April Fools Day 2025

 Room 115 was filled with fun as we celebrated April Fools' Day today! Please enjoy the pictures and video below. 😂

As the students entered the classroom this morning they were shocked to see that all of the chairs were missing! We read the book Chairs on Strike by Jennifer Jones and discussed where our chairs might be hiding.

Snack was picnic style since our chairs were nowhere to be found! As the class went out to recess the joke was finally revealed. Click here to see a video of their reactions! We will use this experience to kick off our next writing unit which will focus on narrative writing, and we will work to write a story about a time we were surprised!

I had no problem reading the morning message, but apparently the class couldn't see it! 😆

Happy April Fools' Day!

A Peek At Our Week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! Please enjoy a few updates from Room 115 below. 😊

Important Dates:

April 2nd:

World Autism Day

Students are encouraged to wear the color blue!

April 7th:

Spring Pictures

(More info to come)

April 18th-April 25th:

April Vacation

No School

Announcements:

Guest Readers Wanted!

Did you know that March is National Reading Month? We celebrated our love of reading all month long in Room 115, and would like to open our door to parents, grandparents, neighbors, or siblings who would like to share their love of reading as well! Below you will find a link to sign up to be a guest reader in our classroom. On the day of, please bring a book of your choice to read aloud OR contact me ahead of time and I'll happily select one for you! In order to ensure everyone gets an opportunity, please sign up for only one slot. If the dates and/or times available don't work for you, please reach out and I will do my best to find a more convenient time. I am looking forward to welcoming guest readers into our classroom! Sign Up to be a Guest Reader Here!

Curriculum Update:

Fundations

Last week in Fundations we learned the sight words do and does. The students were also introduced to the concept of digraphs, or two letters that make one new sound. Our lessons focused on the digraphs sh, and ch, and the students practiced reading words like ship, dish, chop, and such. We also continued to strengthen our phonemic awareness skills by reading nonsense, or "silly" words, and practiced reading and writing words in the -ig word family! 🐷

Reader's Workshop

In Reader's Workshop we completed module (unit) 6 in our Into Reading curriculum! This unit was titled: Home of the Free and the Brave, and posed the question: What makes the USA special? We read the books Apple Pie 4th of July by Janet S. Wong, and Happy Birthday to the U.S. by Francine Alexander. Both texts explored the 4th of July holiday and how it can be celebrated. In the week ahead we will begin module 7 which will help the children develop their observational skills as the name of the unit is Zoom In! and asks the essential question: What can I learn when I look closely?

Math

In math last week the students reviewed the many number combinations that make the numbers 5, 6, and 7! They enjoyed playing games like Spill the Beans and Fill it up Five to help practice identifying and writing number sentences that equal five, such as 2+3, 4+1, and 5+0.

Thanks so much for taking a peek at our week! Please check back soon to watch us learn, grow, and play in the wonderful world that is K! 🍎📖🚌

A Peek At Our Week!

 Last week was an exciting one as we celebrated many special days. See below 

for a few highlights! 🌈🌞💮

Important Dates:

March 28th:

Early Release

Dismissal Begins at 12:25pm

Announcements:

Rock Your Socks! 

Thanks to those who celebrated World Down Syndrome Day by rocking their bright, crazy, and/or fun socks to spread awareness. It was a great way to end our week! 🧦

St. Patrick's Day! 

The students in Room 115 were as good as gold as we celebrated St. Patrick's Day on Monday! We started our day by sharpening our fine motor skills as we passed a shamrock using clothes pins during morning meeting. We then enjoyed a fantastic assembly featuring Irish step dancers from the Harney School of Dance. We continued our day by participating in many St. Patrick's Day reading and math activities. 

💚🤍🧡

Curriculum Update:

Fundations

Last week in Fundations we learned the sight words see and she. We also continued to strengthen our phonemic awareness skills by reading nonsense, or "silly" words. 

Reader's Workshop

In Reader's Workshop we continued to explore the essential question: "What makes the USA special?". We enjoyed learning more about Martin Luther King Jr. as we read a biography written by Marion Dane Bauer which highlighted his importance and the significant impact he made to our country. We also learned about many US presidents as we read the book Presidents' Day by Judith Stamper. The students continue to practice identifying people, places, and events, and discuss author's purpose.

Math

Last week in math we reviewed teen numbers. Through our lessons and activities the students were reminded that all teen numbers start with a 1, and have one group of ten and then some "more". Circling back to this important concept helped the students recognize teen numbers with greater automaticity, and deepened their understanding of how teen numbers are composed.

