Quick Reminder

The whole school sing a long is today at 1:50 if anyone would like to join us!

We will not be having a formal holiday celebration.  Our big celebration was the construction of our gingerbread houses last week!  As this time of the year gets extremely busy and students become excited for the holidays, I like to keep it very simple on Tuesday.  We will be enjoying the end of our Holiday's Around the World unit with a snack and winter movie.  

Classroom News 

Sight Words

By request, we had our first sight word test today!  I had mentioned a while back that I used to do sight word tests so I could see how students were doing with their practice.  To my amazement, students asked if we could do this!  They LOVED it!  Each and every one of them took our "test" very seriously.  We had the talk about the importance of trying our best and making sure to keep our eyes on our own papers.  We send these papers home on Thursday, so you could get a better understanding of where your child is at with their knowledge of sight words thus far.  It is important for students to not only be able to read the sight word, but to be able to write it as well! 

Holidays Around the World:

We learned that the Christmas tree is not native to Iceland.  A long time ago, they used to use a wooden pole and stick branches into it and spray paint it all green and then decorate it.  Everyone loved listening to the story of the Yule Lads, or little mischievous elves that visit the towns each night for 13 nights around the holiday season. We decided that they have very silly names:

Stekkjarstaur - Gimpy
Giljagaur - Gully Imp
Stúfur - Itty Bitty
Þvörusleikir - Pot Scraper Licker
Pottasleikir - Pot Licker
Askasleikir - Bowl Licker
Hurðaskellir - Door Slammer
Skyrgámur - Skyr Gobbler (Skyr, an Icelandic yoghurt)
Bjúgnakrækir - Sausage Snatcher
Gluggagægir - Window Peeper
GáttaÞefur - Doorway Sniffer
Ketkrókur - Meat Hooker
Kertasníkir - Candle Beggar

We visited Japan and learned about the how they celebrate the Japanese New Year. Students learned how to make oragami foxes and paper fans.  They even learned how to say "decorations, shrine, money, New Years Eve, cooking and gift" in Japanese!  

, 

Students are learning a song about Kwanzaa in music class and a while back they asked if this is something that we could learn about.  Students learned that Kwanzaa is based on the year-end harvest festivals that used to take place in Africa. The name comes from Swahili meaning "first fruits of the harvest."  We each made a Kinara (which friends made the connection between the Kinara and the Menorah because they look very similar)!

We will continue our Holiday's Around the World theme with our last stop being the United States.  Children will share about what their traditions are around the holiday season! Please be on the look out for your child's blue Passport next week! 

Remember:

We have school 12/21 and 12/22 and then I will see everyone back at school on Monday, 1/4

Classroom News

Math

This week during math, we have been learning about how to decompose and compose numbers to 10.  We learned how to play "Bears on a Bus." Below are pictures of students filling up the bus!  A card was drawn and students had to figure out how many more people were needed to get to 10.  Finding partner numbers to 10 is something that you can continue to practice at home!

Gingerbread Houses

Thank you to all of the families that made donations to our class Gingerbread making project.  Students had a wonderful time learning about the various types of gingerbread books.  They enjoyed writing about how they would catch a gingerbread man.  We have a lot of creative friends! We worked vigorously preparing for our Gingerbread play with the second grade book buddies.  Despite being a difficult task, the students did a tremendous job in front of their peers!

Sight Words of the Week

he

she

Social Studies: Holidays Around the World

This week our class took a plane to visit Israel to celebrate Hanukkah and Germany to celebrate Christmas.  They loved the idea of following along with the flight simulator video to pretend to fly to a new country.  In Israel, students learn about the Jewish holiday of Hanukkah.  We learned about the Festival of Lights and how one candle is lit each night.  Students were surprised to hear that children get one gift each of the 8 nights of celebration.  In Germany, we learned about the nutcracker and yule log.  We made our own Christmas tree advent calendars as an art project.  Germany is one of my favorite places to visit because I get to bring my pickle ornament in and teach children about my family tradition.  A pickle ornament is placed on our Christmas tree last by a parent.  After all presents are open, the children try to be the first person to find the pickle.  That person gets an extra present and as the story goes, they will receive good luck for the year.  

