Friday, December 16, 2016

Week of December 19-23, 2016

Hello Families!
It's our last week of school during 2016 (wow). The kids are definitely excited about the holidays, but that hasn't stopped them from doing fantastic work.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Week of 12/19-23: Holiday Spirit Week. Please see the attachment in Friday's email for specifics. Please note 12/22 will no longer be pajama day.

Friday, 12/23: Free dress day; small classroom celebration during the last hour of class--11:45-12:40. I would love to have lots of parent helpers for this! Please let me know if you would like to volunteer.

Thursday, 1/12: Kindergarten field trip to see the Sacramento Theater Company production of Shrek. Please print and return the permission slip sent in last Friday's Friday's homework email. Thank you to everyone who has sent these in.

Language Arts
We have been writing a ton! Stop by the room to see paragraphs about what we would do with a pet reindeer and how to stay warm when it's cold outside. This week we will finish working on opinion pieces about giving vs getting gifts.
Please be sure to read with your child during our two week break! They have all come so far and they need the consistent practice to keep their momentum going.

Math
This week we are practicing addition. The kids are loving this work, and are getting very good at it!
Some strategies I have taught them to use when adding are to draw a picture, use objects like pennies, or to use a number line. They can use any or all of these when completing this week's homework.

Thank you for reading, everyone! I hope you all have a relaxing and joyful holiday. I will see everyone on Monday, January 9.



Friday, December 9, 2016

Week of December 12-16, 2016

Hello families!
It was another fantastic week in Room 4. I am so impressed with the work your children do daily.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important dates

Wednesday, 12/14: PH Winter Craft Fair, 6-8 pm in the cafeteria.

Week of 12/19-23: Holiday Spirit Week. Please see the attachment in Friday's email for specifics. Please note 12/22 will no longer be pajama day.

Friday, 12/23: Free dress day; small classroom celebration during the last hour of class--11:45-12:40. I would love to have lots of parent helpers for this! Please let me know if you would like to volunteer.

Thursday, 1/12: Kindergarten field trip to see the Sacramento Theater Company production of Shrek. Please print and return the permission slip sent in Friday's homework email.


Language Arts
The kids did some great work on their animal research posters. They are on display in the classroom, so be sure to check them out when you have a chance.
This week we are continuing to work on sounding out and blending words. We will finish up some writing about what we would do with a pet reindeer, and we will start some writing about what we would do if we were an elf. The kids are loving writing as they are becoming more and more successful with it.

Math
This week we will finish up the first chapter on addition. We will take the chapter test at the end of the week. Everyone is right on track with this.

Crocker Art Ark
This week we had the opportunity to visit the Crocker Art Ark and explore color with several hands on activities. They gave each student a family pass for a future visit to the Crocker museum. These are going home on Friday. Be sure to check your child's backpack!

Friday, December 2, 2016

Week of December 5-9, 2016

Hello families!
I have loved meeting with all of you to talk about your child's kindergarten progress. Thank you to everyone for taking the time to meet with me this week.
The kids haven't missed a beat after the week off of school. They came back on Monday ready to work and learn, which is so amazing to see. We definintely are starting to feel the holiday excitement; it's a really fun time of year for these little people and those of us who get to spend our days with them!
Here is what we have coming up in Room 4 and at Phoebe Hearst:

Important Dates:
Monday, 12/5: We will be working on our PH Craft Fair projects at 8:15. We'd love to have 2 parents to help with this, so please let me know if you'd like to volunteer.

Wednesday, 12/14: PH Winter Craft Fair, 6-8 pm in the cafeteria.

Thursday, 12/22: Pajama spirit day. Kids are encouraged to come to school dressed in pajamas. Please note they should wear appropriate shoes for running around at recess.

Friday, 12/23: Free dress day; small classroom celebration during the last hour of class--11:45-12:40. I would love to have lots of parent helpers for this! Please let me know if you would like to volunteer.

Thursday, 1/12: Kindergarten field trip to see the Sacramento Theater Company production of Shrek. We will travel by bus. Because of space limitations at the theater, each classroom can take 5 parent chaperones. If you have been fingerprinted and would like to chaperone this field trip, please let me know I and will give you the information for ticket sales. Chaperone tickets are $17 each.

Book Orders
Book order forms went home on Thursday of this week. Please get your orders in as soon as possible.  I will submit the class order on Tuesday 12/6. Scholastic has guaranteed holiday delivery for orders placed before 12/12, so you should have your books before we go on break on the 23rd.

Language Arts
We have begun working very hard on attaching sounds to each letter. The kids are doing very well with blending letters and sounds to make words. Please encourage them to read at home every day!
We will be finishing our research projects this week and then they will be on display in the classroom. Come check them out at the end of the week!

Math
This week we begin chapter 7 on addition. The kids are very excited about this.

Thank you for reading! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Friday, November 4, 2016

Week of November 7-11, 2016

Hello families,
We had a fantastic week! 

