Friday, August 17, 2012

The Second Happiest Place on Earth...


Outside Disney Door Stickers:




Play dough, Disney coloring sheets, crayons, and name tags for their first day :)


Class Bathroom


Math Shelf:




Display Board for student work:

You can probably guess what area of the classroom this is without me having to tell you:



Reading carpet:




Behavior Chart:
Language Arts Shelf:



Table Hangers with Table Points:




Labeled shelves for each tables supply boxes:







Up close view of our calendar and the 1st day of School Picture!
Ready to go!!!

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Back to School

It's the end of summer, and that means it's back to school time! I'm almost finished with the decorations in my classroom, and will post pictures soon. For now, you get to look at the less-entertaining stuff; My "Welcome to Kindergarten Letter":


Dear Parents,
Hello! My name is Jill Mohlman and I am thrilled to welcome your child into my Kindergarten class! Kindergarten is an exciting year where much learning and growth take place; I am committed to helping your child excel and have a wonderful time in their first year of Elementary School. This year, your child will primarily improve on their reading and writing skills, learn how to solve basic math problems, and socially connect with their classmates as fellow-learners and friends.
I strongly believe that learning should be fun, and our Disney-themed classroom will make sure of it! Our motto this year will be: “It’s kind of fun to do the impossible…” ~Walt Disney. As we all learn together in fun ways, I am positive that the knowledge your child attains in Kindergarten will be beneficial and lasting.
Our Open House will be held very soon! (Keep an eye out for a note I will send home about the date and time). I look forward to meeting each of you that evening. One of the things we will do at the open house is discuss the routines, homework schedules, and policies of our Kindergarten class. If for some reason you are unable to attend, please see the attached sheets where this information is included in detail. These information sheets are beneficial to keep so that you can refer to them as needed throughout the year.
I believe that parental/teacher cooperation can increase a child’s success in school. If you need to contact me for any reason, please do not hesitate to e-mail, call, visit me at school, or send a note. I am willing to help in any way that I can! You can also visit our class website for class and school events, information, and more at mrsmohlman.weebly.com. I plan to update this website weekly so you will be able to stay informed about school at home.
Again, welcome to Kindergarten! I look forward to a happy year.

Sincerely,
Jill Mohlman
Jose Damian Elementary (915) 877-6800
Mrs. Mohlman’s Class Policies & Routines
Homework:
     Beginning the second or third week of school, homework will be given out on Mondays, and will be due back on Fridays. It will consist of some language arts and math sheets. In the pink or green folder your child received on the 1st day of school, you will find a 1-100 Chart and a High Frequency Word List. As part of homework each week, please take some time to review these sheets with your child as well.
     (Also, if ever a short paper book is included in with your child’s homework, this is because I would like them to practice reading some short words in a very short story. Please help them read it as part of homework that week, and you may keep it after that).

Grading:
     In the Canutillo District, Kindergarteners are given grades of 1, 2, 3, or 4 on their assignments and report cards.
1=Below Average
2=Average
3=Progressing to Proficiency
4=Proficient
     (For the most part, at the beginning of Kindergarten, when children are still learning the curriculum, most will score at a level 2. By the end of the year, each child should be performing at a level 4).
     If ever you see a score of 1, 2, 3, or 4 on an assignment in your child’s backpack, this means I have already graded it and it is yours to keep.

Classroom Behaviors:
     Throughout the day students will place their name on either a red, yellow, green or pink color board depending on their behavior and cooperation. Students who get on pink that day will earn a sticker! Students on yellow will sit out of center/play time at the end of the day for 5 minutes, and students on red will sit out for 10 minutes, and parents will receive a phone call

PINK= Fantastic!
GREEN=Good Job!
YELLOW=1st Warning
RED=2nd and Final Warning

    Tickets: Raffle tickets will be given to students making good choices, such as listening to directions, helping others, following the rules, etc. The students will keep the tickets in their classroom box. If a student earns 10 tickets, he/she will choose a treasure out of our treasure box at the end of the school day.

    Take Home Behavior Charts: In the pink or green folder given to your child on the first day of school, there was a behavior chart in the  “Return to School” section. At the end of each day, all the students will color the circle the same color they ended the day on (either Red, Yellow, Green, or Pink). This sheet is to keep you informed of your child’s behavior.

