Happy Holidays!!

Wow! I cannot believe the time is already here! The kindergarten students have been learning about holidays celebrated all around the world. They loved using their passports and traveling to many different countries. They even had time to make a hand-made gift for their loved ones (I hope the gifts got home safely without any cracks).

I just wanted to take an opportunity to say THANK YOU!!! (for all of the fun and thoughtful gifts you presented me and our classroom last week) and HAPPY HOLIDAYS! to all of my students and their families! I hope you each have a relaxing, safe and very splendid holiday celebration with family and friends!

Take care and I look forward to seeing you back at school on January 4th!

Schedule for the Week of Dec. 7-11th and Dec. 14-18th

Dec. 7 - 11th:

• M - Computer & Art
• T - P.E.
• W- Music & Media (Please bring your library book back!)
  
• Th - Art
• F - P.E.

Sight WoRdS FoR The WeeK: here, this

LeTTeRs We aRE WoRKinG oN ThIs WeeK: Gg, & Ff

Dec. 14-18th:

• M - Computer & Music
• T - Art
• W - P.E. & Media (Please bring your library book back!)
• Th - Music
  
• F - Art - Last day before our 2 week winter break!

The next two weeks will go by fast! (And I even hear we may get some snowwwWWWW!) The week we will be working on letters Gg and Ff - writing the letters and practicing the sound they make. I am also going to be introducing two more sight words for the students to be working on. In math, we will be finishing up Chp. 5 on Geometry - creating some 3-D shapes of our own along with some painted pictures to help us better understand symmetry.

Next week (Dec. 14-18th) we will be taking our passports and traveling around the world (actually just next door to our classrooms) and learning from the other kindergarten teachers about holidays around the world at this time of year. The students love learning about other cultures and getting to see a different classroom than their own for 45 minutes each day.

Please remember that Dec. 18th is our last day of school before our two week break. We will resume on Jan. 4th!

Also, as the cold weather and snow start to come, please remember we go outside each day unless the temperature is below zero. Please remind your child to bring a hat, mittens, boots, coat and snowpants each day - thanks so much!!! I hope you are all enjoying this holiday season!

Schedule for the Week of November 30- December 4th

• M - Computer and P.E.
• T - Music
• W - Art and Library (remember to bring your books back!)
• Th - P.E.
  
• F - Music

SiGhT wOrD oF ThE wEeK: come

LeTtEr We ArE wOrKiNg On: Ii (short vowel sound)

Hello and welcome back! I hope you all had a nice and relaxing holiday weekend! It is so nice to have a couple days to rejuvenate before the rush of our last three weeks before our winter break! This week we will be starting a new theme in our Language Arts series called "On the Farm" and focusing on the letter "Ii" and our newly added sight word "come." We will also be reading some new stories and focusing more on comprehension and making inferences in the stories. We will also be learning some new vocabulary words: squabble, mischief, uproar, tend, soggy & wobble.
In math we will continue to talk and learn about different 3 dimensional geometric figures and even create a few of our own!

Grandfriends Day!!

A huge thank you to all of the friends and grandparents who could attend! We loved having you!

Halloween Pictures....

I realize I am a bit late with these, but better late than never, right?!?! :-) Thank you for being patient with me!

Schedule for the Week of November 21-25th

• M - Computer and P.E.
• T - Music
• W - Art
• Th - No School! - Happy Thanksgiving to you and your families!
• F - No School! - Enjoy the long weekend!
  

Hello! This will be a quick week with only 3 days of school. We will be finishing up chp. 4 in math and starting chp. 5 which is all about geometric shapes! We will also be working on a class book about what we are thankful for and be working on some fun Thanksgiving projects!
Have a great short week!

Schedule for the Week of November 16 - 20th

• M - Computer & Music
  
• T - Art
  
• W - P.E. & Media - evening conferences
  
• Th - Music - Mrs. Peterson will be subbing while I have daytime and evening conferences
  
• F - Art (Wear your Spirit Wear!)
  

SiGht WoRd of ThE WeEk: he

Letter We Will be Working On: Reviewing Letters Dd, Aa, Cc, Mm, Nn, Pp, Rr, Ss, Tt

StAr of ThE WeeK!: Morgan B.

