December 19, 2013

Dear Families,

Today we are going to have hot chocolate and cookies! (Michah) If your child brought a snack from home it is still in their backpacks!

We got to watch the Polar Express with Mrs. Flanagin’s class. (Derek)

We had reading centers this morning! (Maxwell)

Today we got to go to recess! (Asher)

We got a letter from Santa and he left us a bell! (Trevor and Emma)

If you would like to buy a Mill Creek water bottle ($2.00) or a mechanical pencil ($0.50) from Student Council, they will be in the commons BEFORE school starts!

December 18, 2013

Dear Families,

We had a good time outside. (Devin)

We went to other classes and did other projects. (Nathan)

Today we made reindeer food in Mrs. Hotchkiss’ class. (Sam)

In Mrs. Flanagin’s we got to do a snowball fight! (Allison)

In Ms. Overton’s we made Santa number lines. (Kendrick)

In Ms. Hanks’ class we talked about Hanukkah. (Avery)

In Ms. Dixon’s We glued shapes on gingerbread houses. (James)

Tomorrow we get to bring a small stuffed animal and wear pajamas! (Kate) We will have fun watching Polar Express with our animals!

FYI: Some of the kids left their red folders at school if they were empty.

Have a great evening!

December 17, 2013

Dear Families,

Today we went to PE and we played an icicle game! (Hayden)

We talked about Hanukkah. (Lily)

They have candles and every day until Hanukkah is done they light a candle up! (Avery)

We made a top called a dreidel. (Stella) We made it into a doll!

We went outside and played on the Blacktop. (Maxwell)

Tomorrow the students will rotate to the other kindergarten classes and do an activity! They are really excited! Please make sure your child gets a lot of sleep so they can be ready for a day of fun! J

*Today was a great day! Thank you so much for all the supportive emails and conversations! 

December 13, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we learned about rhyming words and got to sing some songs and see if they had rhyming words! (Sam)

We had indoor recess and watched WordGirl! (Allison)

Today we got to go to the computer lab and  play a game called Starfall. (Derek) PLEASE help your child learn their Mill Creek numbers so using the computer will be easier!

We got to dress up today! (Kate) Everyone looked great today and we got many compliments from other teachers and students.

We will eat cupcakes for Lily’s birthday! (Evan)

Since many are leaving early due to weather we wrote our email early!

FYI: If your child wants to buy MCE water bottles or mechanical pencils please send $ next Friday. Please remind them to buy before going to our wait spot. Once the bell rings, the Student Council teachers/students go to their classrooms.

December 12, 2013

Dear Families,

Mrs. Mielke came to our class to talk about good secrets and bad secrets. (James) Please check your child’s folder for more information on her lesson today.

We had a great time at lunch! (Devin)

We had outside recess. (Asher)

We are getting to bring home all of our writing workshop stories! (Xan) Please check your child’s folder to see how their writing has improved!

Tomorrow we will have our dress up day! (Michah) Our class voted on dressing “fancy” for earning our 100^th cougar compliment!

FYI: Mill Creek Water Bottles will be sold tomorrow, Friday December 13, and 20th at 8:15 a.m. in the commons.  They cost $2 each! Mechanical pencils are also on sale for .50 each!

December 11, 2013

Dear Families,

We had our writing celebration and had a toast! (Austin) Thank you so much for coming to our celebration! We had a lot of fun sharing our class and our stories with you! I really appreciate the support so much!

We got our letters q and z for our magnetic boards! (Kendrick)

We had a fire drill! (Trevor) Our class did such a great job going to our spot! We earned our 100^th compliment after our drill! Our kids voted to dress fancy to school this Friday! (Stella thought girls could wear dresses and boys could dress nice! Please dress your child how you are comfortable! This is supposed to be fun not something to cause stress J)

Today we got to eat with our parents if they stayed after our celebration! (Dayton)

We finally got to go out for recess but we couldn’t play in the snow! (Kaitlynn)

In math we counted candy canes and then matched the number to each group. (Nathan)

FYI: Mill Creek Water Bottles will be sold on Friday December 6, 13, and 20th at 8:15 a.m. in the commons.  They cost $2 each! Mechanical pencils are also on sale for .50 each!

December 9, 2013

Dear Families,

Today we went to the Holiday shop and got to buy things for our families. (Sarah Jane) We will be able to shop later this week. If you would like your child to go please send money in an envelope and I will have them go at that time!

