TK: Then and Now

Nearly a month ago, Drew wrapped up his first year in public school as a TK'er... otherwise known as a Transitional Kindergartener.  Before we compare how much he changed visually let's look over his "grades" for the past year.

Here's how he's "Graded"
P= Proficient (highest achievement possible)
OT = On Track (age appropriate)
E = Emerging (needs a little work)
AC = Areas of Concern (serious problems)
X - Not Yet Taught/Assessed

There were four categories in which he's graded:
1. Social/Emotional
2. Language Arts
3. Math
4: Physical Development
5: just teacher comments


His previous "grades" are in parenthesis in order of 2nd trimester, 1st trimester.

1. Social/Emotional:

• Seeks adult help when appropriate - P (OT) (E)
• Engages in cooperative activities with peers - OT (OT) (E)
• Exhibits impulse control and self-regulation - OT (E) (E)
• Works Independently - P (OT) (OT)
• Participates in group activities - P (OT) (OT)
• Demonstrates caring for others -  OT (OT) (E)
• Follows Playground Rules -  OT (OT) (OT)
  
• Follows classroom rules and procedures - P (P) (OT)
• Separates from parents/caregivers without stress - P (P) (P)
• Follows Directions - P (P) (OT)

2. Language Arts

• Writes own first name in Titlecase - P (P) (P)
• Uppercase letters 5 10 15 - P (P) (P)
• Lower case letters 5 10 15 - not listed P (P)
• Exhibits beginning sound awareness - P (P) (P)
• Exhibits rhyme awareness - P (OT) (X)
• Listens while others are speaking - OT (OT) (OT)
• Shares ideas with others - P (P) (OT)
• Actively engages in writing activities - OT (OT) (OT)
• Actively engages in reading activities - P (P) (P)

3. Math

• Understands that numbers represent quantity - P (P) (P)
• Recognizes numbers in random order (0-12) - P (P) (P)
• Uses one-to-one correspondence to count objects (12) - P (P) (X)
• Recognizes common shapes - P (P) (X)
• Counts orally 1-20 - P (P) (P)
• Sorts by one attribute - P (P) (X)
• Extends simple patterns - P (OT) (X)

4. Physical Development

• Demonstrates gross motor skills (balance, jump, run, climb) - OT (OT) (OT)
• Demonstrates sense of body in relation to others -  OT (OT) (OT)
• Demonstrates fine motor skills (cut, color, draw) - P (OT) (OT)
• Performs basic self-help/self-care tasks - P (OT) (E)
• Uses Small Manipulatives effectively - P (P) (OT)

5. Trimester Comments

• Drew has grown so much this year!  We have enjoyed his sense of humor, creative ideas, broad vocabulary, observational skills and love of learning.  He is a strong student and a pleasure to work with.  keep reading over the summer and enjoy your family time together.  Great job Drew!

And now for the comparison pictures....

The left side was day one, and the right side is the last day after school.  While he had just gotten in trouble for being written up on his very last day of school, the picture on the right was not a picture of him pouting.  Rather he was pretending to be a character from Temple Run, one of his favorite apps. 

Memory Book Sharing Day

School wrapped up on Thursday of last week, but on Wednesday the parents were invited to the Library at school so Drew's class could share their memory books.
When the kids arrived they first started by singing a few songs.

(Drew is sitting on the floor bottom right in the beige shirt)

Then there were a few presentations to some of the moms who helped man the room and organize all the events.  Once that was done, Drew's teacher passed out the books she scrapbooked of each individual child's year in TK.

It's a beautiful book that we'll cherish forever, just like we'll cherish the year with Mrs. Ferren.

Here's one of the great things that was in the book that I loved - the poem made me tear up when Drew read it to us:


I've worked with your flower,
And helped it grow.
I'm returning it now,
But I want you to know,
This flower is precious.
As dear as can be.
Love, take care of it,
And you will see,
a bright new bloom with
Every day.
It grew and blossomed
In such a wonderful way -
In September, just a bud,
January, a bloom.
Now a lovely blossom -
I'm returning to you in June.
Remember, this flower,
As dear as can be -
Though rightfully yours,
Part will always belong to me
With love Ms Ferren

Kindergarten Sings

Another overdue post... but it's fitting to share this with you today on Drew's last day of Transitional Kindergarten.

