CLASS MOTTO:
You are in charge of who you are!
You are in charge of who you are!
THIS WEEK IN HUTCHINGS CLASS . . .
August 31, 2017: We had a great first 8 days of school! We learned more about each other, how to build a classroom community, how to be proactive, how to get caught being awesome, along with lots of routines and procedures. So much learning and growing! Give your child a hug for a job well done!
June 24, 2017: Our class book, Kindness Is . . . , was featured in the School News Network, and also got a shout out on Kind Riot and Kindness Crusaders facebook pages! Click here to view the School News Network article.
June 13, 2017: Thank you for an incredible year! So much learning! So many wonderful memories! I hope your child left kindergarten with a confident heart and a curious mind to continue to wonder and learn more! I will miss this class and wish them another awesome year in first grade!
May 19, 2017: We love science! And spring time! We are growing sunflower seedlings, watching tadpoles grow, feeding red wiggler worms in the worm bin, noticing the amazing things happening in the nature all around us! Take some time to explore the nature around your home, and wonder! The final book order of the year is due on Monday, May 22. The final Buddy Builder Day is Friday, May 26. Wear purple in support of Stoney Creek staff and families who have experienced cancer in their lives.
April 28, 2017: This has been a tremendous month of learning and growing. Addition and subtraction skills are blooming, students have gained a strong understanding of the writing process, reading abilities continue to increase, and the students have a strong understanding of six of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. It is an honor to be a teacher, your child's teacher, and inspire them every day be the best learner and leader they can be!
March 30, 2017: Congratulations to our class for donating $26.70 for the second Buddy Builder Day! The grand total big reveal will take place at the end of the school year to let Stoney Creek students know how much was donated for the purchase of Buddy Benches for the 2017-18 school year. Also, the official animal research report packet went home in the Friday Folder. Reports are due the week we return to school.
March 17, 2017: This section of the website will be updated monthly until the end of the year. In math, we continue to work on simple addition and number sense. In reading, we are practicing building the skills of sound addition, substitution, and deletion. We are writing every day about small moments, with a sentence stem to get the process started, focusing on the conventions. Our current habit is #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.
February 17, 2017: Thank you to the families for helping to make our Valentine's Day Soiree lovely -- we are thankful for the many people in our lives who care about us! Reminder that the first Buddy Builder Day is coming up on Friday, February 24: wear your teacher's favorite color.
February 10, 2017: Click here for this week's reading strategy tip on phonemic awareness.
January 27, 2017: Literacy Coach Mrs. Merkel came in to our class to teach us more about Reader's Workshop. This session inspired our class to love books and reading even more because readers have choices! Ask your child to share with you something they learned. Click here to link to Mrs. Merkel's reading strategy tips on You Tube.
January 21, 2017: We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the ways he inspired people to work together (together is better) and use kind words to help solve problems which correlates to our Leader in Me habits. The Lolipops concert field trip was a treat for all! Hope you got a chance to ask your child to tell you about the Writer's Workshop they did on their favorite part of the concert.
January 13, 2017: We are learning about penguins, building our reading strategy skills, and working diligently to count to 100 without prompting or support. The habit we are currently focusing on is Put First Things First, work first, then play.
December 30, 2016: Sending wishes to all of my kindergarten families for a happy, healthy, awesome and adventurous new year! Remember to do an act of kindness every day and definitely be sure to read! Read together, read to self, read books, signs, menus, the mail ...
December 16, 2016: We have been having some great conversations about being proactive, and beginning with the end in mind -- the first two habits of the Seven Habits of Happy Kids. We work on our reading and writing skills daily, which includes writing our goals. We have learned the following popcorn words: I, a, the, can, see, it, is, you, we, go, they, are. Log on to Raz Kids daily for leveled reading practice that will help your growing reader! The link can be accessed on this website. Go to the More tab, then Educational Websites. Happy reading!
December 9, 2016: We read more fabulous books this week! We read Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bike, The Gingerbread Boy Goes to School, Drum Dream Girl, Kwanzaa, The Gingerbread Girl, Flight School, and more. We learned a new word from the Kwanzaa book: Ujima which means working together. We also made holiday decorations for our classroom and wrote the word Ujima on the paper chains as a reminder of the importance in working together.
December 2, 2016: We experienced our first How To writing this week. The students chose something they know how to do really well, then wrote in steps: first, next, last. This writing process helps them to form their ideas, organize the writing process, and express their ideas. Be sure to ask your child to tell you about their writing pieces and celebrate their growth with them!
November 22, 2016: Our first Leaders of the Pack meeting took place on Tuesday. We learned The Leader in Me song, reviewed assembly/meeting expectations, and recognized proactive leaders. We also enjoyed our Friendship Feast complete with a fireplace fire and blankets for gathering together. So many things to give thanks for!
November 18, 2016: We enjoyed a delightfully warm week! The leaves have all fallen off the beautiful tree on the playground, and now we move into wintery weather. Please be sure to practice putting winter gear on, and taking winter gear off, independently, using this song to the tune of "Oh My Darling": First the snowpants, then the snowboots, then the coat and the hat. Then put on your mittens and you're ready just like that! Help your child learn how to take their coat off without pulling the sleeves inside out, how to get their fingers in their gloves, and please write their name on all winter gear, including boots. Also, be sure to help your child review all 26 Zoophonics sounds. Our goal is the whole class knows all 26 sounds, without prompting or support, by this Tuesday, November 22.
November 11, 2016: Thank you Veterans. Today we learned about Veterans Day and made cards for those who have served our country. This week, we set a goal to do acts of kindness throughout each week to help spread kindness at school, and everywhere we are. To the parents who attended conferences, thank you for making time to bring out the best in your child!
November 4, 20116: We continue to grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and explorers! The students completed their first math assessment to demonstrate what they know about numbers and math vocabulary terms"how many" and "represent". We are making progress with our letter sound recognition. Writing skills are progressing too as we zoom in on details in our stories and add more details to make stories interesting, or "fancy them up" as one student described. A focus in literacy this week was stretching out sounds in words and learning about short and long vowel sounds. Continue to read every day with your child to support literacy!
October 28, 2016: This was an amazing week! We linked live with Ranger Josh from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (he could see and hear us and we could see and hear him!) for a distance learning program on Bear Essentials. This was an extension of the Teacher Ranger Teacher internship Mrs. Hutchings did this past summer with the National Park Service. Our first classroom soiree was a smashing success! Thank you to the families who donated party supplies and to all of the grown-ups who came to our party and helped! The kids had a blast and had big smiles on their faces all morning! Your support makes a difference! Enjoy the beautiful fall weekend!
October 21, 2016: In math, we continue to develop understanding of sorting by attributes. We sorted by students wearing shoes with laces/no laces, students with short hair/long hair, students wearing glasses/no glasses, students wearing Mrs. Hutchings' favorite color/all other colors. We also worked on writing numbers 0-10 while listening to the "We Can Sing the Numeral Song". We work on phonics every day to help build phonemic awareness. We examined student names by looking at the consonants and vowels in names, counted syllables, and noticed the letters in one name could be used in another name. Be sure to encourage your child to cut out the Zoophonics alphabet flashcard pack sent home in the Friday Folder, then help them find a container to store the cards in so they can practice every day. Our goal is all students know all 26 sound by the time we arrive at Thanksgiving break.