We did our last 2 fundations letters q and z! (Emma) In our notebooks you will find a letter game to play when they go home on Friday.

In writing workshop we worked on making our stories beautiful for our celebration on Wednesday! (GeorgiaJane) We hope you can make it to our writing celebration at 10:00-10:30am!

In math we talked about the numbers 1-100. We counted by 2’s and 10’s using our charts! (Jake)

December 6, 2013

Dear Families,

This morning we got to go to the Holiday Shop to look around! (Xan) On Monday our class will get to shop! If you are interested please remember to send your money in your envelopes!

We finished our How to Make a Gingerbread Man books today. (Jake)

We watched a movie when we had indoor recess. (Kaitlynn)

Our class went to the computer lab. We got on Starfall and played some games. (Emma)

Today we made Gingerbread houses and a gingerbread train but they all kept falling apart. (Dayton) Thank you to those that send in our gingerbread kits and to Mrs. Allen for coming to help us!

December 5, 2013

Dear Families,

In writing we sounded out words when we were writing. (Kendrick)

Today in math we counted to 100 by 10’s. (Trevor)

It was too cold so we didn’t get to go outside for recess. (Austin)

We went to PE and did somersaults! (Lily)

We found the gingerbread boy today after specials! (Asher) We will get to eat him at snack!

December 4, 2013

Dear Families,

In fundations we got our new magnetic letters y and x! (Sarah Jane)

In math we worked on finding missing numbers on our 100’s chart! (Evan) We found number patterns and found numbers on rows and columns.

In writing workshop we continued to work on our stories. (Nathan) We added story language words and added feelings to help our stories sound more interesting.

Next Wednesday we are planning on having another writing celebration. We would like to invite our parents to this celebration. It will be on Wednesday at 10:00-10:30am. We hope you can come to hear our amazing true stories!

Today we went to art and finished our fall and summer landscape. (Avery)

December 3, 2013

Dear Families,

When we got in our classroom we saw the room was messed up! (Devin) The gingerbread boy came to our room and left a mess. (Avery)

In Fundations we practiced writing the letters y and x. (Michah)

In math we guessed how many were in a group. This is called estimating! (Derek)

We heard a story called the Gingerbread Baby. (Maxwell) We found out who the characters in our story were and the different settings as we read.

We went to an assembly and the 5^th graders sang some Holiday songs! (Sam)

We will be collecting new hats, mittens, gloves and scarves under the tree in the office from December 2nd- December13th. Harbor House, Rainbow House, Salvation Army, Boys and Girls Club will benefit from these warm and kind donations.

December 2, 2013

Dear Families,

We are going to read a lot of versions of the Gingerbread Man this week. (Stella)

We will use the stories to identify characters, setting, problem, and solution. We will also compare the stories to see how they are alike and different. Today we discovered that the gingerbread boy was the main character in our story!

This morning we made a gingerbread boy. (GeorgiaJane)

The gingerbread boy ran away from Ms. Nan when she was taking him out of the oven! (James) We will be on the lookout for him this week!

In fundations we learned about the letters x and y! (Hayden) Now we have only 2 letters left to learn!

We worked on our red dot side in writing workshop to make our stories better. (Kate) We had our writing partners listen to our stories to help us fix confusing parts and also praise us for our good parts!

In math we counted to 30! (Allison)

I hope you had a great Thanksgiving! It was great to be back today!

November 26, 2013

Dear Families,

This morning we got a new book called Thanksgiving Dinner and  we highlighted the word “on” in the book! (Sam)

We learned more about Thanksgiving and turkeys! (Sarah Jane)

We went to PE and did gymnastics! (Devin)

Mrs. Beeler came and read us a book! (Stella)

Today we had fun dressing like twins! (Kendrick)

I hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving break!

BTW, If your child plans to shop at our Holiday Shop in December (notes and envelopes were sent home Friday) then please wait and send the money the day of the shopping (which is Dec. 9).  That way it won’t get “lost”.  Thanks!

November 25, 2013

Dear Families,

We got new Thanksgiving books for our book tubs and we highlighted the word “for”. (GeorgiaJane)

We made a turkey today! (Austin)

We had a great time at recess. (Michah)

We went to art today and got to paint the inside of our clay pots. (Sarah Jane)

Today we had a Thanksgiving feast with Mrs. Flanagin’s class! (Stella) Thank you all for the food that was brought and to the parents that helped us!

We got to watch A Charlie Brown’s Thanksgiving movie. (Maxwell)

Tomorrow is Twin Day at Mill Creek! Please help your child remember to wear red!

