Week of December 18-22, 2017

It's hard to believe we are at the end of 2017. The kids are super excited about the holidays, but they've also been working really hard.

Please read on to see what we have coming up:

12/18-22: Spirit week. Please note all days but Friday are uniform days unless participating in the spirit theme.
       Monday: Pajama Day

       Tuesday: Festive Socks

       Wednesday: Ugly Holiday Sweaters

       Thursday: Holiday Hats and Headgear (think reindeer antlers)

       Friday: Holiday colors/Free Dress

Friday 12/22: free dress and classroom celebration, 11:35-12:40. Thank you to Sarah Z'Berg for coordinating cookie decorating supplies and parent volunteers! I'm not sure what I'd do without your help this year!
You're all welcome to join the festivities; the more the merrier!

Monday, 1/8: first day back at school

Language arts

We've been writing a ton! Stop by the room to check out some work.

We've also been blending and reading words every day. Every student should be spending a few minutes a day practicing reading at their level.

Math

We are finishing up our addition chapter. When we return after break we will begin working on subtraction.

Class wish list items: we are running low on tissues, and cold season is in full swing. We'd love a few boxes to add to our supply.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a fantastic holiday with your families!

Carrie Relles

Week of December 4-8

Hello Families!
It's hard to believe we are already in December. The first trimester of school is complete, and your children have learned A TON. I enjoyed all of our conferences during the last couple of weeks. Thank you for taking the time to meet with me to discuss your child's progress.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Tuesday, 12/5, 11:35: craft prep for the winter craft fair. We need lots of volunteers for this. Please let me or Sarah Z'Berg know if you plan on helping that day.

Wednesday, 12/6: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 12:00-12:30 pm. We love having parent helpers, so please feel free to join us if you have time.

December 4-13: Goods drive for Mustard Seed school and Loaves and Fishes. Please send in new socks!

Wednesday, 12/13, 6:00pm: Winter Craft Fair in the cafeteria.

Language Arts
We have been working hard on using sounds and letters to blend words both orally and on the board. The kids are doing an awesome job with this. This week we will focus on the /m/, short a, and /d/ sounds.

Math
On Monday we will take the chapter test on numbers to 100. Tuesday we will begin working on addition.
The kids are very excited about this!


Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a great weekend.

Week of November 6-10, 2017

Hello families,
We had a great week celebrating the end of October and wrapping up our pumpkin unit. Thank you to those parents and grandparents who came in to help with our spooky celebration on the 31st.

Here is what we have coming up:

Friday, 11/10: NO SCHOOL; Veterans Day observed

Friday, 11/17 and the week of 11/27-12/1: Minimum days for parent/teacher conferences. On these days I will walk the kids to the cafeteria at 11:40am. You are welcome to pick them up then from our line or to pick them up at 12 when they are finished eating. Kids who go to 4th R will eat in the cafeteria and a 4th R staff member will pick them up at 12.

Week of 11/20-24 NO SCHOOL; Thanksgiving Holiday

Language Arts
Each student has been assigned a letter that they and a friend are the "expert" for. This week they will decorate bags with their letter and pictures of things that begin with their letter. Next week I will encourage them to bring in small items from home that begin with their letter. Watch for an email with the day those items can start coming in.

Math
This week we begin Topic 5 on numbers to 20.

Wish List items
We'd love your old magazines! Please bring them in starting next week. Thanks!

Thanks for reading, everyone. As always please stop by or email if you have questions or concerns.

Week of October 23-27, 2017

Hello families
What a fun Jog-a-thon we had today! Thank you to everyone for your generous donations. Our arts program will be fully funded for another year thanks to all of you!
Our class earned a Jamba Juice party because we had 100% participation in Jog-a-Thon donations. We will most likely enjoy some smoothies some time next week.
Please read on to see what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Thursday, 10/26: first field trip to Dave's Pumpkin Patch in West Sac. Thank you to our 10 parents who have volunteered to chaperone. At this point I have already turned in chaperone names to the district, and we have all the chaperones we need. I will give priority on our next field trip to those parents who weren't able to come on this one.
We will leave on the bus at 9am and return by 12:30 pm. Please send your child to school with a bag lunch, as we will be eating at Dave's. This is a school uniform day.

Saturday, 10/28: Phoebe Hearst Harvest Festival, 3-6:30 pm. Come in costume and have lots of fun with friends playing games, eating spaghetti dinner, and getting spooked in the haunted house. Please be sure to volunteer some of your time in our Room 4 booth as well. Everyone should have received an email about this from our room parent Sarah Z'Berg

Tuesday, 10/31: Halloween. We do not wear costumes to school! However this is a crazy sock and orange and black spirit day, so check the sock drawers and go crazy!
 We will have a small celebration during the last hour of class. The kids will make some crafts and have a snack. If you would like to help out, please let me know.

