Grizzly Growlings

Game On '11-'12

2011-11-21T13:31:00.000-08:00

New Year New Class
We have had many new students, curriculum changes, and new things to get use to. I also had to have all the paper work finished for using this blog. Needless to say it has taken a lot longer for me to get it together this year.

In the beginning we had to tell our good friend Miss K good-bye as Lively needed her. The previous year we needed her.

We have had a few events to share so let's get started...Our school has been divided into teams our class is part of the team called Heroes. We are working toward keeping our school clean, our classroom orderly and being students of good character that help with other grade levels cleanliness also. We had a huge pep rally to get started. Thus far we are behind in the scores, but by very little.

Mr. Crotty came and we planted our fall garden of which I cut some broccoli for my personal Thanksgiving dinner.

August found us getting use to school.
September found us splitting Miss K's class and getting use to more students.
October found us meeting Mr. Tooth to tell us to brush our teeth more often and Gilbert's first "Trunk or Treat" where everyone dressed up and got treats from the trunks of cars.
November found us learning MANY educational things in science, math, social studies, and reading/language arts. Writing has played a major part in our learning as well. We will succeed with a lot of practice and patience. Mrs. Wise sent home a practice pack for all since we have to be thankful for a Fall break of one week.

I hope this time of Thanksgiving finds you appreciating all the wonderful things you and your family have.

Happy Thanksgiving from the Kindergarten Grizzlies!

MAVS FAN for LIFE

2011-06-14T09:30:00.000-07:00

do you really need words for this picture?

i was there in 'o6 and it was ugly

this is BEAUTIFUL!

lesson for all: TEAM work (remember there is no I)

Kindergarten Celebration 2o11

2011-06-05T14:40:00.000-07:00

We had a wonderful year!
Each child, each day, success!
We celebrated...SUCCESS!

Love 'ya, see 'ya, bye!

Time Has Flown

2011-04-09T15:52:00.000-07:00

Oh my! Has it really been since the 100th day of school since the blog update?

The month of March found us very busy. We have learned almost everything you could possiblely need to know about seeds, plants, planting, growing and being good stewards of our environment. Not to mention measuring everything in sight with non-standard units of measure. Mr. Crotty planted in the Kinder"garden" with us. Our class with Mrs. Morales' class planted radishes and onions. We "checked" them Friday and have good growth on our onions and little green sprouts for the radishes. The planting was quite an experience as the maintenance crew has built planter boxes for each grade level, then Mr. Crotty had us measure with real instruments and tools to make a 12"x12" square garden. It required nails, measuring tape, pencil, "a seed hole maker", string, and a water hose also! The squeals and applause for Mr. Crotty was outstanding. What a thrill for us all to see him in the teaching element. The greatest fun was when he pretended to water the students!

On March 31st we had a super bowl size thrill...Iden's uncle Tony came to speak to our 3-5th graders the importance of school, doing your best and listening to "your simons". Making good decisions and not following the crowd. Then he came to our classroom for a little one on one with the kids! Of course they had a lot of football related questions for him. He even checked out our football the guys play with at recess and gave his approval! (What a relief) We all think he is so COOL! He even had to stand in the doorway so we could see that someone can be more than 100 unifix cubes tall! (He went way past 100) He said his exact height is 6'5". We all said, "WHOA!"

#66 Pittsburgh Steelers known to us as "UNCLE TONY"

A LOT OF LOVE FOR THIS GUY FROM THE GRIZZLIES IN ROOM 13!

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO OUR CLASS!

Last but not least our class sang and acted out the BIG BAD WOLF and THE THREE LITTLE PIGS for our Kinder program for Gilbert Friends Faculty Association! Look out Hollywood there are some future stars in the making here!

EACH Child, EACH Day, SUCCESS! We have had a lot to share lately!

Celebrating the 100th day of Kindergarten

2011-02-10T17:13:00.000-08:00

It was a great day to be in Kindergarten!
The words are:
We've been working in our classroom for 100 days
We've been working in our classroom here in Kindergarten
Rising early in the morning
Bring our books and pencils too
Everyday we come to Gilbert
We learn something new
100th day is here, come on give a cheer
100th day is here Hooray Hooray
100th day has come
Come on join the fun
100th day is here Hooray!

for 100 days...Each child, each day, SUCCESS!

Snow Day 4!

2011-02-04T10:54:00.000-08:00

Happy New Year!

When you are "snowed" in you find all the things you meant to post on the Grizzly blog and have time to upload them. Enjoy!

In my backyard: 3 1/2"
Beautiful! Science time...season? weather? solid or liquid? how much percipitation did you get?

Are We Still In Texas?

2011-02-02T22:01:00.000-08:00

Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow? Apparently not. So if you believe your ears and eyes Spring will come early this year. It seems strange to have been at home for 3 school days because of the weather. Are we still in Texas? However, at our house the rolling black outs hit every hour and the temperature was no laughing matter. The Internet down time was not good---missing the weather reports, and of course playing "angry birds", as well as reading the latest James Patterson novel really was painful. (ha) We still can't wash some laundry as the water is frozen. We get really spoiled to the "good life."

The Wise team has received the third Kids of Character tag for exhibiting respect, responsibility and citizenship. In other words you have to be good everywhere you go. The whole class gets the reward if we have the most "tickets" for the Six Weeks. The next characteristic is trustworthiness.
The goal is to follow the school motto even more diligently...each child, each day, success!

Remember last year? Does this look familiar? Stay warm. Read a good book.

