Six Simple Things to Smile About

1. The excitement in a classroom when reading "The Gingerbread Man."

2. Reviewing student reading progress on Raz-kids.com.

3. Listening to the kids explain the routines and expectations for independent work time.

4. Joe bringing three small packages of gummy bears to Lunch Bunch. One for himself, one for me, and the third for Miss Gilbert.

5. Receiving a box of books from Scholastic. I love passing out the books and seeing what titles the kids choose to build their home library.

6. Being offered a book for read aloud time by a former student. I'd love to read it to my class next week Dehne!

A Great Idea...

This week I've been doing my best to fight off a nasty cold. I even took a sick day on Wednesday, this rarely happens because I don't like missing school. It eased my mind knowing that Miss Gilbert was there to teach and that our daily routines would continue. I've been resting, drinking hot tea, and poking around on Pinterest.com (my social networking guilty pleasure). Today I found the most adorable idea that I want to pass along to all parents. It's a gift for you to give your child at their high school graduation, but at the end of 8th grade could be fun too! Click here for a link to the original post.

Start by getting a copy of "Oh The Places You'll Go" by Dr. Seuss. At the end of each school year, have your child's teacher write a note and sign the book. Then at graduation this is a special gift and a fun way to remember all their hard work throughout the years. Someday I hope to remember this idea and do it for my own kiddos too!

If you are a former parent and would like to backtrack a book like this for your child, just bring it in. I'd be happy to sign the book and write a nice note!

50th Day of School

On Wednesday we celebrated the 50th day of school at Garvy. It was a fun way to mark our 1/2 way to 100 celebration. We dressed similar to the way people did in the 50's, had a Sock Hop and hula hooped in the gym, did the Hand Jive dance, patterning with pink and black, used a scale to weigh our collections of 50 objects, everyone tried to blow a bubble with gum, and the kids learned to differentiate between then and now. They didn't recognize pictures of Elvis Presley, but they did know Justin Bieber and Salena Gomez! Miss Gilbert even brought in record to show the class! Ideas for this event came from other teacher websites/blogs via my newest favorite source of inspiration Pinterest.

She's a natural.

The kids LOVED to Hand Jive!

Showing off his excellent hula hooping skills.

Miss Gilbert dressed up like a Pink Lady.

I'm Thankful For Raz-kids.com

This long weekend has given me a lot of time to reflect on what I'm thankful for as an educator at Garvy School. As a candidate for National Board Certification, I am being asked to make meaningful connections with families, the community, and most importantly provide evidence of student achievement. "How does it impact student learning?" is a constant question in the certification process. I've already written about the energy that the Kindergartner's bring with them and their passion for learning, but in addition I must provide EVIDENCE of achievement. It's easy to go on and on about how much I enjoy working with this age group, their innocence, and I could describe how I see them all growing throughout the year. At the same time, National Board is forcing me to provide concrete evidence. As a result I've been setting goals and collecting data to prove that the instruction I provide is working.

Just last week, Mrs. McGlade purchased an online subscription to Raz-kids for all K-2 classrooms at Garvy. This website is an amazing resource for all students to make progress in reading. I am so thankful to have it as a home-school connection. Already 15 of 25 students have logged in and have collectively spent 544 minutes listening to books, recorded themselves reading books, and taken comprehension quizzes. This website allows me to listen to their reading and respond with personal messages. Students can move from one level to the next as well as explore higher level books that can be shared with their families. My favorite part is that Raz-kids provides me with charts and graphs as evidence of student achievement. I'm so pumped to see continual reading growth throughout the remainder of this school year. Thank you Mrs. McGlade for funding this fun and engaging resource, we're all very thankful!

If you haven't tried it yet here is the login page;

http://www.raz-kids.com/main/Login

Search teacher: bchristinaa

Find your user name and click on the correct password icon (it was sent home on a note card and I will send another home this week).

Have fun reading!

I'd love some parent feedback! What do you like best about Raz-kids.com? Is it easy to use? Does your child work on it independently or do you work together?

Author's Celebration

Today was a great day in Kindergarten at Garvy! The kids started with a lesson about showing others we care with Mrs. Callan, had library class, RECESS, got to see a movie about dinosaurs in the Dome Theater, and then shared their writing with families and friends at the first Author's Celebration. Thank you to all the families who came and provided the students with compliments and positive feedback on their writing.

