01+04+2008

= Kindergarten News =

=January 4, 2008 = = from Mrs. Knee, Mrs. Neily = = and Mrs. Shepard =

Happy New Year! We hope that everyone had an enjoyable holiday. Thank you so much for the wonderful gifts. The gift basket from everyone was a wonderful surprise. I wore my “winterized crocs” during the whole vacation. You can be assured that the baked goods and sweet treats were enjoyed. The jewelry, handmade gifts and candles will be enjoyed for a long time. I am saving the gift cards for a classroom purchase. Thank you, also, for your cards and expressions of kindness. Please know that you are appreciated for all that you do. Thank you for your kindness.

The class had a great day of celebration on the day before vacation. Several classroom volunteers joined us in the fun. Everyone enjoyed the food. Thank you for your efforts in making this a special day. We were fortunate to have great weather for playing outdoors. We worked up a healthy appetite building snow houses and romping in the snow. After lunch, we watched a wonderful video called The Snow Man.

We will focus on a study about life in snowy climates for a short while. Our book area has new books about penguins. While playing outdoors, many children have pretended to be Arctic and Antarctica explorers. Some have also been penguins, polar bears and other snow loving creatures. I like to follow the lead of the children whenever possible and they seem to be interested in learning more about these topics.

There are new book order forms are included with this memo. I think there are some wonderful books featured this month. Of particular interest are the penguin books. I will order some of them for the classroom. There is a good variety of beginning reader books and some Valentine books, which would make great presents for that holiday. There are a few pirate books that will connect with some work towards the end of the year. Thank you for your past orders. This month’s orders are due Friday, January 11.

Please remember to send your child to school with appropriate outdoor clothing. We all have enjoyed being outdoors and find lots to do with all the snow. I am hoping to do some snowshoeing with the class. If anyone would like to join us, please le me know. The school has a class set of snow shoes that we can sign up to use. I am so glad our class enjoys being outdoors as much as I do.

I am looking for some classroom assistance in the mornings. If you are able to work in the room for about an hour on a regular basis, please let me know.

Enjoy the Weekend. Early Release – next Friday!