West K Blog 2014

"Teaching kids to count is fine,

but teaching them what counts is best."

Bob Talbert

These first few weeks of school Meaghan and I have been talking a lot with the kids about what it looks and sounds like to be a kind friend, an independent thinker and someone who is determined to be brave and do their best. Students have shared "peace talks" with friends when a disagreement arises. This involves an adult overseeing the pair facing each other and sharing what upset them or what they didn't like. The kids have felt empowered to share their feelings and problem solve in a constructive way. Students have made their own choices during Choice Time. They have chosen to read a book by themselves when their close friends have been building with marbles. Students have been determined to do their best - even if this means having to do something a second time because they rushed the first time. Showing them their rushed work compared to their careful, accurate work is a powerful tool. We applaud their courage every day!

Important Dates and Reminders:

-September 22 - Fall Potluck at the Freyer home (thank you for hosting!)

-September 25 - Go Green With Graland

-September 28 - Graland Gallop

-October 2 - Breakfast with Dads/Special Friends - 7:30-8:10 Anschutz Commons

-October 22 - Math Night! 6:00-7:00

Notes:
-As the year has progressed, we have noticed a difficult transition from morning choice time to Morning Meeting. Therefore, beginning next week we will begin having Morning Meeting at 8:15 followed by a short academic time before snack and PE. We will move the daily choice time to the afternoon before dismissal. We hope this will provide us with an additional academic time as well as a better transition in the morning. When students enter the room in the morning their choices will be drawing at a table or reading a book. We will be talking about this tomorrow but please remind them of this on Monday as well. Thank you!

Content and Curriculum:

It seems as if the most favorite part of the day in West K is partner reading time. Your children love to scootch closer to the person next to them, explore the pictures and words while smiling and laughing. They get a bit grumpy when our reading time ends and it is time to clean up to move onto the next activity. This is incredibly neat!

Next week we will be diving into the Journeys literacy program. You will notice the area in the classroom that Piggie and Gerald have inhabited will be transformed into our Focus Wall over the next week or two. The Focus Wall highlights the specific reading skills, letters and words that we are working on in our lessons. This wall is a great resource for parents to use when thinking of activities to do at home. Feel free to take a quick snap shot on your phone as you see the wall updated.

During Math we will continue to incorporate fine motor activities into our math exploration. Make math a part of your everyday life by counting in the car by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's. You could also practice "counting on". Start at any given number and ask them to count on to a specific number. Playing Guess My Number is also a favorite game in West K.

Have a great weekend!