Thursday, December 27, 2012

enjoying a little R & R...

Hope this post finds you doing well and relishing in sweet memories shared with family and friends over Christmas. We are all doing well and I am definitely enjoying some rest and relaxation from school although once again I did what I said I wouldn't do and went up to school this morning to do a little work in my classroom. :) Of course, I didn't get everything done that I need to but I got a good start on things so that I won't be too behind when we start back Jan. 7. This morning I printed off activities from Alessia Albanese's adorable units The Mitten and her new one Frosty and Friends for my reading and math centers. Be sure and check them out at tpt and/or at her blog www.missalbaneseclass.blogspot.com now I just need to get back to school to laminate them...
Our family is doing well. We had a really nice Christmas and everyone was happy with their Santa gifts. Kali is 10 this year and Santa and her elf on the shelf are very REAL to her so don't say you don't believe at our house or you will get a scolding from her. :)  Kirk and Kara have been busy with their part time jobs -Kirk at IMart and Kara at babysitting. Kali enjoyed a sleep over at her bff's house last night. Tonight the 5 of us are going to see a movie-woo hoo! We will probably go to The Ritz at Milan, TN. We really like going there and we like the family who own and operate it plus Marty always wins free tickets for there since he calls in to our local radio station 100.9 The Farm and answers their trivia questions in the morning. Don't get me wrong we love our local court theatre but it's nice to be able to go see a movie during the week especially on Christmas break.
Our school Christmas party went off great! We did gift bags for the kids and each student brought in small Christmas items such as individually wrapped candies, plastic santa and snowman cups, pencils, holiday novelties, ornaments, gloves, anything the parents could think of and be creative with to fill our gift bag. I made pillowcases for the students -well, I wrote on them-all the popcorn words we are learning this year. I got this idea from Shari Sloane several years back when I met her at my first SDE conference. She has them printed up for her students but I just freehand mine and they turn out fine. I order the pillowcases online and they average less than a $1.00 per pillowcase. You can find info on the sight word pillowcases and the poem that goes with them at Shari's website www.kidscount1234.com and if you don't have her cd's you are MISSING OUT big time! They are two of my favorite must have cd's.  I also gave each child a copy of the book The Biggest Christmas Tree Ever. Next year, I think I will give the boys a copy of The Gingerbread Boy and the girls a copy of The Gingerbread Girl. :) Never to early to think ahead!  
When I went up to the school this morning, I noticed the green and white ribbon on our flagpole in memory of the Sandy Hook victims. I usually enter from the Kindergarten wing so I don't always go by the front of our building. This was such a tragedy and I know that it affected everyone especially teachers. Even though the stresses are greater now than ever I still cannot imagine not being a teacher. I feel that the Lord called me to be a teacher and I have never doubted it for once. Someone once said if you love your job, you'll never have to work a day in your life. Well, we all know teaching is A LOT OF WORK and much of the preparation goes on after hours even on our school breaks  but we are truly blessed to have this high calling from the Lord to teach. I pray that you too feel as blessed with your job as I do and that we will all strive to continue to foster our classroom as a place of security, a place of wonder, a place of learning and a place of love for our students.  Wishing you and yours a very Happy New Year and God Bless! 

Friday, December 14, 2012

God Bless Newtown, Connecticut and all of the families affected by this tragedy. Our prayers are with you.

Sunday, December 2, 2012

The Gingerbread Boy, Proud of our Mustangs and a fun family Christmas weekend in Middle Tennessee!

