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.