Apostles Kindergarten

K2 Kindergarten Note

2009-06-01T08:27:00.001-07:00

June 1, 2009

Dear Parents,
Well, we have almost made it. In a few days, you will no longer have a kindergartner in your house, but a first grade student. Your children are very excited about becoming first graders. Before they do, we would like to honor them by having a little graduation ceremony on June 4. This ceremony starts at 11:00 am and only lasts about thirty minutes. We sing some songs and then pass out the diplomas. We will also serve some light refreshments afterwards. Please try to join us. Grandpas and Grandmas are welcome to come too. The kindergarten children will not need to attend the graduation service in the evening. They have their own special ceremony. Let me know if you have any questions.
This week we will be working with the story A House Is a House for Me by Mary Ann Hoberman. We will mainly review many of the previously learned skills in this unit. As you know, your children are excellent readers so this shouldn’t be a problem. In math, we will just finish up the rest of the exercises. That will include working with measurement and reviewing addition skills. During our circle time, we will finish our unit on oceans. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Changes Saul’s Heart” and “Philip and the Ethiopian.” From these lessons we will learn that God wants all people to hear the Gospel.
As you know, I want to start sending things home. Each day this week you will need to empty out your child’s backpack. We will try to do this slowly so that it doesn’t get to be too much on the last day.
On Tuesday, we will go to the zoo. With this trip, I have some very specific instructions. Please be here by 8:30 am on Tuesday morning so that I can go over them with everyone before we go to the zoo. If you are driving, I will let you know today so that you can be ready to go on Tuesday. If your child needs a car seat and you will not be going, please leave the seat in the classroom. Even if your child does not need the seat, some parents prefer to have it so that they are very safe. On Tuesday, please have your child wear his or her yellow Apostles t-shirt. This really helps us tell who belongs with our group. Also, send a jacket with your child. It is very chilly early in the morning when we get there. It is just better to be prepared. Your child will need to bring a sack lunch for the day. We will not go to buy treats or souvenirs for the trip. This just causes too much difficulty for those who do not have parents along. Other than that, we should have a great trip. Thank you to those of you who will drive and chaperone.
As you all know this is my last year of teaching at Apostles. It is with much sadness that I leave my work here. During my many years of teaching, I have always enjoyed the little ones and bringing God’s Word to them. It has been no different this year. Your children have been delightful to have in the classroom. They are an energetic group, but a fun class to teach. Thank you for bringing them here to Apostles this year. Even though I had my share of hardships, you parents stuck in there and supported me. You, along with Miss Beutel, made this a special year for me. Thank you for all you have done and may God continue to bless you and your child.
Have a great summer vacation!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note

2009-05-26T08:06:00.000-07:00

May 26, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope all of you had a pleasant weekend. I think the break from school was good for the children. They put a lot of time and work into the Ascension service which was very well done. Anyway, they were tired and needed the ‘rest days’ as we say in kindergarten.
This week we will be working with the book Machines at Work by Byron Barton. Along with this book, we will be reviewing the vowel sounds. You will also receive three more words to add to your group of sight words. They are ‘you,’ ‘that,’ and ‘go.’ Even if you don’t get to practice these words in the near future, go over them. I know the first grade teacher will appreciate your efforts. In math, we will be working with counting by twos. We also will review various skills that we have learned this year. During our circle time, we will talk about oceans and the animals that live there. Our Bible lessons will be “An Angel Opens the Prison Door” and “Faithful Stephen.” From these lessons we will learn that Satan’s persecutions cannot destroy God’s church. The Bible verse for this week will be Acts 5:29. We must obey God rather than men!
As I have mentioned before, we will take our final field trip on June 2 to the San Francisco Zoo. We will leave at 9:00 am and arrive at the zoo by 10:00. Please get the money into me by Friday at the latest so that I can process the forms and get things set up for this trip. I will use all chaperones because I like to have two adults in each car. One adult drives and the other one navigates.
As you have noticed, there will be a pizza party on June 2 after our trip to the zoo. You must have your payment into me by May 27 so that Debbie, our school secretary can plan for that.
On Thursday, I will be sending home the towels that the children have used here at school. Please keep them at home. Throughout the next week, you will have many things coming home. It would be helpful to me if you would empty the backpacks every day so that I can fill them at school. Thank you.
One of these days this week, you will also be seeing some peas coming home. We grew these in the garden and I know your child will be excited to share them with you. Enjoy!
I believe that is all for now. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note May 19, 2009

2009-05-19T08:22:00.000-07:00

May 18, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. I have so many items to cover in the letter so please read it carefully. As I said earlier, since it is the end of the school year, a lot of activities are planned and I don’t want anyone to miss out on them.
This week we will read the story The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kaszo. Along with this story, we will review our letter sounds and start working with the blends. In math, we will continue to review our numbers and other skills that we have learned this year. During our circle time, we will talk about oceans and the animals found there. I do not know how much time I will have to spend on the oceans since a great deal of our free time will be dedicated to working on the Ascension service. Our Bible lessons will be “Peter Heals a Crippled Man” and “Peter Tells the Enemies about Jesus.” From these lessons we will see how Christ’s disciples confess him boldly.
As I mentioned in our other notes, we will be having a special Ascension service on Thursday evening, May 21, at 7:00 pm. Please bring your child to the kindergarten room at 6:30 pm so that we can run through our parts. We will be sitting as a class so once you drop your child off, you are free to go into the church and take a seat. After the service, we will go back to the classroom where you will pick up your child. All of the children are expected to be here. If you cannot make it, you must write out a note excusing your child.
I am sending home the field trip permission forms today. When you sign up, please send your payment. All checks should be made out to me. I will submit the payment when we go to the zoo. Remember, all adults pay $14.00 and all children over the age of three pay $10.00. I do not mind if siblings come on this trip. I would appreciate it if you could have your permission slip and payment into me by Friday, May 22. Thank you.
I briefly mentioned that the kindergarten class will have a small graduation ceremony on June 4 at 11:00. Please try to attend. It is an informal ceremony and I must say it is cute. I never know what is going to happen. The ceremony lasts approximately thirty minutes. Let me know if you have any questions.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note

2009-05-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

May 11, 2009

Dear Parents,

Thank you for all of the nice notes and special things that you did last week. I can assure you that it is a pleasure and honor to work with your children. Miss Beutel and I have had so much fun with these students and we have watched them turn into such a great group. Thank you for giving us this wonderful opportunity.

This week we will be reading the story Flower Garden by Eve Bunting. Along with this story, we will add the words ‘where,’ ‘and,’ and ‘get’ to our stack of sight words. Please continue to go through these words so that we can play some games and review them here at school. In math, we will keep reviewing the many skills we have developed over the year. We will be working with numbers one through thirty and writing them often throughout the week. During our circle time, we will talk about our bugs. Our Bible lessons will be “The Coming of the Holy Spirit” and “Peter Speaks to the Crowd.” From these lessons we will learn how the Holy Spirit works faith and Christian love in us. The Bible passage for this week will be Romans 10:17. Faith comes from hearing the message.

As you may have noticed, on Thursday, May 21, we will have a special evening service celebrating the ascension of our Lord. The service will start at 7:00 pm. All of the kindergarten children are expected to be here and sing. We will meet in the kindergarten room prior to the service. Please mark this date on your calendar. We need all of the children here because they will be doing a special part of this service.

Please mark June 4th as a special day. We will have Kindergarten graduation at 11am. Invite grandmas and grandpas too.

Along with this weeks note, you will find many other items to read through. Please take the time to do so. At the end of the year, many things happen and they come at you rapid fire. If you have any questions about anything, please ask. I will be happy to explain our procedures.

This week, I will be absent again. My daughter, Jessica, is graduating from college in Minnesota. I will be attending her graduation ceremony so I will not be here for the entire week. Miss Beutel has graciously said that she will take over for me. I know the children will be in good hands. If you have any questions concerning this, please let me know.

I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

Kindergarten Note May 5 2009

2009-05-05T08:15:00.001-07:00

May 5, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you enjoyed the extended weekend. We were ‘off’ due to a track meet that was held in Sacramento. I believe the break came at a good time. I hope all of you are watching your children for the signs of flu. I don’t necessarily mean the ‘swine flu’ either. A few people have mentioned that there is a nasty stomach flu going around. We don’t want that in kindergarten so please watch your child.
This week we will read the story Hush by Minfong Ho. We will also be working with the letter U. This is the last letter that we will concentrate upon. We hope to have an extensive review after the letters are done. In math, we will work with the numbers one through thirty. During our circle time, we will start a unit on bugs. This is such a fun unit and your child will come to appreciate and love bugs. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Ascension” and “A New Disciple.” From these lessons we will learn how our ascended Lord guides and blesses his church.
On Thursday of this week, we will be watching the play done by the upper grades. If you would like to come see the play, it will be performed again on Friday evening at 7:00. Please let anyone you know who is interested in Apostles of this opportunity to see our students in action. They always do a fine job.
I believe that I have mentioned our final field trip will be June 2. We will be going to the San Francisco Zoo. The cost of this trip will be $14.00 for each adult and $10.00 for each child. You do not need to send anything into me right now. I do want you to know the date so that if you need to ask off of work you will be able to do so. Siblings are welcomed to come along with us.
I will not be here on Friday of this week. My husband has to perform a wedding down in the San Diego area. Anyway, the couple arraigned for me to come along. Miss Beutel will be taking the class and as you know she takes very good care of the children.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note April 27, 2009

2009-04-26T20:44:00.000-07:00

April 27, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope all of you had a pleasant weekend. I know I did. My daughter, Katie, had her prom and it is one of the events that they request parents to attend when your child is a senior. It was a wonderful prom. This was the first of many things that I will need to attend this spring. On May 8, I will be attending a wedding in the San Diego area. My husband is actually performing the ceremony and they want me there too. On May 16, I will have the pleasure of watching my oldest daughter graduate from college. She wants to fulfill her lifelong dream of becoming a teacher. This is just one big step that she will complete. Anyway, what this means is that I will be absent on some of the school days. Miss Beutel will be filling in for me and as you all know, she is wonderful. The children will be in good hands. If you have any questions or concerns let me know.
This week we will be reading the story Zoom! Zoom! Zoom! I’m Off to the Moon by Dan Yaccarino. In addition to this story, we will be working with the letter Z. You will also receive three new sight words to add to the stack. They are ‘here,’ ‘to,’ and ‘up.’ In math, we will be working with tangrams. During our circle time, we will talk about magnets. Our Bible lessons will be “Doubting Thomas” and “Jesus and the Catch of Fish.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus prepares his disciples to be witnesses. Our Bible verse for this week will be I Timothy 2:3b,4. God our Savior. . . wants all men to be saved.
I am sending home our final book order. If you would like to order books, you must have the order into me by Friday. Please make out your checks to Scholastic Books.
Some of you have been asking about our final field trip. We will be going to the San Francisco Zoo on June 2. The cost for this trip will be $14.00 for each adult and $10.00 for each child. If you want to bring siblings along that is fine. However, each child must pay. I will give you more information when the day is closer. I am sorry about the substantially higher costs. I don’t know the rational behind it, but I am sure there are good reasons. It still is a nice field trip and we always have a great time.
I believe that is all for this week. I hope all goes well for you.
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note April 20

2009-04-20T08:26:00.000-07:00

April 20, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a wonderful Easter vacation. I know the children were anxious for the break and were looking forward to the time away from school. I hope they were able to rest and relax a little because from now until the end of school, we will have a lot to do.
This week we will be reading the story Franklin Plays the Game by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. Along with this story, we will be working with the letter Y. In math, we will be exploring new patterns and counting with nickels. During our circle time, we will finish our unit on rocks. Our Bible lessons will be “On the Road to Emmaus” and “Easter Evening.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus rose and fulfilled the Old Testament prophesies. We have another Bible verse to learn with these stories. It is John 10:35b. The Scripture cannot be broken.
As you know, on Thursday we will be going to the movie. I want to pass out a sheet explaining who will be driving and which children they will take in their car. Please do not switch children on your own. You need to clear this with me. I will let you know on Tuesday where everyone will go. I want to double check with my drivers to see if all is well with them. On Thursday, we will assemble in my room at 9:15 am. I will have a Bible lesson with the children prior to our departure so bring them to school at the regular time. After our Bible lesson, we will let you put the car seats in your car. Then, off we go. We must get to the theater by 10:00 because that is when the show starts. They will have a concession stand open. However, I do not want the children to purchase any snacks. It will be too difficult to get everyone settled if we do concessions. After the movie, we will head back to school and eat lunch. If you have any questions about this, please let me know.
After the Easter break, I know it is hard to get into the routine. But, if at all possible, could you please send your child’s towel back to school so that he or she will have a place to rest during quiet time. Thank you.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note April 6, 2009

2009-04-06T08:23:00.000-07:00

April 6, 2009

Dear Parents,
As you know, we are in Holy Week. That means that we will be having a lot of services this week at Apostles. Please check your schedule to see if any of these special services will work for you to attend. On Friday afternoon, at 2:00 pm, we will have a special Good Friday service. Your child is expected to sing for this service. In order to make it easier for you to let your child stay, we are offering free homeroom from 11:45 to 2:00. If you do want to take your child home for a break, please have him or her back to school by 1:40. At that time, I will gather the children and have them use the bathroom. Then, we will assemble to go into church. We will be sitting as a class in the front of church. Once the service is over, we will walk quietly down to the classroom to wait for you parents to pick up your child. The children who are not picked up will go back to homeroom. If you have any questions about this, please ask. I know for some of you this is confusing.
This week we will be reading the book I Need a Lunchbox by Jeannettte Caines. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter X. Since this letter is so easy, I intend to spend more time with the vowels. We saw some confusion with the A’s, E’s, and I’s. With practice, this will go away. In math, we will continue to work with subtraction. These kids are amazing with math. They catch on to addition and subtraction so easily. For circle time, we will keep talking about our rocks. This week I would really appreciate the rocks coming in from the children. We will spend a lot of time looking at them to see the formations as well as the different minerals in each rock. Our Bible lessons will be “The Guards Tell Lies,” “Jesus Appears to the Women” and “Mary Sees Jesus.” From these lessons we will learn how the resurrection of Jesus assures us of our own resurrection.
During the week, I am going to be starting my physical therapy. I had my first session on Friday and I was very sore. I have two sessions scheduled for this week and one of them is on Friday. Miss Beutel will be here from 10:30 to 11:45 so that I can get in that session. I will be here for the Good Friday service though. Your child will not notice any changes because I plan to do some Easter projects that day.
Our Easter break will be from April 11 through April 19. I hope that all of you have a relaxing and wonderful vacation.
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note March 30, 2009