Whew-last week flew by!  We attended the play of the Gingerbread Man at The Dixie-our local performing arts center last Tuesday. Take a look at their website www.dixiepac.net and get a tour of it. If you remember Dixie Carter from Designing Women, you will especially be interested in it since it is named after her and the theatre is named for her husband-Hal Holbrook.
We read some different versions of the "The Gingerbread Man" plus these other ones-"The Gingerbread Cowboy", "The Gingerbread Baby", "Gingerbread Friends" and my new favorite "The Gingerbread Girl". It's too cute!
Our family left after school on Thursday and headed on to Middle Tennessee. We went to see the Rockettes Christmas Spectacular show at Grand Ole Opry House on Thursday night. It was truly spectacular!!!! We watched our high school football team-the Mustangs- place as runner up in the District 1A state championship game on Friday morning at Cookeville, TN. They have had a wonderful season and we are proud of them and their hard work throughout the season. On Friday afternoon, we headed over to the Opryland Hotel for Ice "Shrek the Halls"-SO MUCH FUN! On Saturday, me and the girls headed over to the mall in Franklin, TN to browse and do just a little shopping. Kirk met up with some of his FBLA friends for lunch in Nashville. Marty stayed at our room on Smyrna Military Base and worked some on his masters class that he is taking. This morning me and the kids came home and Marty stayed and met up with one of his guard buddies to watch the Tennessee Titans game.
Did I mention that I caught something from my little sweeties?-two of my students were out last week with sickness-one was confirmed with the flu. Of course, he is the one who is our little sweetie that we all have to take care of and he is in my lap or in my face every opportunity he gets :)  so I have battled a yucky cold and cough since Thursday night. so far i'm treating it with otc's and home remedies but if that doesn't do the trick i'll be heading out to the dr. this week.
we only have 13 1/2 days of school before Christmas break begins so we've got a lot to do and not a lot of time to get it done. they will be benchmarking our students for AIMSWEB probably by the latter part of the week.
Don't forget to follow my blog-you never know I might just do a give away! :) here's wishing you and yours a fun and exciting December!

Friday, November 23, 2012

So Much To Be Thankful For...

I hope everyone enjoyed a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family and friends! We gathered last night-my mom's family (Wards). There were 43 of us there. :) So much food and lots of fun. We have lots of kiddos who we enjoy watching grow up and some babies on the way for 2013! not me though-haha! 3 is enough and I am very thankful to have them!
The person I was most happy to see last night was my cousin Lesa Ward. She is battling brain cancer and presently taking chemo at Vanderbilt. In fact, they are on their way back this morning as we speak for another treatment. She is very upbeat and looks GREAT! so happy and blessed that she has not experienced any severe side effects from chemo up til this point. please pray for her and that her cancer will be stalled enough that she can continue to enjoy more time with her husband,children, grandchild  and soon to be granddaughter. God hears our prayers-ALWAYS!
Kirk got out last night and took advantage of a few deals at WalMart-well, he took care of his Christmas gifts from us. Since he's heading out to college next fall, he got a new tv and a blu-ray player. Kara went with a friend and her aunt (Tasha-another teacher friend) to Walmart and since she spent the night with them I'm not sure if she came back with any purchases. :) Kali of course reminded me that she never got to do anything and Kirk and Kara always do so she and I rode past WalMart a few times to see how crowded it was and chuckle at all the cars-WalMart is down the road from our house so we didn't have to drive far to see the excitement! We came back home and Kali started putting up our Christmas tree. The tree is up, lights our on it, and she is working on the ornaments.
Now, to a little school news-our Thanksgiving feast went off without a hitch! The kids (and adults) all enjoyed it and all the food was delish! I got my Write The Room activities up for the next 3 weeks before Christmas break and I will wait and put up Christmas tree in classroom sometime next week. Kali has asked her elf on the shelf to ask Santa to bring a girl elf on the shelf for my classroom! Now, that would be fun wouldn't it?!
To all of you I am thankful for your friendship and I am especially thankful for all my teacher blog friends. You inspire me with your dedication and your blogs! Enjoy the remainder of your Thanksgiving vacation with your family and get rested up for a fast and busy December at school! Love to all, Leigh Ann
P.S. I am presently working on the design for my blog so it will probably look different everytime you see it for the next few weeks. :)

