Tuesday News – October 15th
Greetings Village Families!
First of all, I appreciate ALL of you for taking the time to meet with me for a conference…. It’s been a pleasure to connect or reconnect with you this school year!
Upcoming Dates
TOMORROW – VCS Farmer’s Market – 12:30 – 1:00
Field Trip! – LBC musical “Dot Dot Dot” with our big buddies! – October 22nd
Festival – Dia de los Muertos – Friday November 8th
Farmer’s Market Tomorrow!
This will be the first of three student-led, student-prepared markets in the school year! This one is focused on herbs and what they’ve been exploring in garden-club with Miss Jess … there will be a plethora of goodies to sample! Your student should be coming home with a paper invitation. Please send them to school with a plate, cup/mug, and utensils.
Our Autumn Garden Is In!
Last Friday we had an awesome day of gardening! Students helped to prepare the beds by mixing in compost and worm castings, then everyone got to plant two kinds of veggie starts..
We look forward to the veggie-samplings and cooking projects with our future harvests!
Thank you for reading!
*Miss Kristen*
“The garden suggests there might be a place where we can meet nature halfway”
~Michael Pollan
Tuesday News – October 8th
Upcoming Dates:
EARLY RELEASE @ 1:15 – every day this week – Conferences
The Wild Robot – Saturday Oct 12th (see below for details!)
Field Trip! – LBC musical “Dot Dot Dot” with our big buddies! – October 22nd
Festival – Dia de los Muertos – Friday November 8th
Exploration Homework – Where Are You From?
There is no spelling homework this week…
…instead, I have sent home a page that students will need YOU to complete!
I have included instructions. You have the whole week to complete it, however please send it back to school in the homework folder each day so that I may see the progress made.
Thank you!
October’s Life Skill – Responsibility
This month we are talking about responsibility, and having discussions about what it means to TAKE responsibility for our actions and our own learning. Students have opportunities to take responsibility
for their learning when they choose their language tasks. The tricker lessons arise when we must take responsibility for our actions or words when relating to others. Sometimes the hardest thing to do
is admit to someone that we were wrong or that we made a mistake. I practice this often! Students get practice here!
Does anyone have an at-home or personal example of taking responsibility that I can share with students to help broaden their understanding of this idea? 💚
The Wild Robot
Let’s go to a movie!
Please join us at
Airport Stadium 12 if you can…
Saturday October 12th – showing is at 10:45.
I’ll be waiting outside auditorium 9 until 10:40 and we can go in together. (the website currently says this is where it will be, but please check for changes)
Please accompany your child, this is not a school event.
Thank you for reading!
*Miss Kristen*
“Taking responsibility means never blaming anyone else for anything you are being, doing, having, or feeling”
~Susan Jeffers
Tuesday News – October 1st
Upcoming Dates:
NO SCHOOL – Fall Break – Oct 4th-7th
Conferences – Oct 8th-11th, Oct 16th
The Wild Robot – Saturday Oct 12th (matinee – details next week!)
Conferences
If you have not yet signed up for a conference, you may do so HERE!
Language Tasks – Reading,Spelling, and Writing Skills Practice
Students are rolling right along completing their self-paced language tasks!
I will be sending home some work in their homework folders this coming Monday so check that out – and please let me know if you have any questions about their work or our language task routine during our upcoming conference.
Math – Story problems – “Whole-Part-Part”
Remember story problems from school? I think I remember kind of liking figuring these out, but I have always liked puzzles and math…but they can also be confusing and frustrating!Students have been practicing reading or listening to story problems and using drawings and other tools to help them figure out what pieces of the problem are given, is it addition or subtraction, and what still needs to be figured out.How might you come up with a fun story problem at home or in the car to challenge your student?
Not a lot of pictures to share this week, but check out the Tuesday Twins, featuring Adella and Aria!
Thank you for reading,
*Miss Kristen*
“Without mathematics, there’s nothing you can do. Everything around you is mathematics, everything around you is numbers”
~Shakuntala Devi
Tuesday News – September 24th
Happy Autumn! Hope everyone enjoyed the three-day weekend….
Upcoming Dates:
NO SCHOOL – Fall Break – Oct 4th-7th
Conferences – Oct 8th-11th, Oct 16th
The Wild Robot – Saturday Oct 12th (invitation below)
Conferences
If you have not yet signed up for a conference, you may do so HERE!
