Welcome back to school!
We hope that you all had a safe, fun-filled, and relaxing
Spring Break with family and friends! Can you believe that we’ve only got two
months left in this school year? Many of the kindergartners came into the
classroom practicing what first grade students do!
IMPORTANT CHANGE!
Starting this week, I will be posting our newsletters and
family learning activities on Fridays. You may read on to hear about a play we
went to today, and then check this Friday for the week’s happenings and next
week’s family learning activities. If you subscribe to the blog, you will
receive an email notification when the blog is updated.
We started out our week by going to Tenney Theatre and
enjoying a play called “Ferdinand the Bull.” In the afternoon, we talked about
important lessons that were learned in the play – how to listen to others (and
not bully) and how to be yourself, even when others want you to be a certain
way. In the play, Danilo, a Duke’s son, wanted to be a dancer, but his father
wanted him to be a bullfighter. Danilo wanted to please his father and make him
proud, so he agreed to be a bullfighter but was unhappy doing it. Ferdinand was
interested in growing flowers, not fighting, but his friend la cochina (the
pig) talked him into fighting so that she could go to Madrid! In the end,
Danilo and Ferdinand both got to do and be who they wanted, and the Duke and
the pig learned how they can listen and not bully Danilo and Ferdinand. For
journals today, everyone wrote and drew about 1) something they learned or
enjoyed about the play and 2) what they want to be when they grow up.
If you have any recyclable items we can use in our art
center, please send them with your child. Items need to be stored on a shelf in
our classroom, so please, no bulky items. Suggested items include paper
towel/toilet paper rolls, styrofoam pieces, and fabric/wallpaper squares. Thank
you!
Everyone
looks forward to the Guest Reader on
Friday afternoons. If you are interested in coming into the classroom to read
to the children, please contact Sabrina Ako.
Parent
volunteers are such a help and blessing
to us, especially when projects arise. If you are able to volunteer your time
(no skill or experience needed, training provided), please contact Sabrina Ako.
Our Students-of-the-Week are AG and
ZH. Please bring in things you would like to share about yourselves. Everything
needs to be able to hang on a bulletin board. Parent volunteers or teachers
will assemble the board next Wednesday.
The
following dates show when the new bulletin boards will be assembled for
display. The initials of the Students-of-the-Week are listed after each date.
3/12
– AG, ZH (Items may be brought in from 3/5)
4/9
– BH, DJ (Items may be brought in from 4/2)
4/16
– RJ, GK (Items may be brought in from 4/9)
4/23
– JM, TS (Items may be brought in from 4/16)
4/30
– LY, WC (Items may be brought in from 4/23)
Posted at 11:00 AM| Permalink
Space Inquiry Presentations
Thank you for joining us for our space inquiry presentations. In addition to the facts we learned about space, we are happy to share the process we went through as we researched the answers to our questions. Please enjoy reading about our experience as well as viewing the videos of us sharing with Kindergarten friends and parents.Our next inquiry project, which we will begin after Spring Break, is about our 100 years in Manoa. It will be interesting to find out the children's ideas about what things were like 100 years ago and what questions they have about the past and how things have changed.
Our space inquiry was great fun, and the presentation was the result of many weeks of hard work from the children. The process involved many steps, and we are now in the last stage - reflection. To begin our space inquiry, we asked the children, "What do you know about space?" A total of 11 responses were recorded and posted. We then asked, "What would you like to know/learn about space?" The number of questions asked by each child ranged from one to eight. Over the next several weeks, the teachers read books about space and asked the children to write and draw at least two facts learned. The children were also able to look through books on their own in search of the answers to their questions. We also visited U.H. to listen to Dr. Petersen who shared a lot of interesting information about space. After finding the answers to our questions, we discussed how we wanted to share our information with an audience. The children decided on taking their audience through space, with each child playing a part. Everyone then decided what information they wanted to share and wrote their own words. Sketches were made of costumes or backgrounds to go along with the information. 5th grade buddies helped the children type their information. Some Kindergartners typed their information by themselves. The teachers edited with "grown-up" spelling. The children were then given a choice to practice reading their parts from their hand-written work or from their typed pieces. All chose to read from their typed work. More than a handful of children memorized their words. All children practiced reading/speaking in a clear, loud voice with the understanding that would be speaking in front of an audience. We were able to present to our 5th grade buddies first, who then gave us feedback. They told us things that we did well, such as memorizing or speaking loudly, and they gave us suggestions of things to work on, such as sitting quietly when waiting for our turn, or smiling at the audience. We listened to the suggestions and practiced more! We then presented to our Kindergarten friends who also gave us feedback. We practiced again, and then we presented to parents! We are now in the final stages of the process which is to record what we now know about space and to reflect on the inquiry process. Below is the "script" of our presentation, followed by the videos of two of our presentations.