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Friday, 11/11: NO SCHOOL; Veterans' Day

Friday, 11/18, Room 4 to work in the school garden, 8:15-8:45. We would love to have some parent helpers for this! Please let me know if you'd like to stop in and help.
This is also our first minimum day (see below)

11/21-25: NO SCHOOL: THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week of November 28-December 2: minimum days for parent/teacher conferences. Kindergarteners will be dismissed at 11:40am. I will bring them to the cafeteria where they can eat lunch until 12. You can pick them up there. You are also welcome to pick them up at 11:40.
Thank you to everyone who responded to my email about conferences. I am waiting to hear back from a couple of families, and then I will send out the final schedule.

Friday, 12/2: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 10:00-10:30. Again, if you'd like to help, please contact me.

Language Arts
This week the kids are invited to bring in small items from home that begin with their special letter (they know what these are). They can bring them any day next week beginning on Monday and I will send them home on Thursday.
We are working on researching animals. each child chose an animal last week and then wrote something they know and one thing they wonder about their animal. They will work on finding three facts about their animals this week.

Math
This week we are working in chapter 5 on numbers to 20. You will see lots of counting and writing practice in the homework.

Thank yo for reading, everyone!
Please don't hesitate to contact me with questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Friday, October 28, 2016

Week of October 31-November 4, 2016

Hello families,
Today was so much fun! I hope those of you who braved the weather to watch had as much fun as we did running in the jog-a-thon today. Thank you, families, for all of your support and generous donations. We have a wonderful arts program because of family and community fundraising. Our class had 100% participation, so we have earned a special free dress day. I will let the kids decide when they want to redeem this. More information to follow!

Now that we are at the end of October (!), we will turn our focus to giving thanks, becoming better readers, learning about and writing informational text, and parent/teacher conferences.
Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates:

Monday, 10/31: HALLOWEEN! This is a spirit day--kids are encouraged to come to school in orange and black and crazy socks. If you'd like to help at our small class celebration from 11:40-12:40, please let me know.

Friday, 11/11: NO SCHOOL; Veterans' Day

Friday, 11/18, Room 4 to work in the school garden, 8:15-8:45. We would love to have some parent helpers for this! Please let me know if you'd like to stop in and help.

11/21-25: NO SCHOOL: THANKSGIVING BREAK

Week of November 28-December 2: minimum days for parent/teacher conferences. Kindergarteners will be dismissed at 11:40am. Please look for an email late next week about scheduling a conference day and time.

Friday, 12/2: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 10:00-10:30. Again, if you'd like to help, please contact me.

Language Arts
Our phonics lessons this week will begin to focus  on putting syllables together to make words, letter sounds, and remembering sight words.
New sight words: down, go, up
We have finished our comprehension and writing unit on narrative and have begun learning about informational text. Kids will learn about features of informational text, how it differs from narrative, and the different purposes authors have for writing informational text. Each child has chosen an animal to learn more about for a ressearch project. We will work on this mostly in class.


Math
We will finish up the chapter on comparing numbers to 10 on Monday and take the chapter test Tuesday. On Wednesday we will begin working on numbers to 20.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Friday, October 21, 2016

Week of October 24-28, 2016

What a week! I hope the kids told their families all about the pumpkin patch. We had so much fun. Thank you again to all of the parents who chaperoned. We would not be able to go on field trips without all of our awesome volunteers.

We have another fun week ahead
Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Saturday, 10/22: PH Harvest Festival, 3-6:30 pm. I hope to see everyone there! Wear your costumes, and be sure to stop at the Room 4 booth for face painting.

Wednesday, 10/26: We will go to morning announcements with the rest of the school to hear about jog-a-thon top earners and classes.

Friday, 10/28: PH Jog-a-thon, all day. The kindergarteners are scheduled to run at 8:20 out by the baseball fields at the back of the school. We will run for 15 minutes and then have a snack. Families are invited to come cheer us on!

Monday, 10/31: HALLOWEEN! This is a spirit day--kids are encouraged to come to school in orange and black and crazy socks. If you'd like to help at our small class celebration from 11:40-12:40, please let me know.

Friday, 11/11: NO SCHOOL; Veterans' Day

Friday, 11/18, Room 4 to work in the school garden, 8:15-8:45. We would love to have some parent helpers for this! Please let me know if you'd like to stop in and help.

11/21-25: NO SCHOOL: THANKSGIVING BREAK

Friday, 12/2: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 10:00-10:30. Again, if you'd like help, please contact me.

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: 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.

Science
This week we will begin to wrap up our pumpkin unit. The kids will plant seeds from the pumpkin we carved and continue to write about pumpkins.

