Crew News September 29th, 2023

   Announcements 

Thank you for your support with RAD! Looking to get some Volunteer time in? We need your help to have a successful RAD experience! There are lots of time slots and options available here: https://remsparentcrew.weebly.com/rad.html, especially in the afternoon. Our Crew will do the Fun Run portion from 12:30-1:15, if you want to plan around that. If you volunteer, you'll even get a free t-shirt! 

Action Item:From Ms. Staci: Our next unit in visual arts, students will be creating an artwork inspired by artist Jim Dine. Each student will add items that represent themselves and their interests. Items might include small toys, cookie cutters, plastic letters, legos...etc. Small items no bigger than 2 inches. Please place 5 items in a ziplock bag with your students name on the bag. There is a green collection tub below the snack containers next to Ms. Lauren's classroom. 

These items will be used in the artwork. Sometimes students have a hard time using their items, but not to worry as I have several items here that are very similar if this issue should arise.

Please send in your baggie of 5 small items by October 2nd.

From Ms. Trena: Halloween Announcement

As Halloween is approaching, we wanted to communicate our school plans for celebrating this heavily anticipated holiday.  We will be celebrating as a whole school on Tuesday, October 31st with an outdoor parade followed by individual classroom celebrations.  We are happy to invite parents to the outdoor parade. 

Costumes Guidelines: 

• Please have your child arrive at school dressed in their full costume at 8:30am. 

• Ensure that costumes are school appropriate 

• Please refrain from sending any play weapons with your student. 

• If your child has a costume that includes a mask, they will be allowed to wear it during the parade.

• Students will change out of their costumes after the parade has concluded.  

Outdoor Parade:

• The parade will begin at 9am and will conclude at 9:30am.

• If you plan on attending the parade, please review the parade route enclosed.  (This will be shared soon). We want to ensure the sidewalks are completely open from observers so we have a clear path for our students.  You do not need to check in at the office to attend the parade as we will remain outdoors.

Classroom Celebrations: 

• Individual classroom celebrations will be held after the parade.

• Teachers will work together with Crew Parents regarding supplies & needs for celebrations. 

• We will not be asking for food items due to the varying allergies in our crews. 

From Ms. Lauren: Our crew celebration will include some Halloween crafts. I will be sending out a sign up soon for volunteers on this day. Ms. Lindsey will be in touch about help with collecting the materials needed. Thanks!

Repeated for reference: From Ms. Erin, our librarian: We are lucky enough to have an author visit on October 5th. If you would like to preorder a book, then it will be signed by the author. Please see the following for more information: Here is the book order form for This Book is Banned. Order forms due Monday 10/2. The author visit will take place on Thursday, October 5th at 1:00pm in the library. Books must be preordered to be autographed by the author. Forms can be returned with cash or check to Ms. Cari in the office or to me. I really appreciate your support in promoting this awesome event!

Phonics: Please check Take Home Folders for yesterday's phonics assessment.Please continue to support with practicing high frequency words. Here is our current phonics list.

Volunteers Opportunities

-Volunteer Training: Virtual Module

-Classroom Volunteers: sign up 

-Rug Washing Volunteers: sign-up here.

-Letter formation sign up. 

Calendar

October 6th: Renaissance Adventure Day (RAD)- Check Take Home Folders for Info

*No Community Reading 10/6, since we will be getting ready for RAD.

October 9-20th: Fall Break- No School

Crew Highlights: Crew Hike!

To prepare for our hike, we came up with a list of crew agreements. Each student selected an agreement from the list as as safe choice that they were going to focus on.

*What safe choice did you choose?

Here were our bus agreements.

Our crew learned about growth and comfort zones.

*With hiking, what is in your comfort zone? What is in your growth zone?

With 4th grade buddies, our crew put together picture puzzles to learn about local wildlife, plants, and trees.

The day finally arrived!

Crew hike day!

Half our crew rode in the bus with me, Ms. Lauren, driving. And the other half rode with Ms. Keelie.

