KZ

WELCOME NEW KINDERGARTEN FAMILIES!

WELCOME TO THE SFX KINDERGARTEN FAMILY!

It was so nice to meet so many of you at the Kindergarten Meet and Greet on the sportcourt!  We are looking so forward to working with you next school year!

Allow us to formally introduce ourselves! As you know, the SFX kindergarten program will be comprised of three classes.  Here is some information about our kindergarten team:

Christine Zeman - Classroom teacher and Early Childhood Coordinator

Colleen Orth - Classroom teacher and SFX Athletic Director                  

Mary Therese Laird - Classroom teacher and Youth Ministry Director

Katie Manganaro - Classroom Assistant

Karen Van Balen -Classroom Assistant

Kathy Shelgrun - Classroom Assistant

In preparation for kindergarten, we suggest the following activities:

• play letter and number games (find the letter/number)
• engage in books at any level (read the pictures, guess what will happen next, listen to stories, go to the library, etc)
• practice tying shoes, buttoning, zipping, wearing belts, etc
• practice letter sounds
• practice writing letters and numbers
• engage in fine motor activities (play dough, legos, painting, etc)
• engage in large motor activities
• HAVE TONS OF FUN!!!!!!!!

You can expect more information to come via the mail over the summer!

See you in August!

The kindergarten staff

Gillson Park Field Trip

What a fabulous day! Thanks to all who helped! You are the best'. The children had an amazing time!  See Miss Orth's blog for more pictures!

A Very Special Visitor!

Father Sheridan was truly a trooper as he answered some tough student-generated questions when visiting the kindergarten today! A big thank you to Father Sheridan!

May 30 Parent Update

Important Dates:

Friday, May 31st- Kindergarten Picnic at Gillson Park (Siblings are welcome to attend!)

Tuesday, June 4th- Field Day!

Wednesday, June 5th- KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION at 10:00 am in the Gym.  ALL STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED FOR THE SUMMER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE GRADUATION CEREMONY!

FIELD TRIP THIS FRIDAY, MAY 31ST!!!!!  We are looking forward to our end-of-the-year celebration at Gillson Park on Friday! Please be reminded that this is an out-of-uniform day and all students are allowed to wear "play clothes" to school. Also, please be sure to apply sunscreen to your child before the picnic.

PLEASE BE SURE TO READ ABOUT OUR GIFT FROM THE FIRST GRADE BELOW!

Dear Parents,

WE ARE READY!  We visited first grade on "fly up" day and WE ARE READY!  We have practiced and practiced for our kindergarten graduation ceremony and WE ARE READY!  WE ARE READY for field day, and WE ARE READY FOR SUMMER VACATION!!!!

This week we learned all about first grade!  We got to meet the teachers, see the desks, and hear about the routines and special "privileges" of being an SFX first grader!  WE ARE READY!

FLYING UP!

SITTING IN FIRST GRADE DESKS!
BEST OF ALL!  WE RECEIVED A "GIFT" FROM THE FIRST GRADERS!  Each kindergartner received a card with a QR code which can be used to download a special "welcome to first grade" message!  Directions are on the card which will be sent home with the children! What a great, innovative way to use technology!  Many thanks to our wonderful first grade teachers!

We have spent the week reviewing all of the wonderful things we covered this year!  We've been coloring our very own maps of the United States maps and working on our kindergarten "memory booklets".  We are celebrating our very last "child of the week" and we continue to practice for kindergarten graduation.  What an exciting time of the year!

We took photos of the children holding a sign that said, "When I grow up I will be a......."  The award for the funniest goes to the following response by one of our boys.......When I grow up I will be "an actress because I can climb walls"!  We think he meant to say acrobat!  These will be displayed in the hall!

Finally, we wrote letters to our incoming principal, Miss Barrett, this week!  She visited our classroom and each child got to personally read his/her letter to Miss Barrett!  One student wrote, "We will make you prawd"!!!!  So cute!

HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND AND SEE YOU FRIDAY AT GILLSON PARK AND AT GRADUATION NEXT WEDNESDAY, JUNE 5!

 

Learning about the Wilmette Public Library!

Alice Joseph from the Wlmette Public Library came to tell us all about summer fun at the WPL! Your child will bring home a flyer listing the many opportunities available! See you at the library!

Important Dates:

Monday, May 27th- No School Due to Memorial Day

Wednesday, May 29th- "Fly Up" Day

Friday, May 31st- Kindergarten Picnic at Gillson Park (Siblings are welcome to attend!)

Tuesday, June 4th- Field Day!

Wednesday, June 5th- KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION at 10:00 am in the Gym.  ALL STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED FOR THE SUMMER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE GRADUATION CEREMONY!

Important Information for the Final Days of Kindergarten...please read carefully

• Show-and-Tell: This Friday, May 24th will be the final show-and-tell of the year in kindergarten! Please be sure to remind your child to bring their show-and-tell.

• End of the Year Field Trip to Gillson Park (May 31st): All field trip permission slips and McDonald's order forms must be returned no later than this Friday, May 24th. Please be sure to submit payment for your child's McDonald's. Thank you for your help. Also, this is an out-of-uniform day. All students are allowed to wear "play clothes" to school. Please be sure to apply sunscreen to your child prior to dropping them off at school.

