Under The Big Top

Fast Approaching...100 days in K!

2012-01-18T17:29:00.000-08:00

The 100th day of kindergarten will be here before we know it!

February 3rd is the day...here is a song and game to play at home to help you prepare for the big day!

A COOL website...

A bit challenging, but a fun game...and we love owls!!

100 Number Grid

The owl give you a number to find on a blank grid...you only have two guesses to find it!

Give it a try! I think you will enjoy playing other games on www.abcya.com, too!

A Few IPhone/IPad Apps...

2012-01-14T13:28:00.000-08:00

This is a cool free app from ITUNES....Motion Math~Hungry Fish

Feed your fish and play with numbers!

Practice mental addition and subtraction with Motion Math: Hungry Fish, a delightful learning game that's fun for children ages 4 and up (there's even advanced levels to challenge grownups!)

This one is $2.99 and looks fabulous...

Word Wizard....Talking Moveable Alpabet with Spell and Check

Word Wizard is a unique app that lets kids hear the sounds of letters and words using a talking movable alphabet.

Word Bingo....99 cents!

My students love BINGO...and they are learning so many sight words...this is sure to be a hit!!

SUPER FUN...this may be the one to download first!!

There are so many great ITunes APPS....it is fun to find new ones...ENJOY!!

Two of our Favorite Songs...

2012-01-14T07:54:00.000-08:00

We LOVE Dr. Jean!

Happy Winter Slideshow

2012-01-14T07:34:00.000-08:00

A slideshow by Smilebox

We loved this Christmas Song!

2011-12-19T07:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Halloween Slideshow from the Marchese Clowns!

2011-11-01T16:42:00.001-07:00

Free digital slideshow customized with Smilebox

Dem Bones Song

2011-10-25T17:00:00.000-07:00

Name Patterns

2011-10-03T14:47:00.000-07:00

I love doing this patterning activity at the beginning of the year....it helps some students learn the letter names in their names...and it is OH, SO COLORFUL!

I use a 6 x 6 inch grid and write the students' names with a black marker. Then we color each letter of their name a different color (one letter at a time)..they love looking at their patterns and comparing them to others with the same/different amount of letters in their names.

A Sweet Note from Max's "Gigi"

2011-10-03T14:38:00.000-07:00

Max's Grandma "Gigi" was in town from California a few weeks ago and she came to our class to read a book to us about minature horses. The class loved the book and we look forward to seeing her again on her nerxt visit to Texas.It made my week to get this sweet note from her in the mail ....loved this!!!

Thank you, Linda!!!

I am thrilled to be Max's kindergarten teacher this year...he is learning so much!

Come see us again in the Spring!

The following week Max's "Queenie" came to school to read to the class. She is from the other side of the USA...she was visiting Texas from South Carolina!

Max is so lucky to have such wonderful Grandmas!

So much FUN..we can't wait to see who our next guest reader is!!

Number Writing Poems

2011-09-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

1 - Straight line down, and then we are done. That's the way to make the one!
2 - Round the track and back, two, two, two!
3 - Around a tree, around a tree, that's the way to make a three!
4 - Down and over and down some more, that's the way we make a four!
5 - The bee goes down, around the hive, go back up to make a five!
6 - Make a C then in you go, now you've made a six you know!
7 - Across the sky, then slant the line, makes a seven every time!
8 - Make an S and do not wait, go back up to make an 8!
9 - First a circle, then a line, that's the way to make a 9!
0 - Round and round just like a O. Look, now you've made a 0!

Vowels and Consonants

2011-09-11T09:40:00.000-07:00

We love to watch this Alphabet clip!
Look for more ABC clips on YouTube....Have Fun Teaching.

A Visit from Mr. Charles

2011-09-11T09:16:00.000-07:00

This week in Social Studies we talked about "special people" in our school and we learned all about their jobs. We had visits from our principals and from "Mr. Charles" our custodian (as you can see he is also a very talented artist in his spare time!!)." Mr Charles" gave us tips on how to keep our classroom clean~free of germs and irt....he will help keep us healthy, too!

We will do our best to keep our classroom and school GERM FREE...

....so Mr. Germ will STAY AWAY!

Mr. Charles cleans it all.....and helps keep us healthy.

Thank you for being the BEST CUSTODIAN in town....you have an important job!

We will try to keep DIRT BOY away from our classroom, too!

Thank you Mr. Charles for coming to our classroom....come again for a visit soon!

Compound Words

2011-08-28T12:53:00.000-07:00

During the first six weeks of kindergarten we will learn a little about compound words. Here is our CSCOPE Performance Indicator for this skill....Put two pictures together to form a compound word. Draw the meaning of the newly created compound word. (e.g., Students put a picture of a cup and a picture of a cake together, then draw a picture of a cupcake.)

This may be fun to practice at home...bring in your drawings to class to share with the class!

Welcome to the 2011-2012 School Year!

2011-08-09T06:45:00.000-07:00

Kindergarten will be SO MUCH FUN!! I have had a wonderful fun-filled summer and am so happy to jump back into a new school year at Buda Elemetary School! I am excited to meet our new "Marchese Clowns"! We will all work together to help your students LEARN LOTS in kindergarten this year!

This is ME on my First Day of Kindergarten in Abilene, Texas!

~ St. Johns Lutheran School ~

Isn't it funny how I had a clown bag to carry my school supplies in?

Who would have ever thought....I would grow up to be the teacher of a class of KINDERGARTEN CLOWNS!?!?

Back to School Night is on Thursday, August 18th (6:30 pm) ~ Hope to see you then!

Our school supply list in listed below in a previous post (scroll down)

Other items we are always needing are...

BABY WIPES

CLOROX WIPES

HEALTHY SNACKS

Keep checking back...I try to do blog updates at least once a week (sometimes MORE!!)

I look forward to a wonderful and exciting year in Kindergarten!