November 22, 2013

Dear Families,

In writing workshop we worked on sounding out words to write our favorite foods in each of the food groups. (Hayden)

In math we put missing numbers in order. (Jake) Some of our friends had a difficult time doing this activity. Please check out our papers today to see how we did this activity.

Today we finished our Good Food booklets using our homework pictures. (Kendrick) I will send these home next week!

We went to music and played a motion game to music. (Emma)

We played a game today about the 5 food groups. (Devin)

Have a great weekend!

November 21, 2013

Dear Families,

In writing workshop we fixed our first page in our stories and used story language words (one day, next, later, suddenly, etc…)  to start our other pages. (Stella)

In math we talked about the numbers 18, 19, and 20! (Hayden)

We talked about the dairy group today. In our Good Food Books we glued a picture of a dairy food and then drew another one. (Nathan)

We had Mrs. Mielke come to our classroom and talked to us about problem solving. (Kate)

Next Tuesday we will have Twin Day at school! We voted to wear red shirts on Tuesday so we can dress like each other!

November 20, 2013

Dear Families,

·         In writing workshop we worked on revising our beginning. (Sam) We found out that authors all over the world work really hard on the beginning of stories because the beginning is so important.

·         We had a great time in lunch. (Evan)

·         We talked about the numbers 16 and 17. (Jake)

·         Today we talked about the vegetable group and learned that vegetables give us minerals. (Trevor)

·         Today we went to PE and had a substitute! (Kendrick)

A friendly reminder  that our students are allowed to take ONE guest into the commons to eat with parents.  If students are not following the rule they could lose privileges to eat out in the commons.  Thank you so much for your help!  

November 19, 2013

Dear Families,

Today we had a busy day of learning!

·         We are talking about different ways we can revise our writing to make our stories better! Today we learned how to use revision flaps.

·         We got flaps when we didn’t have enough room for sentences! (Sarah Jane)

·         Today we talked about the Fruit group! (James) We are using our homework pictures to find examples of the food groups this week!

·         We learned about the numbers 13, 14, and 15. (Dayton)

·         The whole class had fun in Reading Centers! (GeorgiaJane)

·         In Art class we made a landscape using paint! (Xan)

Have a great evening!

November 18, 2013

Dear Families,

·         We talked about v and w in Fundations! (Kate)

·         We went to music today and had a sub. (Hayden)

·         In writing workshop we fixed our stories. (Lily) We are working on revising our stories to make them better!

·         Today we started learning about good things to eat and the grains group! (Avery)

·         Book Clubs started today!  I discussed this with each of you at conferences.  The kids were excited!

November 14, 2013

Dear Families,

We talked about the letters k,h and l! (Allison)

We read the story called The Pigeon Finds a Hot Dog. (Michah) We had a great week reading stories by Mo Willems.

We wrote something that our pigeon could say in a speech bubble. Then we glued our pigeon by the bubble. (Kaitlynn)

In math we talked about number lines. (Austin) We used our number lines to help figure out what numbers came next.

We saw Mrs. Mielke today for specials. (Asher) We will see Mrs. Mielke again for the next few weeks!

Friday folders are going home today. Inside you will find optional math homework!

Don’t forget we have no school tomorrow!

Have a great weekend!

November 13, 2013

Dear Families,

We are going to have an extra recess at the end of the day! (Michah) Today we are celebrating our first non-referral party for this trimester with the rest of the school. After today, our celebrations in Kindergarten will be at the end of each month! I will talk to you about this at our conferences!

In math we worked on putting numbers in order. (Asher) This was difficult for many of our kids. To practice this skill at home, mix up number cards and see if your child can put them back in the correct order. Pull out 4 numbers and see if they can put them back in order J

We went to writing workshop and worked on our red dot work! (Max)

We heard the story Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late! (Derek) Our class is having fun reading these funny stories by Mo Willems.

Several of the kids have asked me about attending their after school activities like dance, sports, etc.  I would love to if my schedule permits but I need you all to let me know details. J  I don’t want to intrude or make you feel like you have to include me.  It is just fun to see the kids outside of school.  