Garden Growth
We are continuing to eat the fruits of our garden (thanks to the magic of pickling!) and will be planting new veggie starts in the coming weeks. A huge THANK YOU to parents Amber, Barry, and Faith for working super hard last week to weed and prepare a new veggie bed outside our classroom!
Also near the veggie beds, we have a barrel of cactus and succulents planted by students a few weeks ago, including a spineless nopal cactus (which was given the name of “Spike”!) which I look forward to seeing grow many more pads over time.. check it out!
Math is Everywhere – Play with it!
Every Monday students play math games, which sometimes involve cards or dominoes. Last week they played a game I call “Place Value Toss”, by tossing bean bags into labeled baskets ‘skeeball’-style to create 100s
numbers or 1000s numbers…
This week we are learning/reviewing number bonds which will help with practically every math skill from here on out!
QUESTION: How can you and your student play with numbers while driving somewhere, preparing dinner, or playing games?
Life Skills – Friendship!
To wrap up September’s month of friendship discussion, I asked students to share about their very first friend. Who was your first friend? Are they still your friend today? I invite you to share with your child, as well as what qualities your current friendships have that keep them strong.
The Wild Robot – A Weekend Invitation
You and your student are invited to join me at the Airport Stadium 12 movie theater on Saturday October 12th (early matinee, exact time TBA) to see The Wild Robot. If you have not yet read it with your family, I highly recommend it! We may read the sequel later in the year.
Thank you for reading,
*Miss Kristen*
“Summer ends, and autumn comes, and he who would have it otherwise would have high tide always and a full moon every night”
~Hal Borland
Tuesday News – September 17th
Upcoming Dates
NO SCHOOL – This Friday September 20th
NO SCHOOL – Fall Break – Oct 4th-7th
Conferences – Oct 8th-11th, Oct 16th
Conferences
I look forward to chatting with you and telling you about your student’s progress in our classroom so far! Please check the CONFERENCE SIGN-UPS page for a slot that works for you, and please email me with any questions.
Art on Fridays!
Typically on Fridays we have guided art, focusing on learning different mediums and techniques…. Last week, after reading “Sky Color”, students explored sponging on their paint rather than using traditional brushes, as well as played with the fun sky colors you may see during a sunrise.
Identity Exploration
When you come in for conferences, I look forward to sharing with your students’ “I AM” statements and their first portraits of the school year.
In addition to exploring their own identities, the pictures below show students exploring how they are the same or different from a classmate.
Thank you for reading!
*Miss Kristen*
“Being different is a good thing. It means you’re brave enough to be yourself”
~Karen Salmansohn
P.S. Here’s Tuesday Twins with Vivi and Keira …. and although these two are quite different, sometimes they randomly come to school both wearing their ice cream rainbow shirts!
Tuesday News – September 10th
Upcoming Dates
• TOMORROW, Wednesday 9/11 – P.A. Bake Sale – 12:45-1:45
• Friday 9/20 – NO SCHOOL
Garden Harvest… Ring, ring ring, ring, Pepper Phone!
Last week we had more taste tests with delicious asian pears (thank you Kanoe!) and the Jimmy Nardello peppers from our garden. Students are practicing coming up with adjectives – “describing words” – to talk about the taste-test experience, and of course we needed to take some silly pictures with our awesome peppers! 🌶️
Fun With Words – Real vs Nonsense?
On Thursdays during spelling, students will often take part in a Miss Kristen’s Classroom tradition… REAL vs. NONSENSE! It’s exciting, it’s wacky at times, and it’s educational! Who will win that day’s battle? Will it be the real words? The nonsense words? Students take turns rolling, reading, writing, and tallying to find out.
Read Aloud: Wish & The Wild Robot
Most days after lunch recess, students will come inside and “get cozy” for the read aloud of our chapter book. We are currently reading Wish, by Barbara O’Connor (not related to the Disney movie with the same name) We are enjoying it so far!
Last year we read The Wild Robot, which was wonderful and brought me to tears several times! There are more books in the series and we are considering reading another in class later in the year. If your student has not yet read/listened to The Wild Robot, I highly recommend this for a read-aloud at home! There is The Wild Robot movie coming out at the end of the month as well, but we have been talking about how it’s usually better to read the book first, and that the book is usually better!
(Stay tuned for a date/time where you may just run into Miss Kristen at the movie theater on a weekend! to see The Wild Robot)
Thank you for reading,
*Miss Kristen*
“There is no friend as loyal as a book”
~Ernest Hemmingway
P.S. – When kiddos are the student-of-the-day, they have an option to spend independent time with a friend listening to Music and Read-Alouds from our ancient compact discs!