Best DEAL of the YEAR!

2011-07-23T10:15:00.000-07:00

For those of you that know me...

I LOVE SHARPIES! (and Flair markers, too!)

Office Max has 24 count assorted packs for 2 for 12$.

Our Office Max only had one left in stock so I got it for 6$!

Not my favorite...ultra-fine...but still AWESOME!!

Phone photo...not the best....but you get the idea!!

Colored Sharpies make me ONE HAPPY TEACHER!!

J is for Jokes

2011-07-21T18:22:00.000-07:00

Oh....such funny jokes told the last few weeks of school!!!

Today I saw Arje at school and it reminded me to put these jokes on the blog!

This last joke is one of our class favorites!

A Sweet Note From Brenna

2011-07-21T16:59:00.000-07:00

I love getting letters in the mail from my kindergartners! Look what I found in the mailbox today...sweet Brenna sent me a letter about her vacation to the beach.....AND she also sent me a dollar! That is a first! It looks like I may be making a trip to Sonic soon....Too FUNNY...Thank you so much, Brenna and Gannon!

I will be writing a letter to Brenna tonight...I can't wait to see her in August!!

Brenna and her VERY FUNNY refrigerator joke on JOKE DAY!!

2011-2012 School Supply List

2011-07-21T12:03:00.000-07:00

2011-2012 Kindergarten Supply List

1 backpack (without wheels)

2 boxes (24 count) Crayola Crayons

1 box Crayola Markers -- thick

2 boxes of facial tissues

1 plastic supply box

2 spiral notebooks -- wide rule

1 package #2 pencils

2 bottles of glue

2 plastic folders with brads

Tooty Ta ~ A Kindergarten Favorite

2011-07-19T18:15:00.000-07:00

Goodbye Friends Song

2011-07-19T18:13:00.001-07:00

See you later, alligator!

After while, crocodile!

In an hour, sunflower!

Maybe two, kangaroo!

Gotta go, buffalo!

Adios, hippos!

Chow, chow, brown cow!

See you soon, baboon!

Adieu, cockatoo!

Better swish, jellyfish.

Chop chop, lollipop.

Gotta run, skeleton!

Bye-bye, butterfly!

Better shake, rattle snake.

Our school day now ends.

So, good-bye, good friends!

Scientists of the Day #3

2011-07-15T10:02:00.000-07:00

Whoops...I thought I posted these pictures before school was out and I found them on my camera...here are the last few Scientists that were featured in our kindergarten class. When (and IF) I uncover the student's scince Lab Reports....I will scan them and add them to this post!

Sea Shell Collection

Emulsification using milk, food coloring,and vinegar.

A Rubber Egg...it actually bounced!

Vinegar, baking soda, and raisins in a jar ~ Dancing Raisins!

A homemade telephone

A Great Science Experiemnt using our sense of smell.

Great student responses for the scents the smelled....good guesses!

Mixing Primary Colors

Thanks to all the students (and parents) that participated in our Scientist of the Day activity. We learned so much and most importantly, had TONS OF FUN!

Introducing...Pete The Cat

2011-07-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

My new favorite books....

I have ordered a copy of Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes

and Pete The Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes

3D Shapes

2011-07-12T10:30:00.001-07:00

Chicka Chicka Boom Boom

2011-07-12T08:25:00.001-07:00

Counting to 100

2011-06-26T14:39:00.001-07:00

Apples and Bananas

2011-06-20T08:08:00.000-07:00

2011-05-25T15:36:00.000-07:00

We have 2 days left and counting...it is so hard to believe!

Today was yet another busy day!! We had our Kindergarten Celebration! The kids sang a few songs, we presented a "kindergarten" slide show of our year, and handed out many awards. It was very nice and it always makes me a little sad when it is all said and done...cause we are one step closer to saying good-bye...

Watch for your child's memory book/report card to come home in their "graduation sack" on Friday. I know you and your child will enjoy reading about all our kindergarten memories...keep in touch this summer! I will miss the Marchese Clowns so very much...but do look forward to watching them grow together at Buda Elementary School! Thank you all for a terrific Marchese Clown Kindergarten year....I love your NEW FIRST GRADERS so much!

Stay Healthy - Wash Your Hands!

2011-05-22T10:07:00.000-07:00

A to Z Countdown in Kindergarten

2011-05-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

M is for

Mismatched Clothes Day!

N is for

Nifty Chalk Day

P is for

Pajama Day!

S is for

Storybook Character Dress Up Day!

T is for

Twins Day!

Watch Our Garden Grow!

2011-05-10T15:08:00.000-07:00

Keep Growing!

I’ve worked with your flower,

And helped it to grow.

I’m returning it now,

But I want you to know….

This flower is precious,

As dear as can be.

Love it, take care of it,

And you will see….

A bright new bloom,

With every day.

It grew and blossomed

In such a wonderful way….

Remember this flower,

As dear as can be,

Though rightfully yours,

Part will always belong to me!

XOXOX Mrs. Marchese

Dino Park Field Trip

2011-05-07T08:52:00.000-07:00

We had a fun field trip to the DinoPark in Bastrop, Texas.

First, we made bracelets....

Next, was pictures with a BIG dinosaur...we got to climb in his mouth!

Finally we went on a Nature Walk to hunt for dinosaurs.

Thank you to all the parents that volunteered to come with us...

we couldn't have done it without YOU!

And there is always time for PLAYTIME....

The class sitting in a T-Rex dinosaur egg nest.

A great place to visit...the children are still talking about it!

I think it would be a fun place to visit in the summer...

followed by a jump in the swimming pool.

We have had a great school year together....

It is so hard to believe it is almost summer!

Three more weeks full of learning and FUN...

then the Marchese Clowns will be moving on to first grade.

Scientist of the Day, Part 2

2011-05-07T06:17:00.000-07:00

We looked for more magnetic things in our classroom after his experiments.

