Lots of Announcements!

We had a wonderful Grandparent's Day last week and enjoyed meeting the special people who were able to attend.  This week there are LOTS of announcements!  Please make sure you read through the entire post so you do not miss anything! 

Yearbook: The cost is $13 and due by this Friday.  There will be no late orders accepted.  

Field Trip: This Thursday we are taking a field trip to McDowell Nature preserve.  Lunch containers will go home on Wednesday.  Please make sure your child has a water bottle and is wearing tennis shoes as we will be hiking.  

Imaginon: We will be attending Imaginon on Tuesday.  This is  the last day for books to be turned in without a fine. 

EARTH DAY FUN: Next week we are celebrating recycling and Earth Day.  This is always one of my favorite units to study, as recycling, reusing, etc. are a daily passion of mine.  Please note the following important things:

• Every child needs to bring 2 unwanted t-shirts to school by Tuesday, April 23rd.  They can be child, adult, men's, women's, etc. shirts that are new, used, stained, etc.  We will be making bags!
• If you have any broken or unwanted crayons, please send them in.  We will be making new crayons in a toaster oven!  
• Some other useful materials are:
• colorful pages of newspaper
• cupcake liners (reusable to keep or paper)   
• fabric paint
• puzzle pieces (maybe one was missing?)  
• buttons
• Anything else that can be used to create based on recycled materials you have around the house! 

Recycling Project: Every student will be creating a recycling project at home to share with their class in celebration of Earth Day.  Projects are due in 2 weeks on Friday, April 26th.  The goal of the project is for the students to create something out of recycled materials- tin cans, water bottles, milk jugs, etc.  However, there is a slight twist.  I do not want them to create a toy or sculpture that will sit in their room or somewhere in your house before being recycled (or thrown away).  I want them to create something USEFUL that they would've otherwise gone to the store to buy.  Some ideas are: **a birdhouse     **jewelry box     **stationary holder  **picture frame  
The sky is the limit concerning the project and students can create anything they can imagine.  However, you should not be going to the store and buying materials for the recycling project, as it should be made from items that would've been recycled or thrown away.  This project should also be child-made with little to no help from parents!  Encourage your child to HAVE FUN and BE CREATIVE!!!

Literacy Bags: Many bags are coming back with missing items.  Please make sure you check the bag before returning it to school to ensure all items are present. 

Write and Read: Last week marked the end of our Kindergarten Student of the Week celebrations.  Every member of our class was interviewed, created a poster, presented their photos and artifacts to the class, took Mick the class monkey home, and received a book of letters from their classmates.  I thoroughly enjoyed getting to know your child and know that the students had a wonderful time learning about their classmates too.  I have created a schedule for every student in our class to take Mick home another time.  This time, writing about the fun adventures with Mick IS OPTIONAL.  Please see the description of Write and Read below. 

Students may choose any object from home that they want to share with the class.  Then, they will write at least 3 sentences about their object.  The description your child writes down is the description that they will be able to share with the class.  Therefore, the more details they write, the more details they can share with their classmates. 

This activity is a modified version of show and tell.  At the beginning of the year, we did Guess & Show where we focused on writing clues and were just beginning to write and become acclimated to Kindergarten.  The purpose of Write and Read is to understand the concept we have been learning the second half of the year: the purpose of writing is to portray information.  Please allow your child to do this activity with little to no help from you, as they continue to sound out their words, use sight words, and practice the concept of being able to read what you write at a later time.  If you have any questions or concerns, please let me know.   

Each child will take Mick home to help them pick out their item.  Writing about the adventures with Mick is optional, as is participation in Write and Read.  If your child is absent on the day they are supposed to take Mick home and/or the day they are supposed to bring Mick and their item back, the schedule will be amended

Please note that it is imperative that each child bring Mick back the following day (unless it is a weekend or holiday) in order for everyone to have several turns. 

NAME	Date to take Mick & Journal Home	Date to bring Mick, Journal, and item back to class
Daniel	April 15	April 16
EmmaRose	April 16	April 17
Nathaniel	April 17	April 18
Mrigank	April 18	April 19
Phyu	April 19	April 22
Calvin	April 22	April 23
Dylan	April 23	April 24
Adi	April 24	April 25
Jackson	April 25	April 26
Sam	April 26	April 29
Sreshti	April 29	April 30
April	April 30	May 1
Samantha	May 1	May 2
Vishnu	May 2	May 3
Niya	May 3	May 6
Akansha	May 6	May 7
Aditya	May 7	May 8
Daniel	May 8	May 9
EmmaRose	May 9	May 10
Nathaniel	May 10	May 13
Mrigank	May 13	May 14
Phyu	May 14	May 15
Calvin	May 15	May 16
Dylan	May 16	May 17
Adi	May 17	May 20
Jackson	May 20	May 21
Sam	May 21	May 22
Sreshti	May 22	May 23
April	May 23	May 24
Samantha	May 24	May 28
Vishnu	May 28	May 29
Niya	May 29	May 30
Akansha	May 30	May 31
Aditya	May 31	June 3