Almost there!

I can hardly believe we are heading into our final week!  Let me get you caught up on the end of this week's happenings!

Day #4 Balloon:  Extra recess!  We enjoyed a great afternoon outside playing yesterday!

Day #3 Balloon:  Today's balloon was a "snowball" fight!  We used paper from the recycling bin to wad up into our "snowballs!"  The kids got into 2 teams and had 1 minute to throw the snowballs across the room.  At the end of the minute, we counted up the snowballs on each side and the team with the fewest number of snowballs on their side won!

Ready, aim....

FIRE!!

Boomer Convocation:  On Thursday we got to hang out with Boomer from the Indiana Pacers!  He talked with us about healthy lifestyles:  getting fit and eating healthy, along with doing our best in school!

Final Reminders:  Please read carefully!  New information is listed in Blue

• Kindergarten Graduation (Tuesday, May 27)
• Have your child dress as their favorite Superkid character
• The program will be from 1-2pm
• When you arrive, please proceed straight to the gym.  We will begin with a program from all 5 K classes.  Then each class will come back to the stage to receive his/her diploma from Mr. Heiden.  Once all classes have been given their certificate, we will return to our classroom.
• Once in the classroom, the kids will be sitting on the floor.  Parents and family members will need to sit in the chairs.  If you have a stroller or would prefer to stand, please position yourself towards the back.
• I have put together a video of pictures from our year together!  This will be shared on Tuesday.  If you would like a copy of the video, along with any pictures I have taken of your child this year, please send in a flash drive/jump drive to school before Thursday so I can get those copied for you to have!  Please be sure to send in the flash drive in a ziplock baggie with your child's name on the front.
• Field Day (Wednesday, May 28)
• We will be outside a good portion of the day.  Please make sure your child dresses appropriately for the weather.
• Hats and sunglasses are fine!  Please be sure to put sunscreen on your child that morning.
• Your child may bring a beach towel to sit on for our picnic lunch!
• Last Day of School (Thursday, May 29)
• Don't forget to send in your child's green folder AND backpack.  They will be coming home with NWEA scores and their last report card. 

Enjoy the nice weather this weekend!

7-6-5

What a great week we are having!  Let me get you caught up on our Balloon Popping activities:

Our #7 Balloon was Beach Day!!

Our #6 Balloon was a Popsicle Party!! 

Our #5 Balloon today was a Paper Airplane Contest!!

We tried to make one ourselves first, and tested these in the classroom.

Then we watched a YouTube video and created better ones.  We tested these out in the hallway!

Then Miss Records tested out her airplane against the classroom winner... and it was a tie!

Congrats to Austin for creating the best paper airplane!

Boomer Convocation:  Tomorrow is our Boomer (from the Pacers) convocation.  He will be here to talk about healthy living, and will also be doing a Slam Dunk Show!  To show our support of Boomer, and the Pacers in their playoff run, tomorrow will be Pacers Spirit Wear Day!  If you don't have anything Pacers, feel free to wear yellow and blue!

Superkids and Math:  We are finishing up our last unit in Superkids (Zz) and our last chapter of math.  There will be one more fluency builder coming home tomorrow and our last math Homelink will also be coming home tomorrow!

Power Writing:  The kids have spent the last few weeks working on writing a fun story.  We have talked about Power Writing and how we put sentences together to form a story.  Our P1 is our main idea, then we us P2 sentences to support our story.  The kids wrote a story based on a book we read in class, "What If You Had Animal Hair?"  The kids each chose their own animal and wrote about what it would be like to have hair like this animal.  These were so much fun to write and are hanging in the hallway.  You will be able to see them next week at Kindergarten Graduation!

DIBELS Scores:  Your child is coming home with their DIBELS scores for reading today.  We finished the math testing today and those scores will be coming home on Friday!

Shew!!

What a stinky day today was!  Before you worry that we had a crummy day... let me tell you that our balloon this morning said we could leave our shoes off in our classroom!  By the end of the day, I may have been regretting that choice just a little bit!  :)

Makinzi popping today's balloon!

Check out these feet!

Stinky feet!!!

Just hangin' out!