A few more experiments....

Alison compared soaps to see which

got her hands cleaner

Jessie compared leaves...then later brought a sink and float activity to share

with our class...

Kalia brought in a sea shell colection --we thought they were beautiful!

Field Day 2011

2011-05-06T14:39:00.000-07:00

Buda Wild West Field Day

A beautiful day in Buda, Texas...we ALL had FUN!!

A smiling class photo...then we decide to be SILLY, too!

Waiting for our first event...

The FASTEST runner in our class...Go, Jayrod, Go!

Thank You ~ Coach G and Coach E for a GREAT DAY!
The Marchese Clowns thought it was the BEST day EVER!!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T08:25:00.000-07:00

A SWEET Mom from Mrs. Heith's class donated flats and flats

of petunias for our kindergarten to plant around the

campus. We planted four pots for the picnic tables!

We enjoy watering them everyday and watching them bloom.

We are so proud of our petunias!

Thank you, Mrs. Siebert!

Special Art Awards for the 5th Six Weeks!

Congratulations to Tori, Megan, and Maeve!

Maeve was our Kid of Character!

Congratulations...and thank you for being Responsible and Respectful!

Our Earth Day Book Swap was a BIG SUCCESS!

The children loved bringing old books and taking home "new" books!

We numbered our eggs 1-12 for the Easter Egg Hunt.
The students had to find their eggs in numerical order.....that is pretty tricky..
BUT LOTS of fun!

We studied about Oviparous, too.....

Scientist of the Day, Part 1

2011-04-24T08:12:00.000-07:00

Starting the middle of April...each kindergartner has the opportunity to be our

SCIENTIST of the DAY!

They present their experiment during our Science time....

Here are the first few that have presented to the clas...AMAZING!

Dylan also brought us a wave bottle he made at home....so fun!! :)

Maeve's Big Sister...Kyra came down from 4th grade

to be her assistant!

Watch for the next SCIENTIST of The DAY post...

we can't wait to see what the kids come up with next!

Show Me The Money

2011-04-05T17:42:00.000-07:00

Sunflowers and MORE...

2011-04-05T16:03:00.000-07:00

The past two weeks we have learned all about plants.

I can label all four of these plant parts.

We have planted seeds and they have all started sprouting...

the students are so excited!

They want to water the plants over and over again....

We have had fun learning all about plants.

Our class decorated the bulletin board by the library.

ROY G. BIV

March was Youth Art Month

Maeve and Megan were selected by our art teacher

to have their art on display at

The Hays CISD Performing Arts Center.

Maeve and her familly went to check out the art display!

Don't you love this self-portrait with rainbow hair?

I am so proud of all the students in our class...we have so many great artists!!

Hat Day ~ April 1, 2011

Texas, Our Texas!

2011-04-03T10:06:00.000-07:00

We made a paper tear TEXAS flag.

We made a Texas Cactus with toothpicks and tissue paper.

The children loved this little art project!

What a beautiful Texas Cactus!

Some Texas facts we learned ...

The Texas State Tree

Pecan Tree -- We are lucky to have one that hangs over our playground!

The Texas State Bird

The Mockingbird

The Texas State Flower

The Bluebonnet....this season we don't have a great crop because

we didn't have much rain in the fall. Last year they were BEAUTIFUL!!

The Texas Motto

"Friendship"

We follow our Texas motto everyday in our classroom...we are all great friends!

Hop to it with FROGS!

2011-04-03T09:54:00.000-07:00

We learned about FROGS and the life cycle of frogs.

We labeled a few of the body parts of a frog.

From Head to Toe by Eric Carle

2011-03-31T17:38:00.000-07:00

Weekly Phonetic Spelling

2011-03-30T15:48:00.000-07:00

WOW!!

I had to share some great news about my class....we are becoming great spellers!

Each week, we will take a Phonetic Spelling Test with unit words.

This is the first time we have done this...so I used animal words.

I move the children all over the classroom so they can do their own work.

I am very impressed with our class....we have had a smart group this year!

Thank you for your continued help at home ~ it is sure paying off!

Watch for these to come home weekly...they are sure fun to read!

Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!

2011-03-02T15:02:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Dr. Seuss's Birthday.

He would have been 107 years old!

He was born on March 2, 1904.

We love and read many of his books each school year.

Many of our classmates can read Dr.Seuss's rhyming books by themselves!

We celebrated in STYLE..wearing Dr. Suess hats and STRIPES!

Each teacher selected a book to read to students during our

school-wide celebration.

Mrs. Marchese choose There's No Place Like Space.

We decorated our door....and drew our own Cat In the Hat characters for our sign.

We find Cat In The Hat on every Dr. Seuss book we read!

Close up of some of our artwork...PRETTY CUTE!!!

Great Kindergarten Artists!

Along with our striped hats...many of the students wore striped clothes, too!

Zack and Arje thought they looked like twins.

Kyra was all decked out in her Cat In the Hat attire!

I wonder who was wearing these stripes??

Word Families....Rhyming Words

Each student choose two classes to visit.

Each teacher read a different Dr. Seuss book.

The children had so much fun visiting first and second grade classes (and teachers)!

I had fun having students come hear me read There's No Place Like Space.
These students were all from my kindergarten class in previous years!

We had a SUPER~FUN DR. SEUSS BIRTHDAY kind of DAY at BES!

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss! Oh, the places he helped us go!

Thank you, Dr. Seuss, for whatsits, whosits, foxes in boxes,
green eggs, ham and all that jazz...

thanks for your creativity and your amazing pizzazzy PIZZAZZ!!!

2011 Tug of War Champions

2011-02-27T09:57:00.000-08:00

The Marchese Clowns are the 2011 Tug of War Kindergarten Champions!

Winterfest 2011 was a FANTASTIC FUN day for all!

We had 5 classmates join us for the Tug of War Competition.

