Merry Christmas

Hope all are having a wonderful and blessed Christmas
See you back in the classroom kiddos on January 3rd - enjoy your break!

Author Visit

On Friday morning, New Franklin had the pleasure of hosting a local Shippensburg author by the name of John Graham. It was an amazing experience for everybody. I didnt tell the kids until that morning what was happening (they had been talking briefly about it in library class though). Their react?

"A REAL LIVE AUTHOR!?!?"

"He is truly coming to see US?!?!"

"This is AMAZING!!!!"

(and a WHOLE bunch of screaming!)

Off to the library we trot to hear a book called No Sweets for Santa written by John Graham (a book that we actually learned was 11 years in the making)

If you are interested in checking out the book and learning more about it

visit his website No Sweets for Santa

That afternoon we were finishing up our Christmas Junie B. book Jingle Bells Batman Smells P.S. So does May and one of the children asks "When is the author of Junie B. going to come visit us?" haha

Same & Different

In Math and in Reading, we have been talking about how things are the same and how they are different.
In Math, we compare shapes, buttons, children, etc.... and we observe how things look alike and how they look different. Today we did a craft (thank you SO much to Miss Julie, Mr. Cubbage, and Miss Confer who came in to help with our project. Wet glue and glitter is sometimes a dangerous combo to a 5 year old HAHA) to test our skills on being able to tell how things are the same or different. Using just some paper, a cardboard roll, and our handprints, children were given the choice to make either an angel or a reindeer for the Christmas season. Here is our end results:

reindeer

angels

"How are these two crafts the same?"

• they both use our handprints
• they both used paper
• we made them out of a cardboard tube

"How are these two crafts different?"

• one is an angel, the other is a reindeer
• the angel is white, the reindeer is brown
• the angel has glitter
• the reindeer has googley eyes

In Reading, we look at different stories and see how they are the same or different (compare & contrast). The easier way to do this in Reading is to find two different versions of a book (the characters are slightly different, the story is told from a different perspective, etc...) Some of my favorites are:

• The Three Little Pigs/The TRUE story of the Three Little Pigs
• The Little Red Hen/The Little Red Hen makes pizza

Today, for our appropiate holiday season, I chose The Gingerbread Man (one we read a few days ago) and The Gingerbread Girl

A little background info. I am sure that you are all familiar with The Gingerbread Man story (runs away from the little old man & the little old woman, plus a bunch of other characters only to end up being eaten by a devious and sneaky fox at the end of the book). For those of you who have never read The Gingerbread Girl, you are in for a treat! The lonely old woman and the lonely old man decide to bake a girl this time, but when they open the oven, she runs off like her brother did. Never fear, this smart cookie has a plan to outfox the fox. Will it work? You betcha! She takes a piece of her licorce hair, ties the fox's mouth shut and teaches him some manners to turn him into a pet :-)

"How are these books the same?"

• They both have cookies made out of gingerbread
• there is a little old man and little old woman
• there is a fox who tries to eat them

"How are these books different?"

• one is a girl, one is a boy
• the fox doesn't eat the girl
• the girl runs past a school, an artist, and a lady walking dogs

I encourage you to challenge your child to find things that are the same and different with common everyday objects you find at your house. As you can tell, they are pretty good at it :-)

Ship girls have left the building

In case your child hasnt mentioned the fact, besides Miss Miller (who will return next semester to be a student teacher), we have had 3 other placement students from Shippensburg University with us this fall. This week has been their last week in our classroom before it is off to take finals next week and then a relaxing month winter break in between semesters (aaah, I think that is what I miss most about college! haha)
Wednesday we said good-bye (for now) to Miss Silvis and Miss Fischer (both sophmores and their first year in my kindergarten classroom)
Yesterday we said goodbye to Miss Bergan (a junior who I worked with last year and who will, fingers crossed, be coming back next year as my pro-sem & student teacher) who brought us yummy brownie cookies and candy canes. We also said good-bye to Miss Miller who cannot wait to return next semester as a student teacher.
It will be a lonely month without our Ship girls, but I am oh, so proud of all the hard work that they have been into this semester. They made great relationships with the children and myself and we cannot wait to see them in Janaury!

I have some good news & some bad news

Well, like the title states and I said to the kids this morning "I have some good news and I have some bad news. I will tell you the bad news first so the good news will cheer you up!" (this is what my Mama always said to me and this is what I say to my daughter now)

Bad News:
Hunter Middaugh has left our room and gone to a new classroom unexpectedly :-( Yesterday his Dad came to pick him up without warning or notice and told us that their family is moving to St. Thomas. We will miss him GREATLY and hope that he meets lots of new friends at his new school and has a good time learning with his new teacher

Good News:
Today our University student Miss Miller got to be our teacher ALL DAY LONG! Her school assignment for this semester was to pretend to be Mrs. Eckenrode's "sub" for the whole day. Miss Miller was a little nervous & anxious, but as the day wore on it became crystal clear that she had nothing to be worried about. She did a FANTASTIC job!
Miss Miller will be with us for three more days (tomorrow, next Tues, and next Thurs) before she leaves for her winter break. She will be returning to our classroom in January where she will visit us each day and be our student teacher. We are very blessed to have her!

Happy Thanksgiving

To you and everyone in your family I want to wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving Day.

