Apple Picking

We had a wonderful day at Parlee Farms!  We went on a hay ride, picked apples and pumpkins, had a picnic lunch, fed the goats, and played in the hay maze!  We were incredibly grateful the rain held off too!  We want to give a special thank you to Mrs. Collins and Mrs. Delaney for coming with us!  Hope you all enjoy the apples!

September 26, 2014 Newsletter

September 26, 2014

Dear Parents,
We have certainly been keeping busy here in Room 115!  It is hard to believe that September is almost over and October starts next week!  It is an exciting time in Kindergarten.  We are  looking forward to our field trip to Parlee Farms on Tuesday.  The students will pick apples and a pumpkin, ride on the hayride, feed the goats, and play in the hay maze.  They will also need a snack and a bagged lunch with a drink.  More info will go home on Monday.
As of right now, we are planning to go to the Franklin Park Zoo on Tuesday, October 28th.  More info will be going home probably next week after it has all been approved.
The students have adjusted well to our classroom routines and have been working very hard.  They have been making new friends and are still working on learning everybody's names.
We have been learning/reviewing the letters t, b, and f.  I will send home a Fundations packet next week with some info for you and some practice sheets for the students.  These don’t have to be returned.  I would encourage you to keep them all together to make into a book that students can use as a reference.  I would also encourage the students to practice these letters as often as possible (write them in salt/sand/shaving cream, etc.).
I will be sending home some homework starting next week for students to practice forming their numbers.  These should be completed the day they go home and returned the next day.  Please be sure to check your child’s blue folder every day and take out papers that don’t need to be returned.
The students have finished their Brown Bear innovations and will bring them home as soon as they read them to the class.  Make sure to save these and all the individual books they take home.  These books are great for them to read and review often.  The small alphabet books they have been working on in class can also be kept and reviewed often.
We will go to the library on Wednesday.  Please be sure to have your child return his/her library book as soon as he/she has finished reading it.  Students will not be allowed to bring another one home until they return the one they have at home.  We may go to the library every week but can only take out books every other week.
We have started a special project where students have been “scrapbooking” special Kindergarten memories.  Miss Lyons and I take pictures frequently during the year on special occasions and on all the field trips.  Students will be creating memory books that they will get to keep at the end of the year.  If possible, we would like parents to provide a one inch, three-ring binder with a plastic cover protector (one that you can slide a paper into the front cover).  The color doesn’t really matter.  I will be purchasing some in a couple of weeks for those who don’t have one but if you are able to send one in, that would be great!  If a couple of people could also send in a box of plastic sheet protectors that would be great too!  I think you will all love the books at the end of the year!

Have a great weekend!

Melanie Duncan and Kerry Lyons

PS… PLEASE continue having your child practice putting on sweatshirts, jackets, shoes, etc. at home.  You can imagine how difficult it is getting 18 children ready for recess or dismissal time, especially when sleeves are inside out!

Also, we use a lot of newspaper for art projects.  If you have newspapers that you don’t need any more, please consider sending them in!  We would greatly appreciate it!

Thanks so much!

September 19, 2014 Newsletter

September 19, 2014


Dear Parents,
We can safely say that we had a wonderful second week in Kindergarten!  The children are learning to listen to and follow directions.  They are learning to use materials and put them away.  The children walk in a safe and caring line and are learning one another's name as we greet one another at meeting time.  This is an important component of Responsive Classroom.
We enjoyed seeing a lot of you at the Open House this week.  We hope a lot of your questions were answered.  If you still have any questions or concerns at all, please don’t hesitate to contact me.  If you weren’t able to attend, please make sure you complete the “Who is This?” page we sent home in your child’s blue folder so we can share them with the whole class!
The students have begun their first of many innovations.  This one is following the predictable words of Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin, Jr.  The children have also taken part in interactive writing with our daily news and announcements.  They have also learned poems, participated in shared reading, and have listened to many stories.  They are doing a great job rotating around to their daily work centers and have been enjoying all the painting, gluing, and clay!
In math, the children are practicing counting, representing, and writing numbers 1-5.  I hope the math papers that are coming home are helpful for you to see what they are doing in math.  I would encourage you to practice writing the numbers 1-5 during the next couple of weeks to make sure your child is getting lots of practice with them.  Feel free to get creative with it...they can write the numbers in sand, salt, or shaving cream!  During calendar time, the students follow patterns and practice counting and have been working on learning the days of the week.
We went to the Library for the first time this week and the students learned how to browse for books and sign one out.  We will be going to the Library every other Wednesday.  Students will not be allowed to sign out a book if they don’t return the one they already have.  Please have your child return the book to the classroom as soon as you are done with it at home so we can be ready on our Library day.
Our first field trip will be Tuesday, September 30th.  Another notice will go home with more details right before the trip.  Payment is due soon, though.  Please make checks payable to Francis Wyman Kindergarten or send $12 in cash as soon as possible.
Have a great weekend!

Melanie Duncan and Kerry Lyons

Please label your child’s jackets, sweatshirts, hats, etc. with his/her name.  It will be much easier to find out what belongs to everybody that way!  Also, if you could have your child practice putting on sweatshirts, jackets, shoes, etc. at home...it will save a lot of time before recess.  Thanks!

PS… The online password for the Scholastic Let’s Find Out Weekly Readers is Duncan2014.  Enjoy!

First Weeks of School!

We've gotten off to a great start to the school year!  Check out some pictures from our first couple of weeks!

Welcome to Kindergarten!

Welcome to Room 115!  Our names are Mrs. Duncan and Miss Lyons and we are excited to start our year with you in Kindergarten! Take a peek at the pictures below to see different parts of our classroom!