MORNING PRE-K

LAST WEEK OF SCHOOL!

2009-05-29T11:00:00.001-07:00

It seems impossible to believe that we are approaching our last week of school! Below, we have listed and described the details and events for the last week.

MONDAY JUNE 1ST
If you have not already done so, please send in to school with your child a large paper shopping bag with handles. We will be using them on Wednesday to send home many, many, many items from Pre-K.

TUESDAY JUNE 2ND
We will have our last P.E. class on this day. Your child will be bringing home his/her tennis shoes.

WEDNESDAY JUNE 3RD
We will meet with our 2nd grade buddies one last time to celebrate the end of the school year. We are meeting them outside for some play time and popsicles!

Your child will be bringing home his/her portfolio and Pre-K Journal on this day to keep! Please spend some time and give your child the opportunity to share his/her journal with you and also the contents of his/her portfolio.

THURSDAY JUNE 4TH
The afternoon will be joining the morning class on this day and our morning will be extremely busy! We will have a brief rehearsal on stage for our Lower School Closing Progam; meet the Kindergarten teachers and tour the Kindergarten classrooms; and go to the dining hall at 10:30 for lunch! Following lunch, we will return to the Pre-K area for our "end-of-the-year" celebration that has been planned by our Pre-K room mothers. The festitivies will end around 12:30.

NOTE: YOUR CHILD DOES NOT NEED TO BRING A BACKPACK TO SCHOOL ON THURSDAY. DRESS CODE/UNFORMS SHOULD BE WORN ON THIS DAY.

FRIDAY JUNE 5TH
Children should arrive at school by 8:05 and come directly to the Pre-K classroom. Please dress your child in attire described in the letter sent home previously from the Music teachers. The Lower School Closing Program begins at 8:30 in the theater and lasts approximately 1 hour. Family members are welcome and encouraged to attend. Following the program, children should be picked up from the Pre-K classroom by their parents. Then.....

SUMMER VACATION BEGINS!!

PARENT VISITATION OF LEARNING CENTERS

2009-05-26T08:27:00.000-07:00

A GENTLE REMINDER:

Parents are welcome to join us tomorrow 10:30-11:15 to observe the children doing our 4th set of learning centers.

SPLASHING FUN!

2009-05-26T07:24:00.001-07:00

We had a great time today swimming! Thanks so much to the parents who accompanied us to the pool to help with supervision. We did lots of splashing!

SHOPPING BAGS!

2009-05-22T10:39:00.000-07:00

Please send in a large paper shopping bag with handles and marked with your child's name by Tuesday June 2nd. Thanks!

SWIMMING DAY!

2009-05-22T10:33:00.000-07:00

DON'T FORGET!!!!!
TUESDAY MAY 26TH AT 8:30
PRE-K SWIMMING DAY!

Please have your child wear a swim suit underneath his/her uniform and bring a pair of underwear in a plastic bag marked with his/her name. Any parents accompanying us to swimming, we will leave the Pre-K classroom around 8:20. Come splash with us!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MORGAN!

2009-05-22T08:54:00.001-07:00

Today we helped Morgan celebrate her 5th birthday! Morgan's dad read the story "Bear Feels Sick"--with audience participation making the crow's sound. Then, we enjoyed ice cream with sprinkles and chocolate and "candy sushi" for snack--YUMMY!! Happy Birthday, Morgan!

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-05-21T04:27:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated the 160th day of school and our LAST "Zero the Hero" day! Brooke's mom and Jack and Kyle's mom came in to help us celebrate and brought us drink "cozies" to decorate with letters, bugs, and flowers. Thanks for helping us to celebrate!

TRUE OR FALSE?

2009-05-19T10:19:00.001-07:00

We continue our study of caterpillars and butterflies as we are reading a book called, "True or False: Butterflies & Caterpillars". The teacher reads a statement from the book about a butterfly or caterpillar and the children answer whether or not they think it is true or false. Then, the teacher reads the answer and factual information from the book. It's been a quick and easy way to review what we have learned and to further our knowledge about butterflies. Here were today's "statements":

The largest butterfly in the world lives in the United States. True or False?

The smallest butterfly is the size of a thumbnail. True or False?

Butterflies and moths look alike. True or False?

Ask your children to share the answers with you!

FREE CHOICE FUN!

2009-05-19T10:10:00.000-07:00

Morgan and Claudia getting ready to do some "flower arranging".

Claudia's beautiful arrangement.

Morgan's beautiful arrangement.

Busy Builders in the "Construction Zone".

Stringing flowers to make necklaces.

SPANISH SNACK

2009-05-14T09:54:00.000-07:00

Today Senora Taylor treated us to chips and salsa for snack. Yummy!

END-OF-THE-YEAR IMPORTANT DATES

2009-05-11T19:26:00.001-07:00

MAY 14TH/MAY 15TH
LOWER SCHOOL PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
(NO LOWER SCHOOL ON MAY 15TH)

We look forward to celebrating your child's accomplishments this year as well as discussing ways to continue his/her learning over the summer. Please note that a copy of your child's progress report will be completed by the end of the school year and will be mailed to you after school has been dismissed for the summer.

MAY 25TH
MEMORIAL DAY
NO SCHOOL

MAY 26TH
MORNING PRE-K SWIMMING AT 8:30

Please follow the same routine as we did for the first swimming day. Parent volunteers to assist us with swimming are greatly appreciated!

MAY 27TH
PARENT OBSERVATION OF LEARNING CENTERS AT 10:30

You are invited to come in to observe your child and his/her classmates engaged in our final set of learning centers.

