Friday March 25th, 2011

 We're mad about magnets!  This week in Kindergarten we focused on magnets.  We sorted items using magnets, tested objects in the classroom for magnetism and talked about the different objects in which you can find magnets.  It was a great chance for a lot of hands-on science!

Reminders
-  Turn in your forms for Special Persons Day!
-  There will be no school March 28th-April 1st for Spring Break
-  Pleaes continue to practice counting coins with your children over break
-  We are in need of clean washed egg shells for an Easter project we will be doing after break.  Please save up your shells!

HAVE A WONDERFUL AND SAFE BREAK!

Monday March 21st, 2011

 Happy Spring!  It may not quite feel like it yet, but yesterday March 20th marked the first day of spring!  The chicks from Miss Julie's room hatched last week making it a very memorable experience for the whole school.  Each classroom had a chance to borrow some chicks to hold and pet.  Every student was given the option to hold a chick, but they were able to just pet them as well if they wanted.  On Tuesday of last week a chicken expert came in to talk a little bit about chickens and the processes they go through with growing and hatching.  She even brought in a live chicken. The Kindergarten was well prepared from Miss Julie's chick facts that we have been receiving for 21 days.  Did you know that chickens are born with all the eggs they will ever hatch in their lifetime?

 Last week we also celebrated St. Patrick's Day.  We took a quick trip to Ireland to learn a little bit about the history of St. Patrick in Ireland.  We discussed the significance of the shamrock with regards to the Holy Trinity. We also talked about different traditions for St. Patrick's Day including those in Ireland and here in Chicago.  On Thursday we attended an Irish dancing presentation in the church put on by third and fourth grade students. Many of the Kindergartners were inspired to jig all day.  Also in honor of St. Patrick's day, we tasted corned beef and green jello jigglers as a part of our publishing party.

 Thursday was also the date of our second Kindergarten Publishing Party.  Look for these stories coming home soon.  My mom, a Kindergarten Aide at St. Petronille Catholic School in Glen Ellyn, attended the publishing party and was very impressed with the writing that room 7 has done.  She borrowed a few books to take in and show her class so that they have something to aspire to.  The kids were very eager to volunteer their stories.  Congratulations to all of our authors!

 We will be finishing up Topic 13: Money this week.  Please keep practicing with your child over Spring Break, money is a hard concept and we can all use a little practice.  After break we will start Topic 14: Time. 

Requests
-  We are asking for CLEAN eggshells for an Easter project after break.  Please send them in at your earliest convenience.
-  Hamilton is available for a Spring Break visit.  Please send a note if you are willing to host him over break.
Reminders
-  Spring Break starts Friday March 25th at 2:40.  Classes resume on Monday April 4th.
-  We are still collecting non-perishable food items for the food pantry.  There is a box in the classroom available for donation.

Friday March 11th, 2011

Brush 'em, Brush 'em, Brush 'em!  Kindergarten has just finished a week long unit on Dental Health.  On Monday, the Drs. Leonard (Danny Room 8) came to teach the Kindergarten classes about the importance of brushing and flossing.  All the students received gift bags to help them on their quest for dental health.  We talked about brushing twice a day and flossing.  Dr. Leonard even did a flossing demonstration using a rope and students as teeth!

Also as a part of this unit, we did 2 different science experiments this week.  In our first experiment we took hard-boiled eggs and soaked them overnight in Pepsi.  This was to illustrate the effect that pop has on your teeth if you don't brush right away.  We then took them out on Friday and tried to brush them with toothbrushes and toothpaste.  In our second experiment we poked holes in an apple to examine the effects of cavities on the insides of our teeth.  Along with these experiments, on Thursday we learned about hypotheses and what we think will happen in our experiments.  Then on Friday we checked to see if our results matched our hypothesis.  We discovered that it takes a lot of toothpaste and dedicated brushing to get our teeth back to their original color after sleeping with pop teeth.  After this experiment Holly Jo claimed that she is now going to brush her teeth 4 times a day and Frank swears that 100 is the magic number.

We started talking about money this week in Math.  So far we have discussed the penny and the nickel.  The penny was very fun and easy to learn because we are already experts at counting by ones!  Nickels are a little trickier because they require counting by 5's.  Ask your child to count some nickels with you this weekend as practice.  Next week we will be covering the dime and the quarter.

During Writer's Workshop we have been focusing on really adding details and awesome endings.  Dr. Katie Van Sluys of DePaul visited with us on Tuesday and did a lesson on adding details using thought and speech bubbles.  The class has been so excited to add these to their writing!

Reminders
-  Students may add green accents to their uniforms on Thursday March 17th in honor of St. Patrick's Day
-  NO SCHOOL Friday March 18th
-  Summer Program forms are due Thursday March 17th.  Any questions, please contact Mrs. Salmon
-  SPRING BREAK begins Monday March 28th.  Classes will resume Monday April 4th

Friday March 4th, 2011

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!  March 2nd would have been the 107th birthday of the famous author.  In his honor, Kindergarten celebrated all week!  We used his books in many ways.  On Monday we read The Cat in the Hat and started talking about the -at word family.  We will be going more in depth with short vowel word families in the coming months.  On Tuesday we read a biography of Dr. Seuss and picked our favorite fact about his life.  Did you know that Dr. Seuss wrote 44 children's books?  Kindergarten does.  On Wednesday we read the book Wacky Wednesday and searched for all the wacky things happening.  On Thursday we read the book, And to Think That I Saw It on Mulberry Street to review fiction vs. non-fiction.  On Friday we had a great time watching the movie Horton Hears a Who with Room 8.  Also on Friday we reviewed rhyming with the book, There's a Wocket in my Pocket!  Take a look at the rhyme your child brought home, they were very creative.

This week in Math we finished up Topic 12: Larger Numbers.  Next week we will begin Topic 13: Money.  If you go shopping anywhere this weekend and need to use change, start asking your son or daughter to help you count.  Money is a BIG topic this year.  There will be a math game coming home on Monday. 

Kindergarten planned the prayer service this Wednesday for Ash Wednesday.  It will be in the church at 9:15, we invite you all to attend.

Reminders
-  Family Mass is Sunday March 6th at 8:30AM
-  Summer Enrichment Program forms are due by March 17th.  Please direct any questions to Mrs. Salmon
-  NO SCHOOL Friday March 18th for a Professional Development Day
-  Spring Break starts Monday March 28th.  School will resume Monday April 4th.



We are really good at keeping our classroom clean!