Preparing for Winter

2010-12-12T10:10:00.000-08:00

Our "little elves" have been hard at work. We are gearing up for the Winter Break. Please practice with your student during this time off to further prepare them for the "New Year" 2011! We need extra help with sentences. First grade has the expectation that we can write 3 legible, correct and comprehensive sentences on our own when we enter First grade. We can use this holiday time to practice with all the traditions and fun families have together...write about it! Math continues with ordinal numbers, addition, subtraction, numerals and sets. As always reading 20 minutes "to, by and with" per night must continue also.
Our class was very giving to the Nursing home we gave 70 items and $7.35 to them. We were not the field trip winners, but winners in giving to others. Thank you for participating.
Each child, each day, success!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

2010-11-22T21:14:00.000-08:00

We have had a lot of fun and surprises this week. I am sharing with you our successes and fun times too!
Each child, each day, success!
Happy Thanksgiving! Enjoy your family!

Our big surprise at Awards Assembly! Kids of character for the First and Second Six weeks!

Fun times at the annual "Turkey Bowl"!

Officer Gary

2010-11-13T12:46:00.000-08:00

Officer Gary came to Grizzly Kindergarten to talk about safety and most importantly, gun safety. He stressed the 4 important rules to follow if you should see a gun.
1. STOP!
2. Don't touch.
3. Leave the area.
4. Tell an adult.
Here is the result of "practicing" what we learned!

Each Child, Each Day, Success!

2010-11-06T12:54:00.000-07:00

It is, was, and will continue to be a very busy learning environment in Grizzly Land. The Grizzly team is embroiled in a "math throw down" with a rival school, which we will not even name. From K to 5th every Friday we take a 1 (yes ONE) minute math facts "test of our abilities". The goal is to IMPROVE math facts across the whole school. Please encourage your own Grizzly to keep up the good work.

The end of October found us in the noble cause of Red Ribbon week. Our counselors had us dress daily as a reminder to "Stay away from drugs!" Elvis came to help us "Rock and Roll the drugs away". One of our classmates caught a teddy bear during his performance. It was fun to say, "Elvis has left the building!"

The Wise Grizzly team needs to continue with lots of word practice, sentence building, and math facts. Ask your Grizzly to tell you about Meta cognition, Schema, Inferring and Visualization. Ask them what genre means.

As always...Each child, each day, success! (Parents, teachers, and students)
The video is the end of Red Ribbon week the title is "Team Up Against Drugs" so the students wore their favorite jersey to school ours being the Grizzly shirt "It's Time". It was our time to have Kinder Dance Club to celebrate the end of a great week of awareness.

It is Autumn!

2010-10-03T09:29:00.000-07:00

This is our debut from Theater class with Mr. Lemieux. It is titled "AUTUMN LEAVES"!

EACH CHILD

EACH DAY

SUCCESS!

Parent Information Night

2010-09-08T18:18:00.000-07:00

THURSDAY SEPTEMBER 9TH:
Meet Mrs. Wise, Ms. Chambers, and Miss Kzlotsky in the Grizzly cafeteria for the informational parent/teacher evening.
We will begin promptly at 6:00 p.m. The session will conclude at 6:45 so that 3rd-5th grade can begin their sessions. See you there!
Each Child, Each Day, SUCCESS!

The First Week Is Over!

2010-08-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

We began with a roar not a whimper! 28 new friends have arrived. Our classroom is wall to wall Kindergarten students. We are trying our best (and the teacher is included in the "we"). As you can imagine with that many 5 year olds in a confined area the sound level is beyond LOUD! Eating breakfast in the classroom is fun...so is the cafeteria and EVERYONE needing to use the one bathroom in the classroom. Maybe if we are successful you will see all of us on future episodes of SURVIVOR the KINDERGARTEN T.V. SHOW. Ha! Stay tuned for future updates. As always at Gilbert each child, each day, success!

2010-07-08T12:20:00.000-07:00

10 ways to become a better reader:
1. read
2. read
3. read
4. read
5. read
6. read
7. read
8. read
9. read
10. read

Summer Movie Time

2010-06-19T15:25:00.000-07:00

It is FABULOUS!

SCHOOL'S OUT FOR SUMMER

2010-06-04T15:50:00.000-07:00

CONGRATULATIONS CLASS OF 2009-10!
We had a great year together.
EACH CHILD, EACH DAY, SUCCESS!
Love 'ya
See 'ya
BYE!

END OF YEAR REMINDERS

2010-05-25T20:13:00.000-07:00

Wednesday (tomorrow) will be 5 days until school is over for this Kindergarten class of 2009-10. Here are some gentle reminders for the coming week:
Monday - Memorial Day Holiday NO SCHOOL
Tuesday - regular school day
WEDNESDAY - CELEBRATION for K kids...students go to class at regular time, please wear your fancy clothes (no uniforms, shorts, or tank tops please) parents meet in the cafeteria by 9:00 am
Make this a special day for your family 12:00 dismissal for ALL students, so go celebrate when the ceremony is over!
Thursday - LAST DAY! EVERYONE GOES HOME AT 12:00. Have a wonderful summer. Love, your Kindergarten Teacher

2010-05-18T16:50:00.000-07:00

There are a lot of activities as the school year winds down. We have been having such a good learning experience in the library this week. Kindergarten has teamed up with Ms. Pitts in the library to do research in preparation for next year. Our topic has been Dinosaurs. Tomorrow (Wednesday) we will finish our library year with a "dig". Ask your Kinder Paleontologist about their experiences.

We also have begun our Celebration practices on stage in the cafeteria. The official Celebration will be Wednesday, June 2 at 9:00 am. Invite everyone and then go celebrate our Kindergarten year where ...EACH CHILD, EACH DAY, SUCCESS is our motto.