Dylan even pulled with a broken arm...WOW...what a strong group of kindergartners!

During the Tug of War Competition...

Several of our classmates were running their Marathon Kids final mile in Austin.

Arje finished the mile and had his picutre taken with

Mike Barnes ~ sports anchorman from KVUE!

Congratulations to Arje for running 26.2 miles in the last 6 months!

Arje made it back in time to join the FUN at the PTA's Winterfest, too!

Thank you to our PTA and to the CLOWN PARENTS for supporting our school!

Stages of Writing

2011-02-27T09:33:00.000-08:00

You may have seen these on our class website...since we are writing everyday...

I thought I would post them again.

This time of the year most of our students are in the
Transitional Stage: Writing through invented spelling
Everyday we practice writing through invented spelling....using capital letters
at the beginning of sentences, spaces between words, and punctuation.

Stages of Writing Development

These stages represent a way of looking at writing development in children. All stages overlap and children progress and reach writing stages at many different ages. The development of early writing skills is another aspect of your child's emergent literacy development. Regardless of which stage your child is at, writing development can be enhanced through being encouraged to write on a regular basis. Children should never be discouraged from exploring writing by the means they are able to do, whether it be scribbling, letter strings, invented spelling, or conventional spelling.

Preliterate Stage: Scribbling
scribbles but intends it as writing
scribbling resembles writing
holds and uses pencil like an adult

Preliterate Stage: Drawing

uses drawing to stand for writing

believes that drawings / writing is communication of a purposeful message

read their drawings as if there were writing on them

Early Emergent Stage: Letter-like forms

shapes in writing actually resemble letters

shapes are not actually letters

look like poorly formed letters, but are unique creations

Emergent Stage: Random-letters or letter strings
uses letter sequences perhaps learned from his/her name
may write the same letters in many ways
long strings of letters in random order

Transitional Stage: Writing through invented spelling
creates own spelling when conventional spelling is not known
one letter may represent an entire syllable
words may overlay
may not use proper spacing
as writing matures, more words are spelled conventionally
as writing matures, perhaps only one or two letters invented or omitted

Fluency Stage: Conventional spelling

usually resembles adult writing

Math with Our Principal!

2011-02-26T14:04:00.000-08:00

Mrs. Tyler came to our class to do a math activity with our class.

She proposed a question for the students to solve...using manipulatives.

"There were 17 students in our class.

They were going to go to the movies in cars.

But...only four children could fit in each car.

How many cars would we need to get to the movies?"

The children choose what manipulatives they wanted to use to solve the problem.

(we many choices...unifix cubes, cars, people, measuring cups, rulers, etc....)

They decide they could solve the prolem best with cars and people.

Through lots and lots of questioning and even more problem solving this is what

we came up with....17 students could go to the movies in 5 cars.

We drew our solutions to the problem, too......

Remember to look for 5 cars....and 17 people.

Only 4 can fit in a car.....

Some drawings were very close and some were PERFECT!

You would think Alexis and Kyler sit near each other...they are at diferent tables.

There drawing are so much alike!

Megan drew a limosine ("limusen") and four buses taking the kids to the movies.

A funny twist to the story...

These kids were lined up next to the cars saying "Hra" (horray!).

The kids loved this activity and talked about

Mrs. Tyler taking them to the movies all week!

Tidbits from this week...

2011-02-25T17:46:00.000-08:00

This week we started our Estimation Jar.

Each student will bring home the jar.

They can choose whatever they want to put inside the jar...the sky is the limit!

We will estimate how many we think are in the jar.....

then we will count and see who has estimated the closest!

Matthew brought 31 legos.
Great estimations....there were four students that guessed 31
and six others that were very close!

Tori brought 49 macaroni noodles.

We decided it would be easiest if we counted the noodles by 10s.

Jayrod brought 41 skittles...a couple great guesses/estimations!

We had 20 students in our class and we decided each child could eat two skittles.

There was one left over...so Jayrod got the extra one!

Look what was in our surprise box this week!

More money fun...with coin magnets and the dry erase board.

We can add nickels and pennies....I wonder if the tooth fairy will leave some

coins so the kindergartners can practice adding them together?

This is what kindergarten is all about...you never know what you will see (or hear) next!

I love kindergarten...and look forward to each day with my 20 students!

I get called "Mama" daily and sometimes "Grandma"...
but one of the boys has come up with my new nickname "School Mama".

That about sums it up...I love them all!
Thank you for sharing your little ones with me!

Valentine's Fun!

2011-02-25T17:18:00.000-08:00

We enjoyed decorating and getting ready for Valentine's Day!

The students made a card for their family.

We decorated our classroom...to get ready for the party!

Thank you to Kim and Kristen for organizing a wonderful party....

all the kids (and adults) had a GREAT TIME!

We ate pigs in a blanket, muffins, and fruit. ~ Healthy Choices!

Look who is "as cute as a button"!

It is so much fun seeing who signed each card.

Bingo is ALWAYS a popular game...winning prizes is GREAT!

We practiced our number recognition 1-80....numbers after 20 are pretty tricky!

Another kindergarten cutie...

Activity books made my our FAMOUS Room-Mom!

Eating was GREAT....BUT.....

The MOST FUN of all...opening Valentines from all of our friends.

Who Loves Kindergarten?

Our Surprise Box

2011-02-08T13:18:00.000-08:00

Our "Surprise Box" is a mystery / clue box children enjoy taking home all year long!

I just use a plastic school box and post in the instructions on the outside of the box.

During the first semester....the parents help with the clues.

Starting in January the student are responsible for writing their own clues...

they do a great job!

1. You can put your tooth in it.

2. It is soft.

3. you can put it under your pillow.

What is it?

A bear tooth pillow...it was very soft!

1. It is wheels.

2. It is red with yellow.

3. It is red with circles.

4. It is red with squares.

What is it?