Friday, October 14, 2016

Week of October 17-21, 2016

Hello families,
It's been another super week. The kids and I are getting very excited about our first field trip next week; they've been learning and writing lots about pumpkins in preparation. Be sure to stop by the classroom to check out some of their fantastic work.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Friday, 10/14: Jog-a-thon pledges due. In order to be eligible for prizes, please be sure to bring envelopes to school by no later than THIS MORNING!

Thursday, 10/20: 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

Saturday, 10/22: 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.

Friday, 10/28: 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.

Monday, 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, 11/11 No School; Veterans' Day

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 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.

Friday, October 7, 2016

Week of October 10-14, 2016

October is off to a fantastic start! We began a science unit studying pumpkins, mixed primary colors with Ms Jane, started sounding out words and sentences, worked on writing numbers to 10, experienced our first rainy school day, read with our fifth grade buddies, worked on illustrating characters in action, and has our first music lesson with Mrs. Toone.

Check out what we have coming up:

Important dates

Friday, 10/14: Jog-a-thon pledges due. In order to be eligible for prizes, please be sure to bring envelopes to school by Friday morning.

Thursday, 10/20: 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.

Friday, 10/28: 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.

Monday, 10/31: Halloween. We do not wear costumes to school! However this is a crazy sock 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.


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.

Friday, September 30, 2016

Week of October 3-7, 2016

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:

Monday, 10/3:  Golden Dragon awards at morning announcements. Congratulations to Room 4's September Golden Dragon, Strummer.

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!

On Monday we have an art lesson with Ms. Jane from 8:15 until 9. She has requested a couple of parent helpers for this lesson, so if you'd like to help out, please let me know.

Thursday, October 20: 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 this Thursday 10/6. 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 10/3. 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
This week we begin chapter 3 of our math curriculum on numbers 6-10. Look for lots of counting and writing practice in the homework.

Thanks for reading, everyone! I hope to see you all at MOVIE NIGHT tonight!
If you have questions or concerns please do not hesitate to contact me: carrie.relles@gmail.com







Friday, September 23, 2016

Week of September 26-30, 2016


Hello everyone! Happy Friday. This week we started centers with our awesome parent volunteers. We've been writing, comparing numbers, working on penmanship, reading lots of books, singing, and working together.
Parents are always welcome to drop in and help. Just let me know by the day before so I can be sure to have things for you to do.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Monday, 9/26 kindergarten apple day. 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.

Thursday, 9/29 "Green Out" spirit day. Kids are encouraged to come in all green to show school spirit.

Friday, 9/30 Family movie night, 6:30 pm on the big field behind the school. This is such a fun night! Bring some low chairs, a blanket, and some snacks and watch a movie on the huge screen.
This will also be a free dress day (the last Friday of every month is a free dress day). Kids can wear school-appropriate clothes of their choice! All of the shoe and sock guidelines still apply.

Thursday, 10/20 Field trip to Dave's Pumpkin Patch, 9:00 am-12:30 pm.
The kids are going to love this! We will take a school bus with the other kinder classes to Dave's where everyone will take a hay ride, bounce on the bouncing pillow, and choose a pumpkin. We will have a picnic lunch before we head back on the bus. The cost for this trip is $5.50 per person, which includes the cost of the small pumpkin. You can send this in to school beginning today. The money is due no later than Thursday October 6. Parents, if you would like to accompany us on this trip and you have been fingerprinted with the district, please let me know as soon as possible. Thank you to those parents who have already volunteered.

Golden Dragon awards
Each month one student from each Phoebe classroom is given the Golden Dragon award. The Golden Dragon is someone who models the Phoebe Hearst Dragon Values (check them out on the poster in Room 4) and of course fills others' buckets. For the first couple of months I will choose the Golden Dragon and later in the year I will have the kids vote. The Golden Dragon winners are announced at morning announcements in front of the school and then have a celebration breakfast in the library with Mr. McGill. September's awards should happen during the first week of October.

Language Arts
This week we will continue focusing on one letter sound and shape each day.
The kids are gaining confidence with penmanship, and some are beginning to take risks with sounding out their own words. When kids write independently they will use phonetic spelling, meaning they will write the sounds they hear. For example, if your child spells the word cake as "kak" this is fine. Encouraging them to sound out their words builds their writing and spelling skills tremendously.
Letter focus: Ii, Jj, Kk, Ll
New sight words: This week I introduced a, an, here, and is. Next week will be I and see.
Comprehension lessons will focus on telling stories from wordless books. The kids are having fun with these. We will talk about authors, illustrators, characters, setting, the beginning, middle and end, and the problem or conflict in the story.

Math
This week we will continue to work on comparing numbers and then will do work with the number 0 and ordering numbers 0-5. The kids will take the chapter 2 test on Friday.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com


Friday, September 16, 2016

Week of September 19-23, 2016

Hello Families!
We survived our first full week of school. The kids are most likely tired after a long week of lots of hard work and fun with their new school friends.
Thank you to everyone who came to Back-to-School night on Wednesday. It was great talking with many of you after my presentation. I am so excited about this class of bright, happy kids and the year we are having!