Tuesday News – September 3rd
Upcoming Dates & Thank You’s:
- TOMORROW, Wednesday 9/4 – Miss Kristen’s Class Parent Meeting – 5:30
- Thursday 9/5 – Picture Day! – Morning
- Friday 9/20 – NO SCHOOL
THANK YOU to Arlo’s Dad Jeff for installing a new faucet in our classroom sink… handwashing is now very efficient!
Parent Meeting – Wednesday September 4th
- Our meeting will begin at 5:30 in the classroom. If you’d like to bring a little nibble to share with the group outside at our lunch tables beforehand beginning at 5:00, you are welcome to do so.
- I’ll go over the routines in our classroom and let you know how you may be of support at home. Come with questions!
Language Tasks, Math Centers, Afternoon Rotations and Choices
Ever wonder what your student does at school? We do a lot!
Language tasks happen in the morning and involve student choice…
Math centers happen next and often include games….
The afternoon might include choices, journals, or rotations depending on the day!
If you’re curious what your student did during the day, I encourage you to ask about a specific time frame such as …. “what did you work on for your language task today?” or “what was your activity after lunch?”
Photos below include groups of students learning how to complete a particular language task, playing a math game, and art with their new BIG BUDDIES from Ashley & Matt’s class! (You can check out some of the art on the wall outside the classroom)
September’s Life Skill – Friendship!
All throughout the school year we’ll focus on different life skills by reading books and having group discussions. At times I may ask for your input as well…
“Friendship to me is having fun with your friends” ~Emma
“Friendship is sharing a really strong relationship with somebody and having fun” ~Adella
Thank you for reading, and I look forward to talking with you at the meeting tomorrow,
*Miss Kristen*
“Friendship is the hardest thing in the world to explain. It’s not something you learn in school. But if you haven’t learned the meaning of friendship, you really haven’t learned anything”
~Muhammed Ali
Tuesday News – August 27th
Hello Village Families!
Here are some upcoming dates, mark your calendars…
Monday 9/2 – NO SCHOOL – Labor Day
Wednesday 9/4 – Our Class Parent Meeting – 5:30
Thursday 9/5 – Picture Day! – Morning
Friday 9/20 – NO SCHOOL
Parent Meeting – Wednesday September 4th
Our meeting will begin at 5:30 in the classroom. If you’d like to bring a little nibble to share with the group outside at our lunch tables beforehand beginning at 5:00, you are welcome to do so.
I’ll go over the routines in our classroom and let you know how you may be of support at home. Come with questions!
Art & Gardening
Sometimes we’ll do art in the garden, sometimes we’ll harvest veggies!
Students created their sunflower art outside among the sunflowers
The summer garden is still full of carrots and peppers and cucumbers, all of which we harvested and sampled last week. We also have a jar of sliced cucumbers pickling in the fridge now, for another treat in a week or so!
Thank you for reading!
*Miss Kristen*
“Keep your face to the sunshine and you cannot see the shadows. It’s what the sunflowers do.”
~ Helen Keller
Tuesday News – August 20th
Hello!
We are a full week through school and my oh my it’s been a busy one!
Students are continuing to learn and practice routines and are getting to know the classroom and each other.
Homework
Homework has begun this week!
I will talk more about this at an upcoming parent meeting, but here are some logistics to know regarding this routine:
- Homework is given Monday through Wednesday
- Homework folders come back to school the day after they are given out (in the case of absences, etc, they come back asap!)
- Spelling lists are given at the beginning of the week and are kept AT HOME (students may have a special spot that works for them; the fridge, the wall, a desk, etc. Sometimes their homework might involve their spelling words and they need to know exactly where to find them, and I also I encourage students to look at them daily)
- The homework routine is mainly about students practicing their responsibility and organization.
- It is the students’ responsibility to be in charge of their homework folder and bring it back to school. You may give reminders, but the ultimate goal is for them to learn to keep track of it.
- If there is no time in the evening or morning for them to get it done, that’s ok! I know families are busy, some days are easier than others to sit down for this task. Just do your best.
- The homework is NOT individualized to each students’ needs. Some students love it, some dread it. Some students may think it’s easy, some may think it’s challenging and need
a lot of help. That’s ok. Help as much as you are able, and remember that the main goal is for them to turn it in. Please let me know if you have questions about how you might
help your child at home.
