Election Week

It came as no surprise that Election Week was a favorite among the class.  Learning about the President and the duties of his position were both overwhelming and intriguing for the kids.  Grasping the true importance of the job is difficult for a kindergartener, but understanding that the President has power is always the first thing to sink in...which is why our presidential writings are so entertaining!

"...raise money to help people."

"...have kids ride in a limo."

"...talk to people."

We read two books, Grace for President and Duck for President.  We discussed what made each candidate the right person (or animal) for the job.  We also discussed that having your own opinion about who is the best fit is very important and that nobody's opinion is right or wrong.  We made our decisions based on what was most important to each of us. 

Some students liked Grace because she was a girl and because she seemed honest and kind.  Some students liked Duck because he talked to everybody and seemed to be a good friend.  We made campaign posters and held a rally to support each of our candidates.  I imagine the entire primary hallway heard "Vote for Grace...She is the Best!"  and "Vote for Duck...He is the Best!"

By Friday, we were ready to exercise our right to vote as citizens (we all pretended that we were 18 years old).  Pretending to be 18 years old might have been the best part about the experience!  We all took turns going to the voting booth and casting our ballot for President.

Once all the ballots were collected, we counted them to see who our new President would be.  The kids were on the edge of their seats!

And the winner was...GRACE!  While Grace supporters were very happy, Duck supporters were too because EVERYONE got to sport a "I Voted" bracelet for being awesome citizens!

Weekly Update

Welcome back!  

The first marking period ends this week and report cards will go home on Friday.  I will also be sending home a parent/teacher conference sign-up sheet so that we can schedule all conferences for next week.  Please sign up for three different times so that if there are any conflicting times I can work everyone in.  I will do my best to give everyone their #1 choice - but it does get difficult, so please bear with me :)

We're taking part in some exciting activities this week!  It's Election Week in our classroom and we're campaigning for our favorite candidates.   Stay tuned for details on our mock election and what we would do "if we were President of the United States."

I will be choosing our new Star Student on Friday too!

October Happenings

October came so quickly and we left rather quickly due to fall break - but in one week we accomplished a lot.

In October we celebrate Fire Prevention Week, which took place October 7th - 13th.  Due to our school schedule, we celebrated a week early to make sure our students received the important information they need to be fire ready and safe at home.

The Horry County Fire Department came out to speak with each of our classes about what to do if a fire broke out in their own home.  They also provided them with information to take home to their parents to insure their homes were as safe as possible - Parents:  Please look over the checklist to make sure your home is fire safe by clicking here.

October also began our "My Place on Earth" Unit in Social Studies.  The purpose of the unit is --> to talk about places and how to locate them.  The students will compare models and maps and learn about different kinds of land and water.  In addition, students will learn how to use map keys and map symbols.  They will also be able to distinguish between land and water on maps and globes.

To introduce the unit, we talked about where we were.  In the classroom?  At school?  In Conway?  In South Carolina?  In the United States?  On Earth?  They learned that all of these answers were correct.  To provide a visual representation, we made mobiles to hang in our classroom to remind ourselves exactly where we were...

And to keep with our fall theme, we used our color words and sight words and wrote about the new season.  I'm hoping all the kids will have the opportunity to observe the change in season over their break.

I hope you are all enjoying your fall break so far - see you soon! 

Weekly Update

Don't forget - fall break begins next week! Break begins Monday, October 8th and students will not return until Monday, Oct. 22nd. We can definitely feel the excitement in the air :)

 Please be working with your child on skills such as letters sounds, letter recognition, sight word recognition, etc. over fall break. These are important skills that only practice can strengthen. Report cards will be coming home the week we return from break so let's strive for the best possible report!

We are working really hard this week to earn a pizza party on Friday. Any class that ends the week with no referrals will be honored with a pizza party. So far, we have it in the bag :)

Congratulations to Nyla Avant, this week's Star Student. Nyla has demonstrated wonderful behavior and really tries hard to move up on the behavior chart. All students will now be honored in a Friday afternoon assembly for their "star" behavior. They receive a certificate and a prize from our classroom prize drawer. I hope everyone has a safe fall break! Enjoy the time with your child/ren. I know I will! :)