Skip to main content

All about Mrs. Kelley

I feel so happy to say I have loved my last 39 years of teaching! Each grade level I've taught in the past (1st-5th) has been filled with wonderful experiences and happy memories, but I have to admit I have been over the moon loving Transitional Kindergarten! This will by my eleventh year working with TKers. Their enthusiasm for life, as well as their eagerness to soak up all the new things around them, make them a joy to be with each day! I am one very lucky teacher!

A little about myself:
After teaching a few years out of state, I moved to California in 1989, and besides two years teaching in Indonesia, I've been so happy to call Grass Valley home. Education is a family thing, because my husband, Tom, was a high school counselor for many years (he just retired last June). I have three grown children (Brian, Kyle and Kaity) who have fond memories of the years they spent at Alta Sierra School!  We love the mountains and being at the ocean as well. Time away from school usually takes us one place or the other. In the winter I love snowboarding, and during the summer time camping and finding trails to walk are some of my favorite things!
 

Posts

TK Week of December 1st-15th

I am so proud of our TKers! They joined their very first Rally Around the Flag on Friday and sang to the whole school! Although they had some practice singing to a handful of the big kid classes earlier in the week, this was their biggest audience BY FAR — and they were so brave! They even sang “Feliz Navidad” with huge smiles and awesome dance moves! 
 
So Many Thursday Notes! - I'm sorry for so many notes in our last Thursday Folder. Thank you for taking the time to read each one. It's that time of year when so many fun things are happening, and I don't want you and your family to miss out on any of it.
 
Holiday Cheer Performance THIS Tuesday - Woohoo! Your TKer can't wait to perform for you this Tuesday in the Multi-Purpose Room. You'll want to be there at least 5 minutes early, since we will be starting our program right at 6:00 pm, It's about a 15 minute program.  
 
The program will be immediately followed by our TK Family Social.  Thank you for bringing an appetizer or dessert to share. Yay! It will be so much fun being able to mingle and getting to know each other better.
 
Also, the more the merrier! Brothers, sisters, grandmas, grandpas, aunts, uncles - they're all invited!
 
Gordo Gorilla's G - G was our letter of the week. It's a tricky one, and extra practice at home would be fun and extra helpful. A sweet idea would be to make some delicious Gs on a plate filled with instant pudding - and while you're at it why not have your cutie show you some of their other letters as well.
 
I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend, and I'm looking forward to seeing you soon!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 11th - PTC's Evening Winter Wishes Activity
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)
January 5th - Teacher Professional Development Day (No School)
January 6th - Yay! We're Back in School Together!
January 19th - Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday (No School)
February 13th-16th - Presidents' Day 4-Day Weekend (No School)
 
 
         

TK Week of November 12th-14th

When you only have three days together the time seems to fly! But, we filled those three days with lots of good things.
 
TK Thanksgiving Feast - We were busy getting ready for our feast next week by making turkey hats (adorable!) and placemats for our special meal together. 
 
I want to thank everyone who was able to sign up (through signupgenius) to bring the things we need for this fun event.
 
NO SNACK IS NEEDED ON THURSDAY.
 
Friendship Fruit Salad - I wanted to give a quick reminder that you will want to have your cutie bring a piece of their favorite fruit Thursday morning, so we can cut it up and share it in our friendship fruit salad that day. 
 
Ollie Octopus' O - Since TKers are experts a Catina Cat's C, we knew we could jump right in to learn how to make an awesome O. Please have your cutie show you how, and then maybe together you could pick out O's in one of your favorite picture books. 
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
 
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 5th - TK gets to sing Christmas songs for our school Rally-Around- the-Flag at 8:00am
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)
 

TK Week of November 3rd-7th

TK has had another fabulous week!
 
Four Day Weekend - I need to apologize for not adding our November 10th Teacher Development Day and November 11th Veterans' Day Holiday to our Dates to Remember. I'm hoping you already saw it on our school calendar. That means we won't be together again until Wednesday, Nov. 12th.
 
Holiday Cheer TK Program - I hope you've marked your calendar for Tuesday, December 9th at 6:00pm in our multi-purpose room, because our TKers have started practicing for their special night for you. With all the actions, sweet voices, and extra cute wiggles, I guarantee you're going to love it!
 
