We planted our marigold seeds five weeks ago and have been observing their progress ever since. As a true science experiment goes, some of our seeds did not sprout and some of our marigolds did not make it over the course of the experiment. The kids took their plants home today. If their plant did not make it, they brought home some marigold seeds to attempt growing a new plant at home.
Our radishes are growing so well and looking great. We can even see the radishes poking up through the soil! This is the best radish year yet. They will certainly impress the judges at the fair next Thursday!
Thank you to all the parents and children for the wonderful teacher appreciation week! I enjoyed all the surprises throughout the week. The flowers are beautiful and the gift was very thoughtful and generous! I loved reading all of the cards from the kids and I will cherish them always! Messages from the kids really make a teacher’s day!
We have started working on our seed mosaics. Stay tuned for the finished products coming soon. Quality work takes time!
We have been studying Native American Cultures in Social Studies. We have learned that many tribes used beads for jewelry and decorations on clothing. Some tribes even used bead as a form of currency! We made our own Native American beaded jewelry utilizing our work with patterns in math.
Thank you for all the fabulous fruit! We can not wait to enjoy these delicious treats!
Love, Mrs. Drinkward and Ms. Kolodin
Thank you for all the beautiful flowers! They really brightened our day!
Love, Mrs. Drinkward and Ms. Kolodin
Capture the memories of a great school year in the OTA yearbook!
Yearbook order forms are due this Friday, May 22nd.
Dedications are due this Wednesday, May 20th.
If you would like to order a yearbook for your child, please send the completed order form and payment into school by the due date.
If you need a copy of either order form, please click here: Yearbook Order Form, Yearbook Dedication Form
I can not believe that we are so close to the end of the school year! There are only four more weeks of this wonderful kindergarten year left, but we have a lot of important events coming up. Mark your calendars!
Friday, May 22 – 1/2 Day Dismissal at 12:00
Monday, May 25 – NO SCHOOL for Memorial Day
Friday, June 5 – End of Q4: All projects due.
Thursday, June 11 – Field trip to the San Diego Fair
Friday, June 12 – Last Day of School and Kindergarten Graduation!
The graduation ceremony will begin at 10:00 and be held in the kindergarten classroom. We will celebrate the years’ accomplishments, the kids will be given diplomas, and the ceremony will be followed with some light snacks. Since June 12th is a half day, the students will be free to go immediately after the ceremony.
We will also be having field day during the last week of school. Stay tuned for a finalized date! We will be in need of volunteers to help at field day, drive for the fair field trip, and help set up for graduation. I will be posting sign-up sheets soon.
We had such a fun time on our field trip. Here are some highlights!
We have been learning how to measure with non-standard units of measurement in math. We have measured with linking cubes, straws, and now we have measured with actual feet! We used the feet to measure how long the railing was in the hallway.
Congratulations to the kindergarten students who will represent our class at the school poetry contest tomorrow: Brooke Tran, Jonah Turner, and Isla Cantzler!
All of the kindergarten kids did a great job! It was a tough decision only choosing three kids from our class. We wish Brooke, Jonah and Isla lots of luck tomorrow!
Congratulations to those students who earned perfect attendance during Q3!
Maya Perez, Chace Senn, Quincy Ricker, Novie Soares, Abigail Berlin, Jonah Turner, Brooke Tran, Zachary Caviness, and Valentin Vassilev-Lakner.
Congratulations! Our class has completed an average of 90% of the Kindergarten curriculum in ST Math.
We had a blast celebrating the 100th Day of School! We walked along a 100 pathway, counted 100 cheerios, made trains of 100 linking cubes, and raced to 100. We are very proud that we are 100 days smarter!
We have started learning volume measurements in math, so now we can help cook at home! Today we followed a recipe to make trail mix. I would love to hear stories about our kindergarten chefs at home!
The students who participate in Zumba after school put an a performance to highlight some of the dance moves they have learned. They really know how to shake it!
If your child is interested in joining in this fun, energetic enrichment program, please contact Ms. Heidi Weaver. Zumba meets Mondays and Wednesdays.
We learned that sounds are created by vibrations, so we did our best to see and feel vibrations. We watched as rice jumped when we talked into tubes, we saw rubber bands shake as we strummed them, and we felt the vibrations of marching on the floor.
Congratulations! Our class has completed an average of 50% of the Kindergarten curriculum in ST Math.
The San Diego Symphony has been a great supporter of OTA Music (with OTA Parent Jian Chan helping to arrange on-campus concerts, classroom visits from musicians, and tickets to symphonies). Now they are offering a free introduction to classical music for younger children right here in Old Town (Park at OTA and walk!).
We used all of our senses to describe two mystery substances. Here are the results:
Keep reading to see us in action…
We sampled different types of tastes and described them, some were better than others. We tasted salty salt, sour lemon juice, bitter cocoa powder, and sweet sugar. Ask us which one we liked the most and which one we liked the least!
