1.  I have openings for Tues and Thurs Penmar at 2:12 if you can swing it.  get it?  swing it?

2.  I am in awe of the basketball talent displayed on Sat. just as you are probably in awe of my skills.  Jake's mom found out the hard way (as I was dunking over her) that Mr. S only has one speed:  ALL OUT.  It does not matter who I play against, I bring the pain.  And kudos to Stella's dad for playing through some rather severe chest pains.

First we are going to beat last years parents 65-28.  Then we are all going to chip in and take out an ad in the almanack (the school newsletter) CHALLENGING the rest of the school to field a team to play us.

Possible team names: (let me know your vote)
a.  Vanilla Thunder
b.  Mama Mia
c.  House of Pain
d.  Team Rubios
e.  Pinkberry All Stars

1.  make sure your kid brings their library book with them to school on Monday otherwise they don't get a new one and go "wah wah wah"...

2.  The kids have met Mr. Cool and listen to "Jimmy" the guy on the listening center tapes, this week they are going to meet another friend of mine, Dr. Science and later this week our resident artist "David Schwockney" might pop in.

Thanks to all the families that came to our first of many park days!  Isn't that park something?!

The kids seem to love Rubios!  

It was interesting how many dads FLOUTED the K29 rules and ordered beers at Rubios.  It appears we have some rebels amongs.  (it was all the dads with younger kids so I don't blame them, they are above the law!)

Don't you hate it when your kid really likes something that is totally lame, like a really bad movie, terrible chuck e. cheese pizza, webkins or vegetables?  Thats the way they are with this DVD language program "Muzzy".  It is totally lame and they LOVE IT!


please check your email tonight, I am 90% sure I am going to push the park day up to 9:45 or 10 to get us to lunch a tad sooner!
wait til you see what we do to Rubios.  we destroy the place but they know me there and don't mind at all.

SUPER THANKS to Elijahs Dad for the DVD player and Annalises Dad for the camera.  I am so spoiled.  I ask and i receive.  I appreciate every day i work at this incredible school.

We did our first all school assembly this morn.
We did our first newsletter about what we did this week today.
The VP came in and talked to the kids about the school rules.

Here is the after school STAR class schedule I have been given.  if your child is not on it but you sent the paperwork in call STAR directly.

MOnday:  fiona, kiki, yasmeen
Tues: nellie, andrew, josh
Wed: nellie
Thurs: kiki, yasmeen
Friday: josh, chelsea, (josh is signed up for 2 friday classes?)

there are only 2 kids signed up for the video game bus on tues.  that one is a blast!


Our park day for Sat is ON!  (assuming its not raining.  if you have any question about the weather on that side of town please call me at 500-KURT)

Let's meet there at 10:30am.  (the time might change so be sure to check your email tonight)

Playa Vista Park (people in the area refer to it as Schwengri-la because I am there with my boys more than the local residents).  This is a public park, this is NOT a gate community.
Go down lincoln, left on Jefferson, make your first right into Playa Vista and just head to the SOUTHWEST corner of the community and there is the park.

WHAT TO BRING:
anything you want.  Parents should wear tennis shoes since we might be playing an impromptu basketball game or softball game with the kids...  they have a huge grass field so maybe bring a frisbee but they also have a great playground so you can bring a book to read while they play!

I will be handing out awards to the kids (fish tacos certificates) to be used at Rubios!

Let me know if you can't make it but would like to send your child and I will try to arrange a ride for them!

Please let me know if you have any questions!

1.  we were just about to watch Muzzy (that spanish thing) and my DVD player won't play it cause it's so old.
DOES ANYONE HAVE A DVD PLAYER WE CAN BORROW FOR THE YEAR!  DON'T BUY ME ONE.

2.  I was taking great pix of the kids painting (see the site) and my class digital camera broke!
DOES ANYONE HAVE A DIGITAL CAMERA THAT I CAN BORROW TIL WE GET A NEW ONE?  preferably a cheap/used one I don't have to lock up at night...

