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All about Mrs. Kelley

I feel so happy to say I have loved my last 37 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 am over the moon loving Transitional Kindergarten! This will by my ninth 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, is a school counselor. 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 April 15th-18th

Thank You! - I wanted to thank Renee, Leslie, and Ahndi for all they did to make our TK booth at the Candyland Family Fun Festival such a success last weekend! Thank you also to everyone who helped contribute money, games, or supplies to help toward our booth and our Family Fun Night auction basket. It all went so well, and I appreciate you all!
 
Zoologists - TK started getting ready for the zoo this week. After learning the Sacramento Zoo has three tortoises, we started finding out interesting facts about them and how they're different from turtles.
 
Xavier Fox's X - We thought a lot about X (Hello Smile, Big Slide Down, Ribbit, Big Slide Down") this week and noticed how X makes its true sound when it's in the middle and the end of words. Maybe you and your TKer can brainstorm some X words together (ie. extra, exciting, exit, fox, wax, box, six).
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and I look forward to seeing everyone on Monday!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
May 16th - Open House at Alta Sierra (Thursday from 6:00-7:00pm)
May 21st - TK's Sacramento Zoo Field Trip (8:45am-2:00pm)
May 27th - Labor Day (No School)
May 28th - Emergency Day (No School - IF we don't use it for a snow day or a no power day from now until then.)
June 5th - TK-3rd Grade Fun Day!
June 6th - The Last Day of School

TK Week of April 8th-12th

We've had another wonderful week in TK!
 
Going to the ZOO, ZOO, ZOO! - Your cutie just took home a green permission slip yesterday in their Thursday Folder to go to the Sacramento Zoo on Tuesday, May 21st. I don't need it right away, but I'll take it as soon as you'd like it off of your counter and your to-do list. It will be so much fun getting to learn about many of the zoo animals we'll be seeing on our special trip.
 
Parents, TK is a great year for field trips! With only one class, we have plenty of room for parent chaperones. PTC will be paying for our students, but any parents who would like to join us will need to pay the special entrance fee of $9.(A note will go home this coming Thursday for parents to fill out and return to me if they are planning on joining us as chaperones.)
 
Have You Seen Some Special Stickers Coming Home? If you've seen some extra awesome stickers coming home to put on water bottles or something else super fun, it's because your TKer came to school everyday day on time the week before. (If you have older children at school, they get their stickers just before school gets out for them the Friday of each week. Our TK class is over before we get our stickers, so we look forward to them the following Monday.)
 
Letter of the Week is W - We had fun thinking about W this week ("Hello Smile, Slide Down, Slide Up, Slide Down, Slide Up"). Can you and your cutie brainstorm words that begin with W? On a rainy Saturday, Playdoh W's might be extra fun.
 
Candyland Family Fun Festival - This is going to be SO much fun, and it's a great fundraiser for our field trips, art docent lessons for our K-5 students, and our wonderful garden experiences! Thank you PTC for planning this for us, and for all you do! HOPEFULLY I GET TO SEE YOU THERE! :)
 
April 14th - Yay! Candyland Family Fun Festival (Sunday from 12-4pm)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 16th - Yay! Open House
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)

TK Week of April 1st-5th

Hello Parents!
One of our TK highlights this week was bundling up and playing in the snow this morning!
 
Letter V - We thought a lot about the letter V this week ("Hello Smile, Slide Down, Slide Up").
 
A Little Problem - You might have heard that lice have come to many classes in Alta Sierra, and I found out today that our kiddos have been exposed as well. Be sure to check your kiddo. (Hair near the base of the neck is a warm and favorite spot for those pesky bugs.)
 
Candyland Family Festival: Thank you so much for the many donations that will help put together our class fundraising basket and our booth. I hope everyone has marked their calendars for this special day - Sunday, April 14 from noon to 4:00pm. WE ARE STILL IN BIG NEED OF VOLUNTEERS TO HELP MAN OUR BOOTH THAT DAY. PLEASE LOOK AT OUR SIGNUPGENIUS AGAIN TO SEE IF A TIME WORKS FOR YOU. (Renee is also still needing help putting things together for the booth.) https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E48ACAA23A2F85-48907152-volunteer#/
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 16th - Yay! Open House
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)

TK Week of March 18th-22nd

Wow! Two holiday celebrations in one week! Our TK classroom was definitely an action packed place to be.
 