I have many blessings to be thankful for this year

• Riley
• Xander
• Josue
• Kayley
• Gavin
• Hermila
• Dustin
• Luke
• Myleigh
• Hunter M.
• Brandon
• Ezra
• Clara
• Kaylyhn
• Dakota
• Trai
• Sophia
• Isaac
• Levi
• Adrianne
• Lily
• Hunter T. 
• Marissa
• Kamden
• Madison

Our 5 senses

This morning we began a discussion about discovering our 5 senses

I decided that I would introduce this topic by using a pumpkin that Luke had brought to the classroom weeks ago. We had tons of fun answeing the following questions....

• What does a pumpkin look like? Our answers: orange, fat, big/medium/small, a green leaf, a brown stem, circle/oval/sphere, jack-o-lantern. We looked through our newly donated magazines and found something that had one of the attributes that was the same as the pumpkin. Children cut out pictures of wreaths (they were round), pajamas (they are orange), woman (she is big), and many other things
• What does a pumkpin sound like? I had all the children close their eyes and listen to what the pumpkin sounded like. Their answer? Quiet.
• What does a pumpkin smell like? I cut the top of the pumpkin off and passed it around the circle for them to take a big whiff. The reaction? "stinky, good, soup, candy, sweet"
• What does a pumpkin feel like? This question is a two fold question because a pumpkin feels very different on the outside vs. the inside. Once again, we passed the pumpkin around the circle with strict instructions to only touch the outside first (the top was still off from smelling it). Answer? smooth, hard, bumpy, cold. Then came the fun part: Let's pass the pumpkin around and feel the inside!  I actually put some newspaper down in the middle of the rug with some wipes and told them that they could reach their hands in and pull out some seeds/pulp if they wanted to. Watching them complete this task was hilarious: 1/2 just stuck the tip of their pointer finger, some pulled out a pumpkin seed or two, and some didnt want to do it at all! They then stated that the inside of a pumpkin felt "sticky, gooey, slimy, and icky!"

and last, but not least.......

• What does a pumpkin taste like? I explained how you make pumpkin and I brought a can in to school from the store. I also told them that pumpkin puree is different from pumpkin pie mix because we have to add more ingredients to it to make it into pie. I asked them that even though it doesnt taste the best, does anyone want to go on a "food adventure" with me and try some? About 3/4 of the class raised their hands. I put a very small portion on their spoons and told them to wait for all of us and we would try it together on the count of three. "One, two, three!" Oh, the faces they make are truly priceless (not gonna lie, my face doesnt look the best either).

I LOVE kindergarten!

Weekly Newsletter

our school is currently out of toner for the printer in the office and so I am unable to print off weekly newsletter for everyone to keep up to date on what is going on in our classroom next week
here is what our schedule looks like

MONDAY

• Sending home baggie book homework

TUESDAY

• Gym (please wear appropiate footwear)

WEDNESDAY

• Music

THURSDAY

• Library (please return books for exchange)
• Good News Club
• Happy Birthday Sophia

FRIDAY

• Art
• Stand up to Bullying Day (wear pink)

MISC.

• thank you to all who donated cardboard tubes and magazines. Keep 'em coming :-)
• Next Wednesday November 23rd there is a 1 hour early dismissal
• NO SCHOOL on Thursday or Friday (November 24th & 25th) for Thanskgiving break

Parent Teacher Conferences

Cannot believe this week is already upon us but report cards go home Tuesday afternoon (if you have your conference before you get your child's report card at home, I have a copy available for you to look at) and this week I am undertaking the massive task of parent teacher conferences.
Some pointers to make our conference run as smooth as possible

• be prompt
• think about any questions you may have beforehand and come prepared to ask them. I will try my hardest to answer your questions satisfactorily
• I will have an outline for you (3 strengths/2 areas to grow) so if only 1 parent can attend the meeting, you will have info to take back and report
• Conferences are only 15 mins long (not long enough in my opinion) but it is unfeasible to schedule them any longer when I have 25 of them to conduct. Due to time constraints, I have to be precise and to the point with all my information and I apologize ahead of time for anything that may be overlooked or not able to discuss. If further communications need to be made, a phone or email conference can be scheduled at a later date after the holidays.
• It is recommended to leave your children with a sitter (if possible) to make our conference most productive. If they need to come with you, toys will be set up on the rug to occupy them while we talk at the table.

If you are unable to make your conference or are running late, please let me know ASAP by....

1. emailing me - eckentab@chambersburg.k12.pa.us
2. texting me - (717) 414-9939. please make sure to include your name when texting so I know who it is

I will be sending everyone reminder emails for conferences at some point this week.
Looking forward to meeting you and I will see you later this week :-)

Happy Halloween

As a math/fall activity our kids made pumpkins. First we used an oval pattern and cut out a large round oval for our pumpkin. Then we took a skinny rectangle and cut it into pieces to make the mouth. The eyes and the nose were the most fun because Mrs. Goetz in 1st let us borrow her glue bottles (we DONT use liquid glue in kindergarten - only glue sticks haha) which were really cool because they looked like bingo dabbers but they squeezed out glue at the top. They worked perfect to put on our heart/triangle/cirlce/square eyes & nose plus for that extra special touch: googlie eyes!!!!!

Here's our finished product...

