October flew by with all of our fall activities. We have been lucky to have so many warm weather days on the playground. "Dress Up Day" was fun for some and overwhelming for others but in the end everyone had a great day. The children were surprised to see their yellow room teachers dressed as Pete the Cat. Thanks to everyone for meeting up for a parent conference - I am pleased to report that the Yellow Room had 100% parent participation:) Your home support is so very appreciated.
During the month of November our school wide theme is "Animals." We are learning about the various habitats (woods, farm, jungle/ zoo, homes) and the animals that inhabit them. So far we have focused on woodland and farm animals. We talked about the tracks that animals leave behind in the woods and used plastic animals to make tracks using paint. Owls were a big hit and the gray squirrel rhyme in which we shake our bushy tails is quite popular this year:) We will be learning about pets and then finishing up the month learning about wild animals from the jungle.
With Thanksgiving approaching, we have also been learning about giving thanks and incorporating some turkey fun into some of our play and learning activities. We have been gobbling like turkeys and enjoying a Thankful Song. Our Thanksgiving song talks about giving thanks for all the good things we have such as the sun, lollipops, elephants, bugs, jet planes, and hugs. In the song we "sway" and say "hooray" at the end. In our busy world it is important to take the time to be grateful for the people and good things we have in our life.
Our farm stand transformed into a "restaurant" which was very busy with both customers and waiters. That area is now going to transform into a "home" complete with dolls and various pets to be cared for.
The Pre-K students are working on an alphabet book and initial sounds. We are focusing on one letter at a time going in ABC order. If your child is age eligible for kindergarten next year he/she should be bringing home a cut out each week with pictures beginning with the sound of the letter of the week. So far we have done A, apple; B bear, C car. Soon I will also be sending home a page which shows the directionality for printing uppercase letters (we are low on toner for the copy machine at present).
As the cold weather arrives, please take time to label your child’s warm weather gear since things are easily misplaced. We teach the children to put their coat on using the “flip method”. They are cued to orient it by placing the coat’s tag in front of their toes with the prompt “tag to toes”. Also, please try to send mittens instead of gloves unless your child is efficient in putting on his/her own gloves. Taking the time to help each child put 10 fingers into the proper spot in gloves is time consuming and fingers get colder quicker when separated. Also, big stiff mittens are best saved for the snow as the children have a hard time grabbing onto the playground equipment with them - the old fashioned, knitted mitten are best until the snow arrives.
November & December Dates
November 3 - November 10 Parent Conferences for All Students
*November 11: Veteran’s Day - No school
*Week of November 22 - Special Education Progress Reports Sent Home
*November 24-28: Thanksgiving Break - Enjoy:)
*December 24-January 1: December Recess - No School - Enjoy:)