Sept. 22, 2017

9-22-17   

  KB News

Jolly Phonics: This week we worked on the letter sounds “u, l, f , b and ai” in our Jolly Phonics books.  Please review these sounds and songs with your child. 

Literacy: We read the book Stand Tall Molly Lou Melon by Patty Lovell.  The children learned what strategies good readers use when they read.  The five strategies focused on this week include visualizing, inferring, making connections, sharing their opinion, and retelling the story. Molly Lou Melon wanted to be herself at her new school.  Each day Ronald was mean to her, but she kept being herself and it made Ronald feel foolish.  In the end, Ronald was nice to her and the children predicted they would become friends.

Math: Math skills we worked on this week included sorting shapes, exploring numbers by counting and reading numbers 1- 10.  We also learned that there are numbers all around. We even have numbers within our addresses. The children enjoyed drawing pictures of their houses to correspond with their written addresses.

Writing: We enjoyed reading the book When I Get Bigger   by Mercer Mayer.  The children discussed the story with a partner and generated writing ideas.  They were so excited to write and share what they wanted to do when they got bigger.

Field Trip Information from Mrs. Grimm:

Field Trip to the Ag Education Center at the Fairgrounds 

In order to help our students become more familiar with farm animals and farm operations our Transitional Kindergarten, Kindergarten, First Grade and Second Grade students will be taking a field trip to the new Ag Education Center at the Howard County Fairgrounds.  

The Center is used as an educational tool for the general public. The swine area has the latest technology in swine production, odor control and is environmentally friendly. The swine area is a completely bio-secure area, with a focus on modern practices for health and well-being of the animals. It is educational experience for the students that demonstrates on a small scale what a modern hog confinement facility looks like and how it operates.

In addition to the swine area, the students will also be touring the milk production display where they will see what the process of milking a cow looks like and be able to watch a cow being milked and ask questions about the process. 

The Center is the first of its kind in Iowa, Minnesota and the entire Midwest.  What a great opportunity for our students to be able to learn about what happens on area farms.

Reminder:  Sept. 26^th is the due date for classroom volunteer forms, Highlights magazine order forms, $5 donations for classroom parties, and 3 books from home for browsing boxes.  Please remember to send these items to school if you haven’t yet.  Thanks!

Dates to Remember:

Sept. 25^th – No School Teacher In-service

Sept. 29^th – Trip to the Fair Grounds- Please have the children wear tennis shoes that day.

Sept. 15, 2017

9-15-17

KB News

       Jolly Phonics: This week we worked on the letter sounds “r, m, d, g, and o ” in our Jolly Phonics books.  Please review these sounds and songs with your child                

Science: Our science topic this week was the life cycle of the butterfly. The children have learned the life cycle: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly.  If you find any caterpillars outside, please send them to school in a plastic container to put in our science center.  We would really like to watch a few monarch caterpillars change into butterflies.  They are black, yellow, and white in color.  Thanks!

Reminder: Sharing time in our classroom is always an exciting event as we learn new things about each other and the world around us.  We will start sharing next week.  The children so enjoy the spotlight.  There will be sharing five times a week.  Each child has an assigned day to share:  Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday.  This is “their” day for the year.

            They may tell about something, bring something from home to tell about, show pictures, or whatever they wish to share. The item brought in to school for sharing will not go outside during recess time. Please help your child prepare by reminding them when their sharing day is. 

           

The schedule is:

Monday        Tuesday         Wednesday         Thursday                 Friday

Owen            Skylar               Alivia                    Cecilia                       Carter

Jennifer        Eli                       Lily                        Avery                                    Lilah

Sophia          Baylee              Chase                    Penton                      Anthony

Olivia

           

Sept. 8, 2017

9-8-17

                      KB News

This week we worked on the letter sounds “n, c/k, e, and h” in our Jolly Phonics books.  Please review these sounds and songs with your child. The children started to read cvc words based on the letters they have learned so far with Jolly Phonics.  A few examples would be pin, cat, tack, pat, sat, and tip.

We read a story called I Love School! by Philemon Sturges. The children learned how to discuss the book with a partner and generate writing topics.  They then wrote about things they liked about school.

The book Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr. was a hit with the children this week. The children focused on strategies that good readers use when they read.  The focus strategy this week was identifying the problem in the story for the characters and the solution.   The letters wanted to climb to the top of the coconut tree.  There were too many letters and the tree bent.  So, the letters fell and got hurt. Then, they went to bed and A dared them to race to the top.

Next week is homecoming at Howard-Winn! The elementary students will be involved in the following special events.

Monday, Sept. 11 Mis-match Day (wear things that do not match    

Tuesday, Sept. 12  Dress up in support of your favorite team (jerseys, team logos)

Wednesday, Sept. 13     Workout Wednesday (wear your favorite exercise gear) 

Thursday, Sept. 14 Hawaiian Day (wear things that remind you of Hawaii or summer)

Friday, Sept. 15 BLUE AND WHITE DAY (wear school colors)

1:00 All School Pep Rally in the High School Gym

2:30  Homecoming Parade (weather permitting)

3:20 Dismissal From School (busses leave at 3:30)

     

Dates to Remember:

Sept.11^th – PTO Meeting Discovery Center 5:30pm

Sept. 15^th – DOT Day