Monica Ros School

Dear Parents,
     This is a bit early for our April note but I thought that you might like a “heads-up” for the activities of next week.  You have received the permission slip for the skating party so you are aware of that day.
     The children and I have discussed the Science Fair on Wednesday, April  1st. However, I am not certain if that communication has correctly reached you. We are now studying weather in class and that will be the primary focus in the First Grade. I have told the class that each child is welcome to bring an individual experiment or project that night. All projects should have at least a vague connection to science. Some children want to bring a small pet in a cage. Fine! It should be accompanied with a simple “How I Care For My Pet” chart. Simple experiments are fine too ( i.e. daffodils or celery in colored water —that vinegar and baking soda thing). Experiments should be backed up with the reason for the result. The Fair will be held from 5:30-6:30p.m.
     We have welcomed a lovely little girl to our class. Lilianna has recently moved to Ojai and we are delighted to have her in class.  Her parents are Bill and April and her brother Henry is enjoying the Blue Room.
     It was wonderful to meet with every family during conferences. Remember you are always welcome to schedule meetings at any time if you have concerns.
     Enjoy the days of Spring Vacation. If you are traveling, Bon Voyage! If you are staying in town enjoy those days of relaxation!
     Thank you always for helping all of us at our little school. Greatfully—Fondly—Mrs. K and Mrs. S.

We are exploring the book:
THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR
next week.

We are creating Butterfly Journals recording our observations and predictions as we watch the lifecycle before our very eyes!

During the exploration of the book we will sample all the yummy fruit the caterpillar ate. Let’s wear matching clothes next week too!
MONDAY he ate 1 RED apple (wear red).
TUESDAY he ate 2 GREEN pears (wear green).
WEDNESDAY he ate 3 PURPLE plums (wear purple).
THURSDAY he ate 4 RED strawberries (wear red).
FRIDAY he ate 5 ORANGES (wear orange).

April 1st at 5:30 pm is the Science Fair! Our theme is The Life Cycle. We are observing metamorphosis through caterpillars/butterflies, tadpoles/frogs, seeds/plants … along with tasting foods and watching our Garden grow. Oh! Come see our Ants create tunnels in their farm.

Science Fair April 1.
Spring Break April 6-10. No School.
Mad Hatter’s Tea Party May 1.
Mother’s Day Tea in the Green Room May 8.
May 25 Memorial Day. No School.
June 1 Preschool Fun Day.
June 3 Last Day of School.
We are also working on a fieldtrip to the Land Conservancy after Spring Break. More info. when available!
Mrs. Drury and Mrs. Winbury

December 3, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope you had a good holiday week, and the chance to relax and enjoy family and friends. My boys have officially declared, “No more turkey and sweet potatoes!”
I must say, your children know how to put on a play! I am so proud of all they accomplished. What a joy it was to watch them come alive on stage.
It’s official! Hayden E. is here to stay in third grade! He and his parents, Paula and Brian, are a great addition to the group. I have their contact information so we can all update our phone and email lists.

I have many of you to thank for helping out with the play and other class events:
Reagan Library Fieldtrip – I want to thank Kris, Sage, and Joe for transporting kids there.
Halloween Party – We had a fantastic Halloween Party thanks to Linda, Elizabeth, Staci and Kris, complete with grape eyeballs, almond sliver nails, cupcakes, crafts and swinging donuts!
November Barbecue – I want to thank Linda, Sage, and Staci for hosting the barbecue on November 12, and Debbie, for lending a helping hand.
Our class play – I appreciate the time and effort it took all of you to help your child with his or her script, and to put together costumes. I especially want to thank Wendy for making the sailor shirts, and supplying props for the stage, and Jackie, for creating a festive atmosphere for the State Party.

I can’t thank you enough for you time and generosity!

Math
It’s all about multiplication at the moment. I’m sure you have noticed your child’s math whirleys by now. It is my hope the children will practice with the whirleys for 5 or 10 minutes everyday. Keeping them within reach in the car during transit time makes the practice time fairly easy. Please encourage your child to bring them back and forth from home. We will practice with them in class as well. There are also many great websites to make multiplication practice interesting. Funbrain.com is one. I will send along other websites this week. The class will take timed math quizzes every Tuesday and Thursday for the next three weeks. Many of the children are working on 2’s and 3’s now. My goal is for everyone to master the math facts through 5 by December 19. Automatic recall of the facts is what we’re after. Each child will progress at his or her own pace. So, the sky is the limit!