Here is what we have coming up:

Important dates:

Monday, 9/19: Room 4's second art class with Ms. Jane, 8:15-9:00. During this class Ms. Jane will introduce types of lines used in art. The kids will experiment with line using cooked spaghetti! It's lots of fun. Be sure to ask your child about this lesson on Monday afternoon.

Monday, 9/26 kindergarten apple day. 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, 9/30 Family movie night, 6:30 pm on the big field behind the school. This is such a fun night! Bring some low chairs, a blanket, and some snacks and watch a movie on the huge screen.
This will also be a free dress day (the last Friday of every month is a free dress day). Kids can wear school-appropriate clothes of their choice! All of the shoe and sock guidelines still apply.

Thursday, 10/20 Field trip to Dave's Pumpkin Patch, 9:00 am-12:30 pm.
The kids are going to love this! We will take a school bus with the other kinder classes to Dave's where everyone will take a hay ride, bounce on the bouncing pillow, and choose a pumpkin. We will have a picnic lunch before we head back on the bus. The cost for this trip is $5.50 per person, which includes the cost of the small pumpkin. You can send this in to school beginning today. The money is due no later than Thursday October 6. Parents, if you would like to accompany us on this trip and you have been fingerprinted with the district, please let me know as soon as possible. If you haven't done your fingerprinting yet, there is still plenty of time if you go within the next week. Please let me know if you have questions about this.

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 folders 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.

Thank you for reading, everyone! Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions or concerns.
Have a super weekend.



Thursday, September 8, 2016

Week of September 12-16, 2016

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

You have truly wonderful children. They have done a marvelous job this week with learning our school and classroom 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 14: Back-to-School night, 5:45pm 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 are welcome at back-to-school night, but this event is mostly for adults. In the spring we have Open House when everyone is invited to come check out our classroom.

Friday, September 30: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.

Monday, 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.


5th Grade Reading Buddies
Thursday the kids met their 5th grade buddy 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
I sent the first homework packet via email today. I send these on Fridays to give everyone plenty of time to get them printed, etc. These are due back the following Friday in the homework folders, which are going home today.  I will cover homework at back-to-school night, but until then know written homework shouldn't take longer than 10 minutes to complete. Please let me know if you have questions about the homework.

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 Monday, September 19. If you would like to help, we are still looking for volunteers, especially for Thursday 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!


Sunday, June 12, 2016

Week of June 13-16

Hello families,
We have had such a busy and fun week in room 4. We worked on long vowels, first grade math, practiced readers' theater scripts, wrote paragraphs about going to the movies and our summer plans, watched the room 11 play, and had a super sports day.
We are all looking forward to the last week of school and kindergarten play day on Tuesday.

Here are some last-minute details about the day:

For those who signed up to help set up, please check in with me by 8:15. The other kinder teachers and I will have equipment for you to take out to the baseball field area and set up.

All of the kindergarteners will head to the field area at 9 am. We will play at the stations from 9 until 11. We will have snacks and water at a snack station, but  kids are welcome to bring their own snacks and water bottles as well. Kids will be free to go to whatever stations they choose, and we encourage them to try everything.

At 11 we will have our familiy picnic. Please note we will not be going to the cafeteria, so kids will not be able to buy hot lunch. Bring lunch and a blanket for your family and enjoy visiting with school friends before the year is over.
After lunch we will begin cleaning up and be back in the classrooms by 12.

We still have a few time slots we need filled with parent helpers, so if you plan on being here Tuesday please check out the sign up sheets in the kinder yard.

Lastly, thank you to those of you who volunteered to bring snacks. If you haven't done so already, please bring your items to room 4 by Monday. Watermelon slices we will take Tuesday morning!

Thank you to everyone for all of your help with this! It is such a fun day for the kids, and it wouldn't be possible without all of our awesome parents. PLease let me know if you have any questions.


Friday, June 3, 2016

Week of June 6-10, 2016

Hello families! It's hard to believe June is here. The kids have worked so hard this week.
Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Friday, 6/10: Sports Day; 8:30-10:00. **FREE DRESS** Please send your child in sunscreen with a bottle of water. 6th graders will be running games for the kids on this morning. It's a favorite day for everyone!

Monday, 6/13: Staff vs. 6th graders kickball game. We will head out to the baseball fields at 8:30. I will be playing on the staff team, and the kids will watch until recess time at about 9:20. Parents are invited to watch with us!

Tuesday 6/14: kinder play day, 9-12. Thanks to everyone who has signed up to help and to donate items. We still need lots of help running the stations, so don't be shy--sign up for several time slots!
If you are picking up items for the day, you can drop them off any day before Friday 6/10. The kids will play from 9-11, and then we will have our family picnic lunch. Bring a blanket and lunch for you and your child. Also, if anyone has pop-up tents, we would love to have them for the morning. We will need all the shade we can get!

