The Class Photo Books Are In!

The class photo books("In Mrs. Bonura's Class...2009-2010") are in!! If you ordered one, I will be shipping them to you tomorrow after Summer Fun Camp. If you did not order one but would like to, I have a couple of extra ones or I can order them at any time - just let me know :)

Click on the photo or on the link below to view the pages inside the book.
http://picasaweb.google.com/Mrs.Bonura/Class20092010PhotoBook#5485716546411282258

Click the "buy it now" button to order the book.
Each book is 8'x8", hardback, 30 page and cost $65 plus tax and shipping.

Getting Ready For Summer Art Lessons!

I'm getting ready to teach my first set of summer art lessons!  That's right, my studio is finally ready for students :)

As I started to prepare for the lesson, I decided I needed some fun children art books to start the lesson with.  I wanted to share the two books that I picked: "the dot" and "Mouse Paint"


"the dot" is a wonderful story of encouragement and "Mouse Paint" is a fun story about mixing colors.
Enjoy :-)

Rolling Pins and Handwriting: What's the Connection?

June 2010

Rolling Pins and Handwriting:  What's the Connection? We all know that children love to use rolling pins with Play Doh®, but did you know that rolling pins foster development of the precision muscles of the hands?  The precision muscles of the hands are the muscles that support the tripod pencil grasp and allow the child to adjust the amount of pressure when holding a pencil.  The action of rolling a rolling pin with hands flat and fingers alternating between extended and curved is a natural action by a child who is using a rolling pin to help make real or faux cookies!  Explaining this developmental rationale to other educators, administrators, and parents is one essential example of how to connect theory to our practice and convey the incredible value of hands-on, early childhood experiences.  Provide a wide variety of rolling pins in the kitchen and art station to create multiple opportunities for children to build their hand skills and maintain interest in pattern making.  See our Dough Roller that leaves a neat pattern without Play Doh® sticking to it!  I also love our Pizza Cutter for a fun way to develop the longitudinal arch of the hand (needed for holding a pencil).  In my workshops, I always reinforce the use of rolling pins, pizza cutters, and other art tools, as fun ways to build the hand skills young children need for future, efficient handwriting!  Be sure to engage young children in kneading the dough in our fabulous recipe below for Kool-Aid Playdough.  Children love to knead dough, which strengthens their hands and allows them to gain conficence as your big helpers!  This hands-on activity is sure to provide hours of summer fun. Roll thorough a fabulous summer...Write Out of the Box! Marianne (http://writeoutofthebox.com/) Kool-Aid Playdough 1 cup flour 1 cup water 1/2 cup salt  1 pkg Kool-Aid (any flavor) 2 tsp. cream of tartar 2 tbsp. vegetable oil   Mix all together and cook in a saucepan over medium heat until mixture forms a ball.  Let cool on waxed paper.  Knead a little when cool.  Store in a ziploc bag or air tight container.

A Page Out Of This Year's Photo Book

Here is a page from the photo book I am creating from all the pictures I took this year:

THANK YOU!!

I want to thank everyone for an incredible year!!  I hope you all have a great summer and be sure to stay in touch with me :)

Here are a few pictures from today:

Last Day Of School!

Can you believe Friday is our last day of school?!?!  It has been an incredible year!  I have enjoyed teaching this group of kids so much :) 

As I work on the class's photo book(which will be available to purchase this summer), I am reminded of all the amazing things we learned this year.  I have titled the book "In Mrs. Bonura's Class..."  and I have written it to be an early reader that your kids can enjoy for years to come!  On every page, it says "In Mrs. Bonura's class we learned..." followed by whatever we learned that corresponds to the pictures on that page.  I decided to wait until after our end of year party to finish it so I can capture the awesome party we will be having!

Speaking of the party - Staci Gray will be the main entertainment!!  Her performance will begin around 11:45 in the Fun & Fitness Room and everyone (parents & siblings) are welcomed to join us in celebrating a great year! 

Friday's schedule will look like this:
9am drop off
9:45 snack
10:15 playground
11:00 bathroom break/wash hands
11:10 lunch in our room
11:45 concert in Fun & Fitness Room
12:30 playground / dessert
1:00 dismissal from playground

You will only need to bring a snack.  Lunch (pizza) will be provided.