JUNE 4TH
PRE-K LUNCH AT SCHOOL &
END-OF-THE-YEAR CELEBRATION

The Afternoon Pre-K class will be joining the Morning Pre-K class on this day. They will have a rehearsal for their closing program and will eat lunch in the dining hall at 10:30. (Parent volunteers to assist us with lunch are welcome and appreciated!) Following lunch, we will return to the Pre-K classroom/playground area to celebrate the end of the school year. Dismissal follows the celebration (around 12:30).

JUNE 5TH
LOWER SCHOOL CLOSING PROGRAM @8:30

Children should arrive at school by 8:05. Parents and family members are invited to attend the closing program in the theater. Following the conclusion of the program, children will be dismissed from the Pre-K classroom. Summer Vacation begins!

BUTTERFLIES AND MOTHS

2009-05-11T10:04:00.001-07:00

Today we learned about and discussed 6 differences between moths and butterflies. Your child brought home a paper in his/her folder explaining these differences. Ask your child to share this information with you. Your child does NOT need to return the Moth/Butterfly to school.

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-05-06T05:47:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated our 150th day of school. Hannah and her dad helped us to celebrate with a "secret" activity--to be revealed to you soon. Thank you for a great Zero the Hero activity!

GOTTA GO! GOTTA GO!

2009-05-05T10:22:00.001-07:00

Today we read the story, "Gotta Go! Gotta Go!" by Pam Swope, which is about the life of a butterfly and migrating to Mexico and then back North. Following the story, we took our butterflies outside to release them.

Isa carrying our butterflies outside to be released.

Isa unzipping the net to free the butterflies.

One butterfly (still hungry) is sipping the sugar water we provided for them.

One of our beautiful Painted Lady butterflies.

GOOD-BYE BUTTERFLIES!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CAROLYN!

2009-05-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

Today we helped Carolyn celebrate her birthday. Carolyn's mom read the story, "Are You My Mother?" and then we enjoyed eating a "muddy dirt" snack--YUMMY! Carolyn got a surprise visit from her oldest sister, Elizabeth, and her sister's friend, Mike, who are in Upper School. Happy Birthday, Carolyn!

NEW LEARNING CENTERS

2009-04-29T10:01:00.001-07:00

Last week we introduced and started our final set of learning centers. Due to some technical difficulties, we were unable to post photos of the learning centers. Below is a list of the new learning centers and the skills children are practicing. Please remember that we modify the learning centers to meet the individual needs and abilities of each student.

*Using magnetic numbers to recognize and produce 2 or 3-digit numbers.
*Hearing and identifying the ending sounds of words.

*Hearing and identifying the beginning sound of words.
*Demonstrating an understanding of symmetry using a butterfly template.
*Matching rhyming words and/or pictures.
*Sorting pictures into groups by attributes.
*Recognizing sight words through reading and spelling.
*Creating a butterfly story in a blank book.
*Using the computer program, Lexia, to practice phonemic awareness skills.
*Logical reasoning with a domino train activity.

WE WELCOME YOU TO COME AND OBSERVE THESE LEARNING CENTERS IN ACTION ON OUR NEXT PARENT OBSERVATION DAY...
WEDNESDAY MAY 27TH AT 10:30.

STAR OF THE WEEK--HANNAH

2009-04-29T09:50:00.001-07:00

Today we enjoyed learning more about our friend, Hannah. She told us about her favorite things and shared her photos with us. Hannah should be commended for being very patient in waiting her turn to be the Star of the Week. She is our last one!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MYA!

2009-04-28T10:01:00.000-07:00

Today we helped Mya celebrate her 5th birthday. Mya's mom read the story, "Tammy Turtle--A Tale of Saving Sea Turtles" and Mya shared some photos of turtles that they visited at a refuge in Florida. For snack, the children enjoyed cupcakes that when put together made a large turtle made by Mya's grandmother. Happy Birthday, Mya!

CLASS PICTURE DAY

2009-04-27T08:58:00.000-07:00

There is a note and payment envelope in your child's folder today explaining the class photo which will be taken this Thursday (4-30-09). An all Lower School photo will be taken at 11:50 on the football bleachers. PLEASE DELAY PICKING UP YOUR MORNING PRE-K CHILD UNTIL 12:00 ON THURSDAY.

BIG SISTER HANNAH!

2009-04-27T08:16:00.001-07:00

Congratulations to our friend, Hannah, who became a big sister last Friday to a baby brother (Noah)! Hannah brought in photos of the newest family member to share with the class. You'll be a great big sister, Hannah!

OUTDOOR WEEK FINALE!

2009-04-24T09:02:00.000-07:00

What great weather we had today for our last day of "Outdoor Week"! We did Free Choice outside today; ate snack outside today; and did P.E. class outside today........

Enjoying snack outside in the warm sunshine!

Helping put dirt in our flower box in order to plant seeds.

Planting the seeds.

Bubble Fun!

Drawing with sidewalk chalk.

Spray Painting!!

OUTDOOR ALPHABET HIKE WITH BUDDIES

2009-04-23T09:17:00.001-07:00

We had a beautiful morning to hike through the woods with our second grade buddies. As we walked, we looked for items in nature that begin with the different letter sounds and our 2nd grade buddies recorded them on paper for us. Our goal was to find one item for each letter of the alphabet. Our 2nd grade buddies are going to type our findings on the computer and then next week we are going to get together to illustrate our findings and make them into a book.

