May 18, 2009
Parents,
The weather outside is becoming nice and hot! It's perfect beach weather,
but still three more weeks in the school year! Please be reminded that our
Water Day celebration is going to be June 2nd. I sent a letter home at the
beginning of last week referencing all the things we are asking you to
contribute as well as an explanation of all the fun activities we have
planned. I'm beginning to get some of your money in, thank you so much!
Don't forget to make our booth a success I need one (full) two-liter bottle
of soda...we will be doing "Ring a Liter" and the prize for the booth will be
the two liter bottle of soda.
The children are working really hard to keep their focus as the weeks are
wearing closer to summer. I know how hard it is to keep our mind on reading,
writing and math when the weather is so conducive to the beach! Please
continue to work at home with them on their reading and spelling lists. I
will not be sending the fluency folders home starting this week. Instead,
keep working on the reading list...the special sounds that we are learning
for the last few weeks are the focus of the lists, and the extra practice at
home will prepare the children for the upcoming school year.
Don't forget that on May 29th we will join with Mrs. Hiatt's class to
celebrate our moms and our dads. We will be having Doughnuts for Dads and
Muffins for Moms. We will announce a time next week. Don't miss out on this
great opportunity for us to thank you for being our moms and dads!
Thank you this week for your tokens of appreciation...I really do appreciate
all of you and all you do for and with your child!
Have a great week.
In Christ,
Bobbi
May 11, 2009
Parents,
Hello! The weeks of school are dwindling down quickly, but K5 is still hard
at work. Thanks for all of your understanding last week with the mix-up in
field trips; it made for an interesting week. I really think the children
enjoyed seeing Jack Hartmann - it's always a fun trip and was worth it!
Look for a letter coming home this afternoon referencing our water day - we
are teaming with first grade for these festivities.
The spelling word list has grown this week from five words to eight. All of
the words (with the exception of one) contain the long a sound.
Have a great week!
May 1, 2009
Parents,
I am in absolute amazement that it is May already...it is almost like this
year we completely skipped the month of April because it went so quickly! We
are approaching the end of the road here in K-5, but we still have much to
learn. I am encouraging the children not to forget that we still are in
school, I know we're all struggling with a little bit of the end of Spring
fever and the beginning of Summer excitement!
May will be a very eventful month; we will be finishing our curriculum. We
will still continue doing our reading and spelling tests as well as our sight
word books and fluency folders. This week's spelling test will be the last
one with only five words on it, beginning next week we jump to having to
memorize nine words. We completed our sixth group of special sounds this
week and will begin on a new group starting Monday, May 4.
Please don't forget that Monday, May 4 will be our field trip. I sent out an
email about that yesterday (Thursday) if you did not receive the email let me
know and I will send you another copy. I will take care of hot lunch for
your child (I will store it in the fridge until the end of the day so they
can bring it home with them), we will be going to a fast food restaurant to
eat lunch, please send your child with five dollars if you are not attending.
The spelling words and the words for the reading list are posted. Our sight
word books contain the following sight words this week: is, in, find.
Wednesday is an early release day, the children will be dismissed at 11:30 -
please note that there is NO after care provided on early release days.
On Thursday we will be celebrating Drae's birthday - his mom will be
providing pizza, cake and ice cream during our lunch time. If you ordered
hot lunch this day, again, I will keep the food in the fridge and send it
home with your child. Monica sent out an email to everyone in reference to
Drae's birthday, if you did not receive this email, please let me know and
I'll pass along the information to you.
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
April 13, 2009
Parents,
Thank you for the wonderful time on Thursday! That was by far one of the
most fun field trips that I have been on, it was very relaxing and I think
the children had a blast! I hope that you all had a great Easter,
celebrating the Resurrection of our Lord and Savior with your family and
friends.
This week on Wednesday we will be having early release. Please don't forget
that there is no aftercare provided on Wednesday and that dismissal begins at
11:30. I have also told the children that I will be out of town beginning
Thursday. I am in a wedding in Augusta, Georgia and will be leaving around
12 on Thursday (Mrs. Penny Murphree will be coming in for the afternoon) and
I will not be here on Friday at all (Mrs. Michelle Shiver will be
substituting).
I will be sending the readers home this evening with the students. Please
make sure that each time a reader comes home that you read the specified
pages and then return the book the following school day, I am still missing
books from last week.
Next week begins our Stanford-10 testing. The children will be testing all
morning long, and then I have some fun and exciting things planned for the
afternoon. I will need your help for some of our afternoon activities.
On Monday we will be having puzzle and game day. I am asking that if you
send in any puzzles or games that you are sure to mark the box and all the
contents so that all the pieces and parts that come to school make it back
home safe and sound.
On Tuesday we will be having movie day. I will bring in a movie for the
children to view - if I could have some parents volunteer to send in
refreshments for the children I would appreciate it!
On Wednesday we will have book day. I am asking that the children bring in a
small collection of their most favorite books. We will take some time to
read them. I would also like to open the classroom to any guest readers who
would like to come in and read to the children, maybe grandmas, grandpas,
aunts, uncles, moms, or dads. If you'd be interested in being a guest
reader, or if someone in your family would, please contact me ASAP and let me
know.
On Thursday we will celebrate our ancestry with an Ancestry Luncheon. I will
be sending out a letter tomorrow with all the details of this particular
event.
On Friday we will have Fun Friday - it will be a celebration of the hard work
we've done all week!
We are continuing to work hard and to do all things to glorify Christ. We
are doing some "mock" testing to prepare for next week; we have been working
on some sample math papers for the last couple of weeks and this week I will
be adding in some listening, Science, Social Studies and Reading tests.
