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 Friday!

Posted by Mr. Gibbs on Friday, November 13, 2009
Happy Friday! Today is November 13, 2009! We had another wacky, fun, and interactive learning day in Mr. Gibbs' class. There is never a dull moment. We had a very fast week. Veteran's Day was on Wednesday and our first field trip was on Thursday. This week was filled with adventure as we finished our unit on Gibbstown. We have have finished our unit exploring our neighborhood. Children should be able to explain to you the things you may find in a neighborhood: people, buildings, community helpers, houses, and signs. This week, we learned about traffic signs and the purpose for having them. We made a stop sign, traffic light, and a crosswalk. Children had a chance to even practice properly crossing the road using a crosswalk (in the classroom). We have finished Gibbstown but will use it as a reference later in the year - when we discuss map skills.

We learned the sounds of Jj and Vv this week. Next week, we will finish our letter sounds. We will be working with three letter sounds next week. Please review Qq, Yy, and Zz. We will learn these three next week. We also countined our primer list of Dolch words. Every student knew the five words this week: be, black, brown, but, came. Next week, we will continue with the next five - the list will be sent home on Monday. In addition to the primer words, please review with, where, what, and this with your child. These are additional words your child should know (we have been working with this set for three weeks).



Thursday was fun! We went on our first field trip to see Slim Goodbody. His presentation of Bodyology really helped students understand how to take better care of their body. It also taught them healthy habits and the function of the brain, lungs, and stomach. The students song along with Slim Goodbody on Thursday because they were previously introduced to the songs in Mr. Gibbs' class. On Friday, children continued to sing the songs and were able to tell about healthy habits and how to properly digest food. The field trip was a success! Trevor Riley volunteered to do a small flip on stage. He gave it a wonderful try. Mr. Gibbs also got up there and did a small flip all for the kids! Afterwards, we went to the park for lunch and a nature walk - it was fantastic! Kindergarten had an amazing time!




Zane was our terrific kid this week. Zane thought the field trip was fun and is ready for the next big adventure.



We will be reading Stone Soup and will make Stone Soup next week. We will also learn more about thanksgiving and discuss the importance. We will be making turkey and stone soup related crafts during afternoon workshops. Remember about our Thanksgiving feast on Tuesday, November 24th! We are asking for parents to cook a traditional item and bring it to the feast (or the morning of). Children will not eat lunch in the cafeteria that day. Instead, children will eat at their normal lunch time outside having a traditional Thanksgiving feast. Children will perform a small skit/song for parents who attend.

Reminder, popcorn is on Friday and Wednesday is an ERD!


Current Wish List
-Items for Thanksgiving feast
-10 large brown paper bags

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