Classroom Support Jobs
If you are able and would like to sign up for a classroom support job…. You can sign up for Classroom Support jobs here!
- Towel Team – I’m calling it a team because I ask that your student helps out, because I will often forget to send the basket home and they may be better at remembering! Wednesdays Preferred.
- Porch Patrol – Our front porch & ramp gets a lot of wear and weather, and therefore dusty and dirty. We spend a lot of time there, eating, working, and playing so it’d be nice for it to be clean. This would include dusting, wiping down the cubbies, sweeping the ramp, and even finding all the little bits of trash that make their way down into the berry garden below. Perhaps a good cleaning every other week or so would do the trick? I’ll provide rags and broom.
- Water Wizard – Just when the students think the water cooler in our classroom is empty and they can’t fill their water bottle, voila! I grab the other 3-gallon bottle that has been magically and mysteriously filled by our water wizard and fill it up again. Wednesday bottle pick-up preferred.
- Window Washers – We have lovely views of our courtyard to the east, and open space and birds to the west, we want those views to be clear and clean! Washing the windows once a month should do the trick – which includes the inside window sills which gather dust and bugs. This is best done on a Wednesday but any day after school until 4:00 is fine. I’ll provide supplies.
Thank you for reading!
*Miss Kristen*
P.S…. did anyone see that full moon?!
P.P.S. … Here’s our first DOUBLE edition of TUESDAY TWINS! Featuring Keira and Vivi with matching skirts, and Seva and Adelina with their GeoStix Cat Ears!
“The moon fascinates us in her simplicity”
~Avijeet Das
Tuesday News – August 13th
Welcome to the School Year!
Welcome back to those families returning to our classroom, and a warm welcome to those who are joining us this year!These newsletters will be sent every Tuesday with updates, special dates, requests, information, and photos about what’s going on here in our classroom.
Hi, I’m Miss Kristen!
This will be my 11th year here at Village, and I am excited to start the year alongside old friends and new. It is such a joy to be a part of such a wonderful and small community where I can get to know ALL of our students. I love teaching in a multi-age classroom and helping to facilitate students’ academic learning and social and emotional growth.
In my free time I like to sing and make music, go hiking, paddling, or swim in the river… and I love ice cream!
Meet Lena!
We are pleased to introduce Lena as our new classroom instructional aide!
“Hello Families! I’m Miss Lena. This will be my first year as a teacher’s aide at Village. I am so honored and excited to be working alongside your kiddos.
I’m a mama to 3 amazing humans. In my free time I enjoy doing photography (portraits and nature), cooking and baking, reading, singing, hiking, and spending as much time at the beach as possible. I love being out in nature and going on adventures with my kids.”
Our first day of school is tomorrow, Wednesday, August 14th – 8:45 – 1:15!
- If arriving early, students may hang their backpack outside the classroom and put their lunch in their cubby, then head out to play on the blacktop.
- I will blow my whistle to gather our class at the start of school – join us if you are able for our all-school morning circle & spiral dance.
- Students will be excused from class at 1:15 each day this week
- You may pick up your student outside our classroom, otherwise please communicate with me if you would like your student to walk out with someone else (an older sibling, older friend, etc.)
Communication
Thank you in advance for respecting the flow of the school day and my time away from school! Here’s what that looks like:
- Please read my Tuesday Newsletters and the Village Friday Bulletin! These are our main modes of communication and contain important details.
- Morning, before school begins, is my time to prepare for the day and is not always a good time to communicate questions or concerns. If you would like to discuss something please send an email first, and we can find a time to meet in person if needed.
- I will check my email mainly before and after school hours. I will not check or respond to emails on the weekends.
- If there is something that needs to be communicated to me during the school day please call Carolyn or send her a message and she can relay it to me.
Support, Classroom Jobs and Volunteering
We appreciate and need the support from our families during the school year. Support might be on field trips or in the classroom OR behind the scenes:
- Wishlists: I will periodically post a wishlist in my newsletter for items and/or help with tasks.
- Classroom Jobs: Please see next week’s newsletter for a classroom job sign-up. These jobs are regular behind-the-scenes tasks that significantly improve the health and cleanliness of our classroom.
- Volunteering: Volunteering may include driving and/or being a chaperone on a field trip, or leading an activity with students in the classroom. As field trips come up, I will send a request for drivers and chaperones. If you would like to drive/chaperone, please check in with the office to update your driving credentials as soon as possible.
Thank you so much for reading!
Here we go, see you tomorrow!
*Miss Kristen*