Wow! There have been so, so many wonderful events in the past few weeks, it’s hard to keep track of them all!
The children’s completed alphabet books went home today. This project was begun in January, as part of our language arts program. The children chose their own words, illustrated them, alphabetized the loose pages, and finally, reviewed them in finished book form. Sit down with your child and read them together. They are completely charming!
Birthdays: In the last two weeks, we’ve celebrated the birthdays of Danah, Emile, Rema, and Patrick. Each of the four kindergarteners had family join them to make their day special. We heard favorite books and shared special treats. Thank you to the Al-Salem family, Woodruff/Miller family, Alshamekh family, and Dotson family, for making a fun and special BCD birthday celebration for your child.
Field and Fun Day was fabulous. Everyone had a great time choosing their own activites in the morning, and just about everyone had fun on the Slip’n’Slide. The cookout lunch was delicious, and we even found a shady spot to sit in. Multiple sno-cones and juice pops kept everyone in fine spirits, too!
Other things that have kept us busy: we had our last sessions with our Peer Readers last week, and made them special bookmarks as gifts. We walked on Mike’s Trail to raise money for the Juvenile Diabetes Foundation. We’re learning about the rain forests. The first graders came to us and read us the stories they wrote and illustrated, and then we went to their Young Author’s ceremony. We made our end-of-year self portraits. We’ve almost completed our book about the seasons – only the cover remains. We decorated beautiful beeswax candles and presented them to Mrs. Reid, who is retiring at the end of this school year, at a special school-wide assembly. Everyone participated in Move-Up Lunch Day, enjoying getting to know Mrs. Frantz a little bit. We saw the first grade perform a play about Moby Dick (it was fabulous!) We went to the 7the grade Science Fair. And let’s not forget our own Poetry Assembly! What a splendid job the kindergartners did!!
Next Wednesday, June 8, is our final day. This is a half-day, with a final school assembly at 11:30 in the gym (parents are invited to attend if they wish), followed by a picnic (bring your own lunch and a blanket) at 12:00. For those who will take the bus home that day, they busses will leave at 1:10. Please let me know your child’s dismissal plans by Tuesday.
This will be the final newsletter of the year, and what a joyful year it has been! I’ve loved teaching this particular group of children. They are smart, funny, kind, generous, and compassionate. Each one has grown in so many ways. It has truly been a privilege to be their teacher. I look forward to seeing most of them next year as they travel on to first grade. As for Danah and Rema and their families, please know that we will all miss you. And if your travels ever bring you back to America, please plan on visiting your BCD family here!
Have a wonderful weekend, and I’ll see all of you on Monday.
Andrea