Catina Cat's C - Your cutie now has one more letter they can proudly make for you. An extra fun way to show you a fabulous C (as well as an L, F, E, H, T, I, J, and U) is with some extra salt on a plate. Going on a /c/ hunt around the house is also lots of fun together. 
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend together!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
November 10th-11th - Teacher PD and Veterans' Day (No School)
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)
 
 

TK Week of October 27th-31st (Halloween Details Too)

TK has had another wonderful week! We learned a lot about leaves and also got VERY excited about Halloween tomorrow!
 
Halloween Details - 
     PARADE - We would love you to join us to watch our annual Alta Sierra Costume Parade. It starts at 8:15 am up on the upper playground (and only lasts about 20-25 minutes). 
 
     COSTUME - Your cutie will want to arrive in her/his costume, since the parade is so early in the day. Wearing a costume the rest of the day is completely up to you. Most will probably choose to keep their costume on, but if you would like your TKer to change after the parade just let me know. We can easily make sure they get to change into their regular clothes.
 
     HALLOWEEN HIGHLIGHTS - Our day will start with the parade. Then we'll come back to our room for three theme-centered fun-filled stations. We'll finish just in time for snack and play. (No need for a water bottle tomorrow, because everyone gets their own Halloween Brew -  grape juice and water:) Soon after we'll be off to do some TK Trick-or-Treating. After one treat from our trick-or-treat bag (and the rest going in our back packs), we'll then get to have a little choice time before going off to the library. Whew! What a day!
 
Fall Leaves - Your TKer has been quite the scientist this week, learning how leaves make food for the trees. Ask your cutie what two ingredients leaves need to make their food, and if you want to be really impressed ask him/her to tell you something about chlorophyll.
 
Umber Umbrella Bird's U - Be sure to have your TKer show you how to make the letter U, and tell you the sound it makes. It might be fun to pick a book and go on a U hunt together. 
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful Halloween together. Maybe I'll get to see you at our Alta Sierra Trunk-or-Treat!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 31st - Our School Halloween Parade (upper playground) - 8:15am
October 31st - Trunk-or-Treat - 4:30-6:00pm
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)
 
 

TK Week of October 13th-17th

Hello Parents!
I wanted to let you know that I will not be at school tomorrow morning (Oct. 17th), but your TKer is in wonderful hands. Mrs. Percey will still be there, and Mrs. Sherman (who was once one of my wonderful TK classroom aides) will be our substitute. The class will absolutely love her, and I'm positive they will have a fabulous Friday together. 
 
Inny Inchworm's I - We had fun with the letter I this week. Having your cutie show you some sidewalk chalk I's (along with L,F,E,H,T) would be lots of fun.
 
Fall Break - I wanted to remind everyone that next week is Fall Break. I hope everyone enjoys the extra time together, and please let your TKer know I can't wait to see them on Monday, October 27th. 
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 20th-24th - Fall Break (No School)
October 31st - Our School Halloween Parade (upper playground) - 8:15am
October 31st - Trunk-or-Treat - 4:30-6:00pm
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)

TK Week of October 6th-10th

TK has had another fabulous week!
 
Seasonal Fun - With the cooler weather and the beginning of October, TK has 
been having fun looking for signs of Fall and thinking about a very exciting holiday coming up! Please be sure to have your cutie sing you one of our new favorite songs - "Five Little Pumpkins."
 
Timothy Tiger's T - Your TKer is an expert at making a capital T (middle start, big line down, ribbit, drive away), and I'm sure s/he would love to show how! During story time this weekend, it would also be fun to see if you both can find words that start with the /t/ sound. 
 
School Spirit Fridays - Our big fifth-grade classroom representatives came to count how many TKers were wearing our school colors today. They were able to write 6 - that's awesome! I wonder if next week we'll have even more!
 
 Trunk-or-Treat - Be sure to mark your calendar! Our annual Trunk-or-Treat is going to be on October 31st from 4:30-6:00pm. I hope I get to see you there! (If interested and able, PTC is collecting candy donations in the front office for this very fun event.)
 
I hope everyone enjoys the sunny, cool weekend ahead!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 13th-17th - Parent Teacher Conference Week (Thanks for signing up!)
October 20th-24th - Fall Break (No School)
October 31st - Trunk-or-Treat - 4:30-6:00pm
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)

TK Week of September 29th-October 3rd

TK has had another fabulous week!
 
Orange is a Carrot Book - Your TKer's special Orange is a Carrot book came home today, and s/he can't wait to read it to you!
 
