Ms. Berube

Weekly News

2008-11-14T20:59:21Z

Good afternoon,

I thought I would send you a message this afternoon and before the weekend because we have an event on Monday you might like to know about. Our class and Mrs. Curran's class will be singing and performing a song called Tony Chestnut during Monday Morning Meeting in the gym. Meeting starts at 8:30 and please feel free to attend if you are able. You might ask for a sneak preview as it is very cute!

Next week, we will be investigating the letter Cc. We have four 'C' stars in our class....Carlos, Corinna, Camden, and Caleb. Send in C things, if you have any, and we will supply our museum. We teach both the hard and soft C sound.

We started a discussion on Native Americans today, as it is always a connection to Thanksgiving. I am planning some projects next week that help the children relate to a time that seems long, long ago for them. I think it is important for them to have this knowledge to carry in their memories as they go up through the grades and learn American history. If you have anything Native American you would like to send in, I would like to establish a separate ' N.A. Museum' for the week.

Just a reminder that we are going to need more small boxes for our houses, more sugar cubes, and anything you have around the house that you think might be useful when we start construction.

I will be sending home a schedule of conference times early next week. I will ask you to sign up for your first, second, and third choices. It will be great to sit down with each of you individually and discuss your child's progress to date. I really look forward to our meetings. Questions and feedback are most welcome!

I hope you find fun things to do this weekend, even though more rain is predicted. Oh and I understand it's Movie Night in the gym tonight!

Until next time, Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-11-04T20:46:12Z

Hello families,

We spent some of the morning learning about and then voting for both president and senator. I am glad I only gave them four choices, as that was confusing enough for them! The results were: McCain - 4, Obama - 13 and Collins - 12, Allen - 5. I did let them know that others were running as well, so I think this abbreviated version was a good introduction to the voting process. They took turns being voter helpers as well. We even had patriotic songs playing in the background of our day. Mrs. Vanasse came in to volunteer and read Duck for President which tickled them after spending the day thinking about a real president. I took some great pictures which I will share with you sometime soon.

The letter of the week is initial Aa. This letter really needs an association for many of our children as it can be tricky. I go with A - apple - then the sound. We will be making apple sauce at the end of the week on Fun Friday. I have a great cone shaped food mill my mom passed down to me which allows the kids to watch 'their' apple sauce come through the sieve holes.....fun!

Mrs. Zito has begun speaking on core values at Monday morning meeting in the gym. She has begun with respect. For the month of November, we will be learning about it, role playing the concept, and reading stories that highlight respect. It would be great if you could follow up at home with discussions on the subject, as it is an essential part of a caring community where ever you go. Thanks.

I hope all of your school pictures got home safely. I think the photographer got some very natural smiles. But, in the event that you did not care for the shots, we will have a retake day soon.

A reminder that Wednesday, November 12th is an early release day. (Only one this month- :0) )

What a spectacular day it was today. It was a pleasure to go out to recess!!

Until next time, Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-10-28T20:58:40Z

Buenos tardes,

The letter of the week is Tt. Today we sang and danced to Tootie Ta, sang Tiger's top, dictated stories about riding in a taxi, measured our big, lovable teddy bear, Hallmark, practiced writing Tt the kindergarten way, read Tacky the Penguin ( ask your child to relate the story to you and you will hear a lesson in accepting diversity woven throughout the tale), and talked about tiger experiences. Fun things happen when T comes our way. On Friday, we will be having a Teddy Bear Tea Party. I wonder if you would please help your child remember to bring a Teddy (or other stuffed animal if a Teddy isn't available). If you would like to contribute, we will need a couple of boxes of Teddy Grams and hot cups enough for 16 children.

FYI here are the names of our 'treasured' volunteers who will be working with your children each week.
Please stand and give them a big hand!! :0)

Tuesday afternoon:
Cheryl Jarowicz (Michael's mom) and Amanda Vanasse (Kobe's mom)
Wednesday morning:
Jennifer O'Neil (Lucy's mom), Nancy Cambrola (Elijah's mom), and Giselle Rec (Corinna's mom)
Wednesday afternoon:
Margo Stephenson (Braeden's mom)
Thursday afternoon:
Margo Stephenson

All of these times, with the exception of Wednesday mornings, still have slots available, so please let me know if you would like to sign up.

In math, we are busy with patterns, counting, skip counting, recording the temperature and keeping track of the days in school.

We are starting our unit on the Construction Zone, and wonder if any of our parents are in the construction business. If so, would you like to come in and tell us about your line of work? Just let me know and we can make arrangements.