Monday:  We did go ahead and pop our balloon for Monday.  I knew the kids (and you) would want some time to prep for this one!  Zeek popped our #7 balloon to reveal that Monday will be BEACH DAY!!  (I'm hoping that this will usher back in our nice warm weather!)  The kids have been told they may bring in sunglasses, hats, and beach towels for Monday.

Green Folders:  There is a time sensitive piece of paper in your child's Green Folder today.  Please make sure you take a look at this, as it needs to be turned back in on Monday!

Enjoy your weekend!!

Final Countdown!!

When the kids came in this morning, they found 10 balloons hanging from our calendar wall!  We will be counting down the final days of school by popping one balloon each day to reveal a special surprise!  Jason got to pop today's balloon which revealed a message to do Just Dance videos!

Our balloon countdown!

Dancing away!!

BOGO, Food Drive, and T-Shirts!

Random.... I know!  Nonetheless, here are a few things to make you aware of!

BOGO:  Don't forget the BOGO (Buy One Get One FREE) Book Fair starts tomorrow night.  From 4-7 pm parents (and students) are able to come in and shop for great books to read this summer!  The book fair will also run during the school day from May 15-20.  If you are unable to attend tomorrow night, you can always send in money with your child for them to go down and shop.  Parent helpers will be on hand to help!  Your child came home with a flyer today previewing a small sample of what will be available for purchase.

Food Drive:  The Johnson County Sheriffs Department is holding a canned food drive over the next 2 weeks.  Children are asked to donate canned food here at school.  Each day your child brings in a canned food item, they have the opportunity to enter their name in a raffle to win a BIKE!  The winner will be chosen on Field Day!  :)

College T-Shirt Day:  Next Tuesday, May 20 will be College T-Shirt Day at school!  Your child is highly encouraged to participate if possible!  If your child does not have a T-shirt from a college or university, they can always wear the t-shirt we made for our Franklin College visit!

Pictures and More

We have had one great week!  It has been very busy, but so much fun!!

Children's Museum:  We had such a great time at the Children's Museum on Tuesday!  Thanks to all the parents who went along to help!  Enjoy these pics!

Out of the Dawg House:  On Wednesday we had the opportunity to attend a convocation featuring Butler University's acappella group "Out of the Dawg House."  We had such a great time listening to this group perform for us!

3rd Grade Spring Program:  On Thursday we were able to listen to our 3rd graders and 4th grade choir do a dress rehearsal for their program.  The theme was Disney and we had a great time listening to popular Disney songs!

Celebrations:  This week was also full of classroom celebrations!  We (FINALLY!) filled our 2nd Popsicle Chart for having 20 days of perfect attendance.  We were able to have popsicles one afternoon for that.  Also, on Tuesday, we earned our 20th Fuzzy for our Fuzzy Jar!  Today we enjoyed popcorn and watched Frozen!  Such a great ending to a great week!

May Reminders:  

• BOGO Book Fair
• May 14-20
• Parent Shopping Night:  May 14, 4-7pm
• Kindergarten Graduation
• May 27, 1-2pm
• Have your child dress as their favorite Superkid character
• Don't forget a camera!
• Field Day
• May 28
• Last Day of School
• May 29
• Please be sure your child has a bookbag this day, as lots will be coming home.  Including your child's LAST report card!

Wishing all of you Moms a Happy Mother's Day this weekend!  Thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child's life!

This Week

Hello Parents!

We are off to a great start this week!  The kids earned 2 fuzzies in their jar today.  The first was from a good report from our sub on Friday (I have been sick all weekend, and naturally the weather would be great while I'm feeling bad...go figure!).  The second was from a good report from lunch today.  The kids need 1 more fuzzy to get to 20 and earn a reward!

Homework:  As some of you will have already noticed, there is no homework sheet coming home!  We are done with "official" homework sheets!  The kids will still have some leveled readers, fluency builders, and math homelinks coming home, so keep an eye out for those.  But... we are done with nightly homework!

Field Trip:  Our last field trip of the year is TOMORROW!  Don't forget to send in a sack lunch with your child and remind them to wear their dinosaur t-shirt!!  There is a reminder letter in your child's green folder with more info about tomorrow!

End of Year Activities:  I will be reminding you often of some of our end of year activities.  These are always so much fun and I know your child won't want to miss out!  Don't forget to be thinking about what Superkids character your child will dress up as for our Kindergarten Graduation on Tuesday, May 27!

