September News

September was an exciting month in Kindergarten. It was the month of many firsts....the first day of school, the first time eating in the cafeteria, the first time buying lunch, the first time playing on the playground, the first whole school assembly, the first field trip......and so many more special moments. 
Below are some highlights of the first month of school....

First Day of School

Playground Fun

International Dot Day

Super Hero Day

Building Our Reading Stamina

Work on Writing
Practicing writing words from around the room

Using the Smartboard for Math

Center Time Fun Learning to make Center Time choices with the choice board

Johnny The K

Apple Picking at Smolak Farm
Click on the link below to view our field trip video

Smolak Farm

It was a wonderful first month in kindergarten!

April News

April started off with a visit from author and illustrator David Biedrzycki. In anticipation of his visit we read a number of his books and decorated our classroom door to go along with his book Me and My Dragon. The students created their own dragons, named them, and wrote what they would do with their dragon. I love the creativity in this writing activity.

During Mr. Biedrzycki's visit, we learned what it was like to be an author and illustrator. We learned how he started his career and saw some of his earliest writings. It was interesting to see how he does all of his illustrations on his iPad.

This month in science, our unit of study was Protecting Our Earth. The students learned about air, land, and water pollution and how they affect the Earth. They also learned about how we can help the Earth but reducing, reusing, and recycling. We read several books to help us understand what these things mean. The students made posters and did a sorting activity. We concluded our unit by celebrating Earth Day.

We finished April with a lesson about electrical safety. Mr. Gooley from Middleton Light visited our classroom and showed us some of the safety tools the electrical workers use. He also taught us about the importance of staying away from wires and the green electrical boxes we often see around our neighborhood. We learned to never fly a kite near electrical wires and what to do if we are in a car and wires fall on the car. We now know a lot more about keeping safe around electricity. Thank you Mr. Gooley!

April was a great month!

March Fun!

March started with a visit from the Kid 2 Kid sixth graders. Alba, Armir, and Fallon read a story to the students about friendship and sharing. After, the students completed kindness hearts, played the listening game Telephone to learn about rumors, and did a role playing skit about including others. It was a great way to start the month!

March was all about Read Across America. Out theme this year was Mad About Books. Throughout the month we did a variety of fun activities such as rhyming hats for Cat in the Hat and number equations for One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish. 

On the 7th, Mr. LaCava read to our class as part of our Read Across America celebration. 

For a special writing project this month, we read several books about Saint Patrick's Day and leprechauns. We imagined what it would be like to catch a leprechaun and have him or her grant us three wishes.  This was a lot of fun and came out so cute.

This month in math, we did a special  STEM activity related to Saint Patrick's Day. The students were challenged to work with a partner to create a rainbow bridge, using play-dough and pipe-cleaners, that was strong enough to hold a "pot of gold". After looking at  pictures of bridges and talking about important features the students worked together to create a plan. Once their plan was complete, they began creating their bridges. It was fun to watch the teamwork and creativity of each group. I was so impressed with their perseverance!

 The Task

A Plan

Creating

Finished Products

During March, the students learned about Nonfiction Text. They learned about the role of a nonfiction author and illustrator. They learned about how the author and illustrator work together and use text features to help us understand and remember what we are reading. 

As you can see, the students learned a LOT about polar bears and walruses.

In science we did an investigation to see how blubber helps animals stay warm. First, the students put their bare hand into a container of ice cold water. Brrr...... Next, they put one hand in a special "blubber" glove and had their other hand bare. They put both hands into the cold water to see the difference. 

  Everyone agreed that the blubber glove kept their hand warm in the icy water. While this was a little messy for their teacher to make, it was a great learning activity ☺
We ended the month with a field trip to the North Shore Music Theater to see Curious George. The students (and teachers) enjoyed the show very much. 

March was a busy and engaging month here in Kindergarten!

February News!

Wow! For such a short month February sure was a busy one here in Kindergarten. We started the month by celebrating the 100th day of school.

Throughout the day, we did a variety of activities related to 100. A favorite was our math STEM challenges. At each station the students worked together to create something using the 100 materials they were given. I was so impressed with the teamwork and creativity of each group.

Students, also shared the special 100 Day projects they made at home.  

