May Scholastic Book Order Wish List April 30, 2009

Thank you for checking out my scholastic book order wish list!  If you are interested in donating any of these books to our classroom, please email me at mmheffinger@cps.edu.  You will notice that many of the books that I am asking for have to do with our May themes so they will be very helpful to have.  Thank you so much!

 

Monarch Butterflies – $2                                                                                                          

Green Kids Pack – $10

Bug Bundle – $6

Welcome Spring Set – $9

Clifford Big Reader Duo – $4

The Magic School Bus Bugs, Bugs, Bugs, DVD – $14

Science Vocab Readers Animal Homes Trio – $6

Fun With Fairy Tales and Folk Tales April 30, 2009

This week we have had a great time reading different fairy tales and folk tales.  Not only did we read different versions of the same story, but we talked about the similarities and differences of the characters in the different stories.  Today was a rainy day and the children were a little bit more restless than usual so I decided to work with their energy and have them put on reenactments of different fairy tales and folk tales that we have been reading.  It was a huge success!  The kindergartners worked in small groups, assigned roles, practiced lines, made props, and acted it out for the other students in the class.  We had such a GREAT time!  Please make sure to look at the pictures that I have added from today to see what we were up to!

Additions to the May Calendar April 29, 2009

There are two additions to the May Calendar that I mistakenly omitted from the calendar that I sent home.  On Thursday, May 7th we will be going on our field trip to the Apollo Theather to see, “If you Take a Mouse to School.”  On Friday, May 8th we have a half day of school.  Please pick up your child at 12:10.  If you have any questions, please let me know and again, I apologize for the omissions.

Authors Celebration April 29, 2009

As many of you have heard, this year we have been focusing on writing at the Kindergarten level.  The children have been working on writing stories with a focused beginning middle and end approximately three times a week.  The Lucy Calkins writing program that Ogden School has adopted has been a huge success in our classroom this year.  I have been having special writing celebration days for the children to share their published pieces of writing.  They are awarded with a certificate when they are finished and their picture is put on the “authors wall.” 

If your child has written a story and brought it home to share, please send it back so that other children can read it and I will send them all home for you to keep at the end of the year.  Please feel free to stop by before or after school to see all of the stories that the children have written through the Lucy Calkins curriculum!

The Lincoln Park Zoo Was a Success! April 29, 2009

Last week, we went to the Lincoln Park Zoo and had a great time!  We lucked out with the weather and most of the animals were out for viewing as well.  I wanted to send a big thank you to all of the parents that helped on this field trip.  This would not have been a success without you and I truly appreciate your help!  You can look at our pictures from the zoo as well as some pictures from Dinosaur week under the photos section!

This Just In….Field Trip to the Zoo! March 31, 2009

After talking with the kindergarten team, we have decided that a year in Kindergarten just would not be complete if we did not have a field trip to the zoo.  We are so fortunate to have such a wonderful zoo right down the street from us so we need to take advantage of it!  The field trip will be on Thursday, April 23rd 2009 rain or shine.  If you are available that day to chaperone, please email me at mmheffinger@cps.edu.  We will need a lot of chaperones in order for the field trip to be a success.  Also, because the admisson to the zoo is free, we will only have to pay the fees for the bus, so it will be rather inexpensive.   Please be on the look out for the field trip form that will be coming home with your child in the next couple of days!  Again, thank you for your constant support.

Apollo Theater Field Trip March 31, 2009

Thank you all so much for turning in your forms for the Apollo Theater field trip!  We are so excited to go see, “If You Take a Mouse to School” live!  The author, Laura Numeroff has written a series of books similar to this one and if you haven’t already, they are a must read!   Earlier this year, we visited the Apollo Theater and saw “Hansel and Gretel and it was a huge success so we are very happy to be going again.  The field trip will be taking place on Thursday, May 7th 2009 so please be sure to pack a lunch for your child on that day in case we do not make it back in time for our regularly scheduled lunch.  Thank you so much for your help!

Spring Break! March 31, 2009

As I am sure that most of you know, our school spring break starts Monday, April 6th and continues through April 13th.  On April 13th there is a teacher work day so your child will resume school on Tuesday April 14th.  Please do not forget that we have a half day of school on Friday, April 3rd.  Enjoy your sping break and be sure to send pictures to school for your children to share when they return.  Also, encourage your child to write a story about spring break with a beginning, middle and end.  You can tell them that Miss Heffinger said she will “publish” spring break stories as soon as they return!

Dr. Seuss Week! March 9, 2009

For the past two weeks our class has been learning about Dr. Seuss.  In honor of his birthday (March 2nd) we did an author study on him and had a great time!  The following are just a few of the books that we read throughout the past two weeks: One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish, The Cat and the Hat, The Cat and the Hat Comes Back, If I Ran the Zoo, The Sneetches, Yertle the Turtle, Gertrude McFuzz, Green Eggs and Ham, Bartholomew and the Oobleck, Horton Hears a Who, The Foot Book, Hop On Pop, The Loraz and If I Ran the Zoo!  Some of us even brought in our own Dr. Seuss books to share with the class.  We not only read the books, but we also illustrated our own Dr. Seuss books, made Cat and the Hat hats, ate green eggs, re-enacted Yertle the Turtle using our own self-created turtles, learned from the Lorax and cleaned up the playground, had a Mixed up Monday, a Wacky Wednesday and a Theodore Thursday.  This is the tpye of theme that could go on much longer than two weeks so I encourage you to read Dr. Seuss books at home to help your child discover ryhmes and identify site words.  Please do not forget to look at the pictures on the website to get a better idea of what we have been up to in class!

**A special thanks to all of the parents who came in to be guest readers.  The class LOVED seeing you and we really appreciate you taking time out of your day to come and be with us!**

 

Scholastic Book Order Wish List for March March 2, 2009

Parents,

               Thank you so much for your continuous support of our classroom.  The following are books that I am interested in having donated to our classroom library.  Please remember that if you are interested in donating a book to our library, email me the name of the book so that I do not receive double copies.  If you are interested in purchasing books for your child, the book order is due on Friday, March 6th 2009.  Thank you so much again for your interest in donating a book!

Weather – $3

World of Insects Pack – $12

Looking for Leprechauns – $2

All About Dinosaurs – $8

The Rabbit and the Turtle – $10

The Tiny Seed – $5

Lets Read and Find Out Pack – $8