4/29/16

This week, we were able to enjoy some beautiful weather on Monday before the Chicago temps took a typical turn for the worse! 

In math, we learned a new addition game played with 2 dice. The kids are learning to count on from the bigger number when adding two numbers together.  

Molly's brother, Bennett, came in as a Mystery Reader on Tuesday and read "How Rocket Learned to Read" by Tad Hills. 

Mrs. Boeman (an alumni parent and chicken caretaker) brought in a 6 year old hen hatched by the 6th grade class named Molly Rose. She is named after our Molly because they share a birthday :) It was such a special visit. Each student was able to pet her and watch her wander around the carpet. We can't wait for our own chicks to hatch on Monday! 

We also celebrated Molly's Super Kid Day. Her family came in and shared cupcakes with the class and read "Duck and Goose" by Tad Hills.

Next week is spirit week and each day there is an opportunity to dress up to show school spirit! 

Monday, May 2          Dress like your teacher 

Tuesday, May 3         Pajama Day

Wednesday, May 4    May the "Fourth"  (Star Wars)

Thursday, May 5        Sports Day

Friday, May 6            NPES Spirit Day (Fun Run)

May is almost here and it's a busy month for us! Take this time to write down a few of our important events coming up. 

5/1 Chicks hatch! Spirit week begins 

5/6 Fun Run, art show, and association meeting 

5/13 Half- Day

5/25 Field Trip to the Apollo Theater 

5/30 No School: Memorial Day 

5/31 Walking Field Trip to Sulzer Library (more info to come) 

6/7 Graduation 

6/8 9:30 am late start for the last day of school: All school picnic at Welles Park. Parents meet us at park for lunch 

I sent home a math game and instructions the kids have enjoyed playing here at school. It is totally optional. You need a handful of coins and to assemble the makeshift dice template included in the packet. The materials are in your child's folder. 

Have a great weekend, 

Ms. Ardito 

4/22/16

We had such an exciting and eventful Earth Week in Kindergarten.

Every day our baby chicks are growing more and more in their eggs. We have loved learning about the development taking place each day.

We were able to "candle" the eggs by shining a flashlight underneath to see what is going on inside. We were amazed to be able to see the developing eye!
















We spent all week talking about ways to take care of our planet. We learned what it means to "reduce, reuse, and recycle" and even have a compost now!

In science, we planted our very own bean sprouts. We learned about the parts of the plant and what they need. We can't wait to watch them grow!

Each day we are learning about the embryo development inside the eggs. We got a chance to look at an unfertizlied egg and label its parts. Crack an egg at home and have your child tell you what's inside!

Noa's mom came in as a mystery reader and read "You Think it's Easy Being the Tooth Fairy?" by Sheri Bell-Rehwoldt. 

We also celebrated Ada's Super Kid Day. Her family came in and shared donuts with the class and read "My Name is Not Ada" a personalized storybook. 

On Friday we celebrated Earth Day. There was a special celebration in the afternoon thanks to Mrs. Rosenberg and many North Park parents. We learned about the many aspects of planting a vegetable garden, had a recycle relay, and played recycling bingo! It was so much fun. 

Today was our sweet friend Elin's last day here at North Park. Her family is moving to South Dakota. We celebrated by enjoying some munchkins and sharing things we love about her. We will miss her so much and wish her family the best of luck! 

Have a great weekend, 

Ms. Ardito 

4/15/16

Last week, Vikrant's mom came in as a mystery reader and read "Duck for President" by Doreen Cronin.

I am sure many of you have been hearing talk of chicks and eggs in your homes. 24 eggs were delivered to our classroom early Tuesday morning! They are sitting in our incubator developing a little more each day. We have been studying different types of eggs and the types of animals that lay them. You can ask your child a few questions to see what they have learned so far:
-How many days does it take a chick to grow and eventually hatch?
-What temperature does the incubator need to be set at?
-How many times a day do we flip the eggs?
-Name five animals that lay eggs
-What animal group does not lay eggs?




In social studies we also learned about different regions and primarily focused on the difference between urban, suburban, and farming areas. We painted water color paintings of a farm landscape.
We were amazed to learn that food is grown on a farm first before being sent to a grocery store for us to purchase!


In math we have been talking about dividing even numbers in half. We learned that if something is split in half, it is in two equal parts.  Use objects at home to practice!

We have also continued our coin study. We played a game called Money Grid where students roll dice with 1 cent, 5 cents, or 10 cents on the sides. They place the coin of the value they rolled on a spot on their board. The winner is the first to fill up their grid.

In reading workshop we studied the "ing" word chunk. Ask your child what it means if a word ends in ing. We have also learned the bossy e rule. We noticed that when an e is added to the end of a word it can change the vowel ahead of it to a long vowel sound. For example: cut becomes cute, bit becomes bite, made becomes made, kit kite, and so on.











In writing workshop we have been working on "How to" writing pieces. This unit focuses on teaching step by step instructions for topics the kids feel they are "experts" in. For example, some students are writing, "How to play soccer" or "How to make a sandwich" or even "How to plant a flower". We are so proud of all the hard work the kids have put in. We had an opportunity to share our pieces with the class.












Graham's mom came in as a mystery reader and read "Scardey Squirell" by Melanie Watt.

Lily's sister, Mia came in as a mystery reader on Thursday. 

We were so excited to have a third mystery reader this week. Mason's mom came in and read "The Pigeon Needs a Bath" and "The Duckling Gets a Cookie!?" by Mo Willems. 

Enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend,
Ms. Ardito

3/24/16

We had a fun week in Kindergarten leading up to spring break.


We began studying coins and started with the penny. We learned that a penny is worth 1 cent and made of copper and zinc.  The kids were able to explore a penny using magnifying glasses and noticed its many attributes. Later in the week we learned about the nickel. Have your child sing you our coin song.

Amrita's mom came in as a mystery reader and read "McFig and McFly" by Henrik Drescher.

I am sure by now you have heard the news that Q and U got married this week. We had a wonderful ceremony and were so happy that so many guests could attend!

We also had our March Madness Book Fair.

To celebrate the beginning of spring we made some beautiful water color flower paintings!

If you are traveling over the holiday and find the time we would love for your child to record their adventures in a journal to share when they get back. 

We hope everyone has a wonderful and restful break. See you in April!

Ms. Ardito