Dear Families:
We have been having such a wonderful time doing our family interviews. The children's questions are amazing and some of them really stump the interviewees. The children are so comfortable asking their questions to our parents and as I look at the children during the process, I cannot believe that they are only five and six years old. It is so amazing!
I enjoyed meeting most of you during the parent teacher conferences on Thursday. I always have so much to tell you about your wonderful children and enjoyed doing so. I never think that 10 minutes is enough time but I think that I kept on schedule (give or take 5 minutes). As always, my door is always open. If you need to speak to me further, just let me know.
The culmination of our week was our Grandparent's Day on Friday. I cannot tell you how much fun and interesting this day was. The Grandparents who came were Grandparents to all the children. They talked with them. They read with them. They loved them like they were their own. It was such a wonderful sight. We had each Grandparent (and Godfather) talk about their school experiences and I asked the question - "Do you remember your Kindergarten teacher's name?) Unfortunately, only one did... Yet when I asked "Did you have a teacher who made a difference in your life?" I was so impressed and touched with their responses. I was only sorry that I did not have a video to capture the moment. It was so touching. The morning ended with Jack Bowen's grandfather - who came in from New Jersey - read the book "Grandfather and I" to the entire class. It was a real special moment. I wish you were all there to have seen it.
I want to let you know that on Tuesday I will not be in class but will be at Teacher's College to attend a Workshop entitled - Getting Kids to Grow Ideas As They Read and As They Think Across Books. For most of us, reading a book is all about coming to care for a character. Once we've finished the novel, what remains in our minds are the characters. For Kindergarten children, stories people their lives. Your children come to us already caring for and identifying with characters. The characters may come from a cartoon on television, from read-aloud books, or from pop cultures, but one way or another most children already know what it is to care about a character. From this workshop, I will be able to really teach your children to develop close relationships with more characters, and show the children that caring about characters can change the way they read, think, talk and write about books. One of comments from our Grandparents that I heard over and over again was that they could not believe that Kindergarten children were reading!! It is truly amazing how well your children are reading and as a teacher it is a joy to teach them. These workshops help me, and all our teachers, become better teachers to your children.
On Wednesday, March 25th...we are going Bowling! This trip is the culmination of our Family Study. We are going to Maple Lanes in Bay Ridge. This will be a great opportunity for all kindergarteners to play, and learn together - about bowling and each other! Bowling is a great sport to build coordination, upper body strength, patience and learn spirit. We will be leaving at 9:30 a.m. from School. We will take a school bus to arrive at Maple Lanes (1570 - 60th Street) at 10 a.m. We will play up to two games and have a pizza lunch at the alley! If you have not returned your authorization and money for the trip ($12.00), please do so immediately.
Coming up....
Trip on Friday, May 15th, to Tribeca Performing Arts Center to see The Paper Bag Players perform in the show "Make A Little Room For Me!" If you have not returned the permission slip and money for the trip ($9.00), please do so immediately. The money is due to the performers on April 3rd.
New Social Studies Unit... Playgrounds. We will be working with a Social Studies Staff Developer - Renee Dinnerstein - on this inquiry-based children-centered project. Renee was a former teacher at PS 321 and was, in fact, my daughter, Alexandra's Kindergarten teacher. She worked with the Kindergarten teachers last year on our Social Studies Unit and is a wonderful asset to P.S. 154. We will be having many trips to various playgrounds around Brooklyn...so get ready!
I think that is enough for now. As always, I love working with your children and am getting a little sad that the time seems to be going very fast.
Fondly,
Ms. Graham
Sunday, March 22, 2009
Sunday, March 8, 2009
Parent As Enrichment Partners/Family Celebration/Publishing How-To Books
Dear K-207 Families,
Boy…we are really busy in Class K-207 this month. I know how much you would like to have the children read their How-To Books to you and we missed that opportunity last Friday because of the change of date for Parent As Enrichment Partners. So.... I am having the kids read one of their famous How-To books to you this Friday, March 13th during Parents As Enrichment Partners. They are very excited about this.
As you know, we have begun our Family unit in social studies, and the children are exploring what it means to be a family. We have been preparing for family interviews, and have several interviews already scheduled. (Two interviews are scheduled on Friday AFTER Parents as Enrichment Partners.)
We have been listening to stories about a variety of families. In K-207, we celebrate the fact that each of us comes from different backgrounds and we each have unique and wonderful differences.
After our quick publishing party, we would like you to join us on Friday, March 13 for an interactive family activity. We will be making family mobiles, and we’d like you to help! We will be cutting out pictures that we drew of different family members (ie: a mom, a dad, a sister, a brother) and hanging the family on wire hangers for all to see!
