Hi Parents!

Here is what we did today!

We read a Miss Bindergarten book. It was called Miss Bindergarten has a Wild Day in Kindergarten. (Blair)

We had P.E. (Lexi B.)

My sister, Addison, came to read to us. (Rilen)

We made dots on our names. (Emily) We practiced making patterns with paint in math!

We practiced our fire drill. (Adeline)

We ate a snack. (Livi)

We made a book called We Like School. (Aidin)

We got to read a book about being a bucket filler. (Crimson) We talked about how we all carry invisible buckets that hold good thoughts and feelings. We fill buckets by saying and doing kind things for others. We dip from buckets when we say or do unkind things. We also talked about how filling others buckets will fill our own as well! We brainstormed ways we can be bucket fillers at school! See more at http://www.bucketfillers101.com/

We got to see Blair’s Me Bag. (Kate)

We had recess. (Kamri)

We know how to sit like learners. (Anna)

We got to play Alphabet Goop! (Tristan)

Announcements

Lots of important things coming home today. September calendar, picture day information, and a Me Doll homework project for our bulletin board.

Other Reminders: please make sure if your little one is wearing a dress or skirt that they are also wearing shorts underneath (stated in school handbook). We sit crisscross on the carpet and do lots of movement activities and we don’t want underwear to show! Thank you!

Have a great 3 day weekend! Go Tigers!

Hi Parents!

We are getting used to our routines and procedures! This is a very long day for our kiddos! They are working hard! Ask your child about what they look like and sound like at the learning rug!

Here is what we did today!

We went outside. (Lexie T.)

We read a book called Miss Mingo and the Fire Drill. (Anna) We talked about our Fire Drill that will be happening tomorrow morning! We practiced as a class walking to our safe spot outside.

We had the Back to School Assembly. (Blair) ParentLink has information about the Yo-Yo’s that were used during the NED show this morning! They are available to purchase!

We did music. (Brooke)

We had snack. (Emily)

We got to see Ms. Mielke. (Crimson) Our wonderful counselor came today! She will come every other week to do lessons about problem solving, friends, etc.

We went lunch. (Kate)

We did Anna’s Me Bag. (Livi)

We are still in need of a few supplies! Please sign up if you would like to donate to our classroom! You can send these items in with your child at any time! Thank you in advance!

https://docs.google.com/document/d/1i4Dkx0CZAWYDp-xzTEMQU0nxJ07YunR9Tk05i2ehI_I/edit?usp=sharing

Make sure to be checking my classroom website and Twitter for cool updates and links! We played a great SmartBoard games today after snack time! The games can be found on my “links” page. They loved the ABCya games!

Have a great night!

Hi Parents!

Here is what we did today!

Someone talked to us about doing a Fundraiser. (Emily)

We made artwork. (Rilen)

We played outside. (Zain)

My dad brought cookies! (Kamri)

We ate snack. (Lexie)

We did our calendar. (Kate)

We got to read a book called Kindergarten, Here I Come. (Anna)

We got a book called Time for School. (Livi)

We made a picture of how we got ready for Kindergarten. (Crimson) We also read Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten!

Announcements!

Tomorrow is our Back to School Assembly! This assembly will take place out in our lawn. Please make sure to apply sunblock to your child before they come to school (I am not allowed to do this at school). They may wear a hat or sunglasses during the assembly but they will need to go back in the backpack for the rest of the school day. Since we will be sitting on the grass, the kids are also allowed to bring a small towel to sit on during the assembly.

This coming Wednesday (September 3rd)  is our school picture day! Our class is first thing in the morning! Order forms will come home on Friday.

School fundraiser packets (selling passport coupon books) will be coming home today!

Don’t forget to tell me your plans for Grandparent’s/Special Friends and Family Day! Please fill out the short survey so I can plan accordingly. For example, if you are not able to have someone attend this event, I will know ahead of time so I can find someone to work with your child! Thanks so much! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JRHEyUDiHK5Ezly3Tqot0rigrJZS5yoEr3jW4zOFvJw/viewform?usp=send_form

Hi Parents!

Here is what we did today!

We did a game with raccoon tails. (Anna) We used cubes to match the number on Chester the Raccoon. We drew the rings to match the cubes.

We went to the library. (Lexi B.)

We played outside. (Kate)

It was my Me Bag day! (Adeline)  We did Adeline’s sharing time, name cheer, and we practiced writing Adeline’s name on dry-erase boards!

We read a book about Kindergarten. (Zain) It was called Look Out Kindergarten, Here I Come by Nancy Carlson. We talked about how the book made us think about our lives! We were making connections!

We did morning meeting. (Crimson)

Adeline showed us things from her Me Bag. (Livi)

We got to read a book called Chester Loves School. (Kamri) Students did an interactive reading with a mini-book! They colored the illustrations and practiced pointing to each word when reading. This book will be theirs to keep in their book box!

We put the book in our book box. (Emily)

Announcements:

Grading: Today there will be some math work coming home called Raccoon Rings. Every so often, I will grade the math work using a plus (+) or check mark. The plus means that your child answered all of the questions or completed the assignment correctly. The check mark means your child missed one or more. If your child’s paper says “Please finish and return” it means your child did not complete the work in the time allotted to finish the assignment (today was about 30 minutes).

