Welcome to Kindergarten

There is a wonderful sense of home when you walk through the front doors of Samsula Academy. We deeply believe that your child will find our school to be a warm and friendly place. We are very proud to be a part of the Samsula Academy School family. Once you have opened those doors you are a member of our family too.

We wish to welcome you to Kindergarten. Kindergarten is a new and exciting time for you and your child. It’s a time of change… new beginnings, new friends, new challenges and exciting discoveries! We would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere appreciation for allowing us to be a part of your child’s life during this precious time of growth and discovery!

This is our honor to welcome you and your child into Kindergarten and into… our life. We will do our best to make this year in Kindergarten enjoyable but also filled with academics. Our motto is: “The seeds we plant today will blossom into a flower tomorrow.” It will be our pleasure and privilege to watch your child’s personality and learning abilities blossom and unfold day by day.

We run a very effective classroom which is well structured but allows for fun and growth. We hold high expectations for all my students. Furthermore, we strongly believe in differentiated instruction. Research reveals that all students learn differently. Therefore, we plan my lessons to meet the needs of all students. It will be our honor to expand the growing minds of tomorrow and encourage them to become the great leaders of the new generation.

You will find very useful information on this blog. I will update it with events that are happening in our classroom, student work, and other related events. If you have any questions, you may contact us at cgibbs@readingedgeacademy.org or sbowden@readingedgeacademy.org

-Mr. Christopher Gibbs, M.Ed
-Mrs. Shannon Bowden

Friday, August 20, 2010

Our First Week of Kindergarten!

Man, did the week ever fly by so quickly!
It seems like just yesterday our new kindergartners were entering our classroom doors. With much anticipation, ok, and some trepidation... They embarked on a new adventure. I am willing to bet that you are anxious to know just what your kindergartner was up to all week. I mean, I am sure you are still trying to get use to calling them "kindergartners"
But, we wasted no time in introducing them into this new journey they like to refer to as "Big Kid School"

Not only was it the first day of school, they had a whole week of "Firsts"
Who could of known just how many things there would be to learn the very first day of school? They took the challenge on and passed with flying colors, No pun intended. Our Colorful Crayons were some Busy Bees! ;)

If you questioned for even a moment if your preschooler could handle the transition to Kindergarten... Take it from us, The first week of school we will write in the books as a success!!

Like, learning our morning routine. By week's end they now are able to unpack their backpack, make their lunch choice, and start their morning work on their own. We know, we know, I mean, it's all you can do to get them to put their toys away and make their bed right? Who knew?

As if that seems to be challenge enough, That's not all!
They learned about being a team, and some were given classroom jobs the very first day. They learned that some of our jobs would include Line Leader, Door Holder, or maybe turning out the lights. Our Colorful Crayons and Busy Bee's take their jobs seriously!


There were so many people to meet. Like Coach Carignan. She introduced them to Physical Education. Alot of running and skipping went on this first week!! If they came home ready for a nap this week, we can give Coach some of that credit!


Mrs. Elliot introduced them to Music class. They learned a new song the very first day. Ask your kindergartner if they remember the name song Mrs. Elliot taught them. They might even sing it for you if you are lucky. It might sound something like this, depending on the rendition ;)

"Hello there jumping boy
Let's play a game!
With a big leap for joy,
Tell me your name"

If your kindergartner is a girl, it might sound like,
"Hello there dancing girl
Let's play a game!
With a big whirl and twirl,
Tell me your name"


Can't forget about Art Class. They got to meet Mrs. Luedeke, our new Art Teacher too!

You might of heard all about getting to sit with their friends and eating lunch for the first time in the big cafeteria. They did awesome getting their food trays and trying to learn their lunch numbers. With a little guidance from Mrs. Barbara and Mrs. Sherri, learning to clean their messes up was a piece of cake! ( So, no excuses helping clear the dinner dishes at home!)


Our classrooms were all a buzz with activity. With our stations, and science experiements. We Tie Dyed shirts. Yes! Your kindergartner actually tie dyed their own shirt! They really turned out awesome. We will be keeping them in the classroom for future activities. But, never fear, we have pictures to share!



Mr. Gibbs class wrote their own book, "Mr. Gibbs gets ready for Kindergarten". Each student contributed a page to compile a whole book!

The students got the opporunity to be scientist and we preformed a science experiment. They created milk rainbows! I'm sure you've heard all about it by now! They really had a blast. If you want to try the experiment at home, and I assure you, you don't want to miss this one, it truly was a cool experiement.
http://www.stevespanglerscience.com/experiment/00000066



Fun was had by all during our march in an Elephant Parade. It was based from a book we read called Elmer by David McKee. Check it out if you get the chance.

We ended our week with a celebration of just how much Kindergarten ROCKS!
We made Kindergarten rocks crowns, necklaces, sunglasses and had a campfire!!!!!
Ok, so we had to use our imagination as we roasted our marshmellows over our make believe campfire, but Gosh, isn't that what Kindergarten is all about??? IMAGINATION!


There were so many fun and exciting things going on, that we could never update each and every one. So, we have put together pictures from the week. We welcome you to visit our Shutterfly account and browse the memories we captured for you. Visit back often, as we will update the album frequently.
http://samsulakindergartenrocks.shutterfly.com/

So, you will be able to see for yourself, just how much Kindergarten ROCKS!

Mr. Gibbs and Mrs.Bowden

2 comments:

  1. Shannon
    Congratulations!! I am so glad to see you are teaching again. I am sure you will have a wonderful year. WOW, reading about your's and Mr. Gibbs class brings back so many memories and the excitement of Kindergarten.
    I hope you have a great year.
    Dawn Farmer

    ReplyDelete
  2. Dawn, I passed the message along to Shannon this morning. It is truly great having a partner I can share ideas with. It is truly going to be a fun year!

    Kindergarten Rocks!

    Christopher Gibbs

    ReplyDelete