Thursday, 6/16: Last day of school. This is an early dismissal day. I will walk the kids out at 11:50. They can eat lunch in the cafeteria until 12:20, or you can pick them up at 11:50. For the 4th R kids, a 4th R staff memeber will pick them up at the cafeteria at 12:20.

Language Arts
The year is winding down, but our work isn't slowing down! The kids have been busy working on long vowel spellings and writing an opinion paragraph. This week the kids will finish their paragraphs  and begin writing about summer plans. We will continue to work on reading and spelling words with long vowels.

Math
This week we will wrap up our step up to first grade lessons and then do some review of our work this year.

Thanks for reading, everyone!
Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Friday, May 20, 2016

Week of May 23-27, 2016

Hello everyone,
We have had a great couple of weeks in room 4. We have been working on reading words with long vowels, writing stories, learning to tell time and count money, and having tons of fun at recess and in the school garden.
Thank you to all of the parents and grandparents who helped us each week during our centers time this year. Centers is a favortie time for the kids, it enables me to teach small groups, and kids get to practice the new skills they are learning. It wouldn't be possible without all of our fabulous volunteers. We appreciate your help and commitment so much!

Here is what we have coming up:

Wednesday, May 25: Open House. Please meet on the main school playground at 5:45, then come by room 4, where your child will give you a tour and show off all of his/her work from the year.

Friday, June3: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45 am. We'd love to have parents join us out there!

Tuesday, June 14: Kinder play day, 9-12. All parents are invited to attend! We will need lots of parent volunteers to run our stations. Look for a sign up in the kinder yard at the end of this week.

Language Arts
This week we are going to publish our fictional stories, continue to practice blending words with multiple syllables and long vowel sounds, and begin to read some readers' theater plays.

Math
This week we will use our new knowledge about pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters to work on buying and selling items in a classroom "store". This will help the kids learn to count mixed coin amounts, which is challenging. If they want, they should practice this at home as well!

Thanks for reading, everyone!
Please don't hesitate to ask if you have questions!




Friday, May 6, 2016

Week of May 9-13, 2016

Hello families,
What a week! I feel so appreciated and spoiled with all of the gifts and kindness from the kids and you. Thank you for everything.
We have been busy in Room 4  reading, telling time, writing stories, and getting ready for Mothers' Day.

Here is what we have coming up:

Kinder Play Day--June 14
We have begun planning the activities for play day, which will be lots of  fun for all kindergarteners! We will need lots of parent helpers that day to help with the various activities and to help set up and clean up, so if you would like to volunteer your time that day (8:00-12), please let me know. We would love to have you!
8-9: parent volunteers will help set up
9-11Kids will enjoy the activities
11-12 family picnic (bring your own)

Some examples of the activities will be sack races, musical chairs, a soccer area, a baseball area, sponge toss game, a large parachute game, face painting, art area, beading area, etc etc. We will ask parents to volunteer to help with these activities for 30 minutes shifts. Look for a sign up for this in the kinder yard in the next few weeks. If you have ideas for other games/activities, please let me know.

Here are some of the items we need for the day--if you still need parent hours, remember you get 1 hour for every $5 you spend on our class!
face paint
large beads and other jewelry making supplies
otter pops
bubbles


Also, if you have an "EZ UP" tent for shade, we would love to have a few of those.

If you have questions or other ideas about this day, please let me know!

Language Arts
We have been learning about story elements and where authors get ideas for the stories they write. This week the kids will have the chance to take what they have learned and write a story that they will publish and share with the class. These will be on display ot Open House on May 25.

Math
This week we will continue to work on telling time to the hour and half hour. These are technically first grade standards, so the kids are getting a jump on first grade learning! They are doing a fantastic job.

Thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns. carrie.relles@gmail.com

Monday, April 25, 2016

Week of April 25-29

Hello families!
We have had a busy week in Room 4. The kids have been working on writing experience stories, and they are fantastic! Some of them are displayed in the classroom if you'd like to check them out.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Friday, April 29: Free Dress day: "Rainbow Day"; room 4 will work in the garden 10:15-10:45. Please let me know if you'd like to join us.

Wednesday, May 25: Phoebe Hearst open house in the evening.

Tuesday, June 14: Kinder play day, 9-12. Please plan on joining us either all morning or for lunch at 11!

Language Arts
Now that we have turned over all of our letter cards, we have begun to work on blending and reading multisyllabic words and words with long vowels. The kids are doing great with this. From now until the end of the year we will continue this. I can tell most kids are practicing reading on their own every day. This is such an important piece of becoming an independent reader. Keep it up, everyone!
For comprehension and writing, we are still studying narratives. We will begin writing narratives using our experiences + imagination using story elements such as characters. setting, events, and a conclusion.

Math
We will finish the chapter on analyzing, comparing and composing shapes on Monday 4/25 and we will take our chapter test on Tuesday.
Then we will start working on some looking ahead to first grade lessons.

