Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. Easter Sunday!

I just answered the phone to hear my three year old grandson's voice scream:  "Christ is risen!"  He is risen, indeed!  May each of you celebrate His rising!

This week we will enjoy a second study of /s/.  It will include seed equations in math, safety lessons for spring (now that we can be outside again!).  And many activities centered around the deep, blue sea!

That means Friday will be swim suit day!  Come ready for a virtual swim in our virtual deep, blue sea!  I will be the life guard, little ones come in swim attire!

Kids, did your parents guess what your Easter Lily was made from!?

Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. 13 April 2014

Palm Sunday marks Jesus' entry into Jerusalem to begin his last week on earth.  It was a joyous day for many, but it became a week of dismay, rejection, betrayal, suffering, and death for Jesus.  We will learn about these days this week, with the joyous big picture of Resurrection that followed.  We celebrated Palm Sunday early on Friday.

As part of Holy Week, we will begin each day with a chapel gathering.  On Tuesday we will be going to big kid chapel which begins at 8:30.

This week's activities and lessons will have egg, cross, and jelly bean themes.  Our big word of the week (besides Resurrection!) will be  oviparous.

On Thursday's Easter celebration we will enjoy scrambled eggs ( from those we blew out).  We will also prepare Ressurection rolls- look for the recipe.

Friday I shared with the little ones, some upcoming events.  They MAY have gotten confused on the dates!  The events are SWIM SUIT DAY (Friday, April 25) and PET DAY (Friday, May 9).  More info to follow after Easter!

May each of you have a most blessed holiday!

Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. 6 April. 2014

We will begin this week with more changes!  Before spring break we said good-bye to Mrs. Dorsey.  Now we will say hello to Ms. Johnson as she returns each morning (8:30-9:30) to kindergarten to help teach SLANT reading ( as Mrs. Dorsey had in her absence).  Mrs. Hammer will remain our morning aide, but will not be working with us in the afternoons; Ms. Johnson will be back each afternoon.

We march on with /s/ this week as we open our store!  I did not even send the note to save empty food, cosmetic, soap containers, but did talk to the little ones about the grand opening, and we already have 8 full grocery bags of containers!  Good work, little ones, about spreading the news!  So, continue saving emptied containers to help stock our shelves.  The store will be open for the next two weeks (three weeks if interest continues).

As part of the store study, we will work with stocking, sorting items; pricing, shopping (yes, I do print our own money!); learn how to write checks and find out a bit how credit cards work (at least we will all have one!).

Senses study will also fill our week, a signs of spring walk, plus further study of syllables and compound words.

We should keep busy!

Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. 30 March 2014

I hope each of you enjoyed a refreshing spring break,even if it did feel more like a winter recess!

We say good-bye to Mrs. Dorsey who so generously gave of her time to assist in working with our  reading program.  I honored Mrs. Dorsey's request to "not make a big deal" of her leaving, although we did make a huge card for her!  Next week we will welcome Ms. Johnson back to kindergarten!  She has completed her student teaching in 1st grade and her subbing in 2nd grade for Mrs. Sorg.  Now she will be with us for the remainder of the year!

And now we concentrate on /r/.  In science we will make rainbows,even one in a glass vace (it is actually a lesson on liquid densities); we will perform a rust experiment, make raisins dance, and set off a balloon rocket.  We will write a rainbow!  Come see it on the wall, then it will make sense!  Rhyming and writing restaurant menus will be further writing activities-apart from our daily reading and writing.

I will also be sending a new scribing schedule this week that will take us to the end of the year.  My, how time flies when you are having fun!!

Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. 16 March 2014

We enter the Land of the Leprechauns this week!  So let's all wear GREEN tomorrow, even if we aren't all Irish!!  Many of our math activities this week will have a Leprechaun theme, be it reasoning, ordering, or by the study of quarters ( 1/4 ).  The Trinity will be explored as St. Patrick found hope in the shamrocks of Ireland during his captivity there.

Other studies will contain the study of area and patterning in creating quilt ideas.  

Our Invention Fair was a great success, and the little ones were excellent authorities as they explained their invention models to our guests!

It was great fun entertaining our Grandparent/friends also.  The kindergarteners were quite surprised by some of the answers to their many interview questions - especially learning that grandparents survived Kindergarten without having snacks!  Forms of discipline filled them with awe - if not a bit of fear!

Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. 9 March 2014

What a fun surprise last Friday!  We enjoyed the biggest birthday cake I have ever had!  Reading the hopes and wishes of the little ones brought tears to my eyes from several comments, along with many smiles!!!  Kids do say the greatest things!!  Thank you for helping make my birthday celebration one I will never forget!

The igloo is complete!   The count: 279!  It will stay in the classroom for "use" until the first day of spring when it will "melt" and the be recycled.

This week is at last the week for our Invention Fair!!  Several models have already been brought to school.  They will be on display Wednesday for Grandparents Day.  The kindergartners will be at their "posts" from 9:30-10:00 on Wednesday.

When we return to the classroom Wednesday, we have prepared interview questions for grandparents.

FRIDAY will be pajama day!  Come in PJs!

Ellie's Weekly Newsletter. 3 March 2013

Oh, how we welcome the month of SPRING!  I was beginning to think it had been forgotten!

/o/ is filled with so many fun studies: organs of the body, Oobleck - watch for the recipe, Oceans in a bottle....   We will continue to study numeral order beyond 50 and the study of nouns.

Wednesday begins the season of Lent, and we will experience the imposition of ashes in our chapel service.

The igloo will be completed this week!  We only need 7 more jugs and the tunnel is finished!   Thanks to all who helped!

I am off to meetings.  Enjoy the day off!  Oh, and you 3 families basking in the sun in Florida- remember your homework, and BRING back warmth,!