5/27/16

This week was our last full week of school! We are having so much fun and trying to make the most of our short time left together in Kindergarten. 

Thea's mom came in as a mystery reader on Tuesday and read "Someday a Bird Will Poop On You" by Sue Salvi. 

We took a field trip to the Emerald City Theater and saw "Schoolhouse Rock". The kids enjoyed learning from the music and the grown ups went on a trip down memory lane! 

In math, we are continuing to learn about time. We introduced the minute hand and added it to our clocks. We learned the difference between an an along and digital clock. The kids played a memory  game to match times on analog and digital clocks. Ask your child to show you where the hour and minute hand are pointing on a clock at home.

Lily's Aunt and mom came in as Mystery readers and read "Ella Kazoo Will Not Brush Her Hair" by Lee Fox and "My Nest is Best" by P.D. Eastman.

Ada's mom also came in as a mystery reader!

 She read "Boo Hoo Bird" by Jeremy Tankard. 

Don't forget we have a three day weekend in honor of Memorial Day. Next week will be a quick week filled with many fun activities. Here are a few dates to remember as we wind down:

5/31 Walking Field Trip to Sulzer Library 1:00-2:30pm

6/3 Ice cream party and Joel Frankel Concert 2:00-3:00pm

6/6 Talent Show 1:30-3:00pm 

6/7 Graduation (kids arrive at 6:45pm to North Side Prep)

6/8 Late start 9:30am Field Day and Picnic at Welles Park 

Safe travels if you are going out of town and we hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

See you Tuesday, 

Ms. Ardito 

5/13/16

Our room was a little quieter this week without the peep of our chicks, but we had a fun week regardless!

Jack's mom came in as a mystery reader and read "Frog and Toad" by Arnold Lobel. 

We celebrated Ash's super kid day. His family came in and read "Tickle Monster" by Josie Bissett and shared cupcakes with the class. 

In science, we have been studying weather conditions. We have discussed the many types of weather and what they mean. We played weather bingo with some of the new vocabulary we learned. Ask your child to share different weather conditions. Challenge them by asking what it means when there is "combination" weather. 

On Thursday, we spent time in the 3rd grade classroom enjoying their Ellis Island simulation project.

We even spent time in the 1st grade room learning about their reading workshop program and reading with buddies! Mrs. Lawrence was so impressed with our room of wonderful readers.

In math, we have been studying time. We made our own paper clocks and added an hour hand. Analog clocks can be tricky to read, so we begin our study using only the hour hand. 

Happy Friday the 13th! 

Ms. Ardito 

5/6/16

 We had such a fun spirit week here at school!

Monday morning was filled with excitement as our chicks began to hatch! We spent the week enjoying the 15 chicks that came out, nurturing them and watching them grow. We were sad to say goodbye today, but loved every minute of it! Sue Boeman, our egg provider, will give them loving homes to families here in the city and outside as well. 

Each day your child is growing physically, socially, and academically. It is such an exciting time of year to see the huge progress each of them has made. We captured them with their noses deep in their books during reading workshop- we are a room of amazing readers! 

The fun run was a wonderful success! The kids had a blast running around the block and playing a game of soccer with an enormous ball!

Graham's family came in to celebrate his super kid day. They brought cupcakes and raspberries and read "What the Dinosaurs Did Last Night" by Refe and Susan Tuma. 

Have a wonderful weekend, 

Ms. Ardito 

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