rgsda kindergarten

These are busy times at Rivergate. A successful quarter has ended and I'm getting ready for parent teacher conferences next week. The school auction is Saturday night. The gym has been transformed into a Hawaiian luau. My class used their finger prints to decorate a pie carrier basket. They signed their names on a ceramic pie plate and made a yummy chocolate pecan pie. The children did an awesome job making this project. And we are practicing for the annual Veterans Day program.  They are learning two patriotic songs with sign language. Plus we are trying to stay healthy and keep up with our regular key learnings. Whew!

Five weeks of school are finished already. The children have learned to read their classmates' names. They are learning to recognize some basic words like the, is, a, and love.  They all did a great job of sorting in math.  They have learned about the parts of an apple.  We made some yummy apple sauce this week.  We've had a great week of prayer this week. The children are kind sweet friends to each other. It's going to be a great school year.

Enjoy watching the upper grades helping the kindergartners on their woodworking project.

It was a sad beginning to our day to have to bury our beloved pet, Black-out. She died quite unexpectedly. We put the stiff cold body of our dwarf hamster in a check box. We touched her one last time before closing the lid.  Then we put the box in a hole prepared for her, read a Bible verse, and sang Jesus Loves Me.  A number of children wanted to say a prayer for her. Then they each got to scoop a shovel of dirt on the box. We answered any questions that the children had and decided that we are really looking forward to heaven when there will be no more death.

I have 11 sweet children this year. We're having a great time learning together. New classrooms and a church fellowship hall are being built across the parking lot of the school. It's a perfect opportunity to learn about construction. Yesterday the 7th and 8th graders helped my class saw, drill holes,  sand and hammer dowels in pieces of wood. Thanks to Mr. Blackwood's class for helping my class operate the electrical equipment safely. My children were so proud of their projects and happy to have the "big kids" as friends.

Summer is almost over.  I had a nice time visiting family and friends in different parts of the USA. Now it's time to think about kindergarten for another year. It's nice to see students from previous years dropping by the school and I'm excited to meet my new students too. 
I was a little apprehensive about teaching music since we didn't fill that position this year because of budget cuts. We did a lot of singing to learn curriculum material and sign songs. But I didn't have to worry about meeting music curriculum standards. Now I do.
So I went to Lakeshore Learning (love that store!) and found a curriculum that integrates music with literacy. It meets all of the national standards for music and literacy. Another way to make a literacy connection for the children!  Now I know that I can do this.
I'm also integrating some principles of differentiating instruction from a class that I took last spring.  The goal is to have every child learning the kindergarten material in their style and pace.
The field trips are getting planned. The new materials are arriving. I'm looking forward another great year with the sweetest kids and the best coworkers in the world.