Thursday we will hear from Community Helpers and learn about their careers.

As our class really loves the book Pete the Cat says, "IT'S ALL GOOD!"

2010-05-12T15:58:00.000-07:00

Friday Field Time at PE -11:35 on the blacktop next to the gym
Come help your K student enjoy this special PE class time

The Latest

2010-05-03T13:58:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten is always full of enthusiasm! Last Tuesday we went to the Ft. Worth Zoo.
What a trip! (in more ways than one) The best comment was, "The giraffe is the best animal at the zoo. He smiled at me because he was happy I was there." Absolutely the cutest thing I heard.

Then Thursday we got the land snails to wake up and come out for a little observation time. We looked at them closely and carefully. The curiosity built until finally someone said, "can we hold one?" Of course you can! SURPRISE! They just knew I would say no. We had more fun. We drew them and wrote our observations in our Science Notebook and then....this little voice said, "when you were not looking I put one on my cheek, it tickled me there too!" I do have pictures for their memory book, but that one I missed. Hmmm--wonder how I could do that?

EACH CHILD, EACH DAY, SUCCESS---22 DAYS AND COUNTING

DATES TO REMEMBER

2010-04-17T15:42:00.000-07:00

As of Friday...33 days until school is out!
Can you believe it? Time flies when you are having fun! Who knows if anyone truly reads this blog, but here goes. It is that time of year when activities start mounting up and you need a calendar to keep track of things. Of course the most important thing right now is birthdays, and the CLASS ZOO TRIP TO FT. WORTH! Thursday, April 22 from 6-7 pm Kindergarten family Math night. Tuesday, April 27 Ft. Worth Zoo. Friday, May 7 Cinco de Mayo Celebration from 3:45-7:45 pm. Try outs begin soon for the all school talent show in May also, so if your student has a talent to share or even as a family you have talents show Mr. Strawbridge. Everyone please mark your calendar now for THE MOST IMPORTANT EVENT IN THE HISTORY OF YOUR K KID...WEDNESDAY, JUNE 2 at 9:00 am we will celebrate Kindergarten with the end of school ceremony that you will not want to miss. You will want to invite family and friends to come also. It is always the most exciting thing for our families to be a part of. It is the day that everyone has 12:00 dismissal so all the families plan something "special" to do together after the official celebration at school! DO NOT FORGET YOUR CAMERA!
You will be getting lots of notes and further information as each event gets nearer. Remember to always look inside the RED DAILY folder. You know already that 4th grade asks for popcorn requests and money on THURSDAY for popcorn delivery on FRIDAY.

Kinder quote of the week...I ran into my rocking chair with my leg Friday and it made a pretty loud thud, one of my precious students said in the lowest, deepest voice, "that's 'gonna leave a mark!" We all had a good belly laugh and kept on going.

EACH CHILD, EACH DAY, SUCCESS! LOVIN' THOSE K KIDS!

Texas Stadium

2010-04-11T15:42:00.000-07:00

Just like every other Cowboy fan and Irving resident I have fond memories of Texas Stadium. I watched the implosion this morning with mixed emotions also. Rachael (the photographer) was out and about Saturday and snapped this last image to share with me. I remember watching the Cowboys on t.v. with my Dad and then when I was pregnant with our #1 daughter Robyn, we flew to Dallas to take Daddy to a "real" game for his birthday. Then some years later Robyn as a high school cheerleader and Rachael as the high school mascot were down on that field cheering the other Cowboys to victory for playoff games in high school. I also passed it daily for about the last seven years on my way to school each morning. What an amazing flood of memories as it fell with precision into a smoking rubble. Wow!

2010-04-07T15:51:00.000-07:00

This week driving home one hill I pass looks a lot like this picture. Beautiful! As we count down the days until "we" are officially First Graders it is always nice to take the time to stop and appreciate the Bluebonnets. Tomorrow's count will be 40 days until this school year is over. The Grizzly's in Room 13 need to continue with nightly reading and for extra practice try writing your own story and reading it to your family. Our art teacher had the students draw bumblebees in class and then today we wrote our own story about the bees. Pretty interesting. Tomorrow we are going to participate in the TOMS campaign and go without shoes for a little while. Check out all the activities and reasons for being appreciative of having shoes at www.toms.com. We will blog about our adventure after April 8th. TOMS is the abbreviation for tomorrows shoes. A very worthy cause and near and dear to the Wise family.

Our zoo trip is scheduled for April 27th, that is another TAKS day for the upper grades, so it will be necessary for everyone to be on time and QUIET as we load the buses and set out for Ft. Worth. It will be a great day of learning and we are thankful to our parent volunteers.

As always...each child, each day, SUCCESS!

OPEN HOUSE TEXAS STYLE

2010-03-25T16:37:00.000-07:00

We had a great Grizzly turn out for Texas Public School's Open House!

The Grizzlies in Room 13 worked very hard to produce the best journals, science notebooks, Texas work of all kinds, math skills, and even their "twin" was seating at their table space. Moms, Dads, Aunts, Uncles, Grandmothers, Grandfathers, and siblings enjoyed their school tour guided by their Kindergarten student. We were very proud of the Fairy Tale we wrote, illustrated and let Mrs. Wise print on the computer. Everyone had their own copy and we even had a large class book. (it is not available on Amazon - yet) As a family project each student brought his/her version of a stick horse to decorate the hall. We all said, "YEE-HAW!" and the following week was Spring Break!

Last Day of Spring Break

2010-03-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Snow on the second day of Spring? Yep! The redbuds had budded and then they were stunned this morning with some really cold temperatures and SNOW!?