October 14, 2016: Noticing. We noticed shapes and patterns in our classroom during math workshop. We had conversations about sorting using attributes. We practiced drawing shapes based on clues. In language arts, the students continue to work on letter sounds and first sounds in words. Noticing is key to learning! This week was Fire Safety Week. We learned how to keep ourselves safe by sorting things that are okay and not okay to touch/use. We heard a song telling us to call 911 if there ever is an emergency, and we wrote about an emergency plan of action (how to exit a home and where to meet once we get outside). Please be sure to talk to your entire family about your emergency plan.
September 30, 2016: As learners, this week we practiced our writing skills during Writer's Workshop. We focused on the proper pencil grasp (tripod grip) to help build finger/hand muscles which contributes to writing stamina. With regard to writing topics, we learned about choosing something that is real, important, and makes sense to write about, and that we write for the whole time (there is no saying "I'm done"). Be sure to ask your child to share their "small moments" writing pieces with you. We practiced ZooPhonics sounds daily. The students are gaining mastery of the letter sounds associated the animal picture clues. Soon we will progress to mastery with the letter only (no picture clue). In math, we counted to 100 daily. We also practiced noticing things that are exactly the same and different than, and learned the term attribute.
School Events: Remember spirit week takes places October 3-7 in celebration of CP Homecoming! Check the newsletter sent home in the Friday Folder for dress up day specifics.
Daily Homework: Read with your child, and do one small act of kindness.
September 23, 2016: Check out the thinking map the class brainstormed on "What we learned this week". It can be be found on the photos page. Also, if you have not signed up for Remind 101, please sign up so quick reminders and updates can be communicated. Thank you!
September 9, 2016: Awesome first week! We learned so much about each other, made new friends, learned about being leaders and Bucket Fillers, and practiced the many routines in our day. I am proud of my kindergartners!
June 9, 2016: School's out! Enjoy the splendor of a Michigan summer! Explore, go on adventures, stop and notice things in nature, read every day, and write about small and big moments! Be sure to check the photos page often for updates on What's Happening with Mrs. Hutchings, including snapshots of me working as teacher ranger teacher at Sleeping Bear Dunes this summer!
June 3, 2016: Exciting news about things growing in the Kinder Garden! Be sure to check out the photos page of the website for updates.
May 27, 2016: We had some incredible conversations this week about compassion, helping others, and how we can continue to be bucket fillers! I am so proud of this class!
May 24, 2016: Click the date to link to the School News Network article featuring our classroom Worm Farm and the kindergartners!
May 20, 2016: We released all five Painted Lady butterflies into the Kinder Garden this week! Two of them stayed on the flowers, three of them fluttered away. Watching the caterpillars eat and eat and eat, hang in a J shape, turn into a chrysalides then "caterpillar juice", reorganize, and lastly emerge as butterflies was an incredible process to observe in the classroom. Ask your child to tell you what they know about the butterfly life cycle.
May 13, 2016: The School News Network came in to do a feature article on our classroom Worm Farm. The reporter was very impressed with how comfortable the students were handling the worms! Your children have a deep appreciation and respect for nature. Thank you for sharing them with me! I will be sure to provide the link to the electronic newsletter when it comes available.
May 6, 2016: Standardized testing starts next week. To help your child be successful, please help them get adequate rest each night, eat a nutritious breakfast before coming to school, get to school on time, and encourage them to do their best.
April 29, 2016: The field trip to Meijer Gardens was full of learning opportunities, butterfly sightings, and one student even spotted real bananas growing on the banana tree in the greenhouse! Thank you to the chaperone's for your help!
April 22, 2016: We celebrated Earth Week! We are very eco-conscious in our classroom: we put all papers in the recycle bin, recycle styrofoam lunch trays, and feed leftover vegetables to the worms in our worm farm. We are thankful to Officer Brown for making time to visit our class and talk about the importance of following rules!
April 15, 2016: We enjoyed our week back after spring break! Remember to practice reading and writing popcorn words, and logging on to Front Row each week for math practice.
March 31, 2016: We had fun with Spirit Week for the final week of March is Reading Month! Thank you grown-ups for the many ways you have supported your growing reader: reading every day, nurturing a love for reading, turning in reading logs, making time to help your child participate in Spirit Week with Caps for Sale, Read a T-shirt, Dress Like Who You Want to Be When You Grow Up, and Beach Days! March is Reading Month is complete, however the reading should never end!
March 25, 2016: Thank you for attending student-led conferences! I enjoyed watching the kindergartners using their leadership skills to share their progress, strengths, and goals with parents. Taking ownership is a great motivator!
March 18, 2016: The field trip to John Ball Zoo was a great experience for the kindergartners! They enjoyed using their research skills to discover answers about the animal each student chose to investigate. Students used their sketchbooks and our classroom iPads to document findings on animal habits, diet, and WOW facts.
March 11, 2016: I am very grateful for the opportunity provided through the CP school district to attend the MACUL technology conference in Downtown Grand Rapids. My goal is to bring back helpful ideas for teaching students how to blog, along with lots of new ideas to incorporate technology in learning.
March 4, 2016: Reminder: Parent Teacher Conferences are Monday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 23. Choose a conference time using Sign Up Genius. Click the links to go directly to the site:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da8ae2ba1f85-stoney for March 21
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da8ae2ba1f85-stoney1 for March 23
February 26, 2016: Our learning theme this week was dental health. Good habits like avoiding too much sugar, brushing teeth at least twice a day, and foods we can eat to keep our teeth healthy were reinforced. Talking about teeth of course gave kindergartners the opportunity to share stories about their wiggly teeth!
February 19, 2016: In observance of President's Day, we learned some interesting facts about our first Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. One student made an observation during Play Workshop time . . . he noticed that the play money in the kitchen center had portraits of the same two presidents we had learned about!
February 12, 2016: Happy Chinese New Year 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè This week we learned about the Chinese New Year, compared writing strokes of numbers 1-10 in English and Chinese, practiced writing numbers, and read some great informational stories about this awesome holiday!
February 5, 2016: This week Mr. Ty the Nutrition Guy from the Y (YMCA) came in to our class to have conversations about healthy eating, the importance of moving our bodies, and manners. The class loved it! Ask your child to share something they learned.
January 29, 2016: Be sure to check the Valentine's Day Party needs list. Send party supplies and your child's valentines to school by Monday, February 8. Students do not need to write their classmates names on the cards, just their own name. This helps with time efficiency when distributing cards as the students deliver their Valentines to other's valentines bags independently -- on their own without teacher assistance.
January 15, 2016: Remember to practice popcorn (sight) words at home to help your growing reader build fluency skills!
January 8, 2015: Welcome to 2016! We enjoyed being together again in the classroom. We wrote goals to display in our Leader Hall of Fame, had discussions about the importance of sharing our thoughts and feelings with others when it comes to problem solving, and we enjoyed playing outside at recess in the snow!
December 18, 2015: Happy holidays! Be sure to work on habit #7 during the break "Sharpen the Saw", I take care of me. See you in 2016!
December 11, 2015: Be sure to check out the photos page for awesome insights into our "How To" writing with Mrs. Jurewicz's first graders!
December 4, 2015: Our gingerbread exploration began this week -- a favorite in kindergarten! Ask your child to share their favorite version of the story with you!
November 24, 2015:
November 20, 2015:
November 13, 2015: We read some really great books this week:
*If you are interested in helping in the classroom, please send in volunteer forms by Monday, November 16.
