Dear Parents,

We hope you had a restful and fun holiday.  I know I was glad to get back and see the children again.  This is usually when kindergartners begin to take off in their learning.

Next week we will meet Mr. K with his kind kick sound.  Our Words of the Week are THIS and YOU.  In about two weeks we will test the students on these "green" words.  Please continue to practice the Rainbow Words with your child. 

In math we are continuing our study of numbers to 30.  The students are learning place value with the number recognition also.   

Tomorrow we will go to the Media Center to  check out new books.  Please return all books borrowed for over the holidays.  It will be Spirit Day and the children are encouraged to wear Garrison Mill shirts.  It is also Baseball Hat Day and for a donation of one dollar, students can wear  their own baseball hat all day.  All money collected will go to our Relay for Life Cancer Team.  

We are sending home conference slips for conferences during the week of January 26-30.  Please return these as soon as possible.  We have tried to schedule sibling conferences on the same day and close in time.  We are also sending home the 6 Hour Reading Club form.  If you and your child keep a list  of books read and minutes read,  he/she will receive a free ticket to Six Flags.  Please return these forms to me by February 17th.  I'm sure you read to your child every night and this will be simple to fulfill.  Have fun with it and get a free ticket for admission.   

Have a KIND week.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

 

Dear Parents,

We had a wonderful holiday party.  Many thanks to Mrs. Mosher for organizing everything and to Mrs. Brown for arranging for all the food.  Special thanks also goes to Ms. Pickett, Mr. Brown, and Mrs. Hirsch for being fantastic volunteers.  They all made this a fun time for everyone.

Mrs. Pearson and I want to thank all of you for the gift certificate to O'Charley's Restaurant.  It is one of our favorites and it is so convenient to our homes.  We will think of you kindly as we enjoy our meal.  We appreciate your thoughtfulness.

School begins for the students on Tuesday, January 6th.  Our Letter of the Week will be Mr. W with his wonderful wink sound.  The words of the week will be MAKE, PLAY, and RUN.  We will be studying the winter season and numbers to 30 in math.

Tomorrow we will go to the Media Center to get books.  It is also our pajama day.  We will watch The Polar Express with our book buddies  The children can either bring their pajamas or wear them.  It's going to be fun to share this with our older friends.

Have a happy holiday.

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

Starting Monday, we will be spending thirty minutes in other kindergarten classes learning about holiday customs around the world.  In our class we will study Sweden.  The other countries to be visited are Israel, Germany, China, Mexico, France, and Holland.  We will do this in the morning of Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.  We hope to enrich the children's prespective of life in other parts of the world. The students have a "passport"  and "suitcase" for traveling.  We will have lots of fun.

During next week we will also be making flat gingerbread houses on styrofoam trays.  We need many different types of candy, such as M&M's, peppermint sticks and drops, gumdrops, Lifesavers, licorice sticks, red hots, Skittles, Gummi bears, etc.  Please help us out by sending in one type of candy.  We need these by Monday, December 15th.  Thanks in advance for your help.

We will have no new Letter Person next week.  We will not have any new Words of the week.  However, we will concentrate on learning and reviewing red, orange, and yellow words.  In math, we are finishing our unit on plane and solid shapes.  We will begin a unit on numbers to 30.  There will also be no Show and Tell next week.

Here are some important reminders:

-Please contribute a canned or packaged item for our school food drive for Must Ministries.

-Tomorrow is ball cap day sponsored by Relay for Life.  One dollar allows you to wear your favorite team's cap for the day.

-We earned a popcorn party in the cafeteria tomorrow for good behavior.

-Tomorrow is an Art Day-no tennis shoes required.

-We go to the library tomorrow.  Pleas send back all books and the students will be allowed to take home 2 books for the holidays.

-Please remember to sign, empty, and return all folders daily.

Next Friday we will be watching the "Polar Express" and we need permission slips and tickets returned.  Have fun making the ticket with your child. We will also serve hot chocolate and the students are allowed to wear pajamas.  

Bonny and I hope you have a wonderful, happy holiday season.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

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Dear Parents,

Next week we will meet Mr. D with his delicious doughnut sound.  Our Words of the Week are FOR, LIKE, and LOOK.  In Social Studies we will begin studying holiday customs in our country and around the world.  State Standards say that students will describe American culture by explaining diverse community and family celebrations and customs.  Students should develop geographic understandings by visiting different countries with different customs.  In math we are continuing pur study of plane(2D) and solid(3D) shapes. 