Since there will be testing all next week I will not be having reading
groups, fluency folders, sight word readers, reading list, or spelling. This
week, however please look for the sight word reader to come home
called "Let's Ride" as well as the fluency folders, reading list and spelling
list. The fluency folder words have changed. The reading list is comprised
of words that contain special sounds that we have learned up to now. At this
point the children should be able to sound the words out using the knowledge
of the special sounds that we have been going over in class. I really would
like to encourage you to work on the reading list. I would like the reading
list read as fluently as possible, without stopping at every word to sound
out. Thank you for all you do!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
March 23, 2009
Parents,
This is the last week before we have Spring Break! We are continuing our hard
work in all areas. I sent out an email requesting the following coins for our
math lessons:
10 Nickels
10 Dimes
10 Pennies
4 Quarters
Please send in the coins at your earliest convenience - we are doing two
different lessons this week utilizing the coins. Thanks!
Don't forget that Wednesday, March 25 is an early release day. All students
must be picked up by 11:30 as there is no after care provided on early
release days. Report cards will also go out on Wednesday - don't forget to
sign the envelope and return it for the next report card!
We have officially started our last quarter of Kindergarten! I am in shock at
how quickly this year has flown by and how little time we have left. Upon our
return from Spring Break we will begin doing some "practice tests" in order
to prepare for the Stanford-10 standardized test that will take place the
week of April 20. That week we will be testing in the morning and we will be
doing different activities in the afternoon. Please keep an eye out for
announcements about what activities we will be doing, some of them will
require your help.
Also, the first week we return after Spring Break will also include our
Easter Celebration. We will be celebrating on Thursday, April 9th starting at
1:30. I am asking that each child bring in 10 "stuffed" plastic Easter Eggs.
Since it may be warm during our hunt, please don't stuff the eggs with candy
that might melt. Please send in the ten eggs no later than this Friday, March
27th. If you would like to volunteer to be here to help hide the eggs and
during the hunt, please let me know. I will be sending an email to all
parents later this week to let you know the specific item I am asking for you
to send in for the party...this has been a really good system. The only
request I have is that you adhere to the deadline for the items; usually if I
don't have what I've requested by the date I've requested I make sure that
the class has it, and sometimes that means we end up with doubles of items.
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
March 16, 2009
This week we have lots of work to do and only four days to accomplish all our
goals. Friday, March 20 is a teacher workday, so no school for the children.
Tomorrow is St. Patrick's Day. Don't forget that it's top secret that our
little leprachaun friend will be visiting us - I'm hoping to suprise the
children.
Please note that school policy is that if a child comes any later than 8:20
they are tardy and have to be checked in at the office located in the Lyall
Center. The student handbook that you received in the beginning of the year
states the following: "Elementary students should arrive between 7:45 and
8:20 AM. Elementary students arriving after 8:20 AM are considered tardy.
Elementary students arriving between 7:45-8:00 AM will remain in the hallway
with the supervising teacher until 8:00 AM...Students who arrive late to
school must obtain a Tardy Slip from the office before going to class..." I
open the classroom door at 8:00 AM for the children - we unpack our bags and
get ready for class as well as do morning work, we then go out to the flag
pole to pray and pledge at 8:20 AM. Upon returning to the classroom we often
begin immediately with calendar, so it's important for the flow of our day
that we get started on time.
Spring Break is two weeks away! The children have worked really hard this
nine-weeks, and it is showing. Thanks for your dedication - their fluency has
really grown by leaps and bounds! Keep up the good work.
Remember the words in the fluency folders will make absolutely NO sense this
week! They are non-sense words. This will help the children really use their
decoding abilities to read. Prepare the children before they look at the
words - let them know that they won't make any sense. It is quite possible
that they will not have a score that is as high as their past fluency scores
at first...I will read the list to them today, and "prepare" them for the
list as well.
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
March 2, 2009
Parents,
sorry about the delay in the updating of the webpage! It's been quite the
week. Welcome to March - the saying is holding true that it's coming in like
a lion - can you believe the cold weather?!
We are moving along really well - the children have shown what deligent
workers they are the last couple weeks. They're giving their best effort and
really taking to heart our Bible lesson that taught them to "Obey with a
happy heart".
I can see improvement in their fluency as well. Thank you for all the work at
home - they really do enjoy the fluency folders, and their knowledge of those
sight words is shining through in reading groups.
If you have any questions please contact me. We have only three weeks before
spring break and lots of work to get through.
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
February 20, 2009
Hello!
This week we will have an early release on Wednesday, Feb. 25. This is the
last week in February, already, can you believe it? Time is flying. I
encourage you all to take some time and check Engrade. I will no longer email
the results of the spelling and reading lists to you on Friday afternoons as
it is very time consuming to do so - I will, instead, post the scores
immediately on Engrade so that you will have access to them.
I would like to encourage you to take the online survey if you have not
already done so. It is a great opportunity to give feedback to RCS; we are
asking that both Mom and Dad do the survey - thank you in advance.
The auction is tonight and I'm excited to say that all of the tickets for the
event have sold out. I'm excited to see the way God will work through this
evening of fun and fellowship. The auction is a fantastic opportunity to
spend the evening with great, Godly people who share the same love for RCS.
It is the largest fundraiser that we do, and lots of time and preparation has
gone into it - I want to thank all the PTF moms and dads who took their time
to contribute to the auction, it couldn't be done without you!
Just a reminder about the fluency folders - this is an activity that should
be completed each night. Please don't forget to fill in the Fluency Folder
Record and initial it; please return the folder each day - I am keeping a
record of the children's progress with their fluency folder.