Lost and Found
I have SEVERAL sweaters, jackets, etc that have been left in Room 4 this year with no names in them. I am going to hang these items on the hooks outside the classroom so parents can look through them at pick up time. They will be out there on Monday.

Centers
For those amazing parents who have been helping during our morning centers time this year, our last week for centers will be May 16-20. The kids and I appreciate your help so much!

Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a super week. Please don't hesitate to email or stop by room 4 if you have questions or concerns.

Monday, April 18, 2016

Week of April 18-22

Hello families!
Spring is always a very busy time at Phoebe Hearst. Please read below for our room 4 updates:

Important Dates

This week, 4/18-4/22: Bike, walk or carpool to school! The kids on our Nature Bowl team have put together a contest to see which classes care for our air. We have been challenged to bike, walk, or carpool to school this week. Each person who does one of these will add a tally to our class chart. At the end of the week, the class with the most tallies will earn a free dress day.

Friday, 4/29: Room 4 to work in the PH garden, 10:15-10:45am. Please let me know if you'd like to join us.

Wednesday, 5/25: Open House in the evening. This is a fun night when families come visit the school and kids get to show off all their hard work.

Tuesday, 6/14: Kinder play day, 9-12 on the baseball fields. Please mark your calendars! We are hoping to have lots of parent helpers that day. All parents are invited, and we will have a picnic lunch at 11. More info to follow.

Language Arts
This week we are working on elements of stories in our comprehension and writing lessons. Kids should be able to identify the characters and setting of a story, and be able to  tell some of the important events, including the problem and solution. For now we are working on writing several short stories. We are working up to writing a longer story that kids will publish and share with peers.

Math
today we will take our test on position words. Tomorrow we will begin chapter 16, "Analyzing, Comparing, and Composing Shapes".

Thanks for reading! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com



Friday, April 8, 2016

Week of April 11-15, 2016

Hello Room 4 families,

It's been another busy week in Room 4. We started working on storytelling, finished our art project for The Event, took our first geometry test, and said goodbye to Ms. Larissa. Ms Larissa, our yard duty supervisor, will be starting a position as an instructional aide at Cal Middle School on Monday. The kids made cards for her and said goodbye today. We will miss her!

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates

Friday, April 22: Rainbow free dress day. In the past each class was designated a color of the rainbow to wear, and kinder wore red. I will let you know more info about this as I receive it.

Wednesday, May 25: Open House. This is a fun evening for families to come check out the classrooms and kids show off all of their hard work from the year. Please mark your calendars!

Tuesday, June 14: Kinder play day, 9-12. Please mark your calendars for this as well! On this day we have lots of activities for the kids and then a family picnic out at the baseball fields. We would love lots of parent help with this to make it a great celebration of the end of the year. We will have stations of activities like sack races, musical chairs, painting, etc. If you have an idea for a station or would like to  help out, please let me know. All parents are invited to bring a lunch to eat with your child at 11.

Language Arts
This week we started a new comprehension/writing unit on storytelling. We will work on story elements such as characters, plot and setting. The kids will be writing their own stories as well.
As usual, we will be working on blending sounds and letters to make words every day. THe kids are getting to be such good readers! Please be sure to have your child read to you for 20 minutes every day.

Math
This week we will begin chapter 15, Position and Location of Shapes. Look for this in our homework this week.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Friday, April 1, 2016

Week of April 4-8, 2016

Hello Room 4 families,
Spring is finally here and the kids have settled in after our break very nicely. We have had a super week getting back into our routines and learning.

Welcome
Your child may have told you about a new helper in our classroom, Ms. Sarah. She is a UC Davis child development major, and plans to work on her teaching credential after she graduates this June. She will be working in our classroom on Tuesday and Thursday mornings from 8 until 11.

Thank you!
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our class gift basket for The Event next weekend, and a huge THANK YOU to Erica Leonard for organizing and putting the basket together. I think it's one of the best the Event organizers have received, because it's on display in the front office!

Important Dates
Tuesday 4/5: Royal reader Kings game. I hope to see you there!

4/15: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45. Parents are welcome!

Friday 4/29: Room 4 to work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45. Again, parents are welcome!

Language Arts
This week we focus on the /x/, /k/, and /kw/ (q) sounds. The kids are blending and reading more and more difficult words every day. Please remember to have your child spend about 15 minutes per day reading to you.
We will begin a comprehension and writing unit on narrative. We will read and discuss lots of engaging stories and kids will begin working on their own personal narratives.

Math
This week we will finish up our first geometry chapter on identifying and describing shapes. Our chapter test will be on Thursday.

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

Friday, February 26, 2016

Week of February 29-March 4, 2016

Hello families!
It's been another fun week in Room 4. The kids are enjoying learning about Dr. Seuss and reading his books. We will continue our Seuss work this week.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Wednesday 3/2: Phoebe's Got Talent; Sutter Middle School, 5:30 pm. We have lots of talented kids here at PH. Come cheer them on at the talent show on Wednesday!