Tonight is PTA and our chorus will be performing holiday music.  It begins at 6:00 PM. 

Have a DELIGHTFUL week.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

Thank you for coming Wednesday to our luncheon and play.  The children were so excited.  We are always glad to have parents or grandparents in  our class.  Have a very Happy Thanksgiving and a relaxing week off from  school.

We will be  back in school on Monday, December 1st.  We will begin studying a unit on transportation by land, sea, and air.  We will also be studying day and night skies.  State standards say that students will describe time patterns(such as day to night and night to day) and objects(such as sun, moon,stars) in the day and night sky.  Students will also observe and communicate effects of gravity on objects.   In math we have started a new unit on 2-D and 3-D shapes.  Students will be able to recognize circle, square, rectangle. and triangle.  Students will also be able to recognize a sphere and a cube.  Our new Letter Person will be Miss E who always likes to exercise.  Our Words of the week are COME and ARE.   I will assess the students on the "yellow" words after the Thanksgiving holiday.

There will be a PTA meeting on Thursday, December 4th  with holiday music performed by our Garrison Mill Chorus.  That Friday is a school spirit day and the students are encouraged to wear a school shirt. 

Again, thank you for coming for lunch this week.  Have a Happy Thanksgiving.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

We are so excited about Grandparents' Day next Wednesday, November 19th.  We hope you or your parents can come and have lunch with your child that day at 11:35.  Please note this is earlier than our normal time.  Following lunch, all are invited back to our room for some entertainment.  Afterwards, you can go to the Media Center for pictures, the Book Fair, and the Silent Auction Bake Sale.  Perhaps you could pick up a dessert for Thanksgiving.  All desserts are made by the teachers and all profits go to our cancer Relay for Life team.  We hope to see everyone next Wednesday.

Next week we will continue our study of Long ago and Today with an emphasis on the first Thanksgiving. In math we will continue our study of numbers 0-10 and how to divide sets equally.  We will also study nutrition in Health.  State standards say that the learner will be able to identify various foods by name and select nutritious foods that contribute to good health. 

Our Letter Person for next week will be Mr.G with his gooey gum sound.  Our Words of the week are SEE and TO, the last of the yellow words on our Rainbow Word list.  Thanks for sending in the homework we've been giving the students.  Our camouflaged turkeys are fabulous--alot of creativity was generated and we hear many oohs and ahs from the hallway where they are displayed.  Thank you.

Have a a GENEROUS week.

sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

We hope to see grandparents or guests for each student on Wed., November 19th.  Our lunch will begin at a different time:  11:35 AM.  Following lunch we will provide a little entertainment in the room.  Afterwards, grandparents or guests can take the children to the Media Center for pictures and for the Book Fair.  There will also be a Dessert Raffle for desserts made by the teachers.  Proceeds will go to our Relay for Life Team for cancer research.  I am planning on making a chocolate chip pie.  Very fattening but yummy!

Next week we will Meet Miss I, a Letter Girl because she is a vowel .  She has the short sound of  I as  in "itch."  Our words of the week are HE, SHE, and WE.  We will continue our study of numbers to 10 and practice how to share equally.  Our State Standards say that students will use informal strategies to share objects equally(divide) between two or three people or sets.  In Social Studies we will continue our study of Long Ago and Today with the Pilgrims and Indians and the first Thanksgiving.  We will also study map skills which will include where we live now and where we were born.  State standards say that students will explain that a map is a drawing of a place and a globe is a model of the earth.  Students will be able to differentiate between land and water features on a map and globe.  They should be able to explain that maps and globes show views from above and that features are smaller.  Their homework about where they were born is due Monday.

Here are some important dates and reminders:

-Our county computer system will be down the entire week of Thanksgiving for updating.

-Pictures came home today for those who prepaid for them.  Retakes are next  Friday, Nov.14th.  Please return  the pictures if you are having retakes made.

-Veterans' Day is Tuesday, Nov. 11th.

-The Giving Tree begins on Thursday, Nov. 13th. If you have opted to participate in this, your child should come home with a gift idea for a child this week.

-The turkeys we sent home to camouflage are due next week.  This is a project that parents are encouraged to participate in.  We would love to see all sorts of paper, feathers, etc, used to help our turkeys hide. This should be a fun parent-child project.

-Next Friday is also another Relay for Life Hat Day.  If a student pays one dollar, he/she can wear a hat from home all day during school.  Proceeds go to the Relay for Life Team for cancer research. 

   Have an INTERESTING week.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

Tomorrow promises to be an exciting day.  The children can bring their costumes and change into them at school.  After our Halloween centers are over, they will change back into normal school clothes.  Thanks to all who have contributed items for our centers.  We appreciate you.  We also appreciate Mrs. Mosher, Mrs. Brown, and my husband for helping out at centers tomorrow. 

Our theme for the whole month of November will be "Long Ago and Today." This, of course, will include the study of Pilgrims and Indians and comparisons of the times.  Our State standards say that students will identify the purpose of national holidays and describe the people or events celebrated. In math, we will finish the study of numbers and begin the study of geometry.  State standards say  that students will correctly name simple two and three-dimensional figures, and recognize them in the environment. 

Our Words of the week are AND, BIG, and CAN.  I will start assessing the "orange" words on Monday. These words are the color words.  Please start studying the "yellow" words.  If you don't have the list, please let me know.  Next  week  we will meet Mr. P with his pointy patches sound.

Here are some important dates and events:

-Daylight Savings Time ends on Sunday, Nov. 2nd.

-Student Holiday on Tuesday,  Nov. 4th.

-Grandparents' Day Luncheon will be Nov. 19th at 11:35.  After lunch, all guests are invited back to our classroom for some entertainment.  Pictures with grandparents and the Book Fair will be in the media center.  Please   plan on going to these activities after our program in the room.

-Practice the "yellow" words on the Rainbow Word List.

-PTA meeting on Thursday, Nov.  6th, at 6:30.  The 3rd grade will perform.

Have a PERFECT week.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

Thanks to all of you who sent in toilet paper rolls today.  We will use them for Halloween centers next Friday.  If you have not sent in your toilet paper roll, please do so before Friday.  On Halloween the children may bring their costumes to school and put them on for our Halloween centers. After centers, we will then change back into our normal school clothes.  Next week our theme will be pumpkins with all sorts of pumpkin math , including estimating the weight of our pumpkin, the number of seeds, and the diameter of the pumpkin. 

Our Letter Person will be Mr. H with his horrible hair sound.  Our Words of the Week will be PINK, YELLOW, and NOT.  We will continue our study of numbers to 10. 

Here are some important dates and activities:

-Pancake Breakfast on Saturday from 7-11 AM

-Grandparents' reservations for Grandparents' Day on November 19th are due by Thursday, Nov. 6th

-Bus Driver Appreciation Day is tomorrow

-Reading Night is Monday from 6-8 PM

-Square 1 art orders are due Monday

-Next week is Red Ribbon Week, the PTA's drug awareness program

-Library  tomorrow-return all books

-Tomorrow our special is music

Have a HILARIOUS week.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson

Dear Parents,

Next week we will have three Words of the Week.  The students seem to know their color words well so we are starting with the "yellow" words on the Rainbow Word list. The words are PURPLE, WHITE, and THE.  Tomorrow I will retest the 6 students who don't know all the"red "words. 

We will study our Family next week.  State standards say that the learner will be able to identify family members and their responsibilities.  We will also begin to study numbers 6-10 in math.  Our Letter Person of the Week will be Mr. B with his button sound.

Tomorrow we have High Touch, High Tech at our school with a unit of experiments on rocks and soil.  State standards say that students will describe the physical attributes of rocks and soil.

Today report cards are coming home.  Please look at the back of the report card to see exactly what was assessed.  I will contact some parents for conferences and I will call some of you on the telephone.  If you feel the need to talk with me about your child, please email me or send me a note.

Here are some  important dates and informaion:

-Box Tops for Education are due Wed.,Oct. 22nd.

-Bus Driver Appreciation day is Fri.,Oct. 24th.

-Student Council is collecting items for the Humane Society.

-Chick-Fil-A Breakfast is next Thurs., Oct. 23rd at 7:30 in our cafeteria. Proceeds go to Am. Cancer Relay for Life. It is pre-order only.

Have a BOO-tiful Week.

Sincerely,

Phyllis Nichols and Bonny Pearson