We are planning on attending a field trip in May to see Jack Hartmann. He is
a gentleman who writes and sings songs for use in the classroom - I have seen
his concert several times and each time have enjoyed it more. I sent the
permission form by way of attachment in an email, if you'll print it out, and
then send it in with the admission by the deadline I would appreciate it.
Please remember that if you are attending as a chaperone the cost is five
dollars PER person. These concerts sell out quickly, so as it may seem a
little early to be asking for the slips and the money it is necessary to get
in early in order to ensure a spot at the concert.
Keep practicing those reading and spelling lists and the fluency folders -
the children are making great progress...I'm very pleased so far!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
February 18, 2009
Hello!
I am hoping that you all had a very restful four day weekend and that you
were able to enjoy some quality time with your family.
Our celebration on Friday was a great success! Thanks to all of you for
participating...I think the children had a fantastic time.
This week is a very short week - only Wednesday, Thursday and Friday. Given
that I have cancelled the spelling and reading lists for this week. The
children would only have tonight and tomorrow night to study them, and even
though I'm sure they are capable I would like to provide them with ample time
to study. Beginning next week we will resume our lists. However, the
fluency folder and the sight word books will be sent home this evening.
Please go over those two items with your child. The fluency folder has
changed for the last time...you will notice now that it is an orange plastic
folder - I purchased these because they seemed more sturdy. I will now also
just start adding the lists in, so that all the lists will be in the folder
if you have extra time or want extra practice with your child you will be
able to have access to all the lists we have done.
We are planning on attending a field trip in May to see Jack Hartmann. He is
a gentleman who writes and sings songs for use in the classroom - I have seen
his concert several times and each time have enjoyed it more. I will be
sending the permission form by way of attachment in an email, if you'll print
it out, and then send it in with the admission by the deadline I would
appreciate it.
The auction is this Friday, Feb. 20 thank you to all the hard work our PTF
moms have done! I'm excited about our basket and our class project - you
have been working hard!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
February 9, 2009
Parents,
Hello! We had a very successful 100th Day of School - the children enjoyed
the celebration. This coming week also holds a celebration...don't forget
that Valentine's Day is coming up - each child should bring in their mailbox
for the Valentines no later than Thursday, Feb. 12. The mailboxes are an at
home project - I'm excited to see all of the creativity that will come in!
Also, a list of needs was emailed to you earlier last week. I have asked
each family to send in one item that will help with our celebration - with
everyone pitching in it distributes the load...thank you for participating -
you are a very big part of the whole! If you could adhere to the deadline of
Wednesday for sending your items in, it helps me a great deal...if I notice
that we are without an item by Wed. I will be going to pick it up, and then
we end up with doubles of something. Thanks for your help!
Fluency folders are coming along well. The children's folders will be going
home again today. They are new folders, I have "recycled" some folders that
I had in my cabinet. The words inside are our sight words and spelling words
that we've been practicing...as with last week have your child read the list
for one minute (starting over if necessary) - record how many words they
read correctly during that minute on the back of the folder.
Spelling and Reading tests will be given on Friday as usual - the reading
list this week are special sounds from chart six. These are the very first
group of special sounds your child learned, they should be very proficient
in them. Again, the goal is for them to read them quickly with fluency...the
more practice, the better!
I have three parent volunteers for Friday, if you're available let me
know...I need all the hands I can get!!!
Monday, Feb. 16 there is no school due to Presidents' Day
Tuesday, Feb. 17 there is no school due to a teachers' work day
Enjoy your four day weekend!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
February 2, 2009
I am amazed at how quickly this month has gone! It seems like just yesterday
we were returning from Christmas Break. The new reading and spelling lists
are below and also posted on Teacher Web. The reading list is our chart
seven special sounds. Just like this week, I encourage you to have your
child read the list as quickly as possible - I will only be testing on the
sounds, but knowing the words that are associated with them helps the
children out a great deal. I am very pleased with the reading list results
from today - as always your child's results will be emailed to you.
As I mentioned last week, this will be the first week that the children will
receive a fluency folder home. Inside the fluency folder will be a set of
directions. I am asking that you read the fluency folder with your child
each night, there will be a place for you to initial that you have completed
that. Please return the fluency folder each day. Your child is basically
reading LPM/WPM (letters per minute/words per minute) - so the fluency
folder will take exactly one minute each night to complete. This first week
it will contain only letters of the alphabet - so our goal is to see how
many letters per minute your child can read. I hope by the end of the week
you will see the progression - this is a simple task, however in the packet
that was sent home at the beginning of the year there were outlined goals of
how many letters per minute the children should be reading each quarter. The
following week it will contain sight words. I am encouraging the children
inside the classroom to read the sight words with fluency, reminding them
not to "sound out" these words, but instead to know them by sight and just
say them (I'm including our spelling words under this umbrella - referring
to words that can only be known by sight as well as high-frequency words all
under the same title of "sight words").
Don't forget that Valentine's Day is coming up - each child should bring in
their mailbox for the Valentines no later than Thursday, Feb. 12. The
mailboxes are an at home project - I'm excited to see all of the creativity
that will come in!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
January 26, 2009
This week we will have an early release day on Wednesday, January 28. The
lists for the week have been posted - keep practicing each night. The goal
for the reading list is fluency...the children should be able to read each
of those words without sounding them out. The sight word reader will be
done in class on Monday and the children will bring it home with them. This
week I am going to begin having the children just read the words that they
had last week in their sight word book and this week - that will be a total
of six sight words, I will have them written on flash cards. Again, my goal
for these sight words is fluency. If you would like, you can visit
the "Sight Words" link - this explains sight words as well as gives a list
of them. The more fluent the children are with their sight words, the more
fluently their reading will become. We are working in class by doing sight
words activities during out station and reading group time as well as whole
group. Beginning next week I will be sending home a sight word folder for
each child. I will give more explicit instructions about the folder, but
the basic principle is that the children will read the sight word list to
you each night for one minute and you will keep track of how many of those
sight words they read in one minute. The word list will consist of spelling
words and sight word book words. Hopefully what you will begin to see is
that your child can read more words in that minute as time progresses.