2009-03-30T08:27:00.000-07:00

March 30, 2009

Dear Parents,
Thank you for bringing your child to sing in church yesterday. They did a wonderful job of explaining that it was God’s plan to have Jesus suffer so that we will not have to go through the pain he did on the cross. If you were not able to make it, please write an excuse and turn it in to me by Tuesday. Thank you.
This week we will be reading the story Corduroy by Don Freeman. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter E. This is probably the most difficult vowel because it is confused with I as well as A. We will work extensively on listening exercises to help with this problem. In math, we will start our subtraction unit. This also is more difficult to learn than addition, but we will plug away at it. During our circle time we will look at rocks. This is such a fun unit and if your child wants to bring in a rock for us to look at please let him. Just label the rock so that I can return it. We will enjoy looking at their treasures. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Is Put on the Cross,” “Jesus Dies on the Cross,” and “The Empty Tomb.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus finishes the work of our salvation and proves that he is the Son of God.
This week we will be starting something new. Each week we will have a memory verse for the children to learn. On Friday, they will have to recite the verse for me. This week the verse is John 11:25. I am the resurrection and the life. We will work on the verse here at school, but your help at home is always appreciated.
On Friday, April 10 at 2:00 pm, we will have a special church service where we remember our Lord’s suffering and death. The children are expected to be at this service and will sing in it. In order for all of them to be at the service, the school offers free child care from 11:45 until the time of church. I will assemble the children in my classroom and we will sit as a class during the service. After the service, the children are free to go home and enjoy their Easter break. If you have any questions about this, let me know.
On Saturday, April 4, we will be having our Easter for Kids program. This is a very neat program where the kids move from station to station and learn about Jesus their Savior. Your child is invited to come. However, we ask that if possible, please sign up your child before Saturday so that name tags and other materials can be assemble for him or her. Thank you.
I believe that is all. I hope you have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note March 23

2009-03-23T08:22:00.000-07:00

March 23, 2009

Dear Parents,
Last week Friday marked the end of our third quarter. I will be sending home your child’s report card today. Please check it over and let me know if you have any questions. I will not be meeting with you unless you request a conference. As a whole the children did very well, but we are noticing a trend of lowercase ‘b’ and ‘d’ reversals. This does not mean that your child has dyslexia. It simply means that your child is confusing the two letters. As your child progresses through the grade levels, it should get better. Be sure to contact me with any questions.
This week we will be reading the story Five Little Ducks by Pamela Paparone. Along with this story, we will work with the letter Q. Please add the words ‘one,’ ‘two,’ and ‘three’ to the sight word stack. In math, we will continue working with counting by fives. During our circle time, we will keep working with our plants. The children really love the plant unit and are excited to plant their peas. Our Bible lessons will be “Peter Sins” and “Jesus before Pilate.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus is denied and condemned to death.
On Sunday, March 29, the kindergarten children will sing in the early (8:45) service. Please have your child come to the kindergarten classroom by 8:00 am to practice the song. After we have gone through it a few times, the children will be dismissed to sit with you throughout the service. Thank you for bringing your child to sing.
Some of you know what our Easter for Kids program is all about. If your child is planning on coming, please sign up so that the name tags can be made up a head of time. It really helps with the organization. If you know of anyone else who would like to come, please bring them. We don’t mind visitors.
If you were planning on getting a car for the pine car derby, please fill out the necessary paperwork and turn it in soon. Mr. and Mrs. Weinrich need to have the forms in so that they can get the cars to you.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note March 16 2009

2009-03-16T08:30:00.000-07:00

March 16, 2009

Dear Parents,
I want to thank all of you for bringing your child to sing on Wednesday, March 11. The children did a beautiful job of praising their precious Savior. Thank you for making the extra effort to have them here. Our next singing opportunity is March 29 in the 8:45 am service. I will be sending more information once the date gets closer.
This week we will be reading the book Listen Buddy by Helen Lester. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter V. Sometimes this letter is confused with the letter F so I will be listening for that. In math, we will be working with nickels. That means we will start counting by 5’s. If you get the chance, take out some nickels and let your child count the money. He/she will love it. During our circle time, we will be starting our plant unit. This is my favorite unit and many fun things will be going on with this subject matter. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Washes His Disciples Feet” and “The Garden of Gethsemane.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus is betrayed and arrested.
On Friday of this week, I will definitely need all of the permission slips for the movie. I asked for them early so that I could determine how many drivers I would need. Please hand them in as soon as possible. Thank you.
On Friday, we will also end our third quarter of school. My how time flies! I will be assessing the children’s progress this week and will have the report cards out to you early next week. I will not need to meet with you again. However, if you have a concern please do not hesitate to ask me. I want you to feel comfortable with your child’s progress. As a whole, this class is amazing. Miss Beutel and I are thoroughly impressed with their thirst for knowledge and their reading abilities. We couldn’t be happier with what they are doing.
As I mentioned last week, I would like the children to start working on tying shoes. This is an important self-help skill that will be necessary in first grade. Please start working on this at home. Thank you.
I believe that is all that I have for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note March 9, 2009

2009-03-08T19:49:00.000-07:00

March 9, 2009

Dear Parents,
We are racing through the school year and everything in the kindergarten classroom is going quite well. The children are doing an amazing job with their reading and the math is good too. There is one self help skill that would be great for you to work on at home. The children need to learn how to tie their shoes. I know some of them have Velcro shoes and that is fine, but eventually, we need to teach them how to tie. At this time of the year, I ask them to do more and more on their own so that they are prepared for next year. Of course I understand this will take time, but I thought we could all work on it and see what happens. Thank you.
This week we will be reading the story Jump into the Jungle by Theresa Volpe. Along with this story, we will work with the letter J. I also will add three more words to the sight word stack. They are ‘do,’ ‘not,’ and ‘what.’ Please keep working with these words. The children do very well with the reading and one of the reasons why is due to the practice that they get at home with the sight words. You are doing a great job parents! In math, we will continue to work with the numbers one through twenty. During our circle time, we will talk about nutrition. We have talked about our bodies and now we need to address what foods are good for us to eat. Our Bible lessons will be “Wicked Farmers” and “The Wedding Clothes.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus warns his enemies concerning their unbelief.
Today, you will be receiving a flyer concerning the Disney movie. I sent home a letter last week about this and now we need firm commitments from you parents as to who will be able to drive for this field trip. Please remember that if you drive, you must have taken the worker training class in order to come along. I would appreciate having the forms in by Friday so that the proper plans can be made. By the way, the cost of the trip will be $5.00 per person.
This Wednesday evening, the kindergarten children will be singing in the 5:00 service. Please have your child come to the kindergarten room by 4:45 pm for a warm up. After that he or she will be excused to sit with you throughout the service. Once the service is completed, you are welcome to join us at the soup supper. Thank you in advance for bringing your child to sing.
I believe that is all for this week. I hope all goes well for you.
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note March 2

2009-03-02T08:27:00.000-08:00

March 2, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. March appears to be coming in like a lion. Hopefully, this much needed rain will continue to come. However, I must admit I am not looking forward to spending time indoors with these energetic kids. We will try to get outside as much as possible.
This week we will be reading the story Shoes Like Miss Alice’s by Angela Johnson. Along with the story, we will be working with the letter W. This isn’t a difficult letter, but the sound for it is sometimes confused with the letter R. In math, we will be taking a break from the addition and working with the numbers thirteen through seventeen. We hope to also review some measuring skills and counting money with dimes. During our circle time, we will discuss the senses and how God gave them to us to explore the world around us. Our Bible lessons will be “Taxes to Caesar” and “A Poor Woman’s Offering.” From these lessons we will learn what Jesus teaches us on using God-given gifts.
On March 11, the kindergarten children are scheduled to sing in the 5:00 service. They will be singing for one of our Lenten services. In order to do this, I would ask that you have your child here at church by 4:45 pm for a warn-up session. Then, we will dismiss the children to sit with you parents. After the service, you are invited to come and join us for our soup supper. Otherwise, you are free to leave after the service is completed.
I would like to thank all of you for participating in the spirit week activities. This was meant to be a fun week and I think it was just that. As your child gets older, he/she will become more and more creative with the outfits. Enjoy!
On Thursday of this week, I intend to do some planting. I need to start my plant unit early so that we can transplant the peas into my garden. Please have your child dress appropriately.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten NoteFeb. 23

2009-02-23T08:21:00.000-08:00

February 23, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a nice relaxing vacation from school. I know many of you had plans and I hope the weather did not deter them.
This week we will be reading the story Three Little Kittens by Paul Galdone. Along with this story we will be working with the letter K. I am also sending home two words cards ‘have’ and ‘little’ for you to add to the stack. Believe me it does help when the children know the sight words. In math, we will work with addition. We are just about finished with this unit and I must say some of the children are very good at adding. For circle time we will talk about the organs of our body. Our Bible lessons will be “The Story of the Three Servants” and “The Workers in the Vineyard.” From these lessons we will learn how God gives us his grace and he expects us to be faithful.
I want to let all of you know how well the children sang at the memorial service. I got many compliments on their singing, but more importantly, they provided a powerful message. Miss Beutel and her family were very grateful for the song and expressed that many times. The class also got the family a potted plant which they put on the table up in front of church. Thank you so much for your donations and cooperation.
I must say too, on behalf of Miss Beutel and myself, we thank you very much for all of the nice valentine cards and gifts that you sent our way. It was very thoughtful of you to think of us.
This week is spirit week here at school. If you choose to participate, I want you to know that on Tuesday, we will have red, white and blue day. Each teacher in the primary grades has the option to choose whatever they want to do and that is what I want. Just as a reminder, Wednesday is dress-up day, Thursday is crazy day, and Friday is green and gold day. These days can be fun so just have a good time with it.
On Wednesday evening, we will start our Lenten services here at Apostles. We have two service at 5:00 pm and 7:00 pm. You are welcome to come and join us. We also have a soup supper in between the services. On March 11, the children will be singing and I hope you will be able to make it to that service.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note Feb.9

2009-02-09T08:19:00.000-08:00

February 9, 2009

Dear Parents,
Thank you all for the love and concern that you are showing for Miss Beutel. I want you to know the details of the memorial service for her mother. We will have the children sing in the service and they will sit as a class in the back pews by the sound room. I want the children to come to the classroom by 1:30 pm on Friday, February 13. We will run through the song several times and then we will go into church. Please have your child dress nicely that day. Some of you will be taking your child and bringing him or her back. Others of you will have your child go to homeroom. If you decide to send your child to homeroom, I will make sure that he or she looks nice before the service. I will also see to it that they use the bathroom and are ready to sit for a while. Once the service is completed, we will walk down to the classroom and you will be able to pick up your child there. If you would like to attend the luncheon after the service, feel free to do so. Again, thank you for all of the love you are showing Miss Beutel. She is a dear person in your child’s life and I know she is grateful.
This week we will be reading the story On the Go by Ann Morris. Along with this story, we will be working with the letter O. Please keep reviewing the words with your child. There are a few words that many are getting confused. In math, we will continue working with addition. The children are catching on, but I want them to get very good at adding the numbers. I apologize for not getting to the organs of the body last week. We got carried away catching up on our left over projects from the week before. We did manage to talk about the proper care of teeth. After our break, we will have a health unit. This week we will talk about the presidents. Our Bible lessons will be “Mary Anoints Jesus” and “Jesus Rides into Jerusalem.” From these lessons we will learn that Jesus is the King who came to give his life for us.
On Friday, February 13, we will have a Valentine’s party from 10:15-11:45 am. If you would like to join us, you are certainly welcome to do so. Those of you who signed up to bring treats can bring them anytime that morning. Remember, if your child is handing out valentines, he or she must bring one for everyone in the class.
Next week we will not have school. Please remember that as you make plans. I hope this will be a time for you to relax.
Have a great week and a nice break!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note

2009-02-02T08:19:00.000-08:00

February 2, 2009

Dear Parents,
Thank you all for coming in and talking to me about your child’s progress. I do take everything that you say to heart and I value your input. As a whole, this class has many gifts and it is a pleasure to be able to see them use their talents. Remember if you have any concerns, please email, call or talk to me as soon as possible. I like to stay on top of things and with your help it is possible. I did receive most of the report card envelopes. If you have not returned yours, please do so.
This week we will be reading the story Honk! Honk! A Story of Migration by Mick Manning and Brita Granstrom. Along with this story we will be working with the letter G. I also have two more words to add to your list. They are ‘my’ and ‘we.’ In math, we will break for one day to observe and count to one hundred in observance of the 100th day of school. Otherwise, we will continue to work with our addition. During our circle time, we will talk about the organs of our body and how God made them special to keep us healthy. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Raises Lazarus” and “Zaccheus.” From these lessons we will learn that Jesus shows concern for others while on his way to die.
I am passing out the book order forms. You are not required to purchase any books. However, I thought perhaps since your child is reading you might want to have some books around at home. Please have the orders into me by Friday and make your checks out to Scholastic Books.
I am asking the people whose last names begin with the letter N-Z to supply items for the Valentines party. Please check the list on the door to see what items you might be interested in bringing. Thank you. I also gave you a list of the names of the children last week. If you have misplaced it, let me know. Our party will be Friday, February 13 from 10:15-11:45. If you would like to join us, that would be great.
As you may have noticed, our school will not be in session from February 16-20. We will observe president’s day and also have a teacher’s conference during that week. Enjoy the week off.
I hope all of you have a great week. Again, thanks for coming in to talk with me.
Mrs. Kronebusch

January 26 Kindegarten Letter

2009-01-25T19:15:00.000-08:00

January 26, 2009

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. Thank you for making the special effort to bring your child in to sing yesterday. They did a beautiful job of praising Jesus. If you were not able to be here, please write an email or a note excusing your child. Thanks.
This week we will be reading the story In the Rain with Baby Duck. Along with this, we will work with the letter D. I don’t have any new words to add, but you will want to keep working with the ones that you already have. We are trying to establish fluency in your child’s reading and it really helps when they have a list of sight words learned. In math, we will be taking a break to work with addition. I hope that the children will be familiar with the addition facts that add up to seven. If we can squeeze in more, we will do so. During our circle time, we will talk about the Chinese New Year. My goal in discussing this is to appreciate the different cultures and their customs. Besides, it is a lot of fun to see the children do some of the projects that I have planned. Our Bible lessons will be “The Rich Man and Poor Lazarus” and “The Rich Young Ruler.” From these lessons we will see how Jesus teaches us the dangers of possessions.
On February 13, we will have a Valentine’s party. The children in the last half of the alphabet (N-Z) will be asked to provide the treats for this one. Unfortunately, we will have to have this party at 10:15 am. That is the only time that works. We will end the party when school is concluded at 11:45. I am including a list of students for you with this note. I only ask that if you make out a valentine for one child you do it for the entire class. We don’t want any hurt feelings in kindergarten.
I hope that all of you received your report cards. I would like to schedule a time to meet with you concerning your child’s progress. I will make this a brief meeting, but I want to check and see if you have any concerns. I also want to let you know what my plans are for the rest of the year. I will try to catch most of you this week, but if I don’t get to all of you, we will definitely meet next week.
I hope all of you have a great week.
Mrs. Kronebusch