Character Day

oh, this post is SO long overdue - but without further wait :-)

On Friday October 21st our school had character day. Children (and staff) were instructed to dress up as a fictional storybook character for school. Overall, many children participated and our day was filled with TONS of fun filled activities

• we had a parade through the entire building so all the kids could see each other costumes
• we had three guest readers from 5th grade who read us Purplicious and Danny the dinosaur

• We made masks to pretend we had chicken pox from Itchy Itchy Chicken Pox

• we colored, cut, and pasted together bumblebees to go with Marissa's costume

•  A guest reader (the Little Old Lady) came to read us The Gingerbread Man

• We read The Bike Lesson to go with Levi's costume (which was Papa Bear)

We had more characters like Batman, the man in the Yellow Hat (from Curious George), Alice in Wonderland, Fancy Nancy, TinkerBell and other really awesome costumes. 

Recess games

At the end of second recess, Mrs. Bowman (the second 1st grade teacher) and I have taken to playing rock, paper, scissors to see which class gets to head in back to our classrooms.
The kids have really started expecting this game to be played on our parts and most days we have seen them line up quicker, quieter, and straighter knowing that if they don't we will head back into the school in a normal way without rock, paper, scissors
A few days ago, my kids were in the hallway getting drinks and bathroom break after recess and some of them were complaining that we hadn't won rock, paper, scissors and able to go into the school first. They were advising me on what to pick in the game to win.
"You should pick scissors. It cuts the paper." one said
"You should pick rock. It crushes the scissors" said another

One little boy stated that I should pick paper because it beats rocks by covering it up (which as a child always confused me personally - a piece of paper beating a mighty rock?!?!") Anyhoo, my response to him was "True, paper does beat rock. But what if Mrs. Bowman picks scissors and cuts my paper in half?"
His response? (with an utter look of shock & horror) "OH NO!"

Now being a big fan of the television show That 70s show, the game rock, paper, scissors always reminds me of Steven trying to teach Fezz how to play this particular game. Have you seen it?

It is truly hilarious!

Fire Safety

October is National Fire Prevention Month and this week is Fire Safety Week and so yesterday the New Franklin Company 17 (I hope I got this title correct Sergeant Owens) came out to teach our children and remind them how to prevent fires and keep safe if we were ever to encounter a fire.
Things to remember:

• stop, drop, and roll if your clothing ever catches on fire
• check your smoke detectors and change the batteries once a year (even if you think the batteries are still good)
•  only call 911 during a true emergency (common myth: calling the fire department when your cat goes up the tree. "Don't worry, the cat will come down when it gets hungry")
• have a meeting place for your family if you were to ever have a house fire

(feel free to comment with other great fire safety tips)

Then the rain let up long enough for us to go out and explore the fire truck, engine, and equipment. The kids LOVED it :-)

New Franklin Love

I just want to send out a huge thank you to parents, students, and staff who have been ever so caring to me today as I attempted to go back to school after the family tradegy of having our chocolate lab hit and killed by a car yesterday.

Over the past year I have grown quite close to my New Franklin family and how much I was cared for was definitely visible today and that truly touches and warms my heart to a pile of mush :-) lol

This especially tore at my heart strings.....

this is from Lily Showalter. It is a picture of Bay Leigh in heaven

Julie, your daughter has a heart of gold!

Again, thank you all! Each day will get better with your love, support, and prayers

Salt?

Today, we introduced Letter S (Sammy Seal). After singing his song, we looked at some more S pictures and one of them was salt......

What do we put salt on?



Riley: I put salt on my french fries

Clara: on roasted turkey

Gavin: I like french fries

Lily: You can put salt on chicken

Trai: You can put salt on slugs

                        

                       hahahahaha out of the mouths of babes folks :-)

September in Review

First of all.....SHAME on me for not writing since Labor Day. Poor form, Mrs. Eckenrode. My excuse? At the end of every year I reflect back on the past 12 months and realize I never remember specifics of the
month of September! haha

• Did I go back to school? - yes
• Am I teaching kindergarten again? - yeppers
• Maddy doing well in school? - overall, absolutely
• Does my voice sound like a mouse? - you betcha (this one always baffles my hubby - "Really? I know why you lose your voice every year, but I still don't quite know why. You talk alot the other 11 months out of the year, yanno! LOL oh, but still not as much as I do when it comes to start off a year with a brand new bunch of kindergarten munchkins)
• Are all my hazel chores & errands now shoved off to the weekend? - for the most part

Anyway, that was a bit of a tangent wasn't it? haha
This year I would like to sing praises to the month of September - I was quite apprehensive about starting the school year off with 25 kiddos, but they are really overall a great group of kids. Props to all of you the parents too! I have only been with them the past month, you did the prep work of the past 5 years for me :-) They have manners (a must in life), can write their names, use scissors, use nice touches (with their friends, myself, and materials/manipulatives around the classroom), are good friends already with the boys and girls in our class, and make good choices on a daily basis

In the month of September, we have

1. begun exploring the math manipulatives ("toys" to the kids hehe) that we are going to need to become better math students throughout the year
2. worked our way through the majority of the alphabet (one letter a day)
3. started writing in our journals
4. learned our friends' names and starting making awesome friendships

and so much more.......
Looking forward to October with the beginning of fall, more blog entries, and more learning :-)