Reminders:
Tomorrow is a half day.
Gym shoes on Thursday and Friday....please.

Until next time, Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-10-28T20:58:40Z

Weekly News

2008-10-20T15:10:44Z

Good morning,
As this week starts bright and sunny, I know you have noticed the temperature drop. Just a reminder to send your child warm and cosy with jackets marked with their name. Thanks!

Our field trip is on Thursday this week. If you are chaperoning, please e-mail me so that I can group our children for the long awaited Senses Walk through Rachel Carson Wildlife Refuge.

We are reviewing the letters S,M,F,and T this week. Nearly everyone recognizes them and knows the sound.s We will be listening for those sounds at the beginning, in the middle and at the end of many words during the week and will be using those words in sentences. Our journals are starting to reflect the sounds we are learning and the handwriting we are practicing.

We are trying to get our volunteerism off to a strong start, so I will ask that if you would like to help out please e-mail me. The times are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursdays from 1:15 to 2:15 and Wednesday mornings from 10:20 to 11:15. Just e-mail me the time you would like and I will sign you up.

Until next time, Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-10-09T17:52:46Z

Hello families,

This week we have been having fun with the letter Ff. Frogs, fireworks, flowers all come into play as we learn the sound, the formation in writing, and talk about experiences with all of the above. Today we 'finger tapped' fun and fox in a continuing effort to hear and learn sounds, and to establish spelling and decoding techniques. Ask your child to show you. (he/she should be verbally separating each sound using fingers, then grabbing the word in ownership!) We are just starting, so no worry if they can't do it. It sometimes takes a while.

We continue to read Eric Carle books (he has created so many), discuss the problem that sometimes occur within the story, and observe the colors and techniques he has used to make his illustrations so vibrant. Today we read The Lonely Firefly...did you know the firefly is really a beetle and not a fly?

This morning the Kennebunk fire fighters arrived to pull the evacuation alarm and to see just how well we were able to leave the building. Well, the whole school population did a fantastic job. The departure was quiet and orderly. We even had a couple of classmates down in the cafeteria getting snack milk when the alarm went off. They very calmly walked up to Mrs. Dinino who then escorted them to our class line out near the playground. The practices that we have had prior to this day have made all the difference. Even the alarm is not particularly upsetting to our students. We decided later that knowing what to do, saves a lot of confusion. They might come home tonight and ask you how to evacuate your house in an emergency. (I put them up to that.)

Reminders....
Library books need to be returned on Tuesday morning, at the latest, for your child to check out another one. They really enjoy that weekly privilege of taking a book home so....perhaps on Monday night they could be sure it is packed and ready. (You may send books any time prior to Tuesday, as well).

Some of your children are forgetting to wear sneakers on our two phys. ed. days. ....(Thursday and Friday). It would be great if you could just give them a reminder each Wednesday evening that they have gym for the next two days and, to be safe, they need to pack or wear sneakers. Thanks!

Parent volunteers will be starting to come in next week. If you were not able to come to the meeting on Tuesday, I will give you a call and we can arrange a convenient time for you to come in and help each week. I will be calling those of you who signed up during Parent Orientation. If anyone else, who didn't sign up, would like to come in, just let me know.

The 'Owie Box' has been set up in the lobby of our school. You may feel free to send in an item for the children if you wish, knowing it has a place to be deposited. (Please refer to a notice that is in your child's folder, if you do not know what I am speaking about.)

I hope you have a restful, yet fun filled, three day weekend. Until next time, Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-09-30T18:00:12Z

Buenos Dias,

How nice it was to just get rain this past weekend considering the other possibility. Last week I read The Magic School Bus in a Hurricane and hoped, at the time, that it would be as close as we would get to one.

This week we are exploring the letter Ss as we talk about spiders, snakes, sunflowers, and about the fact that we are each unique and special. As part of Phonics and Friends, we learn a new song each week. Around Thursday, you might ask your child to sing Seesaw Sam. If anyone has a dying sunflower they would like to donate to our class, we would love it. Measuring its height and counting its seeds is so much fun.

This week in math we will be working on , parts of the calendar, ounting, one to one correspondence with numbers and objects, counting backward from 10 to 0 in English and Spanish and sunflower seed counting.