We have some amazing TKers who are learning that stories go from top to bottom, and that sentences drive away (go from left to right). Be sure to compliment your cutie on all s/he is learning as he/she uses a finger to share the story with you!
 
Letter H - Honey Horse's H has been our letter of the week. After your TKer shows you how to make an H, maybe you both can count how many words you can think of together that start with the /h/ sound.
 
Scholastic Book Club - If you are wanted to grow your at home library, a completely optional book order went home today. By making the due date 10/10, the books will be at school when we come back from October Break. (I always let parents know when the books arrive, just to find out if they can go in backpacks or if they need to go straight to parents.)
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend enjoying the sunshine together!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 13th-17th - Parent Teacher Conference Week (Thanks for signing up!)
October 20th-24th - Fall Break (No School)
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)

TK Week of September 22nd-26th

Apples - This week was all about apples. We read about, painted, and tasted apples. After graphing our favorite apple taste (apple chips, apple sauce, Apple Hill apple juice, and a sliced apple with cinnamon sugar) the winner was - apple juice! We even got to watch a virtual visit to an apple orchard. One of our favorite parts of this week, though, was going to our garden and picking an apple from our very own apple tree - delicious!
 
Letter E - Ellie Elephant's E was our letter of the week. Your TK would love to show you how to make the /e/ sound and teach you how to make a capital E ("Hello Smile, Big Line Down, Ribbit, Across the Top, Across the Middle, Across the Bottom").
 
Patterns - TK has also been having fun with AB patterns this week (ie - red, white, red, white). To help your cutie develop this pattern awareness, you could find things around the house (ie - beans and Cheerios, forks and spoons) to make patterns with together. 
 
Mark Your Calendar - Our TK Holiday Cheer Christmas program is going to be Tuesday, December 9th at 6:00 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. Get ready for cuteness overload!
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 20th-24th - Fall Break (No School)
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 9th - TK's Holiday Cheer Program - 6:00pm in MPR
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)

TK Week of September15th-19th

TK has had another wonderful week!
 
Jog-a-Thon - Our Jog-a-Thon was a success! Our TKers were very proud of themselves for running so many laps, and they were extra happy about ending it all with an Otter Pop treat. 
 
After the run, your cutie's tally card was gathered and put in a donation envelope that is now in his/her backpack.
 
Thank you so much for your support of this big fund raising event! Whatever can be contributed is very appreciated. Grandmas and grandpas, aunts and uncles, and even long-time neighbors often like to donate as well, knowing it all goes to our school field trips (TK will be going to the zoo!), assemblies, and classroom funds for the extra fun things we get to do in our classroom.
 
I Know My Shapes Book - Your TKer has been practicing touching the words as she/he reads the shape book that went home last night. Hopefully he/she can read it to you a few times, and you can express how impressed you are that she/he knows the direction people read, and that each group of letters is a word. Wow!
 
Letter of the Week - We have been having fun with Francy Fish's Letter F this week. Be sure to have your cutie show you how to make one, and see if together you can think of some words that start with the same sound. 
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
October 20th-24th - Fall Break (No School)
November 24th-28th - Thanksgiving Break (No School)
December 22nd-January 2nd - Winter Break (No School)
 
 
 
 

TK Week of September 8th-12th

Orange is a Carrot - TK had a very fun week with the first half of our "Orange is a Carrot" song. We tasted orange carrots, yellow pears and pineapple, purple plums and grapes, and the classroom favorite - brown cinnamon toast! And of course there was lots of fun painting and singing to go with it. We even got to be finger-painting scientists who discovered how to make orange and purple. Be sure to ask your cutie how these beautiful colors are made.
 
Next week we get to continue with more color fun. Here's a reminder of the colors we hopefully can all wear together:
      Sept. 15th - Green
      Sept. 16th - Blue
      Sept. 17th - Black
      Sept. 18th - School Spirit Blue Day!
 
Lizzy Lizard's L - We started our alphabet practice this week with the letter L ("Hello smile, big line down, little line across"). Have your TKer show you some fabulous L's, and maybe together you could go on a /l/ sound hunt around the house.
 
Library - Woohoo! Everyone was so excited about their second trip to the library. If your cutie forgot to bring their book back to school this week, they weren't able to borrow a book this time. But no worries, there's always next week. 
 