Rain, rain, go away

Rain, rain, go away, we want to go out to play!
Here are some awesome ideas to do with your kids while it continues to pour outside:

• build a fort in the living room with your couch cushions and a giant blanket (then climb inside and read a book together)
• have a family movie night (a good recommendation: Rio)
• have a scavenger hunt for shapes
• practice writing letters with fun items such as noodles, pretzels, shaving cream (the bathtub is a great place for this), play doh, and SO much more
• take a trip to your local library (ask for a Pigeon book by Mo Willems)
• make homemade popsicles by pouring juice into ice cube trays, cover with foil, then poke toothpicks or popsicle sticks through foil into each square
• draw a picture
• dig out all that new school clothing and put on a fashion shoot/show
• make a rainbow craft by gluing fruit loops onto paper
• play on the website Starfall

First week of school

Oh my, just as fast as the first day of school flew by, so did the first week!
Everyone who donated items, I appreciate all of it SO much :-)
Thank you parents who took your time (and tired hand muscles hehe) to fill out all the paperwork that was sent home this week. (I know personally a personal joke in my family is when Maddy comes on the first day of school and always says "I don't have any homework today, but here is your stack Mom! lol)

I really think that our first week together was wonderful. Our kindergarten class this year has good manners, polite words, are good friends to each other, and already has a fantastic beginning grasp of our rules, procedures, routines, and classroom environment.

Just one heads up, on your weekly newsletter it says that on Friday, I will be sending home child's beginning of the year reviews (or how ever I have worded it). This form will be very similar to the one I had you, as the parent, fill out for me to get to know your child better. It will have observations on it about what I think your child may be struggling in and need to start working on and also what kinds of strengths I already see in place.

I hope everyone has a great holiday weekend and I will leave you with a class photo taken earlier in the week (unfortunately, two students are missing because they were absent that day, but I will get a new one in the near future)

Luke's ASL "I love you" in the front row in BEYOND cute. I wonder now if he knew what that meant or if he was going for a "rock on" approach

1st day

Wowwie, wow, wow! It is a little past 2:30 (the kids are currently enjoying some library time with our new librarian Mrs. Bragg) and I can truly not BELIEVE how fast our day has flown by!
We have been able to accomplish so much today, yet it seems like there was so much more that I wanted to get done as well
Today we:

• played with PlayDough (got to pick out our own colored container for the year)
• practiced our lunch numbers
• took a practice run through the cafeteria
• morning recess (where we took a walk around to learn our boundaries)
• read a story called Llama Llama misses Mama (complete with an actual stuffed Llama to go along with it - Thanks Landen & Miss Kristin again from last year)
• had lunch & recess
• watched a Leapfrog video entitled Let's go to school
• Classroom Scavenger hunt
• Calendar time
• Read New Bear at School
• Library
• Afternoon Recess
• 1st day of school pictures (I am an absolute shutterbug! haha)
• Pack up & go home

I hope your child has lots to tell you about our wonderful and adventurous day here in kindergarten at New Franklin
Cannot WAIT to do it all over again tomorrow
Have a great night!

Kindergarten Handbook

Kindergarten

A to Z

Mrs. Tabitha Eckenrode

New Franklin Elementary

Chambersburg Area School District

Welcome to kindergarten! For some of you this may be the first child that you have entering school, while others consider themselves pros at the job. Whatever the case may be, I am looking forward to working with you and your child(ren) this year and my wish is for this handbook to be the first step in a yearlong open communication line between us. Inside you will find everything that you need to know about your child’s first year of school, how I like to run my classroom, and much more. Do not feel pressured to sit down & read through this entire book at one time. However, PLEASE hold on to this book & put it in a safe place to pull out and use all year long as a reference! A copy of   this booklet will also be made available on my district web page. Refer to this handbook for any questions you may have regarding your child’s year in kindergarten. Please keep this handbook for the entire school year (if you lose your copy, the handbook can also be found on our classroom website)

If you have any questions or concerns not covered in our handbook, please contact me at:

·         261-3454 (New Franklin Elementary)

·         414-9939 (cell phone)

·         eckentab@chambersburg.k12.pa.us or tabbiann82@gmail.com

Aa is for…

·         All Day Kindergarten – At New Franklin Elementary (as well as throughout our entire Chambersburg School District), all kindergarten students experience an all day program. Your child will begin school at 9:00 (doors open at 8:45 for drop off) and stay until the end of the day at 3:30. In the past my students have benefitted greatly from the all day program. With a full day schedule we have time for reading, math, science, social studies, journal writing, and special classes (i.e. art, music, library, and gym). All – day kindergarten is a wonderful program that is proven to improve children’s success in all areas (social, academic, and physical). Please don’t hesitate to ask me any questions about our program and daily schedule.

·         Act 80 Days – Throughout the school year, our district gives staff additional professional development days. On these specific days (Sept 25^th, Oct 30^th, Jan 22nd, & Feb 19th), our district will be observing a 2 hour delay for students and will follow corresponding schedule.

·         AlphaFriends – Characters that we meet throughout the year for each letter of the alphabet. They help us learn the names, sounds, and formation of all 26 letters.

