Chewonki's Owls Visit Dike-Newell

Matt shows the class the largest (Great Horned Owl) that he brought with him to our school.

The kids got to observe and touch several different parts of an owl including talons and wings.

One of the highlights of the kindergarten school year is learning about owls.  They are beautiful and facinating birds to learn about.  The kids have enjoyed our exploration of owls, and have learned a lot since the beginning of the unit.

Recently we have been learning about winter, and owls.  Last week Chewonki visited our kindergarten class and brought three live owls to our school.  The kids were amazed by these birds.  They were able to listen to different owl sounds, touch talons, wings, and other artifacts.

The New Year's Here!

The start of the new year has been busy and fun here at Dike- Newell School.  Highlights of the new year have been setting new goals.  Students thought about what they hope to learn or do in the new year!  Many kids wanted to spend more time with friends and learn to read!  

Fire Safety Week

Fire Safety Week is October 5 - 11, 2014.  This week students will identify objects that are safe and unsafe to touch.  They will also learn how to stay safe in the event of a fire.  Key concepts will include:

Get Out, and Stay Out!

Get Low, and Go!

Stop, Drop and Roll!

Take time this week to complete the fire safety checklist that was sent home in your child's folder.  Discuss with your child a safe place for your family to meet outdoors in the event of a fire at your home.

You Are Invited To:

 The Bath Fire Department's Open House!

Date: Thursday, October 11, 2014

Time: 6-8 pm.

Location: Bath Fire Department

Writing Workshop

Students participate daily in writer's workshop.  This is a very important and fun time in our day.  Students spent the first two weeks of school practicing drawing skills, and learning that pictures can tell a story.

Anchor chart - used to help students draw a detailed picture that tells a story.

At Dike-Newell School we use the Lucy Calkins' Units of Study to teach writing.  Students are writing narratives, that teach others about something they know a lot about.  It has been very exciting to see students taking risks, drawing detailed pictures, rereading their work, and sharing with the class what they have written each day.  Stay tuned for our Growing Writers anchor chart to see the specific skills we are working on in writing.  I will also attach some samples of student's writing soon!

Are You A Book Lover?

Kindergarteners have been learning about our classroom library, and book handling skills.  We use this anchor chart (poster) in our classroom library to help us remember the things book lovers do when reading in the library.

You can help your child practice these skills at home.  Remind them of the five things book lovers do to help take care of their books at home!

We have also been learning about the different ways to read a book.  Below is a second anchor chart that is in our classroom library to help children remember the different ways to read a book.  Practice the first two ways to read a book at home with your child.

When a child can use picture clues to help them tell a story they are much more successful at reading independently.  Have your child tell you a story they already know very well to practice this skill at home.  

Apples, Apples Everywhere!

Apple Song

I'm a little apple short and round

I make a munchy, crunchy sound

If you bite into me

You will see

I'm delicious as can be!

We wrapped up our unit on the five senses Friday!  Highlights of the week included a taste test of red, yellow and green apples.  Students were able to chose their favorite color apple and we made a class graph.

Mrs. Deci's Class
Favorite Apple Picture Graph

Yellow Apples were our classes favorite, and green apples were are least favorite type of apple.

Students also helped to make applesauce on Friday.  We slowly cooked the apples all day, and had a special afternoon snack.  Students were able to touch the apples as we put them in the crockpot, they watched the apples throughout the day (and smelled them cooking too), and finally tasted the final product. It was a huge success!