St. Patrick's Day Fun - Our TKers were so surprised to arrive in the classroom and find out that the Leprechauns had come to play with their green and gold TK toys! The Leprechauns said thank you with a golden chocolate and some magical powder that suddenly turned green when we added milk! The day was also filled with some Lucky Charm graphing and Shamrock Roll and Cover math. All of this was fun, but I think the biggest smiles came when TKers went outside with their rainbow finders to see if any Leprechauns left their pots of gold!
 
Our TK Easter Bunny Day - Thank you to all of you who helped with hard boiled eggs, filled plastic Easter Eggs, Easter egg dye, and darling yellow mini-cupcakes! You helped make this another very special day! Some responsible fifth-graders also helped out by being our Easter bunnies, and hid over 200 eggs for our TKers to find!
 
Remember that next week is Spring Break. I can't wait to see your TKer on Monday, April 1st.
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 16th - Yay! Open House
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)

TK Week of March 11th-15th

Hello Parents,
With Leprechaun fun happening this coming Monday (and me not being able to be at school) I got caught up in getting everything ready and missed the time deadline for a Friday night Edlio. I hope you've had a nice Saturday together!
Here's a few quick highlights of our last week:
 
Letter N - We've had extra practice with the letter N this week (Hello Smile, Big Line Down, Ribbit, Slide Down, Up). With nice weather, it might be fun to make some big chalk N's on the driveway or front walkway.
 
Patterns - We got tricky this week with ABC, ABCD, ABB, and AAB patterns. Grab some beans and Pasta, and have your cutie show you some amazing patterns.
 
Rainbow Skittle Science - In preparation for St. Patrick's Day, on Friday we had fun singing, reading, observing, and doing a science experiment on rainbows! After making a rainbow of Skittles on a white plate, just before adding our hot water we made some predictions of what was going to happen. There were lots of surprised TKers! Be sure to ask your TK questions about what he/she saw.
 
Sign-up Genius - A sign-up genius came to your email last night in preparation for some Easter fun this coming Thursday (because we have group-time that day). If you can help with some of our needed supplies, thank you so much!
 
I hope you have a wonderful Sunday!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)
 
 
 

TK Week of March 4th-8th

Thank you, Dr. Suess, for helping us have such a fun week!
 
Dr. Suess - Besides each day bringing a fun thing to wear, we filled our week with reading, painting, cutting, glittering, rhyming, and even eating things in honor of Dr. Suess' birthday. Can you guess what we might have eaten? Green eggs, of course! Most agreed that green eggs are somehow extra delicious!
 
Garden Time - Yay! We got to go to the garden this week. Blue skies and digging in the dirt with hand shovels made for a wonderful time.
 
Harvest of the Month - Our TKers got to try Sunflower Greens, and majority vote was, "They're delicious!"
 
Letter of the Week - We focused on the letter M this week ("Hello Smile, Big Line Down, Ribbit, Slide Down to Middle, Slide Up to Corner, Down"). Practicing some M's at home and going on a /m/ sound hunt would be great practice and always fun when doing it with Mom or Dad.
 
I hope you have a wonderful weekend
 
PS - I'm looking at Noah's birthday party Invitation that everyone was invited too, and I wanted to remind you it's tomorrow (Saturday - 3/9) at Gold Country Gymnastics from 11:30-1:30pm. I can't wait to hear about it on Monday! :)
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)

TK Week of February 26th - March 1st

TK had another great week!
 
Letter of the Week:  We continued practicing another diagonal letter this week - the letter A (Middle Start, Slide Down Smile Side, Ribbit, Slide Down the Other Side, Ribbit, Drive-away).
 
Thinking of Beginning Sounds: We are getting lots of practice thinking of the beginning sounds of words with our daily helper's Sentence of the Day. Each helper thinks of a sentence the teacher gets to write on the big chart paper, but even better than that is being the one that gets to call on TK friends to tell us what letter each word starts with. When the sentence is complete, the helper gets to count the words in her/his sentence (helping strengthen directionality and word recognition). I'm certain your TKer would LOVE doing this with you!
(Remember to keep it fun. Just thinking of beginning sounds is perfect or maybe really prominent sounds in a word.)
 