November 6, 2015: Classroom volunteer forms have been distributed at conferences. If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, please return the completed form by Monday, November 16. Based on days/times and interest areas indicated, I will create a volunteer schedule. A copy of the classroom volunteer schedule will be included in the Friday Folder on Friday, November 21 to those who expressed interest in helping via completing a volunteer interest form. Volunteering will begin the week after we return from Thanksgiving break. Thank you for your willingness to help in our classroom!
October 30, 2015: Fun Friday was super fun! We enjoyed seeing all of the Stoney Creek students in the parade, and had a blast at our party centers in the classroom. The favorite center was making Oobleck which is a non-newtonian fluid (we read the book Bartholomew and the Oobleck in class this week). Thank you for your kindness of party supply donations. The kids enjoyed the delicious, and nutritious snacks, Bingo prizes, and the Halloween decor!
If you have not signed up for a conference yet, please click on this Sign Up Genius link to schedule a time to have conversations about your child's progress in school.
October 23, 2015: The list of items needed for our Halloween party went home last week. Please be sure to party supplies in by Thursday, October 29. Thank you for your help in making our first party of the year awesome!
October 13, 2015: As promised, here is the link for the Good, Sound Sleep for Your Child article. Click here.
October 9, 2015: This week we celebrated Count Day. Every student was present (yay!) and every student received a free book (yay!). Thank you for getting your child to school on Count Day, and every day -- every day matters! This week we also learned about fire safety/prevention. Be sure to have conversations with your family about exit plans, meeting spots, and ways to keep everyone safe through fire prevention.
September 26, 2015: On Friday, the kindergartners experienced their first Homecoming assembly complete with the CP Varsity cheerleaders and football team! The gym was roaring with students cheering Go Green! Go Gold! We also read some fabulous children's books this week: You & Me by Susan Verde, Letter Lunch by Elisa Gutierrez, The Best Kid in the World by Peter Reynolds (one of my favorite authors/illustrators), and Moonday by Adam Rex. Be sure to catch the SuperMoon Total Lunar Eclipse on Sunday evening. This exciting perigee event will not happen again until 2033!
September 18, 2015: So much growth happening! All throughout the week, our class received compliments from staff about their good behavior and readiness! Ask them to tell you what happens in our classroom when we get a compliment from a grown up. We read some fantastic books reinforcing the concepts of treating others with kindness and celebrating our uniqueness: Where Ever You Are, The Important Book, and Chrysanthemum. Remember to read every single day with your child. We started using Raz Kids to practice reading skills in the classroom, so your child is familiar with the site. You can link to Raz Kids through the Educational Websites tab found in the "More" section at the top of my website. Instructions for how to log into your child's Raz Kids account were sent home in the Friday Folder.
September 11, 2015: Yay! We completed our first week of kindergarten! I am proud of the kindness and enthusiasm the students displayed as we begin our journey of learning and growing together! Remember the three bees: 1. Be ready. 2. Be responsible. 3. Be respectful.
June 4, 2015: Congratulations class on completing a year in kindergarten! I wish you lots of fun summer adventures and time to read some really good books! Remember to come back to visit me next year! Be kind! Be helpful! Do your best!
May 22, 2015: We wrote about favorite moments in Kindergarten during Writer's Workshop this week. One student wrote "I like Mrs. Hutchings. We ol go to first grad. I like kidergardin." I am so proud of the many ways they have grown as writers, learners, and people!
May 15, 2015: We released the butterflies this week! Watching one of them unfurl its proboscis was really exciting! Watching a predator (bird) swoop down and almost eat one of the butterflies was too much excitement (yikes!). We are almost done with our end of the year testing. While taking one of the sight word assessments, one of the students said, "My brain is empty.". We have done lots of learning and growing this year -- celebrate the milestones with your child!
May 8, 2015: Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms!
May 1, 2015: What a fun, educational, sunny, awesome week! We had a blast at the Meijer Gardens field trip where we used our sense of sight to see three of the four stages of a butterfly's life cycle and lots of butterflies fluttering by! The kids loved playing on the hill near daVinci's horse sculpture too! We are ecstatic that all five of the caterpillars in our classroom have turned into chrysalides. We anxiously await their emergence. Academically, we are working really hard to read and write all of our popcorn words, and reviewing math concepts taught this year. As always, we continue to focus on being proactive and doing our best! Happy May!
April 24, 2015: Earth Week! We painted with recycled stuff, planted seeds in the Kinder Garden, read books about Earth Day, learned about the importance of bees, had honey & pretzels for snack, picked up garbage on our playground, enjoyed learning and being together while outdoors, read lots of fabulous books about the important things in our environment, started recycling styrofoam trays used for school lunch, did "wind painting", watched our Painted Lady caterpillars grow, had class discussions about turning off the water when we brush our teeth, turning off the lights when we are not in a room, and reusing things instead of throwing them away. Our class is inspired to be greener -- so much so, that we are forming our own "Green Team!". Happy Earth Week to all of our awesome Stoney Creek families!
April 17 2015: Our beautiful spring weather allowed us to get outside often this week! We enjoyed extra recess, journaling in nature, had snack outdoors, and the week ended with a picnic lunch on Friday when one of the students proclaimed, "This is the best day of my life!".
April 2, 2015: At the start of March is Reading Month, Captain Book proclaimed that Mr. Rykse would have to walk to plank if every Stoney Creek student turned in at least one reading log. Today we celebrated achieving that goal at an assembly where Mr. Rykse got soaking wet! The roof was raised off the lunch room as the whole school chanted, "Walk the plank!". Congratulations to Ella Uzarksi and Colton Durfee for reading the most minutes in our class. We also read an awesome pirate book on Friday called No Pirates Allowed said Library Lou. Fantastic book with a very important message that reading is the greatest treasure of all!
March 27, 2015: Thank you for attending parent-teacher conferences this week! I always enjoy learning more about your children and sharing the ways they are blooming and growing in our classroom!!
March 19, 2015: Click here to learn how you can help with a project for our classroom!
March 6, 2015: March is Reading Month kicked off this week with "Breakfast Week" which included a daily, fun, important-to-our-health activity, and a very special message on the importance of reading from Captain Book (Mr. Rykse). Click here to view the special message!
February 27, 2015: This week was dental health week in the classroom. We learned about the importance of good nutrition, brushing teeth at least twice a day, and avoiding too much sugar which causes plaque build up and tooth decay (cavities). We also learned that after we lose all of our "baby teeth" we have 32 permanent teeth. Thanks to my friend and former colleague Mrs. Umstead, every student received a toothbrush kit!
February 13, 2015: What a super fun week! We celebrated the 100th day of school on Wednesday (we are officially 100 days smarter!), and celebrated friendship at our Valentine's party on Friday. Thank you, thank you for the party supply donations, and to the parent helpers for your helping hands!
January 30, 2015: On Friday, we had a special visit from Mrs. Jurewicz's first grade writers who shared their small moments writing pieces with our class! We learned about thinking up ideas then writing them down, zooming in on details, revising, and punctuation. We were able to make connections to some of the writing conventions they shared because we have learned about those writing processes in our Writers Workshops. It was exciting to think that many of this year's kindergartners could come back next year as first graders to share the important things they know about being an authors and writing.