Writer's Workshop

We welcomed spring last week as we wrote about our favorite parts of this new, warmer season! Spring has definitely sprung in Room 115 and we couldn't be more excited!

Thanks so much for taking a peek at our week! Please check back soon as we learn, grow, and play in the wonderful world that is K! 🍎📖🚌

A Peek At Our Week!

  I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Please see below for announcements and updates      from Room 115! 🌞☘🌈

Important Dates:

March 21st:

Student Council Spirit Day:

Rock your Socks!

March 28th:

Early Release

Dismissal Begins at 12:25pm

Announcements:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Thank you so much to all of the parents who met with me for spring conferences last week. I really enjoyed chatting with each one of you! While there are no more formal conferences held this year, please never hesitate to reach out to me if you have questions or concerns about your child's progress in class. I am always more than happy to speak with you!

5th Grade Buddies!

Our favorite half day tradition continued as our 5th grade buddies came to visit Room 115 on Friday! The Kindergartners enjoyed sharing their completed informational texts with their partners, and showed off the skills they were working on in ST Math! As you may have heard, our class was bumped out of the first round of March Mathness, an ST Math competition in which we competed against Ms. Folan's third grade class. Miss Folan's class beat us by only 3 puzzles, and I couldn't be more proud of every student's effort! We will continue to work hard and cross our fingers that we might get back into the race as a wild card! 🤞🏀🐧

Curriculum Update:

Fundations

Last week in Fundations we learned the sight words we and he. We also practiced reading and writing words in the -at word family!

Reader's Workshop

In Reader's Workshop we continued to explore the essential question: "What makes the USA special?". We enjoyed the book Take Me Out to the Yakyu by Aaron Meshon, which compared the beloved game of baseball in the US to how it is played and celebrated in Japan. The class also had a great time singing Take Me Out to the Ball Game! ⚾

Math

Last week in math we continued to learn about two and three dimensional figures in Unit 6! We played two new games which helped us practice building cubes and triangular prisms with Polydrons, and exploring ways to make 5 by spinning different numbers of cones, cylinders, cubes and spheres. In the week ahead we will circle back to review teen numbers, and practice counting dimes and pennies.

Thanks so much for taking a peek at our week! Please check back soon to watch us learn, grow, and play in wonderful world that is K! 🍎📖🚌

A Peek At Our Week!

 I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend. Please see below for announcements and updates      from Room 115! 🌞 

Important Dates:

March 11th: 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 13th:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 14th: 

Early Release

Parent/Teacher Conferences

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

March 21st:

Student Council Spirit Day:

Rock your Socks!

March 28th:

Early Release

Announcements:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

A friendly reminder that parent/teacher conferences will take place this week. If you have not made an appointment but would like to meet with me, please reach out ASAP. I have a limited number of openings left but would be more than happy to meet with you before or after school if that is more convenient. I'm looking forward to meeting to discuss your child's progress!

Classroom Wish List

Our classroom is currently in need of glue sticks and Clorox/Lysol wipes. Any contributions would be greatly appreciated!

Curriculum Update:

Reader's Workshop

Last week in Reader's Workshop we kicked off module (unit) 6 in our Into Reading program! This module is titled "Home of the Free and the Brave" and poses the essential question: "What makes the USA special?". We began to answer this question by reading the books America the Beautiful: Together We Stand by Katherine Lee Bates, and In Our Country by Susan Canizares. During our lessons we also explored the genres of poetry and songs, and were introduced to the comprehension strategy of visualizing. 

Fundations

Last week in Fundations we practiced reading the sight words be and me. We also continued to practice tapping or sliding CVC words such as hat, mug, and pot, and built CVC words using magnetic letters. The children participated in interactive activities that helped them practice their CVC word reading skills as well. 

The students enjoyed picking a CVC Pop It and matching it to it's picture!

Math

In math we have spiraled back to learning about 3D/solid figures, a concept that was introduced in November through Number Corner! During last week's lessons the children sorted 3D shapes by their attributes, explored cylinders and spheres, and even became shape detectives!

On Thursday the class enjoyed going on a shape hunt to find examples of 3D solid figures in our classroom!

A Peek Inside Specials!

In P.E. the class had a blast learning and practicing gymnastics moves!

Thanks so much for taking a peek at our week! Please check back soon to watch us learn, grow, and play in the wonderful world that is K! 🍎📖🚌

A Peek At Our Week!

