First Grade, First Grade!

Happy Last Day of School!!!!!!

Thank you so much for all of the gifts, sweet cards, and precious emails! You guys are so generous and so kind. I can’t begin to thank you enough for giving me the support I needed to teach your children to the best of my ability.

Here is a video of a song we have been working on just for you! Have a fabulous summer!

Rachel's Challenge

Dear Families,

You might remember the district-wide program we've started this year called the Rachel's Challenge. Spears has really experienced a huge success with this initiative and our students have really understood the meaning and value of random acts of kindness. It's time to celebrate all our successes at the Rachel's Rally tomorrow night. The event is for all of Frisco ISD and we invite all your family and friends to come and be a part of very special and monumental occasion. We will be combining all of the chains collected from every school in the district as a symbol of the chain reaction we've created! We've been talking about this event at school so your little ones should know all about it. Hope to see you there! Come and look for the Spears banner and support our school!

What: Rachel's Rally:Start a Chain Reaction
Where: Memorial Stadium
When: May 25, 2010; 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Guest Speaker: Darrell Scott, Rachel's Daddy

Mark Kistler Program

Mark Kistler

Everyone, hold up your work!

K-2nd grade sitting so nice!

The kids asked me to take a picture of the overhead. He borrowed the one from our room. They told me they feel famous today!

This morning after Huddle we had an assembly featuring Mark Kistler. The kids were wonderful! Because of the length of Huddle this morning and the assembly we were not in our classroom to work before lunch and recess started. So the only work your child will bring home from our morning is 4 pictures they drew with Mark. Our class even got to keep one of his pictures! I made a copy for everyone! Mark gave the kids his website that has some more of his work. The kids thought he was really cool because he even has his own iPhone app!

Our Busy Schedule

Dear Parents,

I was updating my calendar this morning and thought I would send a reminder out about all the events coming up over the next 3 weeks! This time of year can be chaotic for the adults as well the children. Hopefully this will help keep us all organized! Your child's schedule may change daily, but for the most part we will try to keep our routine as normal as possible. At this time of year that's almost impossible so please help us out by reminding your kids they are still in school and the same rules apply no matter what the schedule is - thanks!

Tomorrow, May 14th: Mark Kistler Program for the kids provided by PTA. Also, Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast in the library following Huddle. If you have volunteered this year at Spears please stop by and have some snacks courtesy of the teachers here at Spears. Thanks for everything this year!!
Monday, May 17th: Kid to Kid Tour at 2:00 for the new kindergartners coming to Spears next year. Your child will be their tour guide and do activities with the preschoolers. Very cool!
Wednesday, May 19th: All guided reading books need to be returned. We will continue with reading during the day and not send home books. Book orders are due!
Thursday, May 20th: Last day for library!
Friday, May 21st: Field Day 9 - 11 oustide on the playground. Don't forget to send a sack lunch if you did not sign up with the cafeteria!! Also, LAST day to return library books!
Tuesday, May 25th: Rachel's Challenge Rally at Memorial Stadium 6 pm
Monday, May 31st: No School - Memorial Day
Tuesday, June 1st: 5th grade Graduation 6:30 in the Spears Cafeteria
Friday, June 4th: Last Day of School - End of Year Party 9:15 - 10:15. Some parents have already asked me if they can take their child home after the party. This is up to you, but the answer is yes you can. If you decide to take them home in the morning you won't be able to bring them back in the afternoon. Sometimes kindergarteners are very excited to leave while others have a hard time with the goodbyes. Again, this is up to you!

On all the other days teachers will be doing end of year and report card assessments individually with each student. While we are doing these children will practice their 1st grade skills and work independently. It's a busy time of year to say the least! If any other important news comes my way I'll pass it along to you.

Have a great night!
Mrs. Dooley

Summer Birthdays

Throughout the month of April our class honored students whose birthdays fall over the summer months. We had a lot of fun celebrating so many birthdays in one month!

During Huddle each week we have the birthday kids come up to the stage to get a birthday pencil and then we sing and dance. Here is the schedule when summer birthdays will be announced:
Friday, May 7: June 1-15
Friday, May 14: June 16-30
Friday, May 21: July 1-15
Friday, May 28: July 16-31
Friday, June 4: Aug. 1-22

Hope you can make it one of those days!

