Meet and Greet

Hello new Kindergarten families! I'd like to welcome you to Garvy and hope that you can come Friday to drop off school supplies and meet your teacher. If your last name begins with A-M you should plan to arrive any time between 9 and 10 am. Last names beginning with N-Z can arrive between 10 and 11 am. I'm really looking forward to meeting all of you!

Try, Try, Try...Never Give Up!

I wanted to give up after running 5 miles, but had 8.1 to go. Needing motivation, I looked to other runners, people cheering, the bands, and the Chicago skyline to cross the finish line. This race taught me that when something is hard, it's really easy to quit. How could I just give up when all year long I taught you guys to try your best and never give up? I could almost hear you little voices cheering, "Keep going Ms. Bachman! We love you!" My goal time for this 1/2 marathon was 1 hour and 50 minutes, but sadly I didn't reach it. I still did well and finished in 1 hour 56 minutes and 45 seconds. Here's a picture where I'm sprinting to the finish line.

Have you learned something new this summer that was really hard? Did you give up or stick with it?

Back to School Countdown

Well my little 5 and 6 year old friends, it's almost time to head back to school. The first day of school will be Tuesday, September 6th. In anticipation for the new year I thought it would be fun to have an alphabet countdown. Here is a list of 26 fun activities to help you wrap up summer vacation.

Ask a friend to a play date

Breakfast in bed

Catch lightning bugs

Decorate cookies or cupcakes

Explore your neighborhood

Ferris wheel ride at Navy Pier

Go bowling

Hop scotch

Ice cream sundae party

Jump rope

Kickball

Library visit to find a new book

Movie night

Night owl; see how late you can stay up

Open a lemonade stand

Picnic at the park

Q-Tip artwork

Ride bikes

Slip and slide

Tie-dye a t-shirt

Under a tree reading

Visit a grandparent

Water day; pool, sprinklers, waterpark, beach

eXtra sweet to your family day

You're almost ready for school CELEBRATE a great summer

Zip up your new backpack and head to Garvy

I'd love to see which activities you can complete before school starts. Print off the list, highlight your accomplishments and bring it to show me. I'll have a treat for you!

Ear Piercing 101

Dehne wrote a story about getting her ears pierced earlier this summer. What a brave little girl!

Since I was in Kindergarten, my Mom kept asking me to get my ears pierced. I didn't want to because I thought it would hurt. My mom wanted me to get my ears pierced because she thinks I am fancy and would love earrings. Finally, this summer I got my ears pierced! Mommy was right, I love them, so so so so so much!

You have to clean them three times a day so they do not get infected. Mommy and Daddy help me clean my earrings. You have to keep them in for six months before you can take them out. My Grandmother gave me 5 pairs of earrings and I can't wait to try them on.

If my memory serves me correctly, my parents made me wait until I was 12 years old to pierce my ears. I was so excited to have it done, and it was so quick with the little earring gun. I still remember the story of my mom's home ear piercing, my grandma used a needle, ice and a potato to pierce her ears. OUCH!

These earrings might be one of the MAIN reasons I wanted to pierce my ears in the first place.

Daniel the Tiger's Neighborhood

Just last week I was going on and on about how I adore Mr. Rogers and all the fond memories I have from his show. Did you have time to watch any of the "virtual field trip" links? I hope you can share in my excitement upon hearing that in Fall of 2012 PBS will be launching a new cartoon to prepare kids for school. This cartoon will star Daniel Tiger and the show is slated to mimic the songs and curriculum of Fred Rogers. Here is link to the Press Release: http://www.pbs.org/about/news/archive/2011/daniel-tiger-tca11/

Looks like we'll all be having a new neighbor soon!

Family Day at Arlington Park

Yesterday I had the most enjoyable time celebrating a friends 30th birthday at Arlington Park. We were able to pack a picnic, cheer on the horses, and spend the afternoon catching up. I thought of all of you, my Kindergarten friends, because of all the kiddos enjoying themselves. Every Sunday is family day and General Admission tickets cost $8. You can bring in your own picnic lunch or they sell dippin' dots, chicken fingers, french fries, cheeseburgers, and hot dogs. I made great memories with my friends and I hope you can have the same experience with your family!

http://www.arlingtonpark.com/

Have you ever spent the afternoon at Arlington?