Space
There are galaxies, planets, the sun, asteroids, stars, blackholes, and comets. There is no gravity in space. There may be life in space.
Mercury
Hello, I’m Mercury. Mercury is the closest planet to the sun. No one has seen the other side of Mercury. Mercury is a small rocky planet. It is the second planet in our Solar System. Mercury is hot because it is close to the sun. Mercury orbits the sun faster than any other planet.
Venus
I’m the hottest planet, Venus. I’m a little smaller than earth. I have lots of volcanos. Only the sun and the moon are brighter than me.
Earth
We live on the earth. We live there because the earth has water and food. Earth is the only planet that has life. Earth has an atmosphere. Earth has a crust to walk on.
The moon
Some people think Earth and Mars crashed and that made the moon. The moon lights up because the sun’s light shines on the moon. The moon is grayish white. It takes about 27 days to go around the earth. The moon has lots of craters.
Astronauts
Men and women all float when they are in space. They wear spacesuits so they can breathe oxygen. There are tubes and they connect to the space helmet. Astronauts have explored the moon. how they put the flag in the moon is they put wire in it because there is no wind on the moon.
Space Station
The space station gets bigger because the astronauts build it. Inside the space station astronauts are working. Inside the front astronauts are driving. There is a bed inside a shelf and a kitchen place to eat. The space toilets need to have bars so you don’t float off. And there’s a place to go to the shower and it’s so small they have to hold onto a handle so they don’t float away. They have an exercise place and a computer place to look in space.
Mars
Mars is the 4th planet from the sun. Mars is red because of dusty iron. No one knows if aliens live on Mars. No water is on Mars.
Aliens
We don’t know if aliens are real or not.
Comets/Asteroids
Comets are ice and rock. Comets have a tail. In space there are millions of asteroids. Asteroids are rock. Some are small as potatoes. Some are big as cities, cars, and mountains. Asteroids orbit the sun between Mars and Jupiter.
Jupiter
Jupiter has 63 moons. Jupiter has rings. Jupiter is the biggest planet. Jupiter spins the fastest. Jupiter has a red and it’s a storm spot. Jupiter is made of gas.
Saturn
Saturn’s rings are made of chunks of rock. Saturn has ice. Some of Saturn’s ice is bigger than a mountain or car and smaller than marbles. Saturn is the next biggest planet.
Uranus
Uranus is the 7th planet from the Sun. Uranus is made out of gas. Uranus is red green and blue. Uranus is weather is - 129f. The rings go the opposite way of Saturn. Uranus travels around the sun once every 84 earth years.
Neptune
Neptune is the fourth biggest planet in the solar system. About 60 Earths fit inside Neptune! Neptune has 5 rings. Neptune looks blue. Neptune is very cold, it is -320º F.
Pluto
Pluto used to be the farthest planet from the sun. Pluto was the 9th planet from the sun. Pluto is now a dwarf planet. A dwarf planet is smaller than Mercury, our smallest planet. Pluto’s atmosphere is made out of frozen gases. Scientists think it’s cold on Pluto.
Stars
Stars are burning balls of gas. The sun is a star. Blue stars are the hottest stars. Red stars are the coolest stars. Stars don’t twinkle. When the light of the star bends in to the atmosphere it looks like it twinkles. Stars turn into a black hole when they die.
Black Hole
When a star dies, it turns into a Black Hole. You can’t see the Black Hole. Black Holes have lots of gravity. Black Holes suck up stars. No light can escape from a Black Hole.
