Stevens

Raz-Kids Reading Program

Dear Parents,

     We are excited to share that our Mt. Bethel Foundation has purchased a subscription to Raz-Kids for our class.  Students can go on line, read leveled books and take comprehension quizzes, and earn points!  In your childs folder today is the address and easy directions for the website.  Every child has a username and password listed on the sheet. Thank you Mt. Bethel Foundation and happy reading!

     Our field trip to Cagle's Dairy Farm is Tuesday, April 22nd.  Wear your Carolina blue t-shirt.

     Relay for Life kickball game is Tuesday, April 22nd from 2:30-3:30. Adults must accompany children  to this event.

     Spring Thing is Friday, April 25th from 6:00-7:30 and 8:00-9:30.

     Practice learning your poem for the Letter People Parade which is Tuesday, May 6th at 8:30 a.m.

     Ms. Stevens

      

March Happenings

Dear Parents,

     Each year two teachers in kindergarten present a science project of chicks hatching in the classroom.  The Mt. Bethel Foundation has purchased the incubators for this event.  This year Mrs. Fogel's class is in charge of the incubation of the chicks on the front hall.  She is across the hall from us so we are getting the opportunity to check the eggs daily.  Mrs. Fogel has sixteen fertilized eggs from a local farm.  They arrived seven days ago and are expected to hatch around March 31st. The children are excited and we are all anticipating seeing the chicks hatch.

    Friday, March 21 is our field trip to see "Seussical the Musical" at the Alliance Theater.  We will be eating lunch at 9:45-10:15 on this day.  We will return to school by 2:00 p.m.  Please wear your blue Mt. Bethel t-shirt.

     We are sad that Abhinav J. from our class has moved to India.  He will be missed!

     We have a change for the Ident-a-Kid program.  The Sheriff's Department that scheduled the fingerprinting for Friday, March 21st has canceled the fingerprinting process.  The Ident-a-Kid portion of the program will still occur as planned.

     Happy St. Patrick's Day!

         Ms. Stevens

Donuts for Dads

Dear Parents,

     Thank you for coming to Donuts for Dads last Friday.  Everyone enjoyed your visit!  We were excited to show you our power writing and Smartboard activities.  We are learning new activities weekly to use on our Smartboard.

     Thursday, February 21st is our field trip to the Center for Puppetry Arts to see Dinosaur in the Closet.  We leave at 9:15 a.m. and will return in time for lunch.  Please wear your Carolina blue field trip t-shirt on Thursday.  Thank you!

Sincerely,

Ms. Stevens

Power Writing in Kindergarten

Dear Parents,

     Last Thursday, Lori Chastian, our Area 3 Learning Specialist came to our classroom and presented  power writing.  She does this instruction in all kindergarten classes.  Power writing is a method of writing that helps students to focus and organize their writing thougths.  By providing structure it gives the student a clear framework for writing a paragraph from an early age.  It works like this.  A story is read and a main idea is discovered.  The main idea is the power 1 sentence.  The power 1 sentence controls the rest of the sentences in the paragraph.  The students are asked to name three major details that support the main idea.  Then the main idea is repeated again to end the paragraph.

1-Main Idea

2-Major Detail that Supports

2-Major Detail

2-Major Detail

1-Main Idea Repeated

Students in kindergarten and first grade are taught to write five sentences using this method

1-2-2-2-1.  For example,

1-The beach is a fun place to visit.

2-I like to swim.

2-The waves are so much fun.

2-I like how the sand squishes between your toes.

1-The beach is a fun place to visit.

     Our writing framework is in place to start the new year.  Thank you Lori Chastian for introducing us to power writing.  We look forward to trying new ideas.  Power writing has always been one of my favorite methods of writing.

Sincerely,

Ms. Stevens

Conferences Rescheduled

Dear Parents,

     I'm so sorry to have missed conferences.  A sinus infection and congested chest turned into asthmatic bronchitis which quickly kept me out for a week.   I will be back Monday and will be calling everyone to reschedule our twenty minute conference time.  Thank you for your patience!

Ms. Stevens

    

Science

Dear Parents,

     The children have been enjoying Penny Walleshauser's science classes in our specials rotation.  When entering her class the children get the opportunity to take a quick look at all the live animals and make observations and have discussions.  It is a favorite time for all kindergartners.  Thank you Mt. Bethel Foundation!