January 19 K2 Note

2009-01-19T19:35:00.000-08:00

January 20, 2009

Dear Parents,
I want to keep you updated on my situation here at school so you all know what is going on with me and my family. First of all, my father has made very good progress. He went from being on a life support system to nursing home care. Unfortunately, he is not the best patient and doesn’t like being in a hospital bed. More than anything he wants to return home, but that is out of the question. God has given us more time with him here on this earth and we are thankful for that. I can only tell you that it is a big relief for me and my family to have him this far along. I do not plan to go back until February 18. By then, my other family members will be worn out and will need a break.
As you know by now, I am resigning at the end of this school year. My arm is not cooperating. I love this class very much and I thank God that he has given me each and every one of these children to teach. Since I have accumulated quite a bit of ‘stuff’ over the years, I will be doing lots of projects that are fun. I hope the children will enjoy these things as much as I will.
Now that I have taken care of the things on your mind, I will get started with my note. This week, we will read Looking for Crabs by Bruce Whatley. We will also be working with the letter L. I am adding two new sight words to your stack. They are ‘look’ and ‘see.’ Please keep working with these words. I can tell which students review the words daily. In math, we will be finishing up some miscellaneous skills. They include counting the numbers up to twenty, learning about measurement and working with designs. After this week, I hope to start an addition unit. During our circle time, we will talk about Dr. Martin Luther King and explain how he helped our country realize that all people should be treated equally. Our Bible lessons will be “The Pharisee and the Tax Collector” and “A Father Forgives His Son.” From these lessons we will learn what Jesus teaches on repentance.
I want to remind you that the kindergarten children sing in the late service on January 25. The service starts at 11:15, but I would like to run through the song at 11:00 am. Please have your child here on time so that we can review the song and get ready for the service. You will be able to take your child to church and sit with him or her during the service.
On Friday night, January 23, we will have an Open House. The children in grades five through eight have been working on Science Fair projects. It is always fun to see what they have cooked up so please try to attend. The Open House goes from six until eight that evening. You will have fun and you might even get some ideas for the future.
Last Friday we ended the second quarter. I will be doing report cards and I hope to hand them out by Thursday. I will not be able to meet with anyone this week, but next week I would like to schedule a meeting with each of you to explain the progress your child has made and what I hope to accomplish during the rest of the year. This will not be a lengthy conference, but I find this one to be most beneficial. Anyway, be thinking of a day when we can meet and I will write it down. Thank you.
I really gave you a lot of information in this note. I hope all of you had a great weekend. Now continue with a great week.
Mrs. Kronebusch

January 12 K2 Parent Letter

2009-01-12T10:46:00.000-08:00

January 12, 2009

Dear Parents,
I am sorry that my departure was so abrupt. My father is still listed as critical. The evening when they called me he was not expected to live. This has been quite a learning lesson for me. I now know how special we are to our heavenly Father and how delicately He made us. I do not know what the future holds for me, but I tentatively want to fly back to San Jose on Monday night and then hope to be in the classroom on Tuesday afternoon. The doctor has warned me that I could be called back at any time. I have accepted that and I know that my father’s times are in his loving Savior’s hands. I will keep you parents posted as to what is happening with me. You do have Miss Beutel there and she is excellent. I am communicating with her daily. Please continue to keep me and my family in your prayers. We thank you for the prayers you have already offered on our behalf. That has meant a great deal to me and to my family.
This week we will be reading the story Raccoons and Ripe Corn. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter R. I don’t have any new words to add to your sight word stack. Please just keep working on the words you have. In math, we will be working with the numbers again. I wanted to break off pretty soon and do an addition unit. Hopefully, I will be able to do that soon. During our circle time, we will talk about germs and bacteria. I always feel it is appropriate to have this health unit at this time when colds and flu tend to go rampant. Our Bible lessons will be “Mary and Martha” and “The Great Dinner.” From these lessons we will learn that studying and learning God’s Word is more important and beneficial than the worldly concerns.
I believe that I told you about our next singing opportunity which will be January 25 in the late service. Please mark that date on the calendar.
This week Friday we will conclude our second quarter of school. Next week I would like to hand out report cards as soon as possible. After that, I would like to visit with you about your child’s progress. These parent/teacher consultations will be brief, but they are important. I want to check in with you to see how things are going.
Again thank you for your understanding and patience as I deal with these important family issues. I truly miss your children and I cannot wait to be with them.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten January 5 Note

2009-01-04T20:14:00.000-08:00

January 5, 2009

Dear Parents,
Welcome back! I know that we will have a hard time getting into the grove of school again, but I am excited to see everyone and hear about their vacations. I hope that all of you enjoyed your time off together.
This week we will be reading Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks. Along with this story, we will be working with the letter H. I also hope to do an extensive review so that I know which letters are still giving the children trouble. You will need to add the words ‘it’ and ‘but’ to your stack of sight words. In math, we will be counting by tens. We have introduced the dime and now we want the children to be able to count by tens. During our circle time, we will have a snow unit. I want to explain what people in the Midwest experience during the winter. We will make snowflakes, snowmen and even some fake snow. It should be fun. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Shows Love to a Man Born Blind” and “Jesus and the Ten Sick Men.” From these lessons we will learn that each one of us is important to Jesus.
I would like to have a special sharing this week with the children. I know they each received a gift this Christmas and with their parents’ permission, I would like them to bring in one present to show the class. The children will not be able to play with it, but they can show the class. I would like the sharing date to be Friday. However, if some have to bring it in earlier, that is fine.
Please mark January 25 on your calendars. Our kindergarten children sing in the late service that weekend. I will give you more information later on when the date is closer.
There is a special Bible class being offered on Sunday mornings at 10:00 and Wednesday evenings at 7:00. It is called ‘Bringing Up Kids Without Tearing Them Down’ by Kevin Leman. It is a video based class with discussion following led by Pastor Kronebusch. Over the years, I have found this class to be extremely helpful. More information will be coming home this week, but I highly encourage you to consider this class.
I hope all of you have a great week. Let me know if I have forgotten anything.
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Kindergarten Note

2008-12-15T08:40:00.000-08:00

December 15, 2008

Dear Parents,
I sincerely appreciate all of the pajamas that you have sent into the classroom for our wrapping. I have never done something like this before, but for me it has been heart warming. Thank you for your generosity.
This week is going to be chaotic, but somehow we will squeeze in some lessons. We will be reading Ginger by Charlotte Voake. We will also be working with the letter ‘I’. There will be no new sight words to add to the collection, but please keep going through the words over Christmas. It will help your child very much after we return from the break. In math, we will be working with dimes and counting by tens. During our circle time, we will be busy with Christmas projects. Our Bible lessons will be “The Good Samaritan” and “The Servant Who Did Not Forgive.” From these lessons we will learn how important it is to love our neighbor.
On Saturday, December 20, we will have a dress rehearsal for the Christmas program. Your child is supposed to participate in this rehearsal. We will start at 9:00 am and finish at 11:30 am. Please bring your child to church for this rehearsal. That evening we will have our Christmas program which will start at 5:30 pm. All of the children are to be here for this program. Please have your child come to the classroom by 5:00 pm. We will be going in as a class so you will want to find a seat in the church. Please have your child dress appropriately for this important program. I must correct something from my previous notes. We will sing and sit together throughout the 5:30 program. The children are also expected to sing at the beginning of the 7:00 program. After that, they may be dismissed. However, if you want them to sit through the 7:00 program, that is fine. Please let me know what your pleasure is so that I can plan accordingly. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.
On Thursday, December 18, we will have our Christmas party at 1:30 pm. If you have time, please stop by for this fun afternoon. The children get very excited about the party and would enjoy it if you came to be a part of it. Those who signed up for the party, this is when you should bring your treats. Thank you for your help.
Our Christmas vacation will start after the Christmas program. School will resume on January 5. Have a blessed vacation. I will miss your children, but I hope that you have a nice time together.
Mrs. Kronebusch

December 8 K2 Kindergarten Note

2008-12-08T08:32:00.000-08:00

December 8, 2008

Dear Parents,
I know many of you are busy with Christmas preparations. I hope that you are taking time to get plenty of rest. I notice that the children in class are getting pretty worn out. Some have even gotten nasty colds. Please make sure that they get lots of rest and time to relax. Hopefully, they will stay healthy for the holidays. This week we will be reading the story No, No Titus by Claire Masurel. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter N. Also, please add the words ‘big’ and ‘in’ to the stack of sight words. Don’t forget to practice the words. I am starting to play games using the sight words in the classroom. Your work at home really helps the children. In math, we will be working with the numbers one through ten. We will continue using the geoboards to help us with line segments and the various shapes. During our circle time, we will talk about different Christmas customs. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Shows His Glory” and “Peter Tells Who Jesus Is.” From these lessons we will learn that Jesus came to die for us.
I know the weather has been pleasant, but I must insist on having jackets here for the children to wear. Some of them are not bringing jackets to school. However, we do have some chilly mornings and we need the jackets. Thank you.
If you have not already done so, please send your pair of pajamas to school by Friday. I also will be in need of shirt boxes to help with the wrapping process. I believe I will have enough wrapping paper and other such items. Thank you for your donations. Mrs. Zambrano and the organization which gives out the pajamas will be featured on Good Morning America on Monday. I will be taping the segment to show the children how special the donation will be.
The party for our classroom will be on Thursday, December 18 at 1:30 pm. I have a sign up list on the classroom door and the people in class whose last name starts with A-L should sign up to help with the party. Those who do not help with this party will be asked to bring things for the Valentines party.
Please mark your calendar for December 20. We will have the children’s program that evening at 5:30 pm. Your child is only expected to participate in the first service. I will send more information once I receive it.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

December 1 K2 Kindergarten Note

2008-12-01T08:19:00.000-08:00

December 1, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. The time off of school probably came at a good time. Many of the children were getting a cold and the extra rest was needed. Now we will be busy in December preparing for Christmas.
This week we will read the story Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. Along with this story, we will be working with the letter P. I have included a word list with this note. Please go through the words every night. If your child knows how to read them without blending the letters, you do not have to go through the list. In math, we will review our numbers and work with a new apparatus, the geoboard. This will be a lot of fun for us and a good thing to help us discover what shapes we can make. During our circle time, we will talk about different modes of transportation. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Feeds the Five Thousand” and “Jesus Walks on Water.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus teaches his disciples to trust him.
As we prepare for Christmas, I want to remind you of a few things. First of all, the children will all be expected to participate in our Christmas program on Saturday, December 20. The program will start at 5:30 and a second program will be at 7:00. The kindergarten children will only be asked to be in the first service. I will send home more information regarding this later on in December.
The second thing that I must remind you of is the gift of pajamas that we will give to the needy. Please bring your set of pajamas by Friday, December 12. Also, if possible, I could use some shirt gift boxes for the children to wrap their gifts. We will wrap the pajamas and give them to Mrs. Zambrano to distribute to the needy. Thank you for helping out with this endeavor.
Finally, we will have the class Christmas party on December 18 at 1:30 pm. You are certainly welcome to attend this party and join us for an afternoon of fun. I am asking parents whose last names begin with A-L to help out by bringing the treats and goodies to the party. I will have a sign-up sheet on my classroom door so please see what you would like to bring. Thanks.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

Nov. 24 K2 Kindergarten Note

2008-11-24T08:10:00.001-08:00

November 24, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had fun at the book fair. I want to thank all of you for the lovely books that you got for the classroom. I cannot wait to read them. It was very kind of you to do that for us.
This week is rather short, but we will read the story Cat’s Color’s by Jane Cabrera. We will also work with the letter C. Please add the words ‘like’ and ‘is’ to your stack of sight words. I listened to the first story that the children read last week. I can not tell you how exciting that was for me. They did a fine job. Continue to work with the sight words. It will show later on which children know the words and which ones don’t. Thank you. In math, we will word with the numbers one through nine. We are working on different skills now like time, patterns, and which number is located before or after. These are all thinking skills and they do help later on in the math. During our circle time, we will talk about Pilgrims and the first Thanksgiving. I love this unit and I hope your child comes away with the thought that we should take time out to thank our Lord for the many blessings he gives us. Our Bible lessons are “The Death of John the Baptist” and “Jesus Teaches Simon.” From these lessons we will learn Jesus’ enemies reject his Word, but believers respond with love and thanks.
This is a short week. We will not have school on Thursday or Friday. Please enjoy the holiday as a family. After Thanksgiving, the schedules will fill up with Christmas activities so take this time to relax. May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving!
Mrs. Kronebusch

November 17 K2 Kindergarten Note

2008-11-17T08:11:00.000-08:00

November 17, 2008

Dear Parents,
Wow! What a beautiful weekend! I hope that all of you were able to get out and enjoy the weather. We will have plenty of days where it will not be so nice. Even though we have had nice weather, I would like to ask all of you to please send a jacket to school every day. This is the time of year when anything can happen. Thank you.
This week we will be reading the story Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. Along with this book, we will be working with the vowel A. This is not a difficult letter, but I like to make sure that the children know the sound for it. In math, we will work with the numbers one through nine. We will also be working with the AB and ABB patterns. For our circle time, we will talk about Native Americans and how they lived throughout the United States. I hope that the children appreciate how these people were able to use the gifts that God gave them to survive. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Heals a Captain’s Servant” and “Jesus Answers the Prayer of a Canaanite Woman. From these lessons we will learn that through the gift of faith, believers are able to trust Jesus completely.
As I mentioned last week, if any of you are leaving early to get away for the Thanksgiving, please let me know. I do some special projects and I want to have ample things ready. Also, I will try to get your child caught up on the work that they will miss so that we do not have to worry about make-up work.
This week we are having a book fair. Please come to check out the beautiful art work done by the students and if you are so inclined you may want to purchase some books. The book fair is located in the fellowship hall.
I want to thank all of you for coming in for the parent-teacher consultations. With your help, I am able to design the programs that are appropriate for your child. Thank you for taking the time to come in and talk to me. We will meet again in February to discuss how things are going.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