November 12, 2013

Dear Families,

In writing workshop, we got to work with our reading partners! (Sarah Jane)

In Fundations, we got the letters l,h, and k and used them on our magnetic boards! (Trevor)

At recess we had fun! (Dayton)

We talked about 2 fewer in math. (Kate)

We just went to art and we made a snake! (Stella)

*I forgot to mention yesterday that the Book Fair is going on all this week in conjunction with conferences.  I took the kids by the book fair so they know about it and where it is but you must be with them in order to purchase books (in other words you can’t send money to school so that your kids can buy books).  Part of the money from the book fair goes to PTA.  In addition, you may purchase books to donate to our classroom.  Rather than filling out a wish list, I like for the kids to choose a book to donate to our classroom.  Obviously, book donations are optional.

November 11, 2013

Dear Families,

·         Since today has been a busy day (conference week normally is J) I am writing this email.

·         We have had a busy day of learning today! We will talk about the letters l,h, and k this week. Please ask your child about these letters!

·         In writing workshop students worked on their stories with their reading partners.

·         In math we talked about making numbers 2 more.

·         This week we will talk about stories written by Mo Willems. Today we read the story The Pigeon Wants a Puppy and the kids loved it!

·         Tomorrow the weather is supposed to be cold.  We got outside if the temperature is above 20 degrees.  So, please be sure your child has appropriate coats, hats and gloves/mittens.  Remember we have the early lunch and recess block so we go outside often when the weather is still pretty chilly.

November 8, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we learned more about the letters p and j. (Devin) Fundation packets are in folders for you to practice at home.

We got to make bread and eat it like the Little Red Hen. (Nathan) In red folders you will find the recipe we used to make our bread!

Today we went to library but we did not check out a book. (Avery) We are going to have Counseling class for the next 8 weeks. We will not check out books until this rotation is over.

We are ending our day with another recess! (GeorgiaJane)

**REPORT CARDS:

I will send report cards in Blue Friday Folders TODAY since the secretary got report cards copied already. We are not supposed to send these until next Wednesday but I thought if you had them earlier you could take a look at them before coming to conferences.  We can address the report card and any questions you may have at our conference.   You can bring the report card to conferences if you like but don’t have to.  The second page of the report card does say to sign and return but that is not necessary. I look forward to seeing you next week at our conferences!

**HOMEWORK:

There is also Nutrition homework that is due next Tuesday! Information is in Friday folders!

NON-REFERRAL CELEBRATION:

I sent home a few weeks ago a letter about PBS celebrations we have at MCE when students are being respectful, responsible, and resourceful. Next Wednesday, November 13th, our school is having our first celebration—Game day! The Kindergartens will be having an extra recess instead of this game day.

I truly appreciate your support and reinforcement of appropriate behaviors at school! J

November 7, 2013

Dear Families,

Today we got a reading partner during Writing Workshop. (Xan) Our reading partners are going to help us make sure that our stories are readable!

We had a great time at recess. (Emma)

In math we learned about 1 more than other numbers. (Jake)

For project time we put 6 pictures in order from the story The Little Red Hen. (Lily)

We had fun in reading centers. (GeorgiaJane)

We are going to PE today. (Kendrick)

November 6, 2013

Dear Families,

We read a book called Water. (Allison) It was about the water cycle. (Derek)

In Fundations we learned about the letters p and j and added those letters to our magnetic boards. (Hayden)

In writing workshop, we learned how to use story language words to tell our stories. (Max) (Story language words examples: One day, Next, Later…)

In math we talked about numbers greater and less than 10. (Kaitlynn)

Please remember to return turkey feathers & the small sheet showing what your child is thankful if you have not done so already! Thanks so much!

Next week will be Parent/Teacher conference week along with our Scholastic Book Fair! I will send a reminder of our conference time in Friday folders!

This is a link for our Mill Creek fair!

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bookfairs/cptoolkit/homepage.do?method=homepage&url=millcreekcougars&appesp=CPT/ib/20120101///txtl/FairFindertoHomepage

November 5, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we worked on writing the letters p and j. (Allison)

Today we got our own word wall lists to put in our writing folders. (Evan) We are learning how to use our writing tools to help us be better writers!

We read the story The Little Red Hen and some of our friends used their character puppets to retell the story. (Austin)

We had a great time at lunch! (Jake)

We are going to music! (Sam)

November 4, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we learned about the letters p and j! (James)

We read The Little Red Hen. No one would help her make bread! (Sarah Jane) We are going to use the story the Little Red Hen to work on retelling and putting events in order from beginning, middle, and end.

In math, we compared 2 numbers to see which was greater and which was less. (Devin and Hayden)

We went to library and heard 2 new stories! (GeorgiaJane)

We had a fun time at recess. (Kate)

October 30, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we practiced writing e and r. (Lily)

After we finish our stories we are going to use our checklists! (Kaitlynn) Today I gave out checklists for our class to use to make sure they did everything they needed when writing their narrative stories.

In math we used cubes to help us find the number that was most and fewest. (Derek)

We went to art today and we made monsters! (Evan)

*I have been notified that 3 boys from our class are making messes and clogging up urinals and toilets. Since I do not know who it is, I am changing the way I send boys to the restroom for the next few weeks. Instead of going with 1-2 friends, they will go alone, in hopes  that our boys will use the restroom appropriately when they go with a friend. I really appreciate conversations on proper use of urinals/toilets with your child. 

October 29, 2013

Dear Families,

In fundations we learned more about the letters r and e! (Sam)

We looked at leaves today! (Austin) We looked at the parts on a leaf and made leaf rubbings in our Science journals.

We had a celebration for our writing today! (Nathan) We were  celebrating all of the amazing writing skills that we have learned to make our books easier to read by others!

We went to music and sang the Skeleton Dance song! (Dayton)

**There is another conference note in folders today. Please return these----they are for documentation purposes J

October 28, 2013

Dear Families,

We learned about the letters e and r in Fundations. (Maxwell)

In writing workshop we talked about writing sentences in our stories. (Michah)

We had a good time at lunch! (Hayden)

GeorgiaJane brought us juice and cookies today! (Emma) Thank you to GeorgiaJane’s family for the awesome Halloween snacks!

We went to library and checked out new library books! (Trevor) A lot of our class forgot books! Please remember our specials schedule is on my blog page!

Reminders:

Tomorrow is picture retake day! There will also be an important PTA meeting! Check folder for more information!

Thursday your child can dress up as a book character to school! Please check red folder for more information! This is just another reminder since it is this Thursday! J

No school Friday!

October 25, 2013

Dear Parents,

     We had such a great time at Bradford Farm today! The kids got to play a few games and hear stories before taking a ride around the farm. We learned a little about the different corn that grows on the farm and the ways corn can be used. Then we got to pick our pumpkins from the pumpkin vine! This was a real treat! Your child will take home the pumpkin they chose! (They were told to get one they could carry! J) After eating our lunch, we went in the corn maze! I hope you hear about all our trip from your child! Thanks so much Stephanie, Melissa, Megan, Shannon, and Angie for all your help!

Friday folders are going home today! Inside you will see optional math homework, a hardcopy of our conference schedule and other information from Mill Creek! Have a great MIZZOU homecoming weekend!

October 24, 2013

Dear Families,

We wrote the letters d and s on our boards. (Asher)

We had a good time at recess. (Xan)

We heard a poem about 5 little pumpkins. (Avery) We cut 5 pumpkins out and glued them in order from smallest to biggest. (Stella)

We went to art and we got to play with clay. (Kendrick)

·         Tonight is Get the Scoop Night.  You can drop in anytime between 4:30 and 6:00.  You will visit our classroom and do a scavenger hunt.

·         Tomorrow is our field trip.  Dress in warm clothes, tennis shoes that can get muddy and a jacket!!!  It is supposed to be chilly.  Remember a lunch (unless you pre-ordered a school sack lunch).  No drink necessary.  Put your name on your lunch bag.  It must all be disposable.  There was an email and note about this yesterday!!!!  It is also sport shirt (Mizzou if possible) and hat day.  

October 23, 2013

Dear Families,

·         At writing workshop, we wrote about something we like to do in Fall. (Avery)

·         We had a great time at lunch. (Hayden)

·         We learned how to write the number 0. (Trevor)

·         We made pumpkins out of scraps! (Stella)

·         We went to music class and sang chicka chicka boom boom! (Austin)

*Tomorrow is Get the Scoop night from 4-6:30! Hope to see you!

*If you ordered Scholastic books for your child, they will be in his/her backpack today!

*Field trip to Bradford Farms is THIS Friday! If you are bringing water bottles for the class or coolers you are welcome to send them tomorrow or on Friday morning! Thank you so much!!

October 22, 2013

Dear Families,

Today we practiced writing the letters d and s on our Fundation boards. (Lily)

We had fun at recess. (Derek)

We put pictures in order showing how a pumpkin grows! (Kaitlynn)

We had fun at reading centers! (GeorgiaJane)

We went to library and heard a story about cat secrets! (Jake)

Bradford Farm Reminder--October 25th

Dear Parents,

This is just a reminder that our fieldtrip to Bradford Farms is THIS Friday, Oct. 25^th!

·         We are planning on leaving Mill Creek at 9:00am and coming back to school around 12:45.

·         Please send your child in jeans ,tennis shoes, and a jacket. Keep in mind that we will be walking in the fields and your child needs to wear shoes that can get muddy!

·         If you are sending your child’s lunch please send it in a plastic or paper bag. We will not be carrying around lunch boxes/bags. For those that asked for a sack lunch, I will have those ready that morning!

The following parents are the chaperones for this trip:

Stephanie Wade

Melissa Allen

Shannon Fry

Megan Hoyt

Angie Bailey

Due to limited space on the buses chaperones will need to drive their own vehicles (or carpool).  This will be great as we can have you take coolers and lunches. J  You would be responsible for supervising small groups of children and just helping me to keep “law and order”.  All children will ride the bus to be considered “present” at school.

Thanks for all you do!

Kim Pandov

October 21, 2013

Dear Families

We read a new book called Sunflower. It was about a boy who had a sunflower seed and he made it grow! (Emma) This week we are focusing on the order of events in our stories. We will focus on putting events in order to help with retelling stories.

In fundations we learned about the letters s and d! (Asher)

In math we compared groups and saw if they had one more or two more in the group. We used cubes. (Maxwell)

We went to PE today! (Michah) Tomorrow is library! Please bring your book tomorrow!

*I am in the process of scheduling your conferences! I will let you know on Friday when I schedule your conference! Be on the lookout for this information in Friday folders!

October 18, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we practiced writing the letters a and g and practiced the sounds a and g make! (Nathan)

We wrote a brand new story in writing workshop! (Kate)

We had fun at recess. (Dayton)

In math we talked about more and less. (Sam)

Today we went to art and colored a picture. (Evan)

Please look in Friday Folders! There is a LOT of important information in them!

·         Conference scheduling notes are in your child’s Friday folder.  It is very important that you read both of the sheets.  You may need to fill out and return both sheets, especially if your child has siblings at MCE.  I would like these back by Monday, Oct. 21 if at all possible.  Just return them in the Friday folder (not the red folder).  It is amazing to think that the first trimester is almost over.  Wow!! 

• Checklists are also in your child’s folder.  Please initial these each week and return in the blue Friday folder on Monday as well. 
• A letter about Assessments & Report cards from me stapled to current assessment results on your child
• Optional math homework J
• For those of you that ordered books online or on paper forms---I will place the order today so please no late orders! Thanks for ordering!  I may skip November since there will be a Scholastic Book Fair in conjunction with conferences and the money from that goes to PTA.  

October 17, 2013

Dear Families,

In Fundations we learned more about the letters a and g! (Allison)

We had a writing celebration! (Kendrick) We listened to everyone’s story and ended our celebration by having a toast!

We had a good time at recess. (Devin)

In math today we continued to practice counting and we learned how to write the number 10! (Xan)

We got to go to music and we got to sing the Three Little Pigs! (James)

October 16, 2013

Dear Families,

We talked about the number 10 in math. (Evan) Please continue to count with your child for extra practice!

We went outside and looked for a fall tree. Then we drew our tree and put it in our science journals. (Michah)

We had fun at reading centers. (Dayton)

We went to library and played a matching game. (Sam)

October 15, 2013

Dear Families,

We worked on writing the letters a and g correctly in Fundations! (Stella)

We had fun at recess. (Austin)

We learned how to write the numbers  8 and 9 in math! (Kate)

We decorated a fall tree with things we see in fall for project today. (Avery)

We are going to PE! (Sarah Jane)

Notes:

·         If you have not returned your child’s Bradford Farm lunch sheet please return ASAP! J Next Friday is the day of this fieldtrip and this lunch information is very important.

·         Reminder that you have until Friday to go to scholastic.com and order books!!!  I put the Scholastic K order flyers in your child’s Friday folder last week but you can order from any of the catalogs online.  It is worth your time to check it out!  There are some great titles!!!!  You can pay online and avoid having to send checks and order forms to me.  However, if you prefer to order books using the order forms I sent Friday then that is fine.  Just return them in an envelope with your child.  Make checks payable to Scholastic.  

October 14, 2013

Dear Families,

·         In fundations, we learned about the letters a and g. (Devin)

·         In writers workshop, we picked a favorite story and fixed it (revise)! (Jake)

·         Today we heard the story Clifford’s First Autumn and made a fall item (leaves, pumpkins, and apples) for our fall bulletin board during project time. (Xan)

·         We went to art today. We did some finger painting. (Kendrick)

·         Remember to send in cans of food this week if you would like to participate in our food drive.  There is a collection barrel in the Commons.  I will make sure your child gets them in there in the morning if they bring them to our room. J

October 11, 2013

Dear Families,

We had a great day! (Lily)

We got to meet a real firefighter and police officer! (Allison)

We had extra recess before we went to music. (Kaitylnn)

We got to pick our big centers today. (Derek)

We learned how to write 6 and 7 in math. (GeorgiaJane)

Notes:

·         Things to be on the lookout for in Friday Folders: Bradford Farms field trip lunch letter, optional math homework, first Scholastic book order form/letter (you can order online for convenience) & MCE Messenger.

·         Thank you for your help collecting money for heavenly hats.  Mill Creek students collected over $500!

·         The student flu vaccine clinic is on Friday, October 25^th from 8:30 A to 10:30 A in the Media Center.  Here is the schedule for that morning:

8:30-8:45—KD

8:45-9:00—5^th

9:00-9:15—1^st

9:15-9:30—3^rd

9:30-9:45—2^nd

9:45-10:00—4^th

They may run ahead or behind schedule, but this is the approximate time for each grade.  Nurse Shannon will contact parents who stated on the vaccine consent form that they want to be present.  If you have any questions you can call to speak to Nurse Shannon at   (573) 214-3280 ext 52440

Our Class Is Using Scholastic Reading Club!

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub
One-Time Class Activation Code: J2FL3

Dear Families,

Encouraging reading is one of the most important things we can do to help your child succeed. It can be tough finding the right books to keep them interested, which is why I am so excited that our class will be participating in Scholastic Reading Club this school year.

With Scholastic Reading Club:
- Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library
- You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child
- You'll find the best values on a variety of formats, including eBooks

Each month, your child will bring home Reading Club flyers. Together you can choose from books hand-selected by teachers and experts, and then order online or by returning your order form and payment to me.

I'd also love some help growing our classroom Reading Club. If you'd like to help out, please let me know! I'm excited to get our class reading!

Thank you for your support,

Mrs. Pandov

I will send the flyers and a letter about ordering books in tomorrow’s Friday folder!

If This Is Your First Time Ordering Online:
- REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub
- ENTER the one-time Class Activation Code from the top of this letter
- CHOOSE from thousands of books, value packs, and Storia eBooks
- SUBMIT the order to me by the due date listed on the website
- EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!

October 10, 2013

Dear Families,

We talked about the numbers 6 and 7  in math. (Sarah Jane) For our new math topic we will start working with numbers 6-10.

We matched community helpers to hats they may wear at work. (Nathan)

We all had fun at recess. (Xan)

We had library today. (Lily)

We collected $ 23.82 for Heavenly Hats today! We are a very GENEROUS class! Thank you for your support!

Get the Scoop Night will be October 24^th 4:30-6pm. There will not be a presentation. It will be an informal event. You can drop in and get information on Kindergarten curriculum and see some of your child’s work!

Oct. 31 Celebration with Books Information

Hi all,

     On Thursday, October 31 our school will be having a “Fall Celebration With Books”.  On that day your child may dress as their favorite book character (no masks, face paint, hair paint, nothing scary via school-wide guidelines—I think there was information on this in the Mill Creek Messenger).  They may also bring a favorite book or two from home to read. 

     Since K kids, for the most part, can’t read much independently, we are asking parents that are available and interested to come in and read to small groups of kids on that day.  The time frame is 12:30-1:30.   We will break into small groups and you will read to your group.  You can bring a book from home or the kids will have books that they are bringing.  We will read from 12:30-1:00 and then make a craft and have a snack (our room parents are planning this; once I  hear from them one of us will contact you J) from 1:00-1:30.  If you can come for any or part of this time then please respond to me by email.  If you can’t come during this time then let me know and maybe we can make arrangements for you to come read to the class that day.  

October 9, 2013

Dear Families,

·         We got to write more in our stories in writing workshop. (Emma) We learned we can make speech bubbles to show our characters talk in our stories. (Maxwell)

·         We matched what community helpers drive when they work during projects today. (Nathan)

·         We put cubes in circles, counted them, and then wrote the numbers in math. (Allison)

·         Tomorrow is Heavenly Hat Day at Mill Creek.  You may donate $1 or more to wear a hat tomorrow to school! Thanks for your help and support of this Student Council Sponsored project!