Classroom News 12/4

Classroom News

Literacy

Here you can see that we are working on the "magic e" rule and "when two vowels go walking, the first does the talking" rule.  Often times students are confusing these rules.  THAT IS OKAY :) We call this "using, but confusing."  Students have so much going on in their brains right now, they are sifting through the rules that they have learned and are pulling out which ones they deem appropriate for the situation.  If you see them doing this, please encourage them to keep going and do not correct them!  

Math

During math we have been ramping up our work with 10 frames.  Students are now expected to compose and decompose numbers to 10.  Please practice making addition and subtraction problems within 10.  An example of this would be: If I have 3 pencils, how many more do I need to get to 10?

Gingerbread 

We will be performing a gingerbread boy skit in front of the school next Friday morning with our second grade book buddies from Mrs. Bissonnette's class.  To celebrate the ending of our mini-unit, we will be making Gingerbread houses in the afternoon.  Please be on the look out for paper work with further information in your child's red folder.

Holiday's Around the World

This Friday we will begin our unit on Holiday's Around the World.  Students will travel to different countries, including France, Iceland, Germany, Mexico, Israel, as well as many others.  We will be learning about the traditions that people from these countries have.  Let us know if your family has any special traditions that you have in your home.  During each visit, students will be working on filling out their own Passports!  Please let me know if your family is sensitive to this subject.

Saying Goodbye to our Friend 

I am sad to say that our dear friend Thaddeus will be leaving us.  We sent him off with a package of cards that each friend wrote to him, so that he can open them when he arrives in his new home!

Classroom News

Our Class is Thankful

This week our class discussed what we are thankful for.  It was nice to see how many children were thankful for friends, family and also how they came to the realization that they are very fortunate to have the things that they do.  An example of this was when Jenna said that she is thankful to be able to have extra clothes/money/food, etc. to be able to share with those less fortunate.  Some friends chimed in and shared how they help others by donating clothes.  

We spent time learning about the Pilgrims and the boat that they came over in, the Mayflower.  Students brought home a bracelet that will help them retell the story of the first Thanksgiving.  They were proud to say that they would like to share the story at their own family Thanksgiving table!  

Reminder:

We will be going through the bags of clothes and looking for those that are "summer attire."   These will be sent home over Thanksgiving break with hopes that you can switch them with more "winter appropriate" attire!  Thank you in advance for sending warmer clothes back in after break!

I look forward to seeing you all at your scheduled conference time on Monday or Tuesday!

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Classroom News

Literacy

During Writer’s Workshop, we have been wrapping up our unit on Small Moment Narratives.  We use the words First, Next, Then and a Reaction to help prompt our writing on each page.

This week we have been learning how to add on to a story.  We were specifically practicing how to add talking bubbles and more detail to our sentences.  We were taught to think about how we were feeling and who we were with when we were recalling our small moments. I am pleased at the progress that I see happening each week!

Sight Words of the Week:

can

as

Math

During math we have been practicing knowing our 10 frames “in a snap.”  I taught the game “Around the World” to the children, which has become an all-time favorite so far! Students compete to say the 10 frame number correctly, as fast as they can.   I have changed around the way that I do math centers to help manage the class and make sure that all students are on task.  Our structure is as follows: Whole group mini lesson, then we break off into 3 groups with Miss Beck running a group that reiterates the previous lesson, Miss Bourgea running a group that follows up with the mini lesson and then the third group is working independently on Dreambox or another fun activity. 

Behavior

This week was an excellent week in the classroom!  For four days in a row, we had NOT ONE SINGLE person on the yellow light!  This is especially wonderful considering how crazy this time of year can be.  The class earned a special Fun Friday activity for doing such a wonderful job being respectful and staying on task!  