***We will not have centers on Tuesday 10/31 because of our afternoon celebration***

Friday, 11/10  No School; Veterans' Day observed

November 20-24: NO SCHOOL; THANKSGIVING BREAK

Friday, November 17 and the week of November 27-December 1: Parent/Teacher conferences; minimum days. The kindergarteners are dismissed at 11:40. I will walk them to the cafeteria for lunch at this time. If they go to 4th R, they will be picked up at 12 by 4th R staff members. If you pick them up, you can take them at 11:40 or they can eat and then get picked up at 12.
Please watch for an email about scheduling conferences late next week.

Language Arts
This week we will finish focusing on a letter shape each day. We will begin to focus more on letter sounds and putting them together to make words.
Letter focus:Ww, Xx, Yy and Zz
New sight words: it, no, this

Math
This week we continue to work on comapring numbers. We will work to figure out what is one fewer, one more, two fewer and two more.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please don't hesitate to reach out if you have questions or concerns.

Week of October 16-20, 2017

Hello families,
It's been another super week. Your kids work so hard, and they are learning a ton. We are getting very excited about the Jog-A-Thon next Friday. You are all welcome to come cheer us on.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Wednesday, 10/18: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 12:00-12:30. Please come and join us! We love having parent and sibling helpers.

Friday, 10/20: Phoebe Hearst Jog-a-Thon. I will let parents know our scheduled running time as soon as I get it. All parents are welcome to cheer us on as we run at this fun event. This is a free dress day; please send your child in clothes appropriate for running.

Thursday, 10/26: first field trip to Dave's Pumpkin Patch in West Sac. Thank you to our 10 parents who have volunteered to chaperone. Please look for an email about this early next week. We will leave on the bus at 9am and return by 12:30 pm. Please send your child to school with a bag lunch, as we will be eating at Dave's. This is a school uniform day.

Saturday, 10/28: Phoebe Hearst Harvest Festival, 3-6:30 pm. Come in costume and have lots of fun with friends playing games, eating spaghetti dinner, and getting spooked in the haunted house. Please be sure to volunteer some of your time in our Room 4 booth as well. Everyone should have received an email about this from our room parent Sarah Z'Berg

Tuesday, 10/31: Halloween. We do not wear costumes to school! However this is a crazy sock and orange and black spirit day, so check the sock drawers and go crazy!
 We will have a small celebration during the last hour of class. The kids will make some crafts and have a snack. If you would like to help out, please let me know.

Friday, 11/10  No School; Veterans' Day observed

November 20-24: NO SCHOOL; THANKSGIVING BREAK

Friday, November 17 and the week of November 27-December 1: Parent/Teacher conferences; minimum days. The kindergarteners are dismissed at 11:40. I will walk them to the cafeteria for lunch at this time. If they go to 4th R, they will be picked up at 12 by 4th R staff members. If you pick them up, you can take them at 11:40 or they can eat and then get picked up at 12.
Please watch for an email about scheduling conferences late next week.


Language Arts
This week we will continue to work on telling stories using pictures. The kids have begun working with problem and resolution plots, and they are doing really well with this.
Letter focus: Uu, Vv, Ww, Xx
New sight words: big, have, small

Math
This week we begin working in chapter 4 on comparing numbers to 10.

Science
We are continuing to work on learning about pumpkins. On Monday I will carve a pumpkin so we can check out the insides. We will eat and plant the seeds and then conduct an experiment to see what happens when a pumpkin rots. The kids love this!

Thank you for reading! Please contact me with any questions.

Week of October 9-13, 2017

October is off to a fantastic start! We began a science unit studying pumpkins, started sounding out words and sentences, worked on writing numbers to 10, read with our fifth grade buddies, started the Home Run Reader program, and worked on telling stories using pictures.

Check out what we have coming up:

Important dates

TODAY 10/6:  Jog-a-thon pledges due. In order to be eligible for prizes, envelopes and donations need to be in today. Thank you to everyone who turned in envelopes this morning. Our school's arts program depends on the money raised.

Friday, 10/13: Book orders due online. The website for ordering is www.scholastic.com/reading club. Our class code is FNJKK. I will place the order on Saturday morning.

Wednesday, 10/18 we will work in the school garden at 12:00 until 12:30. Parents are welcome! We can always use help.

Friday, 10/20: Phoebe Hearst Jog-a-Thon. I will let parents know our scheduled running time as soon as I get it. All parents are welcome to cheer us on as we run at this fun event. This is a free dress day; please send your child in clothes appropriate for running.

Thursday, 10/26: first field trip to Dave's Pumpkin Patch in West Sac. Thank you to our 12 parents who have volunteered to chaperone. Please look for an email about this early next week. We will leave on the bus at 9am and return by 12:30 pm. Please send your child to school with a bag lunch, as we will be eating at Dave's.

Tuesday, 10/31: Halloween. We do not wear costumes to school!
 We will have a small celebration during the last hour of class. The kids will make some crafts and have a snack. If you would like to help out, please let me know.


