A Merry Christmas

December brought tons of good cheer as our class sang, "A White Christmas" for our school program. This month we discussed the birth of Jesus and the many characters in the Manger Scene. We sang Christmas Carols, learned Holiday Rhymes, and built Gingerbread Houses with the First and Second Graders. We also got to decorate cookies that Mr. B's grandma made for our class. Acting out the Manger scene was really fun as each of us took turns playing important roles as Jesus, Mary, Joseph, The 3 Wise Men, an Angel, and even farm animals. Again we discussed things to be thankful for during the holiday season. In the end we got a special visit from Santa at our School Christmas Program.

A Time to Give Thanks

During the Month of November we discussed reasons to be thankful for what each of us has. Some of these things to be thankful for were families, God, teachers, friends, food, nature, and school. We took the time each day to pray for those that are less fortunate than we are. Our class also wrote and read different Thanksgiving poems and rhymes. We also sang a really funny song about Turkeys sitting on a Fence. Art projects and special Historical readings also paved the way to our Thanksgiving Feast at the end of the month in honor of the Pilgrims and Native American Indians. Each of us got a chance to stuff and taste our very first turkey. We would like to thank our families and Father Jim for joining us on this special
celebration. There is a bit of a Hawaiian Touch to our class recipe since Mr. B is from Hawaii.

Pumpkin Rolling and Number Line Fun: Pumpkin Carving and Estimation

We started the month of October with some pumpkin math as we learned how to make a hypothesis/estimate. Every child brought in their own pumpkins to measure and weigh. We did observational drawings as well as measurements with string and rulers. The children were allowed to explore different aspects and methods of measurements. These types of measurements included measuring with: yarn, paper clips, rulers, unifix cubes, and even their own feet. While Mr. B carved our large pumpkin each of us made a prediction as to how many seeds would be inside of our pumpkin. We compared and counted the different numbers of seeds in different sized pumpkins. Surprisingly enough our medium sized pumpkin had more seeds that our large pumpkin. The children decided that this may be because it was a different kind/breed of pumpkins than the others as it was much heavier, had more sections, and was larger. They also thought that it might have been because of the sunlight and amount of water it got. Each child counted part of the seeds, added them all up, and graphed them. We also used a large number line to learn about the placement of numbers large and small. Our concentration was on numbers 0-20. Each child had a turn to bowl a pumpkin to their chosen number or numbers between 15-20. We ended the month of October with a costume contest, trick o'treating at Lady Shaw retirement home, and fun and games at school. We also got a chance to sing a song called, "The Five little Pumpkins" for the people at the retirement home. They enjoyed our singing and hand motions as we all looked great in our costumes. Thank you to all those parents that helped with Halloween Art projects and the Fall Festival.

Our Teacher Mr. Ballesteros

Mr. Ballesteros comes to us from the Big Island of Hawaii. A long way from home, Mr. Ballesteros grew up on the beaches of Hawaii, though much of his time was spend playing competitive soccer, tennis, baseball, and golf. When not in school he spent much of his time doing community service projects and serving his local parish as an altar server and greeter. A tennis scholarship brought him here to San Francisco to attend Dominican University of California. After graduating with his degree in Elementary Education Mr. Ballesteros worked in the first and fourth grade classrooms of West Portal Elementary School. In 2003 Mr. B headed off to Lopburi, Thailand to teach English for two years. While there he instructed Elementary, Secondary, and University students in Listening and Speaking as well Conversational English. In his spare time he taught at private institutions as well as Thai Army Bases, and a Chicken factory. Two of Mr. B's most memorable treks through Thailand included riding elephants down the Bridge over the River Kwai, and hiking into underground Temples in Northern Thailand. Upon his arrival back in San Francisco Mr. B excepted a pre-kinder position for Marin Day Schools. That year he received the "Most Creative Curriculum" award for the Western Regions Pre-K program. In 2007 Mr. B taught Kindergarten at St. Anthony Immaculate Conception School in the Mission district. It is now that we welcome Mr. Ballesteros into our St. Mary's Chinese Day Community. Welcome to Mr. Ballesteros

Clay Creations with Mrs. Quock

We were honored today to have Justina's mom, Mrs. Quock in our classroom. She brought a wonderful clay project that allowed us to use our imaginations and cultivate our thinking skills. Each child had to visualize what they wanted to make, think about the shapes that were used in the object, and then form their creation. When the clay creations were done the children were allowed to bring them home to bake in their ovens at 275'Degrees for 20 minutes. Mr. B welcomes all the parents into the classroom on Friday mornings to do art projects, read a book to the class, or prepare a cooking project. Please feel free to email Mr. B to schedule a date to volunteer.

Open House and Meet the Teacher Night!

We would like to invite all of our family and friends to come see our kindergarten classroom and meet our teacher Mr. Ballesteros. Our Open house will be on Wednesday, September 10, 2008 at 7:00pm. Everyone will get a chance to see our schedule, curriculum, and find out a bit more about our everyday happenings. We hope that everyone can make it to share in our special day. Aloha from Kindergarten!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar

We started off our week with the reading of Eric Carle's, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." Each of us played an important role in acting this story out and bringing it to life. We each took turns being the caterpillar while the rest of us imagined that we were pieces of fruit or junk food. By acting out this story we learned about characters in the book, the setting, and the parts of the story. When we read new books in our class we will usually try to re-enact them to gain a better understanding of the characters and the plot. Overall we enjoyed this task tremendously and can't wait to do it again.

Our First Week was a Blast!!

Our morning schedule consists of Morning prayer, The Pledge of Allegiance, Calendar, The Weather, and Mr. B's Morning Message. We got a chance to act out, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar." It was really fun as we inched along the classroom floor and pretended we were eating lots and lots of fruit and junk food. We also had a chance to draw our self portraits and paint with watercolors. Each of us took turns working in small groups to complete puzzles and pattern necklaces. Our Chinese class with Mr. Maa was interesting as we challenged ourselves to find out our Chinese names. Our classroom jobs were given by Mr. B. These jobs included teachers helper, chair helper, supply helper, plant helper, fish feeder, snack helper, Pledge helper, and calendar helper. During outside time we got to play with puppets and play basketball. Next week we will begin studying our phonemic awareness and letter writing. Starting next week we will be getting homework everyday in our red folders so stay alert and check our folders please. Also please try to read to us every night before bed as we begin to learn reading skills and left to right directionality.

The First Day of School. August 25- Half Day

Welcome incoming Kindergarteners and Families! As your teacher I am delighted to have each and every one of you in my class. Your first day of school will be an exciting one as you will get to explore a new environment and meet new friends. Please remember to go to sleep early the night before and eat a healthy breakfast that will allow your brains to flourish at St. Mary's Chinese Day School. A sensible bed time would be 8pm. Don't forget to have someone special read you a book before bed time each night as it will help you to build your reading skills. Families, don't forget to be energetic and positive and be sure to talk to your child ahead of time about their first day of school. Allowing your child to know what's going on will assure them that everything is going to be okay, lessening their stress levels, and providing them a chance to shine and be engaged. I trust that everyone is having a fun filled summer of academic growth, sports fun, and precious family time.


Aloha and See you Soon!

Mr. Ballesteros
dballesteros@hotmail.com