Family Flags and Winter Break

Wow!  I can tell that all of the children worked really hard on creating and practicing their family flag presentations.  They look wonderful and the children learned so much more about one another.  

Winter break is coming up. If you would like to view the upcoming calendar for days off or schedule changes, you can check the Calendar at a Glance or the Calendar Handbook.  

Friday, December 20th is a 2 hour early dismissal.  The children still have library scheduled for Friday.

Family Flag

Family flags have been sent home with each student in Kindergarten.  Attached are directions on how to complete this activity.  All flags are due Monday, December 9, 2013.  We will begin to present them that day and will be displaying them outside of our classroom so that other classes can see your child's hard work.

 

The project will be evaluated based on the criteria listed below.  While you are welcome to guide and assist your child, most of the work should be produced by the student. 

 

Visual Aid

Neat and organized visual aid

Pictures are labeled

 

Oral Presentation

Speaks loud and clear (good voice projection)

Makes eye contact with the audience

Shows evidence of having practiced the speech at home

Students can explain/describe the visual aid

 

 

 

Please do not hesitate to contact me if you have any questions about this project.



American Education Week

November 18 – 22 is American Education Week.  Parents are invited to visit classrooms at these times:

Kindergarten – Thursday, November 21 ~ 12:30 p.m. – 1:30 p.m.

 1st Grade – Monday, November 18 ~ 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

2nd Grade – Tuesday, November 19 ~ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

3rd Grade – Wednesday, November 20 ~ 1:00 p.m. – 2:00 p.m.

4th Grade – Friday, November 22 ~ 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

5th Grade – Wednesday, November 20 ~ 10:45 a.m. - 11:30 a.m.

 

 

Fall Conferences

Conferences are next week and our school schedule is changing.

The children will be arriving 4 hours late to school (the school doors open at 12:30 p.m. and instruction begins at 12:55 p.m.) on Monday, November 25, 2013.  No lunch will be served at school on this day.  The children will then go home at their normal time, beginning dismissal at 3:25 p.m.

On Tuesday, November 26th, 2013, school will close 3.5 hours early.  This means that children arrive at school no later than 8:55 a.m. (the doors open at 8:30 a.m.) and dismissal begins at 12:00 p.m.  Lunch will be served at school; there is a scheduled lunch time from 10:15 – 10:40 a.m.  Children with lunches from home will be eating in the classroom and children who are purchasing lunches will be eating in the cafeteria.  Due to this scheduling change, the school asks that visitors not attend lunch on this day.  Thank you for your ongoing support.

 

 If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact me.  Our conference time is for only 15 minutes, so we have a lot to get through in a short amount of time.  Please make sure to arrive for your child's conference on time, I have back-to-back conferences both days and will be making sure that I stick to this agenda.

 

 

Fall Party

The Fall Party was lots of fun.  The children made necklaces, played a great game, and had yummy food.  Thank you to everyone for all of your help and support.  As one child said, "This is the best day of my life!"  This was definitely an experience for all of the children to remember.

Music Website

The below message has come from the Music teachers (our teacher is Miss Lerch):

Dear Parents,

Please take some time the Centerville Music website.  Your students are learning lots of new concepts and skills in music.  We have information about each grade level's focus, study guides and flash card practices, fun websites to visit, videos of songs the students are learning in class, and so much more. 

Web address: cesmusicteam.wikispaces.com

Please feel free to contact your child's music teacher this year!  We look forward to hearing from you and making wonderful music with our shining stars!

Mrs. Woods, Mrs. Lohr, Miss Lerch

Apple Week

Thank you so much for sending in apples.  The children had so much fun using them in different ways!  It was a great learning experience for the children.

 

Below is the recipe we used:

 

 

Crock Pot Applesauce

Ingredients:

22 apples
½ cup water 
1 tbsp. sugar  (or no sugar added if preferred)
½ teaspoon cinnamon   

Directions:

1. Peel, core, and cut the apples.

2. Place cut apples into a slow-cooking pot.

3. Add water to the apples.

4. Cover and cook on high for about 3 hours, until the apples are very soft. 

5. Add sugar (less can be used if preferred) and cook for another 30 minutes.

 

6.  Mash the apples, if needed, with a potato masher.

7. Sprinkle with cinnamon.

8. Enjoy!

Urbana Volunteer Fire Dept.

This week is Fire Safety/Fire Prevention week.  We had visitors from the Urbana Volunteer Fire Dept. visit us today.  We had so much fun!  The children were able to learn about fire safety, fire trucks, and ambulances.  We also were able to peek in the ambulance and go inside the fire truck.  Some materials will be going home this week concerning Fire Safety week.  Please review these materials and practice them with your child.

 

 

 

Field Trip/Science/Future Letters

Our field trip to Green Meadow's Farm is coming up soon.  Please remember to send in the permission slip and fee by Friday, September 27th.

 

 

Green Meadow's Farm

 

 

Any parent who is chaperoning any Centerville field trips must have attended a Parent Volunteer Orientation (this could have been in the past); this is an FCPS policy.  Please make sure to attend one of the upcoming orientations if you would like to chaperone.  All chaperones must provide their own transportation to Green Meadow's Farm due to limited space on the bus.

