I absolutely forgot to send home all the papers I was going to send home today, so look for them tomorrow and Friday. They include: Successmaker permission, library reading program info and photo permission so I can start adding pictures to the Shutterfly account! I'm about to start sending out invites to that. Again, I apologize for the fact that you have to make an account (if you don't already have one), but it really is the best way for me to keep the pictures secure. I'll try to work on that tomorrow or Friday morning.
The trip to the library yesterday was great! The kids got a tour of Blair, plus the ones that were there signed up for the reading program. Here's what you need to know about it: the kids log the hours they read on a piece of paper. They then can go to the library and for every hour they read, they get a slip of paper to guess the number of items in a jar...if they're closest, they win the jar. So if the kid reads 5 hours one week, they get 5 slips to put in the jar. The library was kind enough to let me keep those reading logs at school, so we'll be keeping track of their hours. If you can make it to the library with your child to fill out the slips, they've graciously agreed to let our kids go on the honor system and not bring their logs with them. For your reference, we do about an hour of reading a day - at least a half hour of individual reading, and about a half hour of me reading to them. So if they came home and said they read for six hours at camp today...that's probably not true, and you might want to check with me. I understand not everyone can get to the library in the evenings, though - Mondays and Wednesdays they are open until 8! - and the kids know that too, so at the VERY LEAST I just want them to log their reading for me.
We had our first special today - Media class with Mr. Provost. The kids had a great time (and so did Mr. P), and I can't wait until next week when things get into full swing. We've had a lot of "down time" the last few days, and a lot of "talking time," too. I'm really loving this group of kids!
Upcoming Events:
Thursday, June 20 - Movie Day at Kenwood. We show a movie in the morning and a movie in the afternoon, on a big projector. This year, we're showing a G-rated movie in the morning for all the kids, then splitting the afternoon into two sessions - another G movie for the little kids, and a PG move for the older ones. We set up a full concession stand - the kids have been earning tickets all week to "buy" snacks from it.
Friday, June 21 - FIRST DAY OF SWIMMING AT THE CLAWSON POOL! I am extremely excited to announce that we have gotten a bus this year to take us to and bring us from the pool. That's right, no more trekking halfway across Clawson to get to the blue oasis that is the city pool. WE WILL LEAVE AROUND 1:15PM. WE WILL RETURN BETWEEN 3-3:20PM. YOUR CHILD NEEDS: A BATHING SUIT, TOWEL, AND A BAG TO CARRY THEIR THINGS IN. They may bring goggles if they want, but no pool toys. If they want to take the swim test, they have to be able to swim one lap without touching the bottom and tread water for a period of time that I cannot remember. The swim test is a choice, and it is only offered to my kids in the oldest group (my group). I take the test with them (great workout) and one of the staff from my room is always in the deep end with those who pass. The lifeguards have to administer the test.