STONE SOUP THIS WEDNESDAY!!

I know I put it in the Homework Letter this past week, but I wanted to remind everyone to please prepare a vegetable to bring in to add to our pot of Stone Soup this Wednesday.  I selected vegetables by table groups, which makes it easier for keeping a balanced soup.  Just a small sandwich bag with one prepared vegetable per student will be plenty.  Again, if any parents wish to come in and help with this activity, please email or talk to me beforehand so that I don't have too many volunteers on the day of the event.  In case your child forgot which vegetable to bring, here is the list again:

Red Group – chopped onion	Green Group – chopped celery	Orange Group – chopped carrots
Blue Group – chopped bell pepper	Yellow Group – cubed potatoes	Black Group – shredded cabbage

Don't worry about the main ingredient, I will take care of bringing in a nice big stone for our Stone Soup!!  Have a great weekend, and remember, only 3 more school days before a nice long Winter Vacation (Dec. 20 - Jan. 6).  If I don't see you before the holidays, have a wonderful time with your family and loved ones, and I will see you all again in 2013!!
-Mr. Linnet

Thanks to all who attended the Holiday Hop!

It was such great fun, and my family enjoyed seeing so many of you at the event.  Skylar loved running around and playing with all the children, and Mrs. Linnet took lots of wonderful pictures.  I hope that your family enjoyed the event as much as ours did.  Happy Holidays everyone!!
-Mr. Linnet

Holiday Hop this Friday!!

Just wanted to give a reminder to everyone that our school is having a fun new event this year to celebrate the winter festivities, and it is called the Holiday Hop!  We will begin with a Spaghetti Feast, then have family fun activities including: Santa's Workshop, Cookie Decorating, music, dancing, and raffles.  The event runs from 5:30 - 8:30pm on Friday, December 7th.  My family has signed up for the 6pm dinner time, and hopefully we will see some of you there!!
                                      
                                                                                                         -Mr. Linnet

Report Card Conferences are Coming!!

Just wanted to give a heads up that next week begins the start of Report Card Conferences.  We have No School this Monday (Teacher Work Day), then begin Conferences next Friday.  Again No School on Monday, November 12 (Veteran's Day), then Conferences resume the rest of the week.  We will have Minimum Days each day of Conferences (November 9-16).  I look forward to discussing your child's progress with each of you next week at your Conference.
                                                                                                  -Mr. Linnet

Progress Reports go home this week!

We have had a great start to this school year, and I am happy to report that all of the students in our class are currently meeting grade level expectations.  I have just finished our Progress Reports and they will be reviewed by our Principal on Monday.  I plan on sending them home with the students on Wednesday.  We do not usually have conferences following Progress Reports, and I do not foresee needing one for anyone in our class, but if any of you have questions or concerns after reading your child's Progress Report, please email me and we can set something up.  Thanks again for all the work you are doing at home to help your child!  I have been very impressed with the homework packets your children have been turning in to me each week.  Happy October Everyone!!
       
                                                                                      -Mr. Linnet

Please submit Book Club orders by Friday 9/21

Just wanted to remind families to return their book orders or make purchases online by this Friday.  Scholastic holds all orders for our class, so that we can pool them together and earn more points for the class.  I use the class points to purchase books for the classroom, or software to use in the classroom with the computers.  I will be submitting our class order after school next Friday at 4pm.  Any orders returned after that will be submitted with the October Book Club purchases.
                                                                                                -Mr. Linnet

Great Deals on Headphones...

...hello families,  as you know we are encouraging students to get their own headphones this year, to use in the classroom and at the computer lab.  Some families have mentioned that earbud headphones do not fit comfortably in their children's ears, and traditional headphones can be costly.  This weekend, while doing some shopping with my family, I have found some amazing deals that I wanted to share with you all.  Big Lots in Vacaville had a Labor Day Sale this weekend where headphones were as low as $2.50 (Buy one, get one half off).  You can still pick them up between $5- $10 depending on size/style preference.  Earbud headphones can also be purchased for under $5 at T.J. Maxx here in Cordelia for those that like this style.  I hope this is helpful for those that are still looking for an inexpensive set of headphones for their child.
-Mr. Linnet

Homework starts in September!!

I hope you all enjoy your 3-day Labor Day weekend.  Starting on Tuesday your child will have a weekly Homework Packet to complete.  Language Arts, Math, Reading and Writing!!  Your child is expected to do a little each night, then return the work in the red bag on Fridays.  Your children will also get books assigned each week for reading.  Please take care of these books and return them with the homework.  That's probably enough information to get you ready for the first week of homework. I'm looking forward to seeing you all at Back to School Nite next Wednesday!!
-Mr. Linnet

Back to School Nite next week!!