Library tomorrow!

Hi Families! Can you believe we only have 19 more school days?! We are in full swing up here! I'll be doing a lot of end of year assessments and just sending new guided reading books home for practice. I'll still be meeting with some groups in the morning.

Also, Mrs. Guerrerro will be having special projects in the library until the end of the year. She needed to reschedule our library time for this week so we will go tomorrow morning first thing. This will be the last time they are checking out books this year. It might be a good idea to just have your child keep his/her books in their backpacks every day just in case. Thanks!
**All STUDENT books are due on May 21st, which is Friday of next week.

Here's a note from the cafe about lunches:
Dear Parents,
This Friday, May 14th, is the last day checks will be accepted for student lunch accounts. The last day to charge (a student overdrawing their account) is May 21st. If this happens, CASH ONLY will be accepted to bring the account current.
** Remember, when an account goes over $5.00 negative, the child is served an alternative meal.......juice and 2 sides ONLY.........the children generally do not like this meal**.
Please see that this does not happen, so the child can eat a well-balanced yummy meal!

Have a great day!
Mrs. Dooley

A few updates...

TOMORROW...the kindergartners will participate in Environmental Day. It will be a fun-filled day of different science activities. The students will spend most of the day outside so please put sunscreen on them! Also, make sure to send them in comfortable shoes because they will be walking a lot!!! It is going to be great fun!

Next week on April 27-29th, the big kids will take another round of TAKS tests. We will not allow visitors in the building on those days. Also, kindergarten will use the park adjacent to our school building for recess on April 27 and 28.

Mark you calendars!!!! May 3rd is a staff development day. The students are out of school on that day.

I will be at school intermittently during the next two weeks. It will be business as usual in our class. I will have the same sub I have had all year so I anticipate everything will run smoothly. Please remember to send lunches, jackets, snacks; etc. to school with your child in the morning. I will not have access to my voicemail so if you need to reach your child for any reason please notify Kelly Smith in the front office. My sub will be looking for notes and any changes in transportation daily in your child's folder. Thanks so much for all your help!

Blog Survey

Happy Monday!
As you may know, this is our first year as a kindergarten team to use a blog in our classroom and wanted some feedback from you all! Please use the link below (or the link in the email) to answer 5 quick questions about your opinion of the blog this year! It should take no longer than 1-2 minutes! Thank you in advance for taking your time to help us out!

Click here to take survey

http://www.surveymonkey.com/s/2JX8TPL

Also, please remember that class picture day is this Wednesday, April 21st.

A Note from the Cafeteria

Due to TAKS testing, the cafeteria lunch menu for Monday, April 26 and Tuesday, April 27 have been switched. The revised menu is as follows:

Monday, April 26
Breakfast for Lunch
Pancakes with sausage
French Toast w/eggs
Waffles w/eggs
Ham Chef Salad

Tuesday, April 27
Steak Fingers w/Breadstick
Chicken Nuggets w/Breadstick
Grilled Cheese w/Tomato Soup
Chicken Caesar Salad

Farm Video Conference 4/02/10

We had a video conference on Friday with a real farmer! It was so cool! We got to see animals on the farm and learn all about the great products that we get from a farm. We even got to play a game against Pink Elementary to test our knowledge! Ask your child about the dance at the end! Here's a glimpse of what we saw:

Environmental Day

I am still looking for volunteers for Environmental Day. If you are available to help out we would love to have you!

I am looking for 2 parents that would be willing to help lead one of the five activities that each class will be participating in that day. There will be a short meeting on April 14 at 2:30. At this meeting you will learn what your station is and what you will need to do on April 23.

Environmental Day will be on April 23 from 8-1:45. You will have a break from 10:00-12:30 for a lunch break when the children are at recess, lunch and specials.

Please consider coming out and helping. Shoot me an email if you are interested. Thank you!

April Events at Spears

Hello Spears Parents,

Just a reminder on some upcoming events here at Spears:

1. There will be school this Friday, April 2nd. Also, we will have school on Friday, May 28th. These dates are designated bad weather make-up days.

