Just a reminder that tonight is Celebrity Tip Night @ Pizza Hut
October 30th from 5:00-8:00
Fundraiser for World Hunger
Featuring . . .Teachers and Staff from McBain School as Your Celebrity Servers
All tips and donation go to World Hunger Relief 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Halloween Details
**Parent Volunteers: Katy Hill, Megan Cornell. Erin Koetje, & Stephanie Sprague
**Please plan to arrive to school at 8:00. I will need your help with setting up the lunchroom & helping students change into their costumes. Our Kindergarten parade will begin @ 8:45, as we make our way down to the lunchroom. Our activities will be from 9:00-10:00 in the elementary lunchroom. Then we will clean up and return to the classroom to take off our costumes. You are welcome to stay for lunch if you’d like, but please plan to stay at least until 11:00.
**Please send your child’s costume to school in a bag (labeled with their name). Students will change into their costumes when they arrive to school. If your child needs make-up, please apply it at home. Also, please do not send in any weapons (swords, guns, knives, etc) to school.
**Our afternoon will be very laid back. We will watch the 1st-4th Graders parade at 1:00, visit the 4th Grade Wax Museum, go to Gym, and have a special Halloween snack.
Snack Sign-Up
1 dozen plain doughnuts Paige DeWitt
1 dozen plain doughnuts Maxwell Grames
1 dozen plain doughnuts Lydia Sprague
1 can of white frosting Maisie Eling
1 can of white frosting Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Jazmine Johnson
Candy Corn Aidyn Spencer
Candy Corn Lauren Hill
1 large bottle of apple juice Paige DeWitt
1 large bottle of apple juice Jazmine Johnson
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Henry Baas
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Paige DeWitt
2 dozen plastic knives Lydia Sprague
Halloween Plates (24) Henry Baas
Halloween Cups (24) Lydia Sprague
Spider Rings (24) Maxwell Grames
Newsletter Updates for the Week of October 29th
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Wednesday, October 31st—Halloween Party
-Thursday, November 1st—No School
-Monday, November 5th—Report Cards Home
-Thursday, November 8th—Conferences 4-7
-Friday, November 9th—Fire Dept Fieldtrip
-Tuesday, November, 13th—Conferences 4-7
-Wednesday, November 14th—Half Day
Dismissal @ 11:00
-Thursday, November 15th—No School
-Monday, November 19th—Delayed Start
-Wednesday, November 21st—Friendship Soup
-Thursday, November 22nd—Thanksgiving
-Friday, November 23rd—No School
-Saturday, November 24th—PTO Craft Show
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Lauren Hill. Lauren enjoys being outside and riding her four-wheeler. Her favorite color is orange and her favorite place to visit is Tahquamenon Falls. When she grows up, Lauren aspires to be a teacher (and take over for Mrs. Brinks :). Congratulations to Lauren on being Student of the Week!
FIELDTRIP TO THE CADILLAC FIRE DEPT:
We are planning a fieldtrip to the Cadillac Fire Department on Friday, November 9th. Our class is scheduled to go in the afternoon around 1:00. I am looking for a few parent volunteers to help out that afternoon. We can take up to 5 parents on the bus, or you are welcome to drive and meet us there. Let me know if you are available and willing to attend!
READING:
This week we will be reading Officer Buckle & Gloria and several seasonal books
related to Halloween. Our focus letter for this week is Dd and our new sight words are red & blue. At literacy stations, we will work on letters, sounds, retelling, writing, rhyming & syllables. We will continue to practice our accuracy strategies each day during ‘Read to Self’ time and ‘Partner Reading.’ Last week the students really enjoyed reenacting The Little Old Lady Who Wasn’t Afraid of Anything; we will practice retelling the story a few more times this week, so that the students will have a chance to play all of the roles.
WRITING:
This week we will finish up our October Journals with an entry about what we will be for Halloween. I will save their October Journals to share with you at conferences. We will continue to practice the process for Writer’s Workshop, as we focus on labeling our pictures by stretching out words and writing the sounds that we hear.
MATH:
This week we will incorporate several Halloween activities into our math stations as we
compare and contrast pumpkins & gourds, roll a jack-o-lantern, introduce estimation, and act out some number stories.
