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 - What a Great Year!

Dear Parents,

Thank you for the privilege of being able to work with your TKer this year! I loved every minute of the time we had together. Thinking of each one of them will always warm my heart.

I hope you each have a wonderful summer with your big kindergartener who is going to have so many fabulous experiences in the year ahead.

With all my love,

Kerry Kelley

PS - I'm sending a link to your email, so you can watch our updated 'We Love TK!' slideshow together.

TK Week of May 26th-29th

It’s hard to believe there are only 8 days left in the school year! Time has truly flown by, and as we head into these final days together, we are making the most of every moment.

One of the greatest joys of teaching is watching students grow, and it has been especially rewarding to reflect on how much each TKer has developed academically, socially, and emotionally this year. From new skills and increased confidence to stronger friendships and greater independence, each one has made meaningful progress in their own unique way, and that makes my heart so happy!

As we finish the year, we are savoring each day and continuing to create positive memories together. Thank you for your continued support and partnership throughout this past school year. It has been a privilege to work with your child and witness her/his amazing growth.

I am definitely looking forward to enjoying these last 8 days together!

Continuing to Emphasize the Names of Our Letters - Our ZooPhonic friends have done a great job helping our TKers hold on to letter recognition and sounds. While we're still so happy our TKers still use these names, if needed, as we play with sounds and words, we have have been continuing to emphasize the alphabet name as a way to help our cuties transition into their future kindergarten program.

Library Books - Last Friday (5/22) was our last library day in TK, so no new book came home yesterday. If your cutie hasn't returned their book into our yellow book tub yet, no worries at all. Putting it in his/her backpack this weekend, so we can turn it in on Monday, would still give Mrs. Alonso plenty of time to get books restocked for our summer library program. (Hopefully you were able to read the note that listed our summer library hours.)

I hope everyone is having a wonderful weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of May 18th-22nd

Hello Parents,

Since I had a quick email anyway to send out tonight, I thought including our weekly Edlio at the same time might be a good idea.

Thursday Folders - There are no Thursday Folders to be looking for tonight. There wasn't any note that couldn't wait until next week, and I didn't want everyone to have to deal with a folder in their back pack today while we were at the zoo.

The Zoo! - It looked like everyone had such a good time at the zoo today! It was definitely warm, but it made the shade extra nice! It was fun seeing so many smiles, and so many excited TKers who could hardly wait to share what they had seen and what they were now on the hunt for.

The success of this day was hugely due to so many of you who were able to join us - thank you SO much! I think it will be a memory your cutie will remember for a long time.

Letter Names - The first few days of our TK week were spent playing LOTS of games reinforcing the names of all those letters our ZooPhonic Friends are with, and our TKers did such a good job with it!

We'll keep emphasizing alphabet names, and if you can play alphabet name and sound activities at home as well, together we'll be helping your cutie get extra ready for kindergarten.

I can't wait to see our TKers tomorrow, and then I hope each of you have a wonderful THREE DAY WEEKEND. Happy Memorial Day!

DATES TO REMEMBER

May 25th - Memorial Day (No School)

May 26th - Emergency Day Was Used, So See Everyone at School

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of May 11th-15th

Yay! TK had another fabulous week!

Open House - It was extra fun seeing so many families at Open House last night! The best part was watching our TKers' as they proudly shared all their animal knowledge and extraordinary art to their families. It made my heart so happy!

Zoo - Yay! TK is going to the zoo this Thursday. IT'S IMPORTANT TO REMIND EVERYONE THAT WE WON'T BE RETURNING TO SCHOOL UNTIL 2:00 pm ON OUR FIELD TRIP DAY. Also, please be sure to look in your cutie's Thursday Folder for a green note with all the important reminders needed for an extra fun field trip day.

Chaperones - Thank you for volunteering to join us on our zoo trip! Please be sure to read over the bright pinkish-orange paper in yesterday's Thursday Folder, and let me know if you have any additional questions. It's going to be a great day!

Numbers - We've been spending extra time practicing the numbers 1,2,3,4, and 5. Be sure to give your TKer some extra number practice (along with lots of alphabet letters). A little salt on a plate, sidewalk chalk, or even some pudding always makes it extra fun.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, sunny weekend together!

DATES TO REMEMBER

May 21st - Yay! TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of May 4th-8th

TK has had another great week!