It could no have been a more perfect day!

Beautiful weather and warm sun.

And we were off!

As we hiked, we enjoyed pausing to look around.

Students saw rabbit brush, cottonwoods, grasshoppers, butterflies, scrub oak, cactus, and yucca right away. Several were in awe of the ripples in the water from a fish jump. Also, we had two cormorants swoop across the water.

We stopped for many water breaks to keep our hikers hydrated.

It was peaceful to watch the water.

A highlight of the hike was taking a silent three minutes to take in the beauty of our surroundings. Students really took advantage of this solitude in nature to look and listen in peaceful reflection. I asked for a few volunteers to share what they felt, saw, and heard.

It was a peaceful moment that everyone everyone enjoyed!

And then the geese began honking at each other in a small scuffle, and we all cracked up! HA!

*Ask your child about what they saw and heard during solitude.

*This is a great thing to put into practice with your family hikes. Sometimes we are so go go go, that it is nice to pause for a few minutes. :)

Almost there!

What better way to celebrate the first crew hike of

ONE MILE than to eat lunch!

At the end, we had a wonderful debrief circle in which we celebrated students, hiking groups, and our crew. Everyone shared a highlight. Hearing student and chaperone's favorite moments was inspiring!

And we did it! For some, this was a first big hike and it was in their growth zone. For everyone, it was a victory and feeling of accomplishment that they walked ALL THE WAY around the lake. Their ear-to-ear grins of pride were priceless. 

Way to go Crew! We did it... together!

WOW.  I am SO PROUD of our crew. No complaining. All smiles and great attitudes. Fantastic volunteers. Proud, happy hikers. I couldn't ask for a better Fall hike for our kindergarten crew. 

Well done Crew!

THANK YOU TO OUR WONDERFUL VOLUNTEER CHAPERONES! I am so glad you got to see our crew in action and you got to experience CREW, connecting with each other. I appreciate everyone of you in making this such a great first hike for our crew!

Questions to ask at home:

*What was your favorite part of the hike?

*What parts were in your comfort zone?

*What parts were in your growth zone?

*What plant or tree did you enjoy seeing?

*What bird or wildlife did you enjoy seeing?

*Did you feel you were prepared with your daypack? Is there anything you wished you would have had or think you didn't need?

*What did you see, hear, or feel during the moment of solitude?

*Was there a chaperone or a crew member in your group that made smile?

*How did you feel when you began the hike?

*How did you feel when you finished the hike?

*What would you tell someone who has never hiked around Bingham Lake?

*Did you learn something new about yourself? 

*Are you excited for the next hike?

For more pictures, please visit my Google Photo Folder.

(There are lots of pictures from the hike!)

Also, as a reminder, please do not share the pictures from our blog on social media to respect the privacy of our families.

Have a great weekend!

~Ms. Lauren

Crew News September 21st, 2023

  Announcements 

Our hike is NEXT Friday: Next week, we will be preparing for our hike by creating hike agreements, bus agreements, taking about comfort/growth zones, creating a gear list of what to wear, and doing picture puzzles to find out what animals/plants we might see on our hike. For now, please know that I will be asking the following for next Friday:

*Please send your child to school in pants or leggings rather than shorts. This protects legs from scrapes & scratches, bugs, pokey plants, etc. Short sleeves with a packed extra layer should be great, and sturdy walking shoes.

* Drop off and pick-up at normal times, 8:30 and 3:55.

* Your child will need: a backpack, a sturdy water bottle, 3 snacks, a sack lunch, a jacket or hoodie, and a hat and/or sunglasses.

* Please apply sunscreen to your child before dropping them off at school.

*Confirmed chaperones are Cyndi R, Alyssa M, Megan S, Katie H, Sally M, Maggie C, Sarah B, Eliza B, Matt T, & Nicole W.

Take Home Folders: Please see the fliers for RAD in Take Home Folders. Additionally, we cleaned out our blue writing folder to make room for our next unit of writing. Take a minute to celebrate the growth in your child's writing since the beginning of school.

