Valentine Card Boxes

Thanks to all of the parents for making this project such a great success!  The kids were so excited about their boxes and very proud to show them off.  I hope you had a wonderful time creating such beautiful projects together.

Valentine Graphs

We used the Valentine conversation hearts to practice a variety of skills.  We identified color words, sorted colors, counted using one to one correspondence, and graphed the hearts.  The kids had a great time with the activity and are able to read and discern information from a bar graph.

Cupcake Party

   Nineteen of our students were able to meet our classroom math Target! Our goal was for each student to be able to identify numbers 0-10, write numbers 0-10 and count to 20.  Every student who was able to meet this goal earned a cupcake during snack time.  Way to go!

The orange sprinkle meant that you were able to write numbers 0-10.
The blue sprinkle represented counting to 20 and the green sprinkle was for students
who could identify number 0-10.

STUDENTS WHO MET THE MATH TARGET

Stephanie       Luis    Joshua     Emani      Maria

Jesus        Tannor        Jan       Dannae    Sophia

Elizabeth     Juan     Vivian       Legend     Dayarette

Yunuen      Lizett      Jorge Luis      Angel

We are Thankful

Thanks to all of the families that participated in our Family Fun craft project.

  The leaves turned out beautiful!

Our little Pilgrims and Indians

                                                                             Our Feast

Circle Maps

Last week we used "circle maps" to gather information when learning about colors. 

Our Classroom Management Plan

A classroom conducive to learning is one in which students are treated fairly, and feel comfortable. This plan affords every student the guidance for making good decisions about his or her behavior and thus an opportunity to learn in a positive, nurturing classroom environment. Your child deserves the most positive education climate possible for his/her growth. I know together we will make this possible.



The Dog House (Individual behavior plan)

All students are monitored as an individual in terms of their behavior. You may be familiar with the green, yellow, and red behavior system from siblings in other classes. I have decided to put a twist on it and create a dog house behavior chart to tie in with our theme.

Each student has decorated their own dog which is hanging out in or close to the dog house. Each dog begins its day on the green grass which is in or close to the dog house (GREEN). If a student were to break a classroom rule the following would happen.

1st time a rule is broken- Student will receive a verbal warning.
2nd time a rule is broken – Student must move their dog out to the yard (BLUE). The student will still have an opportunity to “run” back to the dog house, (GREEN) if they can demonstrate appropriate behavior for the rest of the day.
3rd time a rule is broken - Student must move their dog out even further in the yard and they can no longer earn its way back into the dog house (YELLOW).

4th time a rule is broken – Student must move their dog past the fence and are now on RED. They must also fill out a “IT’S A DOGGONE SHAME” behavior form. This form will explain the negative behavior problems from the day. This will be sent home for a parent signature and discussion with your child. This form must be completed and returned with your child the following day (RED).

REWARDS FOR OUTSTANDING BEHAVIOR
DOG BONES

Each student will be able to earn dog bones everyday by demonstrating good behavior and staying on green. Modeling positive and responsible actions and working hard will also allow them to earn extra dog bone coupons, so please encourage your children to work hard for them!

*** THESE ARE NOT REAL DOG BONES, THEY ARE MADE OUT OF PAPER AND INTENDED TO BE FUN REWARDS***



POSITIVE REINFORCEMENTS
To encourage students to follow our classroom expectations or rules, I will recognize good behavior with verbal praise, dog bones, and positive notes home. Each week I will also choose a “TOP DOG” or star student. The students who have demonstrated outstanding behavior and responsibility towards school and their work will be chosen as “TOP DOG”.

In addition, each Friday the children will count their dog bones and once they have earned 30 they will be able to cash them in for special prizes from the treasure chest. By working together this will be a positive and rewarding year!

Nice to meet you!

Dear Parents or Guardians,


Welcome to Pat Diskin Elementary School! My name is Mrs. Ballejos and I am very excited to begin another fun filled school year. This is my ninth year teaching and my sixth year as a kindergarten teacher. I have a great passion for teaching and have known that I wanted to be a teacher since I was seven years old. As a child I would spend many hours in our playroom where I had my own little pretend classroom set up. “Playing school” was one of my very favorite things!

I was born and raised in Las Vegas. I graduated from Clark High School and then went on to complete my education degree at UNLV. I have been married for six years, have a three year old son, and we are expecting our second child this spring. I enjoy gardening, being in the outdoors, traveling, and spending time with family.

My philosophy of education is that all children are learners. I believe all students have a gift. It is my job to find that gift and nurture it. I intend to challenge each child and encourage them to be active problem solvers. It is important to me that each child feels successful everyday. We will be very busy, using different learning styles to discover new and exciting things. For your children to be successful learners, parents and teachers need to work together as a team. By focusing on our school motto, “Rigor, Relevance, and Relationships” we will be able to make some great accomplishments this year.

Please do not hesitate to either talk with me before or after school, call or e-mail me with any questions or concerns that you may have. I will be more than happy to receive your calls at 799-5930 or you can e-mail me at jlballejos@interact.ccsd.net.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Ballejos