Somewhere Over the Rainbow

We've been learning about Johnny Appleseed, graphing, and dots this week.  Watch us in action!

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Aloha kakou Parents,

Plans are to Skype with Mrs. Koch and her Kindergarten-First Grade class in Kansas City, Missouri in October.  Prior to our class' initial conversation, we decided to share a bit of our environment with each other.  They'll gather and send some fall colored leaves, seed pods, and pine cones, along with a collection of autumn pictures of Missouri .  We'll send some dried flowers that are native to Hawaii as well as some seashells. Our keiki will share photos of their favorite local places to visit. Their pictures, with an explanation (typed by me) why they enjoyed this particular  place will be compiled into a digital 'Classroom Book' emailed to our new Mainland friends. This is a wonderful learning opportunity for an interactive exchange and collaboration even though they are living thousands of miles away. These real time conversations will expand our classroom walls.

I will need your assistance to email a photo of your child's favorite local place to visit.  It could be their grandparent's home, a park, beach, toy store, etc.  Your child has the option to be included in the photo. Please email the photo to wendy.lee@hongwanji.us by Wednesday, September 25th.   A copy of the book will be emailed to you. Mahalo.

October is National Apple Month! Learning about our favorite fruit is exciting and will be filled with numerous activities.  An upcoming lesson is graphing their favorite type of apple.  Is it Red Delicious, Yellow Delicious, or Granny Smith?  They are asked to bring one of those types of apples  to class by Wednesday, September 25th. Arigato for your help!

Dates to remember:

• Wednesday, September 25th - Digital photo of your child's favorite place to visit in Hawaii due.
• Wednesday, September 25th - One apple (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith ) brought to school.
• Wednesday, September 25th - Grandparents' Day RSVP due.
• Monday, September 30th - myON Reader assignment due. (Minimum of 5 books read)
• Wednesday, October 2nd - Grandparents' Day Program, Temple Annex, 10:00-10:30am.

Please email me if you have any questions.

Warmest Aloha,
Mrs. Lee

Connecting through Skype

Skyping with other students in the mainland helps us to meet boys and girls our age and discover how our lives are similar and different.
Last week our class connected with a Kindergarten class from Hartland, Wisconsin. We took turns  exchanging information about our schools.  For instance,  the name of their school was Hartland North Elementary.  Their teacher was Mrs. Atilano and there were 10 boys and 8 girls in their class.  Special classes included art, gym, music,  and library.
They have quite a bit of snow and wind right now.  In fact, it  was 4 degrees outside and because of the wind, it was even colder.  They could only have indoor recess. We wondered what would happen if we had snow in Honolulu!
They shared a January song with us  and sang very nicely. We sang 'Each of Us is a Flower' with hand motions.
It is exciting to Skype as we learn about  great things that others are learning about  and we don't even need to leave our classroom.  

Making Connections Through Skype

We were so excited on Tuesday when we heard a ringing sound from our computer.  That was Mrs. Langston and her 1st grade class from Ohio calling us through Skype.   They asked us several questions and we had a few for them.  We wondered what it looked like outside since the weather was much colder than Hawaii. They were all dressed in long sleeve shirts, long pants, and even scarves. We showed them our t-shirts and shorts. There was a huge evergreen tree and a few other  trees with bare branches right outside of their class window. When it snows, they have fun sledding. We wondered what it was like riding a sled down a hill.  Next time we'll ask them.
We shared some of our class work with each other.  They worked on really nice Santas and we showed our decorated paper plate Christmas trees.
They asked if we saw sharks in the water.  Most of us raised our hands.  Because of some problems, Mrs. Lee couldn't take any photos of their class because they would be too blurry. When we Skype with Mrs. Langston and her class next time, we'll take a few pictures of them.

On Wednesday we Skyped with Mrs. Poulin and her  Kindergarten class from Massachusetts.  We both shared songs, artwork and questions.  Our homes don't have chimneys so Santa probably walk through our door to deliver presents, but  most of Mrs. Poulin's students said they have chimneys for Santa to come through.
Our Kindergarten friends are really hard workers.  They  illustrated and wrote about  a winter adventure they'd like to have with us.  We will treasure this book!  We sent them a Christmas Book Aloha Bear  and they sent us the picture book  Owl Moon.  They also sent us Maple Candy which was so ono.

Skype is a great way to talk to  other students in different places around the world.  We are excited to  learn how we are the same and different.