January 23, 2015: The performance of Little Red Riding Hood on Wednesday's field trip was such a great experience for Stoney Creek kindergartners! (Their favorite part of the performance was the writing topic for Writer's Workshop.) I loved seeing their expressions as they watched the ballet dancers bring life to the classic fairy tale. We learned what a narrator does as she retold the story, and the music played by the Grand Rapids Symphony completed this amazing experience! Be sure to check out the photos page to see some of the pictures!
January 16, 2015: Best comment of the week . . . We went outside for extra recess on one of the half days (I go out with them for recess in the morning). One of the students asked me to give her a spin on the twirly spinner seat. While she was spinning and laughing, she said, "My cheeks are going to fall off!" I love teaching kindergarten!!
December 24, 2014: Free Winter Reading! Check out StarWalkKids.com/popup to read ebooks for free from December 24 through January 5. Enjoy!!
December 23, 2014: Click here to link to the Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education Award contest where we could win a $500 grant for our classroom! What a gift that would be!!!
December 19, 2014: We were so fortunate to have a visit from the precalculus math students from Kent Innovation H.S. It was a blast! They brought guitars made from cardboard boxes for us to decorate, then we sang holiday songs while Mrs. Hutchings daughter played her real guitar. We then had the best afternoon ever at our class party making delectable gingerbread houses, sharing a healthy snack together, and opening our surprise bags filled with all sorts of goodies! So much to be thankful for!
December 12, 2014: This Friday was the third and final day for Mr. Ty from the YMCA to visit our classroom. He shared important information about healthy foods, taking care of our bodies, and exercising. We looked forward to the nutritious snacks he brought for us to try each week: cucumbers, grape tomatoes, blueberries, apple pie in a cup (applesauce, yogurt, and Cheerios), and a berry smoothie made with berries, yogurt, and baby-leaf spinach = delicious!
CHERRY STREET DENTAL CLINIC TO VISIT IN FEBRUARY! Send back your signed dental form included in the Friday Folder on Friday, December 5 to earn an extra recess with Mr. Rykse! Stoney Creek is fortunate to have Cherry Street visit our school! Please help us earn an extra recess -- send your completed form in on Monday!! Click here to watch the promo video with Mr. Rykse, Nurse Tina, and Mrs. Smith.
December 5, 2014: We learned lots of interesting things this week, like how to draw gingerbread houses and people using shapes and lines we know about, who is the tallest and the shortest in our class, how to spell yellow, and my favorite, how the ruler gots it's name. Ask your child to tell you something interesting they learned this week. And, remember the pancake breakfast is Saturday, December 6 at Pine Island. Reminders fliers went home Thursday, December 4.
November 25, 2014: What an awesome week! We made Friendship bead necklaces, enjoyed a Friendship Snack while watching a classic Thanksgiving movie, participated in friendship/Thanksgiving activites in each of the teacher's classrooms on Switcheroo Day, and read an awesome book titled "Tuesday Tucks Me In" highlighting the thankfulness we feel for people and pets who take care of us, keep us safe, and make us feel happy! Happy Thanksgiving kindergarten families! Count your blessings!
November 21, 2014: A histoical snow week! We embraced the early arrival of snow by learning the color song W-H-I-T-E, read a book about penguins who love cold weather, and wrote about snow day small moments. Please remember to send your child to school with snow gear that will keep them warm and dry for three, sometimes four recesses. Winter is here to stay for a long while.
November 14, 2014: Shapes are all around us! We have been busy exploring and wondering about the 2D and 3D shapes in our classroom, school, homes, and communities. The students have been shape detectives, shape artists, and shape mathematicians while they are building their spatial reasoning and awareness. Take some time in the coming week to explore the plethora of shapes in your home. Ask your child to tell you about the attributes and why they are 2D or 3D.
November 7, 2014: We launched the use of Raz Kids, interactive ebooks for kids, in class this week! Raz Kids ebooks are developmentally appropriate leveled books at 27 reading levels to increase comprehension and fluency, and reader confidence. Raz Kids can be accessed from home -- detailed log in information, including pass codes, were sent in Friday Folders last week. Access Raz Kids on the class webpage by clicking on the More tab, Educational Websites tab, then scroll down to Raz Kids. There is also an app for mobile devices! Read! Read! Read!
October 31, 2014: "This was the best day ever!" True statement by one of the kindergartners! We had lots of fun at the parade and Halloween party! Have your child count how many pieces of Trick-orTreat candy they have, then write the number down, and bring the number in to school. We will use the numbers for greater than and less than comparisons.
October 24, 2014: We started our study of bats this week! Mrs. Cron visited our class again, this time she brought a Brown Bat in a jar. She discovered the bat in the wood burning stove at her cottage. It was not alive when they found it, probably due to starvation, and was perfectly preserved! Your child will be an expert on bats and how they are so important to our environment when we conclude this unit. Ask your child what bat facts they know. Did you know there are nectar drinking bats, and bats the size of a jellybean?!
October 17, 2014: We read some really great books in class this week: Going Places by Peter & Paul Reynolds, The North Star by Peter Reynolds, and The Dandelion's Tale by Kevin Sheehan. To help the students become better readers, we stop and ask questions about the main characters and setting while we are reading, make predictions of what will happen next, and make text-to-self connections. I love reading with your children!!
October 10, 2014: We enjoyed a fun, educational field trip to the apple orchard! Our class received a comment from our guide who said they were very well behaved. They earned a ball in the bucket for being bucket-fillers! Be sure to check out the pictures on the Photos! page.
October 3, 2014: Today we attended a Homecoming pep assembly with the CPHS cheerleaders and football players. Our class really enjoyed watching (watching is an action word) the cheerleaders stunt! Check out the pictures on the photos page. Go Panthers!
October 1, 2014: Count Day! Hip hip hooray, everyone was in class today! To say thank you, Stoney Creek gave every child a free book to keep at home and read over and over. Thank you for supporting your child's education!
September 26, 2014:
September 19, 2014: This week we looked at letters in our names, clapped the syllables, cheered them, then scrambled the letters and put them back in order. We also read lots of excellent books about friendship, kindness, and celebrating our uniqueness. One of my favorite books is Kindness is Cooler Mrs. Ruler, a story that inspires kids to help others by doing acts of kindness. One of the best phrases from the story is "A slice of nice makes a mile of smile". Encourage your child to do acts of kindness at home and in their community (community was one of our Smart Words this week). Other big news: the students met Lando the guinea pig, our new classroom pet -- they love her!
REMINDER: SCHOLASTIC BOOKS ORDERS ARE DUE SEPTEMBER 29.
September 12, 2014: Your child may have shared the news about testing they did in the computer lab this week. Tests completed include: MAP math, MOBY math, MAP Language Arts, and DIBELS. These tests are administered to establish a benchmark for academic growth for the 2014-15 school year. After all that testing, we enjoyed extra recess time, and ended the week with the first pick from the prize box for earning five or more Class Dojo points.
September 5, 2014: Our class was fortunate to have a visit from my colleague Mrs. Cron, who is also a butterfly expert. She brought in a butterfly habitat that housed seven monarch chrysalides, two monarch butterflies that had just emerged, and one that was emerging. The class was very excited to see this process! Check out the photo page for some great snapshots. We went outdoors to release the monarchs and discovered some other interesting things in nature too! We had an awesome first week together! Be sure to ask your child to tell you about Bucket Fillers, and how they can be a Bucket Filler at home.
August 31, 2017: We had a great first 8 days of school! We learned more about each other, how to build a classroom community, how to be proactive, how to get caught being awesome, along with lots of routines and procedures. So much learning and growing! Give your child a hug for a job well done!
