What Is It?

Dr. Riley, our Head of School, visited and surprised us by teaching our class today.  She read us Seven Blind Mice, by Ed Young. This book was about seven blind mice who found something strange by their pond.  They tried to guess what this 'thing' was.  The seventh blind mouse 'saw' the whole picture and realized it was an elephant.

Our job was to trick our friends by showing them only a shape glued on our paper.  Then inside of our  folded paper, we showed them the shape within our 'whole' picture.  Dr. Riley was so much fun.  Hopefully she'll return and teach us again.

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Please remember:
Monday, Septembr 12th - Flu Consent Forms due.
Wednesday, September 14th - HTY play at Tenney Theater. Mahalo to chaperones Ms. Kanayama and Mrs. Umetsu. HMS t-shirt should be worn.
Thursday, September 15th - Picture Taking Day.  All  payments for pictures should be submitted by September 15th.

School is Cool

We wanted to share this slideshow of us in action.  It was viewed at Open House, but you may want to watch it again here on our blog.  So, get some popcorn  and drinks while you enjoy this presentation!

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Pet Headbands

All the children were so excited on Tuesday evening when they were given the opportunity to share their classroom and work with you at our first Open House. Mahalo for showing your support.

Students are currently learning about 'Patterns' in Math. They are identifying, copying, extending and creating simple patterns.These concepts have been applied to real life situations.  Some activities they've enjoyed are painting patterns  using watercolors on their pet style headbands and designing a stripe  pattern on dog and cat cards.  'Strike a Pose' was their favorite as they could physically clown around with patterns. They were giggling when 2 students mimicked the clown poses viewed on cards.  The rest of the students joined in and extended the  AB pattern.

You could ask your child to describe, create, extend, or reproduce patterns they see when you are together.  They'll love to show you what they've learned.

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Please remember:

• Monday, September 5th - Labor Day
• Thursday, Friday, September 8th and 9th - Teacher Inservice
• Monday, September 12th- Flu Consent Forms due                                                                          
• Wednesday, September 14th - HTY play at Tenney Theater. HMS t-shirt should be worn.
• Thursday, September 15th - Picture Taking.  Kindly submit envelope with payment on or before  September 15th. 

Adventures in Reading

K-1 was so enthused to partner with their new buddies from  Mrs. Victoria Conley's  3-13 class.  Plans for the initial meeting were to have the older students read one-on-one to the little pals which would also improve the 3rd graders' reading skills. The idea worked very well.  One glance around the K-1 classroom revealed a friendly interaction, focus, and fun.  The Kindergartners thrive on the individual instruction.  The academic exercise will also help the Third Grade students develop leadership skills.

Other buddy activities will continue throughout the school year, i.e. Pumpkin Seed Counting, Oreo Stacking, Kuakini Medical Center tour, etc.  and shared on the blog.  Stay tuned!

Comments from the Kindergartners regarding this activity included:

• I felt good because I liked being with them.
• I hope we have more activities with our buddies.
• It was fun because I like to have a new friend.
• I enjoyed having an older buddy.
• It was fun because they read a story to me.

Adventures in Reading on PhotoPeach

Reminders:

• Monday, August 29th - HTY Parent Consent form and payment due.
• Monday, August 29th -  Japanese homework folder due
• Tuesday, August 30th - P.E.
• Tuesday, August 30th -  First PTO meeting/Open House, 5:00p.m., Social Hall.  K-1 class will be open for you to meet other parents,  tour the room, watch a DVD of K-1 in action, and observe students on the IWB (Interactive Whiteboard).

Fun With Paint

Why do children draw and paint? There are several reasons why art (drawing and painting) is encouraged.  Some students find a hidden ability and begin to develop this talent. They need the opportunity to stimulate their imagination and they enjoy creating. It also helps to develop his/her self -esteem and confidence.  When a child says "Look what I did!" don't you  know your child feels like s/he really accomplished something?

Kindergarteners love painting.  When it was first  announced  the other day that they would be painting, the  keiki thought they'd be finger painting. But they were just as happy when they saw the baskets with containers of paint brought out from the cabinet. As they carefully spread out the newspaper on the desks, put on their aprons, and received their piece of paper,  all eyes danced with excitement.

View what your child and his/her classmates created. Each individual  painting showed personal expression and were special. Don't you agree?




Tidbits for the upcoming week:

• In Social Studies, Celebrations will be  discussed. Please have you child bring in 1 or 2 photos of special times or events shared with family and friends by Thursday, August 25th.  They will be describing the importance of the celebration as well as comparing these special times with their peers.
• P.E. resource class is on Tuesdays.  HMS t-shirts and shorts should be worn.
• Library books can be returned to me after they are read at home.
• Environmental print and interesting newspaper photos can be brought in anytime.
• Thank you  for sending in the clipboards with your child.

K-1 loves School

The question this week was "What is one thing you love about school?"  What a wide range of answers these enthusiastic learners shared!

Welcome Back

What an exciting week for the K-1 keiki.  School is now in full swing.  The children are getting accustomed to the morning routine of dragging their frog into the pond on the IWB and placing their bags on the hooks. The best part is using an iTouch and selecting a word or math game while sitting on the carpet before the school day officially begins.

You are always welcome to view the children's creative work displayed around the classroom. Your child can share his/her work  as they put much effort into it.

Library class started Friday.  Mrs. Okamura reviewed how to handle the books carefully and return them on the due date. Hope you and your child have many opportunities  to share reading experiences with our Library books.

Mrs. Yoshikawa  has volunteered to be a  room parent.  She  requested help from another parent to share in the fun. Please contact me if you are interested.

Tidbits:

1. Blankets were sent home home on Friday.  They should be brought  back on Monday.

2. Please be sure your child has a snack for  first recess so they can better concentrate in school.

3. Show and Tell started today.  This activity will  be part of the class routine on Wednesdays through Fridays.
4. If your child sees any interesting picture(s) of a local or global event in the newspaper he/she is encouraged to cut it out.  The picture(s) can be brought to class and posted on our K-1 Buzz wall. 

Bright Vacations is all about some activity the students enjoyed this summer. Detailed  and colorful illustrations with captions were glued to the children's 'sun'. Super work from the new Kindergarteners!