A train!

100th day in Kindergarten

2011-02-07T16:31:00.000-08:00

We celebrated our 100th day of school on Thursday, January 3rd, 2011.

We counted by 1s, 5s, and 10s all day long!

Case loves to read and he read the class a book about 100 apples.

Showing off our fancy hats!

Each strip had 10 thumbprints...so when we counted by 10s...we had 100 dots!

10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100!

100 words we can read!

Jayrod brought 100 pennies and we magically changed them to a dollar.

100 cents = $1.00

We laid out 100 fruit loops...each row was a different color...just like the 100 chart in our classroom.

After we had 100 fruitloops on the 100 grid...we strung them on yarn and made a necklace!

Thank you to Maeve's sweet Mom....she read us

Miss Bindergarten Celebrates 100 Days!

This proved to be harder than I thought....the students colored in the square as I called out the number.

Numbers after 20 are very hard to recognize!!

The mystery puzzle....100!

My favorite new 100 Activity...The Very Hungry Caterpillar!

We made a caterpillar...with a AB pattern of greens.

Then...we listed 100 different foods, too!

(We might have doubled a few words?)

The kids loved this!!!

It will be so cute hanging in our classroom when I attempt to hang him up...

maybe tomorrow!?!?

We did about 1/3 of the 100 day activities I had planned for the day...

and the following day we had a SNOW DAY in Buda, Texas!

We are finished counting up to 100 during calendar time...

now are counting down to the last day of school!

There are 74 more days until SUMMER!!

Kindergarten Snow Day!

2011-02-04T12:24:00.000-08:00

Friday, February 4, 2011

Hays CISD Snow Day

We loved the SNOWY DAY.....

Some of our classmates sent pictures of them in the snow.

Arje and his Dad sled around the neighborhood....

Arje didn't want to come inside when the sledding time was over!

Dylan and his snowman!

Dylan looks pretty cold...

Mrs. Marchese and her dachshunds in the snow!

Mrs. Marchese's Snowgirl

Tori getting dressed and ready to go play in the snow with her sister, Tiffany!

Zachary making a snow angel.....PRICELESS!

Love the video!

Don't you love Zack's football mitten....I wish they made them in my size!

Zachary and his friends....and their precious snowman!

Maeve showing off the powdery snow on her gloves.

Brenna made a snow angel and enjoyed playing outsie with her brother.

Kyra making a snow angel....there are many angels in kindergarten,

Can you tell?

Thanks for all the cute pictures...if you haven't sent..it isn't too late..

Send it to me and I will be :) to post it!

Math in January!

2011-01-30T15:25:00.000-08:00

We have had a busy month learning all about numbers, shapes, and coins!

Most of The Marchese Clowns can...

count to 100
recognize the numbers 0-20
identify the coins (penny, nickel, dime, and quarter)
idnetify 2D shapes (circle, oval, square, rectangle, rhombus, trapezoid, and hexagon)

We practice math all day....starting with the calendar!

During our "Math Lesson" time we also have Math Stations...t

he students love Math Stations!

Look what we have been doing the last few weeks!

We can count objects to 20....This is a "large tower" with MORE than 20.

We are counting by 5s and 10s to 100...our sock clothesline goes to 27 so far...

This game is called Beat you to 20.

The students love to compare numbers...

the student with the highest numbered card gets

to keep the cards. This is a fun game to play at home, too!

A few of our SHAPE ROBOTS! They were fun to make...

and we know all the shapes we used to make them!

Can you find a rhombus?

Can you find a trapezoid or a hexagon?

More shape fun with the polydrons.....

We have just started learning about money.

This poem helps us remember how much each coin is worth...

This game is very popular in Math Stations....we have learned to trade five pennies for a nickel!

Beat you to 15 cents!

The Marchese Clowns are great Mathematicians!

I am so proud of their progress in kindergarten!

A few other activities we have completed this month...

We made snowmen featuring our last names!

Maeve's cirlce map ~ Winter!

We can sound out CVC words....a great skill to practice at home.
We love to sound out non-sense words, as well as real words!

In Science, we have learned about space ~ and all about the day & night!
12 children like the Day the best!
5 children like the Night the best!

We love our Smartboard....we were playing SNAP! this day!

SNAP! can be found on http://www.literactive.com/

My next post will be all about our 100th day of kindergarten on Thursday, January 3rd!
We will have a BLAST!

Our "Popcorn Words" -- sight words.

2011-01-27T14:52:00.000-08:00

During our kindergarten school year, each student will be introduced to well over

100 high frequency words.

These words are from the Dolch High Frequency List.
(if you child masters the kindergarten list...move on to the first grade list!)

We introduce 2-3 words each week....in our class we call these "popcorn words"

What are high frequency "sight" words?

The most frequently used words in the English language, "sight words" are words that a reader automatically recognizes without having to use picture clues or sound them out. These words include very common words, such as "the" and "you," and "make up 60 to 70 percent of most reading tasks."

After learning these words, a reader should be able to read almost any basic reading material.

These are the words we have introduced so far in kindergarten.

Can you kindergartern read them?

how is come see I

now with to the my

are what yes like you

we me no and a

go he she up not down

The following words will be introduced the next two weeks....

find this will be play

Marathon Kids

2010-11-11T12:18:00.000-08:00

Marathon Kids is an exercise program for kids that our PE Coaches love

to see BES students get involved in. On October 9, 2010
the students had their Kick-Off Mile at Mike Myers Stadium
on the University of Texas Campus.

Our class participants for this school year are Dylan, Arje, Megan, and Case.

They will walk/run 26 miles before the Spring Final Mile Celebration!

Arje attended the kick off event....what a GREAT MARATHON KID!!
One mile completed......25 to go!! Go, Arje, Go!!

Report Cards

2010-11-08T10:25:00.000-08:00

Thank you for returning your REPORT CARD envelopes.