Beyond Space
What’s beyond space? I think the answer is God’s castle. Dr. Petersen said no one knows. What do you think?
Posted at 3:52 PM| Permalink
Family Learning Activities, 3/10-3/28
- Read a book about St. Patrick’s Day. Bring it in to share with the class.
- Read a book about Easter. Bring it in to share with the class.
- Decorate the Easter egg cut-outs (in your home-and-back folder) and bring them in to decorate the classroom.
- Create a March family art project to display in the classroom all month. The theme can be a special day or holiday in March (e.g., Girls’ Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, someone’s birthday, spring).
Over Spring Break:
- Color Easter eggs and have an egg hunt!
- Keep a journal of all the fun activities you’re doing. Bring it in to share with the class.
- Play math games that allow you to practice counting. The instructions for Collect 15 and Roll and Record are in your home-and-back folders.
- Have Game Night and play board games as a family.
- Visit a park or beach and get outside and play! Remember to wear sunscreen!
Posted at 1:45 PM| Permalink
Space Success!
Thank you all for coming to our Space Inquiry share on Friday! Weren’t the children wonderful? This week, we will post two videos of our presentation. We will also post the information that each child chose to share. If you have gone to the weblog and signed in to receive email notification, you will be notified when the space inquiry presentation has been posted. In class, we will reflect on all that we learned about space and the inquiry process.This Friday, March 14, is the MPI Ho’olaule’a. A note went home in your child’s folder today. Please contact us if you have any questions.
Our 5th-grade buddies are studying immigration and did a project on their ancestors. Today we went to our buddies’ classroom to listen to a few of their presentations. It was so much fun to see what 5th-grade students do! We had a chance to ask questions and give comments.
On Wednesday, we will get together with our buddies to make Easter cards for our Senior buddies. We will visit Manoa Senior Care on Thursday to deliver our cards. We will be enjoying several Easter activities (painting a wooden egg, making an Easter basket, hunting for eggs) this week, as well as a fun St. Patrick’s Day activity (making a Leprechaun trap) on Friday. We’ve begun reading St. Patrick’s Day books that were brought in by friends. Did you know that Saint Patrick taught people about God? He taught that the three leaves on the clover stand for God the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. The story also goes that Saint Patrick told all the snakes in Ireland to leave, and they did!
If you have any recyclable items we can use in our art center, please send them with your child. Items need to be stored on a shelf in our classroom, so please, no bulky items. Suggested items include paper towel/toilet paper rolls, styrofoam pieces, and fabric/wallpaper squares. Thank you!
Everyone looks forward to the Guest Reader on Friday afternoons. If you are interested in coming into the classroom to read to the children, please contact Sabrina Ako.
Parent volunteers are such a help and blessing to us, especially when projects arise. If you are able to volunteer your time (no skill or experience needed; training provided), please contact Sabrina Ako.
The new set of Family Learning Activities has also been posted. Some items have been removed, but that doesn’t mean you can’t go back to them and complete the activity. Remember, these activities are optional; please enjoy them as your family’s schedule and available time will allow.
Our Students-of-the-Week are AG and ZH. Please bring in things you would like to share about yourselves. Everything needs to be able to hang on a bulletin board. Parent volunteers or teachers will assemble the board next Wednesday.
The following dates show when the new bulletin boards will be assembled for display. The initials of the Students-of-the-Week are listed after each date.
3/12 – AG, ZH (Items may be brought in from 3/5)
4/9 – BH, DJ (Items may be brought in from 4/2)
4/16 – RJ, GK (Items may be brought in from 4/9)
4/23 – JM, TS (Items may be brought in from 4/16)
Posted at 1:44 PM| Permalink
Family Learning Activities, 3/3-3/7
- Write a creative
story about space. (You could be an astronaut and write about what you
see in space. You could imagine that a planet is alive and write about
what it’s like to be a planet.) Share your story with the class.
- Surf the web
with a parent for appropriate “space” websites that we could enjoy as a
class. It might be a resource for information, or it might be games we
could play during Centers.
- Measure and
record items in your house. A unit of measure can be anything you have in
your house – paper clips, pennies, DVD cases.