Language arts
The kids have been learning so muich about telling stories using pictures. We have focused on characters, setting, and emotions. This week we will look for problems and resolutions when we read and tell stories.
Letter shape and sound focus: Qq, Rr, Ss, Tt
New sight words: he, she

Math
We continue this week with numbers to 10. We will take our test on Friday.



Science
We have begun learning about  pumpkins in preparation for our field trip. The kids are learning about the pumpkin life cycle, the parts of a pumpkin,  and what pumpkins and all plants need to live. We will cut open a pumpkin and feel the insides and plant seeds in the next couple of weeks. This unit is lots of fun, and the kids learn a lot!

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please contact me with any questions or concerns.

Week of October 2-6, 2017

Hello Room 4 families!
It's hard to believe we are beginning the second month of school. We have had such a fantastic September getting to know each other and working together.

Here is what we have coming up:


On Monday at announcements the kids will hear about our Home Run Reader program. The October newsletter contained a reading log for the program, which will run through February. Please help your child keep track of how long you read together each day and log the minutes. The logs are due at the end of each month, and kids who read at the "home run" level will be eligible for lots of prizes, including a ticket to a River Cats game!

Wednesday October 4 and October 18 we will work in the school garden 12-12:30. Parents are welcome to join us! We can always use help.

Friday 10/6: All Jog-a-Thon envelopes are due. You can drop these in the office or in Room 4

Friday, October 20: Jog-a-Thon. I will send out the schedule when I get it. Kindergarteners usually run at about 8:30/

Thursday, October 26: field trip to Dave's pumpkin patch in West Sacramento. Thank you to those who have sent in the permission slip and $5.50 for your child's trip. Remember these are due Thursday 10/19. This is my last call for chaperones. We have plenty of adults signed up to attend, but if you'd like to join us please let me know by this Monday 10/2. Chaperones don't have to pay.

Language arts
This week we continue to work  on telling stories from pictures-both reading stories and writing our own. The kids have been very creative as we have practiced the difference between reality and imagination, how to add details, and the importance of the setting.
We will focus on letters Mm, Nn, Oo, and Pp.
New sight words: and, we

Math
We will finish up comparing and ordering numbers 0-5 on Monday and take a test on Tuesday.
Wednesday we begin chapter 3 of our math curriculum on numbers 6-10. Look for lots of counting and writing practice in the homework.

Wish List Items
I'd love some clorox wipes for the classroom. Gotta get those germs!!

Thanks for reading, everyone. Have a super weekend

Week September 18-22, 2017

Hello Families!
I am exhausted after this busy school week, and I'm sure your children are as well! It's been so much fun writing, reading, counting, drawing, practicing routines and getting to know one another better. Thank you to everyone who came to Back-to-School night. I hope you found the evening informative; so sorry to have rushed at the end of the first session!

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates 
Today, 9/15: Movie night! I hope to see all of you here tonight!

Monday, 9/18: First art lesson with Ms. Jane, 8:15-9:00 am

Tuesday, 9/19: First day of centers with adult helpers, 8:00-8:50 am. Thank you to everyone who signed up to help with centers this year! This is a big part of the kindergarten day, and the kids love this time. I couldn't make it happen without parents and grandparents who are so generous with their time.
As a reminder, our volunteers are as follows:
Tuesdays:
Balestreri family
Kathryn O'Connell
Jen DeWald
Janice O'Malley Galizio

Wednesdays:
Sarah Z'Berg
Melodee Hayes
Stella Steen
Simon de Vere White

Thursdays
Thompson Family
Hy Family
Jeanette Synhorst
Autumn Heacox

If you have a day when you can't make your centers commitment, please let me know! I will find a replacement for you.

Wednesday, 9/20: Room 4 will work in the school garden, 12:05-12:35. Please join us if you can! Younger siblings are welcome. Thank you to Heather Young for getting us out in the garden two times a month!

Friday, 9/22: Free dress for $1. If your child would like to wear free dress, please send them to school with $1. All of the money raised will go to UNICEF.

Tuesday, 9/26: Kindergarten Apple Day. Please send your child to school with one apple. We will read a little bit about Johnny Appleseed and do several lessons with our apples before we eat them. The kids' apples can be any size, variety or color.

Friday, 9/29: class picture day/free dress
Photo ordering envelopes will go home later this month.

Language Arts
This week we will continue to focus on one letter shape per day. The kids are building their fine motor skills with lots of writing practice. Many have difficulty with lower case letters, especially b and d so far. If they have an interest in practicing letter writing on their own, please encourage this! The back of the homework folder has a penmanship guide.
We have been reading lots of rhyming poems and books about starting school.
The kids have been writing in their journals daily. We will continue this week with writing sentences and then drawing an illustration to go with the words. Writing can be very frustrating for kids at the beginning of kindergarten, but these kids have not let mistakes get them down! They always try their best, which I appreciate so much.