Jog-a-Thon - Our Jog-a-Thon is next Friday, and it's going to be such a fun event. I know of three parents to will be there to help us out and cheer our TKers on (thank you so much!). If you think you can join us, please let me know. I promise you will love it! 
 
Have a wonderful weekend!
        
DATES TO REMEMBER:
September 19th (Friday) - Jog-a-Thon (This year it is the ONLY big fund-raiser that will pay for field trips, assemblies, and provide classroom funds for special activities - thank you for your support!) - 8:15-8:35 am
 
October 20th-24th - October Break (No School)
 

TK Week of September 2nd-5th

Friday is Library Day - Woohoo! TK got to go to the library today! They were so excited to be able to pick out their very own book that they get to borrow until next Friday. Some TKers seemed a little uncertain about the idea of borrowing, so a little extra explanation at home would be great. This is a perfect opportunity to give your cutie the responsibility of taking extra good care of their library book, and letting her/him know they are the one that needs to put it in their backpack and in the yellow library bucket when it's time. 
 
Shapes - We have been having fun reading and singing about shapes this week. Circle, triangle, square, rectangle, diamond, and oval have been our focus. Your cutie also had fun playing with shapes as they painted, glued, and collaged. But, I think their favorite creation was their square and rectangle robot. I think you'll love them all as much as they did!
 
Jog-a-Thon and Note in Backpack Today - With our annual Jog-a-Thon (and only major fund-raiser this year) coming up in two weeks, I wanted you to get the flyer we just received from PTC (Thank you, Parents Club!). It's in your cutie's backpack, along with their library book. IF YOU CAN BE WITH US DURING THE JOG-A-THON TO HELP TALLY AND CHEER OUR TKERS ON, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. WE LOVE ALL THE SUPPORT WE CAN GET! (It would be from 8:00 to 8:40ish.)
 
Spirit Wear Fridays - I wanted to let you know about our school-wide School Spirit Fridays. It's our day to wear blue! It's completely optional, but it's a fun way to get excited about being an Alta Sierra Eagle :)
 
Color Days Coming Up - For the next two weeks we will be having fun with the "Orange is a Carrot" song. We'll be scientists learning were orange, purple, and green come from. We'll be pre-readers learning the direction we read and noticing that groups of letters make up a word. And of course, we'll be having lots of strong pinchy-finger fun.
Our Schedule of the Colors We'll Be Wearing and Thinking About Each Day:
       Sept. 8th - Orange
       Sept. 9th - Yellow
       Sept. 10th - Purple
       Sept. 11th - Picture Day (We'll pin on brown bears after pictures)
       Sept. 12th - School Spirit Blue Day!
 
      Sept. 15th - Green
      Sept. 16th - Blue
      Sept. 17th - Black
      Sept. 18th - School Spirit Blue Day!
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
        
DATES TO REMEMBER:
September 11th (Thursday) - School Picture Day
September 19th (Friday) - Jog-a-Thon (This year it is the ONLY big fund-raiser that will pay for field trips, assemblies, and provide classroom funds for special activities - thank you for your support!) - 8:15-8:35 am
October 20th-24th - October Break (No School)
 

TK Week of August 25th-29th

Thank you for coming to Back-to-School Night last night! It was really nice seeing so many of you. I hope everyone now has a better understanding of our TK program and what our TK days look like. We're going to have a fabulous year of wonder, joy, and growth. And remember, if you ever have a question I'm here to talk, call, or send an email to. 
 
TK Names - Tkers found out their names are so special they start with a big capital letter. They also water-colored, painted, dobbed, and covered as they got really good at recognizing their very own, unique names.
 
New Friend - We were lucky enough to have a new TK friend join our classroom today! I was so happy watching her new classmates greet her with smiles, lead the way to new things, and include her in play. Seeing such kindness made this an extra special day.
 
TK Day until 11:25 am - Starting Tuesday, if you normally meet us at the grass on the lower parking lot we'll see you from now on at 11:25 am. (For our TKers who go to Little ELO/Big ELO, their day will be the same as it's been these last two+ weeks.)
 
Jog-a-Thon - Our annual Jog-a-Thon (Friday, September 19th) is three weeks away, and we would love your support! We need cheerleaders, bottle sprayers, and tally markers. Luckily, TK and Kindergarten get to run first, so we'll be down on the field running about 8:20 am. If you can join us please let me know. (P.S.- It's our only big fund raiser this year to help with field trips, garden time, assemblies, and more. Thank you for your support!)
 