Luckily it will all be gone in time for school tomorrow morning with the temperatures to be in the 70's?

Rest, relaxing and recuperating sums up Spring Break for me. Watching old movies, sleeping late and being nurse to Rachael left little time for any travel or fun "stuff". The Cymbidium van was "T-boned" with Rachael as the driver Monday morning of Spring Break. After an emergency room visit and x-rays she was pronounced fine. However, she has been quite sore and went to work Friday for the first time.

School stuff: remember April 2 is coming soon, we need your zoo money. I have plenty of parent volunteers, so all the students need to have their money in. More information will come as soon as the money situation is clear. It is always a fun learning experience at the zoo.

I hope everyone has adjusted to Daylight Savings time by now and I will see all you great Grizzlies first thing Monday morning! EACH CHILD, EACH DAY, SUCCESS!

2010-03-12T15:11:00.000-08:00

"Spring Forward"
Beginning Daylight Savings Time

Daylight savings time begins this weekend,
at 1:00 a.m. on Sunday, March 14th.
Clocks should be set FORWARD one hour.

Happy Spring Break! We had a fabulous Open House Thursday night. The kids were very excited to be the "boss" and give a complete guided tour to all who came to see their work. Several parents commented on the growth they saw from the beginning of the year until now in academics and physical growth. Kids are always an amazing miracle. Enjoy your family time.

Each child, each day, SUCCESS!

2010-03-06T09:41:00.000-08:00

I am not a movie critic. I am an avid reader. I have read Through the Looking Glass. I have seen the Disney version of Alice in Wonderland. I now have seen the NEW Alice in Wonderland. I am a fan of Johnny Depp. (although I could not finish Sweeney Todd) As an adult I enjoyed the movie very much. As a Kindergarten teacher I am not so sure I would take my 5 or 6 year old to see this version without first having a serious talk with him/her. We know this is fantasy and that these are actors pretending, but some scenes were intense. The imagery is fantastic. I was totally engrossed the whole time. The big guy sitting by me REALLY liked the whole movie. (husband) He even said, "I'm not sure about this for the little guys." There were many young children at the early movie. (notice I said "early") Just remember I'm that 'ole Kindergarten teacher who likes the innocence of childhood for as long as "they" can possibly maintain it. Now I think I would enjoy it in 3D. Whatever your personal decision---reading is always the best and your own imagination is too!

REMEMBER: Thursday, March 11th Open House 6:30 p.m. come and go

EACH CHILD, EACH DAY, SUCCESS!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss

2010-03-03T18:55:00.001-08:00

The Cat in the Hat came back and he brought a bunch of Kindergarten Kids!

We do so like Dr. Seuss books. We will have our last activity in the Library Friday when we vote for our favorite character and book.

SMILE

2010-03-03T18:07:00.000-08:00

Uniform

Precious

Definitely each child, each day, success!

My Teacher Loved Snow

2010-02-24T18:16:00.000-08:00

This is the proof that my Kindergarten friends pelted me with snowballs! Do you see all the snow on me? That's from your sweet kid-Os. However...there is a big snowball in my right hand. We are still talking about this day. We were hoping it was going to happen again this week, but we were not that lucky. It was really cold, but passed us by. One of the boys said, "your face got smaller!" Actually my hair was very wet in the front and squished flat. It was such fun. I really enjoyed this time we shared and all the squeals of sheer delight!

Happy Valentine's Day!

2010-02-14T15:13:00.001-08:00

NO SCHOOL SNOW DAY

2010-02-14T15:07:00.000-08:00

School is cancelled! So what do all good teachers do? Still get up at 5:30 a.m., grab a camera, and walk around the neighborhood. The weather man had said record snowfall in a 24 hour period. Here is the proof - 12" DFW area. I found the winter wonderland at our park. Wonderful!

Snowball Fight!

2010-02-14T15:00:00.001-08:00

Thursday afternoon! Seriously we can go outside? I can pummel my teacher with snowballs? (yes they did) Luckily I was damp from my hips to my knees and occasionally one hit me in the face. We had a blast!

Welcome to Gilbert

2010-02-14T14:58:00.000-08:00

Thursday Morning Greetings!

This is Texas?

2010-02-05T14:20:00.000-08:00

We've been working in our classroom for 100 days.

We've been working in our classroom here in Kindergarten!

Everyday we come to Gilbert we learn something new!

Displaying our family project of 100 things in our hallway.

Singing the 100 day song, counting to 100 by 1's, 2's, 5's and 10's, measuring ourselves with unifix cubes (no one was 100 cubes tall), reading books, writing, eating the number 100 (1-Twinkie 0-2 Oreos) and CELEBRATING 100 days of learning.

It was fun. It was exciting. It was a loud and rowdy day of Math! We enjoyed at least 100 minutes of the activities.

We are 100 days smarter! Each child, each day, success.

2010-02-02T16:40:00.000-08:00

Will Punxsutawney Phil see his shadow?

That was THE question February 1st. We predicted he would! Today February 2, 2010 was the "official" groundhog day we had anticipated. Our prediction was correct! We watched Phil via utube. Then during rotation time all our activities were in honor of Phil. We wrote sentences, read books, sang songs, and sequenced his story. We located Pennsylvania and decided Phil did not live in Texas because..."we do not have any snow or men in funny suits and hats around here." The kids also thought that Phil was probably thinking "how rude of you to wake me up for this!" Too many people and cameras. The other observation was "don't you think it was all the flashes going off that caused his shadow...cause we didn't see any sun there." Anyway we know that Spring is six weeks away, but what fun we had trying to pronounce Punxsutawney, making predictions and learning about shadows too.

