Kindergarten News

In honor of Black History month, the kindergarten students designed a bulletin board illustrating Black Americans who have made important contributions to the country. Included in our bulletin board were Joseph Winters, the inventor of the fire escape ladder. Mr. Winters included a safety feature on the ladder, Mr. Garrett Morgan, the inventor of both the traffic light and the breathing mask for firefighters, and Dr. Mae Jemison, the first Black American woman in space. Dr. Jemison joined NASA in 1987 and flew on the Endeavor space mission in 1992.

The kindergarten students added speech bubbles sharing their dreams for our world. We shared our ideas for making our world a better place for everyone.

Kindergarten News

The kindergarten students at Hanawalt enjoyed a visit from Happy Bear. This 20 minute presentation, a program from Blank Children’s Hospital entertains but it also delivers vitally important information. As Happy Bear learns about personal safety from a favorite teacher, Renae Jones, children in the audience learn about good touch, bad touch and mixed-up touch. They learn how to say no and tell someone if they are touched in ways that make them feel unsafe or uncomfortable. For more information, contact Ms. Jones at www.blankchildrens.org Happy Bear.

Kindergarten News

In kindergarten we are currently in our Friends/Family theme we are learning about what makes a good friend. We are reading lots of stories for our reading series about friends as well. We ended our pumpkin and apple theme right before Thanksgiving with making some delicious apple pies. What an exciting experience that was! In Science we are now learning about our 5 senses. We have been hearing different sounds, tasting different things, looking/observing objects, smelling lots of smells and describing them, and touching objects to be able to identify them.

Kindergarten News

It has been a busy fall in the Hanawalt Kindergarten Classes. We have been studying trees and the weather. The beautiful fall leaves have helped the students learn about the changes in the seasons and what happens to the trees. The trees have also been helpful in learning our colors and color words. With the changes in our weather, we will soon discover how the different weather affects our lives and activities.

A guest speaker from the Des Moines Public Water Department came to talk with us about how important water is to us. We learned about many different ways that we use water every day. We also learned about all the different foods that have water in them. The class discovered that we need to have a lot of water to live.

Attention 2010 - 2011 Kindergarten Parents

Kindergarten registration will take place on March 10-11 from 8am until 6pm. Please bring copies of your child’s birth certificate and your proof of address. Immunizations and physicals may be turned in before August 26th.

Reserve Wednesday, May 19 from 2:00- 3:00 to bring your future kindergarten student to Hanawalt to meet the teachers. Open Enrollment forms are due by March 1 to the district Open Enrollment office at 901 Walnut Street

Kindergarten News

Mrs. Revell’s kindergarten students have enjoyed having Ms. Peace, a practicum student from Iowa State University, in our classroom for the past three weeks. During our activities focusing on the letter V, we read about volcanoes, learned some new science words, did some fun activities, and ended with the excitement of an erupting volcano in our classroom. Ms. Peace and the students made a volcano using simple ingredients. The excitement continued as the volcano erupted in our classroom. It was a fun experience for all of us.

Kindergarten School Supply List

The following is list of required supplies for Kindergarten at Hanawalt for the 2009 - 2010 School year.


2 -Boxes of 24 crayons (Labeled with name)
6 -#2 Plain wood pencils
2 -Plain folders (1 blue, 1 yellow) WITH Brads
2 -Family boxes of tissues
9 -Glue sticks
2 -Boxes Quart size Ziplock Bags
1 -Scissors (Fiskars cut easily)
1 -Backpack labeled with name (must fit in shared locker & No wheels please)
1 - Bottle Hand Sanitizer
1 - Box or Package Disinfectant Wipes

Please remember, no Scented, Fluorescent, Glitter Crayons or Mechanical Pencils are allowed for any grade.

Kindergarten News

Kindergarten has started a fun new science unit investigating wood and paper. Not only do the students learn about the properties and the way wood and paper can change, but they will be making their own wood and paper to bring home. They have also finished writing their non-fiction how-to and all about books. Next they will start writing creative poetry. We have also been practicing fun day activities with Mr. Baker and can’t wait to show parents all the interesting ways we can move. We have grown so much this year as thinkers (reader, writers, mathematicians, scientists and more). The kindergarten teachers want to give a big thanks to the parents for their support and kindness.

March - Kindergarten News

We studied about keeping our teeth healthy and safe by eating apples with our biters and our chewers. That was lots of fun since most of us have biters (front teeth) that are missing. Next all three classes will be hosting Teddy Bear day on Wednesday March 11th. We will have fun reading to our bears and graphing our bears. Maybe we will even write a story about them. Lots of great bear books both fiction and non-fiction will be read that day also.

March - Music Notes

Congratulations to all the Band, String, and Piano students who participated in the Festivals. Your commitment to practicing and to excellence is to be commended. Well done! Thanks to the families for their support on this musical adventure.


Spring programs are happening on Thursday evenings in Weitz Commons. (aka - the cafeteria)

• Kindergarten – 6:00 March 5th
• 2nd Grade – 6:45 March 5th

There are plenty of seats with a great view of the stage, for our concerts. The first program will be done by 6:30. Families and students attending the 6:45 programs should plan on arriving after the other program is done. This will allow time for the parking lot to empty out a bit.


Our next big event is The Day in The Arts on Friday, April 3rd. Happy Spring!

March - News from the Principal

We are looking forward to parent teacher conferences this month! We are all very proud of the progress your children have made in school this year. If you do not have a conference scheduled yet, please contact your child’s teacher.


Kindergarten registration at Hanawalt is Thursday, March 12 from 1-7pm. Parents will need to bring in a copy of the child’s birth certificate and evidence of immunization. If you have any questions about the enrollment process, please call Principal Burton at school, 242-8411.


Registration for all other grades will take place in May for current students. Families new to the neighborhood will be able to register July 28 and July 30th. We are really going to try and complete the currently enrolled student registrations in May, so that we have a more accurate picture regarding students who are on the open enrollment waiting list.


While the arctic weather might seem to be behind us, please be sure to check the forecast each morning. We have students who are forgetting coats and gloves at home. Recess can be uncomfortable.


If your child is missing some attire, check out the lost and found during conferences. We have an assortment of backpacks, boots, gloves, sweatshirts, and hats.

January - Kindergarten Buddies

Mrs. Revell’s kindergarten students meet once a week with Mrs. Olivetta’s second grade students. The buddies collaborate on reading and writing projects. This month the second grade students shared facts about penguins with their kindergarten buddies. The kindergarten students wrote one fact about a penguin in the tummy of a penguin they made with their second grade buddies.