Our next report card goes home on Monday, January 10th, 2011!!

Upcoming Dates...

2010-11-08T07:53:00.000-08:00

Thursday, November 11 - 1st Grade's Veteran Days Program

Friday, November 12 - Fire Drill

Monday, November 15 -- Thanksgiving Lunch in the Cafeteria

Wednesday, November 17 - Picture Retakes

(Kyler and Sierra, so far....)

Thursday, November 18 - Pajama Day ~ No Tardy Party!

Wear your pajamas to school and enjoy the comfy day.

I can't wait!

Friday, October 19th -- Happy Birthday to our principal ~ Mrs. Tyler!!

Monday, November 22 - Friday, November 26 HAPPY THANKSGIVING WEEK!

Gobble! Gobble!

Have a GREAT week off -- stay SAFE and eat HEALTHY!

One important EARLY December Date....

Friday, December 3rd -- Field Trip to the New Braunfels Children's Museum.

November is HERE!

2010-11-08T06:46:00.000-08:00

We have been busy the last few weeks....the end of October

and the begining of November have been busy!

Our class pumpkin was 13 cubes tall.....

We each made a pumpkin and measured it's width...then we graphed them!

This pumpkin was 4 cubes wide.

We compared apples to pumpkins...and discussed how they were alike and different.

We love October and November....and December is right around the corner.

Time flies when you are learning LOTS!!

2nd Six Weeks of Kindergarten Awards

2010-11-08T06:19:00.000-08:00

Congratulations to Brenna...she is our first KID OF CHARACTER.

Brenna is very responsible and always follows our school rules.

Congratulations to Brenna!

Always remember our Buda Elementary Pledge....

Congratulations to these students with perfect attendance the

2nd Six Weeks of Kindergarten...

Kyra Megan Dylan Ciara Jayrod Jesse

Alison Tori Brenna Karlie Alexis

Maeve Mario Arje Case

Two additional awards were given this six weeks...

Jayrod received an award for having the MOST AWESOME Kindergarten MANNERS.

Matthew received an IMPROVEMENT AWARD for learning

to write his name beautifully! Way to go!

I am so proud of the Marchese Clowns...

they surprise me everyday with their accomplishments!

Our Poetry Notebooks

2010-10-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

Every week we add a new poem (sometimes two) to our poetry notebooks.

These are the poems we can read so far....

I am so proud of our little readers!!

October is flying by and we have been BUSY...

2010-10-24T17:39:00.000-07:00

HAPPY OCTOBER....It is hard to believe that Halloween is only one

week away. We enjoyed a fun "walking field trip" to the Buda

Methodist Pumpkin Patch.

We listened to a story and sang a song while we were there.

This week we will learn all about pumpkins...one of our first activities will

be to measure the height of our class pumpkin.

I will post this poster again after we make some guesses and find out how tall our pumpkin really is.

This week, we will also talk a lot about how to be safe on Halloween night.

We will do a sorting activity with these two pumpkins.

We graphed "Are You Afraid of Spiders?"

5 students are afraid of spiders.

14 students are not afraid of spiders.

There are some mighty brave kindergartners in our class!

We read the book Abiyoyo by Pete Seeger.

The students love to read this book over and over again...it is an African Folktale.

The kids enjoyed making their own Abiyoyo.

In October, we had a visit from the Buda Fire Department.

We learned lots from these two fire fighters.

He put on his fire fighting uniform and crawled through the kindergartners

so they could touch him.

They gave us this little test after their presentation...and we knew all the answers!

Tori and two special men in our community.

Thank you BFD for coming to our school!

We have had a busy October...and this week before Halloween will be even busier!

This is Red Ribbon Week remember to wear RED on Monday.

Wednesday students are asked to bring their favorite books from home

for "Hooked on Books, NOT DRUGS" day!

On Friday, the student will wear their "When I Grow Up" attire.

The kids can dress to represent the career they are excited to do in the future.

We will have another busy week in kindergarten....

Rules at Home...

2010-10-07T16:36:00.000-07:00

In Social Studies, we talked about Families and about our rules at home.

Here are a some of our rules we have at home...

AND I loved this one....

What a creative and very safe kindergartner!!

HOT off the PRESS...

2010-10-07T16:31:00.000-07:00

Two new classboks HOT OFF THE PRESS this week!

Notice the patterns of apples on the cover -- sneaking in our weekly math skill, too!

We rolled a number cube to see how many apples were up on top!

Then...we made it into a number problem.

The kids loved it...they think they are so smart and they love reading their numbers!

Our new Langauge Arts Program is Journeys.

Last week our books were all about pets.

The kids brought in pictures of their pets for show and tell...

and we made this cute pet book.

More fun with patterns...

2010-10-07T15:14:00.000-07:00

Last week we worked really hard making ABAB patterns...

this week the kids are learning to make more complex patterns.

I am so proud of their progress!

An ABCABC pattern

This game is called What Comes Next?

One child faces the other direction while his/her partner sets up a pattern.

When the pattern is finished the last 6 tokens are covered with a dixie cup.

The partner turns around and finishes the problem on the side of the strip.

Then the cups are removed to check for accuracy!

I have the student's record in their "Vocabulary Journals" to check for understanding.

This student has the concept down ...he wrote what a pattern is in his own words.

"2 things that repeat" (GREAT phonetic spelling!!)

I asked her to make me a two-color pattern and a three-color pattern.

A student and I worked together as a team to make these patterns.

He named the patterns and I choose one color and recorded that for him...to keep him on track.

We also played Make a Train and Break a Train.

We learned that it takes many "cars" to make a pattern.

Make a Train

Look for patterns at home -- on dishtowels, shirts, pillows, etc!

We WON the PTA Membership contest!

2010-10-06T17:26:00.000-07:00

Thank you Marchese Clown parents....