We also had our first experience with Mr. Johnson and netbooks. Exciting! Techno savy here we come!

In science we placed "seeds"/butter beans in ziploc bags to observe what will happen. We are competing with the the other Kinder classes to see whose sprouts first. We can observe everybody's daily as we taped them to the big windows by the atrium that we pass daily headed to lunch. Team Wise hopes we have the greenest thumbs!

Each child, each day, success!

Count Down to 100

2010-01-29T18:08:00.000-08:00

Each child, each day, success... that is the motto of Gilbert. Everyday we as a school community try to live out this philosophy. We have been counting since the first day of school. We are so close to the 100th day we are anticipating all the fun activities headed our way. Today we took our Family Project home. The assignment was to decorate a one hundred with 100 things of their choosing. We will display them in the hall for the whole school to enjoy. The official 100th day of school is Thursday, February 5th. Yes, we will be 100 days smarter! We will also be practicing the math skills of counting by 2's, 5's, 10's and 1's.

CELEBRATING MARTIN LUTHER KING

2010-01-18T08:54:00.000-08:00

The Grizzly's in Kindergarten expressed their dreams Friday as we reflected on the life of Dr. Martin Luther King.

I have a dream...

Brianna said, "to be a flower girl someday."

Dulce said, "to be a doctor."

Brian said, "to work for money."

Nayeliz said, "to go to college."

Nile said, "to be a teacher."

Rithik said, "to read chapter books.

Jonathan said, "to play football."

Leslie said, "to drive a car."

Brandon said, "to work for my Dad."

Grace said, "to wear dresses ALL the time!"

Brianna said, "to be a 5th grader."

Macy said, "to go to First Grade."

Mrs. Wise said, "for all my students to fulfill their dreams!"

Thank you Dr. King for your contributions to our lives, may we all follow the example to have a dream and work to make that dream a reality.

*some of our classmates were absent as Friday was a half-day for us and did not get to express their dreams, however we know that they each have one for themselves.

continue the Gilbert motto: each CHILD, each day, success!

COWBOY MANIA

2010-01-15T08:52:00.000-08:00

We believe!

We have heart!

We made a really good sentence!

2010-01-08T14:51:00.001-08:00

The Artic Blast was a reality for the Grizzlies today, but our spirits were strong enough to give the COWBOYS the "thumbs up" for victory against the eagles! Friday's are always fun, but today we had a lot of science observations going on with the temperature outside the cafeteria foyer registering 20. We saw water freeze! We documented our observations in our science journal. Then we decided to leave our silly hats on for a photo to prove our loyalty and devotion to the DALLAS COWBOYS! January 2010 will be full of testing our reading and math skills, so continue to work in these areas at home as well. If you still have your Winter Break packet, dig it out. Rhyming really needs some extra attention. Stay warm, root for those COWBOYS, drink some cocoa, read a good book, and be ready to return Library books Monday. Remember ...each child, each day, SUCCESS!

HAPPY NEW YEARRRRR

2009-12-31T11:06:00.000-08:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Gracie and Bentley sing out the old year and welcome 2010 in a howling contest!

We also count down the time until the new school year begins January 4, 2010. I hope your Winter Break was glorious!

Wishes Do Come True

2009-12-29T17:38:00.000-08:00

Two snows during the Winter Break?!

Believe it.

So peaceful, so quiet, so lovely!

2009-12-27T18:15:00.000-08:00

I really enjoyed the Texas White Christmas! Listening to holiday music, being with the family, seeing the lights glistening in all the neighbor's yards and then SNOW! Our dogs did not appreciate that cold stuff on their feet. The weather forecaster said it had been 83 years since this area had had a white Christmas. What a delight to see!

2009-12-18T07:39:00.000-08:00

Happy Holidays from the Kindergarten Grizzlys in Room 13!

Peace, joy and love to all!

Enjoy this time with your kinder kid.

Practice the Winter Break parent survival skills packet and we will see you January 4, 2010!

Each child, each day, success!

2009-12-07T19:27:00.000-08:00

The countdown to Christmas has begun. We are learning despite our enthusiasm for Winter Break. Our school project was to show the new Kids of Character Trait for December--Caring and Sharing. Here is the latest evidence of Kids of Character.

2009-12-03T15:45:00.000-08:00

Thank you Grizzly's, family and friends! Today was the happiest birthday ever! I had a "shout out" on KGIL from Principal Crotty and crew. Which included the upbeat "YOU GO GIRL!" I was sung to numerous times, received many hugs, and even a mouth full of whip cream! To my dismay no pictures. Lots of fun and well wishes. THANK YOU AGAIN FROM THE BOTTOM OF MY HEART!

2009-12-02T14:36:00.000-08:00

A picture is worth a 1000 words! Kinder quote of this day, "HEY! It's raining SNOW!" We "caught" snowflakes on black construction paper. Then of course we had to stick out our tongues and "TASTE" a snowflake. What a delightful surprise and we even had a science lesson as an added bonus! Only in Texas could it be over as quickly as it appeared. Lots of squeals of delight and then sadness at lunchtime when it was ALL gone. P. S. (yes that "big kid" in the back...that's their TEACHER!)

Each child, Each day, SUCCESS!

December Events

2009-12-01T15:22:00.000-08:00

It's December! Only 2 more shopping days until my Happy Birthday!

We have a full agenda of events for December.

Our hallway looks lovely. Thank you parents for helping us make our Family Project Silly Stocking.