November 10 K2 Kindergarten Weekly Note

2008-11-09T16:07:00.000-08:00

November 10, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a wonderful and restful weekend. The children and you have worked so hard and it was time for a break. Unfortunately, we will be getting a lot of breaks during the next few weeks. Please watch the notices so that you are aware of all of the changes that will be made.
This week we will be reading the story Follow the Leader by Miela Ford. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter F. I am sending two more words home for you to put with the sight word stack. They are ‘I’ and ‘am.’ Please keep going through these words. The more we practice the better it will be. In math, we are working with the numbers one through eight. As you can see, we are also trying to tell time. This is going quite well. During our circle time, we will talk about patriotism. This is a dear subject to me and I like to explain the significance of the flag, our patriotic symbols and other such things. Our Bible lessons will be “The Young Man from Nain,” “Jesus Teaches Us about Loving Others,” and “Jesus Teaches Us Not to Worry.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus wants us to live, dependent upon him.
I want to thank those of you who have been able to meet with me. I have not met with everyone and I apologize for that. Last week was not very good for me because I switched pain medication. This week I hope and pray things will be better. I do want to meet with all of you. Your thoughts and your concerns are important to me.
There is a note connected with this letter that explains the hot lunch program. Please read it so that you know how to proceed.
We will be breaking for Thanksgiving in two weeks. Please note that we dismiss on Wednesday of that week. I do realize that some of you leave early to spend time with the family. Please let me know in advance if that is the case.
On Sunday, November 16, we will be having a kindergarten open house. If you know of anyone who is interested, please let me or Mr. Luehring know. We will be happy to pass the information along to them.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

November 3 Kindergarten 2 Note

2008-11-03T08:03:00.001-08:00

November 3, 2008

Dear Parents,
Thank you for bringing your child to sing yesterday. We did have quite a few absences and I do need written excuses as to why your child was not there to sing. Please get those to me by Wednesday.
This week we will be reading the story Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson. Along with the story, we will be working with the letter T. This letter is pretty easy, but we will check to make sure that the children are forming the sound of T correctly. In math, we will continue to work with the numbers one through eight. We will also be working with a matrix and clocks. During our circle time, we will talk about voting and what a privilege it is to be able to cast a vote for what we want. I hope to take the children to the polling place if the workers are okay with us doing so. This also will depend on voter turn out which I expect will be quite heavy. Our only Bible lesson for this week will be “Jairus’ Daughter.” From this lesson, we will see how our Lord Jesus shows that he is the Son of God by healing the girl.
We are trying to return to normal in our classroom. However, I still cannot make an entire day. I went to my surgeon on Friday and he said I am way ahead of schedule as far as the healing goes. But, I tire quickly. I hope that gets better soon. Miss Beutel has been helping me out so much and I feel so blessed to be able to have her here to pick up the loose ends. Hopefully, I will keep up the fast pace of healing and will be 100% soon. I am still trying to meet with all of you parents. If I have not contacted you, I will do so. My desire was to do it much quicker, but my body has not been cooperating. Please be patient. I will meet with you.
This week we will not have school on Thursday or Friday. The teachers will be attending a conference in Anaheim on the days of school that we will miss. There will be childcare on Wednesday afternoon from 11:45 am to 6:00 pm. I hope that will help you out a little.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

October 27, 2008 Kindergarten Note

2008-10-27T08:01:00.001-07:00

October 27, 2008

Dear Parents,
I am back in the classroom this week, but only part time. I want to thank all of you for your patience, kindness and prayers for my recovery. I feel so blessed to be serving you and your child. I will not be able to be here on Friday because I have a doctor’s appointment, but from that point on, I will work hard to be here everyday. I am very grateful to Miss Beutel, Mrs. Albrecht, and Mrs. Crofts for all of the extra things that they had to do to cover for me. They are wonderful people and quite a blessing to our school.
I saw a few of you on Friday evening and I want you all to know how much I enjoyed your child’s performance. They were absolutely wonderful. They did such a fine job. I hope you enjoyed the show too. If you want a video of the show, there is a form available at the office. Please get that in soon so that the proper number of videos/DVD’s can be made.
This week we will be reading the story Vegetable Soup by Lois Ehlert. We will also work with the letter S. This isn’t a hard letter, but it is sometimes mispronounced by children who are missing teeth. We will check for that. Also, add the words ‘can’ and ‘at’ to your sight word pile. I am quite impressed with how well the children know the sight words. Believe me, after Christmas you will be very happy that you invested all of this time. In math, we will work with the numbers one through seven. We are taking more time to work with the formation of the numbers. In addition, we will work with pennies. During our circle time, we will have a unit on Martin Luther. In this unit, we don’t praise the man, but we try to explain to the children that it is by faith that we are saved and not by our good works. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Calms the Storm” and “Jesus and the Paralyzed Man.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus proves that he is the Son of God.
Today is picture retake day. Only the children who were absent or who brought in their pictures will do retakes.
On Sunday, November 2, the kindergarten children will sing in the 8:45 am service. Please have your child come to the classroom by 8:30 for a warm-up. Then we will let them sit with you until they are called up to sing.
I am going to be handing out first quarter report cards on Tuesday of this week. I needed a little extra time because my hand doesn’t want to cooperate. After you receive your report card, I will schedule a conference time for you. I will be most accommodating because I know I cannot handle many conferences in a row. I will either call you or catch you before or after school to arrange a time.
There is one final and important item that I want you to know. On Friday, October 31, I know many people call it Halloween and make it quite a celebration. We do not dress up in costumes and we don’t celebrate it here at school with any parties. What you choose to do with your child is fine, but we just don’t make a big deal out of the day. Whatever you do that evening, please be safe and have an enjoyable day.
I believe that is all for this time. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

October 20 Kindergarten Weekly Note

2008-10-20T08:31:00.000-07:00

October 20, 2008

Dear Parents,
Thank you all for the prayers and the well wishes that you have sent my way. I am doing very well and I am gaining more strength each day. God has been very good to me. I will still be out this week because I tire easily, but hopefully next week I will be back part time. I do want to come in on Tuesday and Thursday afternoon to see the children and reassure them that I am doing fine. Miss Beutel and Mrs. Albrecht have had many good things to say about the class. I just know that they are doing a great job in kindergarten. Thank you, parents, for all of the coaching that you have done at home. This certainly was not what I planned on, but the Lord had other thoughts.
This week the children will be reading the story Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate. We will also be working with the letter B. As you noticed last week, we added two more sight words to the stack the children should go over each day. Please keep up with the sight words. We like to play games in class with the word cards and it will help your child in the reading process. In math, we will continue to work on the numbers. During circle time, Miss Beutel will have her choice of options. Since we will be getting ready for the fall musical night, I don’t know how much extra time she will have. The Bible lessons will be “The Farmer and the Seed” and “Weeds among the Wheat.” From these lessons we will learn that the kingdom of God is in the heart of the believer.
As you know, Friday evening is a very special one to us here at Apostles. The children in grades one through three will be doing a musical called ‘Go Fish.’ It is very cute and it helps you to see what your child can do in the future grades. The kindergarten children provide the opening act. They will sing two songs right away at the beginning. Then, they will turn up the lights so that you will be able to get your child from the entryway. Your child will be able to sit with you throughout the performance. The musical starts at 7:00 pm, but it would be helpful if you had your child here by 6:30 pm. Please bring your child to the kindergarten room and let Miss Beutel and Mrs. Crofts get them ready for the show. Please make every effort to be here that evening. It is just a fun time and a good opportunity to see your child on stage. A dress rehearsal will be on Thursday at 9:30 am. You are also invited to come and see that. Area preschools will be coming to see the musical and so will our elderly group from church. The children will not have costumes this year, but I encourage you to have your child wear a nice school outfit.
On Friday, October 24, we will end our first quarter. I would like to hand out report cards on Monday, October 27. After that, I would like to sit down and meet with all of you concerning your child’s progress. I will call or talk to you personally to set up a time for a conference. I cannot go by the schedules that you gave me earlier because I know you have commitments. I will try to accommodate you as best as I can. I don’t like you to make extra trips here to school just for short meetings. However, I do want to sit down and talk things through with you to see how things are going. As a whole, this is an impressive class. They are bright and fun to work with. I cannot wait to get back to normal to be able to enjoy them.
It has come to my attention that there is a problem regarding the playground situation when we dismiss on the early days. The children in first and second grades are supposed to have the opportunity to play on the playground as well as the blacktop at noon. As you know, we don’t like to confine the children to small areas and the bigger kids do need more room to run and play. After you pick up your child at 11:45 am, please exit the parking lot by 11:55 am so that the children in these upper grades have free access to the playground and the blacktop. The teachers and students in the first and second grades will definitely appreciate your cooperation.
Please mark November 2 on your calendar. The children sing in the early service. We will need to learn a song for that yet, but I am sure we will be able to do it.
Once again thank you for all of your concern and your great cooperation with this surgery thing. I am quite anxious to be a teacher again and not a patient. These little ones, your children, give me so much joy and I want to be back as soon as possible. In the mean time, have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

October 13, 2008 Kindergarten Note

2008-10-13T08:22:00.001-07:00

October 6, 2008

Dear Parents,
This note is going to be rather lengthy because I want to explain to you to what has been happening with me and what I have to look forward to.
About a week ago, I woke up with some pain in my shoulder. I thought I had just slept in a bad position, but when the pain intensified and my arm went numb, I knew I needed medical attention. On Monday, September 29, I went to see my doctor. It was his strong recommendation that I not return to school for the rest of the week. He also recommended that I get an MRI and see a neurosurgeon. Last week, that was exactly what I did. Thankfully, I was able to get in very quickly. The MRI and neurosurgeon confirmed that I have a herniated disc in my neck which affects my C6 and C7 nerves. This was a condition that came on suddenly and must be dealt with quickly so that I can be free from all of the pain and prevent further damage to the nerve. On Friday, October 10, I will be having surgery at the O’Connor hospital with Dr. Rustamedezh. He is one of the professors at Stanford and even though I have only met with him briefly, I believe that God has brought him into my life to help me. I know many of you are concerned for your child. I, too, share that concern. That is why I will be trying to come into the classroom this week as much as possible to help Miss Beutel with the day to day activities. I cannot guarantee anything because I don’t know when the pain will get to be too much. But, I want to be here with your children and help alleviate the anxieties that the children might have. This is all very confusing to them and their little minds cannot comprehend what is going on. I guess by coming in I just want them to have as much normalcy as possible so that they can be more relaxed. Every morning, I will take the Bible lesson and I will stay as long as I can. In the afternoons, we will see how that works out. Again, I want to be here, but I will need to go home and ice my neck and shoulder. Miss Beutel has been my teacher’s aid for many years and she knows what the routine should be. She is really a wonderful blessing to me and to your child. I know the children love and respect her and that is means a lot to me. She will be taking over the class when I am gone. Another lady, Catherine Albrecht, will also be helping out in the mornings when I am gone. She will do the Bible lessons. She, too, is extremely capable and good with the little ones.
God has certainly blessed me with some wonderful people to help me. I thank you for the prayers that you have offered on my behalf, but please think of these special people too, who are willing to lend a hand.
This week I will not meet with any of you concerning the parent teacher conferences. I just cannot handle it yet. I will try to catch you in the morning if there is anything that I want you to know. We will reschedule our conferences when the first quarter ends. I am sorry about this, but it is the best that I can do.
This week we will read the story All I Am by Eileen Roe. We will also work with the letters W, N, S, and H. I can tell from the blending exercises that we will be reading soon. Wow! What a neat challenge! I cannot wait to see how far they progress throughout the year. In math, we will work with the AB patterns and numbers from three to five. During our circle time, we will talk about leaves and the changes that occur in autumn.
Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus and the People of Nazareth” and “Jesus Heals a Sick Woman.” From these lessons we will learn that some people reject Jesus and some accept him.
I am sure that you have received notices about our Harvest Festival. It really is a fun evening and I hope that you will be able to attend. It is this Friday, October 10, from 6:00 to 9:00 pm. I wish I could see all of the children having fun, but this year it isn’t meant to be. Please come and check it out.
On October 24, at 7:00 pm, your child will be performing on stage prior to the musical that the children in grades one through three will do. It is really important for your child to be here. I know that you will enjoy the evening because it is a light-hearted musical called “Go Fish.” Our kindergarten act is all about cats. Perhaps you have heard your child sing a few bars of our songs. Anyway, let me know if you cannot make it. It will be a fun night.
On October 16, we will still take the scheduled field trip to the pumpkin patch. Mr. Leuhring has tentatively said that he would take the children and be the ‘teacher in charge.’ I am sending home permission slips today. Please have them back to me with the money by Thursday.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a good week and if you have any questions, please email me or call. Thank you for your prayers and understanding.
Mrs. Kronebusch

October 6 2008 Weekly Note

2008-10-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

September 29 Weekly Note

2008-09-29T08:00:00.000-07:00

September 29, 2008
Dear Parents,
Thank you all for coming and bringing your child to sing on Sunday. The children did a beautiful job of praising Jesus through their song. If you were not able to make it, I need a written note excusing your child from the singing. Thank you.
This week we will be reading the story Big and Little by Margaret Miller. Along with this story, we will be working with the letters L, U, X, and F. We have been practicing the blending as well with the children. They are really very good at this and I have a hunch that many of them are ready to read. In math, we will work with the numbers one through five. We will also work with the different shapes and patterns. During our circle time, we will talk about the seasons and concentrate on fall. If your child sees some neat leaves that are turning colors, let them bring them in to share. We will all be able to enjoy them that way. Our Bible lessons will be “Nicodemus” and “Jesus and the Woman at the Well.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus teaches others that He is the Messiah.
I sent home a form last week concerning parent teacher conferences. I have not received all of them. Please send them back to school before Wednesday. We will be assigning conference times at the teacher’s meeting. Thank you.
We will have many special days in October and the first one will be our field trip. We will be going on October 16 to the pumpkin patch. I know that I said we would go on October 9, but because of the parent-teacher consultations, I think it would be better if we waited a week. The cost of this trip will be $7.00 per person.
On October 23 and 24, we will have another fun event. Your child will have the opportunity to perform on stage prior to the musical done by the children in grades one through three. Please mark that date on your calendar and let any special friends or relatives know that your child will be there. We love to have visitors that evening.
As you noticed, I sent home the beach towels. They needed to be laundered. Please send them back to school so that we can use them on Tuesday.
I am sending home the book orders today. Please do not feel obligated to buy any books. I only do this as an opportunity for you parents to increase your child’s library. If you do order, the checks should be made out to Scholastic Books. All orders must be in by Friday. Thank you.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Note for week of Septemer 22, 2008