"CLASS PETS"

2009-04-22T09:48:00.000-07:00

Each of our caterpillars has gone inside its chrysalis. We transferred each chrysalis into a large butterfly "garden". Now, we are patiently waiting for butterflies to emerge. We'll keep you posted!

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-04-22T09:41:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our 140th day of school. Thank you to Parker and his dad for helping us to celebrate with making bead figures. The children worked hard on the tedious task of putting the beads on to a template. When finished, the template was then ironed causing the beads to melt and form the figure. Enjoy the photos below!

HAPPY EARTH DAY!

2009-04-22T09:18:00.000-07:00

Today we read the story, "Our Class is Going Green", which is a book written and illustrated by a kindergarten class from a school in Oklahoma. Prior to reading the story, we had a class discussion about "Earth Day" and what it means. WOW!! We were so impressed with the contributions the children made. Here were some of their thoughts and ideas...

*"We can keep the Earth clean and healthy by recycling."
*"We can ride bikes instead of driving cars."
*"Don't litter or put trash in lakes."
*"It's always good to recycle."
*"Don't waste food--it's healthy for you."
*"We use cloth napkins at our house instead of paper napkins."
*"We use glasses instead of paper cups at our house."
*"We should make a scrap box in our classroom for paper that is still good to use."
*"We need to store petroleum which is a fossil fuel so we don't run out."

To do our part for the Earth, we are going to start a recycling program in our classroom!

OUTDOOR WEEK

2009-04-21T10:22:00.001-07:00

Mrs. Mullin did our story time outside today!

HOORAY! The rain stopped and we finally made it outside for Free Choice time.

Bubble Fun!

Playing "doggies".

"Guess how we got up here?!"

Sand Box Fun!

Painting Butterflies

STAR OF THE WEEK--RYAN

2009-04-21T09:12:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed hearing from our friend Ryan about his favorite things and the experiences in the photos he brought to share. Thanks, Ryan!

SPLISHIN' AND A SPLASHIN'!

2009-04-21T09:01:00.001-07:00

We had a great time swimming today! Thank you so much to all the parents who came and helped us today. Our next swimming day is Tuesday May 26th.

Heading to the water!

Mr. Yakscoe talking to us about water/pool safety.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TALIA!

2009-04-21T07:58:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we celebrated Talia's 5th birthday. Talia's mom read the story, "The Kissing Hand" and we enjoyed eating Rice Krispie treats dipped in chocolate and colored sprinkles for snack.

IMPORTANT DATES

2009-04-15T09:07:00.001-07:00

APRIL 20TH-24TH
PRE-K OUTDOOR WEEK

Next week, we are taking our learning outdoors! Children should dress in clothing appropriate for outdoors (jeans, sweats, tennis shoes, boots, etc.). Children do not need to wear their uniforms/dress code next week. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD WEAR AS MUCH GREEN AS POSSIBLE NEXT WEDNESDAY, APRIL 22ND, IN CELEBRATION OF EARTH DAY!

TUESDAY APRIL 21ST @ 8:30
TUESDAY MAY 26TH
MORNING PRE-K SWIMMING DAY

This is a wonderful opportunity for the Pre-K children to visit and swim in the Academy pool, as next year in Kindergarten they will have swimming class once every 6 days. There will be no formal instruction for the Pre-K children. Rather, Mr. Yakscoe (one of the swimming instructors) will meet the children, talk about pool/swimming safety, and assist the children in developing a comfort level swimming in the Academy pool. The Pre-K teachers and parent volunteers will also be in the water assisting the children with some parent volunteers supervising from the pool deck. Please refer to the blue letter we sent home in folders for preparing and sending your child to school on swimming days.

THURSDAY APRIL 30TH
TUESDAY MAY 5TH (RAIN DATE)
CLASS PICTURE DAY

Each class in Lower School will have a class picture taken on this day. (Order forms will be sent home via folders.) At 11:55 the entire Lower School will meet on the football bleachers for a photo. THEREFORE, WE WILL NEED YOU TO DELAY PICKING UP YOUR CHILD FROM THE MORNING PRE-K CLASS UNTIL 12:00 ON THIS DAY.

FREE CHOICE FUN!

2009-04-15T09:01:00.001-07:00

Anna, Maya, Ben, and Max working together in the construction zone.
Ryan proudly displaying his creation with little Legos on a template.

BUTTERFLY SYMMETRY

2009-04-15T08:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we did some activities to learn and practice distinguishing between items which are symmetrical and non-symmetrical. Beginning today at Free Choice, each child will have the opportunity to create a butterfly with symmetrical wings on the computer. Please see the photos below. Once each child has a turn to make his/her butterfly, we will display the finished products in the hallway outside our classroom.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MRS. ANDREWS!

2009-04-15T07:41:00.001-07:00

Today we helped Mrs. Andrews celebrate her birthday! The children presented Mrs. Andrews and Mrs. Spolter each with a wonderful book filled with words and drawings from the Pre-K children. Each of us also received a beautiful vase with an Iris (how appropriate for sound box this week!). Thank you so much to Kim and Molly for organizing and planning this wonderful celebration! Happy Birthday, Mrs. Andrews!

EGG CARTON CATERPILLARS

2009-04-13T09:20:00.001-07:00

In the photo below, children are painting an egg carton to represent the body of a caterpillar. After the caterpillars dry, the children will add eyes and antennae. Next, we will wrap up the caterpillars inside a paper chrysalis. Then, we will wait in anticipation to see what happens!

WELCOME TO OUR NEW CATERPILLARS!