Today in Art the students made a really cute Rudolph with their hands being the antlers. Quite a show to see. They were so proud of their work that they held an impromptu art show all the way down the hall for anyone that would notice. You've got to love those Kinder Kids!

Gilbert's Food Drive ends this Friday. Kindergarten is responsible for 2 cans of fruit or 2 boxes of crackers. As a reward the kids will receive a "free jeans pass" for Thursday, December 17th.

We will have our special snack/celebration Thursday, December 17th also. We as a class will not have an exchange of gifts -- our potluck snack is gift enough for us as we will be practicing the Kids of Character trait "Caring and Sharing." Friday, December 18th is ALL SCHOOL PAJAMA DAY! Everyone will participate! Please be sure to wear your cutest, most fun, holiday, super hero, silly or precious PJ'S! Girls need to wear pajamas and not gowns. We all need to wear our tennis shoes and be able to go to recess or PE in what we are wearing.

It will be FUN!

Continue to help us practice some of our learning skills while you are having holiday fun...we need special help with deleting beginning and ending sounds of words, blending sounds to make words, rhyming words, knowing numeral names and amounts for that numeral and counting to 100.

Gilbert's motto: Each child, Each day, SUCCESS!

2009-11-29T14:34:00.000-08:00

Room 13 had a wonderful Native American Thanksgiving!

We are thankful for food, family and friends. We are thankful Miss Lawson was there for our picture.

2009-11-11T15:11:00.000-08:00

It's November, It's November

Let's give thanks, Let's give thanks

Pilgrims set the table, Pilgrims set the table

Indians brought the food, Indians brought the food!

Yes, that is the theme of November calendar time in the 'ole room 13. We are gearing up to be the Indians in a scaled down version of the Thanksgiving feast in that we will write our Indian name, make a "leather" vest, make a "bone" necklace, play the Indian game of Indians and sticks, and eat the delicious feast compliments of the "Pilgrims" in our cafeteria! All coming to a Kinder class near you next week.

This week we have BIG NEWS!!! For Kids of Character we had 241 paper tickets saying we show responsibilty and we won the necklace for November! EXCELLENT! Now we are already in hot pursuit of the next characteristic...Good Citizen.

Our journal writing today said, "THANK A VETERAN!" and we did! One of our fellow Kindergarten teachers served in the Army and we got to say thank you to someone we really know. It put meaning and substance to such a strange sounding word. Everyone drew themselves holding an American flag. WOW!

Signing off like the KGIL staff (that's our school t.v. station) learn a lot, listen to your teacher and remember here at Gilbert each child, each day, SUCCESS!

2009-11-02T17:51:00.000-08:00

Halloween is over. Pumpkin cutting is over. Red Ribbon Week is over. The Book Parade is over. Daylight Savings Time is over. (where did that "extra" hour go? what "extra hour"?) The sugar rush is still on! The countdown to Thanksgiving break has begun! (by teachers and staff) Reading, math, science and writing continue daily. This week we will be bringing home flash cards and a reading log to use nightly. This past week was full of extra activities, but now the push for excellence in behavior and academics is on! Parents please make an extra effort to check the red folder every night and ask your student to let you see it if he/she does not bring it to you first. We have a lot of remember to's: remember to 1. send a snack everyday 2. homework 3. red folder 4. Library books on Monday's and Thursday's 5. sight word practice and 6. go to bed early

COMING SOON: THE SCHOLASTIC BOOK FAIR IN THE LIBRARY

Meet Miss Lawson

2009-10-21T20:11:00.000-07:00

It has been a busy month in Grizzly Land! Finally testing, station organization, and scheduling has been finalized. Now we can formally introduce our new Grizzly. We have another set of hands helping us (me). Miss Lawson comes to us from Irving High School where she is preparing to be a teacher. Miss Lawson is not new to me. I had the privilege of being Shelbie's Kindergarten teacher in 1997! Yes, I do feel old, however she was a delight then and still is. I am so proud of her. Even "back in the day" she would say, "I want to be a Kindergarten teacher when I grow up!" Here she is on her way to reaching that goal. I have seen her progress from being that little cutie doing cheers on the playground, wearing plastic high heels in the housekeeping/dress up center, coming to see me several times throughout her school years at Open House, showing me her first car and now seeing her mature into the Senior year of High School! I feel very blessed to have her want to be in my classroom (again) and see that she is determined to be an Educator. This is a real treat to have a former student involved in my life and our classroom. We love Miss Lawson!

Autumn

2009-10-01T15:14:00.000-07:00

It is Autumn! It is October 1st and our class has "trick or treat" fever already! How can that be possible? It was all the buzz today. Some of us even wrote about it in our Word Work time. Amazing. It will be fun to get those pumpkins and have some science learning activities...a gross favorite last year was to watch our pumpkin decompose(rot--P U). Who knows what we can come up with this time? We took our October/November family project home tonight and I can't wait to see how creative our friends can be. Parent Conference Day is approaching quickly (Thursday, October 8). Look for your special date and time as that schedule came home tonight also. Our latest photo op for the Wall of Fame today was placing our head into Ms. Chambers foil sparkly leaf door decoration. We had some giggles with that experience. Remember the Gilbert motto...each child, each day, success!

2009-09-26T15:25:00.000-07:00

Our school is practicing "Kids of Character". Every month we are encouraged to use good habits to form our character. This month the characteristic we are trying to portray is being respectful. We try to use these good habits everywhere we go and in everything we do. As this picture depicts we are so thrilled to have received the "Best Behavior Trophy" from our P.E. class, Coaches Alred, Perez and Rodriquez presented the trophy Monday. We hope that this is just the beginning. Yea team Wise! As the theme song goes..."Character Counts!"