• Field Day (June 4th): This is an out-of-uniform day for all students, as well. Your child should wear their community color to school on this day, along with shoes appropriate for running, clothes appropriate for a day outside, and sunscreen. We will be sending your child's community color home with them next week. If you do not own a t-shirt/shorts with your child's community color, do not worry, they can come to school in whatever outfit you decide upon.

• Kindergarten Graduation (June 5th): Your child should arrive at school during the normal drop-off time between 8:00-8:15am on graduation day. We will spend the final hour or so together in our classroom before the graduation ceremony. Graduation day is an out-of-uniform day for all kindergarten students. Many students prefer to wear "fancy" clothes, such as sundresses, polo shirts, khakis, button down shirts, sport coats, skirts, and even ties! However, it is entirely up to your family's preference on your child's attire for this special event.

As our kindergarten year is coming to an end, we are trying to savor every last bit of time that we can with your children. It is hard to believe that they will be leaving us in 9 days...! We are dreading saying goodbye!

Last week, we planted seeds as part of our plant unit. Students were able to pick between a variety of seeds, some of which included marigold and watermelon seeds.This week, our plants have begun to sprout! The students have been waiting patiently for them to sprout and it has been fun to observe their growth over the past week. They will be taking these plants home soon for your family to enjoy.

On Wednesday, we attended the 8th grade vs. teachers volleyball game in the gym! This is a fun tradition that our school participates in each year and the kindergarteners were great cheerleaders for both their teachers and 8th grade buddies!! It was fun for them to see what they have to look forward to when they are in 8th grade at SFX.

Our Librarian, Mrs. Nagel, planned a visit from the Wilmette Public Library for us to hear about the exciting summer reading activities and events that the WPL has to offer for the children. We are looking forward to this presentation, which will take place on Thursday morning.

If you could please remind your child to practice their line with his/her "action" for graduation at home, that would be greatly appreciated! We can't wait for you to hear it all come together for graduation.

In honor of Memorial Day, our class made American Flag Windsocks and flags shaped like hearts.  WE HEART THE USA!  Miss Orth's class made US flags.  We discussed the important role of our troops in protecting our country.

We have begun working on "kindergarten memory book" packets!  These will be a fun way for the children to look back at the highlights of our year!  It is truly amazing to reflect on how far each child has come socially and academially!  We are so proud of our students! 

We hope you are able to enjoy the long holiday weekend with your family and friends.

The Kindergarten Staff

May 16 Parent Update

Important Dates:

Wednesday, May 22nd- Birthday Dress Down Day for May, June, and July  Birthdays

Monday, May 27th- No School Due to Memorial Day

Wednesday, May 29th- "Fly Up" Day

Friday, May 31st- Kindergarten Picnic at Gillson Park

Tuesday, June 4th- Field Day!

Wednesday, June 5th- KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION at 10:00 am in the Gym.  ALL STUDENTS WILL BE DISMISSED FOR THE SUMMER IMMEDIATELY FOLLOWING THE GRADUATION CEREMONY!

Graduation Attire:

Graduation day is an out-of-uniform day for all kindergarten students. Many students prefer to wear "fancy" clothes, such as sundresses, polo shirts, khakis, button down shirts, sport coats, skirts, and even ties! However, it is entirely up to your family's preference on your child's attire for this special event. 

Book Orders:

Book orders are due on Friday morning, May 17, 2013. If you misplaced your forms, you can order online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs Our class activation code is HFMPQ.

 

Dear Parents,

Please find permission slips and McDonald's order forms for our end-of-the-year picnic in this Thursday's work folders.  We ask that you sign the permission slip, fill out the order form, and return them both as quickly as possible.  Please note that McDonald's is merely an option, not mandatory.  Students also have the options of receiving their "Organic Life" lunch for that day or bringing a paper bag lunch on the day of the picnic. We will provide bottled water and popsicles for dessert!

Now that spring seems to have finally sprung, it is important that your child wear sunscreen to school as we will continue to enjoy short outdoor times throughout the days ahead.

This week in science, every student had the opportunity to choose  a type of seed to plant in his or her own little pot!  The seeds have been planted and now we await the fruits of our labor! This activity is part of our science unit "From Seed to Plant"!  We will be watching closely to see which types of seeds germinate first and what each plant looks like as it grows!  Seeds varied from watermelon and corn seeds to flower seeds.  Students will bring their potted plants home in a week or so.  We also did an experiment using cabbage leaves and food coloring to demonstrate how water travels through leaves.  We put different colors of food coloring in several clear containers.  Then we placed the cabbage leaves into the containers.  Several of the cabbage leaves were partially cut in half with each half going into a different color of water!  Check out what happened next.......

Not only did it demonstrate how water travels in plant leaves, but also how colors mix to make new colors!

We continue to work in our guided reading centers, math centers, etc.  In addition, we have been very busy practicing for kindergarten graduation and it seems to be coming together quickly! We are counting down the remaining days (only 14 left) with a mix of joy and sorrow!  As a result, the "group hugs" have already begun!  We will certainly miss these wonderful children as they move on to first grade!

Thanks and have a great weekend!

 

May 14......Centers!

Writing, reading, poetry, iPads......everything is better in the warm, fresh air!

We Know All About Plants!

BOOK ORDERS!

PLEASE NOTE:  Book order forms were sent home today in the blue folders. You can order online at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs . Our class activation code is HFMPQ.  If you prefer, you can fill out the forms and send them in with a check payable to Scholastic. All orders are due on Friday morning, May 17, 2013.

Thank you!