Hello Everyone, I wanted to give an update for the coming week.  First, we have no school on Monday, September 3rd, in observance of Labor Day.  Next, we have Back to School Nite on Wednesday, September 5th.  Last, a few parents have been eager to receive homework.  We will be sending Homework Packets home next week in your children's red book bags.  Please read the directions carefully and monitor your children's work throughout the week.  The completed work and books should be returned to school in the red bags on Friday each week.  Hope you have all enjoyed the first few weeks of school, and I look forward to seeing all of you next week at Back to School Nite!!
                        -Mr. Linnet

Welcome Students and Families!!

THE LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!!

Can you believe it is here already?!? We had some amazing events take place this year, some better than others, but for me things have definitely come full circle. As I lay in bed writing my end of the year letter, I can't help but remember last summer, when I was doing the same thing to welcome you to Kindergarten. Although my memories of this year both start and end with ankle surgeries, the middle offered many great memories that I am so thankful for. We were nominated and awarded the high distinction of a California Distinguished School! We got to live, laugh, and learn together in the classroom. And I found out I will get to continue working with a few of you next year when I teach a K-1 Combo class again! Each of you students have unique and special talents that you shared with our class this year, and I will remember each of you for your personality and enthusiasm that you shared with me each day. I hope that I helped you grow and learn all that you could this year, and that you look back on your Kindergarten year with joyful feelings and happy memories. Thank you to all the families. You were so amazing this year! I can't begin to tell you how appreciative I am for your support and understanding throughout this chaotic year. Many families would have been upset with all the personal time I had to use this year, but you all stuck with me and I thank you for it. Hopefully I was able to meet or exceed your expectations this year. I have to be honest, I have never worked harder in the classroom than I had to this year!! State politics being what they are, we all had to push through and stay focused on our kid's academic achievement, and working together this year I can say "We Did It!". As a teacher, every year is special; but because of personal and political challenges, this year is by far my most rewarding. I have enjoyed the great times shared this year, and am thankful for the difficulties that tested me, both personally and professionally. Seeing our success this year shows me that we will always find a way to get the job done, even if it seems impossible at times!! I know that I won't be around to celebrate with all of you this week, but I will be thinking about you all and missing the fun things that happen that last week of school. Have lots of fun tomorrow at Field Day, and don't forget to bring your ingredients on Thursday for the Taco Bar!! Make sure you all turn in your books if you haven't done so yet, the guest teacher will be passing out you Report Cards on the last day of school!! If I can, I will try to stop in at the end of the week to wish you all a Happy Summer, but if I am not able to make it, then I hope you all have a lot of fun this summer and read a lot of books for me!!

My surgery was successful!

Just wanted to let you all know that things went smoothly, and the doctor says I can start rehab for my ankle in two weeks. Thank you all for the prayers and kind words. I feel honored to work at a great school filled with so many amazing families! Tell the kids that Mr. Linnet misses them, and hopes to RUN around with them at recess next year! Enjoy the last week of school and have a fun summer everybody. I will see you all again in August!!

A thought-provoking page from the Solano County Office of Education

I think it was probably posted earlier in the year, but as your family will be directly affected by the consistent cutbacks our State has been making each year, I thought that many of you would like to be informed about specific stats to the School Districts in our County, and ways to get involved in reminding our State who they are really hurting with these cutbacks.  If the General Public doesn't voice their feelings about the effects these cutbacks have on their children's education, things will never get better for your children.  Also you now have a link to the Solano County Office of Education (SCOE) for future reference.  They are located here in Cordelia, near the Library, and are a great tool for families.  -Mr. Linnet

Schools in Crisis!!

New Plan for Student Drop Off / Pick Up

*I am posting the letter that you will all be receiving from the Principal regarding the policy change for Student Drop Off / Pick up at Cordelia Hills, beginning April 10th when we return from Spring Break.  This change has been deemed necessary by the Fairfield Police Department, and not something we had a choice on.  I am sorry if it comes up small, this is the largest I could get it to come up.  If you still are having trouble reading it, you will be given a paper version through the mail and in your child's Friday Folder.

*Also, please note that this will NOT affect our routine for AM Kindergarten.  We get out at noon, so you will still be able to use the drive-thru to pick up your children.  This new policy only applies to before and after school.

*I strongly recommend that you all work to follow this new ordinance.  The Fairfield P.D. seemed pretty unhappy with the congestion in front of our school, and the lack of safety some families had in regards to children (walking students in the street through cars, letting children in/out of cars on the road, etc.).  I believe they intend to monitor our site that first week back to enforce the new policy, and may even write citations for individuals that choose not to follow the new plan.  Just wanted to give a heads-up!!

-Mr. Linnet

About the new Slogan...

