Having a Great "Summer"?!

Hello!

This is THE ONLY picture I have of me this summer! lol

I hope you all are having a great "summer" despite the weather we have been having. I've been busy being a full time mom again to Jameson and Logan. I am once again the master at making a peanut butter sandwich in less than 60 seconds. :) Lots of trips to the zoo for us, a vacation to Lake Chelan and Sunriver and many trips to local parks have filled my summer.

I am already back  in the classroom unpacking and planning for the next crop of wonderful kids to walk through those doors.

I'd love to hear how everyone is doing so leave a comment below if you want! :) I'm also toying around with the idea of trying to get those who want to, to meet at a park in the next week or so for a play date before school starts again. Let me know if you're interested. I'll have my kids in tow but I'm sure they'd love to play with everyone!
Take care,
Mrs. Perry

Good-bye and THANK YOU

I know we're all a little sad. I am too. I have had such an amazing year. I will be the first to admit that the transition from 3rd to kindergarten was a little more surprising than I thought, but I want to thank you from the bottom of my heart for having faith, believing in me and trusting in my abilities as a teacher that I would complete my transition into a kindergarten teacher.

You all have been so kind and helpful to me. I am truly blessed to have partnered with you this year to bring out the best in your child.

My goal as a teacher is first and foremost to provide an environment that is safe and secure for learning to occur and for my students to feel confident in making mistakes because only then will they open themselves up and take the risks necessary for real learning to occur. However, my bottom line and the way I judge if I have been successful is if I see my students smiling and happy. I want them to love learning and love school. Hopefully this is the way your child has walked away from kindergarten. If not, I apologize and know that in every instance I have had the child's best interest at heart and I have always tried my best.

As you move through this journey of eduction, remember to relax and enjoy your kids. They are precious. There will be ups and downs in their journey; there will be teachers they click with and ones they don't, but it's all valuable and important.

Finally, PLEASE keep in touch. Not just next year, but for years to come. A couple of years ago I heard through the grapevine that one of my former first grade students was graduating from high school and at his graduation he spoke about an activity that we did together so many years earlier. I love to hear these stories. :0) ....and when your child grows up to be that doctor, teacher or sushi chef...I hope they look back on their kindergarten year and have a smile on their face. They will be missed AND remembered by me.

I will continue to keep this blog active and post throughout the summer and beyond.

Have a wonderful summer and a GREAT first grade year.
~Mrs. Perry

Summer Ideas

Have you heard of www.pinterest.com? If not, you need to check it out. Warning: hours upon hours may pass by without notice once you log on to this site!

I have been "pinning" lots of ideas for the classroom and thought I'd pass on one of these gems that I found.


Take a trip to the beach. I recommend Lincoln Park in West Seattle. (there's a really cool bakery called The Original Bakery very close to there that is a must go to on your way to the beach). Find some great rocks. Wash them. Buy rub on letters at Michaels and transfer to rocks.

Then, spell the summer away! :)

Have fun!

Tshirt signing

If you didn't get a chance to have your tshirt signed at the party, bring it in on Tuesday and we will be signing them again.
Thanks!

Jury Duty - Day One

Well, jury duty day one was completely uneventful. I sat in the room for 8 hours. I felt like I was on an airplane and was so disappointed that when I walked outside at the end of the day I wasn't in Hawaii. If I have to sit in one place that long, I want a nice tropical paradise to be on the other side of it.

In King County, your service lasts a minimum of two days so I will be back there again today (Thursday). The good news is, apparently jurors don't work on Friday so I will definately be back at school tomorrow for our big celebration. Hooray!

Kindergarten Party Invitation

Here are the details on the party on Friday in case you missed them!