Claire's New Car Design

Claire used shape magnets to design a car for her family...

Hula Hoop!

Grant tries to master the hula hoop - it's harder than it looks!

Look What We Built!

Trevor, Zach & Henry had a blast building their different "ships"...

Last Week Of School!

I can't believe this is the last week of school!!!
Friday will be our End Of Year Class Party.  It will be on campus at St. Matthew's and all parents are welcomed to come!  On Friday, lunch will be provided but please pack a snack for your child.  We will be dismissing at our regular time - 1:00pm. 

THANK YOU!!!!

Thank you for all of the amazing and heartfelt teacher appreciation gifts!!  Also, thank you for coming to the Mother's Day Tea!  I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did :)

I'm placing the last scholastic book order for the year this week.  Please order asap - the easiest way is to look online and order/pay using their website.  Otherwise, look for the order forms this week - money due Friday.

In case you haven't ordered online before here are the directions:

Scholastic Book Orders Now Available Online!

Scholastic now offers parents the option to order books online. When you do this, not only do you get a great bargain and earn books for our classroom!!

Ordering online is fairly simple:

1. Go to the parent sign in at Scholastic.com
2. *Click "Don't have a User Name and Password?"
3. *Click "If you have a 5-digit code from your child’s teacher,
   click here to register."
4. *Enter "1FBVH" for the 5-digit code
5. *Create your account, click submit
6. Browse the available catalogs by clicking on the "place an order" button for the catalog you want to view.
7. Once you find a book you would like to order, change 0 to 1 (or how ever many) then click the "Update Qty." button
8. When you are finished shopping, click the "checkout" button at the top of the page.
9. Once you've entered your payment information, the books will be ordered and then shipped directly to our classroom. Once I receive the books, I will give them to your child(or put them in his/her backpack).
10. Yeah! You've now helped build our classroom library(by earning points for our class) at the same time you added to yours at home :) THANK YOU!!

Claire Crosses the Monkey Bars

Katie Crosses the Monkey Bars

Feel What You Want, Control What You Do

I found this short article (http://www.pbs.org/wholechild/providers/dealing.html) and thought I'd share part of it:

One of the most valuable skills we can teach children is how to express strong emotions without hurting themselves, others or damaging property. What we want our children to learn is: feel what you want, but control what you do. Begin by communicating with the child in a non-judgmental way, showing her you understand how she feels. Perhaps she's angry or sad because someone won't let her play or perhaps she wants something so badly, she can't wait another minute for it. Whatever the cause, the first thing to do is to put those feelings into words for her. Encourage the child to say the feelings out loud and tell the other person how she feels. If the child's too young or inexperienced to know what to say, model a simple sentence for her to copy. Finally, do whatever else is necessary to resolve the situation.
        Of course, adults lose their temper and must learn to control their anger. The important thing to remember is that the same rule applies: feel what you want, but control what you do. You can't fool children by denying you are upset or angry or frightened. It's better to simply admit it as calmly as possible.

Doodlebug!!

Addie & Welden helped Doodlebug with a magic trick!

Clowning Around

Grant & Ben clowning around!

Today we introduced our Circus unit... the kids hads fun clowning around, listening to stories about the circus & painting clowns!  Next Friday, Doodle Bug will be putting on a show for our class:)

Claire, Katie, Allison & Faith

Sidewalk Art!

Friends create some art on the playground with sidewalk chalk!

"Man Bites Dog!"

Or should I say "Boy Bites Dog" ?  This weekend we went to South Austin's Trailer Park & Eatery were we sampled the best "hot dogs" ever! I tried the My Big Fat Greek Dog which was a merguez lamb sausage w/tzatziki sauce, tomatoes, olives, cucumbers & feta cheese!  YUM-O!!!  There were several other places to try & since you get to sit outside on picnic benches it's a great place to take the kids!

Save the Date for our Mother's Day Tea!

Mother's please save the date:

Friday, May 7, 10:00AM to 10:30AM 

Our class will be celebrating Mother's Day
in a very special way.

Songs will be sang, books will be read

and best of all, everyone will be fed!

Please be sure to RSVP!

Link to evite.