• Tuesday, May 27  Kindergarten Graduation.  This will be from 1-2pm, starting in the Gym and finishing in our classroom.  Any family members are encouraged and welcomed to come.  Don't forget to have your child dress as their favorite Superkid!!  (Rumor has it the teachers are dressing up too!)
• Wednesday, May 28  Field Day!  
• Thursday, May 29  Last day of school!!

Looking forward to a great day tomorrow!

Franklin College Visit

We had a PERFECT day for our Field Trip yesterday!  The weather could not have been any better.  The kids and I had a great time walking around.  Check out some pictures below!

Art Show:  Please don't forget about the Creekside Art Show tonight from 5-8pm.  It is Open House style, so feel free to come and go as you please.  There will be a craft station for the kids as well as the opportunity to purchase a framed piece of your child's artwork!

Self-Control Lesson:  Mrs. Vidal came to our room for a lesson today on self-control.  She had lots to share with the kids and they had the opportunity to color a picture showing ways they can have self-control.  We talked about how even though sometimes you may not want to sit still or be quiet, you must use your self control to help you follow directions better.  Please continue having this conversation with your child at home as well!

Franklin College Visit and Reminders

Franklin College Visit:  Don't forget tomorrow is our field trip to Franklin College.  With the threat of bad weather, we will make a game time decision on if we are able to go.  Please have your child come dressed in their painted t-shirt (coming home today) and with a packed lunch just in case the weather holds out for us!  Even if we don't go, we will be eating the sack lunches tomorrow in the cafeteria.

Art Show:  Mrs. Shearer is anxiously awaiting our Creekside Art Show.  This is taking place on Wednesday from 5-8 pm.  EVERY child at Creekside will have a framed piece of art that is available for purchase.  Please refer to the email you will be receiving from her or Creekside's Facebook page to get more details!

Field Day T-shirts:  Don't forget to send in your child's order form for their Field Day t-shirt.  PTO is helping with part of this cost, but is asking for a $4 donation to help with the rest.  However, every child will get a t-shirt.  Even if you can't help with the donation, be sure to send in the order form so your child gets the correct size for their shirt.

Recess and Dress Code:  As the weather is warming up, we are finally able to head outside for recess more and more.  However, we go to recess at 9:45 am.  Even if the weather forecast is calling for higher temperatures, it is often still chilly this early in the morning.  Please pack a light-weight jacket or sweatshirt with your child on cooler mornings to help make recess more enjoyable for them.  In addition, please refer to the Student/Parent Handbook in regards to dress code.  Shorts are acceptable to wear to school, however spaghetti strap clothing for the girls is not.  Please read the Handbook if you are unsure of other types of clothing.

Library News:

• The last day for students to check out books is Friday, May 9th
• All books must be returned by Monday, May 19th
• BOGO (Buy One Get One FREE) Book Fair is May 14th-20th during school hours
• There will be an After Hours shopping for Parents on Wednesday, May 14th from 4-7pm

Fingers crossed for good weather tomorrow!!

It's the Final Countdown...

Well, Spring Fever has hit!  The kids are amped up, and so am I!  It's hard to believe that we are just 28 days from the end of our year!  I have a lot to let you know about, so stick with me!

NWEA:  We will be taking our final NWEA test next week from 12:40-1:20.  Please do your very best to make sure your child is here to take this every day.  Also, be sure to chat with them about taking their time to answer each question, as well as making sure they get a good night's rest and healthy breakfast each day.

DIBELS:  We will also begin taking our end of year DIBELS and TRC (Reading) tests here soon.  I will be doing the reading portion with each child individually, and Mrs. Boshears and her assistants will be administering the rest.  The scores for DIBELS and NWEA will go home once the testing window has closed.

Field Day:  I just can't believe that we are talking about the end of the year!  Field Day will be taking place on Wednesday, May 28.  This is an ALL DAY (OUTDOOR) event that is so much fun for the kids, teachers, and parent volunteers.  If you would be willing to help out and volunteer this day, please email Mrs. Boshears.  boshearse@franklinschools.org   Today, in your child's folder, is an order form for a Field Day T-shirt.  Please be sure to fill this out and return it by May 2 so your child will get their t-shirt.  Each grade level gets their own unique color!