Note from our Parent Teacher Club:
PTC Volunteer meeting: Every month they hold a meeting on the lawn for people interested in volunteering or hearing what is coming up from 1-2pm. This is an effort to get more people involved without having to attend the monthly night meetings...they can do it before picking up their kids! If you could include this in your weekly/monthly emails, that would be great. The next meeting is March 12th on the grass out in front of the school.
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend! Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)
 
NOTE THAT WENT HOME:

Dr. Suess Week in TK!

Yay! In honor of his birthday, next week TK and Kindergarten are celebrating Dr. Suess with lots of fun.

Here’s our plan:

Monday - Fox in Socks - Wear Crazy Socks Day!

Tuesday - Cat in the Hat - Wear a Favorite Hat Day!

Wednesday - More Cat in the Hat - Wear Stripes Day!

Thursday - The Lorax - Wear Green Day!

Friday - Wear Your Pajamas and Bring a Favorite Book Day!

TK Week of February 20th-23rd

Hello Parents,
Friday Substitute - I'm sending out TK's weekly Edlio a day early, because I won't be at school tomorrow. BUT, the great news is Mrs. Sherman will be our substitute tomorrow! Our TKers have missed her this week, and it will seem like a happy reunion for them all.
 
Math - We have been getting extra practice with tracking as we count. Our reminder is, "one count, one touch" when counting things in front of us and "one jump, one count" when counting our moves in a game. Playing together with a game board activity would be great practice and lots of fun.
 
Letter K - We began the "kick-in" diagonal with letter K this week. For a four and five year-old that is a tricky direction, so extra practice and praise at home would be great. Here is how we make K: "Hello Smile, Big Line Down, Ribbit to the Other Side, Kick-in, Slide-out."
 
I hope you have a wonderful weekend together, and I can't wait to see everyone on Monday.
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
April 19th - Professional Development Day (no school)
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - 2nd Emergency Day (no school IF we don't need to use this day for snow or no power)
 
 

TK Week of February 12th-15th

Valentines Day and learning what Presidents' Weekend is all about were the highlights of the week in TK.
 
Valentines Day - This special day was filled with Valentine math (thinking about more than), Valentine bingo (a little visual discrimination) , conversation hearts graphing, creating beautiful pipe cleaner and bead bracelets, frosting and sprinkling fabulous sugar cookies, and enjoying some delicious fruit kabobs and heart-shaped cheese and crackers. (Thank you SO much for all of the donated items!)
 
Presidents Weekend - Hopefully you saw your TKer looking extra cute in his/her George Washington hat. Ask your cutie what she/he knows about George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. I can't wait to hear what they say. :)
 
Letter of the Week - We thought of the letter R this week. It's a tricky letter, because it's the first letter we've practiced with a slide ("Hello Smile, Big Line Down, Ribbit, Little Curve and Slide"). Have your TKer show you their best R's and hopefully together you can think of lots of words that start with the /r/ sound.
 
I hope you all enjoy your four day weekend together!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
February 16th-19th - Presidents' 4-Day Weekend (no school)
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)
April 1st - Back to School (Emergency Day was used)
May 27th - Memorial Day (no school)
May 28th - No School (IF second emergency day is not used)
 
 

TK Week of February 5th-9th

This was quite a week with us needing to use an emergency day on Monday and many families without power until Thursday! Hopefully everyone is feeling like things are back to normal and looking forward to a rain-free weekend. :)
 
VALENTINES- A purple Valentines list that went home yesterday (and hopefully you saw my email and were able to change Kayla to Kyra). I'll have Valentine bags set up on the back counter, beginning Monday. If you bring your cutie to school in the morning (and have the time), please help them find their friends' bags to put their Valentines in. I don't want you to worry if you don't come in the mornings or don't have the extra time, because Mrs. Sherman and I can definitely help your TKer pass out their Valentines during choice time.
 
VALENTINES DAY- Thank you to everyone who signed up to help us with food and supplies for our fun-filled TK Valentines Day. It would be wonderful if supplies could arrive this coming Tuesday and food could arrive this coming Wednesday (Valentines Day).
 
B and P - This was a two letter week. Going on /b/ and /p/ sound hunt together should be twice as fun.
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
February 16th-19th - Presidents Day four-day weekend
March 25th-29th - Spring Break
April 1st - BACK to SCHOOL (Emergency Day was used)

TK Week of January 29th-February 2nd

We had another great week in TK! 
 
Thinking about and preparing for our hundredth day of TK was our focus of the week. On the special day we read about 100, built with 100, exercised to 100, beaded (or really Fruit Looped) to 100, and finished our day by showing off our special crowns filled 100 things in our TK parade to the big fourth and fifth grade students.
 