3.  Super thanks to Kevins dad for getting the basketball nets!  He now leads the "K29 Father of the Year" race, that is until someone beats me at golf or invites me over to watch Prison Break.

1.  kevins dad is doing the basketball nets.  in return i will be exposing his son to UCLA Basketball, a dynasty in the making.
2.  we did a rain drill today.  they moved their backpacks to the other hooks.  it was very exciting for them.  i am still trying to calm them down.
3.  EVERY CHILD colored their butterfly symetrically!

1.  when working in class NEVER let the kids start over on a paper assignment.  i only make 20 of each so there are no extras, and don't do one yourself.
2.  after working in class DO NOT take your kids work home from their cubby.  sometimes we finish it later
3.  HEY SUPER DAD, can someone go to big 5, buy 3 basketball nets and put them on our hoops?  thanks!

I was hoping to teach the kids a math lesson based on yesterdays golf outing with Stella and Rileys dads but alas, neither of them was able to keep their score in double digits (and that's on a nine hole course!).  We do not teach triple digits til the spring.

I have already made next tuesdays t time (2:12 at penmar).  If you think you can make it please let me know.

they are forecasting rain for friday and Sat. and we never discussed rain at back to school night.

1.  when its raining the kids hang their backpacks on the hooks by the other door.  they also enter the class through that door.
2.  NO UMBRELLAS!  of course they can carry them to school but they CANNOT LEAVE THEM HERE.  They do not use them to go to lunch.  We just run like the dickens!
3.  NO PUDDLE JUMPING, this includes before and after school
4.  DO NOT be late picking up on rainy days.  My lunch time is cut short and i do not have time to go to Rubios so I can be a bit cranky and may give you the stinkeye if you are late.

thanks!

What a great day!
The kids (and helping parents) completed their first REAL day of Kindergarten!
Rotation was amazing!  please check out the pix at http://barrymanilow.shutterfly.com WITH YOUR CHILD TONIGHT.  go through the pix as a slideshow and ask them about the different activities.  If they tell you that Mr. S is NOT the best at ants in the pants, they are lying! 

The afternoon included their first visit to the LISTENING CENTER to listen to THE VERY HUNGRY CATERPILLAR!

the kids seem to totally get "symetry".  my math work for the Fall is done.

I read them the book "if it weren't for farmers"

If you hear screams at 2:18 it is probably Stella and Rileys Dads marvelling at my tee shot!

1.  the kids did great at Marvelous Monday rotation.  ask them about the relay races!

2.  the kids learned one of the most important math lessons of the Fall today:  SYMETRY.  ask them what symetrical means.  I had them color butterflies this morning (before the symetry lesson) to see who already knew to color them symetrically.  Congrats to Andrew and Nellie.  They could not explain why they did it but they did it!

3.  If you are working in class tomorrow, get a good nights sleep.  you will need it!
stations:
color and class bingo
pattern blocks
ants in the pants
dot to dot

4.  MAKE SURE your child brought home a library book or else it might already be lost!  don't bring it back til NEXT monday morning!

1.  the K29 room moms have been selected!  congrats to yvette, kristin and heidi!  As stated on back to school night, I run a puppet regime and wield all the power of K29.  Please do not bother the room moms with ANY class business as they are already behind schedule in planning my surprise 30th birthday party, which will take place at 8:35am on Friday, October 12th here in the classroom.

2.  A parent who was late picking up on Friday brought me a much appreciated Pinkberry today (complete with chocolate chips and coconut, glad to hear someone was listening to me on back to school night).  I was just kidding about bringing me a Pinkberry if you are late picking up.  While it may be the "right thing to do" and keep you in the "good graces" of Mr. S, it is certainly not mandatory.  Whether or not you choose to do the right thing is between you and your god.

