Winnie The Pooh

We learned a little bit about Winnie the Pooh today.  Two books were read and we learned the about the real bear that became the famous character in a collection of stories!  

Puzzles And Global School Play Day

Sometimes some good old fashioned fun is all that is needed!  We started our Friday with some team building fun.  Puzzle play allows for skill development, mental challenges and more:

* cognitive function skills are challenged

*problem solving skills gain practice

*fine motor work is done

*hand-eye coordination is challenged

*social skills are practiced

*self-esteem is elevated

Looking for some fun this winter weekend? Pull out the puzzles! 

Reminder

Wednesday, February 5th, our class will be participating in Global School Play Day 2020. Students may bring in things to play with. Here are some examples of things your child may bring in (be sure your child’s name is clearly marked on all items):

Non-Violent Toys (no weapons)          Stuffed Animals

Board Games         Puzzles

Puppets         Legos, blocks, cardboard boxes, etc.

*no electronic devices*

Students must be able to manage transporting their toys independently.  (Make sure it fits in their backpack or can be carried separately)

Lunch Menu

Lunch menu schedule will be posted monthly along the right side of this blog.

Read, Read, Read, Read, Read

“Reading and listening skills begin to converge at about eighth grade. Until then, kids usually listen on a higher level than they read on. Therefore, children can hear and understand stories that are more complicated and more interesting than what they could read on their own…Beyond the emotional bond that is established between parent and child (or teacher and class), you’re feeding those higher vocabulary words through the ear; eventually they’ll reach the brain and register in the child-reader’s eyes.”
– The Read-Aloud Handbook


Today we spent time reading with our 4th grade buddies! We are lucky they enjoy reading aloud to us! They are such wonderful learning partners. Everybody reads!

We are also encouraging students to read at home daily.

"To get smart, kind kids, you don’t have to sign your kid up for expensive tutoring or have twice-daily screenings of the movie Wonder.  All you have to do is this: Read to your child. Even if they already know how to read to themselves.

Because research shows reading aloud is the powerful keystone habit that will raise smart, kind kids."   

"This is what happens when you read aloud to your child every day:

• Your child will hear a wider variety of words. Here’s why this is important: “The one pre-kindergarten skill that matters above all others, because it is the prime predictor of school success or failure, is the child’s vocabulary upon entering school. Yes, the child goes to school to learn new words, but the words he already knows determine how much of what the teacher says will be understood. And since most instruction for the first four years of school is oral, the child who has the largest vocabulary will understand the most, while the child with the smallest vocabulary will grasp the least.” – The Read-Aloud Handbook
• You grow your child’s brain, literally. The more you read to your child, the more the neurons in her brain will grow and connect together.
• You put her on the path to be a lifelong reader. Reading is essential for the learning process, and kids who struggle with reading tend to struggle in school. But you have the power to give your child this one key to success in school and life because: “The single most important activity for building the knowledge required for eventual success in reading is reading aloud to children.”– Becoming a Nation of Readers
• Your child’s behavior will improve. When you read aloud, you increase your child’s ability to pay attention and concentrate – skills that definitely help your child in school. Also, reading aloud to a child can even decrease aggressive tendencies in the child.
• You build a stronger bond with your child. Kids love when you read aloud to them because of the physical closeness and emotional bonding it offers: “We’re blown away that kids time and again said the most special time they recall spending with a parent is reading together.” This makes sense when you think about it. In our busy modern lives, how often do we stop everything we’re doing, put down our phones, and just enjoy time with our kids? A strong connection with your child leads to better cooperation from them, and that’s something pretty much every parent could use more of.
• You increase your child’s capacity for empathy. When you read fiction to your child, her brain is “literally living vicariously through the characters at a neurobiological level.” In other words, you’re exposing your child to different types of people and giving her the ability to put herself in their shoes while you read. Growing your child’s empathy muscle will teach her to be a friend who empathizes, a partner who can see her partner’s side in a disagreement, and a compassionate person who helps others in need.