Skyping with Massachusetts

This week we Skyped with our friends from Southampton, Massachusetts.  There were a few problems as Mrs. Lee couldn't connect with them. But we finally were able to see smiling faces sitting on the carpet across from us.  They asked us questions about what we do in our gym and if we had a cafeteria. Mrs. Poulin's students and our class agreed that pizza was the best lunch. We wondered what the weather was like over there because they were all wearing long sleeved shirts and long pants.  A thick jacket was also something they needed. We all normally wear t-shirts and shorts  because it is so warm.
They shared two poems, 'Five Little Indians' and 'I am a Little Indian'  with us.  They were very loud and clear.  We read  'Thanksgiving Colors', a poem, to them. They are  having an 'Apple Pie and Craft Fair' very soon at their school. There are people who will be selling pretty  Christmas ornaments. We wish we could go to that fair since it sounds fun.

It'll be fun to Skype with Mrs. Poulin and her class next month.  We'll learn more about their class and maybe we'll sing songs together.

Skyping with friends from Massachusetts

On Tuesday, we Skyped with Mrs. Poulin and her Kindergarten class from Southampton, Massachusetts.  Their live so far away from us!  We also saw their school, William E. Norris Elementary School on Google maps. There are lots of trees all around their school.
They talked about:
 
A pumpkin patch they visited that day.  They could pick a pumpkin no bigger than their head. Two boys showed us their prize pumpkin. 
Leaves on the trees were turning colors of red, orange, and yellow.
They sang a song about apples way up high really nicely.

We also had a chance to share:
Pictures we drew from some of our class books
A song 'Eia Makou' (Here We Are)

Both classes had fun sharing what we would be dressed as for Halloween.  The costumes  were similar to ours.

They have a pet hamster in their class and named it 'Aloha'.   Pictures of their hamster was on their blog. What a nice name for a cute hamster!

It is fun to Skype with another Kindergarten class and hear about their lives.  We can compare  how we are alike and different.

Spirit Week and Skype

Spirit Week was super! There were so many things planned. We learned all about Australia when we brought in pictures to put on our front board.   There was also a big picture of Mrs. Walsh and Prep N, a Kindergarten class who  are our epals.  They are a really nice class and they email us letters often.
On Friday, our 3-13 buddies came to our classroom to have a 'Trail Mix' party.  All our snacks were mixed together and we got to eat it.  It was good!





We  started to Skype  with a Kindergarten class from Virginia.  That meant we saw and talked to another group of children far, far away using our computer and IWB.  A snowflake, which is a microphone and a webcam, which helped them see all us was used.  This is what we thought about it:

TH - They were nice children.
DB - They go home without their Moms and Dads.
SM - The children were singing nicely and loudly.
ML- I liked the class.
RY - The children stood up straight  when he or she spoke to us.
DSB - I liked their song.
AU - I liked it.
JI - Their teacher was nice.
EK - I liked their singing.
JK - They were sitting nicely.
MM - I liked when they sang their song.
KL -  They said their name loudly and nicely.

Mrs. Lee said we will be Skyping again with our new group of friends soon.  It was great!

Parent Reminders:

• Monday, October 3rd - Please bring in one apple  (Red Delicious, Golden Delicious, or Granny Smith).  An apple graphing activity is scheduled for Monday.
• Thursday - October 6th - Sea Life Park Field Trip Consent Forms due with payment.
• Friday - October 7th - RSVP for the Presentation of Learning
• Tuesday - October 11th - Presentation of Learning, K-1 classroom from 8:30-9:30 

A hui hou kakou (until we meet again)

On Tuesday, our keiki held their final conversation with Mrs. Poulin and our Skype pals from Massachusetts.  Seeing the students' faces beam as we established the connection was priceless. Mrs. Poulin's Kindergarten class started by sharing an energetic song and dance routine, 'Knees Stop, Mother Brown'. After watching a short demonstration, Austin led a single file of our children as they hopped, pranced, and twirled around the room. After a brief rest, our students enthusiastically sang one of their favorite songs, 'I Come a Zimba, Zimba Zio' with hand motions.  Once again, they used their beautiful voices to perform 'May Day is Lei Day in Hawaii'. Later, while our students spoke individually of their summer plans in front of our webcam, their Massachusetts pal stood in front of their webcam so there was a 1-1 connection.  Besides Skyping, our students have partnered with their 'pal' through exchanges of winter and summer adventures stories and illustrations.

Our final 'Aloha' was a long one.  Neither group wanted to end their connection and friendship.  Needless to say, both classes have always  done an awesome job in terms of listening and speaking with confidence to  each other.

