Red Ribbon Week Activity

On Tuesday the entire school participated in some activities that we can all do to keep our bodies healthy. Everyone went outside to do different activities @ five minute stations. Station 1 w/Mr. Nellis involved stretching our muscles - Station 2 w/Mr. Smith was keeping beach balls in the air - @ Station 3 with Mrs. Hogue & Ms. Myers we did the Limbo - Station 4 w/Ms. Space we sang If You're Happy & danced the Hokey Pokey - Station 5 w/Mr. Clark involved running, jumping & jogging in place - @ Station 6 w/Mr. Rembold & some 6th grade helpers we danced & moved to music & @ Station 7 w/Mrs. Wingard we learned how to do the Chicken Dance!! What a great time we had, but boy were we tired by the end our 7th station.

Here are just a few pics of the children participating in healthy "fun" activities. Be sure to check out the picture of Ms. Myers & her cool hair! Other pics will be posted in the K1 - Candid Kids Picture Show.

Welcome .... Ms. Stegich & Conference Day News

We welcomed a new CUP student teacher to our classroom this week. I'm sure you'll be hearing lots of things about Ms. Stegich. She'll be helping & working in K1 thru mid-December. If you are stopping in for a conference on Nov. 13th, be sure to say hello to her.

On the topic of Conference Day, parent letters will be coming home soon. If the Nov. 13th date doesn't work with your schedule, please contact me to arrange a conference on a different date. I plan to start conferences by 7:30AM that day for those parents who want to meet before work.

Pumpkin Carving Day, Oh My!!!

A special thanks to Mrs. Smith & Mrs. Wolfgong for donating 3 great pumpkins for us to carve! Thanks also to Mrs. O'Neil, Mrs. Switzer, & our new student teacher Ms. Stegich for helping us carve pumpkins this week. Each group designed their pumpkin's face & then the adults got busy with their knives! It was fun to see the children pitching in to scoop out "pumpkin goo" & then separate the seeds from the goo. Last night, I baked all the seeds with a little oil, salt, & cajun spice. We'll be taste testing pumpkin seeds tomorrow - Yummmmm- O!!!!

Enjoy the before & after pictures from our great pumpkin carving event.........

Free eBooks

http://www.wizz-e.com/home.php Thanks to Mrs. Witkowski, our Instructional Technology Specialist, for finding this web site. Wizz-e is a kids interactive e-book website. It provides free children's electronic books (although not all the books are free), preschool games & children's activities.
Both Puss-in-Boots as well as the Elves and the Shoemaker are free to play online or download to your computer. The stories can be read to students who may struggle with reading on their own. Students can also choose to read the story independently without sound. At the end of each e-book is a quiz that checks for comprehension.
Wizz-e also has a few games that students can play online including puzzles and hidden picture hide and seek. Bookmark & check back at this site often as it looks like more things are being added.

Self-Concept

It is important for children to feel good about themselves in order to learn and do their best. In fact, it is important for all of us to feel good about ourselves in order to do our best work.
Here are a few ideas for helping your child feel good about himself or herself. See if you can add more ideas to this list................
1) At the dinner table, have everyone say one good thing about each person at the table. Try to do this at least once a week.
2) Tell your child one thing he or she does that makes you proud.
3) Put your child’s papers on the refrigerator door so that everyone can admire them.
4) Brag about your children in front of the grandparents ~ they love to hear things about their grandchildren!

Have a good week. Continue to enjoy your child at home as much as I do at school.

Saving Your Child's School Work

I came across a great idea in the October Real Simple magazine & thought it would be worth sharing with K1 parents. A woman from Idaho wrote when her children brought home school artwork she hung each piece on the refrigerator & with the child standing beside the artwork, she snapped a photo. In doing so, she & her children could part with the original work while standout pieces of artwork were framed & displayed. Later, the snapshots were placed in photo albums for future reminiscing.
This sounded to me like a very clever idea as well as a great way of organizing your child's schoolwork. I know we mom's would like to save almost everything our child does at school, but it soon proves to be impossible. I sure wish I had thought of this idea when my children were growing up. If so, my husband & I would have 3 less boxes & way more extra space in our upstairs closet!

Red Ribbon Week & Halloween

A few weeks back, I posted students were encouraged to wear sports or team jerseys instead of costumes on October 30th for the Team Up Against Drugs Parade. I originally posted students weren't to bring costumes to school on that day. Since that time our directions have changed. The information listed below will clarify some questions that have risen about Red Ribbon Week & Halloween.................
For Friday of Drug Free Week & the K - 4 parade.......... if students wear sports team apparel they may wear it all day. If they choose to wear traditional Halloween attire (without weapons, of course) on Friday of Drug Free week, they will be permitted to change into their costume later in the afternoon before the parade. If your child plans to change into a Halloween costume, please help them practice dressing themselves as I won't be able to help each child get dressed. The parade will be the culminating activity of the "Team Up Against Drugs" theme.
Also, I would like to carve a couple pumpkins in class & then roast the seeds to eat on Friday. Does anyone have a pumpkin(s) to donate? If we get more than 1 pumpkin, I’ll be looking for volunteer(s) to come help us carve them. If you are able to donate a pumpkin &/or come in to help us carve a pumpkin, please write a note to let me know what you are able to do. I plan to carve pumpkins on Tuesday, October 27th.
If you have questions, please send a note in your child’s folder or email.