Halloween party '11

What a Spooktacular day!!
Click the picture to see all the fun.
Happy Halloween!!!

Halloween

Just a reminder to send your child's costume with them tomorrow! Our Halloween party will be from 1:00-2:30. We will be having an all school Halloween parade in the gym at 1:30. Have a great Halloween!!

Pumpkin Patch

We had our first field trip today to the Pumpkin Patch! We got to play a variety of games, feed llamas, walk through a maze and bravely make our way through a haunted house. At the end everyone was able to go in the field and find a pumpkin to take home, just in time for Halloween. We all had a blast!! Click on the picture to see all the fun we had today.

Kindergarten Pajama Family Night

Yay! I figured out a new way to post pictures! Click on the picture to see more from our first Kindergarten Family Night!

Volunteers Needed!!!

  

The Scholastic Book Fair will be at Hawthorne on November 3rd, 4th, and 10th.  The book fair will be open: November 3rd from 3:00-7:30 pm, November 4th from 7:30-3:30 pm, and November 10th from 3:00-7:30 pm.  If you have some time to help conduct the book fair, please call Nikki Worman at 507-379-4967 or e-mail her at: nworman@albertlea.k12.mn.us.

Thanks!

PALS

What exactly is PALS? According to Professional Learning Exchange, it’s a version of classwide peer tutoring where teachers evaluate and identify students who need help with specific skills and determine the most appropriate students in the class to assist them with those skills. The students are paired as "coaches" and "readers" but rotate roles as activities change and students are required to work on a variety of skills. PALS is designed to complement, not replace, the existing math or reading curriculum by providing opportunities for students to practice what the teacher has taught. Research supports that the use of pairs in the classroom provides more focus on individual student needs rather than a teacher-directed activity that may address the needs of a few students but not be able to meet the needs of all student. Some benefits attributed to the PALS program include:

• Actively involves all students in tasks they can perform successfully.

• Increases student opportunity to read and practice basic math skills.

• Motivates students to do better in reading and math.

• Expands instructional resources in the classroom.

• Provides for positive and productive peer interaction.

• Creates opportunity for lower functioning students to assume an integral role in a valued activity.

• Helps teachers accommodate academic diversity.

• Accelerates student achievement in reading and math.

Firemen Visit Today!

This afternoon we were lucky enough to have 3 firemen come to our classroom! We talked about what to do if we catch on fire (stop, drop and roll), what number we call if we need help (911), how to get out of a burning room or building and how important it is to have a fire plan at school as well as at home.
Thank you Albert Lea Fire Department!

Leaf Hunt!!!!

Since we are talking about Fall this week, we went on a leaf hunt this morning. Students walked around the school and looked for leaves. Their goal was to find 3 leaves that were different from each other. Once we were back in the classroom, we sorted the leaves by color and size and looked at which piles had the most and the least. Then we compared the shapes. We had a blast!!!!

    Students worked together to sort the leaves.

Don't forget Early Out tomorrow October 4th. Students are dismissed at 12:05.

October 3-7

This week is F Week! We will be talking about Fall and learning fire safety. P and C will be the letters we work on this week. Students will learn the sounds for those letters and will work on writing them. 

Applesauce!!!

Last week our theme was A Week. Throughout the week, students brought in apples. We compared the apples by looking at the different colors and feeling the different weights. Friday we made applesauce. It was delicious!!!

Students help cut apple slices into small pieces so they cook faster.

Polka Dot

The last few weeks we had a class pet, Polka Dot our Monarch Butterfly. Students brainstormed names and Polka Dot was the favorite! We got to see the amazing transformation from a caterpillar to a chrysalis (cocoon) to a butterfly. Thursday morning Polka Dot broke out of the cocoon and we set the butterfly free!