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 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!)