2009-04-13T08:12:00.001-07:00

Today we welcomed 6 live caterpillars into our classroom. The morning class named 3 of them--Ed, Jumper, and Jack. The afternoon class will name the other 3 caterpillars. We have made a graph to chart how many days the caterpillars are in each stage of their life--caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. We'll keep you posted!

BUTTERFLY SYMMETRY

2009-04-13T08:11:00.000-07:00

Today Mrs. Andrews did a lesson on symmetry using butterfly wings. First she showed some photos of butterfly wings. Then, we took a blank butterfly and together as a class made symmetrical wings on the butterfly. See the photos below demonstrating this activity.

STAR OF THE WEEK--MORGAN

2009-04-13T08:10:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed learning more about our friend, Morgan. She told us about her favorite things and shared her photos with us. Thanks, Morgan!

LIFE CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY

2009-04-10T09:07:00.001-07:00

Today the children made their own model of the butterfly life cycle using the chart below. They also used food items to represent each stage of the life cycle.The 4 items in the photo below are used to represent the different stages of the butterfly life cycle. Can you guess which one is used for each stage?

The finished product!

CATERPILLAR PATTERNS

2009-04-10T09:04:00.000-07:00

Making caterpillar patterns.

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-04-08T08:46:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrated our 130th day of school. WOW! The children decorated butterflies with dot art paint and got an introduction to symmetry. Thank you to Claudia, Carolyn, and their moms for providing us with this fun project and helping us to celebrate!

NEW FREE CHOICE ACTIVITIES

2009-04-06T10:50:00.001-07:00

Claudia arranging flowers in the Butterfly Garden.Brooke and Blake exploring the butterfly life cycle specimens.

Isa retelling the story of "The Very Hungry Caterpillar" on the flannel board.

Hannah and Morgan showing off their butterfly wings in the Butterfly Garden.

Be careful Butterfly Talia! Donald might catch you in his net!

Max putting the butterfly life cycle photos in the correct order.

STAR OF THE WEEK--BLAKE

2009-04-03T09:04:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed learning more about our friend, Blake. She shared some of her favorite things with us and had many things to tell us about her photos. Thanks, Blake!

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY

2009-04-02T09:46:00.000-07:00

Today, Mrs. Andrews explained the life cycle of a butterfly using photo cards. The photo cards are now displayed on the bulletin board in our classroom. Next week during Free Choice time, we will remove the photo cards and each child will have the opportunity to put the cards back in the correct sequential order of the life cycle.

FREE CHOICE FUN--OUTSIDE!!!!

2009-04-02T09:33:00.001-07:00

What a great Spring day to be outside for play!

ERIC CARLE ARTISTS!!

2009-04-01T09:29:00.001-07:00

Today, we had the pleasure of visiting Mr. Cicetti's room. We watched a video about the artist, Eric Carle. He has written and illustrated many children's books, one of which is The Very Hungry Caterpillar. In the video, we watched Eric Carle at work in his own studio, using a collage technique. He creates his own hand painted papers, which he then cuts and layers to create beautiful pictures. Since we are starting our Butterfly Unit, we are going to create a collage masterpiece based on Eric Carle's book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar. After Mr. Cicetti demonstrated how to create texture and interest in our painting, we each had a chance to paint our own papers. It was a very fun and interesting day in Mr. Cicetti's art room. We cannot wait to visit Mr. Cicetti again to work on cutting our papers and putting them together to make our final project!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MAYA!!

2009-04-01T07:42:00.000-07:00

Wow, what a special day! In addition to being chosen "Care Bear", Maya celebrated her 5th birthday. We enjoyed hearing Maya's mom read The Ladybug Girl and the Bumblebee Boy. For snack, we enjoyed the most delicious chocolate-covered pretzel and mini-pretzels hidden in an Easter Egg. Thanks Maya and her mom. Happy Birthday, Maya!!

SPRING PRE-K NEWS

2009-03-23T08:49:00.001-07:00

SPRING PRE-K NEWS

Hello Morning Pre-K Parents--

We hope that you have been enjoying a restful and fun-filled Spring Break with your families. Spring has arrived and now we just need the weather to realize this! It is difficult to believe that we are entering the final segment of the school year. Rest assured, the next two months will be busy in Pre-K! Below we have provided you with some information, highlights, and important dates for the remainder of the school year. Thank you for taking the time to read and digest this information. See you Monday!

THE LIFE CYCLE OF A BUTTERFLY

During the months of April and May, we will spend time studying the life cycle of a butterfly. Our study will include:

*learning the 4 stages of the butterfly life cycle

*learning the characteristics of the 4 stages of the butterfly life cycle

*learning and comparing the similarities and differences between

butterflies and moths

*learning some basic anatomy of the butterfly and how it uses those

body parts

*learning about the concept of symmetry using butterfly wings

*observing live caterpillars go through the life cycle until each

caterpillar emerges from a chrysalis as a butterfly

*transforming our dramatic play area into an imaginary butterfly

garden

We have some wonderful fiction and non-fiction literature, art activities, computer activities, math activities, and science activities to support our learning about the butterfly life cycle.

SOUND OF THE WEEK

We have 2 more consonant sounds to study and then we will move on to studying the vowel sounds. Be sure to check the Pre-K Blog on Mondays to find out which letter sound we are studying for the week.

"BOOK IN A BAG"

Beginning Monday April 27th, we will begin our "Book In A Bag" activity. We will send home a letter in your child's folder further explaining the purpose, rationale, and guidelines for this activity.