Parent Teacher Club - I made a BIG goof last night by not talking about PTC. They do SO much for our school, and I can honestly say that Alta Sierra wouldn't be as special a place without them. Their active members are few, and they desperately need more help. I hope you were able to look through the blue packet you took home last night to get a better idea of what PTC is all about. (Remember - becoming a volunteer can be as big or small a thing as you would like it to be. There are lots of ways to help out and become involved.)
 
Happy Labor Day! I hope everyone has a wonderful three-day weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
September 1st (Monday) - Labor Day (No School)
September 3rd (Wednesday) - Lazy Dog Alta Sierra Fund-Raiser Night from 4-7 pm.
September 11th (Thursday) - School Picture Day
September 19th (Friday) - Jog-a-Thon (This year it is the ONLY big fund-raiser that will pay for field trips, assemblies, and provide classroom funds for special activities - thank you for your support!)
October 20th-24th - October Break (No School)
 

TK Week of August 18th-22nd

We've had a great first, full week in TK! We spent many of our group time stations trying I CAN DO big kid things: I Can Use Tape!, I Can Use Glue Sticks!, I Can Cut With TK Scissors!, and I Can Use a Stapler! Our TKers gave it their all and were very proud of their work.
 
Open House - Please mark your calendar for Open House. It's this Thursday at 6:00pm in our TK classroom. It will be a chance for me to share more details about our TK year and for you to ask any questions you might have. I'm looking forward to see you!
 
Book Fair - With our TKers being so young, I opted this year to not take our TKers to the book fair as a whole group. We'll have a chance to do that in the Spring when the book fair returns. BUT - if you'd like your cutie to get a book from the fair, the library will be open before school, after school, and on the evening of Open House. 
 
I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
August 25th-28th - Book Fair Week 
August 28th (Thursday) - Back to School Night @ 6:00 pm in our classroom
September 1st (Monday) - Labor Day (No School)
September 3rd (Wednesday) - Lazy Dog Alta Sierra Fund-Raiser Night from 4-7 pm.
September 11th (Thursday) - School Picture Day
September 19th (Friday) - Jog-a-Thon (This year it is the ONLY big fund-raiser that will pay for field trips, assemblies, and provide classroom funds for special activities - thank you for your support!)

Your TKer's 1st Two Days of School

Hello Parents,
Thank you so much for giving me the opportunity to work with your little TKer this year! Our first two days of school together were so much fun for me, and I hope your cutie felt the same way. 
 
Our two days together were focused on our TK schedule and routines, filled with lots of songs, stories and smiles. I think two of our favorite things we played together were our Slippery Fish and Clickety, Clickety, Clack activities. Be sure to ask your TKer to tell you all about them.
 
I'm really looking forward to next week as we begin meeting our ZooPhonic friends, and first practice how to do big kid things like glue, tape, and cut.
 
A few reminders:
* A change of clothes in the Ziploc baggy that we'll leave in the classroom is still needed (if you haven't had a chance to bring them to school yet).
 
*VOLUNTEERS STILL NEEDED - IF YOU CAN VOLUNTEER ON TUESDAYS OR WEDNESDAY FROM 8:00-9:15 PLEASE LET ME KNOW. IT MEANS WE GET TO HAVE ONE MORE LEARNING OPPORTUNITY ON THOSE DAYS. 
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
August 25th-28th - Book Fair Week (If you would like your TKer to get a book from the Book Fair, you can take your child before school, after school, or you can get them something the evening of Back-to-School Night. Please let me know if that doesn't work for you, because if there's a problem I can definitely find a time for Mrs. Percey or myself to take your TKer.)
August 28th (Thursday) - Back to School Night @ 6:00 pm in our classroom
September 1st (Monday) - Labor Day (No School)
September 3rd (Wednesday) - Lazy Dog Alta Sierra Fund-Raiser Night from 4-7 pm.
September 11th (Thursday) - School Picture Day
September 19th (Friday) - Jog-a-Thon (Biggest fund-raiser of the year that pays for field trips, assemblies, and provides classroom funds for special activities - thank you for your support!)

Family Time
Family Time!
My husband, Tom
My husband, Tom
Brian
Brian
Kyle
Kyle
Kaity
Kaity