Please continue to work on the special sounds from chart 8 for our reading
test this week.
Don't forget that your hot lunch forms are due tomorrow, Jan. 27.
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
January 20, 2009
What a nice long weekend we had. Please remember that this week is our
pictures. They will be taken on Thursday, Jan. 22 at 8:30 AM. The children
should wear a Redeemer t-shirt and their jeans. They may wear this all day
long, so they will not need a change of clothes.
We are continuing with our spelling and reading lists. The children did
well on their first spelling test. I tested them in a small group setting
(four at a time). Please don't forget to practice with them each night.
The goal for the reading list is for them to read it with a great amount of
fluency. I would like for them to basically have the words memorized by
sight so that they don't have to sound out each word on the list. This can
be accomplished by having them practice the reading list each night. The
first five words on the reading list this week are the five spelling words
(sight words) from out test last week. This will continue.
Don't forget that our sight word books will come home today as well. The
first three words of focus will be little, big, and. It's a relatively
simple story involving dogs and cats (big and little). The children will
color and assemble to the books in class today, we will go over them and
then they will bring them home. No need to send them back on Friday, I have
a master copy they will read from. Thanks for your help!
January 13, 2009
Our first week back went well, it was a short week, but enabled the children
to get back into the habit of being at school.
This week is our first spelling and reading test. We are doing some
practicing inside the classroom, but don't forget to go over the words with
your child at home.
I have updated the skills section, so take a look there. Also you will
notice that our spelling and reading lists will have those sight words/high-
frequency words as a part of them - I have the sight word section on the
home page if you want to jump ahead with your child for added practice.
January 4, 2009
Happy New Year! I hope that you all had a very relaxing break and you were
able to enjoy the holiday season with your families.
It seems as if our time off flew by very quickly, I don't know if you feel
the same, but all of a sudden it's back to the "grind"!
I am going to do a slight review the first week we return from break;
however I will still also be adding new special sounds. Please continue to
work on those sounds with your children at home each night. We also begin
our spelling and reading lists in January upon our return. That means each
Friday the children will be tested on five spelling words and ten words to
read. I will start by posting the lists next Monday, January 12 on this web
site. The lists will have their own separate icon and you can print them
from the site. The first "test" the children will have will be on Friday,
January 16.
I still need some moms/dads to volunteer for our Thursday computer time. I
had lots of moms volunteer right before the holidays and I'm hoping that
once we return we will be able to set up a solid schedule - if I could get
four moms/dads to commit to one Thursday a month (i.e. every 1st Thursday
you volunteer) it will lighten the load on all of us.
Our next celebration that is coming up is Valentine's day. For Valentine's
day I ask that each child decorate a shoe box for their "mailbox"...if you
are in need of a shoe box please let me know - I have a few extra ones and
will be glad to send it home. This is a project that you work on at home
with your child - get creative; you have over a month to complete this
project.
Again, I hope you enjoyed the holidays - I can't wait to see the children
again, I've missed them!
In Christ,
Bobbi
November 21, 2008
The Thanksgiving Holiday is next week. I am looking forward to the time off
to spend with my family, but will miss the children a great deal! A whole
week off is a long time. When we return from break we have about three
weeks before the Christmas Break arrives. We will be doing lots of fun and
exciting things during that time. Our focus will remain on our academics,
but we will also be incorporating some holiday fun into our day, too! We
also have our Happy Birthday Jesus party coming up as well. If you are
interested in helping out with that, please let me know...it is just like a
birthday party (streamers, balloons, cake, party bags).
I have listed all of the Special Sounds from our yellow chart in the skills
section of the webpage…check them out and practice every evening. We have
almost completed a second round of sounds and will have a blue chart in
addition to our yellow chart. I will be adding those to the skills section
as soon as we have moved onto our chart. It is beneficial if you practice
the yellow and the blue…we go over the yellow chart every day before we
start our reading block, so the children have the sounds down pretty well.
I pray that you all enjoy your time off with your children…have a very Happy
Thanksgiving!
Ms. Tweedle
November 1, 2008
Parents,
Hard to believe the Holiday Season is fast approaching. We already have an
early release day next week, then the week after is the last week before
Thanksgiving Break.
We are still making great strides in K5. Check out our skills link to see
what we're working on this week! Stay tuned for more details on a field
trip that will be coming up on Nov. 21.
Thank you all for attending the Sense-sational Sensory Fair, I had a blast
and I know the kids did too - I hope you enjoyed it just as much as they did.
I will have a link for the special sounds that we have completed so far -
please, please, please review these each and every night - we have completed
on "set" and are moving on to the next - ABEKA is a program that builds upon
itself, so it's imperative that the children master each and every step
along the way!
Please contact me with any questions or concerns!
In Christ,
Bobbi
October 26, 2008
Hello parents! We are still making great progress in K5 - you may have
noticed that the children are able to read three to four letters words at
this point. They should also be able to share with you if a word has only
one vowel in it the sound that the vowel makes and if the word has two or
more vowels in it the sounds that they make. We worked on words with three
vowels in them this week, so the children should have a pretty good grasp on
that. Please continue to work with your child at home. I have sent home
the first completed reader. We are working on our second reader in reading
groups. I currently have three reading groups, but as the children are
learning and expanding their knowledge I will be looking at the groups and
adjusting to meet individual needs.