Math
This week we will begin working on the concepts of more, fewer, and same as. Just like with letter writing, number writing can be difficult at this time of year. If kids want to practice writing numbers at home, this is fantastic.

Book Orders
If you plan on ordering from the September Scholastic Book Catalogs, please do so by this evening. I will submit the order on Saturday 9/16. My classroom code is FNJKK
Scholastic books are super affordable, and all of our class orders help to earn books for our classroom!
You can order online at www.scholastic.com/readingclubs


Thanks for reading, everyone. Enjoy the weekend.
Please do not hesitate to email if you have questions or concerns. carrie.relles@gmail.com

Week of September 11-15, 2017

Hello new Room 4 families!
I keep this webpage rather than sending home weekly newsletters. Please check here on Fridays to find out what is happening in room 4 and at Phoebe Hearst.

Your children are truly wonderful. They have done a marvelous job this week with learning our classroom and school rules, getting to know one another, and working on some kindergarten curriculum! Hopefully your child has talked to you about some of his or her new friends, what it means to be a Bucket Filler, and some of the things we have been working on in class. Please check your child's backpack daily for completed work. All work that is completed and sent home does not need to come back to school.


Here is what we have coming up:

Wednesday, September 13: Back-to-School night, 5:30pm
 This is a night for parents to come and hear about everything we do in room 4. I will go over our day, curriculum, kindergarten standards, and answer any questions you have. Please meet on the main playground first for some information from Mr. McGill before heading over to room 4. Of course if you need to bring them kids can sit in at back-to-school night, but this event is for adults to hear about classroom procedures and expectations for the year. In the spring we have Open House when everyone is invited to come check out our classroom and the kids get to show off all of their hard work from the year.

Friday, September 15: 
Phoebe Hearst movie night, 6:30pm
This is one of my favorite events of the year! Bring some snacks and blankets and watch a movie with friends under the stars.

Tuesday, September 26: Kindergarten Apple Day. On this day we ask all kinder students to bring an apple to school. We will use them for several lessons throughout the day and then have a nutritious snack! The apple can be any size or color.

Friday, September 29:
Picture day/free dress day. We generally have free dress on the last Friday of every month.
We will also have several spirit days throughout the year, when kids can dress according to a fun theme, like   twin day or pajama day.
Picture day order envelopes will go home later this month.


5th Grade Reading Buddies
Today the kids will meet their 5th grade buddy or buddies from Mr. Goul's class in room 8. We will meet with our buddies on most Friday mornings to read, work in the garden, and complete projects together. Be sure to ask your child about his or her buddy!

Language Arts 
Next week we will begin focusing on a letter each day. We will work on correct letter formation and talk about the sounds the letters make. We will read poems that focus on the letters and complete workbook pages.
I will introduce the first sight word next week: the

Math
Next week we will continue working on numbers 1-5. We will take our first math test at the end of the week.

Homework
Kids will get homework this year. I will go over my homework procedures on Wednesday at Back-to-School Night.

Classroom centers/group time 
Thank you to those parents who signed up to help during our centers time from 8am until about 8:50 on a once weekly basis.  We will begin centers on Tuesday, September 19. If you would like to help, we are still looking for volunteers, especially for Tuesday mornings. The sign up sheet is in the back of room 4.



Thank you for reading, everyone!
Please do not hesitate to email, call, or come by room 4 if you have questions or concerns. I look forward to speaking with all parents on Wednesday at Back-to-School night!

Week of June 5-9, 2017

Hello everyone!
Happy almost last week of school. We have been busy reading words with long vowels, reviewing kindergarten math, looking ahead to first grade math, and writing about our kindergarten memories.

Read below for lots of information about the last days of school:

Friday, June 9 is kindergarten sports day. This is run by Coach Moreno and the 6th graders. We will be outside playing sports and games from 8:30 until 10:30. This will be a free dress day for us. Please be sure to send your child in athletic clothes, sunscreen and/or hats.

Monday, June 12 is the teachers vs. 6th graders kickball game at 9:00am. I will be playing on the teacher team, so if there are any parents who would like to come and sit with the class, we would love that.

Tuesday, June 13th is kindergarten play day. THANK YOU to everyone who signed up to help and send in snacks and supplies. If you have snacks or supplies to donate, you can bring them to room 4 starting this week. We can also use lots of help with set up and take down before and after the day. If you want to help set up, you can meet Raquel Rojas outside room 4 when school starts on the 13th.
As a reminder, the kids will play and do activities from 9 until 11. At 11 we will have a family picnic. This is a bring-your-own lunch day. Bring picnic blankets and enjoy time with other kinder families before the end of the year. All family members are welcome. If you have younger siblings with you, please supervise them closely.
We will finish up with play day by 12pm.

Wednesday, June 14 is a regular school day. Kids who ordered yearbooks will get them, and I will give them time to get autographs from friends.

Thursday, June 15th is the last day of school! I will send home report cards with children, This is a minmum day, so I will walk the kids to the cafeteria at 11:40 am. They all need to be picked up no later than 12.

