Friday, March 25, 2016

Catching Up

I apologize for the time that has past as it has been quite a while since my last post!  We have been busy with an author study of Mo Willems.  This award winning children's author is the person responsible for the hilarious Pigeon and Elephant & Piggie books!  He also wrote and illustrated Knuffle Bunny, Knuffle Bunny Too, and Knuffle Bunny Free all dedicated and based on adventures with his daughter Trixie.  We have had so much fun exploring, comparing, and contrasting some of these great books.  We even completed a project based on the Pigeon character from The Pigeon Needs a Bath, Don't Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late, and Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus.  Below are some photographs to catch you up on new things in classroom!

One of our friends practicing chapter book reading!


Using rulers to measure in inches and centimeters.
The whole class LOVED using rulers and learning
about measurement.

Just a few of our favorite Mo Willems books that were part of our author study!

Our Pigeon craft using crepe paper and plates.

Learning about subtraction with a nursery rhyme.
One of our friends demonstrates how to use a
"Wiggle Stool", one of the new furniture options
that might be in our new school!

One of our classmates using the Wiggle Stool.
It requires the student to engage their core muscles
and is perfect for kindergartners, helping them
focus on learning.

Wednesday, March 16, 2016

Super K

Hello Kindergarten Families!
We are excited to announce a new learning opportunity that will occur after spring break! Here at Lowell School we pride ourselves on being innovative educators that meet our students’ needs through engagement and dynamic teaching styles.  Mrs. Baied and Mrs. Griffith have taken the opportunity of a lifetime to further themselves as educators and pilot an innovative combined classroom or “Super K” teaching model.  Beginning after spring break, Mrs. Griffith’s class will be moving down the hall and into Mrs. Baied’s room which will be turned into a Super K classroom. It will provide all of your kindergartener’s normal daily routines with the added bonus of an extra teacher and more kindergarten friends.  Mrs. Baied, Mrs. Griffith, and Mr. Bessette are all excited about this opportunity and cannot wait to make the switch!  All line up areas, specials schedules, daily schedules, and folder routines will remain the same.  You are encouraged to still communicate with your child’s assigned classroom teacher, but know that they will now have TWO teachers to help them be their best each and every day.  The only change that will affect parents will be that Mrs. Griffith’s room number will now be #101 (just up the hall nearest the doors on the left), and the best phone number to use to reach both teachers will be (406) 728-2400 x4443. We are excited to extend our classroom communities to include more kindergarten friends and be able to meet the needs of more of our students.

What will learning look like in Super K? For the majority of our day one teacher will teach whole group mini lessons to introduce new concepts while another teacher will be either co-teaching, providing behavior support, or pulling small groups for extension or reinforcement activities.  This means that nearly each child will get small group or one-on-one instruction EVERY DAY!  Both classes already combine to do many activities together and follow the same progression of skills sequenced throughout the school year.  Super K will reinforce many academic skills as well as social skills such as sharing, character development, and allows for more developmentally appropriate centers and play time. 
Mrs. Griffith’s class will be making visits to our new Super K classroom, and both classes will engage in conversations about the changes in an effort to familiarize all students as much as possible before the transition.  In addition to involving students, both teachers will work hard to pass on information to parents as decisions are made. As with all changes nervousness is to be expected, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher with any questions and concerns.
Love,    Mrs. Baied and Mrs. Griffith

Thursday, March 3, 2016

DEAR and 80s!

Our class during Drop Everything and Read in honor of Dr. Seuss's Birthday
We have had a blast dressing up and celebrating Read Across America Week here in kindergarten.  My intention was to post yesterday but we had such a great time during Wanna Sleep Wednesday that my post was delayed!  Here is an update:


In honor of Dr.Seuss's birthday yesterday all of the kids in Lowell School dropped what they were doing and grabbed some books to read! It was an amazing sight to see, the halls were filled with students enjoying reading books. Happy (Belated) Birthday Dr. Seuss!



Jenny, Jenny You're the Girl for Me! 867-5309 addition!

Pop Rocks adjectives writing, this project was SWEET!
Today was a fun Throwback Thursday to the 80s theme!  We rocked out and had a fabulous 80s dance party.  Then we completed some totally tubular assignments that coordinated with songs like "Jenny (867-5309)" and even learned about adjectives using Pop Rocks candy!  We have had a fun throwback to the 80s to say the least!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith



Friday, February 26, 2016

Dental Presentation Today

Today we were visited by two lovely ladies from Children's Dentistry of the Rockies.  We had fun talking about healthy teeth foods and ways to keep our teeth shiny and healthy!  To keep our teeth healthy we need to brush them at least twice a day--once in the morning and once at night--and floss as regularly as possible.  Sparingly indulging in sweet and sticky treats as well as soda will help to keep the enamel on our teeth strong and healthy.  Four kindergarten friends volunteered to act as giant teeth during the presentation while we learned the appropriate ways to brush and floss.

Just a reminder that Monday kicks off Read Across America week with Monochromatic Monday!  All kinders are invited to wear RED to school. If you need a reminder of the themes check out below:




Monochromatic Monday: Wear RED to school
Ties & Tutus Tuesday: Wear a tie and/or a tut
Wanna Sleep Wednesday: Wear PJs
Throwback Thursday: '80s is our theme!  Wear '80s inspired clothing with neon and bright colors
Flannel Friday: Wear flannel or plaid

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Monday, February 22, 2016

Extra Extra Read All About It!

This afternoon we took our writing OUTSIDE into the beautiful sunshine!  We were all working in Westside Park behind our playground when a photographer from The Missoulian was driving by.  He came over and asked permission to take some photographs of the class working on their writing out in nature!  Keep your eyes on the lookout for pictures of our class in the upcoming newspapers!

Love,
Mrs Griffith

New Centers and Dental Health

Kiddos at the listen to music center
We have some new centers this and a fun new theme for our learning...DENTAL HEALTH!  We have reintroduced the the dramatic play center with the puppet show and fun animal puppets.  We have also started a new listen to music  center where kiddos can tune out the world and rock out to a variety of different music including  two albums made by an uncle of one of our classmates!

All of Lowell kindergarten is also learning about dental health and how to keep our teeth as healthy.  Look for different dental health activities that will be coming home.  A local dentist will be visiting us on Friday to teach us more about our responsibility in keeping our teeth healthy and clean!

That's all for now!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Wednesday, February 17, 2016

Our New Classroom

Today was a day for rearranging and spring cleaning!  We now have BIG, small, and regular tables. The BIG table is made for kids to stand and complete their work.  The small table is made for kids to sit on the floor to complete their work.  We also have two regular tables for kiddos!  In addition to tables we are going to use clipboards to lay or sit on the floor to complete our work.  This flexible seating arrangement is made to meet the diverse needs of all learners and we are excited to give it a try!

The class also helped to deep clean our classroom.  We threw out old supplies and wiped away all of the dust and germs.

If you have any questions or concerns about our flexible learning environment please let me know!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Tuesday, February 16, 2016

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

First we sorted our candies
into their columns...
...then we removed the candies
and colored in our graph.
I hope everyone had a fabulous three day weekend!  I wanted to post about our Valentine's Day on Friday, but I was having some technical difficulties so here it is today!
 All throughout the day we did bits and pieces of a "party", concluding with opening cards from our classmates and enjoying a small treat.  We started the day with a pink number morning job and then read Amelia Bedelia's First Valentine.  From there we danced our hearts out with a game of Freeze Dance and practiced our boogie for the school-wide dance party.  Then we used a variety of materials to decorate valentine bags.  While the glue on our bags dried we used conversation heart candies to practice our graphing skills during a sweet math lesson.
Some of the great cards and treats from
classmates!
After lunch our bags were ready to go and we passed out our Valentine cards to each of our friends.  The thank yous  and excited squeals coming from every part of the room would melt your heart!  These kiddos truly care for one another and were delighted to receive their cards and treats.  The day wrapped up with the entire school boogyin


g down during the Valentine Dance Party in the gym!

All in all the day was super successful and fun!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Wednesday, February 10, 2016

Valentine

This is a reminder that kinder kiddos need to bring 20 valentines for the class by Friday, 02/12.  Students can sign their name in the "From:" space but should leave the "To:" space blank.  This allows kinders to independently pass out valentines to their friends.

We have been discussing social and emotional skills in depth for the last week using a set of books that address behaviors and well-being.  The main character in the books is Howard B. Wigglebottom and he learns everything from how to listen respectfully to good sportsmanship.  All of the books are available as animated online stories along with talking points at the website listed below.  It is a great resource and way to start conversations with kindergartners about emotions and appropriate behavior.
Check it out!

www.wedolisten.org

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Tuesday, February 9, 2016

101 Dalmatians for the 101st Day of School

We had a great 101st day of kindergarten!  The teachers wore dalmatian polka-dot shirts and we completed theme activities and even watched part of the movie 101 Dalmatians.  Take a peek at a couple of photos from our fun day!
Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Thursday, February 4, 2016

100th Day!

Monday, February 8th is the 100th day of school!  We will celebrate in class with special 100 themed activities and lots of counting to 100.  This is a fun milestone for kindergartners to celebrate and is really special.  Stay tuned for pictures from our special day!
Love,
Mrs. Griffith

PS: There are plans and layouts of the new Lowell School renovation at the office.  There are still minor changes being made, but stop by to check in on the progress, it is exciting!

Thursday, January 28, 2016

Time to Dust Off the Ol' Blog!

Hello Families!

I am finally posting on the blog again!  It has been a busy time in kindergarten.  As we enter into February I want to keep all families posted on important dates and fun activities in our classroom.  I will continue to send home a hard copy of newsletters on Wednesdays, Thursdays, or Fridays, BUT the blog will be the best place to keep up-to-date on information!
See you tomorrow!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Monday, December 14, 2015

Holiday Program

Kindergarten and 1st Grade will be presenting Colors of the Season on Friday, December 18th at 10:15 am.  The production will be happening in the Lowell Elementary School gym.  Although seating is provided, it can be limited, and will be on a first-come-first-serve basis.  Our kindergartners have been working hard on their songs and I am sure that their performance will be adorable!
Kinders will be singing some songs on their own, and other songs will be with a 1st grade accompaniment.
I hope to see you there!
Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Wednesday, December 2, 2015

Baby It's Cold Outside!

As the weather turns chilly and snow begins to fall, we enter the season of SNOW GEAR!  All kinders need to wear weather-appropriate clothing to school including warm boots or shoes, a heavy winter coat, mittens, and hats.  Kiddos can also wear snow pants to school.  A few tips to keep in mind when choosing snow gear for your child:

Coat
Does it have a hood?
Is it large enough to fit over other cold-weather clothing such as sweatshirts?
Can my child independently put on and take off the coat, including zipping?
Label with your child's name somewhere inside the coat.

Snow Pants
Can my child independently put on and take off the snow pants?
If they choose to wear them during the day...can my child independently undress to use the restroom?
Label with your child's name somewhere inside the pants.

It is inevitable that hats and gloves will go missing throughout the winter.  It is important that kindergartners learn responsibility and cold-weather gear is great practice!

We have LOTS and LOTS of snow boots and heavy winter coats at school, if you are in need please let me know or talk to Ms. Nave at the front desk.

