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All about Mrs. Kelley

I feel so happy to say I have loved my last 38 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 tenth 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

What a Great TK Year!

As I've been looking through our classroom pictures this year it's been so fun seeing how much our TKers have grown this year! As I've been reflecting, it's not only their physical growth that stands out, but also the amazing social and emotional growth that has happened this year. I feel so lucky to have been able to work with our TKers this year, and I can't express accurately how much I'm going to miss them.

Please tell your cutie that Mrs. Kelley says, "See you later, alligator!", and that I can't wait to give big hugs and hellos in August when I get to see them on the playground as big kindergartners.

Below is the link to our TK slide show. In August these edlio messages will be erased. I'd copy the link and email it to yourself to put in an email file, so you have it to watch whenever you want.
 
 
Happy Summer!
Love,
Kerry Kelley

Remember! Tomorrow is TK-2nd Grade Fun Day

Hello Parents,
I just wanted to send off a quick reminder that tomorrow is our Fun Day.
Please send your cutie with -
* a sun hat (name inside)
*sunscreen applied
*a disposable water bottle (with name on it)
It's going to be a fun day!
 

TK Week of May 26th-30th

TK got to take a trip to the garden this week. After finding their favorite flowers, our TKers were able to create some beautiful sun catchers (and I saw the next day that some TKers thought they'd make better necklaces :)
 
Thinking About our Last TK Week -
Monday and Tuesday will be just like our normal TK days.
 
Wednesday will be FUN DAY! It's a fun-filled day that will take us to nine different stations and end just before 11:25 am. I highly recommend a sun hat (with name inside) and sunscreen. A disposable water bottle with your TKer's name on it will make it okay if it accidentally gets forgotten at one of our stations.
 
Thursday is our last day of TK. We won't be having any graduation or promotion ceremonies (that gets saved for a special event at the end of kindergarten), but it will be a great day for our TKers, filled with four fun stations and a popsicle party.
 
I hope you all are having a wonderful weekend!
 
 

Oops! I Did It Again!

Hello Parents,
Somehow going to the garden today made me forget all about passing out Thursday Folders, so once again we are going to be calling them Friday Folders. I hope everyone has a wonderful evening!

TK's Going to the Zoo Tomorrow!

TK is super excited to be going to the zoo tomorrow!
 
I wanted to send out some night before reminders:
1. It will be warm (between low 70's when we arrive and low 80's when we    leave), so sweatshirts won't be needed.
2. A hat to shade faces and sunscreen on arms might be a good idea.
3. Make sure your cutie has only three things in their backpack -
         *Water Bottle
         *Snack
         *Lunch
4. I wanted to remind everyone that we won't be back until 2:00pm
 
5. For chaperones: The bus is coming at 8:30am to pick us up, so being in the classroom at 8:15am to get instructions would be perfect - and THANK YOU FOR JOINING US! :)
 
It's going to be a great day!

TK Week of May 5th-9th

TK has been busy this week getting ready for Open House, and they can't wait to share it with you!
 
This coming week in TK:
 
Book Fair - We are scheduled to go as a class to the book fair this Wednesday at 8:30am. Book Fair flyers came after TK folders went home, so they were put by themselves in backpacks yesterday. If after looking through the flyer you'd like your TKer to go to the book fair, please either join us at 8:30am in the library to help your cutie buy books OR send me a quick email letting me know that your TKer has money (and maybe a list) in their backpack, and we'll make sure he/she gets the help needed that day. (The book fair will also be open during Open House.)
 
It can be confusing for TKers to see some getting books and some not, so I'll only be sending those with money to the library on Wednesday, and then quietly have them put their purchases in their backpack. Those not going to the book fair on Wednesday will definitely have fun activities to do in the classroom with me during that time.
 
 
Open House - Thursday, May 15th
     5:00pm-8:00pm - Book Fair Open
     5:30pm-7:30pm - Food Trucks on the Lower Playground
          Sharky's BBQ
          Sweeney's Weinies
          Coco's Ice Cream
     6:00pm-7:00pm - Our Classroom Open
 
Your TKer can't wait to show you everything they have been learning to get
ready for Open House and the zoo!
 