     Parents-What You can do to Help: Discuss your child's behavior often with them. Ask them to explain why they earned the color they did that day, and brainstorm with them ways they can either improve their behavior, or continue in the good classroom choices they are already making. Above all, encourage them to continue being the wonderful, capable student they are!
Absences:
     If your child is ever absent from school, please fill out one of the Absence School Notes given to your child in their pink or green folder on the first day of school. Remind your child to take the note to the office the day they return to school.
Report Cards:
     Several times throughout the year, I will send home a report card for you to look at. Keep in mind; these are not yours to keep. They must be signed and returned to me. The reason for this is that the report card files are kept in each student’s record folder in the office. So once you have had time to review your child’s report card, PLEASE return it. Thank you!
Each Night:
     Please make sure to check your child’s backpack. I may send notes, graded work, or school information that you will need to see.
Classroom Helpers:
     If any of you would like to come and help out in our classroom, we would love to have you. If you’d like to help out, please fill out the small form below and return it. Helping out in the class will be whatever you feel comfortable doing (grading, reading a story to the children, walking around the room and helping with learning, etc). Thank you!
_________________________________________
Yes! I would like to help in the classroom!
Name:                                                      
Child’s Name:                                                                          
Days that are best for me:                                       
Times that work best for me:                                  
Phone number:                                                 
E-mail:                                                      
(Thank you for being willing to help! I will be in contact with you soon). ~Mrs. Mohlman         

Saturday, August 4, 2012

The Longest Summer

I once heard someone say that the top three reasons they became a teacher were: June, July, and August. Pretty witty, yes...but in all seriousness, I am SO grateful for the time I had to spend with our families this summer. Those times always make me the happiest and provide the most cherished memories.

In June...

we went to Utah to visit Jeff's family. They have a time share in Eden, so we all got to stay in a cute little cottage and play golf...
...hike a mountain with a beautiful waterfall at the top,

 (Jeff picked me some wildflowers on the way up the trail...aww!)
 

 
...and went water skiing & tubing.




While in Utah, June 20th came upon us (our 3rd ANNIVERSARY!) To celebrate, we decided to stay at possibly one of the coolest places in Salt Lake City... The Anniversary Inn. 
 
Needless to say, it was the most beautifully ornate and intricately decorated suites I've ever seen...
 

  








 


 



We ordered dinner to be sent to our room, and Jeff secretly ordered 1 dozen roses for me.


 

 

Here's to the next year! What an awesome anniversary. I sure love you Jeff!


Later that week in Utah we went to this beautiful family's sealing! Chris and Ashley are our friends from El Paso, and we had the privilege of teaching them the temple preparation lessons before their sealing day in their hometown temple back in Logan, Utah.


Next off, this is officially my new favorite store! A couple of my best friends and I went to the new City Creek Mall in SLC.

I love these girls!

Later in the month, Jeff and I visited our favorite place in Utah:


It brought back such good memories :)


And guess what, Gates Hall is still standing! I didn't think it would still be standing because I knew they were in the process of building new Heritage Halls. It was a great place to live freshman year, and (if you'll recall) the place Jeff took me to start the night of our engagement!




I also got to see where I used to work-Campus Craft & Floral at their new location
 

And of course, we had to stop by our first apartment.
 


At the end of June, we flew with Jeff's family to California!



On the second day, while everyone else went to a water park, we headed to the Happiest Place on Earth (AKA: my second home)





(If you haven't been to the Blue Bayou in Disneyland, you need to go ASAP. It's my favorite restaurant because it's right on Pirates of the Caribbean).


(This has got to be the happiest duck in the entire world).




At the end of the night, Jeff bought me a red Mickey Mouse balloon :)


The next day we headed to the Anaheim Angels game, although the entire family was rooting for the Orioles.



We headed to our beach condos next...











...and had a great time at the beach...



...(with the exception of falling asleep there on the sand for 3 hours)
Thanks for the great time Mohlman family! 

In July...


We flew to Vegas :)
Pretty much all we did while we were there was spent time with these guys.
Between swimming lessons,
and batting cages,
and celebrating my mom's birthday,


and watching gymnastics lessons,


(future Olympians pictured above and below)


and going to watch the Sacramento Kings (let's be honest...Jimmer Fredette) play in their Summer League Games,

(Jeff showing off his new Jersey)
Why yes...these are front row seats.
Jeff and Jimmer in the same picture (just like ol' buddies, huh?) We thought so.




and playing dress up,


and going to the temple,


and the Discovery Children's Museum,



and the Spring Mountain Ranch Outdoor picnic and play,





and Yogurtland, :)





and golfing,




and to the Mall,

(I'm so proud that Rachey likes big sparkling jewelry)
(and that they both love Disney just about as much as I do).




ahh...Home Sweet Home.

In August...

we came back to Texas, Jeff started his second year of Medical School, I learned how to go grocery shopping and make my own bed again, and oh yes...I blogged.