Open House this Thursday - Our little TKers have been working hard and are so excited to show you all of their animal creations, and all they learned about some very cool zoo animals, during our Open House this coming Thursday from 6:00-7:00pm. Our book fair will be open from 5:00-8:00pm and food trucks (hot dogs, BBQ and Lazy Dog) with be there 5:30-7:30pm. It will be a great night!

Getting Ready for the Zoo - Yay! The zoo is 12 days away! Thank you, everyone, for turning in permission slips and money for our surprise carousel and train ride. (Thank you for keeping these fun additions a surprise, just in case one of them isn't available the day of the trip.)

Chaperones - Thank you, chaperones, for joining us. If you haven't filled out a chaperone form, but would still like to join us, that's great! The more, the merrier! I have extra forms for anyone who might need one.

Writing Letters AND Numbers - Ask your cutie to make you some of their favorite letters AND the numbers 1,2,3, and 4!

More and more TK writing is happening in our classroom, and it makes me so happy! Thank you for encouraging your cutie to write the sounds they hear as they are beginning their writing journey.

Mother's Day - Moms, I hope you all have a wonderful Mother's Day!

DATES TO REMEMBER

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - Yay! TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of April 17th-May 1st

Wow! It seems like our TK weeks are just flying by!

Zoologists at Work - Our little scientists are learning so much! In addition to cheetahs, tigers, lions, zebras, and tortoises - you can now ask your zoologist all about orangutans and snakes!

Getting Ready for the Zoo

Permission Slips - Many of our permission slips for our upcoming TK zoo field trip (May 21st) are in. Thank you so much! If you haven't had a chance, though, to get it signed and turned in yet, no worries at all. Sometime this coming week would be great.

Chaperones - It looks like many of you are going to be able to join us as chaperones on our field trip. That is fabulous! The more, the merrier! If you would still like to join us, thank you for turning in the blue chaperone sheet this coming week as well.

Our Surprise Train and Carousel Ride - Thank you for keeping these surprises a secret. We won't know until the day of the trip if both rides will be up and running, so a surprise is way more fun than a disappointment. Thank you also for sending in the purple permission note and money. If you haven't turned it in, sometime this week is also great. (Please remember that if there is any problem with payment, talk to me and we can definitely work it out.)

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - Yay! TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of April 20th-24th

TK has had another wonderful week!

Zoo Field Trip - Three field trip notes went home yesterday in Thursday Folders. Thank you for reading through them, and returning those that apply as soon as possible. Our TKers are SO excited!

TK Zoologists - Your cutie is learning so many interesting things about the animals we'll be seeing at the zoo. In addition to being experts about lions, tigers, and cheetahs, you can now ask them to teach you about tortoises and zebras!

Earth Day - Our TKers spent extra time this week thinking about our earth and how we can take care of it. They thought it was extra awesome putting on TK-size gloves and going around the school picking up trash to help make this part of the earth better. Way to go, TK!

TK Writing - We are having extra fun thinking about all the letters (and ZooPhonic animals when that helps) as we are trying out some TK writing.

We want to encourage your TKer to write the sounds they hear in words. This helps her/him become a confident writer and active learner. Instead of waiting to be told the ‘correct’ spelling, they’re practicing how sounds connect to letters, which is a critical early reading and writing skill. Thank you so much for all your help!

Once again, I hope you all have a fabulous weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - Yay! TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of April 13th-17th

What a great week!

Daily Sentence - Our TKers are doing an incredible job with our daily sentence! When it comes time for our Helper to call on a TK friend to tell them the beginning sound of one of the words in their sentence, multiple hands are always up and ready to help. The group can also clap out the syllables of the chosen words like champs, and counting words in a sentence is now a breeze. Wow! They are amazing!

Zeek Zebra's Z ("hello smile, across, slide, across") - This would be a great time to begin playing "Show Me a ___!" where you make a big flourish of coming up with a letter (ie. either from your mind or maybe picked from a handful of letter-labled popsicle sticks), and then your TKer gets to show you that letter. Remember there are lots of fun ways to strengthen letter making skills. Crayons, markers, chalk, salt on a plate, or pudding on a counter are extra fun ideas.