Prior to Pinkberry the parents used to bring me a "McRib" whenever they were late.  I usually gain at least 17lbs in the Fall.

Almost there...

the real K29 starts next week!
Full Marvelous Monday rotation in which the kids will be bringing home library books!
Beginning of the 2 week GARDEN UNIT! It's very cute and very traditional!
Full T,W,Th Rotation with parents in class!

Library Procedure: READ CAREFULLY:
Every Monday your child leaves me (while I coach PE) to go to the Library and check out a book (assuming they return the one from last week). They bring the book back to class and take it home EVERY Monday. When you pick them up Mondays you should BE SURE they have a library book!
This book STAYS HOME til next Monday. If you forget it on a Monday keep the old one until the next Monday! any questions?
-------------
Please use the following info to contact the person you are sharing your shift with to make a sched of who works when

partners julie/kelly, pam/lauren, sheryl, heidi, Yvette and SUB (yvette, you come in every other week starting this week), ann/darren, monika/john P, doug (every week?), kristy (every week?), orly/yarielena, deirdre/tolles
-------------
quote of the day: 10:18am Chelsea said "I like Josh, he talks fancy" (josh has an australian accent)

If you think that dressing your child in Dodgers, Eagles, Kings, Clippers or UCLA clothing will get your child special treatment you are RIGHT!

The kids got some pretty cool workbooks and we started on them.

No K29 child threw anything away in the trash. (cause mr. cool insists that half eaten bananas go home in the lunch boxes to show mom and dad that they can't eat a whole banana.)

A parent mentioned that her kids lunch got warm in the sun on the hooks. If you are concerned about this feel free to use the hooks on the other side of the class usually reserved for rainy days. just make sure your child knows where their stuff is.


Here is the recommended order list from the Book Catalog that is coming home with your kids today! remember, the more you order the more cool stuff the class gets... Some of these books you wont need til way later in the year... OF COURSE, feel free to order anything you want but these books are related to some of the themes we will be covering this year.

Please have this in by next friday.

I am going to start at the beginning of the packet. Please Make sure your check is accurate to the penny. please staple a list of books to the check. thanks!

so your order sheet should look like this:
Joe Cool
69. scooby doo 3.95
88. dinosaurs 4.95
----
total xxxx

THE LIST:
39. halloween bingo
78. tonka set
40. halloween pack
79. tonka reading
81. dinosaur book
62. halloween mazes
62. major league baseball
23. Crime scene
53. pirate pete
51. 1001 pirate things
66. scooby doo
18. dinosaur
10. build a dino kit
41. i like sports pack
67. lets learn about dinos
82. pirate ahoy pack
116 tonka library
98 scooby pack

It ain't easy being green

thanks SO MUCH to all the families who are supporting the "Green Movement" that my wife and I have started at Franklin. Lots of the kids are already bringing trashless lunches! go here for more info:
http://www.wastefreelunches.org/

It's my hope that our class is the greenest at franklin and the first to institute 100% trashless lunches. I will too be making sacrifices. I am now bringing my own tumbler to rubios with me everyday instead of using a new paper cup everyday.

Don't get me wrong, I am not a huge environmentalist. I am not even that big of a fan of the environment. I mean it's ok but I am much bigger fan of Franklin and efficiency. Our custodians simply have better things to do than haul around 15 bags of unnecessary trash each day.

p.s. Global warming is a myth that is perpetuated by the bicycle and roll-on deodorant industries.

i will be holding early parent/teacher conferences next tuesday at Penmar golf course at 2:18. I have 3 open spots. My conferences usually take 2 hours and 45 minutes. Please let me know if you would like a conference.



On Wed (or THurs) please bring in a tooth brush for your child. It
must be 6 inches or less. no motorized ones. make sure your child can
identify it clearly.

love always,
mr. clean


I think most of you have already seen it but here is my website where you can find out all about my curriculum and philosophy. Take a look at the GOLF UNIT, it's awesome! Again, don't show this to the kids please. Thanks.

www.RockAndRollKindergarten.com

Please send me any questions you have that were not covered tonight.


here are the videos from tonight. DO NOT LET THE KIDS SEE THE "Class" one with all the units. I do not need them asking when we are going to study Star Wars for the next 3 months!