·         Attendance – Regular attendance is critical for success in school. My hope for the entire class is for each student to walk away at the end of the year with a perfect attendance award. However, I do realize that this is an unrealistic goal. Sickness happens, emergencies rise, and family vacations are scheduled throughout the year. I do ask though to get your child to school every day possible and on time! Even missing one day to a kindergartener will mean missing valuable learning time & practice. If your child is absent an excessive amount of days throughout the school year, a letter will be sent home to make you aware of the situation. If your child is absent, please send a note to school the day they return explaining the reason for the absence.

·         Art – We have art class one afternoon in a 5 day cycle. Check your weekly newsletter to see which day art class falls on each week.

·         Allergies - Please let me know of any allergies your child has, including food-related.

Bb is for…

·         Breakfast – Breakfast is offered for children from 8:45-9:00 for $1.50. If your child qualifies for free/reduced lunch, this offer extends to the breakfast program. Breakfast is only for students who want to buy breakfast from the school. You may not pack a breakfast for your child and send it to school.

·         Back packs – Backpacks are a necessity for children once they enter kindergarten in order to transport many items to and from school throughout the year. Backpacks are a great way to express your child’s individual interests and creativity. My only caution is that you purchase one that is large enough. In kindergarten, you are going to want to make sure that the bookbag is tall enough to allow your folder to fit inside WITHOUT bending and to accommodate any size library book they might check out. Write their name and some kind of contact information on the inside to allow anyone to return the bag in case it is misplaced somewhere. Please make sure they bring their bookbags EVERY day (even on field trip days, holiday parties, the last day before an extended vacation, etc…)

·         Birthdays – I love birthdays! Kids love birthdays! In our classroom I like to make sure we celebrate in some way on the day of your child’s birth (or the closest school day). You are more than welcome to provide a snack (cupcakes, rice krispie treats, etc…) for your child’s class or sometimes parents even prepare small goodie bags to pass out. If you are planning on having a birthday party for your child, it is NOT necessary to feel that you have to invite the entire classroom. There is no such policy stating so. If invitations need to be handed out, write the child’s name on them and send them into school. I am more than happy to make sure that they are sent home in folders. If your child has a summer birthday, I would like to still acknowledge their birth and so we can celebrate on any day of your choosing (please try to give me around a week’s notice)
. 

         Baggie books – Baggie books are one form of homework that your child will be given this year. We will start around the beginning of October and at the beginning of every week, you will be sent home a paper book in a Ziploc baggie. Take the rest of the week to have your child practice reading this story. When they are proficient, sent it back to school and they can read it to me.

Cc is for…

·         Communication – Communication comes in many forms: between your child and myself, between students, and between parents/family & myself. Always know that I try my hardest throughout the year to keep parents informed as possible in what is happening in the classroom and with their child (weekly newsletter, classroom website, class blog, notes, phone calls, emails, conferences, etc…) If you have a question, ask it (there is no such thing as a dumb question if you truly don’t know the answer), and never hesitate to contact me if you need to talk.
          Conferences – On November 13 & 14th, parent teacher conferences will take place. Each family will be given a 20-minute slot (choosing which time is best for you) for us to discuss your child’s progress. These conferences are a perfect time to bring  up any concerns you may have, plus further our communication in working together for your child’s success.

·         Classroom Blog – check out our classroom blog to read great stories about a day in our classroom (blog is located at http://dayinkindergarten.blogspot.com)

·         Contact Me - Feel free to contact me anytime! In an emergency case (in the evening hours), I can be reached at home at (717) 532-3412 or on my cell phone (717) 414-9939, otherwise you can call the school at (717) 375-2360 (the best time to reach me is between 8:00-8:45 and 3:30-4:00) or email me at tabbiann82@gmail.com or tabitha.eckenrode@casdonline.org (I check my email quite frequently, so you should get a quick response.) Another way to get a hold of me is the email link that can be found on my district web page.

Dd is for…

·         Discipline Policy – I like to focus on “catching” children demonstrating correct behavior and praise children often on making those good choices and following classroom rules. We will talk together as a class about good vs. bad choices, correct behavior, and respecting our friends. Throughout the year, incentive and rewards will be given for individual and groups behavior as well. In our classroom, we have a ticket system where children will pull tickets if they aren’t following the rules or making bad choices.

v  Loss of 1 ticket – warning

v  Loss of 2 tickets – 5 minutes on the wall at recess

v  Loss of 3 tickets – 10 minutes on the wall at recess

v  Loss of 4 tickets – Child calls home to notify parent of behavior and note from teacher is sent home

Donations – you can help out with our kindergarten class by donating anything off of the following list:

o   A box of tissues

o   Ziploc bags (ANY size)

o   Wet wipes (baby or sanitizing…we use both)

o   Snacks
o   dry erase markers

o   Anything else you think might be helpful

Ee is for…

·         Email – I have two email addresses: tabitha.eckenrode@casdonline.org (work) or tabbiann82@gmail.com (personal). The first week of school I will also be sending home a short note asking you if you are interested in provided your email address to make communication easier.

Ff is for…

·         Field trips – Our class will be taking a trip to Renfrew (in Waynesboro) will occur during the springtime portion of our school year. Another field trip that I have done the past few years is a trip (in the winter sometime) to the Luhr’s Performing Arts Center at Shippensburg University. This field trip is extra (you provide transportation and pay for your own tickets) and NOT mandatory

·         Folders – Everyday your child will be sent home with a folder (provided by me) labeled: My kindergarten folder. Inside the pockets will be placed any papers that need to be delivered and any of your child’s work. PLEASE remember that it is very important to empty your child’s folder every night, return any papers, notes, etc. (as needed), and return to school daily. Folders will be collected every morning when students come in to the room. 