Happy Birthday to Isabel!!! (Nov. 16th)
Happy Birthday to Eric L.!!! (Nov. 20th)

The coming week will be busy as we focus on reviewing letters and letter sounds in language arts along with learning a new sight word and blending letter sounds to make words!
In math, we will continue to concentrate on writing the numbers 0-10 correctly. If you are working on these at home, here are the rhymes we have been using to help us remember and the students love saying them!
0 - Round and round just like an "o," now you've make the number zero!
1 - Start at the top and down you run. That's the way you make a one.
2 - Make a candy cane and give it a shoe. That's the way you make a two.
3 - Around a tree, around a tree. That's the way you make a three.
4 - Down and across and slice through the door. That is how you make a four.
5 - Short neck, belly fat. Mr. Five wears a hat.
6 - Make a "C" then in you go. Now you've made a six you know.
7 - Across the sky and down from heaven. That's the way you make a seven.
8 - Make an "S" and then don't wait. Go back up and make an eight.
9 - Make a circle, then add a line. That's the way you make a nine.

I look forward to meeting with everyone for conferences this week. Please be sure to check your child's backpack on Tuesday evening - I will be sending their report cards home, so you can be sure to see them and bring any questions you have to our conference.
If you need a reminder on your conference day and time, please feel free to call or e-mail me.
Thanks!

Schedule for the Week of November 9-13

• M - Computer and P.E.
  
• T - Music
  
• W - Art and Media ~ Veteran's Day!
  
• Th - P.E. - Pick Up Innisbrook Products in Dining Room from 2:30 - 7:30pm
  
• F - No School! (Teacher Workshop Day)

SiGhT wOrD oF tHe WeEk: like

Letter We Will Be Working On: Dd

Happy Birthday to Simone!!! (Nov. 8th)

Schedule for the Week of November 2-6

• M - Computer & Music
• T - Art
• W - P.E. (our last day of Rollerskating! Don't forget your helmet)
• Th - Music
• F - Grandfriends Day! - Concert at 1:30pm
  

SiGhT wOrD oF tHe WeEk: to

Letter we are working on: this week we are not working on one particular letter, but practicing how to blend letters to make words!

Welcome back after a fun and festive Halloween weekend! Our party last Friday was a great success - fun was had by all! I will try and post party pictures very soon.
This week will bring another exciting end to the week - Grandfriends Day! This is a day to celebrate those special adult friends in our lives. Parents, if you have not returned the yellow permission sheet to me for Grandfriends Day, please do so by Thursday of this week, thank you!
Also, our BOOK FAIR in the media center is going on all week long! Please stop in - there are some great books with low prices (you can do some early Holiday shopping!) Because the book fair is going on, we will not be having our weekly media class on Wed. so please feel free to keep your library book one extra week.
This week I will also begin doing some assessing because report cards will be coming home soon! (in just a couple of weeks!)
Let's have a great week!

Schedule for the Week of October 26-30

• M: Computer & Art
  

• T: P.E. & Picture Re-takes
  

• W: Music & Media
  

• Th: Art
  

• F: P.E. & Halloween Party in the Afternoon (Please bring costume to change into) ..... Parade begins at 2:15pm

SiGhT WoRd Of ThE WeEk: Review sight words: I, a, my, the, go

Letter we are working on: Aa - short vowel sound and writing

This week we will be working on letter Aa and reviewing the sight words we have been practicing. On Friday afternoon we will be having our Halloween Party. Please send your child with their costume in a separate bag so they can change into it in the afternoon for our party. I am also looking for one more parent volunteer to help us out with our party. Please let me know if you are interested. Parents, if you would like to watch the parade, please go to the gym and you will be able to see all of the students in their costumes, which is also a great opportunity to take pictures.
Let's have a great week!!!

Schedule for the Week of October 19-23

Welcome back!! I hope you enjoyed your break! Here is what the week ahead looks like:

• M - Character Class with Mrs. Swanson, Computer & P.E.
  
• T- Music
  
• W- Art & Media (Please return your Library Books!)
  
• Th - P.E.
  
• F - Wear your SpIrIT WEaR!! & Music

SiGhT WoRd Of ThE WeEk: go

Letter we are working on: Cc - sound and writing

Math Vocabulary we will be working on: equal, same as, more than, less than

Apple Orchard Field Trip

We LOVED climbing the haystacks!!!

Mr. Deardorff tells us all about the bees and how honey is made!

Mrs. Deardorff tells us how the apples are picked and then washed.

.... and we even got to pick some of our own apples!

there were animals to see too!

This young man found a ride!?!?...... :-)

Schedule for the Week of Oct. 12-16

Hello Families!
Just a reminder that this week there is no school. I hope you have a wonderful week resting, relaxing, enjoying a good book or a fun movie with a little popcorn! :-)
Spend time with your loved ones and don't forget to give them each a hug!
See ya next week!
~ Mrs. Koepp

p.s. pictures from the Apple Orchard Field Trip will be posted soon. :-)

Schedule for the Week of Oct. 5 - 9

• M - Computer & Music
• T - Art
• W - P.E. & Media (Remember to return your books! :-) )
  
• Th - Music & Field Trip to Apple Orchard in the Afternoon - Dress for the WEATHER!
  
