Santa Claustrophobia

Check out our December Book of the Month:

Book of the Month - Dec 2009 from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Pow Wow

We have come to the end of our study of the Sioux tribe. We have learned what they wear, where they live, what they look like, what they eat, and many things about their lifestyle. On Friday we celebrated the end of our study with a Pow Wow. Thank you to everyone who came to watch us perform the songs and dances we have been working so hard on. We had a blast! We got to participate in several centers, such as natural dye painting, tribal games, Native American artifacts, symbol writing, clay, food tasting, and storytelling in a huge teepee! Below are some pictures from our fun-filled day!

Fire Safety

In lieu of Fire Safety Month, Chets Creek Kindergarteners got a visit from a local fire department. They gave students a demonstration of what would happen in a real fire so that they would be informed instead of afraid. They discussed how important it is to make sure that the fire alarms in your house are working and that their families set a fire escape plan. The students even got a tour of a fire engine! I would love comments of how your family is preparing and how your children felt about our assembly!

Our First Field Trip

Our first field trip to Diamond D was quite an adventure! It included riding horses, taking a nature walk, going on an upside down ride, and feeding animals. We had a ton of fun! Check out our pictures...

October Book of the Month

Listen to Principal Phillips read our October Book of the Month!

Oct. 2009 Book of the Month - Stellaluna from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

President Obama Speaks About Education

Today we had the privilage of listening to President Obama speak to us about our education. He talked about the importance of education and the role we can all play in our own education. I have to admit how impressed I was with the students' discussion following the speech. Many talked about how the President talked about "never giving up" and related it to trying our best at school. We discussed what we could do as Kindergarteners. Some of the answers the students gave were:
1. Get lots of sleep
2. Be kind to everyone
3. Listen to the teacher
4. Do homework every night
5. Read every day

I have always been grateful for the importance my family placed on education. I feel blessed to have the opportunity to hopefully help my students develop a love for learning and education. Thank you for all your support in your child's education.

You can watch President Obama's speech below...

Meet the Musicians

Math Workshop

One of our daily rituals in Math Workshop is Calendar Math. We talk about the calendar (the date, what day of the week it is, Birthdays, etc.) and about how many days we have been in school. We also represent the number of days we have been in school through paperclips (If we have been in school for 9 days then there should be 9 paperclips).













Examples of 2-part and 3-part patterns

In Math Workshop we have begun talking about patterns. We discussed that a pattern is something that repeats and that you can find patterns all over the place! We have used several math manipulatives such as pattern blocks, linking cubes, and colored tiles to make patterns.
We also have found patterns on our calendar and other places in our classroom!

Ask your child to find a pattern at home and post a comment to tell what they found!

The Music Begins...

I hope that everyone enjoyed their first day of school! We spent time getting to know each other and toured their new school through a scavenger hunt. We even had the opportunity to watch a band play!

Today we got a real look into Kindergarten. We started Reader's, Writer's, and Math Workshops. They learned that there will be a mini-lesson, independent work period, and share time (students were very excited to share their work on the document camera!) for each workshop. We went over the rules and expectations for each of the workshops. Establishing rituals and routines is an essential part of starting the Kindergarten year.

I am looking forward to learning more about each individual student and watching their growth over the year!

What you need to know about Kindergarten...

This is a video of what Kindergarteners from last year think the new Kindergarteners need to know about attending school at Chets Creek:

Welcome to Kindergarten at Chets Creek from Melanie Holtsman on Vimeo.

Welcome to Kindergarten!

This year we will be "Orchestrating a Symphony of Success" at Chets Creek! Kindergarten students will be starring in the role of country musicians. This year will be full of learning, fun, and friendships. I look forward to a great year!