Language Arts
We continue to meet in our literature circles three times a week to read, and talk about the setting, plot, characters, point of view, and practice our dictionary skills. We are also looking at different types of poems in class, and writing our own free verse poems about our pets, washing machines, cowboys, the sky, and believe it or not, a glue stick! Lastly, the children have begun planning creative stories about reindeers, sleighs and candy canes.

Social Studies
The children are busily typing and coloring the last of their state reports. The reports will be ready to come home just after the holiday break. It is a joy to hear them sing the songs to the play while they work!

Science
The classroom was a flurry of activity on Monday morning as we completed our study of owl pellets with bone sorting, and the comparison of rodent bones to human and cow bones. Your child’s rodent bones will come home today. The children will keep a moon journal over the course of the next three weeks, sketching the moon’s phase each Monday and Thursday evening. The moon will be at its closest to the earth when it’s full on December 12 since 1993, and not again until 2016! It should be a fantastic site! Last but not least, we will study a bit of chemistry when we make our crystal ornaments.

Noticias de la clase de español
Students have been working with and practicing question words such as qué, quién, cómo, cuándo, dónde, and por qué. Practice and reinforce concepts at home by pointing to family photos and saying, “¿Quién es?” (Who is it?). Or, “¿Dónde es?” (Where is it?). For things around the house say, “¿Qué es?” (What is it?) or “¿Dónde está?” (Where is the__?). We are also practicing los vocales (the vowels) and their pronunciation in Spanish, which will lead us to the Spanish alphabet in the New Year. Leading up to Winter break we will learn about the Mexican tradition of Las Posadas and other Latin American cultural traditions. Next Wednesday a special guest will visit 3rd grade for lesson in tamale making!

Please Note!
HELP! I am in need of large wide-mouthed Mason jars for our crystal ornaments! Please bring in any you have by Monday, December 8. Thank you!
Adopt a Family – Please drop off items in the classroom by Wednesday, December 10.I look forward to seeing you all at the holiday concert on Thursday evening, December 18.
Holiday Concert – I look forward to seeing all of you on Thursday evening, December 18 at 7:00 p.m. for the grade school holiday program. Please join us afterwards for refreshments in the classroom.

Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns. Have a great week!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Buddhu

Kindergarten News
                                                                                March 2009

Our focus this month is the life cycle of the chicken.  Other springtime fun will include learning new songs, getting ready for the mischievous wee folk, and a special spring celebration.  March will prove to be an exciting and memorable time for our kindergarten class.

Language Arts – An EGGciting adventure…The children will be keeping a scientific journal about the eggs developing in our incubator.  We are hoping for baby chicks to start hatching around the 25TH of March.   We’ll be reading a book Egg to Chick by Milicent E. Selsam.   The study of Embryology is a fascinating, rewarding and educational experience.

Math – Our 100’s day celebration was a raving success. We are so proud of all the children; what a creative group.  We will continue to review the penny, nickel, dime, and quarter by playing matching coin games.  This month we will begin a chapter on Measurement.  We will learn to compare the length, weight, and capacity of objects by making direct comparisons or using reference objects. We will also begin a Farm Counting Book to help reinforce our number writing skills. 

ART AUCTION:   This is a great opportunity to win an awesome vacation for only $100.  At the same time you are supporting our school… which we deeply appreciate!  A limited # of tickets will be sold and you do not need to be present to win.  We would love to hear one of our friends names called on March 7!  Also, try to take the time to see the online auction we are having at monicaros.org.  This is our big fund raiser for the year!  The raffle is a great way for your family and friends to support our school and have a chance to WIN BIG! 
 

Science Fair: We will be exhibiting our “Chicken Project” at the Monica Ros Science Fair.  Be sure to mark you calendars for this long awaited experience. An evening exhibit will be held on Wednesday April 1st from 5:30-6:30 p.m.

