Category Archives: 21st Century Skills

The Butterflies Have Returned!

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april camera 176 We couldn’t believe it! We received a package from journeynorth.org that was filled with butterflies that had migrated to Mexico and back to the US. The large butterfly came from Ms. Lange and Ms. Wertheim’s class in Asheville, North Carolina. The small butterflies came from many different states: Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Indiana, Iowa, Michigan, Nebraska, North Carolina, Ohio, Virginia, and West Virginia. Two butterflies came directly from Coahuila, Mexico! We also received a letter from one of the students who lives near the butterfly sanctuary in Mexico. We are looking for someone who can read the letter to us because it is written in Spanish. Can you help?

We are researching where each of these butterflies came from. We are also adding information to the journeynorth.org website so students can find out where their butterflies landed. Hopefully, the classes that got our butterflies will post online, too. Then we can discover where they ended up. This project has made looking at a map more fun than usual for us.

THANK YOU!

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Thank you so much for coming out to Parent University last evening. Your children seemed so happy to be there and share their digital learning experiences. I hope I was able to enlighten you about the tremendous potential of technology in the classroom. It will take all of us to turn dreams into reality. I look forward to the next opportunity to share with you.

Parent University!

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Our third Parent University session is happening this Thursday, April 30th from 6 PM – 7:30 PM. I will be sharing some of the ways we are using technology in our classroom to redefine learning for the 21st Century. You’ll enjoy hearing from students about this new way of gaining and sharing knowledge. It’s just the beginning of many more amazing educational adventures for students in the digital age!

Welcome Back!

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Hello Kindergarten Families and Friends.

I am looking forward to seeing you all again on Tuesday morning.  I have so much to tell you and I want to hear all about your vacation time.

Thursday evening is a special event called Parent University from 6 PM – 7:30 PM. I will be sharing information about technology in the classroom.  You will be able to hear how students are using devices, apps, and websites to enhance the learning process and develop 21st Century skills. The world is changing and it is my goal to help parents and students get on board this fast moving train of digital learning.

Mark Your Calendar

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calendarThis is our last week on-track and it is full to the brim. We’ll be participating in a Mystery Number Google Hang-Out on Wednesday with a first grade class at Arlene Hein Elementary. We’ll test our number senses again on Thursday with a first grade class in Truckee. We will be asking and answering questions to find the Mystery Number. On Thursday and Friday, we will meet up with our Big Buddies to work in the garden. We have some weeding to do as well as sowing seeds for the next crop. What do you think we will be planting?

If you would like to participate with us, please let me know. We can always use another pair of hands. We would also welcome a donation of 2 bags of planting soil.:D

Picture Money is due now.
Monday: Homework and folders are due.
Wednesday: Library books are due.
Friday: Minimum Day- all Kindergartners come 7:45 AM – 11:16 AM
Orders for Dodo Bags are due.
April 6 to April 27: We are off-track.
Tuesday, April 28: Back to School!

Check Out Our Newest Work!

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Be sure to click on the tab marked “Our Online Work”.  We have completed two projects on VoiceThread.  I think you’ll really like them.  Please leave a comment about our efforts.  It is a great motivator to know that others are listening to us.  If you have not set up a VoiceThread account, you will have to do that before you can leave a comment.  It should be a very simple process.  Let me know if you need some guidance.

Butterfly Migration

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Cathe's phone 238I have exciting news!  Our butterflies made it to Mexico!  Click here to Find Our Butterflies! and see the students who are taking care of them for the winter.  Can you find Michoacan, Mexico on a map? Do you remember how far our butterflies had to travel?  I wonder when the real monarch butterflies will begin their migration north again?  When will the Mexican students send us their butterflies?  Make a prediction and post it as a comment.

Be a Guest Blogger!

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blogDear Families and Blog Visitors,

I know many of you would love to help out in class, but are unable to do so.  Well, how about a way to be a virtual classroom helper through the internet?  I would like to offer you the opportunity to be one of our guest bloggers.  You pick a topic that interests you and share some fun facts about it.  Photos help us learn better, so include a picture or a link to an educational website.  I can help with those items.  It’s not scary.  This offers you the chance to be a 21st Century Learner right along with us.

Please let me know if this idea excites you!

Mrs. P 😀

Speaking of Donations…

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iPhoneIf you are purchasing new cellphones, please consider donating your old phones to our class.  I can use any kind of old smartphone, iPod or iPod Touch to set up learning centers in our room.  Of course, an old iPad or KindleFire would be over the top wonderful to have. We won’t mind a cracked screen either!

If you have ever been curious about other kinds of donations to make our classroom a center of 21st Century Learning, please consider passing along an Apple Store gift card.  I am setting aside money to purchase another iPad for the classroom.  It is my goal to provide daily access to technology for every one of my students. Your support would be major boost towards achieving it!