Good Bye and Hello; Embracing Change

This week we all will transition to welcoming Mrs. Arnold back to our classroom. She has completed her student teaching requirements with Miss Closner and will finish the year in kindergarten. We're so proud of all her hard work and so happy to see her attaining her goal of getting a teaching degree. While we are excited for the return of Mrs. Arnold, I know we will also be missing Mrs. DeGraaf. We've had several good talks about how times of change come with many different feelings. No matter what, we can always choose to be thankful and understanding through changing times.

It will be a busy week for us as we are working on focused practice to prepare for our chapel message next week. At Bible time, we will discuss the story coming home about how Jesus appeared to His disciples after Easter. We will practice our Bible verse and the song we'll sing during our message. 

In reading and writing we'll study the digraph 'th' as well as review 'sh' and 'ch'. Students will read, write and spell words with digraphs. New red words are: one, two. We will write facts about shapes and interview our 8th grade reading buddies, writing facts about our friends. At story time, students will recall story events and facts from texts.

This week in math, we'll finish up our module on 2D shapes. Next, we'll learn more about place value in two digit numbers. Students will decompose numbers to 20 into tens and ones.

At music time Mrs. Arnold will help us sharpen up our chapel message song. We'll also begin learning a special song for our Moms for the Mother's Day Picnic coming up in May.

We'll study the impressionist works of Claude Monet in art. Students will paint a lily pond in the Monet style and add a 3D water lily.

We are growing pumpkins in science! I'm hoping we'll see seed germination soon. Each week we'll make a formal observation as our seeds grow. We are learning what plants need to grow as we study the pumpkin life cycle.

There's the possibility of a Bear Reward party at the end of the week! I hope we work together to earn it.

Looking forward to growing and changing with your kids this week,

Mrs. Luoma 

Hello April!

 It will be good to be back at school after a long break. We have a full week of fun and learning ahead with several special events to prepare for in the coming months. I'm hoping we'll settle in quickly and get rolling!

At Bible time we'll begin learning our verse for April. We'll discuss what happened at Easter and write about the facts we learn. We'll be fitting in daily practice of our chapel play wherever we can to prepare for our message on April 24th. Everyone is excited to play their part and share what we're learning about the coming of the Holy Spirit.

In reading and writing we'll study the digrah 'sh'. Students will read, spell and write words with the 'sh' sound and review the digraph 'ch'. New red words are the colors: blue and white. We'll practice counting and identifying syllables in words. Students will begin studying texts to pull out facts as they prepare for an informational writing piece. We are working on good sentence structure, staying on topic and adding details as we write.

Our new module in math is about 2D shapes. We will use the words vertices and sides to describe shapes. Students will begin making new shapes from smaller shapes. It's always fun to discover who is a spacial thinker.

I'm excited to begin our new science unit on 'Living Things'! We'll start off by trying to define what characteristics make something alive. This sounds easier than it is and we will continually adjust our definition as we learn more. Students will learn about the changes in a garden as seeds grow to plants as we make a timeline of growth through story and pictures. Students will be encouraged to ask questions about how the weather and other living things can affect plant growth. Next, we'll learn about the anatomy of a seed and plant our own pumpkin seeds.

In art we'll combine 2D shapes to make a shape collage of a person, place or thing. This will help us practice the meaning of words that are nouns.

On Thursday, we'll get to hear from Columbia Dive and Rescue. They'll be teaching us about water safety and their role in our community.

Friday will be Mrs. DeGraaf's last day with us in kindergarten as Mrs. Arnold's long term substitute. It's been great having her in the classroom. She's a joy to work with and so good with each student. She will be missed! The class will be sad to see her go and also excited to have Mrs. Arnold back next week.

It's Springtime... a time of growth and change. It's a joy to see it happen in each student as we get closer to the end of the year.

Time to bloom,

Mrs. Luoma

Holy Week

 This is Holy Week at BLS, the days we remember what Jesus went through before the cross. At Bible time we will go over the hard times that lead up to the joy of Easter morning. Our Bethlehem Buddies will be in on Tuesday to teach and share their wisdom on what Christ went through for our behalf. We'll practice our Bible verse and the song we're singing for our chapel play in April.

In reading and writing students will learn the digraph 'ch' as we begin to learn more sounds that letters and letter pairs can make. Students will use 'ch' in their writing and reading. New red words are: orange and purple. We'll begin identifying and counting syllables in words. Students will write their final draft of a narrative story. At story time we'll explore other narratives and review story events.

We are having fun combining 3D shapes with position words in math. We'll finish this short module this week just in time for our break. After working on paper, we have treasure hunts in class using position words.

In music our focus will be on learning the play and the song we'll sing for our chapel play. 

We'll get to see our 8th grade reading buddies early in the week before they take off for their trip to D.C. It will be a sweet Easter surprise!

Thursday is a special day devoted to literacy as grades K-2 have their annual Read-In. We will study 'Horton Hears a Who' in story and movie form. We'll make an artifact that fits with the story. Students will practice their listening skills as they hear a story, but don't see the cover or pictures in a book. Then we'll make our own titles and design a suitable front cover. We'll get comfy and cozy with books in our PJs. Students can bring a stuffie and small pillow if they choose.

The Read-In will cap off our four day week. Then we have Good Friday, Easter and Spring Break to enjoy. 

I'm hoping for a little rain, a little sunshine with joy sprinkled of top this week.

Mrs. Luoma

Fall Fest Fun Day!