Important Dates:

There will be no school for children Nov 23-27 for Thanksgiving Break

November 23^rd and November 24^th: Parent/Teacher Conferences

Book Fair at PPS!

You have access to order books online from the Porters Point Book Fair.  Here is the link to the fair, which is open November 4th to November 17th!  

http://bookfairs.scholastic.com/homepage/porterspointschool

November 6th

Classroom News

Four Winds

Kasey's mom Mattie came to visit today to teach us about seeds!  She read us Oh Say Can You Seed by Dr. Seuss. 

We observed seeds with magnifying glasses and wrote like scientists to draw detailed pictures of the seeds.  The class favorite was milkweed seeds.  They loved watching them fly around the classroom!

2nd Grade Buddies

We listened to Miss Bourgea read a version of Goldilocks and the Three Bears.  Students worked together to retell the story with a Beginning, Middle and End.  The kindergarten students were in charge of drawing pictures and then the second graders wrote the words. 

Sight Word 

look

of 

Conference Sign Up Open

The conference portal is now open.  You may sign up using the following link: Conference Sign Up

Please let me know if you have any further questions.  I look forward to seeing you all again soon!

Classroom News

PPS Halloween Parade

Thank you to all the parents who donated items and helped out at the PPS Halloween party/parade!  Without you, events such as these would not be possible!

Trick or Treat for Unicef

Students will be bringing home a box for Unicef.  Instructions are enclosed. Please send your box back to school so our school can collect the donations. Thank you!

Literacy

I have been working with small groups of students two to three days a week to work on specific skills geared towards their individual developmental level.  This has (for some groups), or will, naturally morph into reading groups in the upcoming month!  Students are extremely excited to be able to read words that pop up on the smart board during daily activities.  It gives me great pleasure to see the transformation from non-readers to readers in such a short amount of time!  Please continue to work on sight words, letter identification and letter sounds with your child to make this process more successful!

Words of the Week

and

boo

In the spirit of Halloween, we like to have one silly sight word J

Math

This week we have been focusing on making partners to 5. We have been using many different techniques and games to get this concept understood.  A class favorite is 5 frame Go Fish! This is a simple game that could be done at home with index cards and dots on note cards (0-5).

Happy Halloween,  

Miss Bourgea

Halloween Science Experiement

Our class LOVES science!  I took the opportunity to try out an old favorite with our class.  We used four containers consisting of milk, oil, vinegar and water.  The class went around the circle and made a *prediction* (new word we are using in both science and literacy) on what they though was going to happen to the liquid and the candy pumpkin! 

Our four jars consisting of oil, water, vinegar and milk.

Students predicting what vinegar will do to our candy pumpkin. They did NOT like the smell of vinegar! :)

Student Predictions:

Water: 

might have the sugar come off

might look cool

Oil:

it is slippery, makes the pumpkin slippery

turn pumpkin green

turn rotten, bad

the color will slip off

color will go in the water

Vinegar: 

burn the pumpkin

bigger in than out of the water

the candy will be vinegary after you take it out

smells bad and salt with holes in it

turn sour

We found that the water and vinegar dissolve the sugar in the candy and all that is left if the outer shell (ew)

Classroom News

Literacy

We have been working hard on our literacy skills this past week.  I have included a couple of photos for you to get a better understanding of what some of our students are working on.  Our class has been working in four small groups to target specific skills that need to be developed. I am impressed with the amount of work that we have been able to do so far this year.  I look forward to sharing more information with each of you during our Parent/Teacher Conferences.

 Working with our 2^nd grade buddies retelling stories with First, Next, Then prompts

Math

In math we have been working on positional words. Students made class obstacle course drawings and had to explain to their peers how they would maneuver through their obstacle course using words such as inside, in front of, behind, to the left, to the right, and above.