On May 22nd, parents were invited to see the TKers play the flute (recorder) and sing.  On Wednesdays the kids from AM and PM come together so this is both classes.

Drew is in the center, 2nd row kind of below the "I" in Sing

Here's a closer shot.

 

The concert began with the kids playing the flute.  I wasn't sure what to expect - I remember not playing the recorder until I was in about 3rd grade.  Turns out the kids play one note per song - they learned a total of 3 notes (B-A-G).  Here are a couple of videos of them playing the recorder/flute:

This was the first song they did:

 And another song where the sing in Spanish (this is for you Abuela!!)

After they were done singing and playing the flute a lot of parents thought the concert was over, but oh no, they did several more songs just singing.  Here's one final video for you.

They finished up with the pledge of allegiance (they still say "One Nation Under God") and walked back to their room where there were refreshments for the kids and parents.

Our little star.... Dave and I had to head back to work so we didn't stay.  The concert lasted about an hour!

Final TK Field Trip

At the beginning of May, Drew's TK class went on their final field trip of the year to Smith Family Farms in Brentwood.  It was quite the long bus ride for these 5 year olds (with traffic over an hour) so it put us behind schedule, but they sure jam packed a lot of fun into our time at the farm.

Drew's PM class started by listening and participating in a jamboree.

I was one proud mommy  - the band leaders were asking all sorts of questions and Drew was always the one with the answer (and the right one I must add).  I was later told by one of the other chaperoning moms that the lady came to her and asked how old the group was.  She'd never heard such great answers from one kid and complimented her on how well behaved the whole group was.

After the jamboree, the kids went over and ground some corn to feed to the animals.

There Drew and his buddy Max are feeding their corn to the chickens.  There is another coop where they had peacocks too.

At yet another station, they learned about baby animals and were able to pet a baby chick.

Here's Drew petting the chick...

And a baby bunny (mommy kept her distance.  She's super allergic to rabbits).

For their next station they learned about bugs - both good and bad ones for farms.  Then they were given magnifying glasses to look at different insects.

At the next to last station before lunch, the kids made a bouquet of flowers and herbs.

After they made the bouquet, the kids could go dig for earthworms. 

Needless to say the boys rushed through their bouquets to find worms.  I think only girls dug far enough to actually find any.

After lunch the kids joined for a group photo.  Drew is at the bottom right.

It was great to be able to chaperone this year on two of the three field trips!  It worked out to be the first and last field trip, and I hope to do it again next year when he starts Kindergarten at his new school!

TK Parent-Teacher Conference

Last week Dave and I met with Drew's Transitional Kindergarten Teacher for his second report card and final conference.

The short and sweet, he's come a long way emotionally/socially since the beginning of the year.  Where she was concerned about his overreaction to issues that arise, he's done a lot better, but she still thinks we need to watch his impulse control - a lot of which is normal for 5 year old boys.   I'll go into the story she shared at the end.

Here's how he's "Graded"
P= Proficient (highest achievement possible)
OT = On Track (age appropriate)
E = Emerging (needs a little work)
AC = Areas of Concern (serious problems)
X - Not Yet Taught/Assessed

There were four categories in which he's graded:
1. Social/Emotional
2. Language Arts
3. Math
4: Physical Development
5: just teacher comments


His previous "grades" are in parenthesis.

1. Social/Emotional:

• Seeks adult help when appropriate - OT (E)
  Notes: He's come a long way, minus the incident the day before the conference (I'll touch on this at the end)
• Engages in cooperative activities with peers - OT (E)
• Exhibits impulse control and self-regulation - E (E)
  Notes: working on this (this goes along with the first bullet point, again to be discussed later)
• Works Independently - OT (OT)
• Participates in group activities - OT (OT)
• Demonstrates caring for others - OT (E)
• Follows Playground Rules - OT (E)
  She made several comments about how Drew is actually too competitive on the playground when he's racing classmates, she'd like him to work on this. I think this is a father/son trait.
• Follows classroom rules and procedures - P (OT)
• Separates from parents/caregivers without stress - P (P)
• Follows Directions - P (OT)