Trashless Lunch Video:
We will be trashless by next week.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=xRP0RdnhSBM

Class Video:
Don't let the kids see this one and don't send it to your aunt jennie who taught kindergarten for 30 years. She won't get it.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=L5TpWAE6txU

Kids Video:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=E0JX8UVAx8w

Teacher Bio:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=56ww7lLEO1s



we survived our first lunch! (pix are up on
www.barrymanilow.shutterfly.com)

take a look at all the pix to help you understand the lunch procedure.
you will see that EVERY child has a little credit card they use so that
they NEVER EVER bring cash to school!

there were lots of infractions such as unlabelled items, metal lunch
boxes (not prohibited but not recommended), juice pouches,... you will
learn all about this tonight.

after lunch I instinctively told the kids to brush their teeth and they
used last years kid's toothbrushes. oopsies.

see now that was a joke, if you thought that was funny you are going to
do very well in here.


Monday night is back to school night! I cannot stress to you how important Monday night is. Please be sure you are there or else you will spend the year in a haze of confusion and frustration as everytime you ask me a question I will put my hand up and walk away from you saying "that was answered on Back to School night..."

You report to the cafe at 6:30pm then in here at 7pm and we are done at 8pm.

ok, not really but you will really be lost if you can't come. both parents should come.

Monday is a NOT an information night where I will stand there reading a list of policies. It's half pep rally and half fundraiser. I am hoping to raise the Maximum of $50 per head on Monday night. If you have not already given to the "CLASS FUND" be sure to bring your check book with you (the good checks, not the bouncy ones...)

VOLUNTEERING IN and OUT of CLASS:
On Monday you will have the opportunity to sign up to volunteer in class (the only shifts are Tues, Wed, Thurs, 8:450-10am). Parents can sign up to come in EVERY TUES for example or share a shift with another parents and come everyother Wed...

There are plenty of jobs to be done outside of class also (recording secretary, laundry lady, lice buster, carpenter, smellmeister general...). All these jobs will be explained and we will not leave the room until they are all filled!!!!!!!!!

Let's make this the first year that no one brings their kids to Back to School Night! This is an ADULT ONLY PARTY! I am assuming you all remember how to tap a keg...

You will be learning all about the upcoming year as well as a little about your child's teacher. For instance, I spent the summer Racing Lawnmowers (I won several events thank you) and (in case I look familiar) reprising my role on Days of Our Lives... Feel free to google me!

On Monday we are doing our first MARVELOUS MONDAY ROTATION. I am the P.E. coach. The kids will rotate with another class to PE, Library and Music/Dance. It's awesome, they will love it!

did I mention how important monday night is?


The in class shifts are T,W,Th 8:45-10am. If you NEED a certain day let me know ASAP and I'll make sure you get it.
There are other opportunities to help out outside the class. Let me know if you can do any of these jobs:
Wall Painter (12 times this year paint our mural wall white)
Laundry Lady (about 8 loads this year)
Historian (someone who can save all my emails into a word doc for future reference...)
Power Washer (3 times all year...)
Group Photog (someone with a kick butt camera who will be on all the field trips)
Carpenter
STAR Liason

quick review:

Parking will be a nightmare!
6:30 in the cafe (this is really for new Franklin families)
7pm in the classroom. Here you will find out why Bill Maher is an IDIOT and Debbie Gibson is a genius!
8pm you go home and watch Prison Break.


that big old packet of papers is to be returned to me in the big envelope they came in...
thanks!