• F - Wear your SpIrIt WeAr!!!! Art

sIgHt WoRd Of ThE wEek: the

Updates:
This week is already going by quickly! I apologize I did not get these "updates" up earlier in the week. We have been working hard on writing the uppercase and lowercase letter Nn and then will be practicing the letter Pp as well. We are finishing up our unit on patterns in math and will begin focusing on writing and counting our numbers. Today we also began talking about "Who Am I?" in Social Studies and are creating our own books to create clues so the reader can guess who we are.
Thursday we will be taking our first field trip of the year. Please be sure to have your child dressed for the weather....boots, coat, hat and mittens are highly recommended, for we will be outside on the majority of our trip.
Friday, please be sure to turn in your Innisbrook Fundraiser packet, even if you did not sell any items, we still need the packets returned, thank you! Also, if you would like to order any books through Scholastic, please do so by this Friday, Oct. 9th!!
Have a great week and enjoy your week off next week!

Schedule for the Week of Sept. 28-Oct.2

• M - Art
• T - Pictures!!! & P.E.
• W - Music & Media (Please remember to bring your books back!)
  
• Th - Art
• F - P.E.
  

SiGhT WoRd of the WeEk: my

Updates:

In the coming week we will be focusing on the letter T, how to write it, the sound it makes and identify words with the Tt sound in them. We will also be reviewing the last two weeks of robust vocabulary words we have learned and continue to look at patterns, create our own and identify them within our environment in math.

Please remember we have PICTURE DAY on TUESDAY and if you want to order pictures, please send in your picture order form filled out by Tuesday morning. (Don't worry, we will take pictures before our P.E. class that day. :-) )

Schedule for the Week of Sept. 21-25

• M - P.E.
• T - Music
• W - Art & Media
  
• Th - P.E.
• F - Music

SiGhT wOrD oF ThE wEeK: a

Updates:
We are getting more familiar with the daily routines of the classroom, I am just hoping it will cool off in the next couple of days as our classroom gets to be extremely warm for the duration of the afternoon when the sun shines in. In the coming week we will be focusing on the letter Rr, how to write it, the sound it makes and words that begin and end with the letter Rr. We have also begun our math curriculum which first reviews concepts such as sorting, organizing and directional words. Some of the vocabulary words we will be using throughout the coming week will include: differ, stalking, mellow, automatic, perfectly, and resemblance.
We will also get to meet our 4th grade buddies (in Mr. O'Brien's Class) for the first time on Thursday afternoon. The students can't wait!
I am also hoping to start our science unit about trees this week as well. The trees are already starting to change colors and we will be studying them throughout the seasons the whole year.
Let's have a great start to the week!

Can you guess who's who in thier self-portraits?

Schedule for the Week of Sept. 14-18

• M - Character Assembly with Mrs. Swanson at 9:15am. 1st time in the Computer Lab with Mrs. Couser & our first day of Music with Mrs. Bray!
  
• T - Art with Mrs. Olaussen
• W - Our first time in the Library with Mrs. Williams & P.E. with Mr. Halverson
• Th - Music
• F - Art

SiGhT WoRd of the WeEk: I

UpDaTeS:

The kindergarten students had a good first two days last week, I hope we can continue with that in our first five-day week ahead! We are still learning the routines of the classroom and remembering our responsibilities. On Monday, Sept. 14th, our principal, Mrs. Swanson, will introduce the new Character Ed. theme for the coming year, the students are going to love it! We will also begin reviewing and learning the letters M and S. Along with some new vocabulary with words such as:
Complained, Talent, Confident, Reverse, Ability and Encourage.

Also parents, so you are aware, the kindergarten teachers will be doing assessments during the morning on Thurs. Sept. 17th. I will be in the class pulling students one at a time to find out which language and math skills they know and a substitute will be teaching just for the morning.
Hope you all had a wonderful weekend! It was great to see some of you at the Welcome Back BBQ last Friday!
Thanks for your support!

Welcome Class of 2022!

Hello and Welcome to My Classroom!!

I am excited to meet my new students for the coming school year! I hope you will all be able to come to Open House on Wednesday, September 2nd, between 4 and 6pm! I look forward to seeing you! Can you believe these new kindergarten students are the young faces of the Class of 2022?! I'm happy you get to start your educational career right here at Shirley Hills! We are going to have such a great year, I'm looking forward it!