This week I sent "homework" home with your child. The sheets that you have
been receiving are sight words that we are working on. The front we do
whole group. I am stamping the back with a "homework" stamp. If you would
please complete the worksheet at home and return it the next day.
On Friday we will be having a "Sense-sational Senses Fair" and you all are
invited! I will be sending out invitations with the children on Monday. I
hope that you can make this celebration of our five senses! We have been
studying our senses and how they help us...God made us so wonderfully!
Don't forget that Wednesday is an early release day!
Have a great week!
In Christ,
Bobbi
October 10, 2008
Hello everyone! I hope that you are enjoying the occasionally cool weather
God has begun to send us. What a fabulous season this is, one of my
favorites - God is truly amazing and has put such order to our lives.
Thank you for all your help in getting those baby pictures in and
the "hints" about your child...our bulletin board is still not complete, so
if you weren't able to send a picture in yet, please do so - we are all so
incredibly busy, but my bulletin board would not be complete without all my
little friends beautiful faces on there!
The new playground name was unveiled this week: "Imagination Kingdom"
submitted by third grade was the winner. We had some very excited third
graders as they were the first to play on the playground - the excitement of
those children brought a tear to my eye. Oh, and not to mention
Kindergarten's first experience! What a joy it was to watch them on such a
beautiful playground - and it truly is such a blessing because so much love,
sweat, and hard work was poured into that playground. I want to thank those
Dads (and perhaps Moms) who did so much work on that playground - the labor
of your love is outstanding - the desire to provide the best for your child
(right down to a playground) is what makes Redeemer such a wonderful mission
to be a part of.
I am absolutely thrilled at the progress that we are making in K5 - the
curriculum is coming along nicely, and the children seem to be getting into
the routine of things. I know it seems like after 35 days of school the
children should be in a routine, but Kindergarten seems to take a little bit
longer to get used to...they are young, they love their mommies and daddies
and want nothing more than to spend time with you! So, convincing them that
the seven hours in school that they are away from you is going to be super
fun sometimes takes a little longer. I am truly blessed with fabulous
personalities this year in the classroom...as always each child brings
something so sweet to our class and I treasure the moments we share. Of
course there is always work, work, work! And they are working. I have seen
progress in each one and I want to thank you for your support at home as
well as the extra time you are taking - it truly does reflect in the
classroom.
Mrs. Hiatt and I are planning some field trips and the first one will be in
November. It will be right here in Ocala at the Silver River Museum and
something very enjoyable. I'm excited because I have never been on this
particular field trip - it will be a new discovery for me as well. I will
be sending more details out very soon!
With our first field trip approaching I would like to let you know of our
policies for field trips:
-Parents transport students in their personal vehicles - in order to do this
we must have a copy of a current license and insurance card on file at the
school.
-Permission forms and money need to be received by the teacher by the
deadline on the permission slip form - some field trips we are required to
reserve by a certain deadline and in order to ensure a "spot" for everyone
it is necessary to have the funds sent in as quickly as possible. If, by
chance, I have not received the slip and money the day before the deadline I
will send a reminder to you via email.
-If you do not choose for your child to attend the field trip, the policy in
the handbook states that the child stays home from school that day.
-I will specify whether a lunch is needed - on certain field trips we
may "stop" for lunch (i.e. McDonald's) as opposed to brown bagging it.
-Due to the fact that we are not all contained in one vehicle, it is
important to me that we all stay together - when we travel we do so in
caravan style. This will ensure that we all arrive at the same place at the
same time - this eliminates a whole lot of stress for me. Even though you
may be there as a chaperone I am still responsible for that sweet child of
yours! I also ask that we travel back to the school together. If you
choose to check your child out for the day after the field trip is over, you
must return to campus to sign your child out of school for the day.
-I rarely place a limit on how many chaperones can attend field trips;
however I make an effort to ask the parents with larger vehicles to drive if
they are willing - this eliminates having a large amount of vehicles...so
not all chaperones will be drivers. -As a chaperone you will be assigned a
group of children. I will pair you up with your child (of course) and then
as many as three other children...this is dependent on how many chaperones I
have attending though.
I will send you a list via email of the children that are in your group the
day before the field trip.
-Departure times vary - depending on the field trip. I ask that you are
available at least fifteen minutes before the departure time. Some of our
students still require booster seats and this will enable us to prepare our
vehicles.
I absolutely LOVE going on field trips...I think that children this age need
the "hands on" opportunities that field trips can offer - they are
experiencing the world around them for real and that carries such
excitement.
Please remember to sign into Engrade so that you can view your child's
progress thus far. I stapled your log-in name and the web address into your
child's steno two weeks ago. If it was lost and you aren't sure how to log
in please let me know. Engrade is a great tool for you to use to view your
child's progress. With that encouragement I also would like to let you know
that Engrade is suffering some technical difficulties. I've had reports
(and there have been reports school wide) that some parents can view grades
one day and then when they check back later the grades are no longer there.
I want to ensure you first, that I am keeping a hard copy of the grades - I
have never experienced this difficulty (and prayfully never will), however I
do have "back-up" so your child's grades will not be "lost". I have been
encouraged to let you know to keep checking back, the grades often reappear
after time. However, if you continue to have this difficulty let me know, I
will print out a hard copy of your child's grades so that you will have
them. This is also just a reminder that there will be NO handwriting
grades this quarter.
