Wow what a busy couple of weeks it has been in class! I am sure you have all heard about the field trip and what a wonderful time we had. It was a great day for all and the kids did a super job being guests at the farm! We were all on our best behavior and had great manners. Thanks to the parent chaperons for the help, it was a pleasure having you join us! On that note...we are wrapping up our unit on farm animals and will begin to explore plants and bugs. This topic should carry us through the end of the year and your kids will come home with all kinds of fun facts to share with you.
Since we are left with only a month of kindergarten we have several important dates to remind you of. The first would be our kinder celebration on Thursday, May 6th. All kinder students will participate in the performance. Grandparents, uncles, aunts and friends are all welcome to attend the evening performance scheduled for 6 pm. I originally wanted all of my class to be in a white t-shirt. That idea came and went, but now I would like for my class just to have a white shirt (any kind) on that night. That way we can differentiate the classes and your kids will match. If you have questions about this, please call or email me. We also have our class party scheduled for Thursday, May 20th. We plan on doing pizza for lunch and will have crafts and fun activities for the kids to partake in. If you are interested in helping that day with a project, please let me know ASAP. I will surely need some extra hands. Our last day of school is Friday, May 21st. It is a half day so the kids will be dismissed at 11 am. I am quite sad about the end of the school year and am not quite ready to give these kids up. It has been a pleasure having each and every one of them in my class this year. They have done super and I know they will all do great in first grade.
As we wrap up the end of the school year we will continue to focus on our reading skills and strategies as well as journal writing and sentence structure. In math we will finish our 3D shapes chapter this week and will begin readiness for addition and subtraction on Monday. Please start to play around with these concepts at home. The kids are definitely ready for this! We will also be finishing a poetry book that we have been working on throughout the year, be watching for that to go home. We will continue to be busy bees in our last month together. It has been such a great year, thank you for all of your contributions!
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.