A few reminders for April

Hi Everyone--

  

*Tomorrow is a St. Matthew's spirit day.  Your child may wear his/her blue St. Matthew's shirt or La Margarita shirt to school tomorrow.  As Francie has noted:

Bring the whole family (friends and neighbors, too!) to the Schloztsky's at 2545 W. Anderson Lane for St. Matthew's Spirit Night from 4PM - 9PM. Just say you are with St. Matthew's and 20% of the proceeds from your order will go to the school! Drive through orders included.

*Friday the Reptile Man will be visiting our class in the morning.

*OUR CLASS PICTURE TAKEN ON FRIDAY, APRIL 23rd. 

*Friday, April 30th, Doodlebug (the clown) will be visiting our class in the morning.

*Finally, you received a flyer today explaining that we are participating in a St. Matthew's church collection for Caritas, as the church is hosting the Beans & Basics Item Drive this year.  If you'd like to bring beans, please drop them in the collection boxes in the breezeway by April 25th.

 

Thanks so much--I hope everyone's having a great week!

Flowering Of The Cross

 Don't Forget:

• Early dismissal tomorrow immediately following Flowering of the Cross/St. Matthews' birthday celebration!
• Please make sure your child has a single stem flower for the Flowering of the Cross Ceremony.
• Pack a snack but no need for a lunch
• VIPs arrive in the classroom at 10:15am

"At the Flowering of the Cross Ceremony, students and their VIPs place flowers on a cross.The flowers represent God's love and at the end of the ceremony, the plain, old, stained cross is transformed into something beautiful!"

Road Rally Fun!

Here is a slide show of the 3s Annual Road Rally! Pictures include all classes...

Road Rally!!!

We will end this week with our annual Road Rally!  Be sure to bring your child's bike, trike, scooter or big wheel and helmet to the back parking lot on Friday morning.  To help get your little one excited, here is a picture from last year's Road Rally:

Summer Camp At St. Matthew's!

    Summer Camp at St. Matthew’s

·       One week camps offered for three weeks in June: June 7, June 14, June 21. 

·       A different theme with different activities each week.

·       Sign up for one week or all three…activities will not be repeated from week to week.

·       Tuition is $150 per week.

·       Children will be grouped by age.

·       Camp is open to children who have COMPLETED the two year old program, three year old program, pre-k program or kindergarten.

·       Incoming children (those new to St. Matthew’s for the fall 2010) are welcome to attend.

·       Each age group will spend the day rotating through theme centered, age appropriate activities.  Activities might include: literature, fun and games, projects and crafts, science lab, the great outdoors.  Specific activity topics will be determined when registration numbers are established.

·       Camp for twos is only offered two of the three weeks.  The twos will NOT move through activity stations.  They will stay with Mrs. Pape and Mrs. Whitman all morning long.

·       Each child will need to bring a snack, a lunch, a book bag and a water bottle each day.

·       Camp will be staffed by St. Matthew’s teachers.  The summer team includes: Kathy Dugat, Susie Rich, Cindy Thornton, Page Race, Joan Prchlik, Elizabeth Neale, Jamie Loftin, Susan Mangum, Karen Culley, Julie Carothers, Elizabeth Bonura, Janice Whitman, Kathy Pape.  Staffing for each camp may be different depending on registration numbers and availability of the teachers.

·       Register in the St. Matthew’s School office.

Occupations & Community Helpers Unit

We are in our second week of the Occupations/Community Helpers Unit.  We have been talking about the many different occupations available and what they might want to be when they grow up.  I even talked to all of the 3s classes about being an artist.and showed everyone how to make a cup out of clay.  Later this week everyone will get to make an elbow bowl out of clay and they will also draw pictures of what they want to be when they grow up.  This is a great opportunity for you to talk to your child about your jobs.

On a different note, I want to thank all of you who attended La Noche this past weekend!  It was great seeing everyone having fun!! 

La Noche: La Margarita Fundraiser 02/27/2010

Here are the ceramic wind chimes that the kids made for the live auction at La Noches' La Margarita Fundraiser this Saturday the 27th!  If you are not able to attend, you can still have a chance to win one of these wind chimes by giving Debbie (in the office) your bid. Traditionally, bids start at $100.00.  The top 3 bidders will get to take home one of these original, kid created & very personalized wind chimes!