Conference Update

The paperwork went home a couple of weeks ago in regards to signing up for Parent/Teacher Conferences online.  I want to reiterate that the conference sign up does not open until November 2nd.  Please sign up for conferences at that time.  Thank you!

Halloween Parade

On October 30^th at 1:50, we will be having a school wide Halloween Parade outside.  We will be having our own classroom celebration before the parade.  If you would like to volunteer to bring in a snack and/or come in, please look for the paperwork that was sent home in your child’s folder on Friday (10/23).   We will begin our class celebration around 1:20 on the 30^th in Room 3.  Please note that per school policy, students are not allowed to wear masks.  Please send your child in with their costume in a bag in their backpack.  We will be changing into them in the afternoon.  You will also be able to take your child home after the parade after a proper sign out!

Butterfly Release

Today was the day we have all been waiting for...our Painted Lady butterflies emerged from the chrysalis and we were able to set them free.  Students were happy to know that they would be flying down south to warmer weather! 

We wrote about what we observed during our release. 

Fire Prevention Week:

Thank you cards we made to our neighborhood firefighters!

The cover of our cards!

Inside our cards we wrote a letter and drew pictures!

Classroom News

Reminders:

**NO school on Monday, October 12th for students

**We are in need of empty toilet paper rolls for art projects.  If you have any to donate it would be greatly appreciated!

Homework:

I will begin to send homework home on Tuesday.  It will typically be sent home on Monday's in their red folders.  You may hold on to their homework, or keep it in their folder each night. You will notice that I will keep the homework in your child’s red folder until the end of the week.  The homework is meant to be continuously worked on until your child is fluent with the questions being asked of them.  Some children may have a more difficult time on one task or another.  That may be a sign that this is what they need to work on, or it may just be because we have not spent a lot of time on that area in school yet.  Don’t panic!! Your child will know how to do all of these things by the end of the year. 

My goal for the homework is to get the children extra practice, but to also inform the parents on what we are currently working on, or working towards, in the classroom.  Again, please feel free to write in the comment box or email me whenever you have a question or feedback.  Thank you for all of your support.  Your children have made such tremendous gains already this year!  I cannot wait to share them with you at Parent/Teacher Conferences!

Sight Words:

Our Word of the Week is: you

Please continue to work on the sight words with your child.  It will benefit their independent reading abilities.  To date, we have work on the sight words:

I, am, the, and, to, is, you 

Fire Prevention Week

This week was Fire Prevention Week.  Our class started the week by brainstorming ways to make a safe escape plan from our homes.  You may have seen the plans that your child sent home.  Each child did an excellent job explaining their escape route and family meeting place! 

Walk-to-School Event

The Porters Point Walk-to-School Event is cancelled for tomorrow (10/9) due to rain in the forecast.  It will be rescheduled for next week.  More information to follow!

Classroom News

Four Winds

This week Hazel's dad Adam visited our classroom to teach us about insects.  Students had the opportunity to look at an insect, watch the metamorphosis of a caterpillar in slow motion, practice insect sounds AND even watch Miss Bourgea and Adam put on a play! 

We had a blast!  Thank you Adam!  

Open House

Thank you to all of the families that attended Open House on Thursday night. The children were extremely excited to show you our room.  It was a great opportunity to see you all again! 

Literacy

As you have seen, our students have been working on retelling stories with an emphasis on the beginning, middle and end.  We have also been working on describing the characters and setting. Students have worked hard on decorating their Red Riding Hood props. Please take the time to have your child practice retelling the story periodically! 

Apples, Apples, Apples!

This week our science focus was on the life cycle of an apple. We talked about all things apples.  To end our week, our class made scrumptious homemade applesauce.  To every child's surprise, there was NO sugar in our recipe! After we made applesauce, we continued with our literacy theme and wrote first, next, then stories on how to make applesauce!  

First we peel the apples.

Next we cut the apples.

Then we put the apples in the pot to cook!