Cheetahs - Our Zoologists have been learning a lot about Cheetahs this week. Be sure to ask your cutie their favorite facts about these very cool animals.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

April 23 - Springtime School Pictures

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

June 9th - TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

June 10th - Our last day of school

TK Week of April 6th-10th

TK has had another great week!

Yancy Yak's Y ("Hello smile, little slide, ribbit, big slide") - This would be a great week to play, "Does it begin with /y/?" If the word you say begins with /y/, have your TKer give you a big thumbs up. If it doesn't begin with /y/, have your TKer give you a thumbs down.

Zoologists - TK is super excited to be zoologist who are getting ready for the zoo on May 21st! This week your TKer started becoming experts on Tigers and Lions. Be sure to see what they can teach you!

Substitute Tomorrow - My aunt passed away this week, so I am driving to Utah tomorrow to be there for her funeral on Saturday. Our substitute, Mrs. Quinlin, is wonderful, and I am sure everyone will have a wonderful day. Please tell your cutie that I can't wait to see them on Monday.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

April 23 - Spring Pictures

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

TK Week of March 22nd-26th

This was a TK week filled with thinking about spring time, being super excited about our TK Easter, and getting a great Friday surprise!

Spring Time - As we have been on the hunt for blossoms on the trees, we have also been learning a fun song about 'Popcorn Popping on the Apricot Tree.' Be sure to ask your cutie if she/he would sing it for you! We also have some adorable spring time art in the room I think you would love to see if you have a chance.

Easter - Thursday was TK Easter. (I want to give a huge thank you to all of you who were able to help us with our supplies!) The day was filled with fun, but if you ask your TKer I'd bet he'll/she'll say the highlights were dying Easter Eggs and going on a playground Easter Egg Hunt! (Big thank you goes to our big fifth grade student council members for being our Easter Bunnies.)

Wild Things - Our big surprise was our school Wild Things assembly Friday morning! Ask your cutie it she/he can tell you some cool facts about some favorite animals that were there. It was a perfect way to get us excited about beginning to learn about zoo animals as soon as we get back from Spring Break.

Spring Break - I hope everyone has a wonderful week during our school break from March 30th-April 3rd. Please tell your TKer I will be so excited to see him/her on Monday, April 6th. (We are back to school on Monday - 4/6 - because of the Emergency Day we had to use back in February.)

Our Zoo Field Trip - With our field trip scheduled for Thursday, May 21st, permission and added information sheets will be coming home near April 20th. I just wanted to remind everyone of the date, so that, if possible, you can arrange to join us for this fun, memorable day. (There are no limits to the number of chaperones that can join us.)

PS - I want to let everyone know ahead of time that our TK day to the Sacramento Zoo will be from 7:55am-2:00pm.

Happy Spring Break to all!

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 30th-April 3rd - Spring Break (no school)

April 6th - See everyone back at school

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

TK Week of March 16th-20th

Happy first day of Spring!

St. Patrick's Day - This week has been filled with lots of holiday fun. We arrived Tuesday morning to find out the Leprechaun's had been playing with all of our green toys! To thank us for sharing with them, they surprised us with their favorite treat - Leprechaun dust (pistachio pudding)! We were shocked to find out this magical, delicious white powder turned green when we added our milk!

We also went on a rainbow hunt with our rainbow finders, made rainbow patterned Fruit Loop necklaces, graphed our Lucky Charm treats to see what we had most and least of, and tracked & found our dice-rolled numbers on our four leaf clover math mats. Oh, and our green bubble blowing time was extra fun!

Willy Weasel's W ("Hello smile, slide down, slide up, slide down, slide up") - This seems to be our trickiest letter to remember what it's name is - it's a long, three clap name - so saying and clapping it together lots throughout the week would be extra helpful. This would be another great weekend to make some fabulous sidewalk chalk W's outside.

TK Easter Celebration - TK gets to have Easter Egg Hunt fun this next Thursday. Thank you so much to those of you who were able to help us with supplies for this fun day. (And thank you for all of the help we've recently had with our Dr. Suess and St. Patrick's Day fun as well!) If you were still wanting to donate anything, our Sign-up Genius still has items available. Thank you for all you do!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 30th-April 3rd - Spring Break (no school)

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

TK Week of March 9th-13th

Hello Everyone!

My post is early, because I wanted you to know that I will be out tomorrow (Friday), BUT Mrs. Sherman will be with our cuties again. That means they will have a wonderful day!

