October 25, 2007

Specials News

Dear Parents,

Our spanish teacher, Mrs. Diaz, has put together a "Specialist Newsletter" to let you know what the kindergarteners are doing in all their specials classes.  I have linked the newsletter below.  You will need Microsoft Publisher to view the document.   I did not get a newsletter done last week.  I apologize.  I hope to send one home in folders on  Friday! 

Don't forget to come out and support the Fall Festival Friday night from 6-9.  It will be a lot of fun.

Thank you,

Mrs. Hooks

Download specials_news.pub

October 12, 2007

Oct. 12

Have a great weekend!

Download Oct.12.doc

Mrs. Hooks

October 03, 2007

Dirty Laundry?

I just thought you may need an explanation of our math lesson today.  If your child came home telling you that they did Mrs. Hooks' laundry, they are partly correct.  You must know, however, that it was clean clothes and there were no undergarments present in the load.  We began sorting today and to get the kids attention, I dumped a huge pile of laundry in the floor and told them I was so busy I needed help getting it done.  We started by discussing how I had to wash it first and I had to be careful when  I washed it to keep the same colors together.   I then let them sort the clothes by color.  Then we pretended that the laundry was finished and I needed to fold it and put it away.  I told them that the dressers in my house were organized with the socks in one drawer, the pants in another and the shirts in another.  We then sorted the clothes according to their "shape" (pants with pants, shirts with shirts, etc.).  Finally, I told them I was ready to put it away, but I had to make sure it got to the right person in my house.  How would I know who's was who's?  We decided, thankfully, that Mr. Hooks'  clothes were the big ones.  Makenzie's clothes were the small ones, and Courteney & Mrs. Hooks' were the medium sized clothes.  Then we sorted them by their size.  By the end of the lesson the children had to answer, "What are the three ways to sort things?"  We had a lot of fun, but I wanted to make sure you knew I didn't really have them doing my laundry!  The good news... now your child can sort laundry!  Can we make vacuuming a lesson?

September 28, 2007

Sept. 28, 2007

Dear Parents,

I am posting on time this week!  Please click on the link below to view our newsletter.

Mrs. Hooks

Download sept. 28.doc

September 24, 2007

Sept. 24, 2007

Please download the newsletter at the link below.  I have also sent a paper copy home because it often takes a day or two for this to post.

There are MANY things coming home right now.  I know it is overwhelming.  Please try to read it all and keep informed about everything that is going on here at Varner. 

Thank you,
Mrs. Hooks

Download sept. 23.doc

September 18, 2007

Newsletter 9/18

Parents,

I am so sorry for the delay in getting the newsletter out this week.  Please remember that Wednesday is an Early Release Day and students will be dismissed at 12:10. 

Please read the newletter carefully.  It is packed with info.  Take special note of the instructions for the zipper envelopes that are coming home on your child's reading group days.  If you have not yet sent in a "Zip Envelope" please do so ASAP.  I will send your child's reading books home in a Ziploc baggie if they do not have their envelope yet.  (These are plastic like files that either velcro or have a zip-loc type closure).

Attached is the newsletter for this week!Download sept. 18.doc

September 07, 2007

Newsletter 9/7

Please click on the following link to view our newsletter.

Download hooks_headlines.doc

August 31, 2007

Newsletter 8/31

We had another wonderful week and we are looking forward to a long weekend.  Please remember there is no school on Monday, Sept. 3.  Then, Tuesday evening, beginning at 6:30 p.m.,  we will have parent orientation.  This is an evening for us to have a formal meeting.  I will cover many things including my behavior management plan, homework, and schedules.  I will also be telling you about our family grouping model known as "Camp Can Do".  I want to be sure and answer all your questions also.  Please email me with any that you have and I will address as many as I can during the meeting. 

This week in phonics, we learned three different songs that help with naming  letters and sounds.  Each letter has a story and  I have created body movements that go with it to help your child remember the sound each letter makes.  Starting next week we will begin having a letter of the week.  We will not only identify the letter, but we will learn its sound, how to write both its capital and lowercase form, and later on, how to use it in making word families.  We will begin with the letter Mm and progress through the letters according to the easiest sounds first and progress to the harder sounds.  By the time we reach the 5th letter, we will be ready to begin the word families of      -at and -an.