Homework

I will begin to send home weekly "homework."  This is a chance for you to see what we have been working on in the classroom.  By no means is this mandatory.  There is a space where you can sign and return the paper back to me on Friday with any comments that you may have. 

Have a marvelous weekend! 

Busy at Work

Partners practicing counting collections during math.

Using our letter tiles to help sound out words during Reader's Workshop. Look at those three letter words!

Open House (10/1)

Reminder: Our Porters Point Open House is next 

Thursday (10/1) from 6:30 to 7:30! 

Can't wait to see you all again!

Classroom News

Wow, it is hard to believe that next week is the first day of Fall!  The weather and temperatures in the classroom feel like we are back in July!  I would like to take time to share our classroom rules with you all, so that you have a better understanding of what is expected of your child in school.  The following are our classroom rules that the students made up with me during the first week of school. Please go over our rules with your child. 

Our Class Rules

Be Kind:

Keep hands and feet to myself

No spreading germs (Chicken-Wing-It)

No sharing food

No teasing

Be Respectful:

Take care of our things

Take turns

One person talks at a time

Raise your hand

Literacy

This week we have been preparing to become readers!  We did a lot of group with at literacy centers during Reader’s Workshop. This allows for differentiated groupings so I can target exactly what each child needs.  This week we worked on identifying letters versus words, sounds that all of the letters of the alphabet make and even sounding out three letter words!  I am extremely impressed with the work that students are doing in here so early in the year!  Thank you for all of the support that you are giving your child at home.  It is showing! J  

Math

I sent home (on Thursday) an explanation of the math unit that we are currently working on.  I wanted to give you all an opportunity to see what we are working on and what you can work on at home with your child.  I am asking families to please send in any extra/old magazines that you may have.  We will be using these magazines for sight word hunts and shape hunts in the classroom!

Important Dates

School Picture Day: September 22^nd

Open House: October 1^st from 6:30-7:30pm

Classroom News

I hope that all of the children and adults are becoming accustomed to the kindergarten routine.  Our classroom atmosphere feels like we are going into month four instead of week four!  I am increasingly impressed with the amount of focus and work that I have seen this early in the year.

Literacy:

We have been working on writing and recognizing the letters in our names, as wlel as being able to name and sound out letters in the alphabet.  We are currently working on all of the letters of the alphabet now!  Ask your child to tell you the letter and sound and they will most likely give you a silly movement that correlates with the letter.  An example of this would be A, apple /a/ and then they pretend to take a bite of an apple. These silly gestures are helpful tools to remember the letter and sound it makes.

Word of the Week:

the

Math:

We have been working on our 10 frames and dot cards this week.  This is a great way for students to practice subitizing, breaking numbers apart and building them back together. To go along with our science unit, we have been making symmetrical pictures with pattern blocks.  Students have taken this challenge on and done an excellent job making their creations!

Science:

This week we began to talk more in depth about the life cycle of a butterfly.  Students learned about the four stages of their life. Our favorite part was starting out tissue paper butterfly project.  We can’t wait to show you all how great they look!

Our First Full Week of Kindergarten!

CLASSROOM NEWS

We have all successfully made it through our first full week of kindergarten! Despite the extreme heat, students did a magnificent job following our classroom rules and learning the routines.  They are quickly becoming independent with their morning routines!  I have had a wonderful time getting to learn more about your child.  As each day passes, they are becoming more comfortable with the transition into Kindergarten. 

I have added a list of the Unified Arts schedule.  Please make sure to have your child wear or bring sneaks on P.E. days.  As the year goes on, students will not be able to participate in some of the activities if they do not have sneakers.  Library books are to be returned the following week (on a Tuesday) from the “Check-out” date.

Monday: Guidance and Art

Tuesday: Library *return library book*

Wednesday: PE *sneakers*

Thursday: PE *sneakers*

Friday: Music

Allergies:

Reminder that there are children in our classroom with peanut and egg allergies. When thinking about sending in a birthday treat or class treat, please make sure to get in touch with me first. Thank you!

