Ms. Kranzush's Kinders
February 2016
Report Cards
On February 8th, your child's first report card will be coming home! Man, your kids have been working SO HARD in class to soak up everything I'm teaching. A score of 3 is on grade level. 4 is above grade level, 2 is progressing, and 1 is below. One thing that is important to remember about report cards is that it is based on current progress towards end of year goals. For example, I've taught 12 heart words. If your child knows MORE than 12 of them, then they score a 4, because they are ahead of what I've taught. If they know 12, they score a 3, because they are on track to be on grade level. If they know 7-11ish, they score a 2 because they are progressing towards being on grade level. If they know less than half, they score a 1 because they are substantially behind what we've taught in class. All kids progress differently in different skills, we've still got tons of school left! If you have any questions, spring conferences are right around the corner or shoot me an email. Remember, "Comparison is the thief of joy" (Theodore Roosevelt.) Be sure to celebrate your child's successes, as there are MANY!
Valentines Day
In Class - We will be decorating "mailboxes" and delivering valentines on Friday, February 12th. I'll supply the mailboxes and decorations. Soon, you'll get a class list coming home in your child's binder that has all kids' names (there are 22) as well as some others that your child may interact with. Please have your child practice writing the names of other kids on the valentines... after all, you already know how to write; they need the practice! If you don't want to buy valentines and work on them at home, we will have a day earlier in the week where kids will stay in for recesses to make valentines. Please let me know if this is the option you choose so that I know how much to prepare.
Valentine's Date Night - 5th grade is holding a fundraiser for their Outdoor School Feb 12, where they will have kid care from 5:30-8:30pm at Pine Ridge. Cost is $10 per child. Find more information at https://bend.k12.or.us/pineridge/news-events/calendar/valentine-date-night
Valentine's Date Night - 5th grade is holding a fundraiser for their Outdoor School Feb 12, where they will have kid care from 5:30-8:30pm at Pine Ridge. Cost is $10 per child. Find more information at https://bend.k12.or.us/pineridge/news-events/calendar/valentine-date-night
Whole Brain Child part 2
On Feb 23rd from 5:30 - 7:00, Bea Leadyard will be here for Part 2 of our Whole Brain Child book study. Please consider attending. There will be childcare provided. Even if you didn't come to the first session, you're more than welcome to come to this one, as the topics will be different. I have a copy of The Whole Brain Child if you'd like to borrow it. Please sign up using the link below. Hope to see you there!
Sledding
After a successful impromptu sledding session, we talked about force and motion (gravity and friction) when we got back to school.
Engineering Igloos
Why do stacked walls fall over, but staggered snow walls hold up? We explored engineering with our igloo brick molds.
Who needs a boost?
It was a lot easier for kids to climb in this old trunk with a few extra feet of snow to give us a boost.
Skulls
Skulls and pelts of native animals were in our mystery box. We checked them out at the lodge and in class.
Pelts
Skulls and pelts of native animals were in our mystery box. We checked them out at the lodge and in class.
We'll Miss You, Jaedyn!
Jaedyn and her family are moving to California to join her dad near his work. We'll miss having her with us every day!
February Events
Feb 5th - No School (teacher report card prep day)
Feb 8th - Report cards come home with kids
Feb 12th - Valentine's Date Night Fundraiser
Feb 15th - No school (President's Day)
Feb 19th - Forest Day
Feb 23rd - Whole Brain Child
Feb 24th - 11:45 release
You can always see our calendar here.
Feb 8th - Report cards come home with kids
Feb 12th - Valentine's Date Night Fundraiser
Feb 15th - No school (President's Day)
Feb 19th - Forest Day
Feb 23rd - Whole Brain Child
Feb 24th - 11:45 release
You can always see our calendar here.
Drop Off - 8:30 - 8:55am
We have morning supervision on the playground starting at 8:30. Please do not drop off your child prior to then (unless they're going to Kids Inc.) Kids who are at school prior to 8:30 have to sit in the office commons and we can't promise supervision, as the office staff is also getting ready for the day. Thank you for your help and understanding.
Writing Genre Change
We're switching gears in writing and starting "How To" books, where kids are teaching the reader how to do different tasks through writing multiple step directions. It can be anything from "How to Be a Friend" to "How to Make PB&J." You can help out at home by talking about multiple step tasks: to set the table, first you put out place mats, second you set out silverware... etc. Or to go skiing, first we pack up our gear, second we drive to the mountain...etc. This is a fun genre for kids to write. It gets really silly when we act out their steps and they realize something important is missing!
Reading
Trying something new this month - I'm sending home a paper "refrigerator copy" of our reading skills for Theme 5.
Math
In Number Corner, we're working on:
- patterns
- coins (pennies and nickels)
- tens and ones (how many days we've been in school)
Math Lessons
- We're working heavily this month on story problems using sea creatures as the characters. We'll be solving pre-made problems and then creating our own. We will solve each other's problems. Our problems will range from "There are two sea stars on the rock and 4 more in the sea. How many in all?" to "If I can see 3 whale spouts, how many fins are underwater?" We encourage kids to not only write an equation, but draw a picture that depicts how they figured it out.