REPORT CARDS & CONFERENCES:
Parent Teacher Conferences are scheduled for November 8th & 13th from 4:00-7:00. You will be receiving a notice of your scheduled time very shorting; the office has been working hard to coordinate scheduling for families with multiple children. Please check your time and your availability and return the RSVP as soon as possible. I’m planning to send report cards home next Monday so that you will have time to look them over before our conference. At conferences, I will have sign up sheets for our Thanksgiving Celebration, Christmas Party, and Valentine’s Party. In addition, you’ll have the opportunity to read a few of our class books that we have authored and illustrated.
Sunday, October 21, 2012
Newsletter Updates for the Week of October 22nd
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Tuesday, October 23rd—Title 1 Night
-Wednesday, October 24th—Picture Retakes
-Wednesday, October 31st—Halloween Party
-Thursday, November 1st—No School
-Monday, November 5th—Report Cards Home
-Thursday, November 8th—Conferences 4-7
-Tuesday, November, 13th—Conferences 4-7
-Wednesday, November 14th—Half Day
-Thursday, November 15th—No School
-Monday, November 19th—Delayed Start
PICTURES:
School pictures are in. I try NOT to send pictures home in Kindergartners backpacks to ensure that they arrive home in the best condition. If you are attending Title 1 Night, please be sure to pick them up. If you cannot stop in to pick them up, let me know and I will try to pack them carefully in your child’s backpack. Retakes are this Wednesday.
FRIDAY = COOKIE DAY:
Apparently the kitchen will offer cookies every Friday for the students to purchase for 25¢. However, students are NOT allowed to deduct the cost from their lunch account. This is difficult for Kindergarteners to understand and even trickier for them to keep their 25¢ safely in their pocket until lunch. I will do my best to help them keep their money safe if you choose to have them participate. I just wanted to make you aware of this opportunity.
COINS FOR WORLD HUNGER:
During the month of October, we are collecting coins to help feed hungry children. If you have spare change, please send it to school with your child to drop in their classroom’s bucket. The class that raises the most money will receive a pizza party from Pizza Hut! Thanks for sending in those pennies!!
READING:
This week we will be reading Mouse Mess as we work on comprehension, vocabulary, and recalling & retelling. Our focus letter for this week is the vowel Aa and we will work on building & rhyming words with the at, an, & am word families. The students are excited about our new literacy stations and are doing a great job with learning the new routines and expectations. We continue to practice our accuracy strategies each day during ‘Read to Self’ time and this week we will begin ‘Partner Reading.’
WRITING:
This week we will continue learning the Writing Workshop format as we work on our ‘small moment’ stories. I will continue to model and guide the students through the process of writing small moment stories. I am looking forward to sharing my recent trip to Sky Zone through a small moment mini lesson this week. We will be focusing on ‘details’ this week and making sure our pictures match our words.
**Mrs. Brinks at Sky Zone last weekend - an indoor trampoline park in Fishers, Indiana.
FYI - there is one coming to Grand Rapids, Michigan - lots of fun!!
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will be reading several narrative and informational texts related to pumpkins, Halloween, & bats. We will be reading and reenacting The Little Old Lady Who Was Not Afraid of Anything; in addition, we will sequence the stages of a pumpkin’s life cycle, and investigate some interesting qualities related to bats.
MATH:
This week we will incorporate several Halloween activities into our math stations as we focus on sequencing by size, ordering numbers, & counting. This week we will introduce the ‘tricky teens’ as we begin identifying, counting, and writing the teen numbers.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
School Pictures are In!
Just wanted to let you know that school pictures are in. I try NOT to send pictures home in Kindergartner's backpacks (for obvious reasons). If you pick up or drop off your child, in the next few days, please stop by the classroom and pick them up. If you have an older child that you would like me to give them to, please send them down to my room to pick them up. I will have them available for you next Tuesday evening at Title 1 Night as well. If you are in a hurry for them and want me to try to send them home in your child's backpack, please let me know, otherwise I will keep them until I see you!
Some of our artwork is displayed at the McBain Post Office - stop in and see our spiders and webs!!
Some of our artwork is displayed at the McBain Post Office - stop in and see our spiders and webs!!