I am going to include another link on the home page that will list the
skills that will be focused on the next two weeks. If you have any
questions about the skills, or if you need ideas to reinforce the skills at
home please let me know! Along those same lines - there will be a "Prayer
Request" link as well. Through Teacherweb I can assign a password to
specific links so that they can be updated by others. At the top of the
pages you will see an icon; if you put your mouse of that icon you should
see a "finger" indicating that this is a link. If you click on that you
will get the screen in which you can update the page. All other pages are
controlled by a password only known to me. However, the prayer request link
will have the password: prayerk5, add your requests here. What a powerful
thing prayer is and we are encouraged Biblically to lift up those around
us. Even if it's an unspoken, or perhaps you have a sick child, list it - I
can ensure you I will check daily and include that in my prayers; I pray for
each family daily.
In this venture together it is so important that we have open lines of
communication. If you have any comments, questions, concerns please contact
me. As I mentioned before we are in the classroom for seven hours a day,
your child and I - however, you have been their support system, biggest fan
and greatest ally, you know them better than anyone. The knowledge you have
about them and can share with me is something that can only make what I do
in the classroom 1. More effective and 2. Easier. Thank you for your
support - without you I could not do what I do.
In Christ,
Bobbi
September 30, 2008
It seems like September passed as quickly as it got here! We are working
hard here in K-5! I can tell that you all are working equally at home
reinforcing all of the great things that are going on.
The next two weeks we will be doing the following:
Continuing our focus on one vowel and two vowel words
Marking words with breves and macrons
Reading words
Reading sentences
Building fluency
Letter and blend naming
Words beginning with vowels
AB color patterns
Acting our story problems
Identifying ordinal position to fourth
covering designs using pattern blocks
Sequencing daily events
Identifying, describing and comparing triangles and squares
Naming a shape piece using three attributes (shape, color and size)
Describing the relative position of objects
Identifying, Creating, and Extending AB Sound and Movement Patterns
Sorting a collection of objects
Baby John the Baptist
Mephibosheth
Columbus
Little Red Hen
Check the October calendar for up coming events. On Friday I will be
sending out your access to Engrade for the grading system. I will also be
sending out a hard copy of the grading system.
Thanks,
Bobbi
Sunday, September 14, 2008
Thank you all so much for the fabulous time on Friday. We had a great turn
out and it could not have been done without all the participation from you
all, so thank you for such a successful celebration.
Please don't forget that Wednesday, Sept. 17 is an early release day.
We are embarking into our fourth week of Kindergarten (my how quickly it has
come) - the children are doing a wonderful job of getting into the routine
of the day. I'm very proud of how they are learning all the procedures and
rules of the classroom - we have really been earning our Classroom Cash! I
know that it's sometimes hard for my Kindergarten friends...perhaps this is
their first school experience and time away from mom, some of us may have
been in school before, but we had the whole summer off and we get out of
a "school" routine. Please know that first and foremost I am someone who
loves your child. I am here simply to do what's best for them and that is
always what I focus on. I am your ally - we are both working for the
betterment of your child, please contact me with any concerns or questions
you have. We are all students in life - I am learning from your child
daily, just as they are learning from me - no two children are the same and
even though I've been in contact with 250+ children in my teaching career I
have never met anyone just the same as your child. God has blessed us all
with such wonderful differences - there is such beauty in His diversity.
This week you will be receiving a notice about an online grading system
called: Engrade. I will be sending you a user name to access Engrade so
that you can have up-to-the minute information about your child's grades.
Please note that in Kindergarten we are working on an E,S,N,U scale. I will
also be notifying you of the "marks" on your child's paper and how they
correlate with our grading system. If you have an older child at Redeemer
you are probably already familiar with Engrade. Mrs. Hiatt and I are
working together as a grade level - this will be our first experience with
an online grading system! We are both very excited about how informative
the system is going to be to you as the parent.
By request, I have updated the daily schedule to include all subjects.
Please note that due to varying times of specials the times that subjects
are taught often vary. The majority of the curriculum is based on a four day
week, in which one would introduce all new skills Mon-Thurs and then take
Friday to review, reinforce, etc. Although I am teacing the curriculum five
days a week in the schedule there is a little wiggle-room for those days
that the children are in desperate need of a nap or for a "Fun Friday" every
once in a while - much like this past Friday where the majority of the
morning was focused on celebrating our Grandparents.
I was not able to administer the Blend Ladder Assessment on Friday...I have
rescheduled that for Wednesday, Sept. 17.
Friday, September 19, 2008 there will be a substitute teacher in the class
due to a previously scheduled appointment. Mrs. Shiver has had a ton of
experience substituting at Redeemer and is a wonderful sub! As of right now
she will be in the classroom the entire day, if my appointment ends earlier
than expected I will return to finish out the day.
Thank you for the donations that are coming in for the Candy Jar as well as
the Class Store!
You are a wonderful group of parents to work with, this year holds so many
new and exciting things. Please pray for our class daily: for each
student, parent and teacher - we are working to build God's kingdom!
In Christ,
Bobbi
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Hello!
Our network is still not up, so I apologize for being slightly out of touch
this week. I was trying to wait until we were back up so that I could get
those invitations out to each of you like I said. I have now resolved to
taking care of that at home and will be sending them to you tomorrow
(Friday, September 5) - sorry it's been delayed.
I need to ask a couple things of you. The first is in ref. to nap time. We
are very limited on storage space within our classroom, and finding a spot
for the nap mats often proves a little difficult...actually there's a spot
for them, it's just making sure that they all stay balanced and don't come
tumbling down that's the difficult part. The area that I'm finding the most
difficulty in finding storage for is the extra blankets and pillows that the
children are bringing in. If you would please limit what your child brings
in for rest. We do not rest consistently, nor do we rest for a long period
of time, so the nap mat and the nap mat cover should suffice for the amount
and length of resting we do during the week.