We have been fortunate to take advantage of the power of Skype in our classroom for the entire Kindergarten year.  Skype has brought a new dimension in learning.  We had the opportunity to chat and open up our class with 5-6 year old students to a state way beyond our campus.  They learned from their pals, connected with different cultures, and expanded their knowledge in many ways.  This kind of experience is unforgettable. Mrs. Poulin and I will continue making connections with new Kindergarteners next year.  We want them to enjoy the adventures too.

Seeing our students in action proved how important it is to bring the real world into our classroom.  Amazing things can happen when we make global connections with students' learning. This tool (Skype)  helped them break down the classroom walls and become a global learner.

To Mrs. Poulin and her keikikanes and kaikamahines - Mahalo, a hui hou malama pono (thank you, take care until we meet again)

Great Things Happening

On Tuesday we connected with our Skype pals in Massachusetts.  Mrs. Poulin's students are such an attentive group and so articulate.  They taught our  class the 'Chicken Dance' and everyone had so much fun !!! Our Mainland friends shared what they enjoyed in school.  Responses included: writing books, arts and crafts, and of course their teacher, Mrs. Poulin. Our K-1 students exchanged with their favorite part of school. I suppose since we enjoy warm weather year round, a few students insisted recess was the best part of the day.  Math activities and free write were also included as fun and exciting. Mimi sang  'Shitakiri Suzume'  (The Old Lady and the Sparrow) and the class sang a Hawaiian number 'E Ku`u Keiki (The Alphabet Song). Plans are to Skype once more before school ends in late May.

Many messages regarding how we can continue to make planet Earth a beautiful place has been posted on the Pindax message board. (Please refer to the Blog entry dated April 12th)  If you or your child wish to post additional notes, we would continue sharing and learning together.

If there are any HMS Library books on your bookshelves at home, kindly return them.  Mrs. Okamura is on the lookout for missing books. The Library will be closing in a few weeks.

Everyone enjoys our Monday swimming classes.  To conclude the 9 weeks swimming portion of P.E., a 'Swimming Showoff' has been scheduled for Monday, May 2nd from 10:10-10:40.  You are invited to watch from the sidelines and take advantage of these Kodak moments.

Karli and Keikiokekai has added a post to the Teddy Bear blog.  Click here to view her pictures and comments.

Easter is around the corner so the keiki used Voicethread to share their stories.

Mixed Plate

What a busy week before Spring Break!  We connected with our Massachusetts  pals  through Skype.  Their explanation of what cellars are was of particular interest since we don't have any here.  The students sang a popular  song, "When Irish Eyes are Smiling".  Many families will watch the St. Patrick's Day parade in their community.

The keiki were kept really busy constructing leprechaun traps and laying them out for those little Irish elves.  However, the wee guys escaped and managed to create havoc with the children's toolboxes placed in other students' desks.

The highlight of the week was performing for the elderly at Kuakini Hale Pulama Mau. Muraki Sensei said that our students were well received and the perfect ambassadors. They will be remembered for many months to come.

Mimi had many photos and interesting comments for her post  on the Teddy Bear blog. You can view the other  K-1 students' posts on the blog too.

Parents and friends are ALWAYS encouraged to add comments to our posts. It helps us to do better and be happy.

Have a relaxing Spring Break!

Look What We Did This Week!

K-1 Skyped with our Massachusetts pals this week.  Some things our children learned:  there were snow days,  which meant our pals didn't attend school due to severe weather conditions so they will be adding, at this point, 4 school days in June. They also shared some fun activities they do in the snow, i.e.  throwing snowballs, sledding, etc. We shared some information about Chinese New Year and introduced arare since that is a common snack.  A few bags of arare will be sent to our  Skype friends  to taste since we're not sure if it is sold there.

Valentine's Day is Monday, February 14th.  If you wished to share goodie bags with the other students, please bring them in by Friday, February 11th. They'll be distributed on Valentine's Day in the  Long's green recyclable bags.

A few reminders for this week:
Scholastic Book orders - due Tuesday, February 8
Dole Plantation Field Trip - Friday, February 11

Our Skype Experience

Early this morning our class Skyped  with a Kindergarten class all the way from South Hampton, Massachusetts. With Skype, we  could really see the students and talk to them using the computer. It was so exciting.  Reise showed them what a musubi looked like since they didn't know what it was. They had never eaten Spam too.  We sang them the song 'Leis' and they liked it.  We learned some things about them. Right now, the leaves are turning red, yellow, and orange colors.  Very soon the weather will be very cold  and even snowy.  They like to eat pizza and most of them bring home lunch.  They live in a rural area so there aren't  tall building or many cars.
We hope to Skype with them again really soon.