Our Zoo Field Trip - Our TKers are SO excited to be going to the zoo on May 20th!
 
PLEASE MAKE SURE EVERYONE GOING TO THE ZOO (IN CASE YOU ARE CHAPERONING AND JOINING US AS WELL) BRINGS A WATER BOTTLE, SNACK, AND SACK LUNCH THAT DAY. (WE WILL NOT BE ORDERING SCHOOL SACK LUNCHES THAT DAY.)    
 
PLEASE ALSO REMEMBER THAT WE WILL NOT BE BACK FROM OUR SCHOOL FIELD TRIP UNTIL 2:00PM. It's going to be so much fun!
 
I hope everyone is having a wonder weekend!
 
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House - Classroom open 6:00-7:00p
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Sacramento Zoo! Back at 2:00p
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)
 

Asking For Your Help Friday Morning

Hello Parents,
If you didn't see the pink note that went in backpacks Tuesday after school, I am hoping you would be able to help us this Friday morning for about 5 minutes.
 
Your TKer is having fun creating some amazing art to go with the animals we are learning about as we are getting ready for the zoo. One project involves painting your cutie's foot and making a print that is going to turn into a parrot!
 
I'll have the paint and wipes all ready. It should be quick. If you aren't able to help us Friday morning, please don't worry. We can find a time to help your TKer later that day. Thanks for all you do!

TK Week of April 28th-May 2nd

Hello Parents!
 
We had another great week in TK!
 
Open House Preparation - Our artistic TKers are very busy getting ready to show you all they are learning and creating as we're learning about some of the animals we'll be seeing at the zoo. (Be sure your calendar is marked for May 15th.)
 
Zoo Field Trip Permission Slips - Many sign permission slips  have been turned in. If you haven't turned in your TKer's yet, no worries. Next week is still a great time to turn them in. 
 
Our Field Trip Secret - Thank you for the $7 contributions that have been coming in for our TKers' fun carousel and train rides at the zoo. Remember it is a secret, just in case we find out we can't go on one of the rides the day of our field trip. (If we can't, the money will definitely be returned.)
 
Wild Things Assembly - Hopefully your TKer told you all about the extra exciting assembly today! Wild Things is a conservation ambassador program which provides a home for over 60 species of displaced wildlife. These animals are shared in wildlife education presentations, and our school was lucky enough to learn about some of them on Friday. Ask your cutie which animal was their favorite.
 
Kindergarten Round-up - On Friday each of our TKers who were at school that day got to meet with one of our kindergarten teachers for some fun activities that helped their next year teachers get to know them a little better. Since I was working with next year's in-coming TKers in a corner of the round-up room, I got to watch our TKers each come in and leave with a big smile on their face. They are going to love kindergarten next year! (If your cutie wasn't in school on Friday, our kindergarten teachers are still planning on finding a time to meet with them soon.)
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of your weekend!
 
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Sacramento Zoo! Parents are invited to chaperone!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)
 

TK Week of April 22nd-25th

Our TKers loved being back together after Spring Break. They easily settled  into our routines, and together made this another wonderful week.
 
Earth Day - Our little TKers were big helpers on this special day. After talking about how the Earth takes care of us, and how we can take care of the Earth, our TKers put on their special gloves and in their hardworking groups were able to help make our part of the world, Alta Sierra School, a cleaner place!
 
Field Trip Permission Slips - A salmon colored permission slip went home in your cutie's blue folder this week. If you fill it out (both sides) this weekend and turn it in on Monday I will keep it safe and ready for our field trip to the Sacramento Zoo on Tuesday, May 20th. 
 
An orange note also went home asking for volunteers to chaperone our trip. We can never have too many chaperones, so if you would like to join us please fill out this form as well and send it back in your TKer's blue folder as well.
 
Willie Weasel's W - W was our letter of the week. It's a tricky letter to write, so a little extra practice at home would be great, and brainstorming some /w/ words is always a fun game to play together.
 
