Where Did January Go?

I knew we had lots of action in January, but I am still surprised at how fast the month flew by.
We had a week dedicated to “The Great Kindness Challenge”. I love seeing the fluttering heart decorating the campus. It felt like we were surrounded by love. We had a tremendously positive response from everyone at school.
Can you believe that school-wide, there was only one behavior referral that entire week? Practically heaven on earth! When we focus on the social-emotional needs of ourselves and those around us, we can all be more productive at school. The staff is looking into ways to make it even better next year.

Our Student Leadership Team kicked off our annual Pennies for Patients fundraiser. Our school has participated for the last six years, each time topping the previous donation total. We have been the #2 fundraising school in the nation for the last two years. I don’t the total of our fundraising for this worthy cause, but last year alone we raised $11,531.94. I’m impressed and you should be, too! We have a very generous and caring school community.

We also had a wonderful visit from Coach Greatness and Coach Kindness. We thoroughly enjoyed his positive and empowering message embedded in songs, chants, and cheers. “I’m cool! I’m kind! I’ve got greatness on my mind!” I hope to have a short video of that experience post on Seesaw soon.

We closed out the month with a trip to Stone Lakes National Wildlife Refuge. I think we had the most beautiful day possible for that event. We certainly got a spectacular show from all those migrating snow geese! Thanks to all 13 chaperones who joined us. I hope you all will take your families for an outing while the birds are populating the Pacific Flyway. It’s so close, I bet you could ride your bikes!

Enjoy the month off! See you on March 5th.

See You Soon!

Dear TK Families,

We have just one more weekend of vacation. I hope you have had a wonderful time while we’ve been off-track. I was very busy packing up my house and getting ready to move. Don’t worry! I am not going far; I will still be your child’s teacher. I did get to visit my three grandkids in Atlanta, but that was anything but restful!

Please go to our Shutterfly site (click on “Volunteer” tab above) and update when you will be able to help in class. Your participation is essential to making our TK experience the best it can be. (And I am sincerely appreciative!)

Since our classmate Emily is spending an extended time in China, we get to welcome a new friend on Monday. His name is Ameer and he is five years old just like the rest of the class. I’m sure he is excited to meet us, too.

I am looking forward to hugging all my munchkins on Monday. We have many more learning adventures to explore together!

Joyfully,
Mrs. P

Happy Vacation!

Congratulations on a productive first trimester! We have all earned a well-deserved break. I hope you enjoy many relaxed days with family and friends. Many scientific studies clearly show how important play time is for children and adults, too! We learn best and grow most during the time we have for joyful explorations. I encourage you to check out our Twitter feed for more information.

The October Activity Calendar was sent home on Thursday. It is also linked under the TK Homework tab. As always, the most important ways to become a great student is to read and be read to daily and DO SOME CHORES!

This vacation time would also be a great opportunity to workout those small finger muscles. Most of the students are finding it very tiring to write and draw and cut. That’s because their finger muscles are still developing and need some time in the “Finger Gym”. Click HERE to find a list of fun ways to exercise those muscles.

If your child spends some time online, check out the tabs above for links to some good sites. You can also try these free, high quality websites:
starfall.com
abcya.com
pbskids.org

Several of you have asked for a list of exceptional apps. I will work on that and post it soon. So check back here.

I’ll be starting my vacation with a technology conference and then jury duty. Later, I’ll fly to Atlanta to spoil my grandchildren and both of my sons. At the end of the month, I get to enjoy time with my daughter. It looks to be a very lucky month for me. What will you be doing?

See you back at school on Wednesday, October 26th at 11:04 AM – 2:35 PM.
Joyfully,
Mrs. P

Welcome to Spring!

birds-216827_640Hello TK friends,

I hope you are enjoying your vacation time. The rain may have stopped some plans for a few days this month, but gardens and trees have sprung to life because of it. Take time to look around and notice the changes that are happening daily. What are the animals doing? Do you see birds migrating back to the north? What kind of birds are flying away and what kind are staying here? Are they building nests and defending their territory? It is a very busy time of year in the animal kingdom. There is so much to observe. Leave us a comment about what you have noticed in your neighborhood.

Joyfully,
Mrs. P