2008-09-21T16:55:00.002-07:00

September 22, 2008

Dear Parents,
We are already into our fifth week of school and I must say the time has gone by quickly. I do notice that the children are settling into school now and seem to be able to listen for longer lengths of time. That is a good thing. Now, I am going to start working on the blending (sounding out words) with the children. Some of them are very sharp and get it easily. Others, will need more practice. We will keep working on it.
This week we will read the story Mice Squeak, We Speak by Tomie de Paola. We will also work with the letters I, O, Q, Z, and K. I noticed that many of you have been working on the color words. Good job! It will help later on. In math, we will work with the pattern blocks. During our circle time, we will talk about apples. I hope we can taste different kinds and compare which apples are our class favorites and which are not. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus Changes Water into Wine” and “Jesus Makes a Sick Boy Well.” From these lessons we will learn how Jesus’ first miracles showed that he is God.
On Thursday of this week, we will be having the vision screening. I hope this goes through. If not, they will reschedule.
On Sunday, September 28, we will be singing in the late (11:15) service. Please have your child come to the kindergarten room by 11:00 to warm up. Once we have gone through the song a few times, we will dismiss the children to sit with the parents. When it is time to sing, they will be called up to the front to sing their song. After they are finished singing, they will sit with you again. If you will not be here for the singing, please write me a note excusing your child. I must turn them into Mr. Luehring.
I would tentatively like to go to the pumpkin patch on October 9. I know many of you have taken the “Keeping Our Kids Safe” class. But, if you have not and you want to come on this field trip, you can still attend the class this evening at 6:15. This will be the last class. I will not let anyone who has not taken the class accompany us on the field trip. Please do not put me in this awkward position of having to say no to someone. I want everyone to be able to come. Thank you.
I believe that is all. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

2008-09-21T16:55:00.001-07:00

K2 Note for week ofSeptemer 14, 2008

2008-09-15T08:02:00.000-07:00

September 15, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope all of you had a nice weekend. We have now completed our third week of school. I have tried to talk to all of you informally. However, if I have not contacted you, I will do so this week. This week I will have to start enforcing the rules that have been set. If the children do not follow the rules, they will have to sit on the wall for about three minutes. I know that isn’t much, but for a kindergarten child it can be an eternity. If you have any questions regarding this, let me know.
This week we will work with the story From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. Along with this book, we will keep working with our letters and sounds. We also concentrate on rhyming words. This is an important skill to learn because it helps with the reading. In math, we will work with graphing, patterning and reinforcing the numbers. During our circle time, we will talk about our community helpers. Our Bible lessons will be “John, God’s Worker,” “Jesus Is Baptized,” and “Jesus Says No to Sin and the Devil.” From these lessons we will learn that Jesus came to this earth to take our punishment for sin.
On Wednesday of this week, we will have picture day. Please send the envelope back to school with your choice of the package that you want to receive. If you do not want any pictures, still send the envelope back marked no pictures. This will help with the organization on that day. If you do not like your child’s pictures, there will be retakes sometime later in the year.
This year we have a very special helper coming in to assist the children with fine motor skills. She is Ginger Neven, Sierra’s mother. We are grateful to have her expertise in this area. She will only be here on Tuesday mornings, but we will try to work on the skills that she suggests throughout the week.
On September 28, we will sing in the late service. Please mark that date on your calendar so that all of our class can help us sing praises to Jesus in our service.
Again, if you have not taken the “Keeping Our Kids Safe” class, please do so soon. This class is a requirement for anyone who wants to chaperone on our field trips or help out in the classroom. Check the web site for the dates when it is offered.
I hope you have a great week.
Mrs. Kronebusch

K2 Class note 9 9 08

2008-09-08T08:20:00.000-07:00

September 8, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope all of you had a nice weekend. As the weeks of school come and go, I hope that you notice you are falling into a routine. We are here in the classroom. I know things will just get better and better as time goes by. Since we do have two weeks of school in already, I will be talking to you casually about how your child is fitting into the classroom. This will not be a formal meeting, but I want you to know what I have observed thus far. Please don’t be worried. This class has many positive things going for them and your child just adds his or her own spice to the mix.
This week we will read the book The Wheels on the Bus illustrated by Irene Richards. We will also work briefly with the letters T, B, R, Y, and G. Along with all of this, we will add the remaining color words to the ones that we sent home last week. Please review these words with your child. Even if you go through them once a day, that is excellent. Eventually, we will need to know the words by sight. Please keep these words in a special spot. If you have thrown the others away, let me know and I will get you a new set. For math, we will work with the numbers one through ten. During our circle time, we will talk about community helpers. Our Bible lessons will be “God Keeps Jesus Safe from Herod” and “Twelve Year Old Jesus.” From these lessons we will see how God cared for his special son.
Today, your child received a hearing screening. Again, if you did not get a notice, assume that everything was fine. The vision screening was cancelled last week. I guess the company that would have normally come, cancelled at the last moment. I am sorry for the inconvenience.
The children love to bring in sharing and it really is good for them to do so. I would ask that they bring in one item per week. They don’t have to bring it on Friday either. Whenever they have sharing, they should tell me at the beginning of the day so that I can allow enough time for them. If you have any questions, let me know.
The “Keeping Our Kids Safe” classes are coming to a close. Please
make sure that you attend one of them. The next class is tonight at 7:15 PM. Remember, you will not be allowed to accompany the children on the field trips unless you have this class. I believe there is one more class after that this week, but you will have to check the web page for the information.
The kindergarten children will be singing on September 28 in the late service. Please mark that date on your calendar.
I believe that is all. Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

September 2nd Class Note

2008-09-02T08:12:00.000-07:00

September 2, 2008

Dear Parents,
I hope all of you had a relaxing weekend. The first week of school was especially tough due to the heat. However, I did notice some very nice things happening. I was impressed as to how well the children welcomed the new students. I also thought they did a fine job of listening to me and Miss Beutel. I know things will just improve from this point. Thank you for your support as we start this school year.
This week we will work with the book Mary Wore Her Red Dress. We will also try to get familiar with the color words. I am sending home the words on flashcards. If you have time, please go through them so that your child starts to recognize the words by sight. In math, we will continue to introduce the children to different manipulatives used in the classroom. We will also learn to write the numbers one through zero. For circle time, we will go through more safety procedures here at school. Our Bible lessons will be “Jesus the Savior Is Born,” “The Shepherds Learn that Jesus Is Born,” and “The Wise Men.” From these lessons we will see how the Savior’s birth brought joy.
Our hot lunch program and our milk program will be starting this week. Please note that the milk will be served at 10:20 AM. During this time the children will be able to eat a light snack. At lunch time, they will need an extra drink unless you are ordering hot lunch. If you wanted to have your child receive hot lunch, but did not order ahead of time, you will have to pay extra. I will see how this goes during the week and then I will help you from that point. If you have further questions, please follow the links on our website.
On Thursday, September 4, we will have our vision screening. I will assume that no news is good news. If you have questions, call the office.
Some of the children still need their earthquake kits. Please try to get those in by Friday. Also, don’t forget the water bottles. We really need those during the warm days.
Again, we sing on September 28 at the late service. Please mark that date on your calendar.
Thank you for all of your hard week in getting prepared for school. I hope this week goes well for you.
Mrs. Kronebusch

Weekly Note 8 24 08

2008-08-27T08:02:00.000-07:00

August 25, 2008

Dear Parents,
Congratulations! We have made it to the beginning of the school year. I know that you and your child worked very hard to gather the supplies and to shop for the new outfits that were necessary for your growing youngster. I hope that this first day of school was fun for your child. It is always rather chaotic the first few days, but as we go along, we will fall into a routine. Let me know if you have any concerns.
This week we will be starting a general review of the letters. We will also work with the numbers in a brief and general way. During our circle time, we will talk about safety procedures here at school. Finally, we will have two Bible lessons to talk about. They will be “God’s Special Message for Mary” and “John the Baptist Is Born.” From these lessons we will learn that God prepared his people for the Savior’s coming.
As you will notice, I have sent many notices home. First of all, there is a schedule for you to keep. This will give you a general idea of what we do every day. Secondly, I am sending home a singing schedule. Our first singing opportunity will be September 28 in the late service. Please mark that on your calendars so that all of the children will be able to join us. The third item will be the milk order. If you want your child to have milk during September, please fill out the form. During this first week, no milk will be offered. It would be wise to send an extra drink for your child so that he or she consumes plenty of liquids especially on these hot days. Finally, I have a list of the dates for the “Keeping Our Kids Safe” presentation. Remember, if you have any intentions of coming on a field trip or helping in the classroom, you must take this course.
This Friday, I would like the children to bring in something to share. It could be photos of a summer vacation or anything that they would like to talk about. We want to get to know each other better and this gives your child an opportunity to do just that.
I hope today went well for you and your child. I am truly honored and blessed to have the opportunity to serve as their teacher. Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns. Thank you for visiting with me prior to school.
Have a great week!
Mrs. Kronebusch

June 2, 2008

2008-06-01T16:31:00.000-07:00

June 2, 2008

Dear Parents,
We finally made it to the last week of school. It is hard to believe that we are here already. During the week, I am going to be sending things home. Please empty out the back pack so that none of the stuff piles up. I do not want anything to come back to school. Thank you.
This week we will be finishing all of our books. Many of the skills that we will practice have been practiced throughout the year. The only thing that will be new to the children the Bible lesson “Job.” From this lesson we will see how God tests the faith of Job, but keeps him faithful and in the end blesses him. There will be no new Bible verse for this week as we will be doing other things.
On Tuesday, we will have our final field trip. I want all parents to come and be in the classroom at 8:45 am. I would like to go over some simple rules with the children. I would also like to explain how we will proceed once we get to the zoo. Please be here so that it will go smoothly. All of the children should wear their Apostles yellow t-shirt. They should also pack a lunch. Each chaperone will be responsible for the lunches of the children in their car and will need to carry them in the zoo. Once we have finished eating, all items not eaten will be thrown away. I would like to leave the zoo at 2:00 pm. The traffic will be better if we leave at that time. Plus, as in years past, the children are just plain tired. Once we get back to school, you are free to take your child home. Any other children left in your car must check into homeroom.
On Thursday, we will have our simple graduation ceremony at 11:00 am. Please have your child come for a regular day of school. At 11:00, we will meet you in the fellowship hall. You are welcome to bring the grandparents or any other special people to the graduation. The ceremony only lasts about thirty minutes. After we are finished, you are free to take your child home. Any children left here at school will be checked into homeroom.
I believe that is all for this week. In closing, I would like to let you know how much I have enjoyed working with your child. You have been supportive parents and I feel that we have had a good year. May God go with you and bless you as you journey through the school years.
Mrs. Kronebusch

2008-05-20T09:59:00.001-07:00

I hope all of you are finding ways to cope with the heat. I just want to remind you that I appreciate it if the children wear sun screen. I just never know what the days will bring, but I feel badly when they get sun burned. Also, please remember to send the water bottles every day.

This week we will be reading the story The Wolf’s Chicken Stew by Keiko Kasza. Along with this story, we will be working with consonant blends. The children already do this, but we will put more emphasis on it. In math, we will be reviewing the different concepts that we have studied. We will also be writing our numbers up to one hundred. We have practiced this, but I want the children to get faster with it. For our circle time, we will talk about oceans. If you or your child has any sea shells, it would be nice to see them. We will do the same thing with the sea shells as we did with the rocks. The children must bring them labeled. I would like to return them as soon as possible. Our Bible lessons will be “Daniel and the Writing on the Wall” and “Daniel in the Lion’s Den.” From these lessons we will learn that with God we will never stand alone. Our memory verse will be Acts 5:29. We must obey God rather than men!

I will be in and out of the classroom on Monday and Tuesday of this week. Miss Beutel will be handling the class. As you all know, she does a lovely job and the children are lucky to have her in their lives. I will return on Wednesday.

Sometime this week Mr. Greg Crofts will be coming into the classroom to talk about bicycle safety. He has had several conflicts, but he has promised to work something out. I hope this will help some of our young riders.

This next weekend we will observe Memorial Day. There will be no school on May 26 so please mark that on your calendar. Classes will resume on May 27.

I believe that is all for this week. Enjoy your week and the long weekend which will soon be upon us.

2008-05-11T21:49:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,
Thank you all for the lovely flowers, gifts and cards that you sent my way for teacher appreciation week. I was truly touched by your thoughtfulness. I am the one who should thank you for letting me teach your child. I get more joy out of the cute things that the children say and do. Anyway, thank you again.
This week we will be reading the story Flower Garden by Eve Bunting. Along with this story, we will be reviewing all of the letters and sounds that we have had this year. I am also adding three new sight words to your stack. They are get, where and and. Please continue to go through these words. In math, we will begin the process of subtraction. I wanted to get to this sooner, but we have been very busy with different projects. During our circle time, we will talk about the five senses and how they help us to explore our world. Our Bible lessons will be “Hezekiah Prays for God’s People,” “Hezekiah Prays for Himself” and “The Three Men in the Fiery Furnace.” From these lessons, we will learn how God promises to help believers in times of trouble. Our Bible verse will be Psalm 56:11. In God I trust; I will not be afraid.
This next weekend is confirmation for my daughter, Christa. For my family, this is a big event and I will be having relatives coming from Nebraska. My father is also coming. As many of you know, he has Alzheimer’s. Since I don’t know what his needs are, I don’t know what to expect or what I will need to do to make this an okay trip for him and my mother. Therefore, I might not be here on Monday and Tuesday of next week. Miss Beutel will have the children if I am not here. I am sorry for this inconvenience, but I really need to take the time to deal with my family.
I have told you all about the graduation ceremony for the kindergarten children on June 5. We will start the ceremony at 11:00 and probably end around 11:30. You do not need to come to the graduation service planned for the evening unless you want to do so.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!

2008-05-08T07:06:00.001-07:00

I apologize for not reminding all of you that we did not have school yesterday. For those of you who I did not see, I hope you got my messages. I know how difficult it is to arrange child care. I certainly hope everything worked out for all of you.

This week we will be reading the story Hush! by Minfong Ho. Along with this story, we will be working with the letter U. This will be the last letter that we will learn. However, during these last few weeks, we will get a peak of what awaits in first grade. For math, we will be working with addition and subtraction story problems. We will also be working with the numbers up to one hundred. During our circle time, we will finish the unit on rocks and go into magnets. Our Bible lessons will be “A Young Girl Helps Naaman” and “Jonah.” >From these lessons we will learn that God wants us to share his Word with unbelievers.

Our class has been confirmed to go to the zoo on June 3. I do need to get the permission slips so any time you can get them to me I would appreciate it. Also, if you have not taken the “Keeping Kids Safe” class, I need to know. This class is a prerequisite for chaperoning on any field trip. Please let me know soon so that I can arrange a class for you.

As I mentioned in the last note, we will have a simple graduation ceremony on June 5 at 11:00 am. Please make every effort to come to this. The children will sing songs and then receive their diplomas. You are welcome to invite any friends or grandparents who would like to come. If you need more information, let me know.

I want to take this time to thank all of you for coming to the Ascension service. The children did a wonderful job of praising their ascended Lord.

This week Thursday, we will be seeing the dress rehearsal of ‘Way out West in a Dress.’ This is a play being done by the children in grades four through eight. You are welcome to come to this if you want. It will start at 9:30. They will also put this production on Friday evening at 7:00 pm.

I believe that is all for this week. Enjoy the nice weather and have a good week!