Friday, 3/4: Room 4 will work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45. If you'd like to join us let me know!

Wednesday, 3/9: Ms. Jane has asked for some parent help during our art class from 9:30 until 10:15. Please let me know if you'd like to help with this.

Friday 3/11-Friday, 3/18: Early dismissal for parent/teacher conferences. Kids will be dismissed to the cafeteria at 11:50. Look for more info about conferences in an email soon!

Thursday 3/17 Spirit day: wear GREEN!

Friday 3/18: Room 4 will work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45. If you'd like to join us let me know! This will also be a free dress/spirit day: wear sports clothes. This can be a team uniform, a jersey, a t-shirt with a baseball on it, whatever.

3/21-3/25: NO SCHOOL; Spring Break

Parent/Teacher conferences
For this round of conferences, I meet with parents as needed and by request. If I feel we have some items to discuss I will send you an email so we can set up a day and time. If you would like to meet with me, I am happy to meet with everyone. Please send me an email to let me know and we will set up a time.

Royal Reader program information
From our Royal Reader parent coordinator:
-The final logs are due no later than Friday, March 4
-Order forms for the Kings game tickets will be sent home soon after the 4th and will be due back no later than March 11
-The Royal Reader Kings game will be on April 5
-Prizes and tickets will be given out in the days prior to the game.

Please come by Room 4 if you would like to see how many minutes your child has logged so far. I have a spreadsheet with totals as of January 31 and all of the logs the kids turned in.

Language Arts
This week we continue working on blending sounds and letters to make words. We spend about 45 minutes each day on phonics instruction. Please be sure to have your child practice reading daily at home. This practice really solidifies what they are learning in school.
This week we will celebrate reading and Dr. Seuss's birthday. The kids will make Cat hats, work on rhyming, and write opinions about many Dr. Seuss books. If you have Dr. Seuss books at home, your child is welcome to bring them in to share with the class. Please make sure the books are clearly labeled with your child's name.

Math
This week we continue our measurement unit. We will work on comparing objects by height, weight, and capacity.


Friday, February 19, 2016

Week of February 22-26, 2016

Hello families,
This was such a fun week in Room 4. The kids and I had a blast celebrating the number 100 on Wednesday. Thank you to everyone who helped out by sending food for our trail mix, assisting with centers, and helping your kids complete the two 100th day homework assignments. These are all on display in our room until the end of today, so be sure to come check them out if you have a chance!

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Today: Family Dance, 6-8 pm. We hope to see everyone there!

Wednesday, 3/2: Phoebe Hearst talent show at Sutter Middle School

Friday, 3/4: Room 4 will work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45. If you'd like to join us let me know!

Friday 3/11-Friday, 3/18: Early dismissal for parent/teacher conferences. Kids will be dismissed to the cafeteria at 11:50. Look for more info about conferences in an email soon!

Friday 3/18: Room 4 will work in the school garden, 10:15-10:45. If you'd like to join us let me know!

3/21-3/25: NO SCHOOL; Spring Break

Language Arts
Yesterday we began a comprehension and writing unit on opinions. The kids learned the differences between fact and opinion and practiced sorting sentences into fact and opinion groups. Be sure to ask your child to explain facts and opinions to you!
We will integrate the work of Dr. Seuss into our opinion unit as we celebrate him during March. If you have Dr. Seuss books at home your child is invited to bring them in to share with the class beginning MOnday 2/22. Please make sure the books are clearly labeled with your family's name.

Math
We are wrapping up our unit on decomposing numbers 11-20, and will take our chapter test on Monday. Our next chapter is measurement.

Thanks for reading, everyone! Please don't hesitate to contact me if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com

Friday, February 5, 2016

Week of February 8-12, 2016

February is off to a great start in room 4! The kids had fun with Groundhog Day this week, and they enjoyed making some Chinese New Year crafts. Be sure to ask them about each of these holidays!

Here is what we have coming up:

Important Dates
Monday, 2/8 NO SCHOOL! Lincoln's birthday

Friday, 2/12: Valentine celebration/free dress day for $1 garden fundraiser.
Kids are encouraged to bring Valentine cards for the class. Please just fill in who the card is from, rather than who it's to. This will eliminate a lot of chaos! If you'd like to help our in class during the last , please let me know.

Monday, 2/15: NO SCHOOL; presidents' day.

Wednesday, 2/17: 100th day of school
Thanks to those who signed up for snacks and to help with centers. Please send in the snacks no later than Friday, 2/12

100th Day assigments: On Tuesday kids will take home a small zip-loc baggie with their name on it. They should fill it with a collection of 100 items and bring it back to school. They can bring it any day this week. It is due no later than Friday, 2/12.