PARENT OBSERVATION OF LEARNING CENTERS

Monday April 6th @10:30

We are extending an invitation for you to come in and observe the children engaged in learning centers. If you are unable to attend, we are tentatively planning to have another observation day for learning centers in May. Date and time to be announced.

PRE-K OUTDOOR WEEK

April 20th-24th

Throughout this week (weather permitting) we will be taking our learning outside! Children will not need to wear dress code during outdoor week, but should wear clothes appropriate for outdoor learning and play.

SWIMMING

We are in the process of scheduling a day to go swimming in the Academy pool.

We welcome and appreciate any parent volunteers who can assist us in the pool or on deck with supervising the children. Once we have the date scheduled, we will send home information and a permission slip that will need to signed and returned via your child's folder.

SPECIAL FRIENDS' DAY

Friday May 8th

This is a special day set aside for your child to invite a special (adult) friend (grandparent, aunt, uncle, cousin, babysitter) to accompany him/her to school for a morning of Pre-K learning and fun! Look for a packet of information further explaining this event to come home in your child's folder in mid-April.

KINDERGARTEN PLACEMENT

As we approach the end of the school year, the Pre-K teachers will begin working on organizing the Pre-K children into Kindergarten classes for next year. There are 4 Kindergarten classes and each class will be a combination of students from this year's morning Pre-K class, this year's afternoon Pre-K class, and the new incoming students. In April, you will receive a letter from Dan Vorenberg further explaining the placement process. Dan's letter also provides parents with the opportunity to write down and send in any thoughts and feelings you would like the school to consider as we make decisions about your child's Kindergarten placement. The class lists are finalized over the summer and parents will receive notification of their child's class/teacher assignment 2 weeks prior to the beginning of the school year.

"DOGS IN SPACE!"

2009-03-13T04:27:00.000-07:00

Today, we enjoyed hearing the story, "Dogs in Space", read to us by second grade teacher, Ms. Saide. She even read us the story in her groovy sunglasses. The story was "out of this world"!

Today, we enjoyed hearing the story, "Dogs in Space", read to us by second grade teacher, Ms. Saide.

STAR OF THE WEEK--CHARLIE

2009-03-12T06:19:00.000-07:00

Today we enjoyed learning more about our friend, Charlie. Thank you for sharing your photos and telling us about your favorite things, Charlie. Today is also Charlie's 5th birthday!

LEARNING CENTER PARENT OBSERVATION DAY

2009-03-12T04:49:00.001-07:00

Learning Center Parent Observation Day
Monday April 6, 2009
10:30
Pre-K Classroom

Dear Pre-K Parents--

The above date and time is an opportunity for you to come in to the Pre-K classroom and observe your child and his/her classmates doing learning centers. Please join us if you are able!

ROXIE and ROCKY VISIT PRE-K

2009-03-12T04:28:00.002-07:00

Today, Blake and her mom brought in 2 of their pet dogs--Rocky and Roxie--for Sound Box. Blake did a great job explaining how she takes care of her dogs and what she likes about each of them. Rocky and Roxie are dogs they have rescued!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, CHARLIE!

2009-03-12T04:28:00.001-07:00

Along with being "Star of the Week" today, Charlie also celebrated his 5th birthday. We enjoyed hearing Charlie's mom read the story, "A Frog In the Bog" and eating chocolate birthday cupcakes for snack. Happy Birthday, Charlie!

"POOR PLUTO!"

2009-03-12T04:23:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, we read a story called, "Poor Pluto" which was written and illustrated by 3rd grade students of Tokay Colony Elementary School in Lodi, California. The students wrote this book in response to Pluto losing its identity as a planet. At the end of the story, it explains what really happened to Pluto. Astronomers have developed 3 ways necessary for an object in Outer Space to be classified as a planet:
1. It must orbit around a star.
2. It must have a round shape.
3. It must have enough gravity to have its own orbit path.

Pluto orbits a star but has more of an oval shape and shares an orbit path with the planet Neptune. Thus, Pluto is now identified as a Dwarf Planet.

The Pre-K children really enjoyed this story and learning the reasons why Pluto is no longer considered a planet.

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-03-11T04:06:00.001-07:00

Today we celebrated our 120th day of school. Russell and his mom provided clocks for us to make and decorate. They also gave us a clock cookie to take home and eat! Yummy!! Thank you for a great Zero the Hero celebration!

PRE-K ROCKET DAY!

2009-03-10T09:25:00.001-07:00

The children did an "out of this world" job sharing their rockets today! Below are some photos of the creative rockets. The rockets are on display in the hallway outside the Pre-K classroom. We will send home the rockets on Friday.

ROCKET DAY

2009-03-08T18:37:00.000-07:00

Rocket Day
Please remember to have your child bring his/her rocket to school on Tuesday March 10th. Each child will have a chance to share his/her rocket with the class. We will then display the rockets in the hallway outside the Pre-K classroom until Friday March 13th when we will send them home. Since we are doing the letter sound "R" this week, your child's rocket can be his/her sound box item for Tuesday. It is not necessary for your child to bring in anything else for sound box on Tuesday.

MEASURING WITH LICORICE

2009-03-05T09:50:00.001-08:00

During Free Choice time today, we did a measuring activity using a piece of licorice. We measured the items (all beginning with "L") in the photo below to see if they were shorter or longer than our piece of licorice. The best part....after finishing the activity, we got to eat a piece of licorice!