Newsletter Updates for the Week of October 15th
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Tuesday, October 23rd—Title 1 Night
-Wednesday, October 31st—Halloween Party
-Thursday, November 1st—No School
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Maxwell Grames. Max enjoys fishing and swinging and his favorite color is orange. Max’s favorite place to go is Chuck E Cheese and he would like to be a professional skateboarder when he grows up! Congratulations to Max on being Student of the Week!
TITLE 1 FAMILY NIGHT:
Our annual Title 1 Night is next Tuesday, October 23rd. If you are planning to attend and haven’t sent back your RSVP, please do so ASAP. It will be a great night of food, fun, & learning! Hope to see you there!
COINS FOR WORLD HUNGER:
During the month of October, we are collecting coins to help feed hungry children. If you have spare change, please send it to school with your child to drop in their classroom’s bucket. The class that raises the most money will receive a pizza party from Pizza Hut! Thanks for sending in those pennies!!
READING:
This week we will be reading Big & Little as we work on comprehension, vocabulary, & identifying opposites. This week we will begin a more in-depth study of letters and sounds as we focus on 1 letter per week; starting with the vowel Oo. Our new sight word for this week is big and we will work on rhyming words in the op, ot, & og word families. Beginning this week, our literacy stations will also look a little different. I will have several stations set up around the classroom: writing, listening, computers, abc/word study, retelling, rhyming, library, & sight words (coming next week). Students will work in small groups of 3’s, rotating through all of the stations by the end of the week. This week we will introduce another beanie baby: Questioning Owl; he helps us monitor our comprehension as we read by stopping along the way to ask ourselves questions.
WRITING:
This week we begin sketching & labeling our own ‘small moment’ stories as we get ready to launch ’writing workshop.’ We will also complete two Type 3 writings; one related to patterning, & another about what we like to do in the fall. We also practice handwriting and correct letter formation each day at school in our writer’s notebooks.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will be focusing on fire safety & prevention. We will read several informational texts related to fire safety and watch several video segments to spark our discussions. October is Fire Prevention Month; please be sure to check the batteries in your smoke detectors at home & discuss and practice an escape plan for your family.
MATH:
This week we will focus on identifying patterns in our environment, oral counting, ordering numbers, & sorting and matching coins.
I’m planning to send rest time blankets home this coming Friday so they can we washed; please send them back to school with your child next week. Although our rest time is only about 10 minutes, many still enjoy having something special from home to snuggle with. :)
-Tuesday, October 23rd—Title 1 Night
-Wednesday, October 31st—Halloween Party
-Thursday, November 1st—No School
STUDENT OF THE WEEK:
Our student of the week is Maxwell Grames. Max enjoys fishing and swinging and his favorite color is orange. Max’s favorite place to go is Chuck E Cheese and he would like to be a professional skateboarder when he grows up! Congratulations to Max on being Student of the Week!
TITLE 1 FAMILY NIGHT:
Our annual Title 1 Night is next Tuesday, October 23rd. If you are planning to attend and haven’t sent back your RSVP, please do so ASAP. It will be a great night of food, fun, & learning! Hope to see you there!
COINS FOR WORLD HUNGER:
During the month of October, we are collecting coins to help feed hungry children. If you have spare change, please send it to school with your child to drop in their classroom’s bucket. The class that raises the most money will receive a pizza party from Pizza Hut! Thanks for sending in those pennies!!
READING:
This week we will be reading Big & Little as we work on comprehension, vocabulary, & identifying opposites. This week we will begin a more in-depth study of letters and sounds as we focus on 1 letter per week; starting with the vowel Oo. Our new sight word for this week is big and we will work on rhyming words in the op, ot, & og word families. Beginning this week, our literacy stations will also look a little different. I will have several stations set up around the classroom: writing, listening, computers, abc/word study, retelling, rhyming, library, & sight words (coming next week). Students will work in small groups of 3’s, rotating through all of the stations by the end of the week. This week we will introduce another beanie baby: Questioning Owl; he helps us monitor our comprehension as we read by stopping along the way to ask ourselves questions.
WRITING:
This week we begin sketching & labeling our own ‘small moment’ stories as we get ready to launch ’writing workshop.’ We will also complete two Type 3 writings; one related to patterning, & another about what we like to do in the fall. We also practice handwriting and correct letter formation each day at school in our writer’s notebooks.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will be focusing on fire safety & prevention. We will read several informational texts related to fire safety and watch several video segments to spark our discussions. October is Fire Prevention Month; please be sure to check the batteries in your smoke detectors at home & discuss and practice an escape plan for your family.