Here is the list of rules the kids came up with for the year. looks like an interesting year...

josh - no wedgies
nellie - no laying down on the rug
garrett - raise your hand
hugo - no sharing food
andrew - no hands on the rug
kayla - no lying
mr. s - no biting
olivia - listen to the teacher
jake - no food fights
fiona - go down the slide on your boom boom
ohara - no hitting
riley - no karate
chelsea - no high heels
emma - no throwing things
kevin - no running in class
stella - no teasing
kiki - sit on your bum
hayden - no fighting
elijah - be nice
analise - no shouting
yasmeen - put stuff away when you are done


1. today was even better than yesterday. great playground pix up on www.barrymanilow.shutterfly.com password: swordfish

2. the roster info was missing 3 very important parts. please answer the following.

1. do you golf?
2. who are you rooting for on Big Brother 8? please answer carefully because a certain answer could negate any chance of us having a civil relationship.
3. what sports are you good at? i am going to pit this years parents against last years and need to know what kind of talent pool i am dealing with here.

ask the kids who "Mr. Cool" is and what he does

i will be doing individual academic assessments of the children IN CLASS, not afterschool like the other classes.


1. I was talking to the lady who comes around to take all the class photos on the first day of kindergarten and in a lapse of professionalism she let it slip that our class was "by far the cutest". I would agree with her.

2. Don't worry about bringing a toothbrush just yet. wait til after back to school night.



1. it is perfectly acceptable for you to email me if you think that your child is ever underrepresented in the photos. i don't keep a daily tally, i just hope it evens out over the year but you would know better than I. I always try to get a pic of every kid once in each batch..



we opened the presents (see the pix). the kids went nuts. we made the class rules. ask your kid about the rules. we did ABC writing. we had snack and recess. we drew a 'first day of K' picture. we sang happy birthday to jake. i read them a book. we had fun.

i love k29!


what a great first day and i have the pix to prove it. go to:
www.barrymanilow.shutterfly.com password: swordfish
to view the pix from class. I'll take about 2000 this year.

i'll put some more up later today!

you can view all the pix and order them from there! (the prints turn out way better than how you are viewing them on the internet...)
If you join shutterfly.com (FOR FREE) please enter my email address (if you can) as I get credited 15 free prints for class use...
I would always encourage you to view the pix as a slideshow with your child so you get to see all the kids and not just yours...

I can't wait for tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!


I always like to send the parents an email as soon as the crying stop. the tears stopped exactly 30 seconds after you left this morning. That's a new record! These kids are awesome!

signing off for the day, I'll email you a full report on the day later today.

mr. s.


here is a rough draft of most of the BIG K29 events this year. Please consult this calendar when you are planning vacations. It's tragic when we study basketball for 3 weeks and then a child has to miss the field trip..

9/10 back to school night
9/13 no school
9/17 volunteering in class starts
9/28 back to school picnic
10/2 picture day
10/27 carnival
11/3 or 11/10 mini golf 10am
11/29 dino field trip?
11/12 no school
11/4 no school, parent/teacher conferences
1/21 No School
1/26 Star Wars Movie Day
2/17 UCLA womens basketball vs USC at UCLA
2/18 no school
2/29 Silent Auction
3/1 UCLA baseball game at USC
3/8 CUE
3/12 Kindergarten round up
4/11 family bowling night
4/16 open house
5/8 earth wind and flour pizza making field trip
5/23 sushi
5/26 no school
6/7 home depot?
6/20 treasure hunt



Hello everyone! You will be learning an awful lot about your child's teacher on Back to School night (9/10, 6:30pm) but for those of you who cannot wait you can always google me ("kurt schwengel")

If I look familiar to you it's probably because you watch "Days of our lives". I have a recurring role (Matthew Mahaney) who was last seen frozen in a lake so I may have to take some days off this year during the spring thaw.

I also spend a good portion of my summer in the midwest racing lawnmowers (I don't like to brag but I am quite good...)

see you all in the morning! If you have ANY questions feel free to email me, I'll be up til about 2am.

mr. schwengel