June 24, 2017: Our class book, Kindness Is . . . , was featured in the School News Network, and also got a shout out on Kind Riot and Kindness Crusaders facebook pages! Click here to view the School News Network article.
June 13, 2017: Thank you for an incredible year! So much learning! So many wonderful memories! I hope your child left kindergarten with a confident heart and a curious mind to continue to wonder and learn more! I will miss this class and wish them another awesome year in first grade!
May 19, 2017: We love science! And spring time! We are growing sunflower seedlings, watching tadpoles grow, feeding red wiggler worms in the worm bin, noticing the amazing things happening in the nature all around us! Take some time to explore the nature around your home, and wonder! The final book order of the year is due on Monday, May 22. The final Buddy Builder Day is Friday, May 26. Wear purple in support of Stoney Creek staff and families who have experienced cancer in their lives.
April 28, 2017: This has been a tremendous month of learning and growing. Addition and subtraction skills are blooming, students have gained a strong understanding of the writing process, reading abilities continue to increase, and the students have a strong understanding of six of the 7 Habits of Happy Kids. It is an honor to be a teacher, your child's teacher, and inspire them every day be the best learner and leader they can be!
March 30, 2017: Congratulations to our class for donating $26.70 for the second Buddy Builder Day! The grand total big reveal will take place at the end of the school year to let Stoney Creek students know how much was donated for the purchase of Buddy Benches for the 2017-18 school year. Also, the official animal research report packet went home in the Friday Folder. Reports are due the week we return to school.
March 17, 2017: This section of the website will be updated monthly until the end of the year. In math, we continue to work on simple addition and number sense. In reading, we are practicing building the skills of sound addition, substitution, and deletion. We are writing every day about small moments, with a sentence stem to get the process started, focusing on the conventions. Our current habit is #5: Seek First to Understand, Then to Be Understood.
February 17, 2017: Thank you to the families for helping to make our Valentine's Day Soiree lovely -- we are thankful for the many people in our lives who care about us! Reminder that the first Buddy Builder Day is coming up on Friday, February 24: wear your teacher's favorite color.
February 10, 2017: Click here for this week's reading strategy tip on phonemic awareness.
January 27, 2017: Literacy Coach Mrs. Merkel came in to our class to teach us more about Reader's Workshop. This session inspired our class to love books and reading even more because readers have choices! Ask your child to share with you something they learned. Click here to link to Mrs. Merkel's reading strategy tips on You Tube.
January 21, 2017: We learned about Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and the ways he inspired people to work together (together is better) and use kind words to help solve problems which correlates to our Leader in Me habits. The Lolipops concert field trip was a treat for all! Hope you got a chance to ask your child to tell you about the Writer's Workshop they did on their favorite part of the concert.
January 13, 2017: We are learning about penguins, building our reading strategy skills, and working diligently to count to 100 without prompting or support. The habit we are currently focusing on is Put First Things First, work first, then play.
December 30, 2016: Sending wishes to all of my kindergarten families for a happy, healthy, awesome and adventurous new year! Remember to do an act of kindness every day and definitely be sure to read! Read together, read to self, read books, signs, menus, the mail ...
December 16, 2016: We have been having some great conversations about being proactive, and beginning with the end in mind -- the first two habits of the Seven Habits of Happy Kids. We work on our reading and writing skills daily, which includes writing our goals. We have learned the following popcorn words: I, a, the, can, see, it, is, you, we, go, they, are. Log on to Raz Kids daily for leveled reading practice that will help your growing reader! The link can be accessed on this website. Go to the More tab, then Educational Websites. Happy reading!
December 9, 2016: We read more fabulous books this week! We read Everyone Can Learn to Ride a Bike, The Gingerbread Boy Goes to School, Drum Dream Girl, Kwanzaa, The Gingerbread Girl, Flight School, and more. We learned a new word from the Kwanzaa book: Ujima which means working together. We also made holiday decorations for our classroom and wrote the word Ujima on the paper chains as a reminder of the importance in working together.
December 2, 2016: We experienced our first How To writing this week. The students chose something they know how to do really well, then wrote in steps: first, next, last. This writing process helps them to form their ideas, organize the writing process, and express their ideas. Be sure to ask your child to tell you about their writing pieces and celebrate their growth with them!
November 22, 2016: Our first Leaders of the Pack meeting took place on Tuesday. We learned The Leader in Me song, reviewed assembly/meeting expectations, and recognized proactive leaders. We also enjoyed our Friendship Feast complete with a fireplace fire and blankets for gathering together. So many things to give thanks for!
November 18, 2016: We enjoyed a delightfully warm week! The leaves have all fallen off the beautiful tree on the playground, and now we move into wintery weather. Please be sure to practice putting winter gear on, and taking winter gear off, independently, using this song to the tune of "Oh My Darling": First the snowpants, then the snowboots, then the coat and the hat. Then put on your mittens and you're ready just like that! Help your child learn how to take their coat off without pulling the sleeves inside out, how to get their fingers in their gloves, and please write their name on all winter gear, including boots. Also, be sure to help your child review all 26 Zoophonics sounds. Our goal is the whole class knows all 26 sounds, without prompting or support, by this Tuesday, November 22.
November 11, 2016: Thank you Veterans. Today we learned about Veterans Day and made cards for those who have served our country. This week, we set a goal to do acts of kindness throughout each week to help spread kindness at school, and everywhere we are. To the parents who attended conferences, thank you for making time to bring out the best in your child!
November 4, 20116: We continue to grow as readers, writers, mathematicians, scientists, and explorers! The students completed their first math assessment to demonstrate what they know about numbers and math vocabulary terms"how many" and "represent". We are making progress with our letter sound recognition. Writing skills are progressing too as we zoom in on details in our stories and add more details to make stories interesting, or "fancy them up" as one student described. A focus in literacy this week was stretching out sounds in words and learning about short and long vowel sounds. Continue to read every day with your child to support literacy!
October 28, 2016: This was an amazing week! We linked live with Ranger Josh from Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore (he could see and hear us and we could see and hear him!) for a distance learning program on Bear Essentials. This was an extension of the Teacher Ranger Teacher internship Mrs. Hutchings did this past summer with the National Park Service. Our first classroom soiree was a smashing success! Thank you to the families who donated party supplies and to all of the grown-ups who came to our party and helped! The kids had a blast and had big smiles on their faces all morning! Your support makes a difference! Enjoy the beautiful fall weekend!
October 21, 2016: In math, we continue to develop understanding of sorting by attributes. We sorted by students wearing shoes with laces/no laces, students with short hair/long hair, students wearing glasses/no glasses, students wearing Mrs. Hutchings' favorite color/all other colors. We also worked on writing numbers 0-10 while listening to the "We Can Sing the Numeral Song". We work on phonics every day to help build phonemic awareness. We examined student names by looking at the consonants and vowels in names, counted syllables, and noticed the letters in one name could be used in another name. Be sure to encourage your child to cut out the Zoophonics alphabet flashcard pack sent home in the Friday Folder, then help them find a container to store the cards in so they can practice every day. Our goal is all students know all 26 sound by the time we arrive at Thanksgiving break.