In math, we continue to work on number sense.  This week our essential question for our lessons was, "How do we compare numbers?".  We focused on the vocabulary "equal" and "set" and practiced making and identifying equal sets.  Next week we will focus on "greater and less" and "more and fewer".  You can help your child at home by making sets of various items and comparing the two.   Ask your child to make the two sets equal, make one set greater, and make one set less.  Use this vocabulary as much as possible to help your child master the concept.  It is also helpful to label the sets with the numerals to represent the items, then compare the numerals along with the sets.  We will not be using the greater and less than symbols, only the vocabulary.

In social studies we have been learning about, "What makes me special?".  We focused on our unique features (our face), our name, our family, and the things we like.  We also published our very first book!  Next week we will focus on our talents and goals we have for ourselves.  This unit will then extend to our families and we will be learning about the various roles in a family unit and how families are alike and different.

We have also been focusing on many social skills the past three weeks.  We have learned the following:
1.  How to show listening.
2.  How to be "trustworthy and truthful".
3.  How to properly apologize.
4.  How to ask for help.
5.  How to be respectful when adults are speaking.
6.  How to greet a friend.
7.  How to properly walk in the hallways.
8.  How to use manners in the lunchroom and restroom.
9.  How to politely get in our spot in line.
WOW!  And believe it or not, they have done very well and made me very PROUD!

SPECIALS NEXT WEEK
Mon. - No school                                    Thurs. - PE
Tues. - Computer Lab                            Fri. - Art
Wed. - Spanish   
(This may change due to a new specials schedule in the making to accommodate two new classes that have been added to Varner.)

THANK YOU to everyone who donated extra snack items for children (or parents) who may forget to bring a snack.  I am a mom myself and I know that some mornings get crazy and snacks can easily be forgotten.  You can feel assured that we will take care of your child should this happen, but please be courteous of our generous donations and don't make forgetting a habit.

Have a wonderful weekend and I will see you all Tuesday evening at 6:30 in our room, 2.009.

Mrs. Hooks

August 23, 2007

Newsletter 8/24

Newsflash                            

We had another fabulous week!  We have been very busy. In math, we completed making number posters to hang in our room.  We also made color posters by tearing little pieces of paper and gluing them to large paper crayons  (This is great fine motor work).  I can't wait for you to see our work at parent orientation night on Sept. 4th.  You may have noticed at Meet and Greet that my walls were pretty bare.  This is because I believe that the students should take part in making anything that I hang up for display.  This way they take ownership in it, know why it is there, and consequently  use the information more during the year.  It is also a lot of fun for them. 

In reading we we have been learning/practicing reading readiness skills.  Our essential question for the week was, "What does reading look like?".  We discussed that readers look at the words, point to the words, and read from left to right and top to bottom.  The students brought home a poem and a book marked with dots and arrows.  The green and red dots marked where to begin reading each sentence.  The dots under the words mark ed where your finger should point when you are reading, and the arrows marked the left to right sweep.  At this point I am not looking for them to "read" the text, but rather to engage in reading behaviors.  When reading things with your child encourage them to point to the words, even if you are the one doing the actual reading.

Calendar2 Mark Your Calendars

8/29 Chick-Fil-A biscuits for sale

8/31 Spirit Day (wear your school shirt)

9/4 Parent orientation 6:30

(Please plan ahead to attend this important evening.  We prefer for children to not come on this evening.  It is a meeting and they get very bored.  I will be discussing schedules, homework, behavior managment, and the Family Grouping Model.


Specials Next Week

Mon. - PE  (wear sneakers)           Thurs. - Music
Tues. - Art                                            Fri. - PE (wear sneakers)
Wed. - PE (wear sneakers)

Apples for the Teacher                                                                          Wishlist_2
We are in need of animal crackers, Goldfish, or Cheese-Its to keep in the classroom as extra snacks for children who may foget to bring a snack. 

IMPORTANT...IMPORTANT...IMPORTANT...IMPORTANT...IMPORTANT...IMPORTANT...IMPORTANT
This newsletter was printed straight from our NEW class blog.  I will update the blog every Friday.  Please check it every weekend for important information about what we are learning each week, what events are happening, and supplies your child may need.  If you enter your email address in the box on the blog, you will automatically get an email letting you know when the blog has been updated.  The blog address is http://varner.typepad.com/hooks/.  Please stay informed.  I will not send home paper copies of our newsletter unless you request one.  I hope to save time and paper by blogging instead!

Have a Great Weekend,

Mrs. Hooks

My Photo

October 2007

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat
  1 2 3 4 5 6
7 8 9 10 11 12 13
14 15 16 17 18 19 20
21 22 23 24 25 26 27
28 29 30 31      

Your email address:


Powered by FeedBlitz