It is time for our volunteers to start, so I would like to have an introductory meeting next week on Tuesday at 3:15. This should take only about a half an hour, as I give you a few tips on facilitating a center. I am planning to have three days of volunteers for literacy centers. Because of our schedule, I am going to try afternoon sessions on Tuesdays (1:15 to 2:15), and Thursdays (1:15 to 2:15), and a morning session on Wednesday from 10:20 to 11:15 (excluding early release Wednesdays). In addition, I would like to try math centers on Wednesdays from 1:15 to 2:15. I say try because if this doesn't work out for the children, I will have to design a new schedule of centers that does. We will take their lead and see how p.m. centers go.

Our trip to Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge is coming up on Thursday, October 16th from 9:00 to 11:00 a.m. If you would like to chaperone, please sign the slip coming home today. We will be concentrating on using our five senses in nature as we record fall happenings observed on our visit.

In case you haven't heard, we have our class pet all settled in on our bookcase. He/she????? now has the longest name any fish has even had, at least we would like to think so. Ask your child all about it :0).

Reminders:
Tomorrow is the first of five early release days in October.

This Friday is picture day. Remember to send in your envelopes, preferably by Thursday, so that I can get them organized. Thanks!

Don't forget to sign up for my blog. It will have all of my messages for the year posted and can be read at any time.

I believe that is all for now. Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-09-23T20:29:26Z

Hello families,

These weeks are starting to whiz by. Fall is here and it's almost October!

We had a great start to the week. Your children are coming in eager to start the day and be with their new friends. Our routines of checking in, checking backpacks, shedding jackets, keeping cubbies neat, and then settling in to Journals are becoming easy to remember at the beginning of each day. As the days are cooler and jackets are worn, I would remind you to write your child's name in everything they wear. Our lost and found room fills up with unmarked clothing as the year goes on, and I would like to spare you the trouble of tracking down items.

In math, we have been doing rational counting, dice games, Simon Says (jump 8 times, etc.), pattern block games (trying to fit certain shapes into a picture), and we will be recording the height of each child and putting the numbers in sequence. On our calendar, we are just beginning to learn about ones, tens, and hundreds as we keep track of the number of days we have attended school.

We have, of course, been having discussions on kindness to others on a regular basis. Ms Roux spends a good deal of time having the children create strategies to encourage kindness and ways to approach others who are not. Ms Roux will be working with us, on Friday afternoons, for the next five weeks.

Once Guidance is over, Ms Keep and I will begin our year long Book Buddy gatherings. Of course, Ms Roux is always available for students and parents to converse with throughout the year, even though she does not conduct regular classes.

Senora Kugler asked that we share the Spanish vocabulary that our children have been learning, so that you might have fun with it at home. I sent a paper copy last week, and am now including it in this blog in the event you didn't receive it.

Hola (Hello)
Buenos días / Buenas tardes (Good morning / Good afternoon)
Adiós (Goodbye)
¿Cómo te llamas? (What is your name?)
Me llamo… (My name is…)
Se llama… (His/Her name is…)

Whole Class Directions:
Levántense (Stand up)
Siéntense (Sit down)
Levanten la mano (Raise your hand)
Bajen la mano (Put down/Lower your hand)

Colors:
Rojo (Red)
Amarillo (Yellow)
Verde (Green)
Marrón (Brown)*
Blanco (White)
Naranja (Orange)*
Negro (Black)
Azul (Blue)
Gris (Gray)
Morado (Purple)*

Upcoming events:
Tomorrow, Wednesday, September 24 is Harvest Lunch in the cafeteria. Children who have hot lunch will be served local food in a very appealing manner. If you would like your child to participate, just drop me a note in the morning.
Thursday, September 25 is our Ice Cream Social. It begins at 4:30 with hot dogs and ice cream. It is a fun event, if you haven't attended, and one children always remember. They get to see teachers, friends, and families of friends. It's a great way for to meet and talk with your child's classmates and their parents!

Well, that is all for now. Until next time. Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-09-16T21:43:25Z

Good afternoon,

We have been practicing evacuation drills and participated in a very successful, whole school one last Thursday. Our first drill of the year is traditionally called by Mrs. Zito over the intercom as a way of gently acclimating new students to the procedure. Soon, however, we will be experiencing the customary alarm alert when our Kennebunk firefighters arrive, sometimes unannounced, to test our preparedness. I realize how loud and intimidating that alarm can be for some children, but in order to make sure they are ready, in the event of an emergency, we have to do it occasionally.

On Monday morning, we attended our second weekly school wide Morning Meeting during which Mrs. Zito fills us in on news and announcements, recognizes children and adult's birthdays, leads us in a patriotic and school song, and invites anyone who would like to talk with the staff and students as a whole to come up and share the message. Our new Spanish teacher, Jennifer Kugler, gave a quick review of some of the new vocabulary everyone has been learning. The KES band plays on stage each week. This weekly school wide gathering gives everyone a chance to connect and establish a friendly and focused mindset for the week among other things.