2. Language Arts

• Writes own first name in Titlecase - P (P)
• Uppercase letters 5 10 15 - P (P)
• Lower case letters 5 10 15 - P (P)
• Exhibits beginning sound awareness - P (P)
• Exhibits rhyme awareness - OT (X)
• Listens while others are speaking - OT (OT)
• Shares ideas with others - P (OT)
• Actively engages in writing activities - OT (OT)
• Actively engages in reading activities - P (P)

3. Math

• Understands that numbers represent quantity - P (P)
• Recognizes numbers in random order (0-12) - P (P)
• Uses one-to-one correspondence to count objects (12) - P (X)
• Recognizes common shapes - P (X)
• Counts orally 1-20 - P (P)
• Sorts by one attribute - P (X)
• Extends simple patterns - P (X)

4. Physical Development

• Demonstrates gross motor skills (balance, jump, run, climb) - OT (OT)
• Demonstrates sense of body in relation to others - OT (OT)
• Demonstrates fine motor skills (cut, color, draw) - OT (OT)
• Performs basic self-help/self-care tasks - OT (E)
• Uses Small Manipulatives effectively - P (OT)

5. Trimester Comments

• Drew continues to show good growth in kindergarten.  He loves playing imaginative games with his friends and is well liked.  He is a creative thinker who thinks "outside of the box".  He is a strong student and interested in all areas of the curriculum.  At times he jumps to conclusions, loses a game or race and becomes very upset.  We are working on this.  We will focus on comprehension in language arts and number sense in math.  Keep up the good work Drew!

When we first arrived for our conference his teacher told us about an incident that happened the previous day.  Ironically Drew started telling me his version of it the previous day as well - and changed his tune as soon as he realized I was going to be speaking with his teacher. Funny how that works.

Anyway the incident involved another little boy that was continuously getting in trouble from the teacher put into "time out".  Well on his last time out, he was instructed he no longer could play with the other kids, but had to find something to do independently.  The boy listened like most 5 year olds do, and proceeded to try and interrupt what Drew was doing - apparently playing with some science stuff that involved a timer.  The teacher said she was was unusually busy that day and while she saw the other little boy go over to approach Drew she didn't think much of it until she heard a blood curdling scream.  Apparently Drew started screaming because the little boy snatched the timer out of his hands and then the boys began brawling. (While Drew used to hit kids in preschool he has yet to do it since about the age of 3 or 4).

Well the teacher quickly broke them up and told the one boy he was now in time out for the remainder of the day (10 more minutes of class left).  Drew had 2 minutes, which she said he took and they talked about how while even though the boy made the teacher mad, the teacher didn't hit the boy... even if she thought about it.  Drew took his punishment, but after his time was up, he went to the teacher and said "It should count for something that he hit me too".  Apparently he was punished for not following directions and bothering Drew, not the hitting.  The teacher said she got a good chuckle out of that.

In addition to the story, she went on about how he will still be challenged in Kindergarten, and why he shouldn't advance just to 1st grade (I think she was fielding a lot of questions from parents who thought their kids were ready to move on).  She said he is amazing in reading and math - advanced for his age.  She still said they want to keep an eye on him to ensure he's not just a sight reader, but she's no longer thinking so.  In her opinion he's such a math wizard and language is so high he'll be a CEO when he grows up.

So another great conference!  We've loved having her for our teacher.

And so it's not just a long winded post - here's a little picture of Drew from my phone from earlier this month when he was getting ready to sing Praise Him, Praise Him for the Children's Choir at Church.

Halloween: School Fun - Post 1 of 2

Since I'm on a crusade to get all Halloween blogs posted before Halloween I'm going to give you a double dose of postings today.

First up - Drew's Halloween party at school.

Since Halloween fell on a Wednesday, also known as Wacky Wednesday for his TK class, there was some extra fun for his class and teachers.  On Wednesdays Drew who is an afternoon TKer goes in the morning so the teachers can participate in meetings etc.  Because of this the afternoon class was able to participate in the school parade and have a dual party in their class.

I wasn't able to help out for the party, but Dave and I did come for the all-school parade.  I dropped Drew off at his before/after care facility and then waited around for the 30 minutes or so before the fun started.  I did get to see him dropped off at school.