LIZARD VISITS MORNING PRE-K

2009-03-05T09:40:00.001-08:00

Today, Isa brought in a lizard for sound box. Senor Manchas (Spanish for spots) spent the morning in Pre-K with us. We discussed how the lizard is shedding his current skin (molting). The children really enjoyed observing him throughout the morning.

STAR OF THE WEEK--MAYA

2009-03-04T04:16:00.001-08:00

Today we enjoyed looking at photos of Maya and hearing about her favorite things. Thanks for sharing, Maya!

FREE CHOICE FUN!

2009-03-03T09:03:00.001-08:00

Ryan doing a "Lite Bright" design.Hannah and Maya playing in the "Star Dust" in the sensory tub.

Parker and Ben painting planets.

Isabel working with the locks and keys.

Anna and Talia working with the lock puzzles.

Charlie creating an "Outer Space" picture at the easel.

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, MARY KATE!

2009-02-27T06:19:00.001-08:00

Today we celebrated Mary Kate's half-birthday. Her mom read the story, "Ten Little Fish" and then we enjoyed eating her birthday snack--yummy fruit and birthday cupcakes. Happy Half-Birthday, Mary Kate!

BUILDING WITH WEDGITS!

2009-02-26T08:02:00.001-08:00

Brooke, Carolyn, Jack, Ryan, Max, Russell, and Kyle proudly posing with their Wedgit construction.

NEW LEARNING CENTERS

2009-02-26T04:46:00.001-08:00

On Wednesday, we introduced our 3rd set of learning centers. Below are photos and descriptions of these new learning centers. We have one additional learning center where the children work on the computer doing a program called LEXIA. LEXIA is a computer program designed to provide children with the opportunity to develop and increase language skills (rhyming, sound/symbol correspondence, sight words, etc.).

Sequencing Pictures to make a Story

Matching Upper and Lower Case Letters....

...and completing a dot-to-dot with lower case letters

Identifying Opposites

Domino Addition

One-to-one Correspondence with Teen Numbers

Identifying Rhyming Words

Identifying Ending Sounds

Graphing Vehicles and Reading a Graph

Spatial Reasoning using Tangrams

Spatial Reasoning using a Cube Puzzle

Identifying How Many Syllables (Parts) are in a Word using Colored Chips

Spatial Reasoning using Geoboards

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, ANNA!

2009-02-26T04:45:00.000-08:00

Today we helped Anna celebrate her 5th birthday. We enjoyed hearing the story, "Boomer's Big Surprise" and eating birthday cookies for snack. Happy 5th Birthday, Anna!

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-02-25T08:59:00.001-08:00

As if today wasn't WACKY enough, we also celebrated another Zero the Hero day. Be sure to ask your child how many days we've been in school. Thank you to Morgan, Isa, and their moms for helping us to celebrate by making wacky glasses!

WACKY WEDNESDAY!!!!

2009-02-25T08:53:00.001-08:00

Today was a WACKY Wednesday! Check out our WACKY wardrobes in the photos below.

ASTRONAUTS!

2009-02-24T09:34:00.001-08:00

Pre-K students working on astronaut helmets at the Art Center.Astronauts Hannah and Isa.

STAR OF THE WEEK--RUSSELL

2009-02-24T09:26:00.000-08:00

Today we learned more about our friend, Russell. Thanks for sharing your photos and telling us about your favorite things, Russell!

"WACKY WEDNESDAY"

2009-02-23T09:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Pre-K Parents--

This Wednesday (February 25th) will be designated as "Wacky Wednesday" since we are studying the letter sound "W". If your child would like to, he/she can wear something "wacky" to school. For example, two different-colored socks, different shoes, wearing a shirt backwards, a striped shirt with plaid pants, etc. Obviously, dress code does not need to be followed on this day!

P.S. CHILDREN SHOULD STILL BRING ITEMS TO SHARE FOR SOUND BOX ON WACKY WEDNESDAY.

IS THERE LIFE IN OUTER SPACE?

2009-02-23T09:13:00.001-08:00

Today we did a graph to determine how many friends believe there is life in Outer Space.

Next, we read a story by Franklin M. Branley called, "Is There Life In Outer Space?" Ask your child to tell you the answer!
After reading the story, each child had the chance to draw what he/she thinks an alien/space creature might look like. Once completed, we will display the finished drawings in our classroom.

"THE BEAR CASE"

2009-02-20T10:26:00.000-08:00

Thank you for attending our Pre-K performance of "The Bear Case" today. Below are some photos of our Pre-K actors and actresses. Bravo!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, HANNAH!

2009-02-20T10:17:00.001-08:00

Today we helped Hannah celebrate her 5th birthday. Hannah's dad shared the story , "The Cow Who Clucked." We then enjoyed a large chocolate chip birthday cookie for snack. Happy Birthday, Hannah!

SOME GENTLE REMINDERS

2009-02-13T09:39:00.000-08:00

WEEK OF FEBRUARY 16TH

Monday February 16th--NO SCHOOL--President's Day

Tuesday February 17th--We would like to have all costumes and bears at school for our play.

Friday February 20th--Pre-K Play--"The Bear Case"
Pre-K children should arrive at school at the normal time. The play begins at 8:30 and takes
place in the theater. Pre-K parents are welcome to sit in the front rows. The play will last
between 30 and 40 minutes. We can't wait to see you!

**NO SOUND BOX THIS WEEK**

VALENTINE'S DAY FUN!

2009-02-13T07:11:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful Valentine's Day celebration. Thank you to all the parents who assisted in any way to make this a fun event for everyone! Enjoy some photos below from our celebration! Happy Valentine's Day!