I hope everyone has a fabulous weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, April 25th - 6:00pm Denim and Diamonds (Parents Night Out Fundraiser)
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Sacramento Zoo! Parents are invited to chaperone!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)
 
 

TK Folders

Oops!
Our Thursday Folders were filled and ready to go home today, but I completely forgot to pass them out! So, this week we're calling them FRIDAY FOLDERS. I hope everyone is having a nice evening.

TK Week of April 7th-11th

Hello Parents,
 
Easter in TK - We've had another wonderful week in TK, with Easter in TK on Thursday definitely being the highlight! Thank you so much for the many donations that helped make this such a fun day. it was filled with Jellybean Graphing, Springtime Count and Cover Math, Butterfly Creations, Easter Egg Dying, and going on an Easter Hunt with their adorable Bunny Bags!
 
Mrs. Newman and Mrs. Bradford - With Mrs. Newman needing to stay home for an extended time to take care of her kiddos while they recover from adenoid, tonsil, and ear tube surgery, Mrs. Bradford will be joining us for the remainder of the school year. Thank you, Mrs. Newman, for all your love and dedication to our classroom this year. You were a huge help this year, and we appreciate you so much! Mrs. Bradshaw, thank you for joining us and helping our TKers continue to learn.
 
Spring Break - I wanted to remind everyone that we won't have school all of this coming week, and we will also be out the following Monday (since our emergency days weren't used). Please tell your TKer that I will miss them, and that I'm looking forward to seeing them on TUESDAY, APRIL 22ND.
 
Denim and Diamonds - I hope I get to see you on Friday, April 25th at our biggest fundraiser of the year - DENIM AND DIAMONDS. It's sure to be a fun event.
 
I hope your break is filled with fun times together!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday - Friday, April 14th-18th - Spring Break (no school)
Monday, April 21st - Emergency Day (no school - we didn't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, April 24th  -  Optional Spring Picture Day
Friday, April 25th - 6:00pm Denim and Diamonds (Parents Night Out Fundraiser)
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Sacramento Zoo! Parents are invited to chaperone!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)

TK Week of March 31st - April 4th

Darn! We missed many of our TK friends this week due to illness. That's no fun at all. Fingers crossed everyone is feeling better soon.
 
Easter in TK This Thursday - Thank you for all of the sign-ups for our Easter celebration this coming Thursday! If you were planning on signing up to bring some filled plastic eggs for our Easter hunt there are still a couple more slots open.
 
Mrs. Kelley Gone on Friday - I wanted to let you know that I will be gone on Friday, April 11th. It's Fun Friday, though, so with PE, talking stick time, and Library it will be a fabulous day.
 
Spring Break - I wanted to remind you all that the following week (as well as Monday, April 21st) will be Spring Break, so we won't be together for school, but I can't wait to have us all together again, on Tuesday, April 22nd (Earth Day)!
 
Denim and Diamonds - Hopefully you've marked your calendars (April 25th) for our big fund raising AND fun parent night out. Thank you so much for the many donations we're received to put together our classroom basket that is going to be auctioned off that night. Thank you again, Ashley, for organizing this for us! If you haven't had a chance, and would still like to make a donation, Ashley said Monday would still be great.
 
I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday - Friday, April 14th-18th - Spring Break (no school)
Monday, April 21st - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
*Thursday, April 24th  -  Optional Spring Picture Day
Friday, April 25th - 6:00pm Denim and Diamonds (Parents Night Out Fundraiser)
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Zoo!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)

TK Week of March 24th-27th

Hello Parents!
 
I hope Friday went well with child care being found, or with having the  opportunity to spend extra time with your TKer. Our Professional Development Day went really well with lots of important connecting grade level collaboration.
 
Worms! The highlight of the week was our time in the garden. Farmer Bree joined us to talk about the importance of earthworms in helping our food grow. We learned about the parts of a worm as well, but the best part was being able to find and hold the worms!
 
Missy Mouse's M - Our letter of the week was M. Our carpet time was filled with lots of great M words the group was able to think of. Hopefully you and your TKer can brainstorm some M words together. Also have your cutie show you some fabulous M's ("Hello Smile, Ribbit, Slide Down, Slide Up, Slide Down").
 