I introduce you to Gingka from BeyBlades - one of the "in" toys for Drew.  They also have a cartoon on the Cartoon Network that Drew loves to watch.  I have to admit that this was a back-up plan for a costume, he wanted to be an Angry Bird and I personally thought those costumes were horrible and I'm wasn't creative enough to put something together, and Gingka was on sale and a happy replacement.

So Drew waited with his best bud in front of class waiting for the teachers to let them in.

That's the pose Gingka makes when he's ready to battle.

They then dismissed the parents to the blacktop area so we could line up for the parade.

You can see Gingka aka Drew showing off his BeyBlade among his classmates.  And then the parade began!

As Drew passed by us, Dave's yelling in the background and this is Drew's embarrassed reaction.  I have to say it was so cute to see all the kids.  I thought it was really clever too that the 5th graders (the school goes up to 5th grade) were all dressed in historical costumes. 

After the parade the kids went back to their classrooms for the party.  Thanks to Shutterfly I managed to see pictures from the event. 

Here's his class photo:

Our Little Carnie

Being the good parent I am I volunteered our family to work a shift at the Carnival PTA fundraiser for Drew's school.  We worked his classroom's booth - the Lollipop Tree.

If you're not familiar with this game, kids paid with tickets to pick one lollipop.  If their lollipop had a colored dot on the bottom, they got to pick a stuffed animal prize.  If they didn't they just got to keep the sucker.

We worked our one hour shift and then let Drew run wild playing all the various games put on by each grade.  Guess which game was Drew's favorite.

Angry Birds of course.  While Drew had fun with that booth, it was nothing compared to the fun at his birthday party.

I have to say we all had a great time at the carnival.  I don't know why we haven't been to one before.

First Report Card

I have a backlog of blogs to post, but I wanted to get this one out ASAP since it's fresh on the brain.  This morning Dave and I had our Parent Teacher conference with Drew's TK teacher, and we also got his first Report Card.

The short version, Drew's an intelligent but emotional kid.  While scholastically he's ahead of the game, but socially/emotionally he's a little behind and there are areas of concern - which ultimately were the reasons behind our holding him back into TK.  The teacher said we made the right call - you could hear the sighs of relief from Dave and I.

Here's how he's "Graded"
P= Proficient (highest achievement possible)
OT = On Track (age appropriate)
E = Emerging (needs a little work)
AC = Areas of Concern (serious problems)
X - Not Yet Taught/Assessed

There were four categories in which he's graded:
1. Social/Emotional
2. Language Arts
3. Math
4: Physical Development
5: just teacher comments

1. Social/Emotional:

• Seeks adult help when appropriate - E
  Notes: Working on this. Sometimes waits too long. (this was the biggest area of concern and I'll touch on this at the end)
• Engages in cooperative activities with peers - E
• Exhibits impulse control and self-regulation - E
  Notes: working on this (this goes along with the first bullet point, again to be discussed later)
• Works Independently - OT
• Participates in group activities - OT
• Demonstrates caring for others - E
• Follows Playground Rules - OT
• Follows classroom rules and procedures - OT
• Separates from parents/caregivers without stress - P
• Follows Directions - OT

2. Language Arts

• Writes own first name in Titlecase - P
• Uppercase letters 5 10 15 - P
• Lower case letters 5 10 15 - P
• Exhibits beginning sound awareness - P
• Exhibits rhyme awareness - X
• Listens while others are speaking - OT
• Shares ideas with others - OT
• Actively engages in writing activities - OT
• Actively engages in reading activities - P

3. Math

• Understands that numbers represent quantity - P
• Recognizes numbers in random order (0-12) - P
• Uses one-to-one correspondence to count objects (12) - X
• Recognizes common shapes - X
• Counts orally 1-20 - P
• Sorts by one attribute - X
• Extends simple patterns - X

4. Physical Development

• Demonstrates gross motor skills (balance, jump, run, climb) - OT
• Demonstrates sense of body in relation to others - OT
• Demonstrates fine motor skills (cut, color, draw) - OT
• Performs basic self-help/self-care tasks - E
  Goes back to the behavior issues mentioned earlier 
• Uses Small Manipulatives effectively - OT

5. Trimester Comments

• Drew is a serious, eager student who loves the learning process.  He was very sensitive at first but now is doing better most of the time.  He is a strong reader and enjoys sharing his great ideas in both a large and small group setting.  He also loves a leadership role.  His math skills are strong.  We are focusing on following directions, working with others and problem solving.  He makes great connections from our stories to real life experience.  Good work Drew!

