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!

What was the Best Part of Kindergarten Summer School?

Time sure flies by because Summer School has just ended. Everyone had grown physically and academically these past 6 weeks. To add closure to their time together before departing for a few weeks of rest, the keiki offered thoughts of their favorite activity.

Wishing everyone a safe and fun-filled summer vacation!  See you all in August!

Jack and the Beanstalk

Jack and the Beanstalk is a  timeless folktale loved by children around the world.  The K-1 keiki enjoyed listening to the story and seeing the illustrations from the picture book. But, do you wonder what Jack would look like if you cut and glued parts of his body together with construction paper through the eyes of  a Kindergartener? The students were so excited as they created, collaborated and shared their version of Jack.  They also used their Math skills to measure various parts of his body.

When asked what they liked about this activity, their responses were genuine and spontaneous.

Bastien - Helping my friends doing the things I need to do
Reise - When we measured Jack
Zaffron - When the pants were big and fat
Sydney - When we measured the shirt

Michael - When we had to cut and paste the pieces for Jack
Brooke - Gluing all the pieces to make Jack 
Jake K. - Measuring Jack
Ashley - Everything

Mimi - It was fun because I like to make things.                                                                                Chase - Gluing on the shoes and measuring it                                                                                Stephanie - Doing the head and gluing the stuff on                                                                      Courtney - Gluing the pants and arms

Jake  L. - Measuring all the pieces                                                                                                   Christa - Working together                                                                                                                Aidan - Measuring the body

 

Junie B., First Grader (at Last!) by  Barbara Park is our current  Literature unit of study. This  story has fun plots and bridges the gap between summer school and the new school year that is quickly approaching. Have conversations with your child about their thoughts and feelings of entering first grade.

Where Can I Read?

After reading Green Eggs and Ham  by Dr. Seuss, we created a list of rhyming words.  The list was quite long, which was a good sign. We decided to write rhyming words of favorite places we could read.

Math is filled with  hands-on and collaborative activities.  All the keiki enjoyed  the Shapely Jungle  lesson where they formed animals from plane figure shapes, Scenes of Symmetry where colorful symmetrical shapes were cut to create a picture, and Shape It was an opportunity  to use Play Dough to form solid shapes. Maybe you can practice with your child identifying  objects that have symmetry in your home.

Wishing everyone a Happy 4th of July weekend.