...I saw a few friends on Facebook post this video and it got me curious.  After watching it, I couldn't help but feel compelled to do my small part with it.  I do not wish to upset or offend anyone with this posting, but I feel that sometimes as educators and parents, we have a right to take a stand on important issues.  I couldn't simply walk away from this one.  For those that don't know about the Kony2012 movement, please watch the video.  For those that do, you are free to make your own choices.  I chose to put it on the side so that the message can stay visible all year, and not get buried by other posts.  You are free to comment on this subject if you like, my only request is that you are respectful and sensitive to other people's feelings.  I do not have a personal connection with the story, but as a parent and teacher, I feel that anyone who harms young children should be brought to justice.  This will be the only post I make on this subject, but I thought everyone needed to know why I have included it on my Blog.

-Mr. Linnet

Are you ready to have a park next to Cordelia Hills School?

My wife has stepped up to help start the process of getting our Southbrook Community Park. She attended a Town Hall meeting on Saturday and found out that if we don't start moving on the process of financing the park now, the city could go ahead and move the park to the new Seeno location. So now is the time for us to come together as a community and fight for the park we want to have! She is organizing information right now, and hopes to have something to send home later this week. In the meantime, you can visit www.facebook.com/SaveSouthbrookCommunityPark to join in the efforts. Tell your friends, family, neighbors, coworkers, everyone! We need to show solidarity at the next Town Hall meeting on March 31st at Cordelia Hills Elementary, so that the city officials see how serious we are. Hope you choose to help us get our park after so many years of waiting!! -Mr. Linnet

So Bummed!

After updating our blog yesterday at school, and getting excited about all the cool new games the kids can access in the links, I came home to let Skylar test it out. I pulled out our iPad, loaded the blog, then clicked on one of the new links. "This program cannot be accessed on this device. You need Adobe Flash Player to run this program. Adobe Flash Player is not supported on this device." WHAT?!? NOT SUPPORTED ON THIS DEVICE?!? So my great activities cannot be used on my iPad, EVER?!? Talk about a bummer!! At least I know that everything runs smoothly on a PC. I personally tested every link on my computer at work, everything came up and was available to play. I just thought I would share this disappointing discovery with all of you so that you don't make the same mistake I did. You can use your mobile devices to read the blog (iPad, iPhone, Tablet, etc.), but you should use your laptop or home computer to let your children access the links. I selected some pretty cool games this month, so I hope you all have fun exploring them!! -Mr. Linnet

Hope you are enjoying the 3-day weekends!!

We are enjoying a Monday off this week in honor of Abraham Lincoln. We dedicated most of Friday learning about our 16th President and why he was worthy of a National Holiday(at least in the eyes of public school systems). If you haven't already discussed Mr. Lincoln with your child, please take a moment out of the Dayton do so. Ask about Abraham Lincoln when he was little, what he loved, how he became President, and what he wanted to end during the Civil War? Next week will be a busy week with Valentines Day tomorrow, and a celebration of President George Washington on Friday. We have another 3-day weekend next week for what is officially Presidents Day. I'm looking forward to another short, but exciting week of school!!

Ed1Stop at Home

Ed1Stop is a great online service that your child can access from home.  From our School District Website, you can open the Frequent Links and then scroll down to Ed1Stop.  I have enclosed the Login and Password in your child's Homework Packet this week so that you can log-in at home and check it out.  I recommend "Brain Pop Jr." found under Curriculum Support, and any of the math or language arts games found under Textbooks.  We use many of these activities in our classroom during Centers, and the class seems to really enjoy them.  Have fun exploring!! -Mr. Linnet

Animal ABC Books

As you can see, our class has been studying animals in Language Arts and Science these past few weeks.  One project we have been working on is making Animal ABC Books that the students are writing and illustrating.  It has been a fantastic project, and I am very proud of the work my class has produced.  Here is a small sample of what they have created.  Since I can't post pics of my class on the internet (for security purposes), I am going to try to post their work when possible to let you see some of the great things they are doing in the classroom.  I hope you enjoy!! -Mr. Linnet

E is for Elephant.

F is for Fox.

I is for Iguana.
J is for Jellyfish.

K is for Koala.

L is for Loin (Lion).

O is for Octopus.

P is for Penguin.

S is for Snake.

T is for Turtle.


Pretty great little artists, don't you think?!  We haven't finished these books yet, but after we do we hope to display them in the Library for a week or two for the rest of the school to see before we send them home.  I have no doubt that these will be cherished projects that you will want to keep and then show your child at their High School Graduation!!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

Wishing everyone a Happy 2012! I can't wait to see you all again on January 9th. Enjoy this last week off, but get yourself ready to come back to school. We still have a lot to learn!