·         First day of School - The ONLY thing your child will need for the first day of school is his/her book bag and lunch money or lunchbox (whichever is applicable). Please do not send pencils, folders, crayons, scissors, or glue! I will provide all of this for your child throughout the year. Any money or notes should be sealed in an envelope with your child’s name and grade on the front. Our first week here at school will be spent getting to know one another, our classroom, and our school. Your child will be given a tour of the school, have discussions about classroom rules & etiquette, plus be well on their way to making a room full of friends.

Gg is for…

·         Good listeners – In my classroom, I am an organized teacher who helps my students be productive and fair to one another. To help maintain order, I practice a technique called “Give me five”. When it is time to learn or I need the students’ attention, I will ask the children to “give me five”. Giving me five means:

1)    Eyes on speaker

2)   Lips closed

3)   Ears listening

4)   Sit up straight

5)   Hands & feet quiet

During the first week of school, we will practice together a lot so they understand what giving Mrs. Eckenrode five means. I encourage you to ask your child to “give you five” at home as well for extra practice and to show you how it is done.

Hh is for…

·         Homework – This year, we will have two kinds of homework

1.     Weekly baggie books sent home each week (we will begin this activity in the beginning of October)

2.    A weekly skill building task sheet (every Monday, unless otherwise noted, a skill building task list will come home with your child. The instructions at the top of the page indicate to complete 5 out of the 10 tasks and return to school by Friday to receive homework credit)

            Home Activities - In the past few years, kindergarten has grown increasingly more academic and is NOT the way it used to be. Due to this change, children are benefiting more and more from extra practice and repetition of skills outside of school. Working with your child and discussing their day with them is critical to their progress. This time does not have be a large portion, just 5-10 minutes daily. Review letters, letter sounds, count with them, or even read them a picture book. I will be available through the entire year to help with some ideas or things to try with your child at home to work on new concepts learned in class daily.  

Ii is for…

·         Introductions –  My name is Mrs. Tabitha Eckenrode and this is my 7^th year teaching with the Chambersburg Area School District. My first six years were a huge success, learning things all along the journey and I plan on bringing the good from previous years along and changing some stuff that may not have worked out the best to provide the best learning environment and experience for you and your child(ren) this year. I graduated from Shippensburg University in December of 2005 with a B.S. ED in Elementary Education and a minor in Reading. After being hired in CASD, I taught kindergarten at Marion Elementary for 4 years and two years ago I was transferred to New Franklin Elementary. Teaching and having my own classroom has been my dream ever since I was a child, walking into my own kindergarten classroom. I have a passion and love for children that can only be fulfilled in this profession where I can make such a difference and impact on young lives. In the spring of 2011, I finished my master’s degree at Shippensburg University in the Curriculum & Instruction program (with a concentration in Early Childhood). I currently live in Shippensburg with my husband, Dan, our 15-year-old daughter, Madeline, and our “furry child” (a 4 yr old German shepherd named Rocca). I have a variety of hobbies including scrapbooking & stamping, photography, reading, watching movies, cooking, and spending time with family and friends. Just this past summer, I have decided to also turn a hobby into a business and opened my own photography business: TabbiAnn Photography

 

·         Independence – As bittersweet as it is, you are now the proud parent/guardian of a blossoming and growing kindergartener. They are growing up so quickly in front of you that some days it is hard to believe and it feels like it has happened in a blink of an eye (as all parents, at one point, have said!) In addition to our standard kindergarten curriculum, I want us to work together as a team to help your child become more independent. Each day they will be eating lunch and need to open up the things that are packed in their lunchbox or purchased in the cafeteria. Once fall rolls around, children should know how to zip up jackets, pull on winter hats, and put on their mittens/gloves. By the end of the year, kindergarteners are developmentally capable of tying their shoes. All of these skills are important life skills that make your life and mine easier and gives your child a sense of pride and accomplishment.

·         Inclement Weather – In case of inclement weather, there are a variety of ways to stay tuned and up to date on the latest closings. Our district will post any announcements on the radio, TV, website, or by calling the hotline @ 261-8000.

·        

Jj is for…

·         Joyful Noise – If you enter my classroom, on the mass majority of days, an untrained will hear MASS chaos, loud noises, and general pandemonium. To me or my students: all that noise is learning J We would love to have you come and visit any time to hear all of our learning!  

Kk is for…

 Kid Writing (journals) – District wide an initiative has been set for the primary grades to use the Kid Writing curriculum for journal writing. This curriculum has specific goals to help children become better writers and readers. By using “Pen Friends” (a series of pictures that help children remember how to spell some words), and other methods this curriculum has kindergarten children writing stories that consist of at least four sentences by the end of the year with hardly any spelling mistakes.

Ll is for…

·         Library – We have library class one afternoon in a 5 day cycle. Check your weekly newsletter to see which day library class falls on each week. If your child does not return their library books, they will not be permitted to check out a new book during class time.