October 14, 2016: Noticing. We noticed shapes and patterns in our classroom during math workshop. We had conversations about sorting using attributes. We practiced drawing shapes based on clues. In language arts, the students continue to work on letter sounds and first sounds in words. Noticing is key to learning! This week was Fire Safety Week. We learned how to keep ourselves safe by sorting things that are okay and not okay to touch/use. We heard a song telling us to call 911 if there ever is an emergency, and we wrote about an emergency plan of action (how to exit a home and where to meet once we get outside). Please be sure to talk to your entire family about your emergency plan.
September 30, 2016: As learners, this week we practiced our writing skills during Writer's Workshop. We focused on the proper pencil grasp (tripod grip) to help build finger/hand muscles which contributes to writing stamina. With regard to writing topics, we learned about choosing something that is real, important, and makes sense to write about, and that we write for the whole time (there is no saying "I'm done"). Be sure to ask your child to share their "small moments" writing pieces with you. We practiced ZooPhonics sounds daily. The students are gaining mastery of the letter sounds associated the animal picture clues. Soon we will progress to mastery with the letter only (no picture clue). In math, we counted to 100 daily. We also practiced noticing things that are exactly the same and different than, and learned the term attribute.
School Events: Remember spirit week takes places October 3-7 in celebration of CP Homecoming! Check the newsletter sent home in the Friday Folder for dress up day specifics.
Daily Homework: Read with your child, and do one small act of kindness.
September 23, 2016: Check out the thinking map the class brainstormed on "What we learned this week". It can be be found on the photos page. Also, if you have not signed up for Remind 101, please sign up so quick reminders and updates can be communicated. Thank you!
September 9, 2016: Awesome first week! We learned so much about each other, made new friends, learned about being leaders and Bucket Fillers, and practiced the many routines in our day. I am proud of my kindergartners!
June 9, 2016: School's out! Enjoy the splendor of a Michigan summer! Explore, go on adventures, stop and notice things in nature, read every day, and write about small and big moments! Be sure to check the photos page often for updates on What's Happening with Mrs. Hutchings, including snapshots of me working as teacher ranger teacher at Sleeping Bear Dunes this summer!
June 3, 2016: Exciting news about things growing in the Kinder Garden! Be sure to check out the photos page of the website for updates.
May 27, 2016: We had some incredible conversations this week about compassion, helping others, and how we can continue to be bucket fillers! I am so proud of this class!
May 24, 2016: Click the date to link to the School News Network article featuring our classroom Worm Farm and the kindergartners!
May 20, 2016: We released all five Painted Lady butterflies into the Kinder Garden this week! Two of them stayed on the flowers, three of them fluttered away. Watching the caterpillars eat and eat and eat, hang in a J shape, turn into a chrysalides then "caterpillar juice", reorganize, and lastly emerge as butterflies was an incredible process to observe in the classroom. Ask your child to tell you what they know about the butterfly life cycle.
May 13, 2016: The School News Network came in to do a feature article on our classroom Worm Farm. The reporter was very impressed with how comfortable the students were handling the worms! Your children have a deep appreciation and respect for nature. Thank you for sharing them with me! I will be sure to provide the link to the electronic newsletter when it comes available.
May 6, 2016: Standardized testing starts next week. To help your child be successful, please help them get adequate rest each night, eat a nutritious breakfast before coming to school, get to school on time, and encourage them to do their best.
April 29, 2016: The field trip to Meijer Gardens was full of learning opportunities, butterfly sightings, and one student even spotted real bananas growing on the banana tree in the greenhouse! Thank you to the chaperone's for your help!
April 22, 2016: We celebrated Earth Week! We are very eco-conscious in our classroom: we put all papers in the recycle bin, recycle styrofoam lunch trays, and feed leftover vegetables to the worms in our worm farm. We are thankful to Officer Brown for making time to visit our class and talk about the importance of following rules!
April 15, 2016: We enjoyed our week back after spring break! Remember to practice reading and writing popcorn words, and logging on to Front Row each week for math practice.
March 31, 2016: We had fun with Spirit Week for the final week of March is Reading Month! Thank you grown-ups for the many ways you have supported your growing reader: reading every day, nurturing a love for reading, turning in reading logs, making time to help your child participate in Spirit Week with Caps for Sale, Read a T-shirt, Dress Like Who You Want to Be When You Grow Up, and Beach Days! March is Reading Month is complete, however the reading should never end!
March 25, 2016: Thank you for attending student-led conferences! I enjoyed watching the kindergartners using their leadership skills to share their progress, strengths, and goals with parents. Taking ownership is a great motivator!
March 18, 2016: The field trip to John Ball Zoo was a great experience for the kindergartners! They enjoyed using their research skills to discover answers about the animal each student chose to investigate. Students used their sketchbooks and our classroom iPads to document findings on animal habits, diet, and WOW facts.
March 11, 2016: I am very grateful for the opportunity provided through the CP school district to attend the MACUL technology conference in Downtown Grand Rapids. My goal is to bring back helpful ideas for teaching students how to blog, along with lots of new ideas to incorporate technology in learning.
March 4, 2016: Reminder: Parent Teacher Conferences are Monday, March 21 and Wednesday, March 23. Choose a conference time using Sign Up Genius. Click the links to go directly to the site:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da8ae2ba1f85-stoney for March 21
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0c4da8ae2ba1f85-stoney1 for March 23
February 26, 2016: Our learning theme this week was dental health. Good habits like avoiding too much sugar, brushing teeth at least twice a day, and foods we can eat to keep our teeth healthy were reinforced. Talking about teeth of course gave kindergartners the opportunity to share stories about their wiggly teeth!
February 19, 2016: In observance of President's Day, we learned some interesting facts about our first Presidents, George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. One student made an observation during Play Workshop time . . . he noticed that the play money in the kitchen center had portraits of the same two presidents we had learned about!
February 12, 2016: Happy Chinese New Year 新年快乐 Xīnnián kuàilè This week we learned about the Chinese New Year, compared writing strokes of numbers 1-10 in English and Chinese, practiced writing numbers, and read some great informational stories about this awesome holiday!
February 5, 2016: This week Mr. Ty the Nutrition Guy from the Y (YMCA) came in to our class to have conversations about healthy eating, the importance of moving our bodies, and manners. The class loved it! Ask your child to share something they learned.
January 29, 2016: Be sure to check the Valentine's Day Party needs list. Send party supplies and your child's valentines to school by Monday, February 8. Students do not need to write their classmates names on the cards, just their own name. This helps with time efficiency when distributing cards as the students deliver their Valentines to other's valentines bags independently -- on their own without teacher assistance.
January 15, 2016: Remember to practice popcorn (sight) words at home to help your growing reader build fluency skills!
January 8, 2015: Welcome to 2016! We enjoyed being together again in the classroom. We wrote goals to display in our Leader Hall of Fame, had discussions about the importance of sharing our thoughts and feelings with others when it comes to problem solving, and we enjoyed playing outside at recess in the snow!
December 18, 2015: Happy holidays! Be sure to work on habit #7 during the break "Sharpen the Saw", I take care of me. See you in 2016!
December 11, 2015: Be sure to check out the photos page for awesome insights into our "How To" writing with Mrs. Jurewicz's first graders!
December 4, 2015: Our gingerbread exploration began this week -- a favorite in kindergarten! Ask your child to share their favorite version of the story with you!
November 24, 2015:
November 20, 2015:
November 13, 2015: We read some really great books this week:
- Oh No George!, and Shh! I Have a Plan by Christopher Haughten
- Imaginary Fred by Eoin Colfer
- All Kinds of Families by Mary Ann Hoberman
*If you are interested in helping in the classroom, please send in volunteer forms by Monday, November 16.