As if the 100th day of school wasn't exciting enough, two days later we celebrated Global School Play Day. This is a day dedicated to showing the importance of play. Schools around the globe commit to providing a few hours or a whole day of play. As we know, play allows children to express themselves creatively, learn how to work cooperatively, and develop problem solving skills.  Our class enjoyed some creative time with Mrs. Scharffenberg's 1st grade class.  

The kindergartners enjoyed a special program by Science Tellers.  The science tellers weave science into a story. Many students have the opportunity to participate and everyone loves it. Look closely and you'll see some familiar faces.
Thank you to the PTO for bringing this awesome program to our school!

On February 14th, we celebrated Valentine's Day! We started the day with a concert. The students did an amazing job singing and reciting poetry and it was so nice seeing so many parents in the audience. 

After the concert, we joined Mrs. Higgins's class for a special Lego activity. Working together with a 1st grade teammate (or 2) the students followed a plan and created a vehicle that could pull small objects. This activity was great for so many reasons. The kindergarten and first grade students had the opportunity to work together. The first graders helped the kindergartners to follow a plan and learn to code. I loved watching the teamwork and hearing their conversations. This activity tied in with our science unit on Force and Motion.

The best part for me, may have been seeing the joy on their faces when their vehicle moved.
While I was not able to capture everyone's final project. Below are a couple for you to see.

Lego project-1

Lego Project 2

Lego Project-3

Lego Project- 4


During the afternoon, we enjoyed a Valentine's Day party with a snack, crafts and games. Thank you to everyone who sent in donations and a huge thanks you to Mrs. Benedict, Mrs. McNamee, and Mrs. Saccardo for helping to run the activities.

This past week, the students have been working hard, learning about President's Day and specifically about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. After listening to several books about each president we created a chart of facts for each one. Students then choose 2-3 facts for their own fact sheet. For both presidents, the students completed a directed drawing. For Abraham Lincoln, we read about how he would keep important papers in his hat so he wouldn't lose them. We brainstormed what we would keep in our hats if we had one like Abraham Lincoln. The students then completed a writing activity. To wrap up this unit we compared facts about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Ask your child what they learned. You'll be amazed at their knowledge.

As you can see, February was a fun and busy month! Hope you enjoyed this snapshot into our month.

December Fun!

December was an exciting month in Kindergarten! 

During the month of December we learned all about Folktales. We read different versions of folktales such as The Three Bears, Three Billy Goats Gruff, The Gingerbread Man, and the Three Pigs. The students learned that folktales are old old stories that have been told for generations. They often have animals as the characters; have good and bad/naughty/mischievous characters; and usually teach a lesson. While reading the different versions, the students compared the characters and the setting, and identified the problem and solution. They practiced sequencing and retelling.

We celebrated the end of our unit on The Three Bears by having Teddy Bear Day. Students were invited to bring a special furry friend to school.  The students had fun introducing their furry friend to the class, writing about their furry friend, and doing a math exploration activities about their furry friend. The students also enjoyed showing them all that we do in kindergarten. As a teacher, it was a lot of fun watching the students read to/with their stuffed animals and have them participate in all of the different learning activities that happen throughout the day.

The students learned how to use the app Chatterpix on the IPads. It was a lot of fun making their furry friends "talk".

Another really fun thing we did this month was Comfy Cozy Day. We had tons of fun spending the day in our comfy cozy clothes. We were welcomed into the library by Mr. Cambell, our conductor, listened to the story The Polar Express and then enjoyed some holiday music played by Mr. Cambell. 

Later in the day we made our own paper Polar Express trains and imagined what things we might see from the window of the train. It was a great day!

We finished the month by wrapping up our study of the different versions of the Gingerbread Man. To celebrate we had a Gingerbread Man party. We decorated foam gingerbread men or gingerbread women and made cute paper gingerbread houses. We also played Stick the Nose on the Snowman and Toss the Ring on the Reindeer's Antler. A great time was had by all.

A huge thank you to Mrs. Benedict, Mrs. Carbone, and Mrs. McNamee. 

As you can see, a lot of learning and a lot of fun happened during December.  Looking forward to seeing what January will bring :)