Our second grade buddies helping us open and read our Valentines from classmates.

Enjoying a yummy Valentine's Day snack!

Working on our Valentine's Day craft.

STAR OF THE WEEK--PARKER

2009-02-13T07:06:00.001-08:00

We enjoyed hearing Parker share his favorite things and all his photos. Thanks, Parker!

HAPPY 100TH DAY!

2009-02-10T07:13:00.001-08:00

HIP HIP HOORAY! IT'S THE 100TH DAY!

Choosing a "100th Day" necklace to wear.

WE MADE IT TO 100!

Maya adding our one group of a hundred straws to the pocket.

Singing the "Zero the Hero" song.

Today's story was about the 100th day of school.

For today's seatwork, we had to color only the squares with dots to discover a special number...

...it's the number 100!

Counting to 100 with our 2nd grade buddies.

Today for snack, each child counted out ten pieces of ten different kinds of food. They ended up with 100 pieces of food to eat for snack!

Counting out our 100 pieces of food to eat for snack!

Enjoying eating our 100th day snack! YUM! YUM!

A special estimation activity for today.

Making an estimation as to which jar has 100.

The jar with the pennies had 100!

Gluing our 100's on a big poster.

Anna identifying and matching numbers from 1 to 100.

SECOND STEP LESSON

2009-02-09T08:26:00.000-08:00

Today we began a new unit of Second Step lessons that will explore how to decrease impulsive and/or aggressive behaviors through learning and practicing a problem-solving strategy, combined with skill training. Mrs. Andrews introduced "Impulsive Puppy" and "Slow-down Snail" to introduce today's lesson. After discussing what impulsive means (after observing Impulsive Puppy's behavior), Slow-down Snail was teaching Impulsive Puppy a strategy to assist him in being less impulsive. The strategy is....."Slow down, Stop, and Think." We will be encouraging the students to apply and use this strategy in the classroom. Slow-down Snail and Impulsive Puppy will be visiting us for future Second Step lessons.

2009-02-09T08:10:00.000-08:00

HIP, HIP, HOORAY!! TOMORROW IS THE 100TH DAY OF PRE-K!!! DON'T FORGET TO HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING IN:

1. #100 FROM THE NEWSPAPER, MAGAZINE, PRODUCT LABEL, ETC.

2. 100 PIECES OF AN ITEM IN A ZIPLOCK BAG MARKED WITH HIS/HER NAME (NO NUTS, NUT ITEMS, NUT PRODUCTS, OR ITEMS THAT WILL MELT EASILY).

FREE CHOICE FUN!

2009-02-09T08:05:00.000-08:00

Brooke and Blake enjoying a story in the classroom library.

Carolyn, Charlie, Max, Davey, Jack, Kyle, Hannah, and Claudia playing with the space station in the construction zone.

Morgan enjoying some "Quiet Time on her Quilt". She missed it last Thursday!

10-9-8-7-6-5-4-3-2-1-0-BLAST OFF!

2009-02-09T07:41:00.000-08:00

Today we read the story, "Out in Space" to introduce our study of "Outer Space". Before we read the story, we asked the children to tell us what they know about Outer Space. Here is what they said...

"There are aliens in Outer Space."

"There are rocketships in Outer Space."

"There is a planet "X"."
"Astronauts go in Space."
"There's a sun."
"Astronauts went on the moon."
"Parts of the rocketship stay up in Space."
"Every planet has moons."
"They put telescopes in Space."
"Some planets can be hot or cold."

We will spend from now until Spring Break learning about Outer Space. There are a variety of activities to choose from during Free Choice time related to Outer Space, including: puzzles; non-fiction and fiction books; a miniature space station and astronauts to use in the construction zone; a Space game called "Space Face"; and art activities. Of course a popular activity is pretending to be an astronaut in our dramatic play space station.

HAPPY HALF-BIRTHDAY, RYAN!

2009-02-09T07:32:00.000-08:00

We celebrated Ryan's half-birthday today. We enjoyed hearing Ryan's mom read, "The Lorax" by Dr. Seuss and eating chocolate cupcakes for snack. Thanks Ryan!

SSSHHH........QUIET TIME ON QUILTS!

2009-02-05T09:44:00.001-08:00

"Star of the Week"

2009-02-04T07:07:00.000-08:00

Our special "Star of the Week" is Kyle! He did a wonderful job presenting and sharing all his pictures to us. Thanks, Kyle!

TASTING EXPERIMENT

2009-02-03T10:47:00.000-08:00

We got to test our taste buds today! We have learned that we have 4 different types of taste buds (salty, sweet, sour, and bitter). These taste buds are located on different parts of our tongue! Judging from our faces, what do you think was our favorite: a pretzel, a skittle, a sour-patch, or just a teeny-tiny chunk of unsweetened chocolate???

Quiet Quilt Day

2009-02-02T08:55:00.000-08:00

We are going to spend some Quiet time on our Quilts this Thursday. The children need to bring in a quilt (or blanket) to share for sound box. They will not need to bring in any other objects, as the Quilt will be their sound box item. After sharing our quilts, we will spread them out throughout the Pre-K room so that we may spend some quiet time reading, resting, or even snoozing :)

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, DAVEY!

2009-02-02T08:22:00.000-08:00

Davey celebrated his half birthday today. We enjoyed hearing his story, "Otto Has A Birthday Party" and eating yummy cupcakes!

VALENTINE'S DAY

2009-01-31T16:22:00.001-08:00

On Friday February 13th, the morning Pre-K class will celebrate Valentine's Day with a party from 10:30-11:30. Parents are welcome to join us for this celebration. Here is what we need for you and your child to do in preparation for our party....