KINDERGARTEN
END OF YEAR CELEBRATION
All Kindergarteners and their parents are
invited to an end of the year celebration.
There will be games, temporary tattoos, t-shirt signing, and snacks.
Note: Please send your child to school with an extra t-shirt labeled with
their name so that all of their friends can sign them.
Date: Friday, June 10th
Time: 2:15 to 3:15 Location: Central Park
THIS IS A SPECIAL DAY FOR THE KINDERGARTENERS
SO WE ASK THAT YOU DO NOT BRING SIBLINGS.

URGENT!

Urgent School News

The Issaquah Police has informed us that there is police activity in our neighborhood and that all children need to be accompanied home by an adult. There may be limited access to roads around Grand Ridge, therefore you may need to park and walk to pick up your child. If you are unable to get to the school, please call a person on your emergency contact list to take your child home.

If you arrive by car, please park and go to your child’s classroom to check them out.

Important: We have not been instructed to go into lockdown

Boxes Needed

Our teaching assignments have been decided for next year and I will be moving to Endeavour Elementary to teach full day kindergarten. I will still teach Grand Ridge students, it will just be at a different building.

I am in need of boxes for this move. If you are able to send in any boxes that I can use to move all of my classroom materials in, I would be forever grateful!

Thank you so much,
~Mrs. Perry

Got Science?

Got science? The proposed new elementary science materials are on public display through June 8 at the Administration Building. Because of unprecedented state budget cuts, a community coalition—including the Issaquah Schools Foundation, PTSA, and chambers of commerce—is raising funds to bridge the gap so that the curriculum can be fully implemented next fall for every kindergarten through fifth-grade student. With two weeks left in the campaign, the coalition is still about $187,000 short of its goal (a target of $50 per elementary student). Learn more about how you can help.

THANK YOU!!

A big thank you to the PM class and the wonderful birthday surprise you gave me upon meeting you today. I certainly was surprised! I love the boquet of balloons; they brighten up the room so much! And the cookies...oh my. Those are officially my favorite cookie. :)
Thanks for making my afternoon so special!
~Mrs. Perry

Music Concert This Thursday!

Dear Parents and Guardians,

Recently in music class the kindergarteners have started preparing for their concert Spring Into Summer. It is scheduled for Thursday, June 2^nd in the multipurpose room at Grand Ridge Elementary. Because we have six sections of kindergarten, there will be two performances:

9:30 a.m. Thomas, Lanham, Perry a.m.

3:00 p.m. Cooks, Dolen, Perry p.m.

If your student would like to practice at home, we have posted the lyrics on Ms. Badgley’s website at www.wix.com/abadgley/grand-ridge-music. The link is on the “concerts” page.

Attire for the concert is to wear bright colored summer clothes as follows:

· Boys can wear nice pants (no jeans or shorts) and a collared shirt

· Girls can wear a nice skirt, dress, or nice pants (no jeans or shorts) and a blouse

We look forward to seeing you at the concert!

If you have any questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to email Ms. Ransom at ransomk@issaquah.wednet.edu

Ms. Ransom

Grand Ridge Music Teacher

Volunteer Tea

Calling all wonderful volunteers! Please come join us at the Volunteer Tea in honor of YOU!
***Please click on the invitation to read it better.

Scholastic Back Orders

I have a few back ordered books here from the last scholastic order and I can't remember who they belong to. Will you let me know if one of these titles is yours? Thanks!

Spring Is Here! A Story About Seeds
Rainbow Magic The Ocean Fairies Pack
It's Earth Day! (2)

THANK YOU!!

A LONG overdue thank you to everyone who made my teacher appreciation week so darn special. I seriously was spoiled rotten! From daily drinks and pastries to cute handwritten notes from the kids to a surprising shower of compliments hanging from the ceiling and MUCH MUCH more.

I have to admit that I did feel a little guilty accepting all of your appreciation because honestly, I have THE BEST job in the world and if there were no bills to pay I'd do it for free. I am so blessed to be able to partner with all of you to help each individual child reach their potential.

Here are a few highlights from the week.

REMINDER!

ABC Countdown:
Today is HAT DAY for AM and GRAPHING DAY (bring in a rock) for PM.