We are looking for donations of wire hangers to use for these mobiles. Please send them in any time this week. Also, please let us know if you will be joining us on Friday for our Publishing Party and Parents as Enrichment Partners Family Celebration.
I will be sending home a hard copy of this letter on Monday but if you can join us in making the family mobiles, please comment on this post. Thank you for all your support.
Fondly,
Ms. Graham
Boy…we are really busy in Class K-207 this month. I know how much you would like to have the children read their How-To Books to you and we missed that opportunity last Friday because of the change of date for Parent As Enrichment Partners. So.... I am having the kids read one of their famous How-To books to you this Friday, March 13th during Parents As Enrichment Partners. They are very excited about this.
As you know, we have begun our Family unit in social studies, and the children are exploring what it means to be a family. We have been preparing for family interviews, and have several interviews already scheduled. (Two interviews are scheduled on Friday AFTER Parents as Enrichment Partners.)
We have been listening to stories about a variety of families. In K-207, we celebrate the fact that each of us comes from different backgrounds and we each have unique and wonderful differences.
After our quick publishing party, we would like you to join us on Friday, March 13 for an interactive family activity. We will be making family mobiles, and we’d like you to help! We will be cutting out pictures that we drew of different family members (ie: a mom, a dad, a sister, a brother) and hanging the family on wire hangers for all to see!
We are looking for donations of wire hangers to use for these mobiles. Please send them in any time this week. Also, please let us know if you will be joining us on Friday for our Publishing Party and Parents as Enrichment Partners Family Celebration.
I will be sending home a hard copy of this letter on Monday but if you can join us in making the family mobiles, please comment on this post. Thank you for all your support.
Fondly,
Ms. Graham
Monday, March 2, 2009
Do You Believe That We Had a SNOW DAY!!!
Dear Families of K-207,
HAPPY SNOW DAY!!!!! I don't know about you parents, but I felt just like a one of the children today when I got up early and heard that schools were closed. I was so happy and excited as I am sure all the children at PS 154 were. It brought me back to my early childhood when - as children - my brothers and sisters couldn't wait for days like today. The last snow day for public schools occurred in 1996 when my seventeen year old son, Brendan, was in Kindergarten! Today was a day for children to go to Prospect Park and enjoy the last days of winter. After listening to the Mayor today, he told the children out of school that they better do their homework because schools will definitely be open tomorrow... Good things have to come to an end - I guess.
Some important news....
The Kindergarten classes invite your child’s extended family to join us for a
Grandparents AND
Special Family AND Friends Morning
Friday, March 20 - First Day of Spring!!!!!
8:40-9:20 am
This month, the kindergarten classes will be studying our families. As part of our Family Study, we invite your child’s grandparents, or members of your extended family (including special friends of the family) to join us in the classroom on Friday, March 13th. The morning will be a lovely time for grown-ups to read to children in small groups. Children will also have the opportunity to share some of their work from our Family Study and to show their classroom to these important adults in their lives!
• Our Family Study & Family Interviews in Class:
We will be learning more about one another’s families, reading more family stories and exploring the question of what it means to be a family. As part of this study, children will be learning about the concept of an interview as a means to gather information about our families. We will begin these family interviews next week. We would like to invite an adult from each family to sign-up to come into the classroom to be interviewed by the children. Interviews will take place from approximately 9:10-9:25 each day of the week. Please respond at your earliest opportunity with the morning that can work for you.
I would just like to say how proud I am of your children. They are becoming Readers, Writers and Mathematicians!! I see such a big growth in each and every one of them. They are very independent! The children are reading for 30 minutes without stopping and writing for 30 minutes or longer everyday! They are so excited about school and are eager to be in the classroom every single day. I am so happy that everyday each child knows what his or her morning job is and goes about their routines without help from me. These children will certainly be ready for first grade.
I will soon be posting the pictures from the Chinese New Year field trip at Pacificana Restaurant. I am missing my UBS cord. We all had a great time though! The children got to eat a variety of dishes such as lo mein, egg rolls, and fried rice. There was a Lion Dance performance, and even a pretend sword fight for the children to watch! It was one of our best trips and the children and parents who came really had a great time.
For Parent as Enrichment Partners on March 6th, the children will be publishing their How-To Books. The books are great and so interesting! Your children really have taught me so many interesting things. I have learned to make a mini fruit shake, how to brush my teeth, how to blow dry my hair and how to read and do math. The children love to write these books and I am sure that you will love hearing them next Friday.
On March 4th at 1:00 p.m., the FAMOUS drummer - Anthony Pinciotti - will be working with Class K-207 in our classroom doing a DRUM CIRCLE. Anthony and his wonderful wife, Annette Taconnelli, were parents in my classroom last year. Their son, Salvatore, is now in first grade. Last year, my class had a drum circle with Anthony and I asked Anthony if he would be willing to do it again this year (and for every year that I am at the school). He could not say no to me. It was wonderful last year and I expect it to be just as wonderful this year. I invite any parent who would like to listen to their children's music to come and join us. You will be amazed at the performance.