·         Lunch – Lunch will be given to our kindergarten class from 11:35 to 12:05. Your child has 3 choices for lunch: you can pack them a lunch (no microwaves are available to heat up student lunches and your child needs to be able to open the majority of the food packages/containers on their own when eating) or the school offers a first and second choice for lunch. Lunch costs $2.30this year and you have two options of paying for those lunches. You can go online and put money into your child’s account (go to the district website then click on food services in the left hand column) or send in lunch money in a sealed envelope marked with their name & grade. Every month your child will receive a menu so you know what is being served for lunch & breakfast each day. If you were to lose this menu, you may look on the district website under food services for a menu.

Mm is for…

·         Music - We have music class one afternoon in a 5 day cycle. Check your weekly newsletter to see which day music class falls on each week. Our class will participate in the annual music concert presented by our school

·        

Nn is for…
  Newsletter – Weekly newsletters will be sent home each Friday for the following week so parents (and families) are always up to date on what is going on in our classroom. In the weekly news, you will be able to find out children’s birthdays, what day is which “special class” (i.e. library, gym, art, and music), special activities, and much more classroom news and important dates to remember.

·         Nurse – Our nurse Mrs. Crystal Duffey will be available between 9:30-3:00 to help with any students’ needs. Please keep her up to date on any medical information and records that will allow her to keep your child as safe as possible.

·         NO School – Make sure you are aware of any and all holidays/snow days when we will not be meeting for a day of school

Oo is for…

·         Outside play – Our children have two recesses daily (sometimes more if rewards or incentives are granted) and need to dress to be prepared to be as comfortable as possible in weather conditions. Unless the temperature is below 25, it is raining, or the playground is covered in ice/snow, we go outside to play. Make sure your child has a proper jacket for any weather conditions and once winter hits accessories are recommended (scarf, mittens, hats)

·        

Pp is for…

·       Proper Attire – Currently there is not a school wide dress code. I do ask though that you follow some guidelines when dressing your kindergartener. Please avoid belly shirts, short shorts or skirts, and flip-flops that easily fall off. We exercise everyday and some days we even get involved in some aerobic activities. Please have your child wear sneakers or shoes with backs for gym days.  Another part of proper attire is making sure to dress according to the weather report. A child dressed in pants and a long sleeve shirt at the beginning or the end of the school year when temperatures are hot is going to be uncomfortable. The same is true when the temperature begins to drop and your child is still dressed in tank tops and shorts. Our students have two recesses per day plus gym outside in good weather conditions. You know your child well enough if they need a jacket for being outside or not.

·         Physical Education (“gym”) - We have phys ed. class one afternoon in a 5 day cycle. Check your weekly newsletter to see which day music class falls on each week. On these days, it is best to dress your child in shoes with laces and no skirts or dresses for females.

·         PTO – PTO is essential to making any school run smoothly and successfully. PTO puts the fun in learning school wide. Some PTO sponsored activities include spirit week, teacher appreciation week, holiday parties, some assemblies, and SO MUCH more! If you are interested in participating contact Kathy Metzger for any and all details.

·         Parties – Throughout the year, our classroom will set aside a few hours and have a party to celebrate holidays and/or special events.

·         Principal – Our regional principal this year is Richard Snyder. Also in our region is  Marion Elementary and Lurgan Elementary..

Qq is for…

·         Questions – Never hesitate to ask them – how else will we all learn new things?

Rr is for…

·         Rules – In our classroom we have four simple rules that make it easy for children to feel comfortable, successful, and loved while they are at school

1.     Keep your hands and body to yourself

2.    Treat others the way you want to be treated

3.    Raise your hand and wait to be called on

4.    Make good choices

·         READ, READ, READ – Every day our classroom will read books. Sometimes the goal is read to self, practicing words that the students themselves will be able to read. Other times I want to read a story to ask comprehension questions or fine tune our prediction. Still other times I read a story just for the sheer enjoyment of listening to a good story. You can do the exact same thing at home when you and your child read together. Sometimes they will be able to read a word inside a sentence, predict what might happen next, or answer simple comprehension questions. Did you know that when you read to your child(ren) it is teaching them the basics of reading: fluency, reading left to right, top to bottom, and back to front. “TV.  If kids are entertained by two letters, imagine the fun they'll have with twenty-six.  Open your child's imagination.  Open a book.”

·         Report Cards – Since our classroom has turned to the all-day kindergarten program, report cards will now be handed out four times a year (November, January, April, and June). Our district has revised our kindergarten report card to gear it towards becoming more standards based off of the standards that the Department of Education in Pennsylvania sets for all school districts to use as a guideline. Target skills & objectives are not based on a grade score (i.e. A, B, or C) instead they are graded by using W (working towards proficiency), P (proficient in tested skill) or P+ (beyond proficient)

    Responsibilities – To go along with teaching children more independence this year, I also want to bestow some responsibilities upon them as well. 5 & 6 yr olds are able to remember library books and homework. They also are responsible for making good choices in our classroom and being kind to other. When children are given expectations and ask to rise to them, more often than not, they exceed those expectations with a smile on their little faces. 

Ss is for…

·         Scholastic book orders – Each month, two book flyers (SeeSaw & Firefly) will be sent home with your child to view & order books from. These book orders are, of course, not mandatory, but are an excellent way to build a home library at great prices! If you decide to order from these catalogs, I would prefer if you wrote a check out for the total. Your check (just one, even if you are ordering from both flyers) can be made out to Scholastic Books. A great bonus to ordering books from these flyers is that for every dollar you spent, 1 point is being given toward buying books for our classroom library. Our classroom is now set up to order books online through Scholastic.