The other assignment is a creative project: kids are encouraged to get creative and make something using 100 items. Some examples are using 100 Legos to create a tower or making a poster with 100 stickers. These are due no later than Tuesday 2/16.           

Friday, 2/19 Family Dance, 6-8 pm

Language Arts
This week we continue with lots of blending and writing words. It's amazing how many kids are truly reading! Please remember it's so important for kids to spend some time every day reading to you as well as you reading to them.

Math
On Tuesday we will take the Chapter 10 test on composing numbers to 20.
Wednesday we will begin chapter 11 on decomposing numbers 11 to 19. I know these sound similar! Basically composing numbers is working on ways to make the numbers 11 to 19 and decomposing them is working on ways to take them apart. 

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

       

Friday, January 29, 2016

Week of February 1-5, 2016

Hello Room 4 families! I apologize for taking a few weeks off from our newsletters. January has been a super month with lots of hard work from your smart, sweet kiddos. Thanks to all of the parents and grandparents who have helped in so many ways this month! Room 4 is awesome because of our amazing families.

February is always an exciting, fun-filled month in kindergarten. Here is what we have coming up:

Friday, 2/5: super hero spirit day. Everyone is encouraged to dress as a super hero! Of course, kids need to be able to move around and work in their outfits. We will be working hard as always in class that day!

Friday, 2/12: Room 4 Valentine celebration. On this day we will exchange Valentines and have a small celebration at the end of the day. If your child chooses to bring Valentines for the class, please take note of the following:
-we have 28 students in our class
-Valentines can be hand-made or store-bought
-Please do not fill in any "to" area on the cards. They should just say who they are from. This will help us avoid lots of unnecessary chaos!
After lunch that day we will celebrate with a treat, a craft, and a Valentine activity. If you'd like to volunteer from 12-1pm, please let me know.

Wednesday, 2/17: The 100th day of school. The class is so excited about this! We will be celebrating our learning and all things 100 on this day. We will be making a snack with 100 pieces during our centers time. We would love some donations of ingredients for this. There will be a sign-up sheet in room 4 starting today.
For the 100th day, kids will have two homework assignments: the first will be for the week of February 8th. Look for a ziploc baggie with your child's name with their homework folders. Their assignment with this will be to fill it with a collection of 100 items. They can do pennies, cereal, crayons, cotton balls, etc., as long as there are 100 pieces. We will be comparing the collections during our math lessons.
The second assignment is to make a display that has to do with the number 100. Kids are encouraged to get creative with this! I will be going over some examples in class, but some ideas that kids have done in the past are to make a lego tower with 100 legos, make a poster with 100 stickers, or print out a large photograph and cut it into 100 pieces like a puzzle. These will be due on the 16th of February, and we will display them for the week in room 4.

Language Arts
We are continuing to work very hard on blending sounds to read words. This week we will review previously taught sounds and I will introduce the short i sound.
We are writing an opinion paragraph about which we would rather do: go ice skating or sledding.

Math
We will finish our unit on decomposing numbers to 10 today and take our test on Monday.
Our next chapter will focus on composing numbers to 20.

Thanks for reading, everyone!
Please let me know if you have questions or concerns.
carrie.relles@gmail.com


Friday, January 8, 2016

Week of January 11-15, 2016

happy new year, everyone!
I hope you all had a restful holiday. We are back in full swing in room 4. January is a busy month with lots of transitions with curriculum. We will be doing a lot more reading and writing, and I will be encouraging the kids to work more and more independently as we head toward spring.

Here is what we have coming up:

Important dates

Tuesdays 1/12 through 2/9, 9:00: Phoebe Hearst school tours. If you know anyone with children who are entering kindergarten or looking to transfer schools next year, please encourage them to attend one of our tours.

Friday January 15: field trip to see the Sacramento Theater Company production of James and the Giant Peach. Our bus will leave at 9:45 am and we will return at about 12:45pm. Because we will miss our usual lunchtime, I am asking parents to send a big snack for kids to eat before we leave. I will provide a small snack during intermission. If your child goes to 4th R after school, please send a lunch for him or her to eat after school.

Monday 1/18: MLK holiday; no school

Friday, 1/29: free dress

Language arts
Letter/sound focus:/n/, /s/
New sight words: not
After this week we will have practiced all of the kinder sight words. I will test kids on these words and for those who are ready I will send home the list of 1st grade words. We will practice these in class, and I encourage kids to practice them at home as well.
This week we will begin "board blending": This is explicit instruction in sounding out words on the board. We will begin with simple words and move to more complex words as the year progresses. It is now more important than ever to have your child read to you nightly. Please let me know if you have questions about this.

This week we are finishing up writing paragraphs about our New Year's resolutions. Be sure to come check them out early next week!

Math
We will finish topic 8 on subtraction and take our test on Friday morning before our field trip.


Thanks for reading, everyone! Have a fantastic weekend.