The kindergarten teachers are also planning to take the children bowling at the end of our Family Unit and hope that you will join us on that trip. We are also planning a trip to a theatre in Tribeca the beginning of May to see the Paper Bag Players. Time is really flying. Every year, I say to myself that this is the best class and that I will never have another like it. Yet, with every class that I have, I love them just as much and maybe even a little more.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be happening soon so I hope to see all of you there. More on dates and times later this week. The session is for 10 minutes. If you need to see me for a longer period of time, please arrange another date and time. I will be very happy to accommodate.
Thank you for the opportunity to teacher your children.
Fondly,
Mrs. Graham
HAPPY SNOW DAY!!!!! I don't know about you parents, but I felt just like a one of the children today when I got up early and heard that schools were closed. I was so happy and excited as I am sure all the children at PS 154 were. It brought me back to my early childhood when - as children - my brothers and sisters couldn't wait for days like today. The last snow day for public schools occurred in 1996 when my seventeen year old son, Brendan, was in Kindergarten! Today was a day for children to go to Prospect Park and enjoy the last days of winter. After listening to the Mayor today, he told the children out of school that they better do their homework because schools will definitely be open tomorrow... Good things have to come to an end - I guess.
Some important news....
The Kindergarten classes invite your child’s extended family to join us for a
Grandparents AND
Special Family AND Friends Morning
Friday, March 20 - First Day of Spring!!!!!
8:40-9:20 am
This month, the kindergarten classes will be studying our families. As part of our Family Study, we invite your child’s grandparents, or members of your extended family (including special friends of the family) to join us in the classroom on Friday, March 13th. The morning will be a lovely time for grown-ups to read to children in small groups. Children will also have the opportunity to share some of their work from our Family Study and to show their classroom to these important adults in their lives!
• Our Family Study & Family Interviews in Class:
We will be learning more about one another’s families, reading more family stories and exploring the question of what it means to be a family. As part of this study, children will be learning about the concept of an interview as a means to gather information about our families. We will begin these family interviews next week. We would like to invite an adult from each family to sign-up to come into the classroom to be interviewed by the children. Interviews will take place from approximately 9:10-9:25 each day of the week. Please respond at your earliest opportunity with the morning that can work for you.
I would just like to say how proud I am of your children. They are becoming Readers, Writers and Mathematicians!! I see such a big growth in each and every one of them. They are very independent! The children are reading for 30 minutes without stopping and writing for 30 minutes or longer everyday! They are so excited about school and are eager to be in the classroom every single day. I am so happy that everyday each child knows what his or her morning job is and goes about their routines without help from me. These children will certainly be ready for first grade.
I will soon be posting the pictures from the Chinese New Year field trip at Pacificana Restaurant. I am missing my UBS cord. We all had a great time though! The children got to eat a variety of dishes such as lo mein, egg rolls, and fried rice. There was a Lion Dance performance, and even a pretend sword fight for the children to watch! It was one of our best trips and the children and parents who came really had a great time.
For Parent as Enrichment Partners on March 6th, the children will be publishing their How-To Books. The books are great and so interesting! Your children really have taught me so many interesting things. I have learned to make a mini fruit shake, how to brush my teeth, how to blow dry my hair and how to read and do math. The children love to write these books and I am sure that you will love hearing them next Friday.
On March 4th at 1:00 p.m., the FAMOUS drummer - Anthony Pinciotti - will be working with Class K-207 in our classroom doing a DRUM CIRCLE. Anthony and his wonderful wife, Annette Taconnelli, were parents in my classroom last year. Their son, Salvatore, is now in first grade. Last year, my class had a drum circle with Anthony and I asked Anthony if he would be willing to do it again this year (and for every year that I am at the school). He could not say no to me. It was wonderful last year and I expect it to be just as wonderful this year. I invite any parent who would like to listen to their children's music to come and join us. You will be amazed at the performance.
The kindergarten teachers are also planning to take the children bowling at the end of our Family Unit and hope that you will join us on that trip. We are also planning a trip to a theatre in Tribeca the beginning of May to see the Paper Bag Players. Time is really flying. Every year, I say to myself that this is the best class and that I will never have another like it. Yet, with every class that I have, I love them just as much and maybe even a little more.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be happening soon so I hope to see all of you there. More on dates and times later this week. The session is for 10 minutes. If you need to see me for a longer period of time, please arrange another date and time. I will be very happy to accommodate.
Thank you for the opportunity to teacher your children.
Fondly,
Mrs. Graham
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