I feel as if I just blinked and here we are in November! The cool, crisp weather is here to stay and we have an exciting month planned!
   The 2020 Presidential race is underway and we are using this as the perfect opportunity to discuss Election Day and give our kindergarteners a chance to vote in their very own election. Although we will not be voting for president--we also have a very important choice to make--and that is what snack we will be having! (If you know kindergarteners, you know they are VERY SERIOUS about snack time! lol) The children will be receiving Voter Registration cards and listening to speeches by Mr. Pretzel and Mrs. Popcorn (an idea I loved and "borrowed" from one of our wonderful first grade teachers, Mrs. Alberda!). Once we hear what they have to say, the children will go to the Voting Booth and drop their vote in the ballot box! Will it be popcorn or pretzels? We won't know until the votes are in and counted! It's bound to be an exciting race nonetheless! 
     We will also be looking at what happens to those poor 'ole jack-o-lanterns after Halloween! We will read the story Pumpkin Jack and learn all about the life cycle of pumpkins. We will watch our very own jack-o-lantern rot and learn how a gushy old jack-o-lantern can bring on a whole new crop of pumpkins for next Halloween! 
     We will also be learning about owls this month and reading  White Owl, Barn Owl, a beautiful story about a grandpa and granddaughter who very patiently wait for owls to appear in the owl house Grandpa made. We will even dissect owl pellets and see if we can figure out what the barn owls have eaten! (Sounds gross, but it's actually amazing. Student engagement is sky-high during this activity!)
     We continue to work with numbers through ten, decomposing numbers and working our way to addition. We are enjoying learning all about long ago in our "Then and Now" unit, and we will soon be moving into our "personal narratives" during Writer's Workshop. We will also learn about the Pilgrims and the Wamponoag, and how they feasted together. Although we cannot have our large in-class feast this year, we can certainly still celebrate Thanksgiving and all of our blessings on a smaller scale. We will also be going across to church every Tuesday to meet with Father Collins, and the children are sure to enjoy getting to know him.
     Enjoy this beautiful time of year--and I hope you get some time to relax, slow down, and recharge before the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season.
     Happy Fall!
                                              Love, Mrs. Hayes