Winter Packet

Are you already running out of things for your kindergartner to do during Christmas Vacation?  Check out this "Winter Packet" for kindergartners from Duval County Public Schools.  http://www.duvalschools.org/static/students/student_software/winterPackets_2011.asp

Christmas Party

THANK YOU so much to all of you who contributed to the success of our Class Christmas Party on Friday, December 16th.  For lunch, students had pimento cheese sandwiches, peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, meatballs, "pigs in a blanket", raw vegetables, fresh fruit, chips, drinks, and lots and lots of cookies.  The children had a great time and we are so grateful to you for providing this wonderful party for our students.  Thank you, also, to the parents who were able to come to school to help with the festivities.  Mrs. Doiron wishes you all a Happy Holiday Season !!

Functional Writing: Salad

On Friday, December 9, 2011 students in Mrs. Doiron's class listened to How to Make a Salad by Michele Perreault. This level "A" book explains the steps to make salad. Mrs. Doiron followed the directions in the book to make a salad for the children to eat.  Then we reviewed the steps used in making the salad.  Finally, students went to their "Work Spaces" to write their own directions for making a salad. Did you know that your youngster knows how to make salad?

Functional Writing: Ice cream sundaes

On Wednesday, December 7, 2011, students in Mrs. Doiron's class listened to Scrumptious Sundaes by Andrea Butler.  This level "B" book explains the steps to make an ice cream sundae.  We reviewed the steps, then the children actually got to make and eat ice cream sundaes!  Finally, students went to their "Work Spaces" to write their own directions for making a sundae.  This kind of writing sure tastes good!

Reader's Workshop

In Reader's Workshop, we are working on the comprehension skills of evaluating and monitoring.  On Wednesday, November 30th, students listened to the book Jamaica Tag-Along by Juanita Havill.  They "turned and talked" with a partner to tell whether they liked or didn't like this book.  They also had to tell WHY they liked or didn't like it.  Then the children wrote their ideas in their Readers' Response Journals.  Here are some examples of what our students are expected to do at this point in the school year.  If your youngster cannot do this type of work, please help him/her practice at home.

I like the boy and Jamiaca making (a) sand castle.

I liked the book.

I like this book because this book has colors.

I like this book because it have alot of colors.

Word Wall

This is what our Word Wall looks like now.  The children have learned to read many words, including each other's names, sight words, and several color words.  You may notice that some of the names on the Word Wall are students who used to be in our class, but have moved away.  We have left their names on the Word Wall because they are still our friends and we may still want to write about them.  Please show your kindergartner these photos and ask if he/she can read these words.  If your youngster struggles reading some of the words, please practice at home.  The ability to read sight words makes reading much easier !!

100 BOOKS !!

Since the beginning of the school year, Mrs. Doiron has been writing down the name of every book read aloud to the class.  Can you see how long the list is?  Yesterday the children listened to their 100th book!  We celebrated today with a pizza party and certificates!  We will continue to listen to books and look forward to celebrating again when we get to 200 books! 

Happy Halloween

On Monday, October 31st, we observed Halloween in our classroom.  The children helped Mrs. Doiron prepare a pumpkin for carving.  Students helped pull the "guts" out of the pumpkin and separate the seeds from the "orange stuff".  Students picked the shapes for the eyes and nose, and decided how many teeth our John-o-lantern should have.  Please note that we named him "John" since we already have a student named Jack.  After carving the pumpkin, Mrs. Doiron washed, salted, and toasted the seeds.  Mmmm, they were yummy !!  A BIG thank you goes to the families of Bryan, Dejuanta, Burlin, and Tyrone for providing cupcakes, juice, and cookies to complete the celebration.

Connor'a A-Maize-Ing Acres

On Thursday, October 27th, we went on a field trip to the farm.  Students enjoyed riding the "Cow Train", taking a hay ride out to feed the cattle in the field, eating a picnic lunch, winding their way through the corn maize, and playing on the playground.  Thank you to Mr. Cobb, Mrs. Cobb, Mr. Fick, Mrs. King, and Mrs. Watson, who served as chaperones.  We were also happy to have Ms. Pesce, an intern from the University of North Florida with us, too.  Students saw eight different kinds of animals: cattle, horses, a donkey, a sheep, a pig, chickens, a goat, and ducks.  We had beautiful weather and a great time.

The Gingerbread Man

Our STAR Book for October 17-21, 2011, was The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt.  Each day the children listened as Mrs. Doiron read the story.  They also listened to The Gingerbread Boy by Paul Galdone, as well as The Gingerbread Man by Richard Scarry and The Gingerbread Man by Elfreida.  They also watched two different versions of the story on YouTube!  We talked about fantasy vs. reality, the setting, the characters, and sequence of events.  Students used six laminated picture cards to retell the story.  They placed the pictures in order and told the story to each other.  On Thursday evening, Mrs. Doiron made gingerbread men at home and brought them to school on Friday.  (Mrs. Doiron said that she had to watch the oven to make sure that those little gingerbread men didn't jump out of her oven ~ LOL.)  On Friday, each student received a gingerbread man.  They frosted him, decorated him with sprinkles, and finally ate him.  Now we know why all those people and animals chase the gingerbread man.  He tastes so good!