Easter, Bunnies, and Eggs

We had a good week.  We started Monday off with an Easter egg hunt. Students had to go around the room and fill their baskets with sight words.  When they were done, they would report back and start to read their words (or state the letters if that is the level they are at).  Students really enjoyed the hunt!

Wednesday students did a variety of projects.  Students made shape bunnies. We worked on listening and following directions as well as the shapes they were told to take out of the buckets.  Students did pretty good with this, though we did learn we need to turn on our kindergarten listening ears!

I have seen a great deal of learning happening in our room lately.
Students are using the centers correctly, role playing, and really taking material we have already taught and expanding on it in the centers.  I began teaching the students addition with drawing bubbles (circles) for the numbers in the equation and then counting how many in all.  I taught them this on our board, but then how they could do it on on their own in the centers.  Students are really enjoying it!  It is amazing what they enjoy if they have dry erase markers. :)  Also, students are working on number to dot matching with Easter eggs in this center.  Great learning happening!

We also really enjoyed our shaving cream day! Some students were writing letters (really working on correctly forming the letters rather than just making them however they want) or sight words and words they can spell phonetically.  They love shaving cream! Thank you to those who donated the shaving cream!

Donations needed!
Following our letter of the week project (one more week left!) we will be starting our number of the week books.  These books will consist of putting the correct amount of stickers on the number, draw that many objects, and cut that number out of the magazines.  We need your help!  Please send magazines or ads (ads seem to have the most numbers).  Sunday ads would be perfect!  Thank you!

We did our FINAL letter of the week.  We did our usual letter of the week as well.  The letter of the week was Zz.We learned the sign language for a letter, the literacy link sound symbols, the letter sound, and looking at and writing it in both capital letters and lower case letters.  Click here to view the many ways we learn the letter of the week!

Each week we watch letter videos from "Have Fun Teaching" and the students are really picking up the names of letters, formations, and the sounds of letters.  Check out these videos with you child!  Click HERE.

The Tuesday project of letter of the week is to decorate a letter with something that starts with the letter. This week we decorated the letter Z with zig-zags.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, Z is for Zebra.  

Please note, as always, the Hortonville Public Library hosts free events for kids!  Check them out on your days off and have some fun family bonding time! The link below brings you to the sites "kids" page.
http://www.hortonvillelibrary.org/taxonomy/term/1 
http://www.hortonvillelibrary.org/library_calendar

Important Notes:

• Our School day starts at 7:50am.  Please have your child in the building at that time.  We are going to be watching tardy's very carefully for the 4th quarter so please make an effort to be in the building by 7:50.
• Snow/Cold Day Make Up: We unfortunately had more snow/cold days this year than we had planned into our schedule.  At this point in time, pending no more snow days, we will be having 2 additional days added to the schedule.  At our last staff meeting, it was said we would be attempting to add Fridays instead of extra days in June. WE ARE ADDING FRIDAY APRIL 25 AND FRIDAY MAY 2.  No extended day with Mrs. Zaijeck will be offered on Fridays.  Please plan a pick up for your child on that day.  
• Book Orders came home and are available. They are due April 25 (if you submit them electronically).  If you submit in paper form with cash/check, you need to have it in by Thursday April 24.
• BECAUSE IT IS FINALLY GETTING WARM ENOUGH TO GO BACK OUTSIDE, PLEASE BE SURE THEY ARE DRESSED FOR THE WEATHER TO GO OUT.  Please send your child dressed for the weather as we go outside as long as it is not raining or below 0*(students are more than welcome to bring layers daily or to leave in their lockers)  It may also be time to change out the change of clothes to make sure they are weather appropriate.  If you send a new change of clothes, we will send the warm weather clothes in their backpacks.  We go outside on TUESDAYS AND THURSDAYS, Extended day kids go out EVERY DAY.
• Folders. Please be checking your child's daily folder each night.  We put notes on the notebook pages in their folders as well as any notes we may have for you.  Artwork is also sent home this way. As we start letter of the week, we will also start sending home homework to help reinforce the letter concept and identification.  Please work on this with you child to help the students make the connection between home and school. 
• Also, Please check the student's Wednesday Folders.  Please try to take info out and return the folder and any forms/info/payments in those folders a day or two after receiving. 
• Literacy Bags come home every three weeks.  Students will have a week to complete the project inside and can then return the bag with completed sheets in it on TUESDAYS.
• Library Books come every week.  We go to library on Monday and student have the opportunity to check out a book and keep it for a week. It can be kept in their back packs or at home, but please remember to bring it on Mondays. 

Next Week:
Theme: Earth Day.Recycling
Number of the Week: 0, 1, 2, 3
Snack: Ellerman Family