2008-04-20T23:31:00.000-07:00

Thank you all for bringing your child to sing yesterday for the early service. The children did a beautiful job of praising God with their voices. Remember, if you were not able to join us, please write me a note excusing your child.
This week we will be reading the story Franklin Plays the Game by Paulette Bourgeois and Brenda Clark. Along with the story, we will work with the letter Y. As always, please keep reviewing the word cards. It really does help your child when we read. In math, we will be working with subtraction. We will just be starting the process and I know some will get confused with addition. However, I want them to be exposed to it. For circle time, we will talk about rocks. The children love this unit. If your child wants to bring a rock to school, he or she must label the rock so that I can return it after the unit is completed. Our Bible lessons will be “Elijah and King Ahab” and “Ahab and Naboth’s Vineyard.” From these lessons, we will learn how dealing with unbelievers is often difficult.
The children are doing a fine job with the memory work. Please go through the verse before you bring them to school. It does help them a lot. I go through the verse many times during the week. However, that added practice at home makes it much easier. The verse for this week is Matthew 22:39. Love your neighbor as yourself.
Our next singing opportunity is May 1 at 7:00 pm. Please mark that date on your calendar. I realize that it is an evening service, however, it is a beautiful service done by the children. The children will sit as a class and they will recite verses and sing songs from their spots. I will give you more information concerning the service in the next note.
We are confirmed to go to the San Francisco Zoo on June 3. I will need drivers and helpers. If you want to come along, please fill out the sheet. The cost is $6.00 per person. We will try to carpool as much as possible. Thank you in advance for your help. Siblings are also welcome to come along. Again, all people going must pay the $6.00.
We will have a teacher collaboration day on Friday. There will be no hot lunch, but there will be child care. Let me know if you have any questions.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!

2008-04-15T01:15:00.001-07:00

Wow! What a nice weekend we had! I know that the warm weather probably will not continue, however, please make sure that you send the water bottles to school. I plan to do many outdoor activities on the long days and if the children get hot, they need to drink water. Also, it never is a bad idea to put sun block on your child. Some of the children get pink easily and it just makes me feel better to know that they are protected. Thank you.
This week we will be working with the book I Need a Lunch Box by Jeanette Caines. Along with this book, we will be working with the letter X. This letter is not difficult, but I will be emphasizing the writing activities. In math, we will be working with tangrams. For circle time, we will conclude our unit on bugs. Our Bible lessons will be “God Makes Solomon Wise” and “Solomon as King.” From these lessons we will learn that the examples of our leaders influence us.
Our memory treasure for this week will be Matthew 4:10. Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only. Last week the children did a super job in memorizing their verse. I will work with them all week on the verse and listen to it on Friday. Thank you parents for helping your child go through the verse at home. We are starting the process of memory work. When your child gets into the first grade, he or she will need to memorize passages. This gets them used to the idea.
We have many singing opportunities coming very soon. On April 20, we will sing in the early service. Please have your child come to the classroom by 8:30 am to warm up. You know the routine, but if you have any questions, let me know. Then, on May 1, we will have a special Ascension service. Your child is expected to sing during this service as well as recite several Bible passages. Please have your child come to the classroom by 6:45 that night. We will sit as a class. Once the service is over, your child will be excused to go with you.
I am checking into the field trip for the end of school. As of this date,
I am tentatively planning to go to the San Francisco Zoo on June 3. I will check with all of you to see how that works for you. By next week, I hope to have a firm date in mind.
I hope that all of you have a great week!

2008-03-31T21:20:00.001-07:00

I hope that all of you had a pleasant Easter break. I know how nice it is to be able to spend time as a family. I hope that was possible for all of you. Now that we are back in school, we are in for a long stretch before we get our summer vacation. I have a few things planned so hopefully the children will not mind it. If you have any units or thoughts about a neat activity, let me know. I will explore it and see if it works out for our class.
This week we will be reading the story Five Little Ducks by Pamela Paparone. Along with this, we will be working with the letter Q. I also am including the words ‘one, two, and three’ for the children to add to their stack of sight words. Continue to work with these words. It really is beneficial for the children. In math, we will concentrate on nickels and counting by fives. During our circle time, we will talk about bugs. Boy, this is a favorite unit! We hope to catch a few of them and learn more about these small creatures that help and annoy us. Our Bible lessons will be “David Is Kind to Saul” and “Saul Dies, and David Becomes King.” >From these lessons we will learn that out of love for God, we neither try to get even with others nor are happy when others have troubles.
Our third quarter has ended and I want to send home report cards some time this week. I know by Friday I will have them out. If you have comments or questions, please come and talk to me. I want to address you concerns and help you with any questions that you have. During our fourth quarter, I will ask your child to start memorizing a Bible passage. We will work on it all week, but on Friday, I will ask the children to say the passage. This week the passage will be Ephesians 4:32. Be kind to one another, forgiving each other.
We have a special treat on Friday of this week. A parent has arranged for us to have a presentation given by a bee keeper. Bees are fascinating creatures and I am delighted to have this man come in to tell us more about them. I guess we will be able to sample honey too. I hope your child enjoys this.
Our next singing opportunity will be April 20 in the early service. Please mark that on your calendars and plan to join us for worship.
I believe that is all. Have a great week!

2008-03-16T21:40:00.000-07:00

I saw many of you at Easter for Kids and I hope that you and your child had a good time. We certainly enjoy doing children’s programs here at Apostles and we are happy that so many of you participate. Thank you for coming.
This week we will be reading the story Listen Buddy by Lynn Munsinger. Along with this story, we will be working with the letter V. This letter is sometimes confused with the letter F. I will be spending time with listening exercises to help the children with this. In math, we will be working with nickels and counting by fives. During our circle time, we will finish our unit on plants. We will also use some of the time to talk about Holy Week and what happened to Jesus during this week. Our Bible lessons will be “David and Goliath” and “David is Loved and Hated.” From these lessons, we will learn that by faith we trust God’s help and establish true friendships.
As I have said, it is Holy Week. On Friday, the children will be singing in a special service at 2:00 pm. Since we expect all of the children in the school to participate, we will provide childcare from 11:45 until 2:00 at no charge to you. If you should pick up your child at 11:45, please have him or her back here by 1:45. At that time, I will prepare the children for the service. We will sit as a class for this service. Once the service is over, you will be able to pick up your child at the classroom. Again we will walk quietly back to the classrooms, so please do not disturb the children during the recessional. You are welcome to come to this service. Since so many people attend this service, I would suggest that you come at least by 1:45 to get a seat. In addition, I would ask that you dress your child for a church service on that day. We will take it easy on the playground so don’t worry about them. Thank you.
On Tuesday, we will be finger painting. Please dress accordingly. I try very hard to keep everyone clean, but accidents do happen. I just want to warn you about what we will be doing.
After the service on Friday, we will be on Easter vacation until March 31. Please note that there will be no school or childcare during that time.
I hope and pray that all of you have a most blessed Easter. Enjoy the break.

2008-03-10T16:47:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. As we get closer to Easter, activities will increase here at Apostles. One of the things that the children will enjoy will be the ‘Easter for Kids’ day on March 15. Pastor Kronebusch has already started the planning and preparations for this important day. If you will be coming, please sign up in advance. It helps us out when we know how many will be coming.

This week we will be reading the story Jump into the Jungle by Theresa Volpe. We will also be working with the letter J. For this unit, I am adding three new sight words to the stack of word cards. They are ‘do,’ ‘not,’ and ‘what.’ Please keep going over these words with your child. Next year the new words will come at a much greater pace so we need to see how your child handles this task. In math, we will continue working with measurement. Along with that, we will work with the numbers one through twenty. During our circle time, we will be working with the plants again. I am enjoying this unit and I think your child is too. The class as a whole doesn’t like to get dirty, but when you work with plants, it happens. Our Bible lessons will be “God Speaks to Samuel,” “God Chooses to be King,” and “Saul Takes Sin Lightly.” >From these lessons we will learn how the humble Christian can serve God well, while the proud person who takes sin lightly cannot.

This Friday we have a collaboration day. All of the students will be dismissing at noon. There will be child care, but no hot lunch.

I am sending home a new how lunch form. They indicated on the old schedule that there was no school for March 21. That is incorrect. We will definitely have school and there will be hot lunch.

Please note that this is our last week of Lent. Next week, we will go into Holy Week many services will be offered here at Apostles. The service that will be of concern to you will be on Friday, March 21. The children in all of the classes are expected to be here to sing. Your child is welcome to use the child care services. (You will not be charged until 3:00 that day.) I will pick up the children at 1:45 to get them ready for sitting in church. After the service, your child is free to go with you. This is a beautiful and very touching service. We can never take for granted what Jesus did for us to make sure that we could live with him in heaven. I hope you will be able to join us for this special service.

Have a great week!

2008-03-02T21:53:00.001-08:00

Dear Parents,
I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. We are finally getting some better weather, but with that come the allergies. If your child suffers from them or asthma, please let me know. I will try to watch how much they run or exert themselves on the playground if that is a problem.
This week we will be reading the story Shoes Like Miss Alice’s by Angela Johnson. Along with this story we will be working with the letter W. Also, please keep working with the word lists. We are having more difficulty as we add words to the sight word list. Practice really does help. I certainly appreciate your help and notice the work that you do. In math, we will work with numbers one through twenty. We will also start measuring length. During our circle time, we will continue our unit on plants. We had a lot of fun planting the flowers in the church planter. Please check them out. The children did a great job and thank you Mrs. Gilligan for arranging it. Our Bible lessons will be “Ruth Believes in God” and “God Blesses Ruth.” From these lessons we will learn how God graciously blesses faith that forsakes all for him.
As you all know, we had spirit week last week. It was a fun and wonderful week. The children did a fine job of participating and you parents were very creative in coming up with the outfits. I enjoyed the week and your work very much.
Many of you have received the head lice notices. Please keep vigilant about checking your child. I have cleaned the room thoroughly and for now that is about all I can do. This too will pass. I will continue to watch so that no coats or hats come into contact with one another.
If you want to enter a car in the pine car derby, please bring your application to school. The Pioneer leaders like to get working on them as soon as possible. Thanks.
I mentioned in one of the last notes that I need empty egg cartons. If you have one to spare, please bring it to school. I like to do various projects with egg cartons so I will recycle them. Thank you.
On Saturday, March 1, we had an open house. If any of you know of people who are interested in finding a school for the kindergarten child, please mention Apostles. We have opening in almost all grades and we would love to have the opportunity to serve the families in our area.
I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week.

2008-02-11T00:34:00.001-08:00

I hope all of you were able to go out and enjoy the nice weather we have been having. It was such a wonderful weekend and a welcomed change from the constant rain we were getting. I was happy to see so many of you venture out on Saturday evening to our ‘Dinner and Movie’ night. It was great fun and I hope you had a good time.
This week we will be reading the story On the Go by Ann Morris. Along with the book, we will be working with the vowel O. I am starting to notice that some children have not had the time to practice their word lists. Please keep up this tradition. It really does help the children. In math, we will work with addition and we will start working with the numbers one through twenty. During our circle time, we will talk about the Chinese New Year. I’d love to learn more about this tradition so if anyone has anything they would like to share or tell me, please do. I appreciate finding out more about the customs followed by all cultures. Our Bible lessons will be “The Day the Sun Kept Shining,” “Joshua Says Good-Bye,” and “God Chooses Gideon to Lead the Israelites.” From these lessons, we will learn how God cared for the Israelites by giving them good leaders.
On Thursday, we will have our Valentines party. Please make sure that your child has a Valentine for each child in the class. It means so much to the children and I don’t want anyone to feel left out. Also, we will start our party at 1:30 pm. At 3:00, we will let the children go. Let me know if you have any questions. There will be hot lunch served that day, but we will also have some nice snacks coming into the classroom.
On Sunday, February 17, we will have the kindergarten children sing in the 11:00 service. Please have your child come to the kindergarten room by 10:45 am. They will run through the song and then go into church. Thank you for your cooperation in bringing your child to sing. If you will not be here for this singing opportunity, please let me know in advance.
Next week, we will not have school or childcare. This will be our winter break. We have never done this before, but during this week, the teachers will be going to a conference. I am sorry for the inconvenience that this may cause.
I hope that all of you have a good week and a nice break.

2008-02-04T10:59:00.001-08:00

As many of you know, we have a nasty flu bug going around. Please watch your child and try to give him or her as much rest as possible. I will try to do my part here at school by keeping everything as clean as possible. Miss Beutel and I really do miss the children when they are gone so we hope this bug goes away quickly.

This week we will be reading the story Honk! Honk! A Story of Migration by Mick Manning and Brita Granstorm. Along with this story, we will work with the letter G. This letter is often confused with J, but we will try to reinforce the sound that we want. In math, we will continue to work with the addition. During our circle time, we will talk about patriotic topics such as the right to vote, the symbols that mean a great deal to us and the important documents which spell out our freedom. For our Bible lessons we will study “God Gives His People Jericho” and “Achan Disobeys God’s Command.” From these lessons, we will learn how God blesses the obedient faith of this people and warns them against disobedience.

I handed out the Valentine list to everyone. On the door, you will see a list of items that we will need for our party. Remember, everyone from Nguyen through Valverde will be providing the treats for this party. Mrs. Peach has volunteered to organize the event. You are welcome to ask her or me any questions about the party. We will start our party at 1:30 pm and we will go until 3:00. You are welcome to come if you have time.

On Friday of this week, we will be celebrating one hundred days of school. You will not have to do anything special, but if your child comes home excited, you will know why.

On February 9, after the 5:30 service, they will have a special dinner and movie night. I have a flyer coming home concerning that so please take note of what is indicated on the sheet. We would love to have all of you come and enjoy an evening of fellowship.

On February 17, we will be singing in the late service. I know that this is the beginning of our winter break. It was an over sight, but since we are scheduled, it is a little hard to change things now. Therefore, please let me know if you have a conflict. Thank you for your help.

I believe that is all for this week. Have a good week and stay healthy!

2008-01-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

Thank you to all of you who brought your child to sing yesterday. The children did a wonderful job of praising God through their song. If you were unable to attend, I need a written excuse from you explaining why your child was not there. Thank you.

This week we will be reading the story In the Rain with Baby Duck by Amy Hest. Is this ever an appropriate book! We will be working with the letter D as we talk about this book. I am sending home a word list for you to go through. Please keep up with that. Soon, I will be sending home books for your child to read. If you have kept up with the words lists, it will be much easier. In math, we will work with the addition again. This will take some time, but the class is ready for this next big step. During our circle time, we will talk about nutrition. I hope that your child will be able to distinguish what is healthy and what is not. Our Bible lessons will be “God’s People Enter the Promised Land” and “Rahab and the Spies.” >From these lessons we will learn how God encourages his people with assurances of a final victory.

I am sending home a book order for you to look through. Please send your order back to school by Friday, February 1. If you write out a check, please make it out to Scholastic Books. Thank you for your help in this matter.