Monday, November 19, 2012

krazy4K: thankful tuesday

krazy4K: thankful tuesday: tomorrow we will celebrate our thanksgiving meal in our class thus the title of this post-thankful tuesday. the turkey is in the oven-no,i'm...

thankful tuesday

tomorrow we will celebrate our thanksgiving meal in our class thus the title of this post-thankful tuesday. the turkey is in the oven-no,i'm not crazy-i have a wonderful recipe of my aunt's that i use every year-if you want it just ask. :) ham is in the crockpot, sweet potato casserole, dressing, caramelized carrots all done-just need to heat up in the morning. all of the other side dishes are being brought in by some of the students' grandmas and  my mom and sister Jennifer(i don't call her an in law :). the kids are so excited about it! i am too!
even though this is just a two day week, we are still getting a lot of our common core standards covered in the classroom. we are just using lots of fun Thanksgiving activities to do them! i can't stand the thoughts of wasting these two days coloring, playing and watching tv. no way! i have to cover the some of the standards or i can't think straight or feel good about my teaching that day. i want the students to understand how the activities relate to our standards and learning.
i had several students out friday with a stomach bug and i'm praying it doesn't strike me or any of the rest of the class tonight or tomorrow. let's just get through tomorrow and then get home for the holidays! 
we made our blessings mix today ( a trail mix where each food item represents something and tells a story from the first Thanksgiving) and we will make our bead bracelets tomorrow that will tell the story of the first Thanksgiving. if you need info on these let me know.
to all of you. Happy Thanksgiving!
p.s. you may have noticed i changed the for to 4 in my blog title. this was an afterthought and i just got around to doing it.
my 3 kids-kirk,kara, and kali + my  1 kindergarten class of kiddos each year= 4 K's   :)

Thursday, November 15, 2012

krazyforK: I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of...

krazyforK: I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of...: I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of school until Thanksgiving break-crazy!!! This first semester of school is flying by. I kn...

Monday, November 12, 2012

I can not believe that we only have 6 more days of school until Thanksgiving break-crazy!!! This first semester of school is flying by. I know every year goes fast but this year seems SUPER FAST! Could it be implementing the new common core standards? Don't get me wrong I really like the common core standards it justs seems that we are so extremely busy during the day trying to implement all the standards that the day is over before we turn around. :)
We have had a lot of fun with our learning centers this past 6 weeks. I started using Alessia Albanese's from mrsalbaneseclass.blogspot.com Write the Room and Pocket Chart Activities. They are great and really keep the students engaged. I also really like her hidden sight word activity sheets and playdough mats. Be sure and check her out on her blog and her products at tpt. Of course, I still use many of Kim Adsit kindergals.blogspot.com great products for centers and also Deanna Jump's products mrsjumpsclass.blogspot.com  
All of these gals are super and I love them and their ideas. There are many others I use and I will throw their names out on another blog.
I will be preparing a Thanksgiving meal for my class next Tuesday. I'm even bringing out my fine china for it. :) I will make the turkey and dressing. My mom is making her delicious rolls and my sister in law does the country style yummy green beans. One of my students' grandmother is making creamed potatoes, another grandma is making dessert and another gmom is making baby carrots. We may add a few more items to the menu as the date gets closer. I really enjoy this day because many of the students do not have a traditional style Thanksgiving meal with family and it is just another day for them. I want them to have the experience of seeing the turkey before it is carved and enjoying a traditional feast!
This week and next we are talking alot about Thanksgiving and our family traditions and of course what we are thankful for. 
I have many things to be thankful for-my faith in Jesus Christ, my family, my friends, my health, my students, and of course all of you my dear teacher friends. Even if I have never met you, I feel like we share a common bond-our love for children and their learning.
I hope all of you have a blessed Thanksgiving surrounded by your families and friends! Leigh Ann :)

Sunday, September 30, 2012

Moving Along...