November 6, 2015: Classroom volunteer forms have been distributed at conferences. If you are interested in volunteering in our classroom, please return the completed form by Monday, November 16. Based on days/times and interest areas indicated, I will create a volunteer schedule. A copy of the classroom volunteer schedule will be included in the Friday Folder on Friday, November 21 to those who expressed interest in helping via completing a volunteer interest form. Volunteering will begin the week after we return from Thanksgiving break. Thank you for your willingness to help in our classroom!
October 30, 2015: Fun Friday was super fun! We enjoyed seeing all of the Stoney Creek students in the parade, and had a blast at our party centers in the classroom. The favorite center was making Oobleck which is a non-newtonian fluid (we read the book Bartholomew and the Oobleck in class this week). Thank you for your kindness of party supply donations. The kids enjoyed the delicious, and nutritious snacks, Bingo prizes, and the Halloween decor!
If you have not signed up for a conference yet, please click on this Sign Up Genius link to schedule a time to have conversations about your child's progress in school.
October 23, 2015: The list of items needed for our Halloween party went home last week. Please be sure to party supplies in by Thursday, October 29. Thank you for your help in making our first party of the year awesome!
October 13, 2015: As promised, here is the link for the Good, Sound Sleep for Your Child article. Click here.
October 9, 2015: This week we celebrated Count Day. Every student was present (yay!) and every student received a free book (yay!). Thank you for getting your child to school on Count Day, and every day -- every day matters! This week we also learned about fire safety/prevention. Be sure to have conversations with your family about exit plans, meeting spots, and ways to keep everyone safe through fire prevention.
September 26, 2015: On Friday, the kindergartners experienced their first Homecoming assembly complete with the CP Varsity cheerleaders and football team! The gym was roaring with students cheering Go Green! Go Gold! We also read some fabulous children's books this week: You & Me by Susan Verde, Letter Lunch by Elisa Gutierrez, The Best Kid in the World by Peter Reynolds (one of my favorite authors/illustrators), and Moonday by Adam Rex. Be sure to catch the SuperMoon Total Lunar Eclipse on Sunday evening. This exciting perigee event will not happen again until 2033!
September 18, 2015: So much growth happening! All throughout the week, our class received compliments from staff about their good behavior and readiness! Ask them to tell you what happens in our classroom when we get a compliment from a grown up. We read some fantastic books reinforcing the concepts of treating others with kindness and celebrating our uniqueness: Where Ever You Are, The Important Book, and Chrysanthemum. Remember to read every single day with your child. We started using Raz Kids to practice reading skills in the classroom, so your child is familiar with the site. You can link to Raz Kids through the Educational Websites tab found in the "More" section at the top of my website. Instructions for how to log into your child's Raz Kids account were sent home in the Friday Folder.
September 11, 2015: Yay! We completed our first week of kindergarten! I am proud of the kindness and enthusiasm the students displayed as we begin our journey of learning and growing together! Remember the three bees: 1. Be ready. 2. Be responsible. 3. Be respectful.
June 4, 2015: Congratulations class on completing a year in kindergarten! I wish you lots of fun summer adventures and time to read some really good books! Remember to come back to visit me next year! Be kind! Be helpful! Do your best!
May 22, 2015: We wrote about favorite moments in Kindergarten during Writer's Workshop this week. One student wrote "I like Mrs. Hutchings. We ol go to first grad. I like kidergardin." I am so proud of the many ways they have grown as writers, learners, and people!
May 15, 2015: We released the butterflies this week! Watching one of them unfurl its proboscis was really exciting! Watching a predator (bird) swoop down and almost eat one of the butterflies was too much excitement (yikes!). We are almost done with our end of the year testing. While taking one of the sight word assessments, one of the students said, "My brain is empty.". We have done lots of learning and growing this year -- celebrate the milestones with your child!
May 8, 2015: Happy Mother's Day to all the Moms!
May 1, 2015: What a fun, educational, sunny, awesome week! We had a blast at the Meijer Gardens field trip where we used our sense of sight to see three of the four stages of a butterfly's life cycle and lots of butterflies fluttering by! The kids loved playing on the hill near daVinci's horse sculpture too! We are ecstatic that all five of the caterpillars in our classroom have turned into chrysalides. We anxiously await their emergence. Academically, we are working really hard to read and write all of our popcorn words, and reviewing math concepts taught this year. As always, we continue to focus on being proactive and doing our best! Happy May!
April 24, 2015: Earth Week! We painted with recycled stuff, planted seeds in the Kinder Garden, read books about Earth Day, learned about the importance of bees, had honey & pretzels for snack, picked up garbage on our playground, enjoyed learning and being together while outdoors, read lots of fabulous books about the important things in our environment, started recycling styrofoam trays used for school lunch, did "wind painting", watched our Painted Lady caterpillars grow, had class discussions about turning off the water when we brush our teeth, turning off the lights when we are not in a room, and reusing things instead of throwing them away. Our class is inspired to be greener -- so much so, that we are forming our own "Green Team!". Happy Earth Week to all of our awesome Stoney Creek families!
April 17 2015: Our beautiful spring weather allowed us to get outside often this week! We enjoyed extra recess, journaling in nature, had snack outdoors, and the week ended with a picnic lunch on Friday when one of the students proclaimed, "This is the best day of my life!".
April 2, 2015: At the start of March is Reading Month, Captain Book proclaimed that Mr. Rykse would have to walk to plank if every Stoney Creek student turned in at least one reading log. Today we celebrated achieving that goal at an assembly where Mr. Rykse got soaking wet! The roof was raised off the lunch room as the whole school chanted, "Walk the plank!". Congratulations to Ella Uzarksi and Colton Durfee for reading the most minutes in our class. We also read an awesome pirate book on Friday called No Pirates Allowed said Library Lou. Fantastic book with a very important message that reading is the greatest treasure of all!
March 27, 2015: Thank you for attending parent-teacher conferences this week! I always enjoy learning more about your children and sharing the ways they are blooming and growing in our classroom!!
March 19, 2015: Click here to learn how you can help with a project for our classroom!
March 6, 2015: March is Reading Month kicked off this week with "Breakfast Week" which included a daily, fun, important-to-our-health activity, and a very special message on the importance of reading from Captain Book (Mr. Rykse). Click here to view the special message!
February 27, 2015: This week was dental health week in the classroom. We learned about the importance of good nutrition, brushing teeth at least twice a day, and avoiding too much sugar which causes plaque build up and tooth decay (cavities). We also learned that after we lose all of our "baby teeth" we have 32 permanent teeth. Thanks to my friend and former colleague Mrs. Umstead, every student received a toothbrush kit!
February 13, 2015: What a super fun week! We celebrated the 100th day of school on Wednesday (we are officially 100 days smarter!), and celebrated friendship at our Valentine's party on Friday. Thank you, thank you for the party supply donations, and to the parent helpers for your helping hands!
January 30, 2015: On Friday, we had a special visit from Mrs. Jurewicz's first grade writers who shared their small moments writing pieces with our class! We learned about thinking up ideas then writing them down, zooming in on details, revising, and punctuation. We were able to make connections to some of the writing conventions they shared because we have learned about those writing processes in our Writers Workshops. It was exciting to think that many of this year's kindergartners could come back next year as first graders to share the important things they know about being an authors and writing.