Kindergarten Awards Day:  This is a very special event taking place on Tuesday, May 27 from 1-2pm. The kids have been working very hard on practicing 6 of our favorite Superkids songs to sing for you on the stage in the gym.  Each of the students will be able to dress up like their favorite Superkids character!  You can look through our Superkids books or the online portal to help your child begin to think about what their costume might look like!  After our songs, each child will receive their Kindergarten diploma.  Then we will return to our classroom for our own special awards and an end of year video!  Make plans now to be here that day!

Vietnam:  We finished up our trip to Vietnam yesterday.  Austin and Jason's Mom and Aunt were back to share some great things with us.  The kids had the chance to make the Vietnam flag, as well as try a special snack, Pocky, which they LOVED!

Jason and Austin with their Vietnam flags

Fletcher, Skyler, Grant, and Lane trying Pocky

The 2 kinds of Pocky the kids could choose from

Have a great weekend!!

Welcome Back!

From the talk in our classroom, it sounds like everyone had a great spring break!  The nice weather we had a few days made it especially great!  However, we are back in the swing of things and (can you believe it...) in the home run stretch!  We are down to 8 full weeks of school left before summer break.  There will be a lot taking place in terms of testing during the month of April.  The month of May will be jam packed with great events you won't want to miss out on!!

Superkids:  This week we worked on the letter Vv.  We finished up this unit today and will begin our new unit letter on Monday.  Please continue working with your child on correct letter formation (top to bottom) and also on letter sounds.  The kids are doing a great job here at school!  As you have probably noticed, our reading skills and book difficulty have really taken off!  Please be sure that you and your child are reading every night!  Even if it is not listed as part of the homework, take time to read a book from your own collection at home, or reread one of our many Superkids books that have come home or can be found on line.

Handwriting:  I have started pushing the kids to make sure their full name is written correctly on all their papers.  Not just spelling, but handwriting as well.  If they are being extra careful about their handwriting at home, it is because I'm really watching for it here in the room!  Keep working with them to make sure they are forming everything neatly AND correctly!  The homework sheets are a place where I'm noticing some of the sloppy writing.  Make sure your child is making their letters correctly for you as well, especially on the homework pieces.

Math:  This week we have been working with all kinds of number skills.

• We have practiced counting by 2's, 5's, and 10's.  
• We made number scrolls to help us practice writing our numbers to 100+.  
• We played a game using dice and counters to try and fill a tens frame board.  The dice had + and - numbers where we were able to add or take away our counters.
• We learned how to "decade" count to help us with place value.

Franklin College:  We will be taking a Field Trip to Franklin College on Tuesday, April 29.  This is a free field trip for your child.  All they will need is a sack lunch.  Your child is coming home with a permission slip inside their Green Folder today.

Purple Up! Day:  On Tuesday, April 15, all students are encouraged to wear Purple to show support for our Creekside students who have a parent in the military.

Around the World:  Yesterday we had a special guest come and share about our new country.  Jason and Austin are Vietnamese and their Mom and Aunt came to share with us about Vietnam yesterday!  They will also be back next week to help us with our craft.  Check out some of the great places we got to see:

Mrs. Land showing us a map of Vietnam 

The Forbidden Purple City, used to be home to Vietnam's Emperors

The Hai Van Pass.  A winding road through the mountains.  Known for being very steep, there is a parking lot at the top of the summit for cars to take a break at the risk of overheating the engine

Halong Bay.  A beautiful area filled with 1,600 little islands.  The Vietnamese used the islands to hide during battles with China

Hoan Kiem Lake.  Legend states a giant turtle appeared here and took the sword of a Vietnamese warrior.  A giant turtle was caught in 2011.  There are said to be 10 other giant turtles living in the lake

Marble Mountain Caves.  Marble Mountain consists of 5 mountains made of marble and limestone.  Caves underneath are visited frequently 

Saigon Central Post Office.  A beautiful building, we compared the Franklin Post Office to this one 

Water Puppet Theater.  A popular form of entertainment, this show often depicts the history of Vietnam 

Ben Thanh Market.  A vast open air market for all your shopping needs

Be sure to check out the SNACK CALENDAR as well as the CLASSROOM CALENDAR for this month's happenings!

Have a great weekend and enjoy the beautiful spring weather!!