We had another 100% attendance day today. Thanks for making an effort to make sure your children are here every day and on time. We are working on our number 0-5 and the letters Mm, Ss. I introduced the Letter R today so talk to your child about things that start with Rr! We are also still working on writing and recognizing our first names. Please remember when practicing names at home to form the letter using D'nealian Letters, with a capital letter at the beginning and all the other letters should be lower case. I have a lot still writing their name in all caps which we need to change. The website Ms. Trobridge listed is a great place to create worksheet to help them practice if your child needs more work in this area.
If you have a little girl who wants to wear dresses to school please encourage her to wear a pair of shorts under her dresses or skirts. Also we have had several bathroom related issues that I need parents help with. I understand that five year old have accidents-they will have them at school so PLEASE make sure that your child has a change of clothes here so that we can handle the accident with as little interruption and embarrassment as possible. If I don't have a change then they have to go to the nurse and you have to be called and it just brings way more attention to the situation than is necessary. Also, please talk with your children about what to do if they have an accident. Please tell them to come right to me and let me know. If we have clothes, I get them quickly and send them right into our bathroom and take care of it with little notice from everyone. I will never be angry or embarrass them, I will only help them fix the situation. It is unhealthy for all of us if they are sitting in soiled clothes.
We will begin DIBELS testing next week so our week may be a little strange as classes are combined and we get the testing done. The results of the DIBELS will be explained at parent teacher conference when we give each parent their child's scores. These scores help us to know where your child is on the Early Literacy Skills and what we as teachers can do to help move them along the spectrum. Also if you are following some of the other teacher's post you know that Ms. Wolters asked parents to set up account for student eating school lunch. I think most of you have done that, but if you haven't even if your child is only going to use it for milk or the occasional lunch, it makes it easier for us and the cafeteria staff if there is an account. You can even manage it and add money online so it is very convenient. Also look for the blog to change a little we have discovered how to post links to set up homework and other documents online. So then if something gets lost it will be available on the blog! We are just getting to smart!
Mary Wolters
Hi! My name is Mary Wolters. This is my seventh year teaching at Simonton. I taught second grade for four years and this is my third year teaching Kindergarten. I have 3 children; ages 22, 20 and 17. I have a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education, a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education, a Reading Endorsement and an ESL Endorsement. I am looking forward to an awesome year with your children!
Trisha Wright
Welcome to kindergarten students and parents. It is my pleasure to introduce myself to you. My name is Trisha Wright and this is my sixth year teaching kindergarten at Simonton. I am a graduate of Arizona State University with my bachelor’s in Early Childhood Education. Kids and teaching are my passion and I look forward to working with each and every one of you. I am excited to start a fun filled school year with your child and would like to thank you for allowing me to be a part of your child’s first year in school.
Kelly Trowbridge
Welcome to Kindergarten! My name is Kelly Trowbridge and I was born and raised in Tempe, Arizona. I graduated from Northern Arizona University with a degree in Elementary Education in 2006, a Masters degree in Early Childhood Education in 2008, and a Masters degree in Elementary Education with a Reading Endorsement in 2009. This will be my third year of teaching at Simonton. This is my second year of teaching kindergarten but my first year of teaching an am/pm session. Teaching is my passion and I cannot imagine doing anything else. I am very excited and enthusiastic about getting the opportunity in helping your child start or continue his or her educational career.
Joline King
Welcome Kindergarten at Kathryn Sue Simonton Elementary School. We are so excited to be your partner in educating your child. My name is Joline King and this is my twenty-first year teaching, my eighth for the J.O. Combs District. I am a fourth generation Arizonian and have made the East Valley my home with husband, three children and our beloved dog Salvador for the past twenty-three years. I graduated from Brigham Young University with a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education and a minor in Early Childhood after completing an Associates Degree from Eastern Arizona College. I also have a Master's Degree in Adult Education and Distance Learning. My children, both at home and at school are my greatest joy! I have three children that are almost grown: Matthew 24, Jennifer 20 and Bryant 18. I look forward to a great year full of fun and lots of learning.