I have also noticed that some of our stuffed animal friends are making their
way to school. I try to keep any sort of "toys" at bay - I understand that
some children really love their cuddly animals (William never leaves home
without Snuggle Bear), but I'm trying to promote an atmosphere of learning
inside the class and often when we have "toys" from home (even if they are
in our bags) they become a distraction. I realize that I do allow the
children to purchase from Treasure Box and there is a plethora of toys in
there, however - their purchases are made at the very last of the day on
Fridays and they are instructed to place them in their bag to take home with
them.
Lastly, I really rely on this tool of the internet to communicate with you -
I would beg if I needed to, but will settle for asking please, please,
please check the site every day. I know that not a lot has changed the last
week or so, but that has been strictly due to technical difficulties - I add
information almost daily, otherwise. The classroom celebrations page is key
right now, mainly because it is the main source of getting the information
for our Grandparent's celebration out to you - right now it's focused on
what we still need. I have been trying to add the names next to the items
that have already been volunteered for. If you could go on there and check
that list before you purchase anything it will save me from having too much
of one thing and not enough of another.
Thanks for your time! I hope you have a fantastic Friday and a super
weekend!
In Christ,
Ms. Tweedle
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Dear Parents,
Our network at the school has gone down, so unfortunately I was not able to
update as frequently as I wanted to. The network may be back up on Tuesday
when we return from the long weekend, so I will once again be able to
receive emails and update more frequently. Sorry for any inconvenience this
may have caused.
We had a great week this week. We accomplished a lot, from beginning our
academics, to learning the rules and procedures. It's difficult for
Kindergarteners in the beginning of the year, sometimes because they are so
used to being on a "summer schedule".
I have received several requests to volunteer in the classroom and I
appreciate it. The spot of the computer/media mom has been filled, and I
also have an "events coordinator" - Mrs. Murphree (also known as "Crystal's
Mommy"). She is going to be a great deal of help to me this year and I
appreciate it! I will be passing each parents' name on to her as well as
your phone number so that she can get in touch with you about any upcoming
celebrations that K-5 will be having and ways that you can help out.
I have also had one volunteer for the PTF: Ms. Hernandez (also known
as "Victor's Mommy"). The first PTF meeting was on Friday, August 29...Ms.
Hernandez will need one or more mommy/daddy to help her out on the PTF. PTF
is actually somewhat of a big undertaking as you are really instrumental in
putting together our three class projects for the auction. For families
that are new to Redeemer, our auction (held in Feb.) is a HUGE event where
the school is able to generate a great deal of donations that help us to be
the outstanding educational institution that we are. Each class completes
two projects that are auctioned. The first is a class basket. The basket
is themed (for example last year our theme was "Golf") and includes items
that go along with the theme (again, last year's basket was filled with golf
related items, including tee times, tees, golf gloves, golf balls, etc.).
The second class item is something that the class can "personalize". It's
something that, as a parent, you would absolutely HAVE to have due to the
fact that it commemorates your child's year in K-5 (again, I will give last
year's project as an example: it was a blanket chest that was ocean themed;
each child put their handprint/thumbprint on the chest in a way that created
an underwater animal). There is also a class picture that is taken. The
PTF moms/dads create a theme for the photo, (some of the themes from last
year are: fifties, fishing, princesses and pirates, bees and some classes
just choose specific colors to wear (black shirts and blue jeans)) the
photo is matted, the mat is signed by the children and then framed. Some of
the mats were even decorated to match the theme of the photo after the
children have signed it. As you can see I really depend on my PTF moms and
dads to help out a great deal, so if you are willing to volunteer your time
for this rewarding experience please let me know!
On that note, I need some extra help on one of my upcoming celebrations. On
Friday, Sept. 12 I would like to hold a Grandparents' Day celebration. I
would like to invite all the children's grandparents to come and enjoy a
breakfast with us. The celebration will start at 10:00 and end at 11:00. We
will enjoy breakfast casseroles, fruits, bagels, pastries, etc. If you
would like to volunteer to send in a component of this celebration please
let me know what it is. I will add a link on this sight for our
celebrations...there will be a list of items needed and once I have received
a volunteer for each of those items I will check it off the list so that you
can just come to our website and see what is needed. Grandparents play a
very important role in the life of young children and I would like to
recognize that by honoring them with a breakfast and opening up the
classroom to them. You (of course) are also invited to come along! If you
could let me know by Wed., Sept. 3 how many grandparents/parents are
attending (total) so that I can ensure there will be enough food for
everyone. I will also be creating invitations and sending them home with
your child so that they can give them to their grandmas and grandpas - I
will be sending home two invitations (one for the maternal grandparents, one
for the paternal grandparents); please let me know if you need more/less
than this and I will accommodate.
Please be aware that Sept. 8 was a scheduled teacher workday; we will now be
making that day due to the days that were missed for Tropical Storm Faye.
I have updated the "Wish List" page. I'm sure your child has come home and
told you that I am rewarding them with "classroom cash". I am in fact
paying them for a job well done (much like an allowance) - some of the
children would like to take their money home and try to use it at McDonald's
(how cute is that?!)! I let them know that their money isn't worth anything
outside of the classroom, but inside the classroom it can get them a lot!
The children have the option of spending or saving, it's entirely up to
them. I would appreciate any items that can be added to our classroom
store. I have often found great things in the dollar section at Target! (I
shop that area a lot!) There will be more about the Classroom Store as well
as info about Classroom Cash at that new link - check it out!
If you have any questions/concerns please feel free to contact me. This
week has been a pleasure getting to know your child better. I'm looking
forward to a very successful year.
