Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1

In kindergarten, it is our goal to develop readers who have a love for books.  In order to promote this, we have already started using book boxes in our classrooms this year.  Book boxes are used during IDR time, Read to Self time, DEAR time, or whatever you may call it.  This year's group of students are SO excited to get their book box and read their books.  I have never had a group of kids so excited to read this early in the year.  It makes my teacher heart happy!  I learned from a co-worker last year to use whisper phones during independent reading.  Because students this age are emerging readers, it is good for them to read out loud.  But it can get very noisy and distracting with 26 different voices.  Using whisper phones made out of PVC pipe (from Home Depot or any hardware store) helps with the noise level and helps students be able to listen to themselves read.  Students were able to stay engaged in independent reading time for 5 minutes on the first day!  We are continuing to work on our reading stamina and increase it daily.  

Jitterbugs love reading too!

Hoot #2

Well, we have survived our first field trip! We have been studying the 5 senses, so we took a trip out to Litcherman Nature Center. The students loved it. They got to rotate through centers to explore their senses and learn how different animals use their senses.  They were able to see and hear the animals in the woods as they took a hike. They were able to see the fish, geese, and turtles eat food. They were able to taste things that were sour and investigate their taste buds. They even were able to feel a snake and opossum. It was very warm, but an awesome way to reinforce the skills taught in our classrooms.

We love when parents come along as we
learn!

 

We LOVE field trips, but these kiddos were "field tripped" out on the bus ride back to school! 

 
This Week's Holler... 
This week's holler goes out to Mr. Mike, AKA Cowboy! He has been in charge of our PTA for several years. He does an outstanding job! He and his helpers are the reason our students and teachers get the things they need. Well, the past week, he has been very sick, but we are glad to report that he is doing much better. We love you Mr. Mike and all that you do for us! 

    

Two Hoots And A Holler

Hoot #1
Now that the school year has started, we are all about routines and procedures. Our students have started centers and love them. In the beginning, I know this can be a headache. We have 27 bodies that are excited. They go in 27 different directions to do their favorite center and have a million questions as they do them. Rest assure, that this too shall pass. We find that it helps to put them with partners, and encourage them to work together in the beginning. Usually, they will slowly start doing centers independently has the year progresses.

Jitterbugs are busy counting sets.

Letter recognition

Writing our letters and numbers

Hoot#2
 Learning has never been so much fun!  We truly believe in age appropriate, hands-on, fun learning activities.  We teach 5 and 6 year olds, so it is only natural that they learn through play.  We are hard at work learning so many things. If you know "littles," you know that you have to spice it up a bit to keep them engaged in their learning. As many of you know, we went to RCA about a year ago, and we were truly inspired by the things we experienced there. We have always moved and grooved, but since attending, we do a lot more and with more excitement. Helpers get to do their large group time on tables, including dancing and singing! Have I mentioned how much fun teaching kindergarten can be?!?!

This Week's Holler...
We started this school year with a brand new principal and assistant principal.  We have been truly blessed to get these two women as leaders at our school!  They truly care about their teachers and the students.  We are so proud to have this "Dynamic Duo" to lead our school to greatness!  This holler is for you Mrs. Armstrong and Mrs. Cobb!  Thank you for all of your support and faith in our school! 

 

Two Hoots and A Holler

Hoot #1
Welcome back to all of the teachers out there! Yes, this is our first post of the year. We know, for many of you, this is your first week of school. To those we would like to say, "Keep going! It will get better!" We are actually on our 5th week of school. It has been a roller coaster to say the least. We have 27 students in our room, and we have be taking standardized tests for the past 3 weeks. Well, we all have the same feelings about that so no need to get on that soap box. We also have first activity. Between that and breakfast, it can be tricky to find something for students to do during that short time. So we introduced morning tubs! Jodi and I simply do not have the time to create something (you know how it is), so we used Tara West's Hands On Exploration Tubs. We couldn't be more pleased. We printed them out on card stock and laminated the cards.  We punched holes and put them on rings. We placed the appropriate manipulatives in the tubs, set them out  and let the students go at it! There were a few rules that were put into place to make it go a little smoother. 
1. There are 3-5 sets in each bucket. Students can only go to that tub if there is an available set. 
2. The students can pick any bucket, but once they choose, that was their bucket for the morning.

  3.  Use inside voices.

They absolutely love them! 
This gives us time to get all of my morning jobs done without being interrupted constantly!

Hoot #2

  Last year, we posted how we went to Ron Clark and implemented the house system. Last year, was a trial to see what worked for us. We just had Kinder and 5th grade do the house system. This year, our entire school is doing it. We are a K-5 school with 800+ students. So far, it has gone great. We opened the school year with the teachers popping a balloon to discover their houses.  

 On the first Friday of the school year, students popped their balloons to see which house chose them. Each house meets once a month, and every Friday students get to sit with their house for lunch. Even though they are only kinders, they take a lot of pride in their house!  The weekly winning house gets to fly their flag on the flag pole out in front of the school  for the week.  
New winners are announced each Monday.  
 They are having a blast, and so are we!

As each child popped their balloon, they got a bracelet that had their house name on it. The bracelet is the color of their house. 

Rockstars had a blast popping their balloons and cheering on each other! 

The Jitterbugs loved their bracelets and finding out who was in their house!

 First Friday! Eating my lunch with Presley House! Our house color is green! Each house wears their colors on Friday and we eat together!

This Week's Holler...

This holler goes out to all of the teachers out there! We know that August and September can be rough, stressful, and very tiring. Yet, you get up every morning to tackle it all over again! You are amazing! There are the elite few in this world that can to what you do! So go out there and make a difference! 
YOU GOT THIS!