Thank you for reading! Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Week of May 15-19, 2017

Hi Families,
We are speeding through May, and Summer will be here before we know it! We have a lot of work left to do in room 4.
Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates


Wednesday, May 24: Open House, 5:30 pm. Bring your whole family and come check out all of the work we have done this year! The kids will give you a tour of the classroom. They are also working on a performance with our music teacher, Mrs. Toone.

Monday, May 29: NO SCHOOL: Memorial day

Wednesday June 7: Kindergarten sports day. Coach Moreno and the 6th graders put on a super fun day of sports and games for the rest of the school. We will be outside most of the moring, so be sure to put sunscreen on your child, send them with a hat if they want, and pack a water bottle.

Tuesday, June 13th: KINDER PLAY DAY; 9-12. Mark your calendars for this family event! We will join the other three kinder classes out on the fields for a morning of games and crafts before we have a family picnic. The games and crafts will run from 9 until 11 and then we will have lunch outside. We will need lots of parent volunteers for this. If you have any ideas for games or crafts, please let me know. I will be posting sign-ups for parents to help and send in snacks for this on Monday May 15. The sign up sheets will be on the kinder yard.

Thursday, June 15th: Last day of school.

Language Arts
This week we will focus on long i spellings. The kids are doing an amazing job with long vowels.
We are continuing working on narrative reading and writing.

Math
This week we will work on "Step Up to First Grade" lessons, which focus on first grade math skills.

End of Year Supplies
Thank you to those families who sent in Clorox wipes. I think we are set for the rest of the year. And thank you to those who sent in Target gift cards for printing photos. I could use more of these if anyone feels like helping out. The photos will go into a binder of your child's work at the end of the year. Thanks!!

Thanks for reading! I hope everyone has a nice Mother's Day weekend.

Week of May 8-12, 2017

Hello Families,
Thank you again for all of the love this week. I am the luckiest teacher.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Thursday 5/11: A librarian from McKinley Library will visit our class to talk to the kids about summer reading opportunities. I will attach a library card application to this weekend's homework email. She said kids don't need a photo ID to get a card, so if they bring in the filled out form, she will have cards for them.

Wednesday, May 24: Open House, 5:30 pm. Bring your whole family and come check out all of the work we have done this year! The kids will give you a tour of the classroom. They are also working on a performance with our music teacher, Mrs. Toone.

Monday, May 29: NO SCHOOL: Memorial day

Tuesday, June 13th: KINDER PLAY DAY; 9-12. Mark your calendars for this family event! We will join the other three kinder classes out on the fields for a morning of games and crafts before we have a family picnic. The games and crafts will run from 9 until 11 and then we will have lunch outside. We will need lots of parent volunteers for this. If you have any ideas for games or crafts, please let me know. I will be posting sign-ups for parents to help and send in snacks for this on Monday May 15.

Language Arts
We spent this week focusing on reading and writing words with long A. Next week we will work on long E.
We are working on reading and writing narratives. Next week the kids will begin writing stories using elements from their own lives plus their imaginations.

Math
We will continue working on telling time.

End of Year supplies
As the end of the year approaches, I am working on finishing binders for each child with photos and work from the year. In order to help with photo printing costs, I would love gift cards to target (where I usually print photos). Any amount is greatly appreciated!

I'd also love Clorox wipes! We want a germ-free classroom for our last few weeks!
Thanks so much!

Week of May 1-5, 2017

Hello families!
It's hard to believe April is over and we are headed into May. We still have lots of work left to do and lots of fun things planned for our final months of school.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Friday 4/28: Science Night in the cafeteria, 5:30-7:30 pm

Thursday 5/11: A librarian from McKinley Library will visit our class to talk to the kids about summer reading opportunities. I will attach a library card application to this weekend's homework email. She said kids don't need a photo ID to get a card, so if they bring in the filled out form, she will have cards for them.

Wednesday, May 24: Open House, 5:30 pm. Bring your whole family and come check out all of the work we have done this year! The kids will give you a tour of the classroom. They are also working on a performance with our music teacher, Mrs. Toone.

Monday, May 29: NO SCHOOL: Memorial day

Tuesday, June 13th: KINDER PLAY DAY; 9-12. Mark your calendars for this family event! We will join the other three kinder classes out on the fields for a morning of games and crafts before we have a family picnic. The games and crafts will rum from 9 until 11 and then we will have lunch outside. We will need lots of parent volunteers for this. If you have any ideas for games or crafts, please let me know. I will be posting sign-ups for parents to help and send in snacks for this on Monday May 15.

Language Arts
The kids spent this week practicing blending words with consonant digraph spellings (ch, sh, and th).
Next week we will focus on long Aa spellings.
We continue to work on reading and writing narrative stories. We have been focusing on finding story elements when we read: characters, setting, sequence of events, and the conclusion.