Book orders are due back this Friday, March 6th

Dates to Remember:

March 7th -  Art Auction
March 16th – 20th Parent-Teacher conferences- There will be an early dismissal of 11:55 this week.  Hot lunch will not be served.  Please send your child with a lunch if they plan to be in daycare.
March 25th – Baby Chicks Due Date
April 1st- Science Fair 5:30-6:30p.m 
April 3rd – Skating Party- no day care
April 6th -April 10th – Spring Break

We look forward to meeting with you at conference time.  Please complete and return the attached Parent Reflection form to help us prepare for our conference. 

Alice and Rychelle

Name_____________________________   Date__________

Parent Reflections

Use some of the following questions (or your own) as you tell us how you see your child progressing in Kindergarten.

Do you see evidence of your child using reading and math at home?

What do you think your child’s strengths and challenges are in Kindergarten?

Does your child demonstrate responsibility, satisfaction and enjoyment in completing homework? (reading and math)

What thoughts do you have about your child’s progress in Kindergarten?

What does your child say about their school day?

Are there specific topics or concerns you would like to discuss at conferences?

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March Red Room Newsletter

We have started our exploration of night and space. Daily we travel into space making our way through meteor showers, exploring the wide expanse of space and then return to earth for a hero’s welcome.

The imagination of my students is beyond belief. They travel in their space shuttle from planet to planet capturing aliens with their butterfly nets. We will be making space helmets and oxygen tanks. We have a wonderful CD, On the Move by Greg and Steve, which includes the story Adventures in Space. This story leads us through our space journey. We enjoy sitting at the controls and working together for the blast off.

This creative play provides valuable growth opportunities. Below please find a wonderful article that may broaden your thoughts about play.

Why Preschoolers Need To Pretend
by Jan Faull
Recent brain research has convinced many parents of the importance of providing dramatic play. Preschoolers who spend more time in programs promoting dramatic play are more advanced not only in general intellectual development but also in their ability to concentrate for long periods of time. Parents who provide stimulating early experiences—reading and talking to them and taking them on excursions– also contributes to and helps preschool aged children absorb those experiences and make sense of their world most effectively when engaging in imaginative play.

Could you please help us to enrich our play? I am in need of two 1 liter soda bottles per child for our oxygen tanks and baby food jars for our astronaut glow jars.

We hope you will be joining us for our Science Fair on April 1st. Your child will guide you through space, and, then, you and your child will be able to see science in action in the other classrooms as well.

Attached to this letter is homework for this month. See how many shooting stars you can find each night and make a wish.

Sincerely Mrs. Laszlo

March News

Dear Parents,
     March begins in Monica Ros fashion—with celebration! Throughout the day we be remember the 100th birthday of Dr.Seuss with activities that are fun and suitable for every age group in our school.
     Thank you so much to Megan_Carney, Shea_Davis, and Donna_Pope who planned and implemented a wonderful Valentine’s Day party for the class. It was a happy afternoon for the children.
     Academically this month we will continue to build on our reading and writing skills, learn basic money skills and learn to tell time to the half hour. Our study of American heroes will be an important focus that will culminate with our play on March 13th. In science we will study the season of spring and delve into the fascinating lifestyles of reptiles!
     Thank you all for coaching your children with their challenging lines. They are all coming along beautifully. Costumes are not required for our show …..but ……the children do enjoy this aspect in a production. I encourage simple costumes. Dig around in drawers and closets or beg and borrow from friends. Simple adornments will do—-an apron, a shawl, a tie, old glasses will be a nice compliment for a character. If you have any problems—talk to me. I have a trunk full of costumes and old things that could be useful. Stacy_Davis, Kena_Efraim, Curtis and Wanda_Sakai, Cullen_Robertson, Karen_Schmid and Andrea_Roe signed up to help for a short time on the morning of the play. Could we meet this Wednesday morning at 8:15 for a quick review of what will need to be done that day?
      Last, but certainly not least, you are all encouraged to buy raffle tickets, contribute to our toy box and plan a wonderful evening on Saturday at the Art Auction. So many of you have donated hours and hours of time to make this a successful event. The money raised helps all of the students at Monica Ros enjoy an enriched academic program. I do hope to see you Saturday night.
      Have a nice day and if you have time, whip up some Green Eggs and Ham. Gratefully, Mrs.K.