Pumpkin Patch Fun!

We had a wonderful field trip to Parker's Pumpkin Patch in Williston today! We started our day with a slide show of pumpkin pictures and Mrs. Parker taught us all about how pumpkins grow. We then got to observe various pumpkins and squash and described what they looked like and felt like. Mrs. Parker made lots of yummy pumpkin foods for us to try, including pumpkin puree, pumpkin applesauce, roasted pumpkin seeds, pumpkin dip, and pumpkin cookies. Yum yum! At the end of our trip, we got to choose our very own pumpkin to bring home! Please enjoy looking at the photos from our trip.

Fire Safety Day

Last Friday, volunteers from the Hinesburg Fire Department visited H.C.S. to discuss fire safety with the K-2 grades. We heard Mr. Spivack discuss Stop, Drop, and Roll, family safety plans, what to do if there is an emergency and we watched a firefighter get his gear on. We also got to go outside and visit a fire engine and a medical vehicle. We even got to spray a fire hose! Please enjoy these photos of our day!

Playground Fun!

We had some fun on the playground today! Enjoy these pictures!

Classroom Sneak Peek!

I am excited to share with you a sneak peek of our classroom set-up. I have spent the last several days organizing and getting everything ready for my newest scholars to join me! It is still a work-in-progress, but I thought your child might enjoy looking at some photos of their new classroom. Please share these with them! And you can get an in-person, real-life sneak peek on Monday, August 27th right before the Ice Cream Social. Feel free to pop by anytime from 4:00-4:30 to visit the room prior to heading outside for ice cream!

A message in our magnetic letter center. 

Bulletin board outside the classroom. 

Our cozy reading area. Lots and lots of books!

Our classroom bathroom.

Number Corner (calendar) area.

Our table spaces.

Meeting area.

Cubbies that will soon be filled with backpacks!

Some of our toys that will be available for choice time.

I can't wait until the most important part of this classroom arrives: the students!! See you soon!

Treasure Hunts!

For the past two weeks, we have been engaged in a unit of study about pirates and maps. We were able to attend a wonderful show at the Flynn Theater called How I Became a Pirate and we enjoyed various pirate activities in the classroom. We also learned about maps and why they are important. One of our jobs this week during literacy centers was to create an island using play dough, jewels, fake flowers and rocks, and craft sticks. We got to bury our pirate treasure on our island and then draw a map to help someone find the treasure. Take a look at our amazing creations!

Measuring Animal Paths

Our latest unit in math focuses on measurement. We have been comparing the length of various objects and discussing ways we might measure lengths. Today, we heard the story of a sneaky squirrel and a rabbit who visited our classroom and left some colored paths for us to measure. Take a look at this video of how we decided to measure the paths! 

New Year, New Goals!

I hope you all had a restful and rejuvenating holiday break with your families! It was wonderful to return to school to see my kindergartners' bright, smiling faces, excited and ready to get back to your school routine. On our first day back from break, we discussed how it was a new year and how people sometimes make new year's resolutions or goals for themselves. We read the book Squirrel's New Year's Resolution and then designed party hats and wrote our own learning goals for 2018.

Many of the students are hoping to learn how to read, to learn more about writing, or to be good friends. Take a look at the display that is hanging outside of our classroom:

I look forward to working with these wonderful students as they achieve and surpass their new goals! Happy New Year!