      In the classroom for the past few months, we have been busy with science. We have discussed living and non-living things and the four seasons.  In November we learned that matter is all around us, has weight and takes up space and can be touched and held.  We talked about how matter has three states, solids, liquids and gases.  Then we have learned about rocks and what they are made of, that they have three different groups and how rocks change through weather.  Everyone enjoyed observing our rock collection on the science table.  We compared and contrasted rocks found on the playground with our on collection.  Qilin T. brought in a small section of a meteoroid for "show and share" that his parents acquired from Antarctica.  Thank you so much for sharing such an interesting rock.  We learned how it fell through the sky and entered the earth's atmosphere.  This month we have learned all about the sun and how it is a star filled with hot glowing gases.  We talked about how important the sun was because a family of planets obit the sun.  This family is called our Solar System.  To finish this month we will talk about the earth and how three-quarters of its surface is covered by oceans of water.

     This week in the media center there will be a Cultural Celebrations of the World display.  Come by and take a look if you get a chance during this busy season.  It is special!  The display will be from December 10-14th.

     Keep reading daily at home.  I hope everyone has a joyful holiday season.

                                  Ms. Stevens

Reading At Home

Dear Parents,

     Learning to read is one of the most valuable skills your child will ever learn.  One practice that helps children continue on the road to reading success is for parents to set aside a special time each day to read with their children.  This sharing time is important since it demonstrates to your child that reading can be fun, exciting, and informative.  Best of all, when parents and children read together they have a special sharing time that is not available in any other activity.  This time together not only helps your child develop a positive  relationship toward books, but also reinforces the important emotional bond between parent and child.  Plan to take a few moments each day to share the joy of literture with your child.  You can start with the readers we send home weekly.  Here are some suggestions for interaction with your child during this special time.

     *Introduce the book by pointing to the title and author, front and back covers and book jacket.

     * Welcome children's predictions and interpretations.  Help your child make predictions through pictures. What might happen in the story?

     *Draw attention to print by finding high frequency words, letter sound links and one-to-one matching of letters and words.

     *Name the main characters in the story.

     *What is the main idea of the story?

     *Talk about these symbols, ! . , " " ? and what they do.

     *Use expression or change your voice while reading.

     * Talk about the beginning, middle and end of the story.

     *Relate personal experiences to the stories theme.

     Reading aloud together is perhaps the most important way you can guide your child towards reading success.  Many experts in the field of reading have determined that parents who read to their children on a regular basis are more likely to have children who are good readers.  Children who have been read to will undoubtedly be eager to read for themselves because they know of the pleasures to be found in books.  Keep reading!

Sincerely,

Ms. Stevens

The 21st Century Classroom-Launch

Dear Parents,

     We are experiencing exciting changes at Mt. Bethel.  These changes are possible because of SPLOST.  SPLOST (Special Purpose Local Option Sales Tax) was established by the Gerogia Legislature in 1996.  It's purpose was to provide a method for school systems to generate funds for school construction, renovation and technology.  SPLOST allows Cobb County voters to approve a one-cent sales tax to raise funds to provide for schools needs.  Here are examples of your tax dollars at work.

    Mt. Bethel Elementary is one of seven schools selected in the county for the 21st century classroom funded by SPLOST.  Each classroom at our school will receive state of the art technological equipment.  This includes digitial LCD projectors, interactive whiteboards, student response systems, DVD players and more.  We have been preparing our classroom to receive this equipment.  We are moving furniture and have cleared one wall for our whiteboard.  Thursday we received a new printer for our classroom and a colored printer for our hall.  All classrooms should be completed by the end of October.  As a teacher of many years how exciting it is to be a part of such a technological transition.  We are looking forward to learning and teaching in our new technology environment!

     We had a wonderful time at the North Georgia State Fair.  What a beautiful day we had!  Thank you Erin P. and Tanju T. for chaperoning.  We appreciate you.  Thanks to all our volunteers who add so much to our classroom activities!

Sincerely,

B. J. Stevens and Kris Anne Zenoni

    

Welcome to Mt. Bethel!

     Welcome again to Mt. Bethel Elementary.  Thank you for attending Open House Thursday night. We enjoyed meeting all of you. We look forward to the first day of school Monday, August 13th.  For the first week of school please send your child wearing a nametag with the bus number listed along with Ms. Stevens, Room 105.  Adminstration and counselors will be helping all students find the correct classroom.  We are excited about this year and eager to get started.

Sincerely,

B. J. Stevens and Kris Anne Zenoni