End of the Year Party

Brush off those party hats because kindergarten is going to have an end of the year party on June 10th from 2:15-3:15 at Central Park. This is a walking field trip and you have already signed your permission slips at the beginning of the year.

AM students will need to come back for this party. They can meet us in our classroom at 2pm. Parents of AM students are welcome to join us, but do not need to attend. AM kids will need to be picked up at the end of the day (3:38) if you are leaving them in my care.

More details to follow!

Field Trip Ending Time

We will arrive back at school around 2:45. This is still considered a regular school day for both AM and PM kindergarteners. AM/PM kindergarten releases in June a day earlier than the rest of the school because each class is using that 'last day' hours today on the field trip by going all day.

Each child is expected to return to school ON THE BUS with all of us and stay until the end of the day (3:38). HOWEVER, if you would like to go to the office and check your child out early, you may do so.

PLEASE do not just take your child. I am responsible for accounting for ALL children this whole day. I have been on field trips in the past where parents have mistakenly taken their child from the field trip directly or when we returned to school without going through the proper procedure and I can tell you, that put a few gray hairs on my head!

Thank you for your understanding. Looks like a sunny day!
~Mrs. Perry

Field Trip Information

Here are some reminders for the field trip on Thursday.
-Dress for the weather. It might be raining.
-Pack a sack lunch. Something that can be completely thrown away.
-Arrive at school on time (9:05) in the classroom. We will board the bus promptly at 9:30.
-No cameras, cell phones or extras for the kids. The performances do not allow bags of any kind in the performance hall.
-Here is a link to the festival http://giantmagnet.org/

End of Year Assessment

Dear Families,
The kindergarten team is getting ready for assessments in June. We formally assess the students three times a year so this will be our third formal assessment. The results of this assessment (as well as other work samples i.e. student journals) will be on the report card in June. These are the concepts that will be assessed:
o Can they write their first & last name using upper & lowercase letters correctly?
o Can they recognize all upper & lowercase letters?
o Do they know all of the letter sounds?
o Can they read and write the sight words? (the, a, my, that, and, I, is, said, we, are, you, have, to, me, go, do, for, he, she, has, with, was, not, see, of)
o Can they sound out 3-letter words?
o Can they write all upper & lowercase letters correctly (using lined paper) from memory?
o Can they recognize rhyming words and produce their own?
o Are they able to isolate the sound they hear at the beginning of a word?
o Can they write using letter sounds (best-guess spelling)?
o Can they write from top to bottom?
o Can they count by 1’s from 1-100?
o Can they count backwards from 20-0?
o Can they count by 2’s from 2-40?
o Can they count by 5’s from 5-100?
o Can they count by 10’s from 10-100?
o Can they write numbers 1-30 (out of order)?
o Can they show a teen number using bundles of 10 sticks and one or more single sticks?
o Can they exchange 1’s for a bundle of 10 and 10’s for a bundle of 100?
o Can they read numbers 10-30?
o Can they split a collection of objects into half?
o Can they compare and order numbers up to 20 using flashcards?
o Can they identify a penny, nickel, dime, quarter, and dollar bill?
o Can they identify tools for measuring temperature (thermometer), time (clock), weight (pan balance), and length (ruler)?
o Can they identify a triangle, square, circle, rectangle, sphere, and cube?
o Can they identify shapes that have line symmetry?
o Can they extend, describe, and create (ab, aabb, aab, etc.) patterns?
o Can they count & sort a group of objects?
o Can they sequence the life cycle of a frog and plant?
o Do they listen and follow directions?
o Do they respond to verbal and non-verbal clues in situations?
o Do they show respect to adults and peers?
o Are they on task during work times?
o Do they contribute appropriately during classroom activities?

PM class Volunteers Needed

We now have enough volunteers for our AM class. We are two chaperon's short on the PM class. If you are able to chaperon from the PM class, please email me ASAP! Thanks!