Dear Parents,
I enjoyed meeting with you during conference days. For me, it was a time for additional discovery about your children. For those of you asking for support in math or handwriting, look for a weekly packet in your child's backpack on Mondays. However, don't forget the first Monday after Thanksgiving break (Dec. 1st) is a staff day, so those packets will be in their backpack on Tuesday!
One of our goals at IA is to stay in touch with our families. As a result, mandatory parent in-service meetings are planned for either Monday, December 1st or Thursday,December 4th. Please choose which day better fits into your schedule. Both meetings are from 7-8pm. The December 1st meeting is in the Community Room in the Administrative Building and the December 4th is in the Multi-Purpose Room (where your children have lunch everyday).
After our break, your children will have expanded choices for their P.E. activities. They may have mentioned to you that they were receiving activity passes for the KROC center. If you have not returned the permission/liability forms for skateboarding and the rock-climbing wall, please do so. We want all of the children to have the opportunity to participate (rock-climbing, ice-skating, skateboarding, swimming, gym activities, game-room, field-sports, etc....)!
For those of you who were not able to visit during conference days, your children have an assignment over the break. Please ask them what historical figure they have chosen for our "Wax Museum" activity. They need to create a diorama representing their chosen historical figure in time and return it to the classroom when they return on December 2nd. Your children have had the opportunity to see dioramas in our classroom. On December 18th, we will be presenting our "Wax Museum" to the school, so you children will need to come dressed as their historical figure. Please don't go out and buy costumes as I don't want our activities to be a drain on your budget. Look through closets or ask friends to loan an article of clothing to you.
I think that's it for now! Have a wonderful break.
Sincerely,
Kim
Arriving at Smith Ranch
Arriving at Smith Ranch!
Friday, November 21, 2008
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
Important News!!
Dear parents,
On Wednesday, November 19th and Thursday, November 20th from 1-4pm the teachers at IA are holding conferences. I'm sorry we cannot accomodate your work schedules by holding conferences at night as we share our school space with the KROC Center and evening classroom time is not available. I would like to have half of you come on Wednesday and the other half on Thursday if possible. Could you please email me with your preferences and I can confirm the day. The conferences in my room are going to be student-led (in other words your children will be sharing what they have been doing, their work, place in the classroom, etc...). I will be available in the classroom to answer your questions regarding your child's progress.
Also, I wanted to remind you that for Thanksgiving the kids are off the entire week (Nov. 24th - Nov. 28th). Additionally, December 1st is a day for the staff to be working at the school without students in attendance. So, please make your childcare arrangements accordingly.
Your children are engaged in a wide variety of learning opportunities. A writing, art, and life science project is under way, they continue with DI/Language Arts and math, social and emotional development, an earth science endeavor, and early American history. I would like them to create a diorama for history, so could you all please send in a shoe box, to work with. Your children are also continuing to work on our play. Almost all of the costumes have been chosen and some of the set created. Thank you Cheryl (Kaya's Mom) for sharing your many costumes and allowing us to pull out what we needed. We do still need a costume for the ship's captain, two sailor hats, a costume for the little boy, an octopus costume, and a very big babydoll.
Also, don't be surprised if your children are soon asking with some help on a costume for their chosen historical figure. We will be creating a sort of educational wax museum where your children will dress as their favorite historical character. More details will follow!
Please feel free to contact me anytime with your concerns or ideas about my classroom or IA.
Sincerely,
Kim
kim@innovationsacademy.org
On Wednesday, November 19th and Thursday, November 20th from 1-4pm the teachers at IA are holding conferences. I'm sorry we cannot accomodate your work schedules by holding conferences at night as we share our school space with the KROC Center and evening classroom time is not available. I would like to have half of you come on Wednesday and the other half on Thursday if possible. Could you please email me with your preferences and I can confirm the day. The conferences in my room are going to be student-led (in other words your children will be sharing what they have been doing, their work, place in the classroom, etc...). I will be available in the classroom to answer your questions regarding your child's progress.
Also, I wanted to remind you that for Thanksgiving the kids are off the entire week (Nov. 24th - Nov. 28th). Additionally, December 1st is a day for the staff to be working at the school without students in attendance. So, please make your childcare arrangements accordingly.
Your children are engaged in a wide variety of learning opportunities. A writing, art, and life science project is under way, they continue with DI/Language Arts and math, social and emotional development, an earth science endeavor, and early American history. I would like them to create a diorama for history, so could you all please send in a shoe box, to work with. Your children are also continuing to work on our play. Almost all of the costumes have been chosen and some of the set created. Thank you Cheryl (Kaya's Mom) for sharing your many costumes and allowing us to pull out what we needed. We do still need a costume for the ship's captain, two sailor hats, a costume for the little boy, an octopus costume, and a very big babydoll.
Also, don't be surprised if your children are soon asking with some help on a costume for their chosen historical figure. We will be creating a sort of educational wax museum where your children will dress as their favorite historical character. More details will follow!
Please feel free to contact me anytime with your concerns or ideas about my classroom or IA.
Sincerely,
Kim
kim@innovationsacademy.org
Thursday, November 6, 2008
Update from Kim's Class
Dear parents,
I want to express my gratitude for your participation as chaperones on our recent zoo and science museum field trips. Without your support, we wouldn't be able to participate in these learning opportunities. Since my students are currently writing reports on animals, the trip to the zoo gave us a chance to see some of these animals up close and discuss why some are vulnerable or endangered. Usually it's because of habitat loss. At the science museum, students engaged in a challenging activity focused on animal adaptation. They were asked to create a mouth that could consume various types of food. Materials included clothes pines, the cardboard roll inside paper towel and toilet paper rolls, plastic bottle, etc... Later we were asked to classify animals as carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores by looking at the jaw and teeth of various animals - an additional way to learn about adaptation!
Your children are also going to be involved in a dramatic creation and we need materials such as large cardboard boxes to build a set and help making costumes. Kaya's mom has volunteered to help with costumes. Are there any others interested in helping??? The students will alse be asking the Kroc Center for help as there is a theatre here. I'll keep you posted.
Just a reminder! There is no school on Tuesday, November 11th for Veteran's Day! The Kroc Center offers activities if you don't have childcare for that day!
Kim
Dear parents,
I want to express my gratitude for your participation as chaperones on our recent zoo and science museum field trips. Without your support, we wouldn't be able to participate in these learning opportunities. Since my students are currently writing reports on animals, the trip to the zoo gave us a chance to see some of these animals up close and discuss why some are vulnerable or endangered. Usually it's because of habitat loss. At the science museum, students engaged in a challenging activity focused on animal adaptation. They were asked to create a mouth that could consume various types of food. Materials included clothes pines, the cardboard roll inside paper towel and toilet paper rolls, plastic bottle, etc... Later we were asked to classify animals as carnivores, herbivores, or omnivores by looking at the jaw and teeth of various animals - an additional way to learn about adaptation!
Your children are also going to be involved in a dramatic creation and we need materials such as large cardboard boxes to build a set and help making costumes. Kaya's mom has volunteered to help with costumes. Are there any others interested in helping??? The students will alse be asking the Kroc Center for help as there is a theatre here. I'll keep you posted.
Just a reminder! There is no school on Tuesday, November 11th for Veteran's Day! The Kroc Center offers activities if you don't have childcare for that day!
Kim
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