We have begun Chicka Chicka Boom Boom Week with a reading of the book, a Chicka, Chicka chant, and the making of a class book. Our Chicka Chicka bulletin board with baby pictures is coming along. We just need more. If you have not sent one in, it would be great if you could do it soon. They love guessing who the baby is and having a recent snapshot tacked up next to it. Growth and change......... :0)

Because the first day of fall is coming up soon (Monday, September 22nd), we decided to take a walk around the school to spot changes. They spotted a variety of indicators and collected items for the classroom. If your child has anything that fits in this theme, send it right in. We always love new things on the Discovery Shelf.

We will be starting Book Buddies soon with Ms Keep's third grade class. We will meet once a week to share stories and, on occasion, do literacy based projects. It is a delight to see the relationships develop between the two age groups. Before long, our children will be reading to them !

We will be starting Phonics and Friends next week, a program that concentrates on one letter per unit. The letter next week is Mm in connection, with among other things, Monarch and metamorphosis. We were fortunate that both Grace and Jasmine brought in Monarch caterpillars. We watch them grow daily!

I hope you have a great week. Jeannie

Weekly News

2008-09-08T16:49:31Z

Hello families,

As our first full week begins, I am sure everyone will feel more confident and ready to jump into the weeks events.

We are remembering and repeating various nursery rhymes this week which goes along with our daily calendar for the month of September. Rhyme is a great way to build vocabulary, expand the ability to spell and read, role play, and to have fun with words and imagery.

We will expand on our theme for Chicka, Chicka, Boom, Boom by doing activities around this delightful alphabet book.

Our Specials are in full swing now, as each day your child will have one and sometimes two to enjoy and learn from. A schedule was included in your Parent Orientation Packet. I have extra copies if you need one.

Our efforts to establish a classroom community are coming along well. It is wonderful to see how skilled your children are in social interactions, transitions, and listening. I know, however, that by Friday afternoon, they were tired and ready for the weekend. Learning so many new routines can be exhausting!

Guided discovery will continue as we discuss the value of our school materials and commit to respect our KES environment. We "opened" crayons, unifix cubes, and pattern blocks last week. The playground was opened and enjoyed immensely.

Please let me know if your child has any problems on the bus, on the playground, or in the classroom and I will help.

A theme this month is Growth and Change. Would you please send in a baby picture of your child for our bulletin board? Thanks!

Remember to complete those forms you received last week, as we particularly need the Student Info Sheet. It gives us the information needed to reach you if the need arises.

Just one more reminder....this Wednesday is an early release day. Children are dismissed at 12:00. Lunch is served, just earlier than usual. What is your child doing that afternoon? Please send a note to let me know.

I wish you a wonderful week and look forward to spending it getting to know your children even better!
Jeannie

A new school year.........2008-09

2008-08-26T21:06:39Z

Good afternoon!

Because you have found my blog, I wish you a warm welcome to our classroom via this means of communication. I think you will find it to be a great way of keeping informed as to what is going on in your child's new room. At the beginning of each week (Monday or Tuesday), I will be writing a message to you summarizing the weeks happenings, informing you of upcoming events, and generally keeping you connected with your child's kindergarten life. The message will appear both in my Parent E-Mail Connection and in this blog simultaneously. If you wish to be part of our e-mail connection, be sure to sign up during orientation on Thursday. I plan to begin it immediately. To reach me through e-mail, my address is jcberube@msad71.net.

Sneek a peek and parent orientation are scheduled for this Thursday, August 28th at 2:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. concurrently. I look forward to meeting your child at sneak a peek and to talking with you at Parent Orientation. Bring along questions when you come for your meeting in the evening, and I will try my best to answer them to your satisfaction.

When you do come to Sneak a Peek, you will see STOP signs everywhere and might wonder just what is going on! Our social curriculum here at KES is called The Responsive Classroom and one aspect of this approach is to foster responsibility in our young learners. Classroom areas are therefore gradually "opened" as the days go on, following conversations among the children and their teacher as to responsible care and handling of items. I will have a scavenger hunt that day, however, as a means of "discovering" things about the room. We just won't be playing in areas just yet. I would ask that you help me out that afternoon by explaining this to your child. Thank you!

I look forward to our year together beginning with our two events on Thursday. Jeannie