Math
This week we finish up with topic 16 on comparing and analyzing shapes. We will begin working on telling time to the hour and half hour.

Thank you for reading! Have a fantastic weekend!

Week of April 24-28, 2017

Hello Families!
We have had a super first week back after spring break. We have started working on story elements in preparation for writing our own fictional stories. The kids are enjoying this, and doing very well.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Tuesday, April 25: Class picture day. Kids can come to school in free dress for our class picture. Everyone will be photographed together.

Friday, April 28: Free dress for the last Friday of the month; Science Night in the cafeteria, 5:30 pm

Wednesday, May 24: Open House, 5:30 pm. Bring your whole family and come check out all of the work we have done this year! The kids will give you a tour of the classroom. They are also working on a performance with our music teacher, Mrs. Toone.

Monday, May 29: NO SCHOOL: Memorial day

Tuesday, June 13th: KINDER PLAY DAY; 9-12. Mark your calendars for this family event! We will join the other three kinder classes out on the fields for a morning of games and crafts before we have a family picnic. We will need lots of parent volunteers for this. If you have any ideas for games or crafts, please let me know. More details to follow.

Thursday, June 15th: Last day of school (I CAN"T BELIEVE I am already posting this!!)

Language Arts

As I mentioned above, we have begun working on narratives again. Kids are working on identifying story elements such as characters, setting, problem, solution and conclusion in the stories they read. We will begin this week getting ideas for the stories the kids will write.
This week I will be listening to everyone read aloud to check their fluency.

Math
This week we will finish the chapter on position and location words and begin working on our final chapter: Analyzing, Comparing and Composing Shapes. When we finish this last chapter we will begin looking ahead to first grade standards and then do two short units on time and money.


Thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Week of April 3-7

Hello Families!
We have had a great couple of weeks working and learning in room 4.
The kids are loving our work with Mo Willems' books. Come check out some of the work hanging in the classroom any time!

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

TONIGHT: The Event! I hope to see you there!

April 10-14: No School; spring break

The Event

Ms Ryerson and I are teaming up for our silent auction item: don't miss a chance to bid on the "Lunchtime Luau" in Room 4! The auction item winner from each classroom (1 and 4) will invite 4 friends to a luau during lunchtime on a date to be determined. We will have pizza, games, costumes, and prizes.
Finally, the kindergarteners have been working on a very special art piece to be auctioned at The Event. One lucky family will take home a one of a kind piece made by 96 kindergarten students!

Language Arts
We are busy every day working on practicing blending sounds and letters to make words. We have been reading Mo Willems books and most of our writing has been in response to these. Next week we will continue with Mo Willems' Knuffle Bunny books and wrap up our learning about him and his books.

Math
This week we will finish up the shapes chapter and take our test at the end of the week.

Thanks for reading! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.

Week of March 13-17, 2017

It's been another super week in Room 4. Thank you to everyone who came out to the talent show last night!

Here is what we have coming up:

Monday, 3/13-Friday, 3/17: Minimum days for parent/teacher conferences. Kindergarteners will be dismissed to the cafeteria at 11:40. They must be picked up by 12:00.

Friday, 3/17: Saint Patrick's Day spirit day: wear green!

Friday, 3/31: last Friday of the month; free dress. Fiesta de Phoebe event, 6-10pm

Parent/Teacher conferences
I have a few scheduled conferences for next week. As a reminder, if you did not get an email from me about scheduling a conference but you would like to meet, please let me know and we will find a time. For those families I do not meet with, I will send home report cards on Friday March 17.

The Event/Fiesta de Phoebe
I hope everyone is planning on attending this fun event that funds the Phoebe Hearst technology program! There are always lots of great live and silent auction items to bid on, and it's a nice way to get to know other PH parents. Thank you to the kinder room parents for organizing our wine-themed auction basket. Please get your donations in for this no later than 3/15, and direct any questions to Jacqui DeBoo.
Ms Ryerson and I are teaming up for our silent auction item: don't miss a chance to bid on the "Lunchtime Luau" in Room 4! The auction item winner from each classroom (1 and 4) will invite 4 friends to a luau during lunchtime on a date to be determined. We will have pizza, games, costumes, and prizes.
Finally, the kindergarteners have been working on a very special art piece to be auctioned at The Event. One lucky family will take home a one of a kind piece made by 96 kindergarten students!

Language Arts 
This week we will finish up working on writing opinions with our last two opinion paragraphs.
We will focus in phonics on the sounds and spellings for z, w, and k.

Math
This week we begin chapter 13 on classification.

Leprechaun Traps
This week we will work on a group project to construct leprechaun traps. The kids always have a lot of fun with this. If you have any shoe boxes or small boxes, please send them in! We can use them for the traps.

Thanks for reading! Please ask if you have questions!

Week of March 6-10, 2017

We have had such a fun week celebrating Dr. Seuss and reading. We are ready to close out the week on Friday with "If I Ran the Zoo" day and many more Dr. Seuss books! Thanks to everyone who sent in books and snacks!

