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“Coming together is the beginning, keeping together is progress, working together is success.”
~ Henry Ford
Can you believe it is October?! Let’s peek into our classrooms:
Meeting Discussions:
Upstairs (5 to 7)//This week we read lots of books during meeting and discussed friendship, how to join plans, and how we are all different and together.
Downstairs (7 to 9)//We had a full week of student led meetings! The students are becoming more comfortable leading the greeting and encouraging our community to share on a topic. By next week, everyone will have had a chance to lead us and then we will start the cycle again.
Math:
Upstairs//Have you heard about The Moon Festival and moon cakes? We discussed holidays and traditions with a Parent Teacher and she brought moon cakes to share. Some of us figured out how to cut the moon cakes while others counted objects in the room that were shaped like moon cakes. Many of us are finding quantities we are comfortable counting while still being challenging.
Downstairs//This week we continued exploring fractions after being inspired by our experience dividing up Moon Cakes with a Parent Teacher. We created our own fraction manipulatives representing ½, ¼ and 1/8 and then wondering at which fractions were the biggest or the smallest.
Language topics:
Upstairs//Some students have been working on the editing and publishing process. We continue to think about character development. Michelle has been asking students where they think authors get ideas. Next week we will think more about what it means to be an author.
Downstairs//This week, we continued gathering information about a possible class pet. It seems that we have landed on a hamster, although we are still in discussion. We learned from Monica (courtesy of Alice) that there is a grant we can apply for to get a classroom pet. To apply for the grant, we will need to document our response to the following:
• How will we care for our pet during school time as well as on weekends and holidays?
• What will we learn by having a class pet?
Emerging interests:
Upstairs//Sensory Play…What IS this yellow stuff? Spouts touched, smelled, measured, poured, and discussed what the new substance could be. Ropes: walking on, swinging from, and tying up Michelle! Writing books, building, and getting to know each other continues into deep learning. What IS processed food?
Downstairs//Chicken feet dissection- As a connection to our read-aloud book, The Hoboken Chicken Emergency, Trish brought in fresh chicken feet (whoa!) to explore painting. The students wore gloves and explored this unusual paint brush. At the end of the experience, they decided they want to dissect a chicken foot to see how it works. Something we will work on!
Social Emotional
Upstairs//Flexibility. Teachers noticed students were wanting to play with others, and also lead or continue with their own idea. We will continue to talk about inclusion, checking in, and how we can support each other. Michelle will introduce games, and partner up students as well as verbalize when seeing connections or what seems to be working for the Sprouts.
Downstairs//To continue thinking about individual needs, I provided 3 different sized gloves for students to try on, looking for the glove that had a “Just right fit” for them. We realized that not every glove fit every person just like at school, and that we wanted to keep trying to find the one that was right for us. Similarly, at school, I will be working to find a “just right fit” for each student in all that we do.
Thank you for your ongoing support. We have added a second classroom this year…thanks to you and the teachers who support our sprouts. |
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Tending the Garden
***CLASSROOM SUPPLIES NEEDED
Wood Working Fun: Wood Glue, sturdy nails (heavier than the ones currently in the outdoor boxes), child’s saw (small Tenon Saw, the Dovetail Saw)
Slack Line: is a practice in balance that typically uses nylon or polyester webbing tensioned between two anchor points. Many people suggest slacklining is distinct from tightrope walking in that the line is not held rigidly taut (although it is still under some tension); it is instead dynamic, stretching and bouncing like a long and narrow trampoline…Those who participate in slacklining are often called “slackers.” (yep, we wiki’d this one)
balsa wood or small building textiles
“joints” and connections for building: duct tape, wood glue, painters tape
anti-bacterial wipes
****DRUM CIRCLE
DC is back up this Friday, Oct 4. Immediately after school. Pick up is at 3pm, sharp. |
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TKG Principals
- CONSTRUCTIVISM, as teachers and parents, we provide the trellis on which students will build on their existing knowledge
- WHOLE CHILD, cognitive, physical and social/emotional are inseparable
- BRAIN SCIENCE, students are sensory learners, we honor each student’s unique developmental map
- CAPACITY BUILDING, nurturing creative thinkers who are encouraged to solve problems that serve our community
- COOPERATIVE LEARNING, small groups, low ratios, mixed ages and generations
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The Seeds
We are offering the opportunity to engage:
MATH
Mathematics: Grade 2 Geometry (downstairs)
Develop understanding of fractions as numbers. Reason with shapes and their attributes.
CCSS.Math.Content.2.G.A.3 Partition circles and rectangles into two, three, or four equal shares, describe the shares using the words halves, thirds, half of, a third of, etc., and describe the whole as two halves, three thirds, four fourths. Recognize that equal shares of identical wholes need not have the same shape.
Counting & Cardinality (upstairs)
Know number names and the count sequence.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.A.1 Count to 100 by ones and by tens.
CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.A.2 Count forward beginning from a given number within the known sequence (instead of having to begin at 1).
CCSS.Math.Content.K.CC.A.3 Write numbers from 0 to 20. Represent a number of objects with a written numeral 0-20 (with 0 representing a count of no objects).
ENGLISH LANGUAGE ARTS
Comprehension and Collaboration (downstairs)
English Language Arts: College and Career Readiness Anchor Standards for Speaking and Listening
To build a foundation for college and career readiness, students must have ample opportunities to take part in a variety of rich, structured conversations—as part of a whole class, in small groups, and with a partner. Being productive members of these conversations requires that students contribute accurate, relevant information; respond to and develop what others have said; make comparisons and contrasts; and analyze and synthesize a multitude of ideas in various domains.
Speaking and Listening Skills (upstairs)
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1 Participate in collaborative conversations with diverse partners about kindergarten topics and texts with peers and adults in small and larger groups.
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1a Follow agreed-upon rules for discussions (e.g., listening to others and taking turns speaking about the topics and texts under discussion).
CCSS.ELA-Literacy.SL.K.1b Continue a conversation through multiple exchanges. |
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FEATURED WORKSHOP: Free Teleseminar “How Play Overcomes Fear”
Led by Hand in Hand Founder Patty Wipfler and Dr. Lawrence J. Cohen, Author of Playful Parenting onThursday, Oct 10, 2013 at 6:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m. Pacific Time. Join this free parenting call as author, Dr. Lawrence J. Cohen talks with Hand in Hand Founder, Patty Wipfler, about how play and connection reduce anxiety in children.REGISTER… |
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From the TKG Office
- EMERGENCY CONTACT FORMS Please give Trish your forms. Thanks if you have already completed.
- TUITION IS DUE on OCT 1
- Riviera Nails Day is Wed Oct 2: attend at any time during the day.
Thank you Families! Contact Trish or Monica with any questions. |
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The Four Agreements
1. Be Impeccable with your Word
2. Don’t Take Anything Personally
3. Don’t Make Assumptions
4. Always Do Your Best |
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Resource Of The Week
Old-Fashioned Play Builds Serious Skills
by Alix Spiegel/NPR
On October 3, 1955, the Mickey Mouse Club debuted on television. As we all now know, the show quickly became a cultural icon, one of those phenomena that helped define an era.
What is less remembered but equally, if not more, important, is that another transformative cultural event happened that day: The Mattel toy company began advertising a gun called the “Thunder Burp.”
I know — who’s ever heard of the Thunder Burp?
Well, no one. READ ON… |
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