From Ms. Erin, our librarian: We are lucky enough to have an author visit on October 5th. If you would like to preorder a book, then it will be signed by the author. Please see the following for more information: Here is the book order form for This Book is Banned. The author visit will take place on Thursday, October 5th at 1:00pm in the library. Books must be preordered to be autographed by the author. Forms can be returned with cash or check to Ms. Cari in the office or to me. I really appreciate your support in promoting this awesome event!

From Ms. Staci: Our next unit in visual arts, students will be creating an artwork inspired by artist Jim Dine. Each student will add items that represent themselves and their interests. Items might include small toys, cookie cutters, plastic letters, legos...etc. Small items no bigger than 2 inches. Please place 5 items in a ziplock bag with your students name on the bag. There is a green collection tub below the snack containers next to Ms. Lauren's classroom. 

These items will be used in the artwork. Sometimes students have a hard time using their items, but not to worry as I have several items here that are very similar if this issue should arise.

Please send in your baggie of 5 small items by October 2nd.

 

Repeated for Reference: Renaissance Adventure Day: At Renaissance, we have TWO awesome fundraising events. The first is RAD (Renaissance Adventure Day) in the fall and then the second is a live auction, parent-only event in the spring. We are kicking off RAD, and in the following weeks you will be seeing a lot of information to keep the excitement level high. RAD is October 6th. All crews will get to participate in a Fun Run, service project, and dance-athon. This day stands out as a highlight to everyone at REMS! And we are in need of your help! We need volunteers to help run the different stations. If you would like to know more or are interested in volunteering, please check out the Parent Crew RAD Info Page. There are lots of great prizes and incentives to collection donations this year. Get registered right away so that your child can be entered for raffle prizes.

Volunteers Opportunities

-Volunteer Training: Virtual Module

-Classroom Volunteers: sign up 

-Rug Washing Volunteers: sign-up here.

-If you attended the literacy training, please sign up to be a letter formation volunteer M, Tu, & Th morning from 8-8:30. This is incredibly important, and I cannot thank you enough for supporting our writers to learn the proper formation of their letters.

*If you were not able to attend the training and wanted to, let me know, and I will contact you for an additional training.

-If you are interested in being a classroom volunteer to support learning on M, Tu, Th, or Fri from 9:25-9:40 (literacy), 10:30-11 (literacy), or 1-1:30 (math), please email me. I need at least 24 hours of notice to confirm to make sure I have materials for literacy or math games ready. Thanks! I look forward to opening the doors to have more classroom volunteers!

Calendar

September 22nd: Teacher Professional Development Day- No School for Students

September 29th: Ms. Lauren's Crew Hike (regular drop off at 8:30 and pick up at 4pm)

*No Community Reading 9/29, since we will be getting ready to depart for our hike.

October 6th: Renaissance Adventure Day (RAD)- Check Take Home Folders for Info

October 9-20th: Fall Break- No School

Crew Highlights

In Phonics, we have been working on the letter T and have added go to our sight word list. Here is our current phonics list.

A highlight of the week was our first drum circle! 

We practiced how to begin together, drum at the same beat, and end together. Drumming requires a lot of integrity, and we had to work together to keep the beat.

How fun to see their smiles for this long awaited tradition. I will be posting pictures of students with their drums on Seesaw.

More buddies! 

We will be partnering with Ms. Summer's Discovery 5/6 crew to be MATH BUDDIES on Wednesdays!

They worked with our crew on a ten frames game and counters in a cup.

How fun to have more buddies!

In writing, we spent some time reflecting on our first writing unit. It was fun to hear their excitement about all of the risk taking and growth in the first 6 weeks of school. We cleaned out our blue writing folders and sent everything home in Take Home Folders. Please take a moment to have your child share work and to celebrate such incredible growth!