January 23, 2015: The performance of Little Red Riding Hood on Wednesday's field trip was such a great experience for Stoney Creek kindergartners! (Their favorite part of the performance was the writing topic for Writer's Workshop.) I loved seeing their expressions as they watched the ballet dancers bring life to the classic fairy tale. We learned what a narrator does as she retold the story, and the music played by the Grand Rapids Symphony completed this amazing experience! Be sure to check out the photos page to see some of the pictures!
January 16, 2015: Best comment of the week . . . We went outside for extra recess on one of the half days (I go out with them for recess in the morning). One of the students asked me to give her a spin on the twirly spinner seat. While she was spinning and laughing, she said, "My cheeks are going to fall off!" I love teaching kindergarten!!
December 24, 2014: Free Winter Reading! Check out StarWalkKids.com/popup to read ebooks for free from December 24 through January 5. Enjoy!!
December 23, 2014: Click here to link to the Michigan Lottery Excellence in Education Award contest where we could win a $500 grant for our classroom! What a gift that would be!!!
December 19, 2014: We were so fortunate to have a visit from the precalculus math students from Kent Innovation H.S. It was a blast! They brought guitars made from cardboard boxes for us to decorate, then we sang holiday songs while Mrs. Hutchings daughter played her real guitar. We then had the best afternoon ever at our class party making delectable gingerbread houses, sharing a healthy snack together, and opening our surprise bags filled with all sorts of goodies! So much to be thankful for!
December 12, 2014: This Friday was the third and final day for Mr. Ty from the YMCA to visit our classroom. He shared important information about healthy foods, taking care of our bodies, and exercising. We looked forward to the nutritious snacks he brought for us to try each week: cucumbers, grape tomatoes, blueberries, apple pie in a cup (applesauce, yogurt, and Cheerios), and a berry smoothie made with berries, yogurt, and baby-leaf spinach = delicious!
CHERRY STREET DENTAL CLINIC TO VISIT IN FEBRUARY! Send back your signed dental form included in the Friday Folder on Friday, December 5 to earn an extra recess with Mr. Rykse! Stoney Creek is fortunate to have Cherry Street visit our school! Please help us earn an extra recess -- send your completed form in on Monday!! Click here to watch the promo video with Mr. Rykse, Nurse Tina, and Mrs. Smith.
December 5, 2014: We learned lots of interesting things this week, like how to draw gingerbread houses and people using shapes and lines we know about, who is the tallest and the shortest in our class, how to spell yellow, and my favorite, how the ruler gots it's name. Ask your child to tell you something interesting they learned this week. And, remember the pancake breakfast is Saturday, December 6 at Pine Island. Reminders fliers went home Thursday, December 4.
November 25, 2014: What an awesome week! We made Friendship bead necklaces, enjoyed a Friendship Snack while watching a classic Thanksgiving movie, participated in friendship/Thanksgiving activites in each of the teacher's classrooms on Switcheroo Day, and read an awesome book titled "Tuesday Tucks Me In" highlighting the thankfulness we feel for people and pets who take care of us, keep us safe, and make us feel happy! Happy Thanksgiving kindergarten families! Count your blessings!
November 21, 2014: A histoical snow week! We embraced the early arrival of snow by learning the color song W-H-I-T-E, read a book about penguins who love cold weather, and wrote about snow day small moments. Please remember to send your child to school with snow gear that will keep them warm and dry for three, sometimes four recesses. Winter is here to stay for a long while.
November 14, 2014: Shapes are all around us! We have been busy exploring and wondering about the 2D and 3D shapes in our classroom, school, homes, and communities. The students have been shape detectives, shape artists, and shape mathematicians while they are building their spatial reasoning and awareness. Take some time in the coming week to explore the plethora of shapes in your home. Ask your child to tell you about the attributes and why they are 2D or 3D.
November 7, 2014: We launched the use of Raz Kids, interactive ebooks for kids, in class this week! Raz Kids ebooks are developmentally appropriate leveled books at 27 reading levels to increase comprehension and fluency, and reader confidence. Raz Kids can be accessed from home -- detailed log in information, including pass codes, were sent in Friday Folders last week. Access Raz Kids on the class webpage by clicking on the More tab, Educational Websites tab, then scroll down to Raz Kids. There is also an app for mobile devices! Read! Read! Read!
October 31, 2014: "This was the best day ever!" True statement by one of the kindergartners! We had lots of fun at the parade and Halloween party! Have your child count how many pieces of Trick-orTreat candy they have, then write the number down, and bring the number in to school. We will use the numbers for greater than and less than comparisons.
October 24, 2014: We started our study of bats this week! Mrs. Cron visited our class again, this time she brought a Brown Bat in a jar. She discovered the bat in the wood burning stove at her cottage. It was not alive when they found it, probably due to starvation, and was perfectly preserved! Your child will be an expert on bats and how they are so important to our environment when we conclude this unit. Ask your child what bat facts they know. Did you know there are nectar drinking bats, and bats the size of a jellybean?!
October 17, 2014: We read some really great books in class this week: Going Places by Peter & Paul Reynolds, The North Star by Peter Reynolds, and The Dandelion's Tale by Kevin Sheehan. To help the students become better readers, we stop and ask questions about the main characters and setting while we are reading, make predictions of what will happen next, and make text-to-self connections. I love reading with your children!!
October 10, 2014: We enjoyed a fun, educational field trip to the apple orchard! Our class received a comment from our guide who said they were very well behaved. They earned a ball in the bucket for being bucket-fillers! Be sure to check out the pictures on the Photos! page.
October 3, 2014: Today we attended a Homecoming pep assembly with the CPHS cheerleaders and football players. Our class really enjoyed watching (watching is an action word) the cheerleaders stunt! Check out the pictures on the photos page. Go Panthers!
October 1, 2014: Count Day! Hip hip hooray, everyone was in class today! To say thank you, Stoney Creek gave every child a free book to keep at home and read over and over. Thank you for supporting your child's education!
September 26, 2014:
September 19, 2014: This week we looked at letters in our names, clapped the syllables, cheered them, then scrambled the letters and put them back in order. We also read lots of excellent books about friendship, kindness, and celebrating our uniqueness. One of my favorite books is Kindness is Cooler Mrs. Ruler, a story that inspires kids to help others by doing acts of kindness. One of the best phrases from the story is "A slice of nice makes a mile of smile". Encourage your child to do acts of kindness at home and in their community (community was one of our Smart Words this week). Other big news: the students met Lando the guinea pig, our new classroom pet -- they love her!
REMINDER: SCHOLASTIC BOOKS ORDERS ARE DUE SEPTEMBER 29.
September 12, 2014: Your child may have shared the news about testing they did in the computer lab this week. Tests completed include: MAP math, MOBY math, MAP Language Arts, and DIBELS. These tests are administered to establish a benchmark for academic growth for the 2014-15 school year. After all that testing, we enjoyed extra recess time, and ended the week with the first pick from the prize box for earning five or more Class Dojo points.
September 5, 2014: Our class was fortunate to have a visit from my colleague Mrs. Cron, who is also a butterfly expert. She brought in a butterfly habitat that housed seven monarch chrysalides, two monarch butterflies that had just emerged, and one that was emerging. The class was very excited to see this process! Check out the photo page for some great snapshots. We went outdoors to release the monarchs and discovered some other interesting things in nature too! We had an awesome first week together! Be sure to ask your child to tell you about Bucket Fillers, and how they can be a Bucket Filler at home.