2. April 6th and 7th - our 5th grade students will be TAKS testing. We are requesting that our parents in ALL GRADE LEVELS refrain from eating lunch or volunteering in the school , except for PALS, on these dates. This will provide our students a quiet environment so they can focus on their testing.

3. April 21st - Lifetouch Photo will be here taking individual and class photos.

4. April 20th - last day for tutoring for K - 2nd grades.

5. April 22nd - last day for tutoring for 3rd - 5th grades.

*** Parents please be mindful of tutoring pick up times: K - 2nd is 3:45; 3rd - 5th is 4:00 ***

6. April 27th and 28th - 3rd and 4th grade students will be TAKS testing. No parent visitors or volunteers today. PALS are permitted for K-2 grades.

7. April 29th - 5th grade students will be TAKS testing. No parent visitors or volunteers today. PALS are permitted for K-2 grades.

Please review the attached updated guidelines for student drop off in the mornings and pick up in the afternoons.

Thank you and have a "happy" day.
Spears Office Staff

Kindergarten Round Up

If you have a neighbor or friend that will have a little one coming to Kindergarten next year in Frisco please let them know that Kindergarten Round-up will be April 12-16. They just need to head over to their home school and register their future Kindergartner. The school will be open late Tuesday of that week to provided additional hours for registering. Thank you all so much for helping us get the word out.

Special Events This Week!

Book Fair:
Monday, March 29th to Friday, April 2nd from 7:30 a.m. to 3:15 p.m. Book Fair will close at 10 am on Monday, April 5th.

Family Movie Night:
Tuesday March, 30th from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. We will be showing "CLOUDY WITH A CHANCE OF MEATBALLS". Book Fair will be open during the movie.

Lunch with a Loved One:
Tuesday - K, 2nd & 4th (You may head to the Book Fair as soon as you and your child have finished eating. We will be back in the room at 11:00 to start our afternoon. If we are already back in the classroom when you are finished shopping please just send your child back to the room and you can take their books home. Thanks!)
Thursday - 1st, 3rd, & 5th

As a note.....PTA still needs some volunteers!!!

Welcome back!

Wow! From the stories I have already heard today it sounds like everyone had a wonderful Spring Break! A few things to keep you in the loop:

* Don't forget to read the note from Mrs. Soloman, our assistant principal, regarding our Drill Day this Wednesday.

* Bad Weather Make-up Day is coming up! We will have school on April 2nd.

* We will not be introducing new Word Wall words. This week we are reviewing previous words and seasons. You can find the entire list of Word Wall words on the Spears Kinder website.

* We are wrapping up our Farm Unit this week. Your children will have their very first video-conference at the end of the week. Very exciting! (How times have changed since we were in Kindergarten?!)

* In math this week we are continuing our lessons and reviews on money and fractions. Don't forget to check out http://www.dovewhisper.com/ for extra practice on these skills. When you go to this website you can click on the grade level and subject. A menu of specific concepts will pop up and you can choose which ones you want your child to practice. All grade levels in Frisco frequently use this site for extra practice. It's a good one!

* Report cards will be coming home next Thursday!

* Permission slips for the upcoming field trip to Fire Safety Town are going home today. Please sign and return as soon as you can. Thanks!

* Our library time has been changed for this week. PTA is setting up for the Book Fair this Thursday during our normal library time. Please send your child's book with them to school in the morning.

Thanks again for all your help at home! The children fell right back into our routine this morning and have been wonderful! Have a super week!

Important Information on Drills here at Spears

Spears Drill Day


March 22, 2010


Dear Parents,

In order to ensure the safety of your child at school, Spears Elementary conducts routine drills of emergency procedures. Each of these drills allows students and teachers the opportunity to learn where they need to go and what they need to do in the event of an actual emergency.

On Wednesday, March 24, we will practice fire, tornado, and lockdown emergency situations. Do not be alarmed if you see these drills in action. Should weather or other unforeseen conflicts prevent our practice that day, we will reschedule the drills

During a fire drill, classes are assigned a designated area outside of the building. Specific arrangements are made to allow emergency equipment to use the driveway areas without endangering students. We have conducted fire drills this year and we will continue to practice and perfect exiting from the building in a timely fashion.