so i just shared my link on facebook so finally i guess i'm ready to share this blog. :) remember this is very new to me so it is by no means perfect! if you blog, like my good friend alessia albanese then please share this blog with all the great teachers we follow and maybe i can get motivated to step it up a notch and starting posting lots of pics on my blog.
i am very sad that my student teacher, miss heather price, is finishing up this week with me. She will be observing other classes tomorrow and Tuesday, meeting her cooperating teacher and students that she will spend the next 7 weeks with at Hollow Rock-Bruceton School in 3rd grade on Wednesday, be in a college seminar on Thursday and then return to us on Friday for our field trip to the cotton gin. She started out the year with me so I am going to miss her so much. I can't tell you how wonderful it is to have another adult in the class with an extra set of hands.well,if you are a teacher you TOTALLY UNDERSTAND how great it is to have another set of hands.:)she has been such a big help in getting my learning centers up and running,getting some organizational things done and in co-teaching the class.there was no way that i could just completely turn everything over to her in regards to teaching. implementing all the new common core standards is overwhelming and we had to do it together. i am excited that she is getting to see common core as it takes off.i hope she is gaining a lot of new ideas to take with her as she begins her teaching career!
so tomorrow my sweeties are all mine! i am seriously thinking about trying to find a volunteer in our community who would come in the afternoons a few times a week and help out. maybe an older lady in the community who is retired and would love to have something to do for a couple hours a day.this way i could get in some quality tier 2 time while she works with the other students and help me with our writing block. i will keep you posted if i find someone.:)
my three K kiddos are all doing well. the school year is moving along and for the first 6 weeks and first report cards-they all did GREAT! i know we have been so blessed that our children do well in school.marty is doing well-my husband :)-and has enjoyed having some time off from classes for his masters. he will start back the end of october and finish may 2013. fall break begins this coming friday for our school and let's just say that this time next week this family of towaters will have their toes in the water. :) we didn't get to take a family vacay this past summer because we all had trips of our own-kirk to europe,kara to guatemala,church camps, fbla nationals,me to vegas, marty working on masters and guard camp so this is our 2012 family vacay.
hope everyone is doing well and i hope that you enjoy my posts! i would love to hear from you and spread the word that I am blogging! i know-i can't believe it myself. have a blessed Sunday and a blessed week!

Monday, September 17, 2012

i just put up my profile pic with Dr. Jean-she is my teacher idol!i just love her-everything about her thoughts on teaching!!!this was this summer in Atlanta for her 2-day conference. it made my 3rd time attending one of her conferences through sde.
alright allesia-i still don't see the followers tab on the left side but i'm posting link to your blog because you're one of my favorite people,teachers, and new friend from this summer! :)
http://mrsalbanesesclass.blogspot.com/
baby steps for me.:)

Sunday, September 16, 2012

http://thebubblyblondeteacher.blogspot.com/2012/09/a-mothers-cure-fundraisershow-some.html


You have to visit this blog and donate for this awesome cause! anything we can do to help this young mother battling cancer and her family.
visit and donate to help! plus get lots of freebies!

Saturday, September 15, 2012

Kindergarten Common Core:Here's my 2nd attempt at blogging. I found this giveaway and it looks awesome!we are very busy working with common core standards in kindergarten. i am constantly looking for worksheets, activities,games,assessments,anything related to common core.i want this workbook because it is getting rave reviews.i'm anxious to get it to implement more strategies in teaching common core.


Go to this website to claim your free common core state standards workbook also!
Hope you are all having an awesome kindergarten year!

Saturday, August 18, 2012



okay,so this is it-my first attempt at blogging!after following  kindergarten blogs for the last year,i have decided to give it a try myself.I have gotten so many ideas from fellow kindergarten teachers through their blogs and was very fortunate to have met so many of the ladies' blogs that i follow at the "I Teach K!" national conference in las vegas this past July. i chose this title for my blog because i am not only krazy for kindergarteners but i'm also crazy for my 3 kiddos-kirk,kara and kali thus the krazyforK title.:) I am hoping to use this blog as a journal of my own into the many happenings in kindergarten daily and also of my own children.