are due on October 2. I am sending home a paper copy today of the October order. All the books on that order are available online as well. If you don't want to order online, but are interested in some of the books, you can feel free to send an order form and check to school and your books will be ordered on and arrive on the same day.
September 25, 2006
Today is Thursday, but I am updating the schoolnotes because I am not going to be in school tomorrow or Monday. I will be out of town for a wedding.
The books we read this week were all about Autumn. Our theme next week will be apples and apple picking.
I sent home the username and password for our classroom's Scholastic ordering page. The books on there are very inexpensive, and the more books you buy for our family, the more bonus points we get at school to pick out books! Take a look! They have a lot of seasonal books. Once we reach the due date, the books will arrive within a week. So, if you order Halloween books, they will come in plenty of time.
September 19, 2008
Today I sent home the packet for reading this past week. I'm sorry that I did not send it home sooner. I noticed yesterday that I still had not send that out. Monday you will be getting the work for next week in reading and math. Remember, use these as you wish. If your child completes them, you can send them to school for me to check them and give a sticker.
I also sent home the new story, "A Present." The students all read it to me today, so your child should be able to read it to you at home. Please write who your child read it to in the home folder.
This week we read:
Mouse Count
Somewhere in the Ocean
Ten Apples Up On Top
Next week we will be reading books about Autumn.
Don't forget that Oktoberfest is tomorrow!
Have a great weekend!
September 12, 2008
In the home folder, I sent home a book that the students made. Everyone has read it to me during guided reading time either today or yesterday. Please have your child read it to you or another family member. When they have read it, either you or your child should please write who they read it to.
I hope you have been looking at your child's calendars. Every day I have been putting a sticker if your child has been on green all day. If they moved to yellow or red, I color in the square the color to which they were moved that day.
Yesterday, I sent home the results of the pretest for math. The directions were read orally, but no further help was given. I wanted to assess strictly what is already known before beginning the chapter. There is also a letter that includes ideas of things to do at home.
This week we read:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom
Alphabet Adventure
Dr. Seuss's ABCs
Alphabet Rescue
Let's Play ABC
Next week our book theme will be number books. I will post the list as soon as I decide which exact books we are going to read.
Ms. N has given us the results of the DIBELS tests. A letter was sent home last week to let you know if your child will be receiving help from Ms. N. If you did not receive a letter, please know that your student tested at or above grade level. If you have questions about specific results, please contact Ms. N.
September 5, 2008
This note was supposed to go out on Friday, but did not make it out in time! Please read it!
Greetings to all Kindergarten Parents!
You are invited to a Kindergarten Get Together on Friday, September 12th from 7-8:30 pm in the school gym. This Get Together is sponsored by the Kindergarten room parents and will be a chance for parents to get to know each other and sign up for various classroom volunteer opportunities.
It will be a casual event - we will be serving light refreshments (soft drinks, appetizers, etc). We hope you can join us!!
We are encouraging parents to come without children. **
Please rsvp to Alison Silk at 847-784-8685 or email jasilk@sbcglobal.net
** If you are having trouble locating a babysitter, please contact Jean Bolotin at 847-920-1208 or email jeanbolotin@comcast.net. She can put you in touch with 8th grade students who babysit, as well as SJS alumni (highschool) sitters.
This week we read:
Mouse Paint
A Color of His Own
The Mixed-Up Chameleon
Little Blue and Little Yellow
If you would like to discuss these books with your child or read them again at home, I strongly encourage you to do so.
There is not much new to report this week. We have begun all of the subjects, but it has just been an introduction to skills.
Ms. N. started doing the DIBELS testing, and the results should be available to us shortly. To practice letters and letter sounds, Ms. N. strongly recommends "The Letter Factory" which is a Leap Frog video. It is about 35 minutes and there is a song for each letter. We watched it today during kindergarten time and students really seemed to enjoy it. Everyone was singing along by the end!
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to email me at scupal@stjosephwilmette.com.
August 29, 2008
The first week of kindergarten went very well! Students are beginning to learn the routines and procedures that we will use every day for the rest of the year.
This week we read:
The Kissing Hand
Froggy Goes to School
Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon
Chrysanthemum
If you would like to discuss these books with your child or read them again at home, I strongly encourage you to do so.
Beginning on Tuesday, please send a water bottle with a sport top to keep at your child's desk during the day. Many children have been asking to go in the hallway to get drinks. Water bottles will certainly eliminate leaving every few minutes.
Also, since the day is so long for many of the students. I am making a short time after lunch to be relaxing time. I will read poems or play music during this time, and students are encouraged to lay down or put their head down to rest. If you would like to send a towel with them to school, they can keep it here and lay on it during this time.
If there is something that you would like to help us do in the classroom, please let me know! You can read a story to the class, sing songs, do a craft, play a game, etc. Please let me know a week in advance, and we will work this activity into our schedule!
Please sign up for the notifications on this website, and the website will automatically notify you when I change this website. I will usually change information on Fridays, but if I think of something throughout the week, I will add it.
Thank you!
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