Constitution Day

2009-09-21T20:03:00.000-07:00

The preamble to the Constitution. Try that one for Kindergarten Kids. Mission accomplished September 17, 2009, 222 years after the "real" Constitution was written. We know this because we subtracted to get that big number! Luckily there is a great book entitled We the Kids which tells the story on a kid friendly level. We took that story to mean that as a government in which we live people make a promise, write it down, sign it and follow it. That's how our document came to be. The students brainstormed every possible thing you could imagine. It took a while for all to agree and narrow the thoughts down to five. Five?...because the majority of our class' age is five! That's how you get five promises. Logical huh? Then we all had to agree that these promises were ones we could keep AND were willing to sign our name to. Here is proof of our endeavors. The next best thing to happen to us was that Mr. Crotty our principal showed our poster to the ENTIRE school on KGIL (our school announcement/tv station). It really doesn't get any better than that. What a compliment to our class. As the Kindergarten teacher for Room 13 #4 and #5 on our preamble made my heart very happy! Maybe we should tell Washington!

2009-09-05T08:05:00.000-07:00

Happy Labor Day Week-End!

The second week of school was filled with even more things to learn. A lot less "rule" orientation and a lot of work. We ended the week of reading, writing, and fact finding about bears with our annual Teddy Bear Picnic. Fun Friday had even more meaning this week with most of our students wearing their Gilbert Grizzly t-shirt, bringing a towel, sack lunch and favorite Teddy Bear friend to class to learn all about Kindergarten! Once all the Kindergarten classes were huddled on the patio for picnic time with their bear headband and Teddy Bear friend settled just right, all the proud Kindergarten teachers began snapping pictures of the event. While the students ate their lunch we noticed the digital images looked like a bevy of penguins sitting on the beach. Too cute! Most of the students in our class then took the time to write about their Teddy Bear friend at school once the patio was spotless as we are also conscience of our environment and how it is our responsibility to clean our own messes. The day ended with our Kinder Dance club on the patio. I am sure this week-end the parents will get a "re-cap" in their own student's version.

This coming week parents have the opportunity to come to Kindergarten for

"Meet the Teacher".

It is a very important meeting where a lot of questions can be answered and parents and teacher get to know each other better. It is recommended that parents attend this event without children. Kindergarten-2nd Grade will meet with their teacher promptly at 5:30 and end at 6:15. Sorry, but there will be no "do overs" or "re-starts". This gives parents with multiple children time to visit each classroom. The teachers will not discuss individuals at this time. Insight into curriculum and expectations are the focus of this event.

Kindergarten quote of the week heard by Mr. Crotty: two girls walking in the bus line to the gym to meet the buses..."What bus do you ride?" ...." I ride the yellow one!"

2009-08-29T12:19:00.000-07:00

It is official! The first week of Kindergarten has come to a successful end! Whew!

It was a week of many "firsts", but we made it. The first week in the cafeteria we had our "Big Buddies" from 5th grade help us. Fun times for them and less nerves for the Kinder crowd. Breakfast in the classroom is always fun too! (Ha)

At this time we have 16 new friends, but our school has not had the after Labor Day crowd arrive yet, so there is always the possibility of more to come. Friday was our first spirit day and this year all the students had the advantage of purchasing the new Grizzly t-shirt (we call it the year of the happy motorcycle motif). We all looked really "cool dude"! Friday is fun hat day and Kinder dance club on the patio. So to end the week with some fun activities is always a plus. Next week....Teddy Bear picnic. Each child, each day, success!

BACK TO SCHOOL

2009-08-18T19:27:00.000-07:00

Have you seen the Staples commercial? The Dad is dancing in the aisles and the children are dragging along so very sad, they can't even look at the school supplies. Guess what? I can relate to those children! It is the cutest commercial, but O, O, O, O, O no more late night movies---I've got to get up early. I can already hear those new grizzlies growling to come to Kindergarten. We have staff development Wednesday and Thursday with "Sneak A Peak" on Friday (that's where you come see your teacher scrambling around to make your classroom the best one on the block) while greeting you and your grown-up. The school has been a buzz for quite some time with all those dedicated teachers sweating in the Texas heat. That would be me as the air conditioner decided today was the day to say, "no way, you can't make me"! Lucky for me all my hall friends left their doors open so a fan could push their cool air my way. Whew what a way to start the new year. This too shall pass. Decorations, disinfecting, and table washing must go on! So as I have the picture of that Dad sailing across the aisle on his shopping cart with a HUGE smile on his face ---- I have got to go to bed!

continued Kinder cuties

2009-08-12T15:50:00.000-07:00

Three days of district staff development - check

Now ready to go to Grizzly land and sort books, get name tags, student "tool boxes" loaded and see new Grizzly t-shirts - tomorrow a check

Saw an excited ready to be a Kindergarten student in the teacher's store today and heard the cutest conversation when she saw a teacher that her Mom teaches with..."Guess what? I'm ready for school, I get to go 'cause now I'm tall!" Once again a heart warmer! I so needed that after three days of information.

Soon there will be Grizzly Growlings from the Class of 2009/10.