MATH:
This week we will focus on identifying patterns in our environment, oral counting, ordering numbers, & sorting and matching coins.
I’m planning to send rest time blankets home this coming Friday so they can we washed; please send them back to school with your child next week. Although our rest time is only about 10 minutes, many still enjoy having something special from home to snuggle with. :)
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Halloween Sign-Up - Updated
Snack Sign-Up:
1 dozen plain doughnuts Paige DeWitt
1 dozen plain doughnuts Maxwell Grames
1 dozen plain doughnuts Lydia Sprague
1 can of white frosting Maisie Eling
1 can of white frosting Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Jazmine Johnson
Candy Corn Aidyn Spencer
Candy Corn Lauren Hill
1 large bottle of apple juice Paige DeWitt
1 large bottle of apple juice Jazmine Johnson
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Henry Baas
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Paige DeWitt
2 dozen plastic knives Lydia Sprague
Halloween Plates (24) Henry Baas
Halloween Cups (24) Lydia Sprague
Spider Rings (24) Maxwell Grames
*Thanks for sending in supplies for our party and for your willingness to
volunteer! I will update you with more specific details & times for the party soon!
Parent Volunteers:
Katy Hill
Megan Cornell
Erin Koetje
Stephanie Sprague
1 dozen plain doughnuts Paige DeWitt
1 dozen plain doughnuts Maxwell Grames
1 dozen plain doughnuts Lydia Sprague
1 can of white frosting Maisie Eling
1 can of white frosting Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Jazmine Johnson
Candy Corn Aidyn Spencer
Candy Corn Lauren Hill
1 large bottle of apple juice Paige DeWitt
1 large bottle of apple juice Jazmine Johnson
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Henry Baas
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Paige DeWitt
2 dozen plastic knives Lydia Sprague
Halloween Plates (24) Henry Baas
Halloween Cups (24) Lydia Sprague
Spider Rings (24) Maxwell Grames
*Thanks for sending in supplies for our party and for your willingness to
volunteer! I will update you with more specific details & times for the party soon!
Parent Volunteers:
Katy Hill
Megan Cornell
Erin Koetje
Stephanie Sprague
Sunday, October 7, 2012
Halloween Party Sign-Up
Halloween Party - Wednesday, October 31st
Our party with take place in the morning - I will send more details, with times, as it gets closer.
Snack Sign-Up:
1 dozen plain doughnuts Paige DeWitt
1 dozen plain doughnuts Maxwell Grames
1 dozen plain doughnuts Lydia Sprague
1 can of white frosting Maisie Eling
1 can of white frosting
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Lydia Sprague
1 bottle of Halloween sprinkles Jazmine Johnson
Candy corn Aidyn Spencer
1 large bottle of apple juice Paige DeWitt
1 large bottle of apple juice Jazmine Johnson
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Henry Baas
1 large bag of cheese popcorn Paige DeWitt
2 dozen plastic knives Lydia Sprague
Halloween Plates (24) Henry Baas
Halloween Cups (24)
Spider Rings (24) Maxwell Grames
Parent Volunteers:
Katy Hill
Megan Cornell
Erin Koetje
Stephanie Sprague
Newsletter Updates for the Week of October 8th
DATES TO REMEMBER:
-Monday, October 15th—Delayed Start
-Tuesday, October 23rd—Title 1 Night
-Wednesday, October 31st—Halloween Party
-Thursday, November 1st—No School
CALENDAR CHANGES:
The school calendar has changed!! If you printed it from the website at the beginning of the school year, you should know that there have been several changes made, so that we can follow the ISD’s common calendar. Attached to your newsletter you will find a list of calendar updates, and you can print out an updated calendar month by month from the McBain website.
TITLE 1 FAMILY NIGHT:
Our annual Title 1 Night will be Tuesday, October 23rd. We are asking families to RSVP, so that we can plan for food—tacos! I encourage you to attend! In addition to dinner being served, each teacher will have specific learning activities set up in their classrooms, as well as handouts and materials for you to take with you to practice important skills at home. There will also be opportunities to enter into a drawing for some great prizes! Please get your RSVPs in ASAP. Hope to see you there!