Science Fair

On Tuesday morning, Kinderfamilies were invited to come and participate in the Garvy Science Fair. During this time the kids showed their knowledge of building a boat that could hold 5 rocks. It was a really fun time for both the kids and families!

These two students put their efforts together to make an unsinkable boat. Well done!

Six Simple Things

This week was full of good times, I'm having a hard time keeping my list of moments that make me smile to just six.

1. Taking a break from academic "rigor" to give students time to engage in developmentally appropriate activities like playing with Play Doh and building with blocks.

2. Excellent Room Parents to plan, coordinate, and carry out an amazing Halloween party.

3. Hearing from parents that their child pretends to be a teacher at home with their siblings.

4. Notes from Mrs. Neshawait delivered by extremely polite kiddos.

5. The ease of motivating a 5/6 year old to do extra homework. Simply host a "Lunch Bunch" with participating kids at the end of the month.

6. When Calvin gave his dad one last hug before entering school and sweetly told him, "I love you."

Halloween Party

The kids in Room 108 had an amazing afternoon filled with games, a healthy snack, a craft and parade around Garvy. Excitement and energy filled the air as everyone TRANSFORMED from students to super heros, vampires, witches, princesses, animals, a doctor, police officer, army man, cheerleader, ninja, and even a professor. Thank you Room Parents for putting together a fun party!

What was the best costume you saw this year? Did you get to go Trick or Treating?

Ms. Gilbert's Six Things That Make Me Smile

My student teaching experience at Garvy is quickly flying by. I am so thankful to have been placed at such a wonderful school with great staff, students, and parents. There are so many things about our class that makes me smile, but here are six things that made me smile this past week:

1. When the entire class responds with a cheerful, "Good Morning Ms. Gilbert" each morning at calendar time.
2. The moment when a light bulb goes off in a student's mind and they understand what I have been trying to teach.
3. Getting a handshake, hug, or high five from every student at the end of the week.
4. Watching a child be so excited and proud to share their Star Student poster with the class.
5. Our new class book "Pete the Cat" (Thank you Hernandez Family!)
6. Having such a wonderful mentor teacher and kindergarten class to interact with each day!

Have you had the chance today to sit down and think about what makes you smile?
-Ms. Gilbert

What We Learned at Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm

"Pumpkins start out as a flower." -John

"Pumpkins start out as little green pumpkins." -Megan H.

"They plant green pumpkin seeds." -Milan
(So the seeds won't rot in the ground, they are covered with a protective green coating).

"The pumpkins grow on vines." -Savannah

"They don't grow pumpkins at Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm that we went to." -Mason
(Goebbert's grows their pumpkins at another farm and bring them to South Barrington).

"They grow on a vine when they are orange." -Russell

"We picked one pumpkin, corn, and a gourd. It was really fun!" -Elise

"The flower grows first, then they wait, then the pumpkin comes out, and then you get to pick them." -Adam

"The pumpkins, they are green when they start and then turn orange." -Lynette

"The pumpkins will be orange when you pick them up." -Farris

"The pumpkins have swirly vines." -Megan N.

Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm

We had a great day at Goebbert's Pumpkin Farm on Monday. The first field trip of the year always brings an added excitement of riding a school bus for the first time (for most of the students). During our visit we learned all about pumpkins and farm life. The kids got to go on a wagon ride, explore the many farm/exotic animals, watch a mechanical dinosaur destroy a pumpkin, make their way through a corn maze, pick out their very own pumpkin, gourd, and piece of autumn corn.

Check back tomorrow for a post about what the kids learned at Goebbert's.

What was your child most excited to tell you about the field trip?

Things That Make Me Smile

Every Friday my good friend Brooke writes a blog post about 6 simple things that make her smile. They range anywhere from the sound of leaves crunching as you walk on the sidewalk to scoring a seat on the train. Like a little kid anxious to check under their pillow for $ from the tooth fairy, I check her blog to see the simple things she appreciates each Friday. These always inspire me put a positive spin on the events of my week. I am so lucky to work at a job that I love. Each morning when driving to school, I'm excited to arrive and begin planning for the day and then teaching when the kids arrive.



Here are 6 simple things that make me smile in Kindergarten...