 So the discussion was 70% about Drew's inability to be assertive and explain what his "problem" is before losing his cool - usually resulting in a floodgate of tears.  His teacher mentioned a few incidents - one in which he freaked out about his shoe coming untied during a classroom activity and she just had to have him sit to the side until he calmed down and the activity was finished (he was being really disruptive).  Another incident was about his backpack and not finding his library book inside - it was under the popcorn we were supposed to bring for his Halloween party.  Rather than take out the popcorn and look for the book he just lost it saying he couldn't find his book.  Another example yet, when he was paired up with a partner and they had to find a pencil (or other tool) in a box and there weren't two... Drew started crying and the other kid gave him the "tool" and raised their hand to get a new one - rather than Drew doing that to begin with.

We told Mrs. Ferren we see the same reaction at home for times where he can't find a particular toy - even if it's right in front of him or even buried in his toy bins/box.  We both think this is coming from laziness (my word) and his ability to cry and make whatever he wants happen, happen.  For example kids and parents jump to his rescue at school when he cries making his "problem" go away.

She said this was a major area of concern that she (and we) need to continue focusing on as it could be a major issue that may need intervention if this continues in the coming two or so years.  She says it's over the top - and I sort of agree - that if he doesn't get over it, other intervention may be needed - whatever that may be.

While I'm ending on a "negative" note, it really was a positive discussion. She said he is definitely one of the smartest in the class and she knows he has it in him to excel, he just needs the extra boost emotionally.

Later Gator!

As I hinted yesterday in my Primo's half marathon recap, Dave "ran" the race himself.  Well not exactly as himself...

That would be Dave inside the Gator costume... standing next to him is Drew's principal.

He and the participants from Drew's school gathered before the race to get a group photo.  Clearly I was not in this since I was 1/2 way through running my half marathon.

Each school had a "theme" and our theme was Hawaiian... thus all the leis and Sally Gator's Hawaiian shirt.

Dave said it was a blast!  He really only needed to show up at the start and finish.  I guess just before they were going to pack it up, he told the principal to give him a minute... where he proceeded to dance to the music of the live band for a whopping 20 minutes!  I guess the principal would whisper to him a few times... "are you sure you're okay in there?"

For those that don't know, Dave was a mascot when we first started dating for the Sonoma County Crushers - an independent baseball team which no longer exists.  That costume weighed nearly 150 lbs... this one was much easier.

It's Another First... Or Two

On Friday we had a couple of firsts for Drew...

1. The first field trip
2. First time riding a school bus

It was a first for Mommy too - first field trip chaperoning experience! 

Drew's TK class (he's a PM student) and the AM class combined to head out to the G&M Farms Pumpkin Patch.  There were a ton of parent volunteers to help out, but they pulled names out of the hat and I was one of 6 for Drew's afternoon class (there were 6 others for the AM class).  The first part of the fun was to get on the school bus - a first for Drew!  I think this was a big highlight for a lot of the kids.

That's Drew on the right.... to his left is the other boy I was in charge of.  So most of the pictures will have both of them.

Once we arrived the kids separated into their AM/PM classes.. and waited for the hayride which took us into the pumpkin patch.

After hearing about the pumpkin patch rules and learning about the life cycle of a pumpkin, the kids gathered for a class picture.

(Drew is on the bottom row, 2nd one in)

After that, the kids had a chance to play and do whatever they wanted.  Everyone started in the corn box.

However that was pretty short lived.  There was a group from Oakland that were older and couldn't follow directions to save their lives.  It wasn't safe for the kids in the corn box.  Drew and the other boy I was in charge of split off.  Drew went off to do the hay maze and the other guy just wanted to play on the playground.

After snacks it was time to pick out the goods.  Each kid got to pick an Indian corn and a gourd before finding their own pumpkin.