In Christ,
Ms. Tweedle
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for checking the webpages frequently! We have completed our
first Tuesday of the school year. We are off to a great start! Yesterday I
asked for help in reviewing some procedures and rules (Hips and Lips,
Bubbles, and Listening while others are speaking). Today I would like for
you to speak about the number one rule in our class which is "Love One
Another". This rule is so huge because if we learn to love one another
everything else falls into place, we will want to respect one another by
listening when others speak, we will use kind words, we will respect
classroom materials, etc. The procedure that I would like for you to speak
with your child about is something called the "Silent Zone". The Silent
Zone is the Middle School building. The majority of our specials are held
in The Lyall Center, we have to walk through the halls - I've explained to
the students that there is a lot of work going on in The Lyall Center, not
only is the main office located there, but there are middle school students
who are hard at work. I instructed the children that it is called the
Silent Zone so that we remember to be silent in that area and respect the
work that is going on in that building.
We are continuing on our path of learning: today we reviewed our vowels and
their sounds as well as discussed the differences between uppercase and
lowercase letters. We talked about the globe and all the amazing things
that are a part of the globe. We reviewed the number two and how to write
and did some more activities with counting bears. We also talked about Day
Two of God's creation. (Not to mention how hard we played at PE and
Recess!) We had a full day of fun and learning!
Again, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact me!
In Christ,
Ms. Tweedle
Monday, August 25, 2008
Parents,
Well...it was our official second-first-day of Kindergarten. We did well.
We dove right into our curriculum, reviewing the letters and sounds of the
alphabet as well as vowels and short vowel sounds. We also practiced using
Teddy Bear Counters in Math and skywriting the number one. In Bible we are
discussing God's creation (the Seven Days of). In Core knowledge we will be
encountering the world along with an overview of the seven continents and
the four oceans that make up our Planet Earth.
We are incorporating our rules and procedures in class with our studies.
You can help me at home by reiterating to your child the importance of
paying attention to the person who is speaking. We worked on not talking
while others were talking today; I explained that it is important to listen
not only to the teacher but the other students who may be answering a
question or sharing information because everyone has something to teach in
our classroom as well as something to learn. We also focused on walking in
a line today...I use two techniques: the first being the "Bubble" that we
hold in our mouth (they look so cute with their cheeks puffed out!) and the
other is called "Hips and Lips". One hand on the hip, the other with a
finger over our mouth. We are learning and growing each day. Tomorrow I
will update the page with a couple other rules and procedures that you can
help with at home!
Please be aware that starting tomorrow, Tuesday, August 26 it is important
that you allow your child to enter the classroom on their own and unpack
their own bag as well as complete their own morning work. I will be close
by if they have any questions, I promise :0)!
Have a Magnificent Monday (night) and I'll see you bright and early tomorrow
morning.
In Christ,
Ms. Tweedle
Friday, August 22, 2008
Parents,
WOW! What a first week this has turned out to be! I guess we'll view last
Monday as a sort of "practice run". On Monday, August 25, we will still be
doing some introductory activities, but I had planned to begin on our
academics thinking that all of our rules and procedures would be well
introduced. I am going ahead with my plan to start introducing the academic
schedule and procedures to the children, as well as including those rules
and procedures into the day - somewhat of a double-time, but this group is
so bright I know they can handle it! I hope that you were all able to ride
out the storm unscathed and pray that you did not have any family effected
by the flooding and losses of power that seem to be the main "destruction"
of the tropical storm. The unfortunate thing is Hurricane Season is months
from being over, but I am praying that this was the worst of what we will
face.
I will be doing a more updated version of my "newsletter" here on Ms.
Tweedle's Tidbits, but I did just want to touch base with you after this
strange week and say that you are in my thoughts and prayers and that I am
looking forward to going full throttle on Monday! Have a lovely (dry)
weekend with your child.
In Christ,
Ms. Tweedle
Monday, August 18, 2008
Dear Parents,
I enjoyed meeting all my new little friends on Thursday! Thank you for
taking the time to visit the classroom. I’m looking forward to a very
successful school year with lots of learning and excitement.
I will begin to send out those emails very soon, so be sure to check daily.
Included in this letter you will find the address to my webpage. The
webpage is my main communication with you; it contains a wealth of
information that will keep you updated on the “going on” of the classroom.
I hope that you find it helpful, please make sure that checking the webpage
is on your daily “To Do” list as it is often updated on a daily basis. I
want you to be aware that this is your classroom too and if there is ever
anything that I can do to assist you or any ideas you have to better my
webpage and the content please let me know.
At open house you received a welcome packet from me. There was information
included in that packet that notified you of some of my policies. There has
been a change to the discipline policy: I will be sending home a steno each
night with your child to communicate the type of day they had. If you find
a happy face only, your child stayed on green all day, if you find a happy
face with a “w” in parenthesis they had to move their color to yellow and I
will give an explanation of the incident. A straight face indicates a color
change to blue, and a sad face indicates your child is on red. Again, an
explanation of the incident will be written in the steno. I’m asking that
you make sure that you view and sign your child’s steno each night and
return it to school each day.
I have created a page on www.Walgreens.com – my plan is to take pictures of
your child at work, at play and at class celebrations throughout the year.
Having access to Walgreens will enable you to view the photos that I take as
I will download them into our account. There is a great deal that you can
do with the website in reference to printing the pictures. This way, if
you’re unable to make it to a celebration you have photos available to you,
and it will also capture those moments that are just too cute for me not to
share! The information will be provided below.
If you have any questions please feel free to contact me. Thank you!
In Christ,
Bobbi Tweedle
Webpage: http://TeacherWeb.com/FL/RedeemerChristianSchool/BobbiTweedle
PLEASE add this to your favorites so you don’t have to type it in each time!
Walgreens log-in info: username: bobbi.tweedle password: k5lions