Rainbows - Our TKers have been learning a lot about rainbows! With the help of our classroom prisms, we have been finding lots of rainbows this week. We've noticed they're so beautiful, there's no wonder Leprechauns love them! We've painted them, read about them, and learned a great song to help us remember the order of the rainbow. (Be sure to have your TKer teach it to you!) We even made a rainbow with Skittles and milk today, so be sure to ask your cutie all about it!

Vinnie Vampire Bat's V ("Hello smile, slide to the middle, slide up") - TK thinks

/v/ is a very fun sound to make, but we found out it's kind of tricky to think of a lot of words that start with /v/. Count how many words you both can think of together?

Scientists - Since VEGETABLES start with /v/, we got to be scientists who made predictions of which vegetables (sweet pepper, carrot, mushroom, tomato, and brussels sprouts) would sink in water and which would float. Boy, were we ever surprised! Be sure to ask your little scientists what they predicted and what they found out.

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and please tell your TKer that I can't wait to see them on Monday!

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 19th (NEW DATE) - Family Story Night! Hope to see you there!!

March 30th-April 3rd - Spring Break (no school)

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

TK Week of March 2nd-6th

Dr. Suess Week - This week was all about Dr. Suess, so of course it was filled with rhyme, silliness, creativity and lots of smiles! Just some of the fun was painting silly socks, using strong fingers to cut and glue adorable Cat in the Hat hats that we showed off as we paraded around the school, made Wockets for our pockets, graphed our One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish goldfish crackers, and actually ate some delicious green eggs!

Nigel Night Owl's N - Our letter of the week was N ("hello smile, big line down, ribbit, slide down, and up") - This might be a good weekend to bring out the pudding to make some delicious N's together. Going on an N hunt (little n too) in a favorite picture book would also be fun to do together!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 19th (NEW DATE) - Family Story Night! Hope to see you there!!

March 30th-April 3rd - Spring Break (no school)

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

TK Week of February 23rd-27th

After putting another straw in our Let's Count chart today, I suddenly realized we only have 67 more days of TK! February seems to have flown by! I hope time starts slowing way down, because I love every day I get to spend with our TK cuties, who are growing in wonderful ways each and every day.

Missy Mouse's M ("Hello smile, big line down, ribbit, slide down, slide up, and down") - A fun and helpful activity would be to count how many words you both can come up with together that begin with the /m/ sound. Also, with nicer weather coming our way again, this would be a great weekend to fill the driveway with fabulous sidewalk chalk M's.

Adding and Taking Away - We've been using our imagination and having fun with 'spaghetti and meatballs', chocolate and vanilla 'cookies', and 'rocks in the river' to help us learn the idea of adding to get more and taking away to get smaller.

Social Emotional Learning - Dealing with Disappointment - Thank you so much for taking the time to discuss and participate (through the flyers that come home in our Thursday Folders) the lessons we spend time with each week.

This week we talked about disappointment being a strong, uncomfortable feeling (like frustration and anger) in our bodies, and trying to calm our body down first is the best first step to feeling better.

When we have a strong, uncomfortable feeling we can:

1. Put our hands on our tummy and say, "Stop".

2. Name our feeling.

3. Take belly breaths.

Afterwards, talking to a trusted grown-up can really help.

I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 19th (NEW DATE) - Family Story Night! Hope to see you there!!

March 30th-April 3rd - Spring Break (no school)

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo

TK Week of February 16th-20th

Wow! What a week! Between our Presidents' Day Holiday on Monday and two snow days later in the week, we didn't get to be together as much as we thought we would - BUT the days we were together were still filled with lots of academic and social growth fun.

Our planned social/emotional lesson and letter of the week is going to be saved for next week, but we were able to spend extra time with graphing and beginning sound fun.

For Talking Stick Time today, we were able hear lots of enthusiastic tales of snow day adventures, and with there still being snow on our play structure, our TKers had extra time to plan, create, and cooperate during choice time - which gave them lots to cheer about!

I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Please tell your TKer I can't wait for us all to be together on Monday. :)

DATES TO REMEMBER

March 19th (NEW DATE) - Family Story Night! Hope to see you there!!

March 30th-April 3rd - Spring Break (no school)

May 14th - Open House Night! Hope to see you there!

May 21st - TK field trip to the Sacramento Zoo