On February 14, we will be having a Valentines party. Those of you in the latter half of the alphabet, N through V, will be doing the snacks and games. Most of the time is spent handing out valentines, but a game or two is always nice. If you get ambitious, your child can start writing out his or her valentine cards. We trade with everyone in the class. I am including a class list so that you know how many cards to get ready. If you have any questions, let me know.

2008-01-22T10:14:00.000-08:00

I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. I certainly did. I attended the California Kindergarten Conference here in San Jose. I learned so much. My only fear is that I will try too many new ideas on the children. Let me know if that happens.

This week we will be reading the story Looking for Crabs by Bruce Whatley. We will also be working with the letter L and the new sight words ‘look’ and ‘see.’ Please add these words to your child’s stack of words. In math, we will start working with the addition. For the next two weeks, we will try to work with the idea of adding things together. During circle time, we will talk about Martin Luther King and the things that he did to help us be more kind to one another. Our Bible lessons will be “The Bronze Snake” and “Balaam.” From these lessons we will learn how God disciplines those who do not give him the glory due him.

Today, you will be receiving your child’s report card. Please look it over and discuss it with your child. As a whole the children are doing fine. However, it would be good for all of them to work on being quiet in school. I would like to meet with all of you for a second quarter consultation. I will ask each of you when it would be best to meet. If I do not catch you this week, I will get to you next week.

This Friday evening we will have the Social Studies Fair. There will be many nice displays done by the children. You are welcome to stop by the classroom. But, most of the projects will be done by the children in grades one through eight. It is an enjoyable evening so please try to stop by.

On Sunday, January 27, we will sing in the early service. Please bring your child to the kindergarten classroom by 8:30 so that we can warm up. Once we have finished, your child will be excused to sit with you throughout the service. We do have something different in our services now. We have a Children’s Church where the young children are excused to go out and listen to a lesson designed for them. Once the sermon is finished, they return to you in church. If you have any questions please let me know. I will be happy to try to answer them.

I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!

2008-01-13T23:17:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a nice weekend. We are slowly returning to our regular routine here at school. I did notice that some of the children took a break from their blending over Christmas vacation. Please return to that as soon as possible. We have been working very hard on the reading here at school, but we need your help. Thank you for attending to this matter.

This week we will read the story Raccoons and Ripe Corn by Jim Arnosky. We will also work with the letter R. We will not work with any R blends yet, but it will be coming. In math, we will start learning how to count by tens. We will use dimes to help us in this process, but we will be counting by ones and tens when we do our calendar just to give the children practice. During our circle time, we will talk about the internal parts of the body. I want the children to know about their heart, lungs, and other parts of the body. The thought behind teaching this is to let them know that it is important to take care of themselves even at this young age. Our Bible lessons will be “The Twelve Spies” and “Korah and His Men Sin.” From these lessons we will learn how God punishes his people if they rebel against him.

Along with your notes, you will notice a milk order form. Please send that back to school no later than Friday. If your child wants to switch milk orders, he or she should do it now. Thank you.

I mentioned that I would like to meet with you after the second quarter to discuss your child’s progress. I will set up those meeting for next week. The meetings will be informal and last only fifteen minutes. I will be calling or talking to you here at school to set those up. Your child’s report card will come home next week Tuesday. After that, we will meet.

On January 27, we will sing in the early service. Your child is expected to be here to sing. Please mark that date on the calendar so that you do not make other plans.

The Pasta Market is asking for their orders earlier. I now have to have them in by 8:40. Please be on time for school and have your hot lunch orders in to me by 8:30. Thank you for your cooperation.

We rejoice with the Maat family in the birth of their little girl. Courtney is a big sister now. I am not sure of the name, but I am sure Courtney will share that news soon. Congratulations!

I believe that is all. Have a great week!

2008-01-07T11:17:00.001-08:00

I hope that all of you made it through the terrible storms with little or any damage to your personal things. It was a horrible day on Friday and as I was dismissing, I was praying that all of you would be safe over the weekend. Hopefully, we won’t get too many storms like that one.

This week we will finish our unit which focuses upon letter I. We will start a new unit which works with the letter H. We will also read and discuss the book Mrs. McNosh Hangs Up Her Wash by Sarah Weeks. I have noticed that most of the children have kept up with their blending skills. That is a credit to you parents for staying vigilant over the holidays. Thank you for your work. I will send home a new word list today so that you can keep practicing. In math, we will work with cubes and make geometric shapes on our geoboards. For circle time, we will talk about germs and bacteria which give us flu and viruses. This is always a fun unit, and a very important one for instructing the children on what to do to prevent sickness. Our Bible lessons will be “The Golden Calf,” “The Tabernacle,” and “The Day of Atonement.” From these lessons we will learn how God’s people should worship him.

As you will notice, I am going to be enforcing the rules a little more now that we are back from vacation. I need to get into the academic side of things and it requires more attention from these little ones. This is always a difficult time for the children, but I need to get them ready for what is to come. If you have any questions, let me know.

This Sunday we had our first Children’s Church. I saw some of the children from class. For those of you who could not make it, instead of having the children sit through a sermon, we are providing a lesson which is at their level. It seemed to go well this Sunday. I will be helping with this activity to get it started. If you have any suggestions, please let me know. My husband and I are trying to work out the bugs and we are open to ideas. Thank you for your help.

For those of you who order hot lunch, I need to send in the orders right away in the morning. Please make sure that you mark your entrée selections. The Pasta Market will only bring the number of entrees that we order, Thank you.

Again, your child will be singing in the early service on January 27. Please mark that date on the calendar.

I believe that is all. Have a great week!

2008-01-03T17:03:00.001-08:00

Dear Parents,

Happy New Year! I hope all of you had a wonderful Christmas/New Year’s break. I know that you have been busy during these last weeks, but I hope you are ready to get back to the normal routine. I know we only have two days of school this week. They are important though. I will be reviewing many of the concepts that we learned prior to the break. Believe me, this is necessary.

This week we will start our next unit in reading. We will read the delightful story, Ginger by Charlotte Voake. We will also be working with the vowel I. I will want to spend considerable time with this vowel because it is often confused with the sound as made by the vowel E. Miss Beutel and I will be doing a lot of blending exercises and work with the children to help them master this sound. In math, we will be working with the numbers one through ten. During our circle time, we will talk about snow and make snowmen. Our only Bible lesson will be “God Gives the Ten Commandments.” From this lesson we will learn about the special laws that God gave his people to obey.

On Friday, we will have sharing. I know that all of the children received some special gifts. I would like them to bring in something that they got for Christmas. This has to be with your permission. The children will not be allowed to play with it, but I know they like to show others what they got for Christmas. That is why I am having this special sharing session. Please let me know if you have any questions. I really want you to talk this over with your child. Whatever you agree upon is fine with me. I will explain to them that you need to be involved.

On January 27, in the early service, the children are scheduled to sing. I will give you more details later concerning that singing opportunity.

We are trying something new this Sunday in church. During the services, the children from three years of age to third grade are going to be excused from the sermon so that they can participate in ‘Children’s Church.’ During this time, a special presentation will be worked up for the children which is appropriate for them. I am not sure of all of the details, but I will pass on the information once I know more.

I believe that is all. Have a great week!

2007-12-09T23:34:00.000-08:00

I hope all of you had a nice weekend. I really enjoyed my visit with my daughter and with my in-laws. This happened to be the weekend of my father-in-law’s 85th birthday so we were able to celebrate with him and see some basketball too. It was very special for all of us.
This week we are going to be reading the story No, No, Titus! by Claire Masurel. We will also be working with the letter N. I am sending two new words to add to the stack of sight words. Please keep practicing them even over Christmas. In math, we will work with the numbers one through ten. During our circle time, we will talk about Christmas customs. Our Bible lessons will be “God Gives His People Food” and “God Takes Care of His People.” From these lessons we will learn that God provides for all the needs of his people.
On Thursday of this week, will be having our class Christmas party. I believe that Mrs. Albrecht could use some more helpers for this party so if you are able to come and lend a hand please let her know. Remember, the boys will exchange gifts with the boys and the girls with the girls. You will be able to bring the gifts anytime this week. On Thursday, quite a few classes are going to have their party. They have decided not to serve hot lunch on that day. Please note this on your calendar. Many of the children eat plenty at the party, but we won’t start our party until 1:30 pm. Just keep that in mind as you plan the day with your child. Also, you are invited to come to the party if you want. It is quite a day for the children and you are welcome to join us.
On Saturday, December 15, we will have the children’s Christmas program. Please note that I want the children here early. It works best if they are all here by 5:00 pm. Since the church gets extremely full for the first program, please try to come early so that you get a seat. Also, invite any relatives or friends who you want to come so that they can have the Christmas lesson explained to them through recitation and song. I know you will enjoy the evening. We have one program starting at 5:30 pm and the other starts at 7:00 pm.
I hope that all of you have a most blessed Christmas and New Year. If you have the chance, feel free to join us for some of our holiday services. We would love to have you come and celebrate our Savior’s birthday and welcome the New Year with us.
May God be with you all and keep you in his care.

2007-12-02T23:32:00.000-08:00

It was nice to see so many of you this weekend at the Christmas for Kids activity. I know your child had a great time. The volunteers did a spectacular job. Please watch the calendar for more events that will be coming. The services at church and the devotional times really help to set the proper tone for Christmas. I hope that you will be able to join us for more of these special activities.
This week we will be reading Lilly’s Purple Plastic Purse by Kevin Henkes. Along with this we will be working with the letter P. I have really been impressed with the reading that these children are doing. Thank you for all of the work that you are doing at home. It definitely helps the children. In math, we will work with the numbers one through ten. During circle time, we will talk about Christmas customs around the world. Our Bible lessons will be “God Leads His People out of Egypt” and “God Leads His People Through the Red Sea.” From these lessons we will learn how the Lord fought the battle for his people and delivered them.
This week Thursday and Friday, I will be attending a basketball tournament in Arizona. My daughter, Katie, will be playing in this tournament and this is one of the few times that I get to see her play. Miss Beutel will be taking over the class for me. She is extremely qualified and will do a very fine job. Let me know if you have any questions concerning this.
On December 15, the children will be participating in a Christmas program. The program will start at 5:30, but I would like the children here at 5:00. Please mark that date on your calendar and watch for more announcements.
On December 13 at 1:30 pm, we will have a Christmas party in this room. Please remember that we are exchanging gifts and that they should cost $5.00-$7.00. A list of party items that are needed will be posted on the door. Parents with last names ending in A through M should sign up for this party. Parents with last names ending in N through V will provide snacks for the Valentines party. Thank you all for being willing to help out with this.
I hope that all of you have a great week. Let me know if you have any questions.

2007-11-26T15:59:00.000-08:00

I hope that all of you had a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Many of you traveled over the weekend and I pray that everything went smoothly for you. Now, we only have three weeks until Christmas vacation. I know for a fact that these next few weeks will be very busy here at school.

This week we will be reading the book Cat’s Colors by Jane Cabrera. Along with this book, we will work with the letter C. I am also adding two new sight words to the stack. They are ‘like’ and ‘is.’ Continue to go through the sight words. It really does help as we start the reading process.

In math, we will work with the numbers one through nine. During our circle time, we will talk about transportation. That topic seems so appropriate since all of us are making plans for the holidays. Our Bible lessons will be “Moses and Aaron Speak to the King” and “The Plagues.” >From these lessons we will learn that some people refuse to believe in God and obey him.

On December 15, we will be having the children’s Christmas program. Your child is expected to participate in the 5:30 program. Please mark that date on your calendar. We will be working on the song and the Bible verse here at school. I will keep you posted concerning the program and any changes that may occur.

On December 13, we will have a Christmas party here at school. The children are asked to bring a gift to exchange with a fellow classmate. The boys will exchange with the boys and the girls will do likewise. Please limit the cost of these gifts. I would like the range to be between $5.00 and $7.00. Let me know if you have any questions concerning this. Also, we will have the children whose last names start with A and go through M provide the refreshments. I will appoint a party planner as soon as I can. I am only giving you this information now because I know some of you are super organizers and you like to know. Again feel free to talk to me if you have a question.

On Saturday, December 1, the Christmas for Kids program will be running. This is so much fun and if you haven’t done so already please sign up. It really helps my husband out if we get the early registrations. Thank you.

I believe that is all. Have a great week!

2007-11-20T14:35:00.000-08:00

Thank you all for coming to sing yesterday. Our song was difficult, but very meaningful. The children did an excellent job. For those of you who did not make it to sing, I need a written note to give to Mr. Luehring concerning this singing opportunity. We do keep record of the number of times your child sings and I need to hand in the excuses. Thank you.

This week we will be reading the story Bunny Cakes by Rosemary Wells. Along with the story, we will work with the letter A. Even though A is a vowel and makes many sounds, we will only concentrate on the sound as heard in apple. In math, we will work with the numbers one through nine. During circle time, we will talk about the Pilgrims and the trials that they went through. Our Bible lessons will be “God Teaches Moses” and “God Calls Moses.” From these lessons we will learn that God wants us to follow his direction rather than our own.

Thank you all for coming to the parent teacher conferences. I value your input and I will use the things that you shared with me to tailor the teaching in this classroom. I learned so much and I am grateful that you were willing to share this information with me. Let me know if I can be of help to any of you.

This week Thursday and Friday we will not have school due to the Thanksgiving break. If your child will not be here on Wednesday, please let me know. I like to do some special projects with the children and I need to know how many will be here.

I believe that is all. May all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving!

2007-11-04T23:26:00.001-08:00

This week we will finally get a break from school. Many of your children are showing me that they need a rest. The colds are starting and we have had a few cases of the flu. I hope that by having the break we will rid ourselves of an epidemic. The reason you have the break is due to the fact that the teachers will be in Phoenix attending a conference. There will be no school or child care on November 8-9. Please note that in your planning for the week.
This week we will be reading the story Dinner at the Panda Palace by Stephanie Calmenson. In addition to the story, we will work with the letter T. As you can see, I added the words yellow, green and orange to the stack of sight words. Please keep practicing the words. It will really help your child later in the year. In math, we are learning about time. This is a relatively new concept so we will spend a lot of time reviewing it. For circle time, we will be working on several art projects which must be done by the end of the week. Our Bible lessons will be “Joseph Shows Kindness to His Brothers” and “Joseph Forgives His Brothers.” From these lessons we will learn that God wants us to show love and forgiveness to others.
The children sing in the early (8:45) service on November 18. Please mark that date on the calendar. Your child will need to be here at 8:30 in order for us to go through the song. I will send more information later concerning the singing.
The children received their report cards last Friday. Please keep the report card and return the white envelope as soon as possible. I will recycle the envelope. Thank you.
I hope that all of you have a wonderful break. Enjoy the week!