During a tornado drill, classes are assigned designated areas within the building. Students are placed in “duck and cover” position in the safest areas of the building and remain in that area until the alert has passed.

During a lockdown drill, students and teachers remain in the classroom with doors and windows locked. Only the Spears Crisis Management Team is allowed in the hallways. No one is allowed to exit the building and no one is allowed to enter the building. This includes parents. If you are already in the building, you will not be able to exit. If you are outside the building, you will not be allowed to enter. The building will be considered in lockdown mode. Possible lockdown situations include intruders inside or outside the building, medical emergencies for staff and students, and other situations where it is necessary to “freeze” all students and staff simultaneously in the building.

In the event of an actual emergency, parents will be notified as soon as possible and given instructions as to our next course of action. Should Spears ever face the situation of fire, tornado or lockdown, please do not attempt to enter the building and remove your child. This adds to the confusion and may keep key school and emergency personnel from being able to fully perform their duties to ensure the safety of all students and staff.

Thank you for your support. The safety of your child at school is very important to us.

Sincerely,


Dana Solomon
Assistant Principal
Spears Elementary

Week of March 1-5

This week we learned the word “said” and started a week long unit on Dr. Seuss! We loved hearing his rhyming words when we were reading his books! We're celebrating his birthday today by watching Horton Hears a Who! this afternoon and having a special snack.

In math, we started learning about fractions. We are focusing mainly on whole and halves but will mention thirds and quarters in our discussions. Check out your child’s fraction pizza they made! Have your child help you divide their sandwich, pizza, laundry, etc. into halves to help them practice!

A fun and quick game we have been playing in math lately is called “I have, I wish I had…” Your children are really enjoying this game so I thought you would love to play it at home or in the car! It is as simple as saying, “I have 5 cupcakes but I wish I had 8 cupcakes” and your child tells you how many more you need to get so that you can have your wish! This is great because it can be different for each student and the possibilities are endless! It doesn’t take very long to play and can be thrown in at any time of the day! Enjoy!

Next week we will begin a two week long unit on Farm Animals. We have been working on some farm projects already in the computer lab and our classroom in preparation for Open House so save the date! Next Thursday, March 11 at 5:45pm. More information coming soon.

Remember (not like anyone could forget!! ) but Spring Break is March 15-19 so school will not be in session that week.

Also, I wanted to go ahead and let everyone know that my husband and I are having our first baby this September! We are so excited! If you haven't been able to tell already my first trimester was a complicated one. I have been extremely sick these past 3 months (not to mention absent-minded!). I'm under doctors orders to slow down and take a few days off work here and there. Also, kindergarten teachers run a high risk of being exposed to all sorts of illnesss and viruses. If your child has any medical condition other than the common cold or seasonal allergies PLEASE let me know ASAP. There are certain viruses (Fifths Disease, Strep, etc.) that I can not be exposed to because they can cause certain complications for me and my pregnancy. THANK YOU for your understanding! I'm going to do my best to get my morning sickness under control so that I can continue to be here with the children and not have to have so many days off.

Once we come back from Spring Break you will begin to notice papers coming home with concepts that look familiar. You will also notice we will be reviewing all Word Wall Words. The last part of kindergarten we spend our time reviewing and reteaching concepts in order to better prepare the children for 1st grade. We will continue with themed units and give them some exposure to new concepts, but our primary focus is FIRST GRADE! This is a very exciting time and it will go by fast!

As always, thank you for all of your support! I look forward to seeing everyone at Open House next week!

Mrs. Dooley

High Tech High Touch

On Wednesday, March 3rd, the children had an opportunity to experience High Tech High Touch for the first time! This is such a wonderful PTA program we are lucky to have here at Spears! Classes participate in hands-on science experiments. Check out the experiments Science Stan did with the class!

Science Stan

Listening to Science Stan talk about weather words

Ask your child how to make wind!

We're ready to go "fishing" for ice cubes! Ask your child where weather comes from!

Science Stan talked to us about how a tornado is made.

Ask your child about air pressure and suction cups!

Thanks to air pressure and heat we successfully took a hard boiled egg and squeezed it through the lid of a jar! It was amazing!