Thursday will be a real treat at BLS! The student body earned a whole day of fun activities from meeting one of our big Fall Fest goals. In the morning, we'll doing a wide variety of games and fun activities, and then The Zaniac perform in an assembly at the end of the day.

Our Bible story this week is about the Last Supper, when Jesus celebrated the Passover with His disciples for the last time. We will practice our March Bible verse and begin practicing for our chapel play which will be on April 24th.

It's and exciting time in kindergarten as we've finished our focus on individual letters and now will begin learning more rules and sounds. This week we'll introduce long vowels and practice understanding open syllable patterns in words. New red words are: they, any. Students will read, write and spell using their new knowledge of open syllables. We'll begin a rough draft writing on a narrative based on the perspective of becoming tiny or giant. At story time, we'll explore narrative stories, noting story sequence and style.

We'll finish up our short module on 3D shapes in math and take a quiz. Our next module is about position words. These tie into geometry and into many other subjects. Students will make life connections on the importance of position words.

In social studies we'll learn more about the types of goods Washington state produces. Students will make a map of our state, noting specific geographical features.

Our time in music will focus on learning a special song for our chapel play and active praise.

If the class works well on following directions, we may be able to have a reward ice cream party on Friday afternoon... I sure hope so!

We're excited to play outside as the weather warms up and feels like Spring. I'm looking forward to a joyful week of learning.

Mrs. Luoma

Washington State Products

This week in social studies we'll learn facts about our state of Washington. Students will learn the types of good and products our state is known for growing and making. This ties into our study of economics.

Our Bible story will focus on how Jesus entered Jerusalem in preparation for the Passover. This leads into the stories that explain Jesus' going to the cross to pay for our sins. We will practice our March Bible verse and learn a new praise song.

In reading and writing our focus will be on the letters Qq and Zz. Students will learn that 'q' is never alone, but always wants his buddy 'u' by his side. This will finish up our study of the alphabet and set us up for learning long vowel sounds and digraphs. Students will read, and write words that use 'qu' and 'z'. Our new red words are: are, do. At story time we'll consider opinions and give reasons for our opinions. We'll finish up a writing assessment on our opinion of apples or carrots. On Fridays, we're beginning to invite students to read dialog with us as we enjoy characters that talk to each other. 

This week in math, we'll finish up our module on decomposing numbers to 10 and take a test. Next, we'll begin a geometry unit on shapes, starting with 3D shapes.

In music we'll be singing and then playing percussion as we experiment with different tempos. Students will read notes and rests and perform several short songs together.

On the iPads, we'll support our learning by playing red word games.

Mrs. DeGraaf will teach us about 3D art with a project inspired by the Northwest artist, Dale Chihuly.

We're looking forward to a good week of learning!

Mrs. Luoma

Wants and Needs

This week we'll begin a new social studies unit on economics. We'll kick it off with defining wants and needs. Students are usually quick to understand the difference. It's a great time to tie in how Jesus knows our needs and generously gives us what we truly need.

Our Bible story is about how Jesus fed the crowd of 5000 by performing miracles. Students will see it's also about how we can trust Jesus to solve our problems. We'll begin practicing our March Bible verse using ASL signs.

We'll focus on two letters this week: Vv and Xx. Students will use them in words and sentences as they read and write daily. New red words are: give, my. As we move into the third trimester, we'll start off with writing an opinion piece. Students will fill out a graphic organizer this week. We'll be challenging students to write more independently in preparation for first grade. At story time, we'll enjoy serval new books from the recent book fair. It's always a blessing to receive new books for our class!

In math we'll finish our module on decomposing numbers to 10 using many different groupings. We are challenging students to understand equations written in different ways by flipping the equal sign or solving for a specific group.

Students will practice identifying musical instruments by listening to famous solo pieces in music. We also always spend time praising God through song.

We'll be working on projects to decorate our classroom for March and the coming of spring. 

I hope the sunshine comes out for recess!

Mrs. Luoma

Celebrating Family

This Friday our students will be enjoying the morning with a Grandparent, family member or special adult friend. It's all about celebrating special family relationships and friends who are like family. Students will do activities to get to know their Grand-friend better. We hope this makes our students appreciate their family more and learn more about them.

This week in kindergarten we'll learn about the power of Jesus as He calmed the storm. We'll discuss how Jesus invites us to trust Him fully. Our Bethlehem Buddies will visit on Tuesday morning and share their wisdom on the story.

In reading and writing our focus will be on the letter Yy. Students will read, write and spell words that have a 'y'. We'll discuss how 'y' can act as a vowel and say many sounds. New red words are: now, new. We'll add to our poetry writing from last week. At story time, we'll review story events and details. We'll practice when to use different end marks. On Tuesday, we'll read a Mo Willems book and then add an art lesson on drawing the character, Pigeon.

We didn't move as fast as I'd anticipated last week in math, so we'll circle back with a review on Module 12 and take the test on Monday. Next, we'll begin to decompose numbers to 10, learning how to use different groupings to make a number.

Students will begin the last lesson on designing systems in science. We will design and test different combinations of creating a force that causes motion. I bet we'll come up with some great designs!

In music we'll review the different instrument groups and try to identify them as we listen to classical music.

Students will get to visit the Scholastic Book Fair in our library on Tuesday morning with their 8th grade reading partners. Our 8th graders will fill out a wish list for each student. If you want to send money in, come in with your child or give the list to your Grand-friend, this will help you find the books your child is interested in.

It will be a good week of learning and special events,

Mrs. Luoma