Red Day Information & Class Roster

This Friday, the 12th is our Red Day Class Party!  Here are a few reminders regarding our Valentine's Celebration:

• Please bring an empty tissue box so your child can decorate it & use it as a "mail box" for his/her Valentine cards.  Bring this box on Monday or Wednesday so there is time to decorate it in class.
• Please do not attach candy to the any cards.
• Please have your child wear a red shirt on Friday and you may want to pack a red snack - just for fun :)

Here is an updated class roster:

Recap and Upcoming Events

January has flown by quickly!  We have had a great month back at school discussing the properties of winter, nursery rhymes and fairy tales.  Our class helped with a Chapel Story.  Donuts for Dads(& VIPs) was so much fun!  The kids were so proud of their guest and enjoyed spending that special time together:) A special thanks to Grant & his dad for bringing the donuts and to Fletcher & his dad for bring the juice & paper products!  During this past month, we(with the help of Henry's mom, Lauren and Addie's mom, Jessica) have been working very hard on creating our class projects (handmade ceramic wind chimes) that will be auctioned off at the school fundraiser, La Margarita (La Noche).  La Margarita (La Noche) will be on February 27th - please be sure to get your tickets soon for this wonderful event!

Speaking of events in February... The calendar is posted on the blog and one will be sent home on Monday.
* There is a Parent Council meeting on the 11th. 
* Red Day (our Valentine's Day celebration) is on Friday the 12th.  
       ->Each child will need an empty tissue box that they will decorate for their Valentine Cards. 
      -> Please bring the box by Monday the 8th.
      -> Please have your child wear a RED shirt
      -> Your child is welcomed to bring cards for his/her friends.  Just make sure there are enough for everyone in the class (we have 13 students).  I would suggest you do not put names on the cards to make distributing them easier for us :) 
      -> If you want to attach something to the cards, please do not attach candy.  Please do not feel obligated to attached anything ;) Most of the fun is in passing out the cards to friends!
* No School on Monday the 15th.
* Parent Conferences Friday the 19th
      -> No School because of Parent/Teacher conferences
      -> Sign up sheet for time slots will be posted by the sign in sheets.
* La Margarita (La Noche) - Saturday the 27th

We will continue studying Fairy Tales & Nursery Rhymes this next week.  Then we have units about Love, Occupations and Community Helpers to wrap up the rest of the month.

Chapel Helpers on Wednesday!

No School on Monday, January 18th.

Mark your calendars for this Wednesday, January 20th.  On this day, our class will be Chapel helpers.  Either Mrs. Dugat or Mrs. Thurman will guide us as we tell the story of Jesus and his helpers.  We will be meeting over at the Chapel beginning at 8:55 that morning (please hang bags and lunch boxes on hooks by the classroom first).  We will put costumes on the children as they arrive.  If your child does not want to wear a costume, it is not a problem!  I expect about half of the class will want to dress up :)  As always, you are invited to join us for Chapel! 

Scholastic Book Orders

Don't forget you can order books online and pay with a credit card at http://pcool.scholastic.com/parentordering/login.jsp  or you can fill out the order forms and pay with a check - whichever is more convenient!

If you have not set up your account to order online, please review this post: http://mrsbonura.blogspot.com/2009/08/scholastic-book-orders-now-available.html

Let me know if you have any questions :)

Welcome Back!!!

It's great to be back in the classroom!  Everyone was so excited to see each other again - no one missed a beat! 
January will be a busy month for us:

• Wednesday, the 13th, we will start working on the class project for LaNoche (special thanks goes out to Lauren Ward & Jessica Knight for leading it!)
• Monday, the 18th,  NO SCHOOL!
  
• Wednesday, the 20th, our class will be helping tell the Chapel story!  Be sure to and attend this event & bring your cameras :)  Students will need to arrive a little early on this day to get their costumes on...
• Wednesday, the 27th @ 8:45,  Donuts For Dad (Moms are welcome too!)  Dad's are invited to have coffee and donuts with their kids in the classroom before we go to Chapel.  Everyone is invited to attend the Chapel service as well but it is optional (we understand that you may need to get to the work).
  

 The online calendar has been updated.  Please let me know if you have any questions :)