~Children DO NOT need to decorate a box at home. The children will be decorating a bag at school in which they will collect their valentines from classmates.

~Please have your child bring 21 valentines to school on the morning of February 13th. We will have the children distribute their valentines prior to the party. In order to make distribution easy and simple, please have your child sign his/her name on the card only. You do not need to put classmates' names on the envelopes.

~Our 2nd grade buddies will be joining us for a brief time during our party to assist their Pre-K buddies in opening and reading their valentines. Please have your child bring in a valentine(s) for their buddies. Be sure to ask your child if he/she has 1 or 2 second grade buddies.

~Candy attached to valentine cards for classmates is fine, BUT PLEASE NO CANDY WHICH CONTAINS NUTS OR PEANUT BUTTER.

Hope to see you at the party!

SOUND BOX TOMORROW!

2009-01-29T08:59:00.000-08:00

BECAUSE WE MISSED SCHOOL YESTERDAY (WEDNESDAY), WE WOULD LIKE TO HAVE ONE MORE DAY FOR THE CHILDREN TO BRING IN SOUND BOX ITEMS FOR THE LETTER SOUND H. SO, PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING IN ITEMS TOMORROW (FRIDAY) FOR SOUND BOX.
THANKS!

HAPPY HAT DAY, PRE-K!

2009-01-29T05:48:00.001-08:00

We had a variety of hats today for our "Hat Day"! Enjoy the photos below!

EYE COLOR GRAPH

2009-01-27T09:16:00.001-08:00

After reading a book about the sense of seeing and the parts of our eye, we made our own class eye color graph. See the picture below for our finished product. Be sure to ask your child which eye color had the most, which eye color had the least, and if any of the eye colors were equal.

Parker colors in the color of his eyes.

Gluing the eyes on our graph.

Our finished graph!

IMPORTANT NOTICE

2009-01-27T09:00:00.000-08:00

PLEASE NOTE
If by chance there is no school tomorrow (Wednesday 1/28/09) due to the possible weather conditions, we will move HAT DAY to Thursday 1/29/09. Thanks!

STAR OF THE WEEK--JACK

2009-01-27T06:31:00.000-08:00

Today we heard from our new "Star of the Week", Jack. We learned about some of Jack's favorite things. He also shared some great photos with us. Thanks, Jack!

HAT DAY!

2009-01-26T10:41:00.000-08:00

HAT DAY
Wednesday January 28th
Please have your child wear/bring any kind of hat to school this Wednesday to share for sound box. Your child does not need to bring anything else to share for sound box on Wednesday except his/her hat. Thanks for helping us to celebrate our Hat Day!

ZERO THE HERO DAY!

2009-01-26T05:41:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated our 90th day of school! Thank you to Mya's dad and Charlie's mom for helping us to celebrate!

HAPPY HALF BIRTHDAY, JACK AND KYLE!

2009-01-22T08:58:00.000-08:00

Today we celebrated Jack and Kyle's half-birthday. Their mom shared the story, "I Love You The Purplest". Then, we enjoyed eating Sponge Bob cupcakes for snack.

Happy Half Birthday, Kyle!

Happy Half Birthday, Jack!

STAR OF THE WEEK--ISABEL!

2009-01-20T08:57:00.000-08:00

Today we learned more about our friend, Isabel. Thank you for sharing your photos and your favorite things with us!

WEEK OF JANUARY 19TH

2009-01-19T15:20:00.000-08:00

Dear Parents--
We hope you enjoyed the 4-day weekend and aren't suffering too badly from cabin fever! Since we did not finish our study of the letter sound, N, last week and we have a shortened week this week, we have decided not to introduce a new letter sound this week.

We are hoping to spend some time on Tuesday talking about Martin Luther King, Jr. and also the Presidential Inauguration--some good history lessons! We will also spend time this week learning the lines for our play, "The Bear Case". We will send home a note via your child's folder by this Friday if he/she would benefit from practicing his/her lines at home also. Some of the lines are very simple and our rehearsals at school are enough.

Beginning Tuesday morning this week, you may begin scheduling on line for the upcoming Parent/Teacher conferences.

Stay Warm! Lisa and Shari

MORE FREE CHOICE FUN!

2009-01-14T09:18:00.001-08:00

Anna, Isabel, Claudia, Parker, and Ryan searching for letters for their name necklaces.

Carolyn, Davey, Jack, and Russell busy creating at the Art Center.

Blake and Brooke work to put together the floor puzzle.

Jack retelling the story of "The Mitten" on the flannel board.

NUMBER WRITING

2009-01-14T09:10:00.001-08:00

Today we began working on number writing in the number books below. Today we practiced writing the numbers 1 and 2. To help us, there is a poem that goes with each number describing how to form/write that number.

Ryan's quite proud of the work he did on writing the number 2!

FREE CHOICE FUN!

2009-01-13T10:17:00.000-08:00

Making snowmen with styrofoam pieces. They won't melt!

Lacing beads and letters to make name necklaces.

Charlie screwing the nuts onto bolts. A great fine motor activity!

Dr. Carolyn, Dr. Talia, and Dr. Russell taking care of patients in the Pre-K Academy Hospital
(Dramatic Play).

Ben putting together the body puzzle in the Pre-K Academy Hospital.

Brooke, Mya, and Anna creating at the Art Center.

Morgan and Claudia playing in the "snow" in the sensory tub.

Isabel and Maya painting at the easel.