·         Fundraiser orders will be delivered tomorrow! Please look in your child’s red folder for more information!

October 8, 2013

Dear Families,

We practiced writing the letters c and o on our Fundation boards. (Sam)

We went to art. (Hayden)

We went to a play about fire safety. They showed us how to stop, drop, and roll. (Derek)

In busy baskets, we are matching numbers to the same number of dots. (James)

Today we learned about the tools community helpers use. (Trevor)

Please remember that tomorrow is Walk to School Day. We will meet at Boone County National Bank (across the street from Hawthorn Bank) at 7:45 and walk to Mill Creek! This is a fun event for families and teachers. 

October 7, 2013

Dear Families,

·         We went out to recess. (Austin) Please send a jacket if you feel like your child needs one because they are going outside after lunch.

·         In Fundations we talked about the letters c and o. (Asher)

·         We wrote in our story books in writing workshop. (Avery) We are really trying to add details to our pictures and words to help our readers understand our stories.

·         We talked about communities and community helpers. (Derek)

 

Our Walk to School event will be Wednesday, October 9^th.  The meeting location has changed to Boone County National Bank, across the street from Hawthorn Bank.  This will allow us to not cross any streets. If you want to walk from Mill Creek to the bank, please meet in the commons by 7:10. 

October 4, 2013

Dear Families,

·         We went to recess and had a great time outside. (Kaitlynn)

·         We got to wear our pajamas. It was a good day. (Dayton)

·         We watched a video called Stop, Drop and Roll. (Devin) We talked about fire safety today. (Kate)

·         In math we talked about the numbers 4 and 5. (Michah)

We have Friday folders today. Please check out all the papers and initial and return the checklist on Monday.

Have a good time at Fun Fest tonight.  I hope to see you! J

October 3, 2013

Dear Families,

We read Noggin and Bobbin in the Garden. (Stella) We are talking about different ways we can predict a story before reading the book.

We saw a snake outside. (Evan) The snake was contained and kids were safe!

In writing workshop we started writing our first story. (Kendrick)

Today we talked about safety at home! Some stuff like irons and matches can be dangerous. (Xan)

We go to PE today! (Jake)

We went to Reading Centers. (GeorgiaJane)

Tomorrow is pajama day for earning our 100^th cougar compliment! Please no slippers, blankets, pillows, or stuffed animals.

Fun Fest is also tomorrow! It will be starting at 5-8pm!

Have a great evening!

October 2, 2013

Dear Families,

·         James did not have his Me Bag but we still got to write his name and ask him questions! (Emma) We saw Asher’s Me Bag too! (Michah) We finished sharing Me Bags today! Thank you so much for helping your child with their Me Bags!

·         Today in writing workshop we found out that we will start writing stories and not teaching books! We heard a story called Creak, said the Bed! (Devin) This story is an example of a story.

·         We found out that we can make numbers lots of different ways in math. (Xan)

·         We earned our 100th cougar compliment today so we will celebrate this Friday by wearing pajamas to school!  The kids can wear their pajamas to school but be sure they have tennis shoes and that their pajamas are something they can play in and wear all day.  No slippers, blankets, pillows or stuffed animals.  We will do slippers and stuffed animals as a celebration later in the year. 

·         Thanks to all of you that sent in coins for United Way! Our class collected $49.50! That is pretty amazing!!

October 1, 2013

Dear Families,

·         We saw Austin’s Me Bag today! (Asher)

·         We showed 5^th graders our teaching books! (Austin) Today we had our first publishing celebration with Mrs. Privitt’s 5^th grade class! They really enjoyed our stories!

·         We had fun at recess! (Evan)

·         We talked about safety at school today. (Jake) We discussed why we have rules and why we practice emergency drills at school.

·         We went to music and got to play with instruments! (James)

Notes:

• Tomorrow we are asking all Mill Creek students to bring  change to make a change for United Way.  Any amount of change would be greatly appreciated in supporting United Way! There is a little pink paper in take home folders that explains this donation program! 
• If your child pre-ordered Fun Fest tickets, they should be in their backpack.  Let me know if you did not receive them. 
• Don’t forget to do the funny pumpkin face homework.  It is due by Friday.

Welcome to my blog!

Hi Families!
I'm really excited to start blogging for our classroom! I have taught since 2001 but this is my first experience with blogging! I hope you will find this site useful since you can access it as often as you wish! Thanks for your continue involvement in your child's learning!