Here is what we have coming up:

Monday, 3/13-Friday, 3/17: Minimum days for parent/teacher conferences. Kindergarteners will be dismissed to the cafeteria at 11:40

Friday, 3/17: Saint Patrick's Day spirit day: wear green!

Friday, 3/31: last Friday of the month; free dress. Fiesta de Phoebe event, 6-10pm

Parent/Teacher conferences
I will be sending emails to parents about conferences for the second trimester. This time around, I do not usually meet with everyone, so if you do not get an email this weekend, a conference for your child is not necessary. However, if you'd like to meet I am happy to! Please let me know and we can set up a time. If we do not meet in person, I will send your child's report card and work home on 3/17.

The Event/Fiesta de Phoebe
I hope everyone is planning on attending this fun event that funds the Phoebe Hearst technology program! There are always lots of great live and silent auction items to bid on, and it's a nice way to get to know other PH parents. Thank you to the kinder room parents for organizing our wine-themed auction basket. Please get your donations in for this no later than 3/15, and direct any questions to Jacqui DeBoo.
Ms Ryerson and I are teaming up for our silent auction item: don't miss a chance to bid on the "Lunchtime Luau" in Room 4! The auction item winner from each classroom (1 and 4) will invite 4 friends to a luau during lunchtime on a date to be determined. We will have pizza, games, costumes, and prizes.
Finally, the kindergarteners have been working on a very special art piece to be auctioned at The Event. One lucky family will take home a one of a kind piece made by 96 kindergarten students!

Language Arts
This week we continue to work on sharing opinions through writing. The kids are doing an excellent job with this.
We will work on blending letters and sounds to make words, and we have started to read increasingly challenging words. The class loves a challenge!

Math
This week we will finish up the unit on measurement and take the unit test on Friday.

Thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.

Week of February 27- March 3, 2017

Hello Room 4 families,
It's been a super week in kindergarten. The kids have been working hard every day, and they are getting excited to celebrate Dr. Seuss and reading next week.

Here is what we have coming up:

2/27-3/3: Read Across America spirit week. Please see below for specifics.

Thursday, 3/2: Read Across America Day. Thanks to the parents who volunteered to send in some Dr. Seuss snacks.We are all set for this. If you'd like to stop in and read a favorite Dr. Seuss book to the class, please let me know. Everyone is welcome.

Friday, 3/3: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 8:15-8:45. If you'd like to stay and help with this, we love to have lots of adults out there with us!

Language Arts

This week we continue to practice blending sounds orally and with written letters. The kids are doing an amazing job with this. I am so impressed with their progress. The best thing you can do with your child at home to support this is to have them read to you every day.

We have been working on sharing opinions through writing. The kids are for the most part proficient in telling a fact from an opinion, so this week we will focus on writing strong reasons for our opinions.

Math

This week we begin topic 12 on measurement.

ALL of the kids scored 95% or above on our last test on desomposing numbers 11-19. Nice work!

Thanks for reading!

Week of February 13-17, 2017

What a wet, rainy week! We have had LOTS of indoor recess this week, and we are looking forward to a little sunshine. If you have a chance, please come check out our 100th day displays starting Tuesday. The kids are so proud of their work, and they should be! They work hard every day and have learned so much.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Monday 2/13: No School; Lincoln's Birthday

Tuesday, 2/14: 100th Day of School/Valentine's Day.
This is a spirit day--kids can wear red and pink.

Monday, 2/20: No School; Washington's Birthday

Friday, 2/24 Free dress

100th Day of School 2/14

I am still looking for two extra helpers for our centers time on Tuesday from 8 until about 9. Please let me know if you can help out.

We are so excited to celebrate all of the learning and growing we have done during our first 100 days of school!
The two homework assignments are due TODAY, 2/10
As a reminder, here they are:
1) Kids took home a small ziploc baggie with their name last week. They should fill it with a collection of 100 items and bring it back to school

2) Creative project: kids are encouraged to get creative and make something using 100 items. Some examples are using 100 Legos to make a tower or creating a poster using 100 stickers.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to send in snacks for our 100th day trail mix. If you haven't done so already, please send these in by this afternoon so I can have everything ready for Tuesday morning.

Valentine's Day 2/14
After lunch kids will pass out their Valentine cards. I would love to have a couple of parent helpers for this. Please let me know if you'd like to volunteer. (11:40-12:40)
Valentines can be store bought or handmade. Please have your child just write their names on the cards and not put any names of recipients. This helps A TON when passing out the cards. We have 24 kids in the class.

Language Arts
We are working a lot on blending words with 4+ phonemes and more than one syllable. The kids are loving the challenge, and their growth is apparent in their reading and writing skills. This week we will do a bunch of writing around our 100th day theme.