Today we started an experiment to show the water cycle.  Ms. Bowie set up a bowl with water and then put a dry cup in the middle.  After this, she put cling wrap on the top and sealed it with a rubberband.  Then she put a heat source (the lamp is supposed to represent the sun) over it.  Already the children were able to see the condensation on the cling wrap.  This represented the sun heating the water (evaporation) and turning it into a gas.  Tomorrow, we will get to see how the cling wrap becomes heavy with water and drips water into the cup.  This will represent the gas turning back into a liquid in the form of precipitation (rain).

 

 

 

Be on the look out for letters to be sent home about items we are looking for in upcoming lessons.

 

Thank you for your support!

 

 

 

Back to School Night

Wow!  It is amazing how much time has past since the first day of school.  Children are continuing to learn the rules and routines of school each day. 

Back to School Night is being held Tuesday, September 10th at 6:30 p.m.  This event is for parents only.  You will learn about school and classroom rules/policies, academic and emotional expectations, and much more.

Thursday Folders

Important information goes home each week and children need a folder to put this information in.  Some families have already purchased a Thursday Folder at Kindergarten Round-Up back in May.  If you have not purchased a Thursday Folder, you can purchase one at Open House.  I will be putting your child's name in the plastic sleeve of this folder, so a folder with a clear plastic sleeve in the front is preferred.

***You can also purchase a folder by sending $2 to school.  If you write a check, please make it out to CES PTA.***

If you have any questions about this, please let me know or you can contact the PTA.

Open House

Wow!  This is what our classroom looked like before I began to prepare for the school year.  

Don't forget to visit Centerville this Friday, August 16th for our Open House!  You can come in anytime between 4:00-5:00 p.m.  Most families do not stay the entire hour.  This is a time for your child to see his/her classroom and meet the teacher.  You can also meet other families in the class, too.   There will also be important information and items at your child's seat; these papers can answer many of your questions.  I recommend bringing your child's school supplies during this time.  If you do not bring them, please send them with your child the following week.

Also, the PTA is having an ice cream social afterwards.  I highly recommend signing up for the PTA or at least attending this event.  They are a vital group at Centerville that plans lots of fun events and can also answer many of your questions.

It's hard to believe that the 2013-2014 school will be starting so soon!  

School begins on Monday, August 19th.  Please refer to your child's teacher placement letter which will be mailed home sometime in early to mid August.  On this letter is a staggered start date for your child.  This means that your child will only attend school 1 out of the first 3 days.  1/3 of the students attend on Monday, 1/3 of the students attend on Tuesday, and 1/3 of the students attend on Wednesday; then all children will attend school thereafter.  This process makes it easier for your child to make friends and have a smoother transition into Kindergarten.

If you have not signed up for the FindOut First resource, please do so.  Visit the "Websites for Parents" page.  You will find lots of useful tools here.  

Also, FCPS has a great Back-to-School one-stop webpage at www.fcps.org/backtoschool. 

Getting Ready for Kindergarten

Below are helpful tips to help prepare your child for the first day of Kindergarten:

Getting Ready for School
• Establish routines by introducing an earlier bedtime several weeks before school starts.
• Practice the morning routine of dressing and eating breakfast.
• Review several times with your child how he or she will get to and from school.
• Make sure your child understands and obeys safety rules such as:
        1. Crossing the street only at crosswalks.
        2. Walking on sidewalks.
        3. Remaining seated until the bus is completely stopped.
        4. Listen to teachers, bus drivers, crossing guards, principals, etc.
• Teach your child:
        1. To recite his/her full name, address, and phone number.
        2. To be responsible for and to recognize his/her own belongings. You can help by labeling
               ALL his/her belongings (clothes, backpack, coat, gloves…).
        3. To attend to his/her own personal needs: toileting (visit a public restroom; this enables
               your child to feel more comfortable with using the restrooms at school), using a tissue,
               and washing face and hands, covering nose or mouth with arm to sneeze or cough,
              zipping/buttoning/snapping clothes.
• Choose clothing for your kindergartener that is “easy on, easy off”. Choose pants with elastic
waistbands if your child has difficulty with zippers, snaps, and belts. Children should be able to put on his/her shoes independently if they come off.
• Read to your child daily. Reading increases vocabulary. Read everything, from
books to signs, even cereal boxes!
• Make sure that your child has time to play after school and on weekends. Now that your child
spends more time in a structured school environment, you should allow more free time at home
for play. Kindergarten homework includes playtime!
• Help your child develop strategies to resolve peer conflicts and to know when it is appropriate to ask an adult for
help.
• Promote the attitude of respect for rights and properties of others.

Supporting the Learning Process
• Be calm and positive when you speak about school in the child’s presence.
• Encourage your child to share school experiences with you. Take an active interest in your
children’s schooling. Ask specific questions about what happens at school each day and how your
children feel about it.
• Treat going to school as part of the normal course of events that will be a positive experience for
your child. A calm, matter-of-fact, positive attitude will best help your child get the most out of
Kindergarten.  Give a kiss and hug, then say have a great day!  The quicker this morning transition is, the quicker your child with adjust to the school day.