Field Trip on May 20th - I heard there were questions about our field trip to the zoo listed on our Dates to Remember. More detailed information will be coming after Spring Break in April, but I do have some general information. We'll be leaving in the morning of May 20th in a bus to go to the Sacramento Zoo and won't be returning until 2:00pm. Parents are very welcome (and encouraged) to come! Last year some parents joined us on the bus, some drove down with their TKer in their own car and met us there, and some drove themselves and let their TKer ride in the bus. Whatever is best for you is great with me. If you have any other questions, please feel free to ask me anytime.
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
Monday - Friday, April 14th-18th - Spring Break (no school)
Monday, April 21st - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Friday, April 25th - 6:00pm Denim and Diamonds (Parents Night Out Fundraiser)
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Zoo!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)

TK Week of March 17th-21st

Happy Friday! We had another great week in TK!
 
St. Patrick's Day - Those silly Leprechauns! We came into the classroom to find out they got into our paint and walked all over our tables, and they took out all of our green and gold toys to play, BUT they left us a little note to say thank you and left us some magical powder that turned green when we added milk. It was delicious - Thank you, Leprechauns!
 
Group time fun this day was also filled with Leprechaun math, What's Missing? (all green things), a rainbow story, and a bowl full of Lucky Charms!
 
Rainbows - We also had fun with rainbows this week. Our little scientists learned that raindrops and prisms bend the sunshine to make rainbows, and had fun going on a rainbow hunt with their light benders. Make sure they show you their rainbow finder, and tell you all about it.
 
We also talked about everything being made up of different kinds of chemicals, and how some chemicals are calm when they are next to each other and some have big reactions. We got to see a great reaction when we put dry milk in a glass pan and then added water. Next we dropped some rainbow colored food coloring. All these different chemicals were very calm until we added a couple drops of dish detergent - and WOW! - did things ever start moving! Let your little scientist tell you all about this too!
 
REMINDER - No school next Friday - March 28th. (See Dates to Remember below.)
 
I hope you all have a wonderful weekend together!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, March 28th - Professional Development Day for Teachers (no school)
Monday - Friday, April 14th-18th - Spring Break (no school)
Monday, April 21st - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Friday, April 25th - 6:00pm Denim and Diamonds (Parents Night Out Fundraiser)
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Zoo!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)

TK Week of March 10th-14th

Snow! Friday was extra exciting with snow falling on our playground, so with giggles and squeals we went outside to see how many flakes would land on our face and tongues - too many to count!
 
Progress Reports - Hopefully everyone got to see their TKer's progress report that came home on Thursday. It's been so much fun watching our TKers grow this year - physically, emotionally, socially, and in learning so many new concepts and skills.
 
Diamonds and Denim Classroom Basket - First, thank you Ashley (Wes' mom) for helping us organize and purchase the items that will go into our basket that get to be auctioned off the night of the big event (April 25th). Donations for our classroom basket are starting to come in. Thank you so much! This PTC event is a huge fund raiser for our school. PTC uses the funds to pay for our field trips (bus and entry fees) as well as our special community events that happen throughout the year. If you are still planning to help us with funds to create our Weekend in the Mountains (camping) basket, I have an envelope on my desk for contributions. Thank you so much!!
 
I hope everyone is having a wonder weekend!
 
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, March 28th - Professional Development Day for Teachers (no school)
Monday - Friday, April 14th-18th - Spring Break (no school)
Monday, April 21st - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Friday, April 25th - 6:00pm Denim and Diamonds (Parents Night Out Fundraiser)
Thursday, May 15th - Alta Sierra's Open House
Tuesday, May 20th - TK Field Trip to the Zoo!
Monday, May 26th - Memorial Day (no school)
Tuesday, May 27th - Emergency Day (no school IF we haven't needed to miss a day because of snowy weather or lack of power at school)
Thursday, June 5th - Last Day of TK (unless we miss days of school because of poor weather or lack of power at school - then the last day would be Friday, June 6th or Monday, June 9th)

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