Speaking of writing, our 4th grade buddies went on their 3 day voyage starting on Tuesday. So on Monday, our crew wrote notes of encoragement to their buddy. We brainstormed things to say, such as: Have fun, I believe in you, Be brave, & You can do this! They turned out so sweet, and I have already heard from Ms. Annie about their inspiring impact to the the 4th graders. Hooray!

A big thank you for coming to the Crew Picnic last Friday. It was wonderful to see so many families connecting!

And the kids had a blast too! :)

Have a wonderful 3 day weekend, and I will see you Monday!

Warmly, 

~Ms. Lauren

Crew News September 15, 2023

 Announcements 

Crew Picnic: Our Crew Picnic is TONIGHT 9/15 from 5-7pm at Bison Park. Bring your own dinner! This is a great time to connect with other families and see who your child is playing with at school. It is a wonderful way for our families to build CREW!

*Bison Park Address: 1390 Clear Sky Way, Castle Rock, CO 80109

*In the event of pouring rain or thunder, we will have to postpone. I will try to notify you by 4:30pm if that is the case.

Take Home Folders: Check out a few notable items in Take Home Folders. There is a phonics assessment, a flier fo RAD (Renaissance Adventure Day), a heart map of what brings your child joy, a math family letter, an emergent reader to practice our sight words, and a "published piece" of writing. Also check out the beautiful watercolor dot that your child worked on with 4th grade buddies.

Spirit Sticks

Last week during The Beat students were introduced to a new initiative- Spirit Sticks. Spirit Sticks are small tags each identifying one core value which can be collected on a ring that is given to the student with their first stick. Students will be given Spirit Sticks when they have gone above and beyond to show our core value of the month(ish) or when they are exhibiting the core value consistently. Our core value for September/October is Integrity. Our crew has defined integrity as doing the right thing all the time, even when no one is looking.

Crew Directory: If you would like to add your personal information so that families can connect with you, feel free to add your contact info to the following Crew Directory. This is completely optional and only intended to connect for playdates/ birthday parties. 

Renaissance Adventure Day: At Renaissance, we have TWO awesome fundraising events. The first is RAD (Renaissance Adventure Day) in the fall and then the second is a live auction, parent-only event in the spring. We are kicking off RAD, and in the following weeks you will be seeing a lot of information to keep the excitement level high. RAD is October 6th. All crews will get to participate in a Fun Run, service project, and dance-athon. This day stands out as a highlight to everyone at REMS! And we are in need of your help! We need volunteers to help run the different stations. If you would like to know more or are interested in volunteering, please check out the Parent Crew RAD Info Page. There are lots of great prizes and incentives to collection donations this year. Get registered right away so that your child can be entered for raffle prizes.

Volunteers Opportunities

-Volunteer Training: Virtual Module

-Classroom Volunteers: sign up 

-Rug Washing Volunteers: sign-up here.

-If you attended the literacy training, please sign up to be a letter formation volunteer M, Tu, & Th morning from 8:30-9am. This is incredibly important, and I cannot thank you enough for supporting our writers to learn the proper formation of their letters.

-If you are interested in being a classroom volunteer to support learning on M, Tu, Th, or Fri from 9:25-9:40 (literacy), 10:30-11 (literacy), or 1-1:30 (math), please email me. I need at least 24 hours of notice to confirm to make sure I have materials for literacy or math games ready. Thanks! I look forward to opening the doors to have more classroom volunteers!

Calendar

September 15th: Community Reading 8:30-9am; Ms. Lauren's Crew Picnic at Bison Park 5-7pm

September 21st: PCF Movie Night: The Super Mario Brothers Movie (starts at 6:30pm)

*No Community Reading next week, since there is no school Friday.