·         Snack – During the first week of school, I like to have a snack each afternoon to help break up the afternoon and make the transition to being in school all day long a little more bearable. After that initial week, we will have snacks periodically through the year. If you are interested in donating any snacks some great ideas are cookies, fruit snacks, pretzels, crackers, etc…

Tt is for…

Transitioning (to kindergarten) – Most children are eager to start school, but for some the beginning of school is difficult and often frightening. For these children, it is helpful to say your goodbyes at your house or at the sitter’s. Children who are dropped off may cling onto the parent and start to cry. If you must drop off your child, please see that he or she gets into the building safely and walks in with the other students. For the first couple days of school, I will be out front to greet the students and help them get into a morning routine. The best thing you can do is show excitement to your child about going to school, making new friends, and that excitement tends to become contagious. For other children, the thrill is there in the beginning and the resistance to come to school does not occur for a couple of weeks when the newness wears off. This behavior is normal as well. Sit down with your child & talk to them about why they no longer want to go to kindergarten. Do not hesitate to contact me if you fear a major problem could be occurring, so we can work together to fix the situation.

·         Toys (from home) – I am not responsible for any lost or stolen toys that are brought to school. I definitely would never bring any valuable items to school either.

·         Transportation – Due to regulations, your child will not be permitted to go home on a different bus or get off at a different stop unless previously arranged with the transportation office at the administration office (261-3413). You or a responsible person needs to be at the bus stop when your child returns home.  If there is not a responsible person at the bus stop your child will be returned to school.  This is upsetting to your child, so please be at the bus stop.  If there would be an emergency, please call the school (261-3454). If your child is leaving school any different way than normal, we need a note that states so.  If we do not have a note, your child will go on the bus and delivered to their usual bus stop. If your child has some kind of appointment and has to leave school early or be dropped off late, you must come in to the office and sign your child in or out.

Uu is for…

·         Understanding – Sometimes our lives don’t exactly run according to plan. If anything is happening as home that you feel is going to affect your child’s performance at school, I hope you feel comfortable to come and talk to me about how I can help in any way and make the situation easier for your family.

·         Uniqueness – Every child in our classroom is wonderfully special in their own way with an ability to bring amazing qualities and personality traits to our classroom that otherwise would not be present. In that context, our classroom & school has a zero tolerance policy for bullying. Every child should feel safe and secure at school.

Vv is for…

·         Volunteers – I need your help to make our school year a success! You are your child’s first teacher, and now that your child is in kindergarten, I want you to be my partner and become involved in our kindergarten classroom this year while I am teaching your child. A lot of activities require extra hands. Anyone is welcome to help, even grandparents, aunts, uncles, older siblings (at least 18 yrs. of age), etc… I will be needing a parent volunteer to come in every day to help with marking students’ progress, working with students who need extra help, help students write in their journals, during guided reading and center time, and to help with anything else around the room that there may need to be done. A sign-up sheet will be available in the classroom at open house and through a survey sent home shortly after the beginning of school. If you are interested in volunteering, you will need to talk to our secretary in the office, Melinda, to make sure you get all required clearances. Please feel free to stop in and visit if you have free time. Our door is always open & we love visitors. If you find yourself unable to physically come into the room, another option is add your name to the list of people who are willing to have paper, pictures, etc… sent home with your child for you to help me cut out & return back to school. This is an important task that I like help with because running a kindergarten classroom requires lots of paper projects.

·         Vacations - If you have planned a family vacation for sometime through the year it would be in your child’s best interest to contact me and see if I can give you any work so he or she does not fall behind while they are gone.

Ww is for…

·         Webpage – Our district’s website (www.chambersburg.k12.pa.us) is a HUGE resource to any parent who has a child in the school district. To find my kindergarten page, simply…

1.     Click on the schools link (located in the left hand column)

2.    Click on New Franklin Elementary in the list of school names

3.    Click on classrooms (located in the left hand column)

4.    Click on Kindergarten then Mrs. Eckenrode’s Kindergarten class

 

·         Words, Words, Words – Words can be found EVERYWHERE! Encourage your child to read environmental print (the title of a restaurant, the name off of a cereal box, toys’ or video names, etc…) Before long, your child is going to be an excellent reader and it all starts out as something small with a lot of help, support, and practice along the way.

Xx is for…

·         eXciting eXperiences and eXplorations – Kindergarten is a year for creating a definition of what school is all about, getting to know your surrounding environment, and setting the foundations for a lifetime of learning. Every day your child will be learning dozens of new things and having lots of fun all at the same time 

Yy is for…

·         Yearbooks – The last week of school your child will receive a school yearbook compliments of the New Franklin PTO

Zz is for…

·         ZZzzzz’s – It is vital that your child receives a good night sleep in order to be successful, alert, and prepared for a full day of school. Research says that children at this age typically go to bed between 7 and 9 p.m. and wake up around 6 and 8 a.m., just as they did when they were younger. The benefits of a good night’s sleep include keeping your heart healthy, reduces stress, boosts your memory, keeps you alert, and much more