(Notice our school bus waiting for us in the background?)  I think it's been more than 20 years since I've been on one of them.

Drew and his buddy loved the pumpkin patch!

Of course they knew the rule was they had to pick a pumpkin they could carry....

But I don't think they realized that' "carry" meant going beyond being able to lift it off the ground or just putting it in the wagon.  It meant taking it to/from the school bus!

The boys both ended up trading in their pumpkins at the 11th hour.  And even then it was tough for them to carry what they'd picked - we put them in plastic bags... many of which couldn't handle the weight leading to a lot of tears from several of the kids.

But my two managed to get things under control.  That's a picture from the bus ride home.  Needless to say after spending the day with 50 kids this mama was beat!  However it was a great day and I'm so glad I was able to do it.

And BINGO was his Name-o

Now that Drew is in school we can enjoy the fun that comes with the PTA.  About two weeks ago I volunteered for my first PTA fundraising event and then we participated in it as a family - Bingo. We never played bingo with Drew, but I figured it would be the perfect thing for our TKer.  He loves games, understands the concepts quickly and can identify letters, numbers and patterns.

What we didn't count on was our luck.  We were given 5 bingo boards and then in true bingo fashion certain games had certain rules - like in one game you had to make a vertical line (horizontal lines didn't count), other games it had to be diagonal, make a T, etc.

Over the course of the evening they probably played 20 games (we often built on/continued the same game) and Drew won four times!

Well technically Dave and I kept winning, Drew's boards weren't lucky, but we let him pick out all the prizes.

Those are the prizes he picked... cars that he can paint, the Hulk Operation game, a basketball and a lego watch.

That evening when I was putting him to bed he was nearly in tears upset because he didn't get the bingo - it was always Daddy or me.  I cheered him up by reminding him he got all the prizes anyway.

I have to admit when we won our 4th and final game in blackout - we were rather embarrassed.  About a week later another TKer's mom who was there - and won twice - was laughing with me about how embarrassing it was, but fun for the kids as well.  Since that Friday night Bingo, Drew has asked to go back to school and play again.

Beginnings - Kindergarten Here I Come!

While we just ended a chapter last week, we also started an exciting new chapter this morning - KINDERGARTEN!  Well Transitional Kindergarten (TK) to be exact.  For those that don't know or didn't recall we decided to put Drew into TK - a two year Kindergarten program because of his late birthday and to help give him that confidence boost later in his education career.  Our school district offers the TK program - one of the first in the state.  This is the second year for the TK program in town.

Since it's such an important day - starting school we have a plethora of pictures!  Before school I tried to get the obligatory before you go to school shots, but my subject was being rather silly.

This was about the only decent picture and he had to do it with his blue "kickball".

Then we headed off to school for some more pictures and we tried not to melt away.

While I normally cringe at sharing the name of Drew's school online, I had to get the shot.  Poor kid had to look right into the sun to appease his mama.

Then we walked across the front of the school to head toward his classroom and wait with all the other kids who also were trying to avoid melting away (temperature around 9am was hovering close to mid to high 80s).

Drew was a good sport and smiled for a few more pictures before we were let in.

Following directions like a good boy and standing on the yellow line waiting to be called into class.

Drew's the line leader as he follows his teacher - Mrs. Ferren - into his class.  I have to admit, I was happy I was wearing sunglasses as I watched my little boy enter the classroom as such a big boy.

They started off in a circle singing a song - Drew was a bit bashful and wouldn't do the movements and since his back is to me (he's in the cream shirt closest to the camera) I couldn't tell if he was at least singing.

They let the parents linger for about five minutes to hear that song and listen to all the kids talk about their backpacks.  Then we were given the boot.

 I thought Drew was going to get a little sad as he was waving goodbye and was getting ready to hang up his backpack.

 But he held up like a trooper!

So while he was in school for his 90 minutes I made a costco run (I took yesterday and today off for his first days of school) and then came back to meet him at the gate.

Here he comes....

They kept the parents outside the Kindergarten gate until we announced whose child was ours.  I asked Drew what he thought of his first day... here's what I got:

He said he was good to come back to school again tomorrow!