Maplewood School

I am a little child…
I paint fearlessly.
I hammer loudly.
I build recklessly.
I write originally.
I sing rapturously.
May others never quell my creativity…
Just refine it.

News From Room 113
September 30, 201

Dear Families,
How quickly September has flown by! Our classroom is full of enthusiastic learners and kind friends. We are learning about each other and strengthening our bonds daily.
I am very appreciative of the families who were available to attend Curriculum Night. I hope it was helpful and answered all the questions you had. If you were unable to attend, your child brought you home a packet of information I went over. Please let me know if you have any questions.
Over the past two weeks we have been busy. We learned a song about each student’s name and placed his or her name on our Word Wall. We talked about the letters in each name, the syllables and noticed capital letters vs. lowercase letters. We have worked on our high frequency words: I, am, the, and little. We celebrated a week of blue and a week of green. Today we invited our 1st grade friends into our room and performed four green frog plays for them. We celebrated our work with green with our friends in kindergarten too!
Today you will find a packet of homework for October. There is an information sheet attached to the top of the packet.
We continue to explore writing in many different ways. We had our first watercolor lesson, and then used watercolors to paint Blue Dog. We created a class book with all our Blue Dogs. We began writing in our journal and we all did an unassisted writing sample about our favorite food after enjoying the books Today is Monday and My Favorite Fruit.
We finished our first unit of study in math on shapes today. We made a beautiful quilt this week using triangles. We will revisit shapes over the year. I hope you have been playing the first game that came home in the Curriculum Night packet.
Next week on Thursday, October 6, we will have Back To School Night. This evening gives you the opportunity to bring your child back to school. Your child will show you around the room. It is a very casual event. You may want to bring a picnic dinner and join other families on the field from 5:30-6:30. You will have the opportunity to sign up for a Parent Teacher Conference at that time. Due to many classes having large numbers of students, we do ask that each student’s family schedule only one conference time with a teacher. If you have any questions please let me know. I have included a copy of the sign-up sheet so you can think ahead and have a plan in mind!
As the weather begins to cool, and students begin to wear their sweaters and jackets, please take the time to label each one with your child’s name. It is very sad to see the enormous pile of unclaimed clothes that quickly grows each year in the hall. I try very hard to keep track of your children’s coats and having them labeled will be a tremendous help!
Enjoy the weekend.


Calendar
October 6 Back To School Night
Picnic 5:30-6:30 and classroom visitations 6:30-7:30
October 7 Last day for book orders due (this is an optional activity) (Coming home on Monday, October 3)
October 10 Picture Day
October 13 PTA Meeting
October 14 Inservice Day-No school
October 19 Late opening- doors open at 9:50
October 21 Maplewood Carnival
October 31 Halloween Parade and Celebration-students bring their costume. We will put them on after lunch.
Nov. 21 and 22 Parent Teacher Conferences


Ask Your Child…
Tell me about the Wildwood, what story did you hear, what treat did you have, what did you observe as you walked through the Wildwood
Tell me about the story Little Blue and Little Yellow, what did you do to celebrate green week today
Tell me about 2 (or more) of your friends
Sing me your name song
Tell me about the story of Jonathon and the Big Blue Boat, who would you take in the boat
Tell me about your new gym teacher, Mr. Molenkamp, tell me about something you did in gym this week
Tell me about what you did in computer lab this week
Tell me about your frog plays, what play were you in
Tell me about literacy centers
Tell me about what you did with Mrs. McClenaghan in a literacy center
Tell me about the Shoo Fly Quilt
Tell me about
Tell me about shelf markers and why you use them in the library
Sing me the Shoo Fly song
Tell me about the book Lady Lollipop
Tell me 3 facts about a platypus
Tell me about the story Plaidypus Lost
Tell me about your reading buddy
Needed:
We would like to start a “Create Center”. We are looking for empty cereal boxes, toilet rolls, paper towel rolls, and other fun recyclables or repurposing items to set our imaginations on fire!

Here is a list of most of the books we read together in the month of September!
The Kissing Hand
Clifford’s First School Day
The Lady With the Alligator Purse
If You Take A Mouse To School
The Little School Bus
The Wheels on the Bus (2 versions)
Mary Wore Her Red Dress (2 versions)
Sing A Rainbow
I Can Read Colors
Big Yellow Sunflower
This Is A Sunflower
Miss Nelson is Missing!
Miss Mary Mack
Wolf!
First Day Jitters
Fix-It Duck
If You’re Happy and You Know It
Bugs A-Z
Coyote In Love
Fly Guy
Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up
Biscuit Goes to the Big City
The Squiggle
Coyote
Down By The Bay
A Quiet Place
How Do You Know Summer?
Where Once There Was a Wood
Round Is A Pancake
What Am I?
Little Green Frog
I Like Colors
Bear In a Square
Chicken Soup With Rice
Little Blue and Little Yellow
Jonathan and the Big Blue Boat
Today is Monday
I Like Fruit
Lady Lollipop
Five Green and Speckled Frogs (2 versions)
The Quilt Story
Old Black Fly