- Color the Girls’
Day doll display.
- Read a book
about St. Patrick’s Day. Bring it in to share with the class.
Posted at 9:51 AM| Permalink
Happy Girls’ Day!
Last week Friday was a busy day for us! In the morning, we
walked over to the middle/high school tech lab to view a Girls’ Day doll
display. Hinamatsuri (Dolls' Festival), or Momo no Sekku (Peach Blossom
Festival), is celebrated on March 3. The dolls were donated to the school by a
former MPI parent who visits the dolls every year. The 6th grade
Japanese teacher met us and talked with us about the display. The emperor and
empress sit on the top step, and their attendants, ministers, and guards sit on
the steps below. Miniature furniture and treats (to honor the royal couple) sit
on the lower steps. The dolls are put on display to celebrate the daughters in
a family and to wish them a year of good health and happiness.
In the afternoon, we went to the school book fair and made
out our “wish lists.” You should have received this list in your child’s
folder. If you will be purchasing those items for your child, kindly total the
cost of the books and mark it on the “wish list.” Send in a check (made out to
Mid-Pacific Institute) or cash (exact change, please) by Thursday, 3/6. We will
go back to the book fair on Thursday to make our purchases. Families are
welcome to browse the book fair at their own convenience. It is open until 4:00
p.m. Remember, about 20% of the profits go to Mid-Pacific Institute!
Our space inquiry unit is at its end. Two weeks ago, the
children discussed how they would like to share their information with parents.
Since we’d like to keep it a surprise, all we’ll say is that everyone will be
speaking to our audience as we “travel” through space. The children will be
sharing the answers to their questions, as well as other information that was
learned. Topics include planets, moon, sun, black holes, stars, aliens, and
space. Mark Friday, March 7, 1:00 p.m. for our space inquiry share! We will
need to vacate the turn-around by 1:50 to make way for the preschool auto line
pick-ups; therefore, we will begin our inquiry share promptly at
1:00.
Next week Friday, March 14, is the MPI Ho’olaulea. It will
be a fun time of food and games, which the middle and high school students
organize and run. We are looking for 5 parent volunteers who are able to
chaperone a small group of Kindergartners. Please let us know as soon as
possible if you are able to chaperone. The elementary school will be going to
the Ho’olaulea at 11:00 a.m. to beat the middle school and high school rush for
lunch. By March 6 (this Thursday) send in your child’s scrip money to Margie in
the office. Please purchase no more than $10 worth of scrip. Help your child to
plan ahead by looking at the papers you receive about the cost of food and
games (in the Thursday packets).
New pictures have been added to our photo gallery. There are
new albums of recent events. New pictures have also been added to “old” albums.
If you have any recyclable items we can use in our art
center, please send them with your child. Items need to be stored on a shelf in
our classroom, so please, no bulky items. Suggested items include paper towel/toilet
paper rolls, styrofoam pieces, and fabric/wallpaper squares. Thank you!
Everyone
looks forward to the Guest Reader on
Friday afternoons. If you are interested in coming into the classroom to read
to the children, please contact Sabrina Ako.
Parent
volunteers are such a help and blessing
to us, especially when projects arise. If you are able to volunteer your time
(no skill or experience needed, training provided), please contact Sabrina Ako.
The
new set of Family Learning Activities
has also been posted. Some items have been removed, but that doesn’t mean you
can’t go back to them and complete the activity. Remember, these activities are
optional; please enjoy them, as your family’s schedule and available time will
allow.
Our Students-of-the-Week are AG and
ZH. Please bring in things you would like to share about yourselves. Everything
needs to be able to hang on a bulletin board. Parent volunteers or teachers
will assemble the board next Wednesday.
The
following dates show when the new bulletin boards will be assembled for
display. The initials of the Students-of-the-Week are listed after each date.
3/12
– AG, ZH (Items may be brought in from 3/5)
4/9
– BH, DJ (Items may be brought in from 4/2)
4/16
– RJ, GK (Items may be brought in from 4/9)
4/23
– JM, TS (Items may be brought in from 4/16)
4/30
– LY, WC (Items may be brought in from 4/23)
Posted at 9:39 AM| Permalink