1. The eagerness to read a new books when they are added to the class library.

2. Cheering and calling of "encore" at the end of reading a story aloud.

3. Watching kids help each other, by giving friendly reminders to follow the class rules.

4. Kindergartener's eagerness to learn and do well in school.

5. The excitement on a child's face and pride they feel when sharing their writing with the class.

6. Observing students working together, taking turns and having meaningful discussions.



These are the new books added to our classroom library this month. Thank you for ordering books from Scholastic because they always give us free books!

What makes you smile as a parent?

What We Learned About Sugar Gliders

"Sugar gliders eat meal worms." -Paul

"The sugar gliders glide around the room." -Alyssa

"The sugar glides jumped." -Joe

"The sugar gliders glide with the skin on their arms." -Adam

"I learned that sugar gliders can be black and brown." -Elena

"Sugar gliders have big eyes." -Russell

"Sugar gliders have big eyes so they can see in the dark." -Destiny

"I learned about sugar gliders that they sleep in the day." -Megan N.

"They hang upside down with their nails." -Lynette

"They eat bugs." -Calvin

"They have a treat at nighttime, it's fruit and vegetables." -Farris

"They eat insects." -Lillian

"If you give them a birds feather, they won't eat it." -Leah
(Birds are their biggest predator and will try to eat the sugar gliders).

"They glide." -Shea

Sugar Gliders

Today we have two very special guests come and teach us about nocturnal animals. Mr. and Mrs. Micic brought in Daisy and Minnie, their families sugar gliders. Here are a few of the facts the kids learned about these marsupials:

They sleep during the day and are awake at night.

Sugar gliders don't fly, they are good jumpers and glide from one place to another.

Two weeks after conception the baby moves from inside the mom to the pouch.

They are about the size of a thumb when they come out of the mother's pouch.

Their favorite treats are dried fruit, vegetables, and yogurt chips.

As domestic pets they live in cages. In the wild they live inside trees.

Mr. and Mrs. Micic complemented the kids on staying calm and helping Minnie and Daisy feel comfortable in our class. Thank you again for bringing in and teaching us all about these fun nocturnal pets!

Was your child excited to tell you about the visitors? Did they share any other interesting facts?

Everyday Math

Room 108 learning all about numbers, patterns, and money. A large component of the math program encourages learning about these concepts through exploration and games. Here are a few pictures of the kids working together and enjoying the games.

Thank you to all the parents who have donated sidewalk chalk. The kids love using it to write numbers and make pretty decorations around Garvy.

What's your favorite game to play at home? Have you tried Chutes and Ladders?

Fire Safety

Having a real firefighter come to our class and teach the kids was such a treat. The kids were excited to see and touch the fire equipment, especially the hat and oxygen mask. We discussed making an escape plan and family meeting place, in case of an emergency. Mason was so proud of his dad. Thank you Mr. Kading for coming to Garvy and teaching the kids all about fire safety.

Does your family have a safe meeting place? Have you replaced the batteries in your smoke detector in the past 6 months? Remember, stay low and go!

Walk-a-Thon

The Garvy Walk-a-Thon was a huge success. As a school, we far surpassed the $5,000 goal. I'll update the total once all money is counted this weekend, but as of last Thursday we had already reached $7,000. All donations will go into improving the school library. A big THANK YOU goes out to Mrs. Rife for coordinating this event, and all of the parent volunteers who cheered and kept all the Bulldogs safe.

Patterns

We've been busy in math learning about patterns. The pictures are of Oce and Calvin, coming up with their own patterns. The class also enjoy movement patterns throughout the day because they get up and move around. Some examples include frog jumps, hops, claps, spins, jumping jacks, criss-crosses, and stomps. If you've been sitting for awhile maybe it's time for a little break, go ahead and come up with your own pattern.

Back to School

We've had an AMAZING first two weeks of school in Room 108. This is a great group of kids who are full of energy and eager to learn. It's so refreshing to work with your children, thank you for sharing them with me. In just the first 9 days of school your child has already started to learn and master the routines and expectations of Kindergarten. Throughout the next couple of weeks we'll continue to work on making new friends, learn about apples, explore numbers through 10, learn new letters and a few sight words.

New friends working together to sort teddy bears by a size and color.

On the BEAUTIFUL new playground at Garvy with our student teacher Miss Gilbert.

There's always time to be a little bit silly.

Playing with blocks during "choice" time.

Working together to sort buttons by size, shape, and number of holes.