A few things that may be of help to you as we begin the year:

1. School Supplies Needed for Kindergarten (Please bring these to your first conference scheduled for either Sept. 8th or 9th):

1 - crayons, 16-ct box
10 - glue sticks, .21 oz
1 - hand sanitizer, 4 oz. bottle (girls)
1 - kleenex, 175-ct box
1 - markers, dry erase, 4-ct box
2 - markers, washable, 8-ct box
6 - pencils, #2 wooden, sharpened (yellow only)
1 - pencils, colored (12-ct)
1 - sanitizing wipes (Clorox), 40-ct (boys)
1 - scissors, 5” blunt Fiskars

Donations of any of these additional kindergarten supplies now or during the school year would be greatly appreciated.

- Brown paper lunch bags
- Dixie cups, plastic cups or Styrofoam cups
- Elmers white glue, 7 oz. bottle
- Napkins
- Paper plates, lightweight white, 9” or 6”
- Plastic forks and spoons
- Ziploc bags, gallon or quart size

2. A link to the School Lunch Menu and PAMS Lunch Account, which will need to be set up before Septemeber 9th for your child to receive school lunch.

3. Plan ahead and put the Back to School Barbecue on your calendar: Friday, September 11th! Hot dogs and lemonade provided. Bring a dish to share.

4. For other school or district information, please check out the Shirley Hills Web Page!

5. To plan ahead for future activities and events, please view the District Calendar.

Week of May 18-22

Schedule for the Week:
Monday, 18th: Art
Tuesday, 19th: P.E.
Wednesday, 20th: Music - All School Picture- Wear your Blue Ribbon T-Shirt!!
Thursday, 21st: Art
Friday, 22nd: P.E.

Letter of the Week: Q q

Sight Word Being Introduced: where

This week has already been very busy (and it is currently only Tuesday!) Wednesday (tomorrow) please remind your child to wear his/her Blue Ribbon Tie-dye T-shirt to school for the all-school photo. If it is dirty, don't worry about it, we don't mind! :-) If you can't find it, just wear a sky-blue shirt of any kind.

Also, please remember, our school does not have air conditioning, so make sure your child dresses for the weather (it looks like tomorrow will be another t-shirt and shorts kind of day). Students are allowed to wear flip-flops or sandals to school, but make sure they have an appropriate pair of running shoes for P.E. to change into.

As the school year is winding down, here are a couple of reminders for the days to come:

Wed. May 20th: All of the kindergarteners will get to meet the four first grade teachers

Fri. May 22nd: Yearbooks will be passed out (to those students who bought them) and we will have a signing party. (Students who did not buy a yearbook, will get a paper with the Shirley Hills logo on it for friends to sign.)

Monday May 25th: HAPPY Memorial Day! - Remember there is no school this day

Wednesday, May 27th: ALL Library Books must be turned in

Friday, May 29th: SUPER TEAM DAY!! - make sure to wear running shoes to school this day!

Wednesday, June 3rd: Field Trip to Delano Park!! & Look for your child's report card in their backpack today

Thursday, June 4th: Last day of KINDERGARTEN!!! (this is a full day of school as usual.)

Week of May 11-15

Schedule for the Week:

Monday, 11th: P.E.
Tuesday, 12th: Music
Wednesday, 13th: Art
Thursday, 14th: P.E.
Friday, 15th: Music

Letter of the Week: X x

Star of the Week: Donovan

Sight Word Being Introduced: look

Week of May 4-8

Schedule for the Week:

Monday, 4th: Music
Tuesday, 5th: Art
Wednesday, 6th: Library & P.E.
Thursday, 7th: Music
Friday, 8th: Art

Letter of the Week: R r

Star of the Week: Jordyn

Sight Word Being Introduced: is

Week of April 27-May 1

Schedule for the Week:

Monday, 27th: Art
Tuesday, 28th: P.E. - 2nd & 3rd Grade Concerts!
Wednesday, 29th: Library & Music
Thursday, 30th: Art
Friday, 1st: P.E. & Computer (Happy May Day!!)

Letter of the Week: G g

Star of the Week: Jordyn

Sight Word Being Introduced: on

This week we will be finishing Chapter 9 in Math on Measurement and then moving into Chapter 10. At this time of year we are starting to wrap things up within some of our units of study. (I can't believe it is that time already!) We recently finished our unit on fish in science. Hopefully your child shared their journal they made about the fish with you over this past weekend. We have also just finished our last observation of the life cycle of trees through the seasons since starting in September 2008. We continue to focus on learning our sight words and practicing comprehension and the idea of expression in our guided reading groups. I am amazed at how much each student has grown this year in thier reading skills. What great learners we have here in K-2. I hope you all enjoy the week!

Welcome to Our Neighborhood!

In kindergarten we study who we are, our families and our communities. This past month we discussed the idea of a neighborhood. What makes up a neighborhood? Who lives in our neighborhood? We had many questions and had many answers. In the end we each created our own neighborhoods, giving them their own unique names and now understand what it means to be apart of a great community!