Homework:

Occasionally student work will be sent home. If it is not complete, that is something that you can do at home for extra practice. It does not need to be returned unless otherwise noted.  In the next month or so, I will be sending home weekly homework. This is something that is optional. Students can get extra practice, however, it is also to help parents get a better understanding of what we are currently doing in our classroom!

New Word Wall Words

am

I

Book from Home:

If possible, please send a favorite book from home for your child to have at quiet reading time. We have established book boxes and students are learning to point under the words as they “read” the pictures. Students are already able to point out their sight words I and am!  These books will stay safely in your child’s book box and will be eventually returned.

Thank you:

Thank you to the parents that have already sent in a brief bio on your child!  These kids are extremely loved and I am truly happy to be a part of their lives this year! If you have not done so yet, please take the time to write a little bit about your child so I have a solid understanding of their background and personalities! 

Four Winds Volunteers:

 Our classroom is looking for Four Winds volunteers! The Four Winds Nature Program explores nature in our surrounding area.  The only way that this program can be successful is with the help of our wonderful parent volunteers!  There will be a Four Winds information meeting, scheduled at MBS on September 9th for any parents that are interested in obtaining some more information. Please let me know if you are interested in volunteering for our class!

Meet Maddie Sivo:

My name is Maddie Sivo (Ms. Maddie to the kids).  I’m the school social worker at PPS.  I work with kids and families with varying needs and challenges.  I often meet with kids during breakfast or lunch in my office, and will sometimes allow them to invite a friend or two to work on social skills and help build positive friendships.  If you are NOT comfortable with your child being invited for these small groups, please contact me directly at sivom@csdvt.org or 264-5918.

Also, as cold weather approaches, it can be a challenge for some families to pull together enough warm clothing (especially with the amount of stuff kids misplace at school!).  If you have warm clothing (especially boots, snow pants, winter coats) to spare, send them my way!  It is also ALWAYS helpful to have Price Chopper gift cards on hand for families who are having a hard time making ends meet.  Your generosity is much appreciated.

Thank you!

As always, feel free to contact me!  Thank you for all of your support thus far, and I look forward to working with you and your child this year! 

Miss Bourgea 

Miss Bourgea's Wanted List

Parents are always asking for ways to help out the classroom.  Here are some items that would be a VERY helpful addition to Room 3!

o   Tissues

o   Baby Wipes

o   Disinfecting Wipes (such as Clorox)

o   Hand Sanitizer

o   Various Arts and Crafts Supplies

o  Stickers

o   Ziploc Bags

o  Paper Plates, Cups, Napkins, Plastic Silverware

o   Band aids

o   Healthy and allergy-safe class snacks (such as graham crackers, animal crackers, etc)

We are all readers!

               We learned how to read to ourselves...

         and how to read to a partner.  We learned the new saying that we sit and read  "hip to hip, knee to knee, hold the book so both can see!"

Getting to Know Miss Bourgea

Welcome to Kindergarten! I am eager to start my first year back at Porters Point and embark on our journey together. Let me begin by telling you a little about myself.  I grew up in South Burlington, VT and graduated from St. Michael’s College.  I enjoyed my time at SMC so much so that I decided to go back and get my Master’s Degree there as well!  I graduated in May 2015 with a Reading Specialist endorsement!  

Although I am a “new” teacher, I am excited to RETURN to Porters Point.  After student teaching at PPS, I worked for two years in David Allbee’s kindergarten classroom.  While working alongside such a knowledgable mentor, my goal became to teach in my own classroom. I soon obtained a position in Barre, where I have been a kindergarten teacher for the past five years.  These experiences have provided me with many great ideas to share with you and your child. 

I am also an avid athlete and sports fan.  Your child will most certainly hear about my love of field hockey and ice hockey!  I enjoy being active, devoting much of my time to running, playing in adult leagues, relaxing in the sun and keeping up with my 18-month-old golden retriever!   

I look forward to a great year!