We used different colored lenses to view objects in the room. How do objects look different when we look at them without a lens and with a lens? What will happen if we use more than one lens at a time?
Just a reminder that there will be no s
chool tomorrow, Monday, January 19th in observance of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day. Next Friday, January 23rd will be a half day since it is the last day of Q2. All Flying Colors projects for Q2 are due by Friday.
Using only our sense of touch, we had to describe different items in mystery bags. Here is what happened:
We jumped over dimes to count by 10’s, made patterns with beads, and practiced our number words with a puzzle.
The kindergarten class had an introduction to computer programing with the program Tynker. You can find this app here. We are learning to speak the same language as robots and computers by learning to code. In doing so we have participated in the global Hour of Code movement which tries to prepare students to use advancing technology.
See more of us as work here…
The kindergarten kids learned what it was like to be pilgrims. We made our own butter by shaking heavy cream until it turned to butter. Then we tasted our creation…YUM!
We spelled words by jumping from letter to letter! See some pictures by clicking on this post. [Show picture list]
Congratulations! Our class has completed an average of 40% of the Kindergarten curriculum in ST Math.
Congratulations to the kindergarten students that earned perfect attendance for Q1! Zachary Caviness, Jaden Lucas, Luana Stein, Leonardo Penunuri, Quincy Ricker, Jonah Turner, Nate Schmelzenbach, Isabel Matter, Isla Cantzler, Novaya Soares.
Congratulations to the kindergarten students who ran the most laps during the 2014 Jog-A-Thon! Vincent Vasquez, Sophia Anning, Brooke Tran, Brianna Anning, Kellan McDougal. Also, congratulations to Isla Kirian who was another medalists!
Every year at Christmas, OTA sponsors a sock drive for the homeless kids at the StandUp For Kids Center in San Diego. This year our sock drive will be from December 8th through December 19th. We are asking our OTA families to be generous in helping these kids whose homes are the streets of San Diego. Every year OTA has delivered many socks to the SUFK Center to be distributed to the homeless kids. These kids depend on us to help them and to make Christmas special for them.
Please bring in NEW, packaged socks throughout the sock drive. Get into the spirit of giving this holiday season and help OTA make a difference in the lives of those children. Thank you for generosity!
We received a new postcard from JiJi! Our class has reached a milestone in ST Math– our class has an average of 30% completion of the Kindergarten curriculum.
I hope everyone is enjoying the long holiday weekend! Just a reminder that Jog-A-Thon packets and pledges are due tomorrow, Wednesday, November 12th. We are aiming for 100% participation in our class. This means that everyone submits at least one pledge. The Jog-A-Thon award ceremony will take place this Friday, first thing in the morning. Thank you for supporting our school!
Congratulations to our new Q1 ST Math All-Stars! These students have completed all of the Q1 ST Math work:
Just a reminder that this Friday, November 7th is the last day of Q1 and therefore is a half day with dismissal at 12:00. All projects are due by this day to receive credit (including Flying Colors projects and ST Math). The only exception to this is that I will check the November Reading Log Week 1 on Monday and students will receive extra credit if they completed this week. 
We will also have next Monday, November 10th and Tuesday, November 11th off. Please refer to the Calendar page on our blog for updates on school and classroom events.
Friday is Halloween and we will have a few activities on that day to celebrate.
In the morning the school will have a Halloween parade to show off our costumes. Students should wear costumes to school. They may keep them on the entire day or change after the parade. Parents are welcome to come see the parade. Stay tuned for more details on the start time of the parade.
In the afternoon we will have a Halloween party in the classroom. If you would like to donate any party supplies or volunteer during the party, please sign-up on our Halloween Party Sign-Up. I am looking for volunteers to help set-up and clean-up our treats as well as be in charge of a Halloween themed activity.
We received a new postcard from JiJi! Our class has reached a milestone in ST Math–20% completion of the Kindergarten curriculum.
Old Town Academy has programs that other schools just dream of. However, these programs are expensive to run and maintain. OTA relies heavily on the proceeds from the Jog-a-Thon to support our fantastic school. We ask that every students has their Jog-a-thon sponsor sheet filled out by Friday, Oct 24. Please encourage your child to ask their grandparents, aunts, uncles, family friends and your work friends. We are aiming for 100% participation in Kindergarten. Last year OTA raised $32,000. That is approximately $120 per student. Please remember that we are just looking for every student to get at least 1 pledge. Awards are always give for the most laps and the most money raised.
Just a reminder that tomorrow is our Jog-A-Thon. Please have your child wear his or her P.E. uniform and sneakers. The 2014 Jog-A-Thon t-shirts will be passed out tomorrow morning. It would be a good idea to bring a water bottle. Remember that tomorrow will be a half day due to the Jog-A-Thon with a 12:00 dismissal. We will not be eating lunch at the school and pizza will not be served. Kindergarten will be the first class to run at 8:45. You are more than welcome to come and cheer on the kids or help with the event. We love having parents support us! Any students wishing to leave early may do so, but MUST check out with me and receive their Lap Certificate.
