Tuesday, September 1 & Wednesday, September 2

 

    Tuesday, September 1 & Wednesday, September 2, 2026
(This blog update will be the same for today and tomorrow. A new blog post will come to your email on Thursday and thereafter.)

  Again, welcome to the wonderful world of Kindergarten...It was great meeting with all of you! We are in for an INCREDIBLE year of discovery and learning and I am THRILLED to be a part of it! A friendly reminder that each day I plan to highlight the main activities in this blog so you can talk with your child about specific things that go on during their day. I will also let you know of upcoming events and reminders so it will be important to read it each day!
 
A couple of years ago, Mr. Ronnenberg created a video about Morning Movers. To watch the similar route they will take around our current playground, click here. 

The children are learning about the routine/procedures/expectations involved during breakfast/lunch. Ask them about what a Lunch Monster does and what a Lunch Friend will do instead.
 
The kids will meet Pip the Pup (stuffed animal) and hear more about who he is in the story, Let's Meet Pip the Pup. After hearing the story, Pip will take the kids on a tour of the building.

  
Again, our class will be split for PE & music. All the kids will spend 15 minutes with 

Mrs. Merkl & Mr. Ronnenberg today and Wednesday. The split will start on Thursday.

 
MAGIC Playdough Experiment: Each child will receive a white ball of playdough with colored playdough tucked inside that they can't see. If a color appears, then they will have a GREAT school year! Isn't magic great? (wink)

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~Please return anything on the 'Kindergarten Checklist' as soon as you are able. The  date for all items completed or due is Friday, September 11.

~As you may expect, your child will be tired...It's an adjustment for them (and you)...so hang in there!
~If you need to communicate with me, I'm here for you. Please know that you can contact me at anytime!  tongenc@maplelake.k12.mn.us

 Order Due Date: 9/9/26

SHOP OUR CLASS PAGE: 

https://orders.scholastic.com/GXWMC

  Every order benefits our classroom by helping us earn FREE books and resources that all the kids can enjoy.

Thanks for your support!

Thursday, June 4

   

Thursday, June 4

YES DAY!

**In a child's world, 'no' is often heard but that's not what they will hear today! To prepare for today, we generated a list of "yes" ideas in the picture below:

 We will start our day reading Yes Day! by Amy Krouse Rosenthal and then close out their kindergarten year with some of the following 'yes' activities from the list:

~Take shoes off in the classroom.

~Talk & NOT walk in a line down the hall.

~Eat lunch outside (in our classroom if it rains).

~Sit by whoever you want to all day long.

~Mrs. Tongen brings candy.

~Lots of Free Choice.
~Extra recess.
~Watch a movie (A Curious George one) while laying down.

~Pick a toy from the Treasure Chest.
~Chew gun!

Music Today

~ A gift for Father's Day will be coming home with your child today.

~Report cards are coming home today.
~I hope it works for you to come to the Delano splash pad in July!

~ I am sending home a small bundle of decodable passages to do over the summer. It will help them retain decoding skills, build fluency, and gain automaticity!

~ Of course, reading to them ALL summer is highly encouraged!

~ As I write this final update, I know in my heart I have given all that I could to help your child learn and grow. They helped me grow in so many ways too! We became a 'kinderfamily' which will forever be a part of my heart and memories that will be cherished. More importantly, they have given all they could to be such great learners! I want to thank all of you for making our partnership be what it was for the benefit of your child. My hope is that someday they will all say:

All I really need to know I learned in Kindergarten!

Happy trails to you, until we meet again... 

Wednesday, June 3

 

Wednesday, June 3
Teach the Teacher Day!
It looks like my job is in jeopardy...

Luna: How to Draw a Horse

Bella: How to Make a PB & J

Lauren: How to do a Handstand-Bridge-Kickover

Jimmy: How to Trap an Animal

Dylan: How to do Math

Isabelle: Horses

Dawson: How to Hit a Baseball

Charlie: How to Draw a Perfect Heart

Henry: Farm Equipment

Weston: How to Play Kickball

Lukas: How to Pass a Basketball

Lenna: How to do a Roundoff

Cali:  How to Make a Cat Stick Puppet

Eliza: How to Change a Baby's Diaper

Davis: How to Play Uno

Phy Ed Today   

Tomorrow will be a day of yes since no is so often heard by our littles! In preparation

 for Yes! day, the kids will supply me with ideas of things we can do. I will write their

 ideas down and strategically choose things we can do all day long. 

~My Wishy Washy Crew from yesterday afternoon...

~What a FANTASTIC graduation...Hats off to all of you for giving me such a priceless gift! Here's to the Class of 2038!

~ Your child received the Time for Kids magazine through generous donors from last year's kindergarten class. If you would like to pay it forward for next year, visit here. Thank you!!

Tuesday, June 2

Tuesday, June 2

Class of 2038

Happy Graduation Day!

 Story: Graduation Day is Here!  By: Grace Maccarone

Math: The Quarter

First, the kids hear a story and view a short clip on YouTube about the quarter. Next, they will sing a few songs about it and finally, explore a real quarter closely. 

 

~ It's going to be a Mrs. Wishy Washy kind of day after graduation...

Activities for Mrs. Wishy Washy include:
1) Hear the story, Mrs. Wishy Washy by Joy Cowley

2) Independently read a Mrs. Wishy Washy reader 
3) Identify the characters and setting in the story as well as describe the mud that the animals are covered in.

4)  Cleaning our classroom like Mrs. Wishy Washy!
The kids will wear Mrs. Wishy Washy's headpiece so they can scrub our classroom like she does to the farm animals. The kids will get aprons to wear and plenty of water to use in order to get the job done! Here's the chant they say to help squeeze the excess water out of the rag: Wishy washy, wishy washy, shake-shake-shake...

Music Today

~ Teach the Teacher Day is tomorrow!
~ Your child received the Time for Kids magazine through generous donors from last year's kindergarten class. If you would like to pay it forward for next year, visit here. Thank you!!

Monday, June 1

    

Monday, June 1

STEM class with Mr. Brown today.

Big Book: How Does Your Salad Grow? By: Francie Alexander
Genre: Informational Text
Print Concepts: One-to-One Correspondence

FOUNDATIONAL SKILLS                         Phonological Awareness: Blending Phonemes, Segmenting Phonemes

Phonics Focus Skill: VCe Long a

Irregular Words: Review
 WRITING AND GRAMMAR
Review Present and Past Tense Verbs
(We did not do this on Friday.)

Writer's Workshop: The kids will write about their Track & Field Day.

  The year end Irish Pride Celebration is today at 8:30

At 1:15 we are going to the staff vs. 6th grade kickball game!
Phy Ed Today   

~Graduation for our class begins at 8:45 tomorrow.
~Be the Teacher will be Wednesday.
~Track & Field Day was so fun!

~They did it...they screamed, ran and didn't get caught!