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Tuesday, December 1, 2015

Elf on the Shelf

He has arrived!!!
Our Elf on the Shelf made his debut yesterday morning and the kinders could not be more excited. He left us a note and a package that contained a special book!  We read the book and learned about "Elf Laws".  The laws say that elves cannot talk to kids, or move when kids are looking.  We also learned that the elf will lose his Christmas magic if he gets touched by a human.
In order for our elf to get his Christmas magic we had to give him a name.  After much consideration and a few class votes we decided to name him Henry (or Hank for short!).  Henry has been hanging around our classroom and helping us use our imaginations and creating mischief along the way!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Monday, November 9, 2015

Conferences

As conferences are right around the corner, I wanted to let all families know to be on the lookout for a few important documents that will come home with kinders in the next few days.

Report Card Information:  this document outlines the report card and explains what each "grade" means.  Please review this thoroughly as we will be discussing your child's grades for the majority of our time together.

Conference Reminder:  a reminder will be coming home with your conference appointment date and time.  Sometimes conferences run a little longer than the 15 minutes allotted, and sometimes they are shorter!  Please keep that in mind and arrive promptly for your time slot.

I Would Like to Discuss...: a small paper will be sent home with the Report Card Information document.  Feel free to write down any questions, concerns, or observations that you would like to discuss.  Once the conference gets started, questions are often forgotten and I want to make sure that I answer as many of your questions/concerns as possible!

I cannot wait to see you at your Parent-Teacher Conference appointment, it is always fantastic to get a chance to chat one-on-one!  As this is an important time for adults to connect and communicate, please make other arrangements for kiddos if possible.

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Friday, November 6, 2015

Getting Ready for Veteran's Day

Happy Friday!

Today we made veteran characters and worked on writing!  We got our creative juices flowing and finger painted camouflage jackets and happy smiles.  We will continue to learn about veteran's day and ways that we can respectfully show our thanks.
Have a great weekend!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Monday, October 26, 2015

Hat Day!

Good Morning!

Today kicks off National Red Ribbon Week!  Our theme for today is Hat's Off to Red Ribbon Week, so we wore hats to school.  Our goal was 90% and we came in at.....86% with hats!  That is soooo close!  I am so proud that so many students are showing support for being drug free.  Tomorrow is crazy sock day, and I cannot wait to see how many friends participate!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Wednesday, October 21, 2015

National Red Ribbon Week

Happy Wednesday!

Next week is an exciting week for Lowell Elementary School!  It is national Red Ribbon Week!  Red Ribbon Week is an annual recognition of keeping our students healthy and substance free.  Each day we will be dressing up according to a theme for the day to show our support.  My goal is to have at least 90% participation on all days, and I know that we can meet that goal!

Monday: Hats Off to Red Ribbon Week  Wear a hat to school
Tuesday: From head to Toe, I am Drug Free!   Wear crazy socks
Wednesday: Your Choices are the Key to Your Dreams  Wear pajamas
Thursday: Voting for My Future to be Drug Free   Wear red, white, and blue
Friday: Spook Out Drugs!  Bring your costume in a bag or backpack to school

This is always a fun week for students and staff here at Lowell Elementary!

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

Monday, October 12, 2015

Fire Station, Pumpkin Week, and NO SCHOOL...Oh My!

Good Afternoon!

Last Friday we had our first field trip to the fire station.  We got to see a real fire truck, sit inside and look at all of the tools that firefighters use to keep us safe.  Our fireman teacher even showed us all of his cool gear that he wears to keep himself safe.  After we had seen the truck, gear, and tools, our fireman teacher took us into the living quarters of the fire station.  Our class got to see where firefighters sleep, spend their extra time, and even cook!  (He said that they are known for setting off the smoke alarm when they cook, how ironic!) I took some awesome pictures of our experience and will post them at a later date!

On another note, this week is PUMPKIN PALOOZA, so be on the lookout for all things pumpkin-themed!  We will be completing pumpkin projects, doing pumpkin science, and bringing home pumpkin books.  Remember, there is NO SCHOOL Thursday and Friday of this week.

Love,
Mrs. Griffith

PS: The class earned a pajama party, so send your kinder in their favorite pajamas or comfy clothes on Tuesday, 10/13!