2009-08-04T14:14:00.000-07:00

I am feeling like an expectant mother with that "nesting" feeling--you know got to clean it up, get it ready, sort it out. I have been elbow deep in listening to some neglected cd's and making big books to go along with them. Rodney and I made a trip to Grizzly land to shampoo my circle rug, unstack furniture, move tables, and see the new painting. The school looks amazing. However, who thought WHITE WALLS would be a good idea for an elementary school?! I guess zip ties would be out of the question for all those inquisitive hands. (really I'm kidding) Seems like all that packed up stuff swells and there is no place to put it and of course schools do not have storage for teachers. Monday begins three days of teacher inservice so I guess the rest of the week I'll begin room preparation in earnest and then the next week all the "magic" happens--campus inservice and classroom readiness. As an old friend once told me, "they're coming, ready or not"! I'm thinking it's time to get ready!

2009-07-21T11:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how time flies when you are having so much fun! You know doing laundry, walking dogs, reading some good books and floating in the pool. I just happened to look at today's date and noticed that in about 2 1/2 - 3 weeks the school grind will begin for teacher's with inservice and then the following week school starts "for real"! It is always a nerve racking time no matter how old you are or how long you've been going to school. Some things become routine -- like starting now to go to bed early, getting clothes cleaned and a few "school supplies" at the local sales. Why is it that I always have to get at least one new thing for school each year? It's not like I don't have 25+ years of "stuff". Packing all that "stuff" before school was out for a school wide painting would make you want to cut down on things-----nah! Got to stay "hip" and up to date. I can't wait to see the new faces coming and what kind of new adventures we will get into. One thing that always keeps me going is the funny things they say. I was at the hair stylist recently and a five year old was there with the most incredible vocabulary and maturity I haven't witnessed in a while. She patiently waited for her Mom to be styled and then explained their day to all of us who sat mesmerized by how precious she was. Her Mom shared with us that her children do not eat "junk food" and therefore that was why Miss L had requested that they go to Starbucks for a fruit drink and then to the Farmer's Market for fresh vegetables because they are the "bestest" for you! Then that night the neighborhood was having movie night on a big sheet in their backyard. "Oh, are you having candy?" "Oooo, no candy is bad for you, we are having popcorn...airpopped is better for you!" Wow! and yes she was the oldest of 4 with #5 on the way. See why Kindergarten is the BEST!

"Food for Thought"

2009-07-09T08:59:00.000-07:00

GIVING by Bill Clinton

JANTSEN'S GIFT by Pam Cope with Aimee Molloy

As an educator your (my) immediate goal is to meet the educational needs of each student. After reading both of these books my heart wants to instill in even the youngest of students how fortunate they are to receive a "free" education, then take that gift and become a power agent of change in our world.

No matter what personal opinions you may have both of these books are powerful and thought provoking. I can not imagine reading them and not being changed, challenged, or moved to action in some form or fashion.

CHECK IT OUT FOR YOURSELF! (amazon.com)

2009-07-06T11:16:00.000-07:00

Fun, food, family and the Fourth of July...what could make the summer more glorious?! How about a funny movie called Ice Age Dawn of the Dinosaurs? Who could resist those zany characters and the added thrill of 3D with your very own pair of "RayBan like" glasses? Yes, husband Rodney and I were there the first day just two fun loving childless older than ten year olds popcorn, coke icee, and glasses ready adventurers seated in the middle of the middle for added viewing pleasure as the family crowds appeared. We were not disappointed. Scrat (the always looking for the acorn squirrel) came through for us as usual! We are the same two-some that have been known to watch the previous Ice Age movies back to back on a Sunday afternoon laughing in between "knod off's and snores" awakened by Roxie the Jack Russell barking at Scrat in his earlier antics. Too bad we couldn't sneak her into the movie theatre as "our child". Oh well there's always the hope of DVD! I even kept my glasses just in case. Hey, before you judge all the other "kids" did it! (the cleaning guy said, "oh go ahead we just throw them away!")

Dog Days of Summer

2009-07-01T10:01:00.000-07:00

Monday night...10:30 p.m. time for all good dogs to do their nighttime potty run. AHHHHH what's that smell? SKUNK! An experience you and your poor dog never want to have. However, if the incident should take place the "cure" is not the old myth of tomato juice. The first thing to do is grab the dog not with your hands, clothing or anything sacred to you. Flush the dogs eyes with water immediately as skunks have a dead aim for the eyes. While Rachael flushed the eyes the search for the real cure was taking place via the internet. Needless to say it was an ORDEAL! The next day we were still airing out and had to rewash the one major player in this event - good 'ole Bentley. He was quite the good dog and we finally won the battle of Wise family versus "skunk-itis"! (P U)

Here is the secret recipe that WORKS. Mix the following:
1 quart 3 percent hydrogen peroxide
1/4 cup baking soda (sodium bicarbonate)
1 teaspoon liquid soap or dish detergent
Mix these together and bathe ("shampoo" in or rub down) the spray victim thoroughly.
Be sure to use this mixture immediately after it is created, as it is unstable.
Rinse with tap water afterward, and repeat if necessary.
For spray in the eyes, flush with water as soon as possible.

Clean Dog = Happy Owners!

A Birthday Celebration

2009-06-17T20:05:00.000-07:00

Summer is going great! Yesterday we celebrated my oldest daughter, Robyn's birthday with a fun dinner party that Rachael (my youngest) and I planned for her. We ate at hattie's, in the Bishop Arts District in Dallas. It never disappoints. We always start dinner off with their fabulous tomato bisque, and mini grilled cheese sandwiches. Then, for dinner our favorite is the catfish.

No birthday dinner would be complete without birthday cake, so after a lovely dinner, we retired to the house for coffee and cake. What are some of your family birthday traditions?

Hello World!

2009-06-11T15:09:00.000-07:00

Welcome to shout outs and musings from room 13. After a great close to the school year, I am enjoying my first days of summer. Congrats class of 2009! I am so proud of you!