Our class had the most parents join PTA in kindergarten!

Yippeee...we get an popcycle party on Friday!

September has come to an end...

2010-10-02T11:58:00.000-07:00

The first seven weeks of kindergarten are over.

We are learning more and more everyday.

Look who can count to 100!

An amazing accomplishment.....WOW!

We have learned all about patterns.

Brenna is making AB patterns with cubes.

We can read and write all the color words.

We are becoming great writers...watch for more "Kid Writing"!

We learned all about apples...next week we are learning about Jobs In Our Community!

Award's Day was Friday, October 1st.

These 14 kindergartners had no absences or tardies the first six-weeks of school!

Congratulations!

The class loved this game...

2010-09-17T17:12:00.000-07:00

This game is super easy for MOST of the class,

but they enjoyed tallying the points for Mr. Clown.

Enjoy this ABC/123 game we played today!

A FIRST...

2010-09-15T17:07:00.000-07:00

A student sent me her homework digitally!!!

I am impressed...keep that homework coming......

Those capital G's look GREAT!!! :)

Our Daily Schedule

2010-09-13T18:43:00.000-07:00

Daily Schedule

A typical day in Mrs. Marchese's kindergarten classroom

Table Tasks

Number Corner

Phonics

Snack & Recess

Literacy Groups / Daily 4 Centers

Math

Lunch

Science

Specials (PE ~ Art ~ Music)

Social Studies

Recess

Wrap-Up and Dismissal

Our library day is Monday.

Our computer days are Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Mr. Clown's Journal

2010-09-13T18:14:00.000-07:00

Here are some sample pages...from Mr. Clown's Journal.

The kids and their families really enjoy adding LOTS of color...

and photos, too!

It is the highlight of our morning to see what adventures Mr. Clown had the

previous night. This past weekend...Mr. Clown rode a horse.

This is the introductory page in his jounal...

Explaining what to do while Mr. Clown is at your house and a list of everything

that should be returned in his backpack the following day.

And I had to show you pics from Mr. Clowns two visits to Iraq

(he went the last two school years....a well-traveled Clown)

He rode on special missions on a helicopter and on tanks, too!

We LOVE Mr. Clown!

August/September Family Project

2010-09-13T18:06:00.000-07:00

Over half of our students have returned their family project.

Look how creative our kindergartners and their families are...WOW!

I wonder if more will be added to our collection?

I will post them as they come in!

Clown Bear, Clown Bear, Who Do You See?

2010-09-13T04:37:00.000-07:00

Our new book is published...and ready to start going home today with kindergartners!

It is titled Ciara Bear, Ciara Bear, Who Do You See?

I picked Ciara's name to use in the title because of her recent 5th birthday...

so the book is also dedicated to her!

~ Here is a sneak peak at a page in our book ~

Megan's page follows...and it goes and goes until the last person

we see is MR. CLOWN!

When a book comes to your house...be sure to leave a Readers' Comment

Many more books are coming your way...we try to publish 2 classbooks a week!

Mr. Clown Will Be Visiting Your Home Soon...

2010-09-07T14:38:00.000-07:00

Mr. Clown went home today with one of our kindergartners!

When Mr. Clown comes to your house...

1. Write about his adventures with you in his journal.

2. Take a photo or two of you and Mr. Clown doing something FUN!

3. Read Mr. Clown's favorite books.

4. Brush Mr. Clown's teeth before bed.

And return the backpack with all the goodies inside the

following school day!

We know Mr. Clown will be on his best behavior at your home...

Enjoy his visit!!

Name Caterpillars...

2010-09-06T11:29:00.000-07:00

Classbooks Will be Coming Home Soon!

2010-09-06T11:26:00.000-07:00

We try to publish one or two classbooks a week....
Two are ready to go and a couple more are still being put together.
When your child brings home a classbook (or Mr. Clown and his backpack)....
remember to return it to school the following school day, so another student can take it home.

Our books have a comment page in the back --
please leave our class a comment before you return the book.

These two books will start being circulated through our class Tuesday...

And these two are almost ready...watch for them to start coming home Wednesday!

A few more will be published next weekend...take good care of our classbooks

when they visit your home ~ enjoy reading them overnight ~ and return them to school!

We love sharing all our work with you!

Orange Color Song

2010-08-29T11:16:00.001-07:00

Purple Color Song

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Green Color Song

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Blue Color Song

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Yellow Color Song

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Red Color Song

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Five Senses Song

2010-08-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

We made it through the first week of K!

2010-08-28T08:39:00.000-07:00

Yippee, we made it through the first week of kindergarten!

I hope your child loved it as much as I did!

We have been working on learning our school rules and expectations,

reading stories about kindergarten, and singing lots of new songs.

They are a sweet bunch of kiddos ~ thank you for sharing them with me!

Be sure and e-mail me marchesem@hayscisd.net

if you have any questions or concerns.

Our weekly newsletter will go home on Mondays and

I will also try to put all important information on our blog so be sure and check it when you can.

We have 18 students in our class.

Mosaic names....Can you find your name?

A class graph -- "Do you like to dance?"

We can read these words ~ we are getting smarter every day!

Next week, we will continue to learn all about the color words...

Monday -- blue

Tuesday -- greeen

Wednesday -- purple

Thursday -- white

Friday -- black

Tuesday, September 7 -- orange

Wednesday, September 8 -- pink

Ten Perfect Books for New Kindergartners

2010-08-26T16:36:00.000-07:00

Starting Kindergarten can be a daunting and scary event for many children. Books are a wonderful way to help children adjust to these new situations. Ease anxieties and fears by reading a few of these books before the school year begins. No matter what your kiddo’s fear is, one of these books has an answer. By the end of this first week of kindergarten we will have read ALMOST all of these books!

The Night Before Kindergarten

by Natasha Wing

The Night Before Kindergarten helps get kids excited about school, while acknowledging the emotions that parents experience as well.

Kindergarten Rocks!
by Katie Davis
It accurately cues in to the concerns of kids beginning Kindergarten and offers helpful advice and encouragement.

Countdown to Kindergarten
by Alison McGhee
The book shows kids that they don’t have to know everything before starting school.

Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten
by Joseph Slate

It’s whimsical, filled with great illustrations, and takes a lighthearted approach to Kindergarten.
Our class loves substiting Miss Bindergarten's name with Mrs. Marchese...we laugh and laugh!

First Day Jitters
by Julie Danneberg

We all get them, young and old alike. This books covers the jittery feelings of starting a new school year and going to a new school. Kids will identify with Sarah, who doesn’t want to go to school and is scared about the new people. And of course, they will be surprised to learn that Sarah is actually a teacher and not a student!

The Kissing Hand
by Audrey Penn

It helps us explain to our children that we will love them no matter where we, or they, are.

Welcome to Kindergarten
by Anne Rockwell

Tim attends the open house for Kindergarten at his school that helps get the students acquainted with the classroom and one another. On the way, Tim tells his mom that everything will be too big and scary for him. Once there, he sees all the fun he will have and explores the art area, science area, and more. Naturally, he realizes that everything is just perfect for him.

Wemberly Worried
by Kevin Henkes

Henkes assures his readers that it’s ok to worry, but that most of those worries will go away once they start school.

Lookout Kindergarten, Here I Come
by Nancy Carlson

Meet Henry, a little mouse who is excited to start Kindergarten. He just knows it will be great, that is, until he sees his new classroom. His confidence falters a bit upon entering his new environment and he suddenly wants to go home. Luckily, he makes a new friend and settles in after a short time.

The Berenstain Bears Go to School
by Stan Berenstain
An oldie..but a goodie!Sister Bear is about to start Kindergarten and is rather reluctant to go. Mama Bear brings her to school so Sister can meet her teacher and get a feel for the classroom. When the first day arrives, Sister is dragged off by Brother Bear. It’s not long before Sister is the one dragging Brother to the bus each day! Perfect for young kids who may be resisting the idea of Kindergarten!

We love literature in kindergarten!
Let me know if you have a book suggestion this year...
OR BETTER YET...
Let us borrow your child's favorite book to read to class!

SO EXCITED for the First Day of Kindergarten!

2010-08-22T11:01:00.000-07:00

As I prepare to go back for my 20+ year of teaching kindergarten,

I can’t help but reflect on why I love it so much!

“Buda Elementary ~ Kindergarten Rocks!”

I love teaching five and six year olds new songs and dance moves...
and they teach me my share, too!

One of my favorite kindergarten songs is Tooty Ta!

I love working with ladies who challenge and inspire me each and every day.

Our kindergarten team is THE BEST yet!

I love working with kids who still believe in magic.

I enjoy being silly and making learning fun and meaningful for children..

although, I can't perform like that in front of an adult.

I love leaving school each day and feeling like I’ve made a difference in the life of a child. I love teaching!

I love how glitter makes everything much more exciting!
We love sparkles and lots of color!

I love how most students think I have an awesome singing voice and even more ~
I love how the students with the worst voices sing out the
loudest and proudest (just like ME!!)

I enjoy kindergarten hugs...they are the BESt!

I love to teach eager, curious, young minds...and especially watching them "get it" for the first time.
I am so proud of their accomplishments...but they are so much prouder!

I adore each piece of art work students bring me from home...
they love writing letters and drawing pictures
Their creation comes to school folded up many times into a little "ball" shape
(sometimes it is wrapped in tape)
then put in a sealed envelope covered with hand drawn decorations!

I love teaching kindergarten and feel that I have the BEST job in the world!

Early to bed....Early to rise!

I will be as anxious as every kindergartner in my class tonight
and will not sleep a wink.
But you can bet your bottom dollar....
I will sleep like a log Monday night!

See you bright and early tomorrow morning!

A Tour of Our Classroom...

2010-08-16T18:06:00.000-07:00

It looks like Room #502 is ready to go...

The 20 students enrolled in our class this year!

Our large group carpet area...for storytime and more...

The calendar area...we call it "The Number Corner".

Lots and lots of manipulatives...

Our Word Wall is under the clock.

We will learn to read at this table.

~ The Word Wall ~

The Bulletin Board "Our Class Clown" ~ this week it is my turn.

Our Cubbies ~ where we keep school boxes and journals.

~ Our Classroom Bathroom (and water fountain) ~

Thanks to my Nystrom Lady, Bonnie ~ for the great globe!

The reading loft and our Smart~Board are in the background....

~ Our Discipline Chart ~

I will put your name on one of the pockets.

Our goal is to stay on GREEN all day....

We will have a TERRIFIC Kindergarten Year!

I can't wait to meet you on Thursday night!

2010-08-11T14:34:00.000-07:00

My First Day in Kindergarten

~ Abilene, Texas ~

Isn't it funny how I had a clown bag to carry my school supplies in?

Who would have ever thought....I would grow up to be the teacher of

The Marchese Clowns?

Back to School Night ~ 8.19.2010

2010-08-07T08:49:00.000-07:00

What a way to celebrate my birthday!!!

I can't wait to meet my new 2010-2011 Students on Thursday, August, 19th.

Bring your school supplies with you and come tour our classroom.

List of School Supplies....

1 backpack (you can leave that at home and bring it the first day!)

2 boxes of crayons (24 count)
1 box of markers
2 boxes of facial tissues
1 plastic supply box
2 spiral notebooks -- or the 25 cent composition books at Walmart!
1 package of #2 pencils
2 bottles of glue
2 folders with brads

Extra items we can use anytime...send when you can!

baby wipes
clorox clean-ups
hand sanitizer

I can't wait to meet you...see you soon!

XOXO Mrs. Marchese