I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and enjoyed today's sunny (but cold!) weather. Please see below for announcements and updates from Room 115! 🌞 

Important Dates:

March 11th: 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 13th:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 14th: 

Early Release

Parent/Teacher Conferences

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

March 21st:

Student Council Spirit Day:

Rock your Socks!

March 28th:

Early Release

Announcements:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

It's hard to believe that spring parent/teacher conferences are next week! Please use the links sent out in Mr. Dearborn's SMORE to schedule your apppointment. It is important to note that all conferences are in person, however, I am more than happy to schedule a virtual conference if that is more convenient for you. Lastly, the evening conferences tend to be very popular and can run behind. Don't hesitate to let me know if you would like to meet before or after school instead. I'm looking forward to speaking with you about your child's progress!

Curriculum Update:

Reader's Workshop

Last week in Reader's Workshop we continued to discuss the essential question: "What does it mean to try hard?". To help us answer this question we read the book Emmanuel's Dream by Laurie Ann Thompson, a biography which tells the true story of Emmanuel Ofosu Yeboah, a man who rode his bicycle around Ghana with only one working leg. This inspirational story was the perfect way to close out module (unit) 5. In the week ahead we will begin module (unit) 6 which is titled: Home of the Free and the Brave. 

Fundations

Last week in Fundations we practiced reading the sight word no. We also continued to practice tapping or sliding CVC words such as hat, mug, and pot, and built CVC words using magnetic letters. In addition to our Fundations lessons, we also spent time reading words in the "at" word family. The students had fun making at cats as a fun Friday project!

Math

In math the children continue to learn about two dimensional shapes. In last weeks lessons we were sorting, comparing, composing, and decomposing shapes using pattern blocks. This week we will spiral back to review three dimensional figures and their attributes!

The class had a fun time picking a two dimensional shape and writing clues about it in an activity we called "Guess My Shape". 

Writer's Workshop

In Writer's Workshop we continue to learn about the genre of informational writing. Last week the students brainstormed things that they are experts about to determine the topic of their next informational text. Animals, sports, places, and toys were some of the most popular topics! I am looking forward to supporting the children as they write an informational piece about a topic of their choosing over the next few weeks.

A Peek Inside Specials 🎵

The class came back from winter break with a bang as they used bookwhackers in music class last week!

Thanks so much for taking a peek at our week! Please check back soon to watch us learn, grow, and play in the wonderful world that is K! 🍎📖🚌

Welcome Back!

   I hope your child enjoyed their school vacation week! I am looking forward to being back together in Room 115 tomorrow! 😊

Important Dates:

March 11th: 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 13th:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

5:00 PM – 7:00 PM

March 14th: 

Early Release

Parent/Teacher Conferences

1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

March 21st:

Student Council Spirit Day:

Rock your Socks!

March 28th:

Early Release

Announcements:

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Spring Parent/Teacher conferences are right around the corner! Please be on the lookout for a link to sign up in Mr. Dearborn's weekly SMORE.

Scholastic Book Fair 📖

We are thrilled to announce that the Scholastic Book Fair is coming back to Boyden. This special event is a wonderful opportunity for students to explore new books, build their love of reading and support our school media center and classroom libraries

Event Details:

• Student Wishlist Preview: From 3/4-3/7, students will visit the media center, browse the fair, and create wishlists. They will bring these wish lists home to share with their families. (Tip: Take a photo of their wishlist for easy reference!)

• Book Fair Shopping: Families are invited to visit and shop during Parent-Teacher Conferences:

  • March 11: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
  • March 13: 5:00 PM – 7:00 PM
  • March 14: 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM

How You Can Help: We need volunteers to help students create their wish lists during the Preview event. If you’re available to lend a hand, it only takes about 15 minutes and is a wonderful opportunity to be in the library with your child and their friends. Every purchase made at the Book Fair directly benefits our school, so it’s a win-win!

Please sign up for the Book Preview Here:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0849A8A828A7FCC34-55066198-wishlist

We will have another opportunity to volunteer for the actual event during conferences so please look out for that in the SMORE in late February. 

Thank you for your continued support of the Book Fair and our school library. We can’t wait to see you there!

Valentine's Day! 💓

Room 115 was full of love as we celebrated Valentine's Day before the break! Please enjoy a few pictures of our celebration below.

Thanks so much for taking a peek at our week! Please check back soon to watch us learn, grow, and play in the wonderful world that is K! 🍎🚌📖