2007-10-22T07:25:00.001-07:00

I hope all of you are ready for a fun week. This week we have one of the neatest events happening at Apostles. On Thursday morning and Friday evening, the children in our primary grades will be performing the musical which they have been practicing. Before the musical, the kindergarten children will do an opening act. You don’t want to miss it. On Thursday morning, the performance is just a dress rehearsal. We have invited the ‘Forever Young’ group and several preschools to attend. The performance that day starts at 9:45 am. You are welcome to attend that performance. However, we ask that you let the preschools and elderly people get their seats before you get seated. I would suggest that you be here by 9:30 for that show. On Friday, I would like all of the children here by 6:30 pm. I need to make sure that everyone is here so that we can line up and get up on stage. Please make every effort to be on time that night. This really is a big deal and many people will come to see the children. That is why I need a little time with your child to go over the last minute details. Bring your child to the kindergarten room that night. Then proceed to the church to get a seat. Once we have finished singing, the lights will be raised so that you can come out to the narthex. We will be out there with your child and you will be able to take him or her inside the church to watch the musical. Our opening act only lasts about five minutes and we start promptly at 7:00pm. This is a good opportunity to invite any friends or relatives to come to our school. Enjoy the evening. I must tell you now that one of the songs which we are singing was given to me as a ‘special’ favor. One of my relatives through marriage writes songs for children. When I heard him sing, I knew I needed his song. He arranged for me to be able to do it. However, I need to let you know that his band ‘The String Beans’ is quite popular in the state of Nebraska. If you would like to order any of his music, you can preview it and order it from this website: www.thestringbeans.net. Let me know if you have any questions about this. The music we will perform comes from his CD “Oodles of Noodles.”

This week we will try to get some schoolwork in too. For reading, we will work with the letter B and the story Miss Bindergarten Gets Ready for Kindergarten by Joseph Slate. This is one of my favorite letters and books. I know we will have fun with this. Along with the work here in the classroom, please add the words red, yellow and blue to your short stack of sight words. You do need to practice these. Once we are finished practicing the musical, we will be attacking these words. In math, we will work with the numbers one through seven. For circle time, we will talk again about Martin Luther, a man who helped us see that through the Bible we learn God’s plan of salvation. Our Bible lessons will be “God Has a Plan for Joseph” and “God Is with Joseph in Egypt.” From these lessons we will learn how God permits sorrows to enter a Christian’s life.

On Thursday, we will be taking our first field trip. We will be going to the Uesugi Farms Pumpkin Patch. It is located on Monterey Highway. I would suggest that you take that highway all the way down to the pumpkin patch. It seems to be the best way to go. We will eat here at school and leave at 11:45 am. Our tour is scheduled for 12:15. I suspect that many schools will be there, but since we do an afternoon tour, we should be okay.

Please remember to bring your child’s car seat if he or she uses one. Also, it would be nice if everyone wore their yellow Apostles t-shirt. That is such a help in seeing and finding the children at the farm. We will leave the patch at 2:00 and return to school. If you want to take your child home at that time, feel free to do so. However, the children who come back to school will be in my room reading books, until we dismiss. I will contact you regarding who will drive this week. Whether you signed up or not, I will let you know who your child will be with for this trip.

On Friday, we will end the quarter. I have you scheduled for a conference and I have listed the time below. Please let me know if that works for you. If not, I will be happy to change it.

On Friday, they will be collecting the box tops. This is a big competition so if you have any box tops please send them in. We hope to raise money for our classrooms through this program.

I know this is quite the note. Thank you for your patience and have a good week.

2007-10-15T19:24:00.001-07:00

Dear Parents,

I hope that you had a nice weekend. Many things are happening here at school so please read this note carefully. Today your child was able to see one of my favorite presentations. The Wildlife Association came and showed them several animals and explained how they live in the wild. This is always a fascinating assembly. I hope your child enjoyed it.

This week we will be reading the story Mouse Mess by Linnea Riley. Along with this story, we will work very hard with the letter M. You will also see that I am sending two sight words home. Please keep all of the sight words together so that you are able to go through them every night with your child. Next week, I will add some of the color words. We will work on them here at school, but it really helps when you take time to go through them at home. In math, we are learning how to write the numbers from one to six. We also are practicing connect the dots. Some of the children have trouble with this. Hopefully, with practice they will catch on to doing it. During our circle time, we will talk about fire safety. Our Bible lessons will be “God Blesses Jacob with Riches” and “God Takes Jacob Home Safely.” From these lessons we will learn how sinful self-reliance needs to be changed to reliance on God.

As you know, I sent home the forms for the field trip last week. If you have not sent them back, please do so soon. Some of you still have not taken the “Keeping Kids Safe” training class. Remember, if you have not taken the class, you cannot drive. There will three additional classes offered on Monday and Wednesday at 3:30 pm and Thursday at 8:15 pm. Please make every effort to get to these classes if you have not already done so.

As the weather gets cooler, please send a jacket to school. One of these days it will be cold and I don’t have enough jackets to go around. Thank you for remembering to do this. I know the children do not think they need a coat, but I make them start with one in the mornings.

I believe that is it. I hope that all of you have a great week. Let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

2007-10-03T22:40:00.001-07:00

I hope that all of you had a wonderful weekend. Today my note is very important to read from beginning to end. I am going to start by encouraging all of you to take the “Keeping Kids Safe” class. You cannot drive for a field trip if you do not take the class. Just to help you out in this endeavor, I am going to arrange child care for the evening of October 2. The class only lasts a little over an hour. It starts at 7:00 pm and you should be done by 8:15. Please make every attempt to come to the class. The child care will take place in the homeroom. Bring your child to that room and attend the class. We will be keeping track of those who have gone. Again, it is very important.

This week we will be reading the story Big and Little by Margaret Miller. Along with this story, we will work with the letters L, U, X, and F. As you may have noticed, Miss Beutel and I are working on the blending. We will keep working with this until we feel that the children have got it. In math, we will work with the numbers from one through five. We will also work with patterning. During our circle time, we will discuss the seasons. This week we will talk about autumn and winter. Our Bible lessons will be “God Makes Abraham’s Faith Grow” and “The Faith of Abraham’s Servant and Rebekah.” From these lessons we will learn that faith is being certain of what we do not see.

On October 25 and 26, we will be presenting the fall musical. Please mark those dates on the calendar. Your child will be part of the opening act. This is a time to invite the relatives and friends. I am sure you will enjoy the production.

On October 25, we will have our first field trip to the pumpkin patch. I need to have drivers and chaperones. So, if you want to help, you must have the class. Please mark that date on the calendar. More information will come next week.

On October 5, we will have the Harvest Festival. This is always a fun and entertaining event here at Apostles. You are welcome to wear costumes, but they must not be scary. I hope to see you there.

I am sending home some book orders this week. You are not obligated to get any of the books. However, I am giving you this opportunity to expand your child’s library. If you want to order, the forms must be back to me by Friday. Please make the checks out to Scholastic Books. Thank you.

I am still in the process of informally talking to all of you about your child’s progress here at school. This is just an informal time to address any concerns. If you do have anything that you would like to discuss, please let me know. I want you and your child to have a great year. With lots of communication, I know it will be.

I hope all of you have a great week. I know I gave you a lot of information. Let me know if you have any questions.

Sept 24 Weekly Update

2007-09-23T23:39:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Thank you all for bringing your child to the church service for singing. I also appreciated your promptness in bringing them to the classroom for a warm-up session. That was so nice of you. The children did a great job of praising their Savior. I always enjoy hearing their voices in song.

This week we will be reading the story Mice Squeak, We Speak by Tommie da Paola. Along with this, we will be working with the letters O, Q, I, Z, and K. I also want to begin working on the blending process. I will let you know how that goes. In math, we will be working with graphs and the number formations. During circle time, we will talk about apples and discuss this wonderful fruit that God gave us. Our Bible lessons will be “God Answers Abraham’s Prayer for a Son” and “God Answers Abraham’s Prayer for Lot.” >From these lessons we will learn how God keeps his promises and answers prayers.

I must inform you that during the week of October 1-5 I am on jury duty. I pray that I do not get put on a jury, but in the event that I should, I have Miss Beutel here to take over. Please don’t worry. She is a gifted lady who knows the class and will do a fine job. I can only hope that I get called in for an afternoon when I am off anyway. We will see.

The children will be doing a very special presentation soon. On October 26, we will have our Fall Musical. Before the children in grades 1-3 do their production, we will have an opening act. Believe me you do not want to miss it. I will be working very hard during these next few weeks to get this together. There will be no costumes this year. However, if you would like to invite friends or relatives to come see the production, feel free to do so. We love having guests come and see our kids. All of this will start at 7:00 pm. I believe we will also have a dress rehearsal on Thursday, October 25. However, at this writing, I am not sure of the time.

On October 5, we will have a special Harvest Festival. The children love this event so please mark the date on the calendar. I will send more information later.

I believe that is all for this week. Have a great week!

Sept. Weekly News

2007-09-17T17:11:00.001-07:00

I hope that all of you had a nice weekend. I am noticing that with the weather being a bit cooler in the mornings, some of the children are forgetting a sweatshirt or jacket. Please pack one in their backpacks. You never know when it will be needed.

This week we will be reading the story From Head to Toe by Eric Carle. I love the Eric Carle books so we will be reading a lot of his work. Along with the stories, we will work with the letters E, C, P, and V. In math we will work with the numbers one and two. I am mainly working on number formation. Believe it or not, this takes a lot of time at this stage. Once we get this down, we will go a little faster. For circle time, we will continue our discussion about the community helpers. Our Bible lessons

will be “God Speaks, Abraham Listens” and “Abraham Shares His Land.” From these lessons we will learn that through the gift of faith, believers are able to trust God completely.

On Wednesday of this week, we will be taking school pictures. I am sending home a form which must be filled out and brought back to school. I believe everything is explained on the form. However, please let me know if you have any questions. I do need the slips back for the photographer. Thank you for your cooperation.

On Thursday of this week, we will have our vision screening. I believe that once again no news is good news. If you have questions concerning the screening, let me know.

This Sunday, during the late service, the children will be singing. Please have your child come to the kindergarten room by 11:00 am. We will practice the song once and then the children will be dismissed to sit with you during the service. When they sing, they will be asked to come forward. Once they have finished, they will sit with you. We have been working with the children and coaching them as to what to do during the service. Hopefully, it will be fine.

I believe that is all that I have for this week. Have a great week!

Sept. 10 Weekly Note

2007-09-09T23:08:00.000-07:00

I hope that all of you had a relaxing weekend. I believe I have everything now for school. I know that some of you still need to get the earthquake kit into me. I will take them any time.

This week we will read the story The Wheels on the Bus which is illustrated by Ilene Richard. Along with discussing the story, we will work with the letters T, B, R, Y and G. As you know, I am briefly touching upon the letters. Once we have been through them all, we will start the process of blending. In math, we are learning the numbers one through nine. We will do some listening activities with the numbers that will also benefit the children. For circle time, we will start a unit on community helpers. Our Bible lessons we be “God Saves Noah and His Family” and “God Watches over the People at Babel.” >From these lessons we will learn how God rules the earth and the nations of the earth.

Today, your child received a hearing test. If the nurses found anything of concern, you will be contacted. Consider no news as good news. If you have any questions, please contact the office.

I have been communicating with the hot lunch lady and I have indicated that the portions are too large for the children. I know that she is going to try to work something out for our school. I don’t know what the remedy will be, but I will keep you posted. If you do want to order hot lunch, I am asking you to please fill out the slips which I have enclosed with this note. It helps with the confusion at lunch time. Thank you for your help in this matter.

As I have been reminding you, we will have the opportunity to sing on September 23 in the late service. Please keep that date open.

I am enclosing another note concerning box tops. We have a friendly competition here at school where we try to collect the most box tops. If you would like to order books from this order, you will collect some more box tops. This is not a mandatory thing. I am only giving you the opportunity. I will send home other book orders later on in the quarter. Feel free to do whatever works for you.

This Friday, we will have our first collaboration day. That means all classes will dismiss at noon. If you will not be here by then, I will check your child into homeroom.

I believe that we are off to a great start this year. Have a good week!

Weekly Note for Aug. 27

2007-08-28T16:56:00.000-07:00

Dear Parents,

Welcome to kindergarten! I am so excited and happy to have your child in my classroom. I know that we are going to have a wonderful year together. Every Monday you will be receiving a note like this from me. In it, you will find the information that you need to have concerning school and the activities that we have here. Please read through this note carefully. If you have any questions, just ask me. I will help you in any way that I can.

This week we are going to work on establishing a routine. Some of the children have been to preschool and some have not. All of them need to get to know the rules and learn what is expected of them here at school. I know the children will do well, but don’t be surprised if they are very tired at the end of the day. They are just adjusting to school. During the week, we will work with a story Mary Wore Her Red Dress by Michael Morris. Along with the story, we will briefly introduce the letters M, J, and A. In math, we will work with the numbers one, two, three and four. For our circle time, we will discuss safety rules here at school. I will be explaining a fire drill to the children. Let me know if your child is frightened by them. I want to help them work through that. Finally, our Bible lessons will be “God Creates Our Beautiful World” and “God Creates Man and Woman.” From these lessons we will learn that God is the almighty, loving Creator.

On Friday, I want to have sharing with the children. I don’t know if I will do this every Friday, but I would like to start the year this way. I want the children to bring in one item or picture that tells something about their summer. Discuss this with your child and see what you find.

Along with this note, you will notice that I have included some other papers. Probably the most important paper is the singing schedule. You will want to put this someplace where you can easily see it. As you can see, we sing on September 23 in the late service. Please mark that date on your calendar so that you will be able to attend the service. I will keep reminding you of that date, but it is good to have it marked so that other plans do not get made.

Other papers include notes concerning the Box Tops and the hot lunch program. The Box Tops are found on various food items. Look especially on General Mills cereal and you will find them. The note explains where they are found and how we will work the program here at school. Let me know if you have any questions. The first collection day for Box Tops is October 23. The class collecting the most will get to receive the dollar amount collected to purchase something for their classroom. We will see how it goes. But, do clip the Box Tops. Thank you.

The other item concerning hot lunch is explained in another note. I am including a menu for you so that you can see what food options will be offered. Since I have a milk break at 10:00 every morning, I am asking you to decide with your child what milk or juice you want to have. Perhaps you do not want any milk at that time. Whatever you decide is fine. We are sending home these notices so that I can honor your wishes. I know this is confusing, but please bear with me. I will do my best to find the answers to whatever questions you might have. Fill out the milk forms and return them to school by Friday. We will make sure that your child gets whatever you ordered.

Finally, I want to thank you all for allowing me to come and see you over the summer. It was such a pleasure getting to know you better. I am so honored to be your child’s teacher. May God bless our year together here at Apostles.