K1 Visits Miss Sadie

I just found this class picture & realized I'd forgotten to post it on our K1 Class Blog. This group shot was taken on the morning we did our walking trip to the Knox Pubic Library. On our way back to school we took a little side trip & stopped to visit my puppy Sadie. During the month of May she rode to Knox with me each morning where I dropped her off at a friend's house to spend the day.
Now that school is out, Sadie & I have been very busy doing some of our favorite things... learning to swim, running errands, "chillin" on our deck w/GIANT ice cubes, & picking up/chewing tree limbs that fall in the yard.
I hope your children are having a fun summer vacation as well. Is everyone remembering to practice their flash card words & counting to 100 every now & then? I'd hate for anyone to forget all the things they learned in Mrs. Finotti's Kindergarten class over their summer break!!

And just in case you haven't heard the news - it's official. I'm now retired ... as of the end of our 2010 school year.
My entire life has evolved around the Keystone School District starting first as a Keystone student myself many years ago & now ending with 35+ years as a Keystone teacher. Who could have ever guessed that??
Teaching will always be in my heart & even in retirement I'm taking on a different kind of teaching job... training Miss Sadie!! I'll certainly miss the students & my faculty friends at Keystone, but plan to stop in for plenty of visits. Take care, everyone, & be sure to say "Hello" when you see me in places other than school!!

BrainPop Jr. - Games

Here's another good computer site from Mrs. Wit................. free educational games for the K - 3 crowd!! http://www.brainpopjr.com/games/

Summer Activities - I Can't Think of Anything To Do!!

K1 Parents:
I'm posting this "Summer Activities -- I Can’t Think of Anything To Do!!!" list but will also send a copy of it home in your child's report card. I hope your child has fun with this little list. Maybe your family can add more ideas to it!!

1. Eat breakfast with your other hand.
2. Count cars as they go by.
3. Find 2 toys that you no longer use & give them to charity or donate them to a
hospital play room.
4. Try to draw your face by sitting in front of a mirror.
5. See if you can name a word for each letter of the alphabet.
6. Make some paper bag puppets, alone or with a friend. Put on a puppet show.
7. Count backwards from 15 to 1.
8. Sing the “Wheels on the Bus” song.
9. Count the number of windows, doors, and rooms in your house.
10. Eat a celery stick with peanut butter.
11. Write your ABC’s in upper & lower case letters.
12. Find a toy or game you haven’t played with in over a month. Use it!!!
13. Ask someone if you could be of help to him/her.
14. Ask someone to read you a story.
15. Sing the “Little Teapot” song.
16. Say something nice to everyone you meet.
17. Name 5 things you like to do. Then, do one of them.
18. Let some people know how much you like them without saying it.
19. Look at your baby book then draw a picture of what you’ll look like now.
20. Sing the “6 in a Bed” song.
21. See how many words you can name in 3 minutes that begin with D. (or pick any
letter)
22. Learn a new word and what it means.
23. Sing the “Little Boy Blue” song.
24. Touch your nose with your big toe.
25. Find 3 throw-away items and make something with them.
26. List all the things you can think of that are green. (or pick any any color)
27. Find a neat hiding place and eat your lunch there.
28. Wear a funny hat all day!
29. Put a pencil between your toes and write your name.
30. Make a new friend.
31. Have someone put any 10 items on a tray, show them to you for 1 minute, then
take them away. Try to name all 10 items. No peeking!!
32. Sing the Alphabet Song.
33. Name all your relatives – grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins.
34. Play the “I See Something” game.
35. Count up to the largest number you can.
36. Think about Mrs. Finotti and guess what she is doing during her summer vacation!!

Classroom News

If you are looking for computer activites for your child(ren), be sure to visit our Keystone Elementary Home page. Check out the Student Stuff link along the left side. This site has many wonderful, educational, & safe websites linked there. You can find anything from ABC practice to counting practice sites on this page.
I know your child(ren) will enjoy visiting this page!!!

Thank You ......... K1 Parents!!

Dear Parents:

Thanks for all your help, patience, understanding, guidance, treats, gifts, & support throughout the 2009 - 2010 school year. I have really enjoyed working with your child & watching him/her grow. It has been a productive year that has certainly gone by quickly! Enjoy the poem below – it holds a wonderful message. Thanks again for everything! Have a great & safe summer with your child. I'll be looking for all my kiddos this summer as we encounter each other @ the grocery store or where ever our paths may cross!! As far as the big question about retirement... I'll know for sure after the 21st of June. :)
Thanks again,
Melanie Finotti

I dreamed I stood in a studio
And watched two sculptors there,
The clay they used was a young child’s mind,
And they fashioned it with care.
One was a teacher: the tools she used
Were books, music, and art.
One, a parent, who worked with a guiding hand
And a gentle, loving heart.
Day after day the teacher toiled
With touch that was deft and sure,
While the parent labored by her side
And polished and smoothed it o’er.
And when at last their task was done,
They were proud of what they had wrought;
For the things they had molded into the child
Could be neither sold nor bought.
And each agreed he would have failed
If he had worked alone,
For behind the teacher stood the school,
And behind the parent……… the home.
- Anonymous

Math Arcade on Fun Brain

Mrs. Witkowski, our Instructional Technology Specialist, is always on the lookout for good educational activities & this one is super! Math Arcade is a great website to help students practice math facts and skills. This might be a little difficult for some K1 kids, but I'm sure there are a few who will be able to do these activities soon or with a little help from an adult. If you have older children, this website is great for them as well!!
There is enough variety on the site to keep kids interested. The game board atmosphere gives students a goal to complete - they have to successfully play all 25 games to reach the end. Students can progress through the site based on their math ability. Math Arcade would be a great site to bookmark so your child can access it throughout the school year. I've added Math Arcade to the "Favorite Links" area on this blog!

BCC - School Science Clips

Check it out... another interesting computer site from Mrs. Witkowski. The BCC science clips are a collection of science related activities & games for students who are 5 - 11 years old. http://www.bbc.co.uk/schools/scienceclips/ages/5_6.shtml
Students can grow virtual plants, experiment with pushes & pulls, hearing & sound, forces & movement, electricity, rocks & soils, simple machines, light, solids & liquids, friction, habitats, life cycles, changing states of matter, reversible & irreversible changes, forces, & much more. The site is organized well, by age group, & has several activities at each level.