Math
This week we begin chapter 11 on decomposing numbers 11-19.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please do not hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
Carrie.relles@gmail.com

Week of February 6-10, 2017

Hello families!
February is off to a great start in Room 4. The kids are getting very excited about the 100th day of school.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Today, 2/3: Family dance, 6-8 pm. I hope to see everyone there!

Monday 2/13: No School; Lincoln's Birthday

Tuesday, 2/14: 100th Day of School/Valentine's Day.
This is a spirit day--kids can wear red and pink.

Monday, 2/20: No School; Washington's Birthday

Friday, 2/24 Free dress

100th Day of School 2/14

We are so excited to celebrate all of the learning and growing we have done during our first 100 days of school!
The two homework assignments are due this Friday, 2/10.
As a reminder, here they are:
1) Kids took home a small ziploc baggie with their name last week. They should fill it with a collection of 100 items and bring it back to school

2) Creative project: kids are encouraged to get creative and make something using 100 items. Some examples are using 100 Legos to make a tower or creating a poster using 100 stickers.

Thanks to everyone who volunteered to send in snacks for our 100th day trail mix. If you haven't done so already, please send these in by Friday 2/10.

On this day we would like to have 2 extra parent helpers for our centers time (8:00-9:00 am) Please let me know if you can help.

Valentine's Day 2/14
We will have a small celebration after lunch. During this time kids will pass out their cards for their classmates. These can be store bought or handmade. Please have your child just write their names on the cards and not put any names of recipients. This helps A TON when passing out the cards. We have 24 kids in the class.


I would also love to have 3-5 parents help from about 11:40 until 12:40 that day to help with our celebration. Please email me if interested!


Language Arts
This week I introduced the terms fact and opinion to the kids. We worked a lot on determining the difference between the two, and they did a fantastic job. This week we will work on sharing our opinions about a variety of topics through writing. We will later build on this  by giving reasons for our opinions.

Math
This week we begin chapter 10 on composing numbers 11-19.

Thanks for reading! Please email me with any questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Week of January 23-27, 2017

Hello Families,
We had a great week and a super pajama day to finish it off.

February is always a fun month in kindergarten. Read on to see what's coming up!

Important Dates

Friday, 2/3 PH family dance, 6-8 pm


Monday, 2/13: NO SCHOOL

Tuesday, 2/14: the 100th day of school. The kids are super excited to celebrate the number 100 and everything they have learned so far this year! During the days leading up to this the kids will have two extra homework assignments: First, they will need to bring in a collection of 100 items displayed in a creative way. They can get as creative as they want with this! I shared some ideas with the kids, so they should already be thinking about their project. These are due no later than Friday, february 10. On the 100th day they will share their collection.
Second, this Monday I will send home ziploc baggies with kids' names on them. They will need to count 100 of some household item, put them in the bag and bring it to school . We will be using these for a few lessons while we count down to day 100.
We additionally need a few food items for this day for our 100th day trail mix.  I will have a sign up sheet for this in the back of the classroom beginning next week.

Of course, this is also Valentine's Day! After lunch we will have a small Valentine celebration when the kids will pass out their cards. Kids can bring Valentine cards filled out with their names, but please don't put the recipients' names on each card. This creates chaos when passing them out!

Monday, 2/20: NO SCHOOL; Presidents' Day

Language Arts
This week we continue to focus on blending sounds to make words and to use our focus sounds to spell words. We will focus on short i and /l/ sounds in addition to reviewing previously introduced letters and sounds.
This week in writing I am introducing the concepts of revising and proofreading. I will teach the kids to begin to go back through their writing to find ways to make it better and to check and correct errors.

Math
We will take the chapter test on subtraction on Monday and will begin chapter 9, "More Addition and Subtraction", on Tuesday.

Thanks for reading! Please do not hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Week of January 16-20, 2017

Hello families!!
We've had a super first week of 2017. The kids came in Monday ready to work and learn.
Thank you to everyone for the generous and thoughtful Christmas gifts. I appreciate your kindness so much.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Monday, 1/16: MLK Jr. Day; no school

Friday, 2/3: Phoebe Hearst Family Dance; 6pm at school

Monday, 2/13: Washington's Birthday; no school

Tuesday, 2/14: Valentine's Day celebration/100th day of school. It's always interesting when these fall on the same day! Please watch for more information soon about our two 100th day homework projects.

Monday, 2/20: Lincoln's Birthday; no school

Language Arts
The kids' reading is really taking off! This is very typical this time of year, as they are getting comfortable with sounds and blending them on their own. If your child hasn't begun reading on his/her own, or they don't love sitting down with books, please keep at it at home! The practice they get with family is so important. Remember, they should spend some time reading to you and then listening to you read each day. These two types of practice help their reading development and their comprehension.
This week the kids wrote paragraphs about their New Year's resolutions, and they are amazing! They will be hanging in the room next week. Be sure to check them out.
Next week they will write an informational paragraph on how to build a snowman.

Math
This week we continue work on subtraction. The kids will take the chapter test on Monday 1/23.

Thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.