September 22nd: Teacher Professional Development Day- No School for Students

September 29th: Ms. Lauren's Crew Hike (regular drop off at 8:30 and pick up at 4pm)

October 6th: Renaissance Adventure Day (RAD)- Check Take Home Folders for Info

October 9-20th: Fall Break- No School

Crew Highlights

In Phonics, we have been working on the letter S and have added the and we to our sight word list. Students have been practicing hearing /s/ at the beginning of words like sun, sock, and sail, as well as /s/ at the end of words such as bus, miss, and animals. Additionally, we have been blending sounds together, such as /s/, /a/, /m/, makes sam. We call these decodable words that they can sound out and spell. I have noticed that students are doing excellent in these lessons, in which we practice verbally, on white boards, and in their phonics books; however, they are having difficulty retaining this learning for my phonics assessments. 

*Please review your child's phonics assessment together and practice together with shaving foam, chalk, or out loud on the way to school. 

Here is our current phonics list.

In writing, we have been working on the "publishing process" of writing. Students have been selecting a piece of writing to revise and edit with more details in the pictures and the words. This is their first experience with this, and they will get to experience this every 6 weeks or so. Today, they selected a piece of writing that they feel proud that they added more details to the pictures and words. We are note looking for perfection, but for growth, and I have seen TREMENDOUS growth since August.

*Celebrate your child's writing! Ask what they added in their pictures? In words? What are you most proud of? What makes this your best work? What is a goal that you have for next time?

In reading, we are wrapping up our first unit on the needs of plants and animals. We looked at three mentor texts, in which we learned about nonfiction and personal narrative text features. Students practiced looking at the central idea and important details, as well as how illustrations can help us understand what is happening in the text. Today students took an online reading comprehension quiz to demonstrate their learning of these topics about two new texts (which are read to them). We will continue to practice these skills all year. Our Benchmark reading program does an excellent job teaching higher reading comprehension skills to our kindergartners! 

*Continue nightly reading. Mix it up with fiction and nonfiction! Have your child help you notice how they are different.

In math, we had a fun week as part of our Unit Review of height, length, sorting, and position words. For the first two days students colored and cut rainforest pictures to do a variety of activities- such as make a forest scene (then use position words to describe them), sort the cards three times (finding a new "rule" or attribute to sort by), and looking at height & length. Then they completed a unit review in their math books and on iReady math, which demonstrated their mastery of the subject.

*Ask your child to recreate the rainforest activity. It could be with the rainforest cards, buttons, or just a variety of objects in your play room- use position words to describe (above, below, beside, next to, in front of, in back of, behind, and so on) and sort the objects in a variety of ways.

In expedition, we continue our learning about We Are Crew. Our focus this week was on how FAMLILIES work together as crew. Examples that we noticed included families eat together, families travel together, families work together, families play together, families are creative together, and families love each other.

*As you go through your weekend, notice (out loud) times that your families is working as a crew. Invite conversation about this to make real-life connections for your child. Feel free to post these on See Saw so that I can share them with the crew next week.

Tuesday was a special day! Our crew got to dye their drumheads.

A big thank you to all of our volunteers and helpers!

Our drums will be ready for us next week- we are so excited!

In Crew Skills, Ms. Halle focused on the emotion of Happiness. What does it look like for you to be happy? What does it look like on others to be happy? What makes you happy? Students filled out heartmaps to showcase a few things that make them happy. 

*Please have your child share this with you at home! Their pictures were very sweet!

Families work as CREW!

How does your family work together? Please share your answers on Seesaw.

"The bat is above the ant. The spider is below the leaf. The ant is next to the rock."

Our rainforest activity was full of math language!

Students sorted their cards several times to different rules to sort by, such as animals and plants.

This student recorded sorting their cards with animals with shells, animals that fly, animals that walk on two feet, and animals that walk on four feet. Very creative!

Today, September 15th, is International Dot Day based on the bestselling book called The Dot by Peter Reynolds. It inspires students to "make their mark." We connected it to our crew values of courage and perseverance.Here is a message from Peter Reynolds about Dot Day.

As a fun activity, we did a water color dot with 4th grade buddies. I took pictures on Seesaw and will share those with you soon.

Happy Birthday Austin!

Looking forward to seeing you tonight at our Crew Picnic. 

Warmly,

~Ms. Lauren