We graphed our favorite color pattern blocks and here are the results:
Our class has reached a milestone in ST Math–10% completion of the Kindergarten curriculum. This means JiJi has sent us a postcard.
JiJi will continue to travel around the world and send us postcards from new destinations as we progress through the ST Math program.
Just a reminder to please turn in your Jog-A-Thon t-shirt order forms by this Friday, October 10th. The t-shirt form is the last page in the pledge packet that went home earlier this week. All students will receive a free t-shirt, extras may be purchased for $10 per shirt. Please have your child turn the form into me in order to ensure we order the correct size. Thank you!
Kindergarteners MUST use computers to work on ST Math at home for now. Tablets can not be used at this time.
The program is designed this way to promote parents working with their child and to give you a better understanding of the program. Please remember:
Later in the year the students will get the last five pictures and have a completed password of thirteen pictures. At that point they will be able to use iPads at home. I will notify you when this happens.
I just sent a test email to all of the parent emails you provided me on the student information sheets. If you do not receive the email, please let me know so that I can make corrections to my kindergarten mailing list for this school year.
We had such great time meeting our first grade buddies and reading with them for the first time!
We are currently experiencing some issues with the kindergarten kids logging on to ST Math on iPads at home. We have called our rep with ST Math and hope to have this issue resolved soon. In the meantime, your child should be able to access ST Math using a computer or they can just work on it at school for now. We get a chance to use ST Math several times a week. Please do not be concerned if your child still is working on remembering his or her password. They will continue to practice it each time they sign on to ST Math at school and before long they will be an expert!
To access ST Math at home students need a computer with internet access.
Tip: If there is no Homework assigned, access previously played content by clicking on the green cones.
Graphing is an important math skill that we learn in Kindergarten. We made our first class pictograph to see how many girls and boys were in the class.
ST Math has upgraded their program this year and there is a new way to log in at home.
Please remember:
ST stands for Spatial Temporal….
My office hours will be on Wednesdays from 3:30-4:30. Feel free to stop by the kindergarten classroom any time during this hour if you have any questions or concerns to talk with me about. Appointments are not necessary. If you are unable to make office hours and need to meet with me, we can schedule an appointment on a different day or time.
We do not have “homework” in kindergarten, but it is very important to read at home. Please read at home with your child at least 60 minutes a week. Then, record the books you read and time spent reading on the monthly reading log. If you read only 9 minutes a day, you will have read over 60 minutes for the week! You may record time that you are reading to your child or challenge your child to read to you. Each weekly reading log is due the following Monday and will count as a reading project for your child. Reading logs will start this week, the second week of September. Please use the completed first week as an example.
Kindergarten Back to School Night will be held this Tuesday, September 9th starting at 5:00 in the Kindergarten classroom. We will be going over curriculum, routines, and expectations for the year. Limited child care is available: please contact Mrs. Drinkward if needed.
This year our class will be participating in the Scholastic Reading Club. Monthly book flyers will be sent home in your child’s blue folder and many more items are available to order online. Participation in this program is completely optional. Please see the letter below for more information on how to place an order online.
Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub
One-Time Class Activation Code: LTMN7
Dear Families,
Encouraging reading is one of the most important things we can do to help your child succeed. It can be tough finding the right books to keep them interested, which is why I am so excited that our class will be participating in Scholastic Reading Club this school year.
With Scholastic Reading Club:
• Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library
• You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child
• You’ll find the best values on a variety of formats, including eBooks
Each month, your child will bring home Reading Club flyers. Together you can choose from books hand-selected by teachers and experts, and then order online or by returning your order form and payment to me.
I’d also love some help growing our classroom Reading Club. If you’d like to help out, please let me know! I’m excited to get our class reading!
Thank you for your support,
If This Is Your First Time Ordering Online:
Tomorrow will be our first day of outdoor ed. Please have your child wear the P.E. uniform to school. Don’t forget proper shoes! Kindergarten outdoor ed. will be Mondays and Wednesdays going forward.
Today was a great start to a wonderful year in Kindergarten! We spent a lot of time exploring the classroom, both inside and outside. A lot of time will be spent on learning the routines and expectations in the beginning of the year. Continue reading
I am so excited for the newest OTA Ospreys to start Kindergarten next week! If you would like to help our class out with supplies, please visit the Kindergarten Supply List Sign-Up. Continue reading
The Academic Quarter ends tomorrow, Friday June 5. It is a full day with dismissal at 3:00. All Q4 projects are due tomorrow!
Special Board Meeting Notice and Agenda
Click photo to view video:
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Click photo to view video:
