What's Happening With Mr. H

Dear Parents/Guardians of K-2,

 May is a very busy month with so much going on here at school and in the classroom. 

 I will be testing all students in reading, writing, and math.  Also students will be taking the MAP test at the end of month. It measures a student’s achievement and academic growth over the year.  Results will come to you in the student’s report card next month.  I think you will be pleased.

 We will make two more trips to the Hearthstone this month.  We are planning 2 visits on the 24^th and the last visit on 7^th of June.  We visit from 10:00 to 11:00. If you can attend, you are more than welcome to come and help. 

 Young Authors Day is May 30^th.  Students at green Lake will have books and writing that they worked on and will share on this day.  We have great writers that will be excited to share their writing with you on this day.

 If you know that your child is missing an article from home, such as a coat, shirt or lunch box, please check out the rather large accumulation in our lost and found.  These lost items are in the front hallway.

 Thanks to all who attended the, K-1 and K-2, Mother’s Day Breakfast.  Many thanks to all the dads who helped to make it a memorable morning.  I want to personally thank: Matt Bakeney, Matt Tavis, Chad Beeder, Christopher Assaf, Darin Faul, Larry Wikan, Graham Whitehouse, Alex Whitaker, Chris Wiederhold, and Doug Hungartener.  I have such great parent support!  Thanks all.

 I have been very impressed with the understanding and love you all have shown for your children.  Your hard work is reflected in the student’s eyes, hearts, and heads.  They are terrific kids and have made this a great classroom and rewarding year.  You all have so much to be proud of! 

Sincerely,

Steve Hansen

Everyone sure had a great time Friday morning with kindergarten Mother’s Day Breakfast!  I was wonderful to see such a great turnout this the event.  Many thanks to all the dads who came to help.

The students did a great job today polishing our grandpals nails.  Thanks to all the parents who came to help.

The students of K-2 have  pen pals and we will finally get a chance to meet them.  K-2 students will be taking a walking fieldtrip to meet our kindergarten/first grade pen pals from Room 108 at Daniel Bagley on Wednesday, May 16th.  Please sign and return the permission form as soon as possible. Here is an electronic copy just in case!

May 3, 2012

Dear Families,

 On Wednesday, May 16th, 2012 we will be walking to Green Lake to meet our Pen Pals for lunch. We will leave school at 10:00 AM and be back by 12:30PM. 

Our Pen Pals will meet us half way around the lake to share books, exchange drawings, and eat lunch. We’ll finish the afternoon at the playground next to Evans Pool. Chaperones are welcome.

***Note:  If your child will need a school lunch, it will be a sack lunch that needs to be ordered ahead of time. 

                    Please sign the permission slip below

              and return it by Friday, May 11th, 2012.

                                        -Thank You #________________________________________________________________

 I, _______________________________, parent/guardian of ______________________   authorize and consent to medical, surgical, hospital care, treatment and procedures to be deemed immediately necessary or advisable by the physician to safeguard my child’s health if I cannot be contacted.  I waive my rights of informed consent to such treatment.  I also authorize a copy of this consent form to be treated with the same authority as the original. 

Signature of Parent/Guardian: _______________________

Date:_____ /_____ /_____

Emergency contact phone numbers: _______________________________

____ My child will need a school lunch.

____ I would like to chaperone.

The Tooth Fairies came to our class to give a little presentation of good tooth care and passed out tooth info.   Tooth pillows were also passed out to each student in K-2.  It was great fun.  Thanks Tooth Fairies for your time and all the good work you do.

Tooth Fairies in action

Dear Parents and Guardians of K-2,

With the coming of spring, children will be playing outside and enjoying the better weather with friends and family.  Most of us look forward to this wonderful time of the year.

But with Daylight Savings Time, children tend to stay up longer with the increase of daylight.  Unfortunately, the result is that children come to school tired and less tolerant of me and of each other.  This puts a real strain on relationships and children’s ability to perform in class.  This is a problem I experience every spring and by May or June it can be extremely difficult to deal with.  Please make sure your child is well rested and ready for the rigors of school. Your help is very much needed and appreciated. 

 I’d liked to inform you of a couple upcoming events and thoughts for K-2.

•  Please be sure to check the blog the regularly to get more info on happenings in K-2.  Also please feel free to make comments in the blog.
•  We (students and several dads) will honor our Mothers and Grandmothers with a Mother’s Day breakfast at school on Friday, May 11^th starting at 9:00 AM.  This is a big event that will include students and moms from both kindergarten classes.  Breakfast will be served outside in the play court.  Mark your calendars for this annual tradition in K-2.   More information on the Mother’s Day Breakfast will be coming soon. I’ll need 4 – 6 Dads to help cook on that morning. If you think you can help, sent a note to school or give me a call.
•   As many parents noticed in the recent report cards, many of the students must work harder at listening in class and talking less during instruction, work time, and listening to others.  It is a behavior that can improve.  Increased listening skills are important for 1^st grade and are part of my expectations for all students of K-2.   Check with your child regularly on how they are doing with “listening” in class and encourage them about doing a better job for the remainder of the year.
•   The Green Lake Science Fair is Friday the 27^th from 6:30-8:00 PM.  Our class will have students discussing, leading experiments, and demonstrations from our wood study unit.  Come by say hi and I know you will be amazed by all the cool science that will fill the school.
•   Swimming begins this month.  We swim Tuesday morning from just after school starts to about 10:00.  Volunteers for this fun time are greatly appreciated.  Check with Ms. Matthews or me if you think you can help out.

The students continue to amaze me with their academic growth.    They are truly a wonderful bunch of children! Thanks for all your efforts with your child’s homework and with their reading each night.                                                    

 Steve Hansen  

The class works on writing for longer periods of time.  Earlier in the year K-2 was only able to write for 8 minutes at a time.  Last week the class wrote for 28 minutes with out interruption.  That was great and I am so proud of them.  I have a class full of writers!

Dear K-2 Families,

I need a photo of your family pet or pets.  We are making a pet graph of our pets at home.  I want to use the graph along with the photos for a bulletin board display in the hallway.  I’ll need the photos by Monday the 19^th.  Thanks for your help on this project. 

Steve Hansen

Hi K-2 Families,

I’d like to see students working with the IXL on line math program that is available to all our students at Green Lake.  Just a few students are taking advantage of the program.  This is a quote from another teacher how use IXL with her students.

“IXL is a practice environment that rewards hard work—after all, with dynamic, unlimited questions, guessing your way to success isn’t exactly an option. Instead, we encourage students to learn from their mistakes, and move through new challenges at their own pace. There’s no feeling that can match mastering a skill on IXL, since it comes with the satisfaction of knowing you really do get it.”

This program will help supplement students in math and better prepare them for 1^st grade.

 Let me know if you need the pass word for your child or if you need help getting to IXL.

March Newsletter

Dear Parents/Guardians of K-2,

The Days are flying by so fast!  The second trimester ends on Thursday March 15^th.  Report cards can be expected for take home sometime in April.  I have seen a great deal of growth this reporting period and I look forward to reporting your student’s progress. 

Our class continues to read a considerable number of books each week.  It is resulting in much improved reading skills.  Thanks for all your help at home with this.  For those who need a reminder, students need to read for 20 minutes each night and record the amount of time, what was read, and the date read by your child or books you read to them on the sheets in the just right book bags that go every day.  Have your child turn in the “Just Right Book Bags” form to me every day with the just right book bag.  If you need more forms, I can get you more. 

Students are also writing everyday at school.  They are very excited about writing and it would be great for them to write at home in their spare time.  Many are already doing this.  Also please keep checking the bulletin board outside our room to read your child’s writing.  Several students are producing a new paper everyday!

  I’ll see you at the Green Lake Auction on the 24^th.