Welcome to Kindergarten!

There is a wonderful sense of home when you walk through the front doors of Samsula Academy. I deeply believe that your child will find our school to be a warm and friendly place. I am very proud to be a part of the Samsula Academy School family. Once you have opened those doors you are a member of our family too.

I wish to welcome you to Kindergarten. Kindergarten is a new and exciting time for you and your child. It’s a time of change… new beginnings, new friends, new challenges and exciting discoveries! I would like to take this opportunity to express my sincere appreciation for allowing me to be a part of your child’s life during this precious time of growth and discovery!

This is my honor to welcome you and your child into Kindergarten and into… my life. I will do my best to make this year in Kindergarten enjoyable but also filled with academics. My motto is: “The seeds I plant today will blossom into a flower tomorrow.” It will be my pleasure and privilege to watch your child’s personality and learning abilities blossom and unfold day by day.

I run a very effective classroom which is well structured but allows for fun and growth. I hold high expectations for all my students. Furthermore, I strongly believe in differentiated instruction. Research reveals that all students learn differently. Therefore, I plan my lessons to meet the needs of all students. It will be my honor to expand the growing minds of tomorrow and encourage them to become the great leaders of the new generation.

You will find very useful information on this blog. I will update it with events that are happening in our classroom, student work, and other related events. If you have any questions, you may contact me at cgibbs@readingedgeacademy.org

-Mr. Christopher Gibbs

Happy Birthday Johnny Appleseed!

Posted by Mr. Gibbs on Thursday, September 24, 2009
Look at Lane! Lane has been named our Terrific Kid this week! Lane has shown so much growth and progress. I am so proud of Lane. Lane has changed his behavior in ways I didn't see possible. Lane comes to class prepared and ready to learn. Lane understands the difference between right and wrong. Lane also continues to do his personal best while making the right choices. Lane was so excited hearing his name over the announcements. I was so happy to see his excitement.

Terrific Kid will continue throughout the year. When your child is selected he/she will receive a bumper sticker, a gift certificate for McDonalds, and their name called over the announcements. Lane said, "I am so happy." Lane we are so proud of you - continue to do your personal best.

Today, we celebrated Johnny Appleseed's Birthday! Once the doors to our classroom opened, the students knew they were in for a very fun learning day! I dressed up as Johnny Appleseed. I wore clothes that resembles him in pictures, wore a bag across my shoulders, used a walking stick, and even had a pot on my head as a hat! In the morning, we read the story of Johnny Appleseed, made celebration hats, and even began adding ingrediants for our applesauce. We had a blast this morning getting everything in gear for the day ahead.


When the time was right (in the early afternoon) we decided that the apples were soft and ready to me "mashed." We mashed the apples as best as we could. The smell (or aroma, as Oliva calls it) was amazing! We could hardly wait to dig in! The children and I enjoyed mashing the apples.

In the afternoon, we finished our workshops related to apples. We continued to make apples using construction paper and paper plates and even completed our apple painting. These crafts will be sent home next week and would be great to place on the fridge! After workshops, it was time to celebrate. The children was each given a 'taste.' If they liked it, they would be allowed to get more. Although a few declined, many attempted and tried it. It was simply amazing! It was great. Most of the children loved it. Most importantly, we made it together - and that is what was so special about it. We all sat back ate our applesauce and drank our apple juice and reflected on the day.

"I really liked the apple juice. I like wearing the hats," Sawyer said at the end of the day. Jermey said, "I liked the apple sauce. I liked apple stamping." Another student said, "This was a very fun learning day!" Seeing the joy of the faces of these children almost brought tears to my eyes. This is why I am a teacher! I love PLAYING, LEARNING, and GROWING together. I can't wait for the many more fun celebrations that are yet to come. Below are some pictures that I made into a video. I hope you enjoy.



Have a great 3-day weekend!


-Mr. Christopher Gibbs

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