Remote Learning Updates!

To all of my room 22 kindergarteners and families, I am so impressed with how well you have all adapted to our changes in learning over the past 6 weeks as we have moved to remote learning! Your dedication, flexibility and creativity to make it work has been inspiring. One of my favorite parts of our new mode of learning is the connections that have remained with you all. I especially enjoy all of the updates and photos you've been sending my way! I wanted to share some of those with you all as another way for us all to feel connected.

Ryan misses all of his room 22 friends so much, that he wrote a poem!
How sweet Ryan. We miss you very much too!

Our friends had a chance to enjoy one last snowy day of the season, and what a beautiful day it was!
Andrew, that snowman is even taller than you are! Wow!

Room 22 friends have spent extra quality time with their siblings and family members during our time at home. I love getting to see all of the fun you're having together and the memories you have made. 

Charlotte participated in Sports Day with her sisters, showing off their school spirit! 

What a sweet moment, as Meera and her brother stop to notice the beauty in nature. 

James and his sister look for signs of spring together on their walk!

Reading outside on a sunny day! What a peaceful, relaxing way to enjoy a good book! 

Baking fun in the kitchen! 

Lila wanted to make school lunch just like Ms. Marian & Ms. Renee!
Corndog nuggets just like on our school menu! 

Lila baking banana bread! 

Serena-Rae is creating her very own cookbook and testing out recipes in her kitchen!  

Growing Readers!

Working to build CVCe words

Still thoroughly enjoying Dr. Seuss books after we celebrated his birthday in early March!

What a cozy spot to read in your very own pillow fort!

Look at that happy smile while enjoying a virtual read aloud by Mrs. Caruso! 

What a focused reader our friend Scott is. Way to go Scott! 

Friends Enjoying Remote Math Time

                

                           

Friends are enjoying Zearn time at home practicing creating number bonds and number sentences. 

Making groups of 10.

Forming a number bond to make 5. 

100th day of school!

On February 11th, we celebrated our 100th day of school! Students took part in STEM learning activities with classmates. We counted out 100 objects such as pennies, linking cubes and pattern blocks and used those items to create and build.

Students counted 100 pennies in rows of 10. We learned this was an effective way to organize and count objects!  

These 3 friends decided they would build the number 100 out of 100 pattern blocks! What a fitting thing to build. 

A well constructed house using 100 linking cubes. 

Another unique house; this one made out of pennies. 

Budding Readers

As we've approached midway through the year, the students in room 22 have built up incredible reading stamina! Students not only sustain independent reading for 30 minutes each day, but are also engaged and excited to read. We have been working diligently to use our reading strategies to apply to our books such as: pointing to words, getting our mouthes ready for the beginning sounds of words and blending sounds together to figure out unfamiliar words. Ask your child what they are interested in reading to continue to foster their love for reading! Thank you parents and families for all you do.

Readers are using 1:1 correspondence as they read. Students track the words as they read to attain accuracy by pointing to each individual word as it is spoken. Notice what a great job our readers are doing practicing this skill! 

Students choose relaxing spots in the room to best focus on and enjoy their reading. 

Outstanding Artwork Recognition!

One of our very own room 22 artists was recognized last month for her outstanding artwork! We couldn't be more proud of Serena-Rae! What an exciting achievement. 

Yoga in the Classroom

We are so fortunate, for the second year in a row, to have yoga at Darcey School! Lenny, our yoga instructor, joins us twice a month to incorporate yoga in our kindergarten classes. Yoga allows for the development of self-awareness, which helps students manage their emotions and relationships. Yoga also brings many added benefits for our growing kindergarteners such as confidence building, stress relief and as Lenny focuses much of her sessions on; peace.

Here students are wrapping up our yoga session with bringing peace to ourselves and others. 

Students practice balance.

Apples to Cider

On Tuesday, we had a special guest visit us from the Indian Rock Nature Preserve for the Apples to Cider program. We learned all about apples; how they grow, what they taste like and things you can make with them. We helped peel apples so that we could taste three different types. We tasted the McIntosh, Red Delicious, and Granny Smith.  

We then learned about how apple cider is made. We each got to pick out "windfall apples" (apples that have been blown to the ground by the wind) and grind the apples in a 100 year old machine! We worked really hard to crank the press to grind up our apples, and then watch as apple cider was created. We had a chance to taste some apple cider that was made and treated at the nature preserve. It was delicious!   

Building together

Building activities are of the top preferred play choices this year in room 22. We have such an amazingly talented group of young builders! Building together fosters teamwork and cooperation, as kids learn to work together and build upon one another's ideas. Students are also learning turn taking, focus and patience.

Blocks

Last week Mrs. Donnery gifted our class road signs to contribute to our block area.
Students used their imagination to create a parking garage with a bridge using various signs they learned about. 

What a great understanding they have of spacial awareness and organization,
creating a structure that does not topple over!  

Working carefully to create their designed structure! 

Magnatiles

While playing with Magnatiles, children learn how to manipulate various shaped objects,
building on their visual skills and motor planning. Notice the organization techniques used to design a structure this tall that doesn't topple down.

Building structures and friendships! 

What pride they have in the completion of their building!