What a busy time! We have wrapped up our penguin unit. The children (and I) learned an amazing amount about penguins in a short time. Their interest remained high throughout the month, and they had many fine questions. We were especially fortunate to have Sally Eagle come in. Sally and her husband Dan Mead are both well-known photographers, and they’ve recently returned from a month-long trip in Antarctica. Sally offered to present a slide show of her photographs to the kindergarten. The children were mesmerized for nearly an hour, and had lots of question for her. It was a real treat to see her slides – they were truly spectacular.
The children continue to make excellent progress in Project Read. They now have six consonants and one vowel (short a) in their “toolbox”. We’ve been sounding out, reading, and spelling words all week. The class got their first look at some short stories, exactly tailored to match the letter sounbds they know. They were thrilled to really be decoding and reading! Next week we’ll look at more stories and add some more consonants.
Next Wednesday is Alaska Day. This is a beloved BCD tradition. We’ll spend most of the day outdoors. You’ll be receiving an email soon with some more details about the day, as well as how to dress your child so they stay warm all day.
On Friday, we’ll celebrate Valentine’s Day. Valentines can be brought in any day next week. Please make sure that they have one for every member of the class. We’ll have a class party from 9:45-10:45.
Last week we had a great Lunch Bunch, courtesy of Jamie’s family. The class enjoyed apple-chicken sausages, mac and cheese, cheddar bunnies and clementines. Thank you, Courtney, for a most delicious lunch!
At rest time this week, I played Carnival of the Animals by Camille Saint Saens. I explained each section as it played, and the class loved listening for all the musical references and jokes. We’ve listened to a lot of classical music this year, and the class is starting to develop quite an appreciation.
Just a reminder that there will be no school on Monday and Tuesday, February 15 and 16.
Have a great weekend!
Andrea