COINS FOR WORLD HUNGER:
During the month of October, we are collecting coins to help feed hungry children. If you have spare change, please send it to school with your child to drop in their classroom’s bucket. The class that raises the most money will receive a pizza party from Pizza Hut! Thanks for sending in those pennies!!
READING:
This week we will be reading Mice Squeak, We Speak as we work on comprehension, vocabulary, & recalling and retelling. Our focus letters for this week are O, F, Q, W, & U and we will introduce the sightwords: a & I. We will continue to work on rhyming and retelling The Itsy Bitsy Spider & Baa Baa Black Sheep . This week we will introduce another new beanie baby strategy for Comprehension: Picturing Penguin, who reminds us to picture the story in our head (visualize) as we read.
WRITING:
This week we will focus on identifying ‘small moments.’ We will be reading several picture books in which the author has chosen a ’small moment’ and then written it down into a story with pictures and words. We will be building on this foundation, as we look forward to sharing and writing our own ‘small moment’ stories this year in Kindergarten. We will also be reading several narrative texts related to Monsters and we will be creating some class books using our imaginations.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will continue our Science Unit on Living and Non-Living Things. Last week we learned that living things grow, change, and move on their own. This week we will learn about what living things ‘need’ in order to live and grow.
MATH:
This week we will focus on identifying the attributes on 2-D (plane) shapes. We will also be working on spatial relations/positional words, graphing, & different ways to make 10 (2+8, 5+5).
ITEMS NEEDED—Please send in if you have any:
1) Gallon milk jugs (empty & rinsed out) for us to use for an art project next week.
2) Old Magazines that we can look through and cut up for various projects.
-Monday, October 15th—Delayed Start
-Tuesday, October 23rd—Title 1 Night
-Wednesday, October 31st—Halloween Party
-Thursday, November 1st—No School
CALENDAR CHANGES:
The school calendar has changed!! If you printed it from the website at the beginning of the school year, you should know that there have been several changes made, so that we can follow the ISD’s common calendar. Attached to your newsletter you will find a list of calendar updates, and you can print out an updated calendar month by month from the McBain website.
TITLE 1 FAMILY NIGHT:
Our annual Title 1 Night will be Tuesday, October 23rd. We are asking families to RSVP, so that we can plan for food—tacos! I encourage you to attend! In addition to dinner being served, each teacher will have specific learning activities set up in their classrooms, as well as handouts and materials for you to take with you to practice important skills at home. There will also be opportunities to enter into a drawing for some great prizes! Please get your RSVPs in ASAP. Hope to see you there!
COINS FOR WORLD HUNGER:
During the month of October, we are collecting coins to help feed hungry children. If you have spare change, please send it to school with your child to drop in their classroom’s bucket. The class that raises the most money will receive a pizza party from Pizza Hut! Thanks for sending in those pennies!!
READING:
This week we will be reading Mice Squeak, We Speak as we work on comprehension, vocabulary, & recalling and retelling. Our focus letters for this week are O, F, Q, W, & U and we will introduce the sightwords: a & I. We will continue to work on rhyming and retelling The Itsy Bitsy Spider & Baa Baa Black Sheep . This week we will introduce another new beanie baby strategy for Comprehension: Picturing Penguin, who reminds us to picture the story in our head (visualize) as we read.
WRITING:
This week we will focus on identifying ‘small moments.’ We will be reading several picture books in which the author has chosen a ’small moment’ and then written it down into a story with pictures and words. We will be building on this foundation, as we look forward to sharing and writing our own ‘small moment’ stories this year in Kindergarten. We will also be reading several narrative texts related to Monsters and we will be creating some class books using our imaginations.
SCIENCE/SOCIAL STUDIES:
This week we will continue our Science Unit on Living and Non-Living Things. Last week we learned that living things grow, change, and move on their own. This week we will learn about what living things ‘need’ in order to live and grow.
MATH:
This week we will focus on identifying the attributes on 2-D (plane) shapes. We will also be working on spatial relations/positional words, graphing, & different ways to make 10 (2+8, 5+5).
ITEMS NEEDED—Please send in if you have any:
1) Gallon milk jugs (empty & rinsed out) for us to use for an art project next week.
2) Old Magazines that we can look through and cut up for various projects.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)