Parent Pick Up signs: Kids who are frequently parent pick up will be coming home with a white sign with their last name. Please put this sign in the front windshield of your car so it can be seen from the parent pick up line. The PPU teachers will read the names and call for the student so they will be ready when you pull up.

Grandparent’s Day: Please RSVP for our upcoming Grandparent’s Day event on September 5th! This way I can better prepare for our guests! https://docs.google.com/forms/d/1JRHEyUDiHK5Ezly3Tqot0rigrJZS5yoEr3jW4zOFvJw/viewform?usp=send_form

Please let me know if you have any questions!

Thank you!

Hi Parents!

Here is what we did today!

We ate snack. It was a birthday snack. (Lexie T.)

We got our first star. We got 20 Cougar Compliments. (Brock) Cougar Compliments are small pieces of paper or tickets given out to kids who are caught being resourceful, responsible, and respectful! We collect these as a class and our goal is 100 in all! For every set of 20, we get to add a star to our board! Way to go class!

We had P.E. We got to roll the hula hoops. (Crimson)

It is Tristan’s birthday. (Zain)

We went outside. (Kate)

We drew someone we love. (Anna and Emily) As part of our Kissing Hand fun, we read another Chester Raccoon book and wrote about who is dear to our heart! We talked about drawing detailed pictures!

We played a game to get Chester to his mom. (Kamri) We played a Kissing Hand game where the students rolled a dice and tried to get Chester to his mom! We practiced counting the dots on the dice and moving spaces!

Don’t forget to bring a family picture for our family tree located outside of our classroom door! It looks great so far!!

Another successful day in Kindergarten! Here is what the kids said during our closing meeting!

We played out on the playground. (Emily)

We ate snack. (Anna)

We did music. (Crimson)

We did lunch. (Zain)

We saw the office. (Lexi) We went on a school tour!

We made a Chester raccoon puppet. (Cordae) Check out the pictures on our classroom Twitter (right side)! https://twitter.com/hotchkissmce 

We practiced being safe on the playground. (Livi) We talked about playground expectations!

We met our nurse. (Riley)

We read A Pocket Full of Kisses. It had Chester. (Kate)

We had fun. (Rilen)

In your child’s folder today you will find instructions for a “Me Bag” project! Please let me know if you have any questions!

Have a great weekend!

Hi Parents!

We had a great first day in Kindergarten! At the end of the day we had a closing meeting where some of the kids were able to share out what we did today! Here is what they said…

We went outside. (Kate)

We made artworks. (Rilen)

We went to art. (Livi)

We ate lunch. (Lexie)

We did math. We figured out how we get home. (Aidin) We did a transportation graph on the SmartBoard to see how many kids were going home by car, bus, etc.  Ask your child which group had the most and which had the least!

We read The Kissing Hand. (Riley) We also did a Kissing Hand story sequencing activity! Make sure you give your child a “kissing hand” tonight and that they give you one as well! (They will explain!)

We had morning meeting (Kamri)

In your child’s backpack you will find their daily Take Home Folder. Please read the note inside! I am looking forward to a great second day tomorrow!

Thank you!!

Hi Parents!

Time to get excited! Orientation is over and tomorrow is the first day of Kindergarten!

Make sure you are familiar with the Kindergarten Tidbits (under Our Classroom) so you know the procedures on lunch, snack, recess, personal items, communication, transportation, and dismissal!

Tomorrow when the kids get here they will go straight to the classroom (or to the cafeteria if they are eating breakfast at school). There will be LOTS of teachers to help guide kids off the buses and from cars. You are welcome to walk your child into the building but you do not have to. The kids will put lunch boxes in our lunch tub outside of the classroom door if they will be bringing a lunch from home tomorrow. I have prepared cards with lunch numbers for all students (so don’t stress about memorization too much).  

When they come in, they will drop their backpack at a carpet spot and find their table spot from Meet the Teacher night. They will have games at the tables so I can answer any last minute questions and help each child, one at a time, find his or her locker and practice. This will also be your time to take any last minute pictures.

The school day will start at 8:20 a.m. Be prepared to give your little one a BIG hug and kiss goodbye at this time, they will officially be starting the Kindergarten day!

Tomorrow is a C day so we will have Art as our special. My daily schedule says Art is in a trailer but it is has been moved to room 127.

Please let me know if you have any last minute questions. I will have a sticker prepared for each child on how they get home for the next few school days.

Take a deep breath! You can do it!

Thanks so much! I am looking forward to a wonderful school year!

Welcome to my classroom website!

I will use this site to communicate with you on a daily basis! At the end of each day I will have a closing meeting with the Kindergartners. The kids will reflect upon the day by telling about what they learned and what we did at school! I will make a blog post and email the meeting notes to you!

I also use a classroom Twitter (@hotchkissmce) to communicate with you! I love to post pictures of all the wonderful things we are doing in our classroom! Please follow our classroom Twitter for updates or view the posts on the right hand side of this site!

Check out the LINKS section for great children's educational sites, games, and resources!

Check out the OUR CLASSROOM tab for our daily schedule, Kindergarten Tidbits, our monthly specials schedule, and extra parent resources!

Learn all about me in the ABOUT MRS. HOTCHKISS tab!

Enjoy! Please watch for emails from vhotchkiss@columbia.k12.mo.us