Taken from the blog: happyyouhappyfamily.com article: Want to Raise Smart, Kind Kids? Science Says Do This Every Day.

Report Cards

Student progress reports went home last week..  Please review the report and fill out the parent response sheet included in the folder.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us. Mrs. Hoyt and Mrs. Kerr would be happy to set up a time for a conversation.

Please send the green folder and the parent response sheet back to us by Friday, January 31st.  We will use this folder again in June.

Overdue Library Books

If you rec'd a notice in the green communication folder please check at home for the missing books.  If you may email Ms. Small at rsmall@bpsk12.org if you are unable to locate the book or have any questions.

Reader Share Your Reading!

Room 103 were challenged to share photos of themselves reading.....Encheng shared his book about mammals with some fuzzy friends at home!

Brittany took a few minutes to read to Frodo the toad while in school!  I heard he loved the story.

This is an exciting time in kindergarten.  We are all readers.  Where and when do you like to read?  Everybody reads!

#PineGlenReads

Crazy Hat and Hair Day

 

Crazy Hat and Hair Day! 

         Friday, January 31st

Pine Glen students will celebrate their commitment to making W.I.S.E. choices with a school-wide reward. Please encourage your student to wear a crazy hat or hairstyle to school on Friday!

Readers, Writers, and Learning Experts In Room 103

Our day started with a great book!  Thanks to an anonymous sponsor, everyone went home with a copy of the Clifford story that was read!  We are a room for of hard working students who all enjoy reading.  All were quite engaged listening to our new story.

We love reading so much that Brittany thought our visiting pet, Frodo the toad would enjoy hearing a story!

Mrs. Kerr worked with us as we practiced sounding out CVC words! We are learning experts!

The day at the New England Aquarium was so fun that we wrapped up our work on creatures in the sea by making sea stars.

The letter of the day was P.  Pencil, people, puppy and penny were some of the words selected to be added to our dictionaries.

We turned our attention to the upcoming celebration of valentines as we worked on a greeting card to be added to our greeting card book.

Reading groups are so much fun!  Our early reading skills are impressive.

ST Math Super Stars

We are a class full of ST Math super stars!  Our class has completed 60% of the program and 2 of us have reached 100%!

Way to go Room 103!

Send In The Soup

Send in your soup on Thursday and Friday.  Our collection will wrap up this week.  Thank you for your support of your efforts to be Hunger Heroes.

Progresso Soup is on sale at Shaws this week - Sale ends January 30.  

Book Sponsorship

Today students will bring home another book!  Their collections are growing nicely thanks to your generosity.  Today's book is a Clifford story donated by an anonymous donor.  This week we invite a sponsor to help us provide the book, There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Rose.  If you would like to sponsor this story for our students please contact Mrs. Hoyt.  $15 will put a book in each students hand and provide one for our class collection!

New England Aquarium Fun

Aquarium Field Trip

We had a wonderful day exploring life sciences at the New England Aquarium!  Students used all their senses as they listened to, touched, smelled and saw a wide range of reptiles, fish, birds and more. The students were able to identify living and non-living items at the aquarium and experience seeing the sea creatures up close. It was a LOT of fun! 

We traveled to the top of the giant tank to see Myrtle, the 90+ year old sea turtle. Students rolled up sleeves and dunked hands in the giant touch tank. (Many students did have wet sleeves. The tank is deeper than it looks). Students were able to touch sting rays and sharks! The Edge of the Sea touch tank was also a favorite place. Some students touched hermit crabs, the horseshoe crab, sea stars, sea urchins, sea anemones, scallops and snails.

Thank you to Mr. Foss, Mr. Carmody, Mrs. Favre and Mrs. Rosenbaum for joining us on this trip. Having small ratios in our groups made the trip very enjoyable for everyone!

A special thank you to the Pine Glen PTO!  The PTO supports the kindergarten program by supplying us with t-shirts to wear for our trips!