DOUBLE YIPPEE!!!!

Okay parents and students, you are not going to believe this. As soon as I posted the last message I went back onto my Donors Choose account and found that another project had been funded within minutes of me checking. This teacher is smiling from ear to ear :)

This project included two netbooks. Now that makes three that we will have for our class when you add the one we won earlier in the year. We plan on using the netbooks in a technology center. Once our wireless internet is set up in our class, we will be able to do whole group learning through our mimio interactive board, and then the students can go back to their seats and learn on the netbooks indepedently.

I am just pumped! What a great weekend. It all started when our Football boys won their game last night, and then this morning I find two projects funded! This teacher is having a great week!

YEA!!! YIPPEE!!! Another Grant is funded!

I'm so excited, school has barely begun and I already have had two grant projects funded for our class.

This time my grant was focused around math and money manipulatives. When our package arrives we should have numerous money games and magic money boards. We also will be able to get 25 books that reinforce this math standard.

Our primary donor to this project is FreeCreditReport.com. We also had two other donors. Patricia from Olathe, and an anonymous donor. I can not thank them enough. It is always so wonderful to add new materials to my class. It makes learning so interesting and exciting. It always seems to help the kids stay engaged in learning when we have something new. At least I know I am that way!

This is so cool, yes I said COOL! It's like Christmas, and I'm a kid again! I can't wait to open our package.

bird feeders

Save your toilet paper rolls and send them our way. In a couple of weeks we will be making bird feeders to go along with our animal science unit. This should be fun, maybe even a mess. But what is fun without a mess!

Thanks

Sonic - Limeades for learning

Sonic is running its Limeades for Learning campaign to fund classroom projects across the nation. All it takes is a vote, and you will be helping us in the campaign. Go to www.limeadesforlearning.com and click find a project, then select location, Kansas, district, and then West Elk. I'm rooting for all teachers that have projects in our district. But particularly the projects for netbooks.

Please help by spreading the word and have your family vote for us too. Oh yeah, you can vote daily. Wish us luck. Thanks!

First Day Pictures

We had such a great first day on Wednesday! My students are so friendly and have such a love for learning. I'm looking forward to the fun projects ahead of us.

Macy is a Kindergartener!!!

I know she is not a First Grader, but she is my pride and joy! Today was Macy's first day of Kindergarten. I was sad that she is growing up on me, but am so proud of the girl she has come to be! This will be a neat year for her.

She loved school and seeing her friends. Kindergarten must be a lot of work, she fell fast asleep not long after getting home.

Another Grant FUNDED!!!!

Thats right, I just received an e-mail that another grant has been funded for my classroom! This time we are recipients of a netbook computer and optical mouse. This is so exciting. Now the kids in our class get to take the child sized computer back to their seats and explore the tagged reading and math websites. We are continually learning through technology on our interactive websites through the use of our mimio board. Now I get the pleasure of watching them take the next step of exploring on their own.

Thanks to Donors Choose, and the anonymous donor Cynthia from Kansas. A special thanks to Cynthia from Kansas, who has donated repeatedly to my classroom.

-Mrs. Haag

Current Grant Projects

Here are three Grant projects I have posted on donorschoose.org. Right now my main focus is to acquire netbooks for our classroom. Each day we use our interactive mimio board to learn reading and math strategies through interactive websites. The netbooks would allow the students to individually go back to the tagged sites that help us learn in class. The plus side is that they are small and portable, just right for Kindergarten hands.

If you could help even a little, that would be a great start to getting our grant funded. Please pass this along to Grandparents or Aunts and Uncles that may be willing to help out our class.



http://www.donorschoose.org/we-teach/399915.-21439851

Get READY for KINDERGARTEN !

Here are some fun website links to have fun with over the summer. Most focus on letter recognition, beginning sound, and blending words. Have FUN!


http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/ig/load.htm?f



http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/en/load.htm?f



http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/at/load.htm?f


http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/ug/load.htm?f


http://www.starfall.com/n/make-a-word/og/load.htm?f



http://www.learnenglish.org.uk/kids/phonics/index.html

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-k/index/load.htm?frfall.com/n/level-k/index/load.htm?f

http://www.sadlier-oxford.com/phonics/grade_k_1/zoo_a/zoo1x.htm

Summer Reading for incoming 1st Graders

These are starfall.com links that will be fun for students getting ready for first grade. Click on the link below the picture.

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-c/index/load.htm?f

http://www.starfall.com/n/level-b/index/load.htm?f

Random Photos

While I had my camera with me for Kindergarten Recognition pictures, I took some photos for the year book.

Kindergarten - Sixth Grade Recognition

Kindergarten Sixth Grade Recognition will be held next Tuesday May 11th, at West Elk High School. I can't believe it is May already. If you look back at their First Day of Kindergarten pictures you will see that they have changed so much. They are definetly growing and loosing teeth. I truely have enjoyed this bunch of kiddos! I am looking forward to seeing their friends and family the night of the recognition.

Life according to a Kindergartener

I love the age of Kindergarteners, they make me smile and laugh each day. In February we discussed Presidents Day, and our First President "George Washington". We read a book together, discussed the first president, and then I asked review questions. "Who remembers the name of our first president?" **** replies "George Staight"!!!! She was very exuberant and so proud she knew the answer, I couldn't help but giggle.



Same student today replied to an answer.

Today we are reading and discussing mammals. We talked about how all mammals grow, change, and then eventually die. Of course they started talking about dieing, so I chimed in and said that a lot of the time people just die of old age. **** replied "Like when your 19?"



Honey, if your old when your 19 then I'm ancient!!! LOL



They are always saying the funniest things, I just love these kids!



-Mrs. Haag

Grants

Exciting news in Kindergarten. I have applied for a few grants this year, and been awarded two different grants. The first grant is a "Literacy Rug" to use for skip around spelling, counting, and to use during circle time. The second grant is an "Art activity table". I am wanting to incorporate an art center into our daily activities. It is so exciting. The next grant I am applying for is to have a technology center. I am creating a project for small netbooks, so that the kids can take them back to their seats and discover reading and math on the websites we use during our class mimio board time.

Homecoming

Hannah and Kaiden were selected to be the Kindergarten attendants for homecoming. It is this Friday night. Come out and enjoy the presence of our school community and some good ole' basketball. I believe there is a soup supper that night also.

sick little ducklings

First day back after fridged days off and our class looked pretty puney today. I would say over half of the kids had coughs and just looked on the verge of being sick. Only one confirmed fever, I wonder what tomorrow will bring. It was so sad, the one kiddo I sent home was so eager to learn. He read a 30 page Margaret Hillert book to me with only one helped word "something". I was so proud of him, but I knew something just wasn't right.

On a brighter note, I am so proud of all the kiddos. They really are beginning to read! I had several read books to me today, and test getting 100%. Yippee!!!!!!

-Mrs. Haag