Please try to come to the classroom to see a picture of our cuties in their100th Day Crowns and read some of their thoughts about 100 - adorable!
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend together!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
February 16th-19th - Presidents four day weekend
March 25th-29th - Spring Break
April 1st - IF we haven't used an emergency no-school day (because of snow or power outage) then we won't have school this day.
 

TK Week of January 22nd-26th

TK's Friday Edlio is coming to you tonight, because I wanted to remind you all that I will be out tomorrow, because of some oral surgery, but I'll be back Monday. Mrs. Sherman and Mrs. Percy are a great team, and I'm so glad they'll be there for our TKers.
 
Friday Assembly - Tomorrow TK gets to join the rest of the school for a fun and educational assembly about recycling and taking care of our earth. Be sure to ask your cutie to teach you all that s/he learned.
 
Thursday Folders - Oops! I can't believe I forgot to send home Thursday Folders today, so "Friday" Folders will be coming home tomorrow.
 
DeeDee Deer's D - D was our letter of the week. See how many /d/ words your whole family can come up with, and have your TKer show you some of his/her best D's.
 
100's Day - Woohoo! We started working on our special 100 Days of school crown, so it's ready for our 100 days of school coming up this Wednesday. So far we've painted, initialed, stickered, printed, glitter glued, and dipped our way toward 100 - we're almost there! (No need to worry about any special collection on 100's Day. That will be saved for kindergarten. We'll be busy with lots of other fun activities that day. :)
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful Friday and weekend together, and I look forward to Monday!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
December 16th-19th - Presidents Day 4 Day Weekend
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (No School)
April 1st - IF we haven't used an emergency day (snow or power outage) by March 22nd then there will be no school.
 

TK Week of January 16th-19th

I hope everyone had a wonderful three day weekend! TK had fun being back together on Tuesday.
 
Winter - This week we spent time talking, reading, and learning about Winter. Each TKer also created some beautiful winter forest art that is being displayed in the office. Be sure to stop in and see them!
 
Letter J (Jelly Jellyfish) - This rainy weekend would be the perfect time to go on a /j/ hunt around the house and maybe making some pudding, salt, Playdoh, or even apple sauce J's.
 
Social Emotional - Last week we talked about how being worried is an uncomfortable feeling, and that talking to Mommy, Daddy, or a teacher can really help that uncomfortable feeling go away.
 
This week we talked about the feeling of being frustrated and the first step to helping your body calm down. The sheet that went home yesterday gives you some great information and some good ideas for discussion with your cutie.
 
Mrs. Kelley is Gone Two Days Next Week - On Monday I'll be involved with a training at the district office all day and on Friday I have some oral surgery. I'll be with everyone those in-between days (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday) and I'll be back the following Monday for sure.
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend, and that everyone stays warm and dry!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
February 16th-19th - Presidents Four Day Weekend (No School)
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (No School)
April 1st - IF an emergency day isn't used by then (snow/ice or power outage)
then there will be no school this day.
 
 

TK Week of January 8th-12th

It was wonderful being back together this week in TK after our long winter break. Everyone seemed to do really well settling back into our routines, and it was extra fun being back with friends.
 
ZooPhonics - We spent this week thinking about Sammy Snake's S this week. It's a tricky one to write, so extra practice in salt, pudding, or finger paint would be extra fun. Going on a /s/ sound hunt would also be a great thing to do together with your TKer.
 
Volunteer Needed - We need a volunteer on Tuesday, February 13th from 8:30-11:20am (although it probably won't take that long) to help take our cuties to and from our TK vision and hearing screening scheduled that day. If you can help us that day please send me an email or let me know when I see you. Thank you!
 
Monday Holiday - Remember that there won't be any school on Monday in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. We'll see everyone on Tuesday.
 
DATES TO REMEMBER:
January 15th -  MLK Jr. Day (no school)
February 16th-19th - President's four day weekend (no school)
March 25th-29th - Spring Break (no school)

TK Week of December 18th-22nd

I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas and a restful Winter Break!
 
Be sure to look inside the brown grocery bags that came home with your TKer today. It's filled with presents from teachers and friends and one for you! There's also fabulous artwork created by your cutie that's sure to make your home extra merry and bright!
 
I look forward to seeing your TKer on Monday, January 8th. :)

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