The next few weeks are packed with activities! Please be sure to let us know which events you will be attending so we can plan accordingly. Based on the responses I received, we will have Muffins with Moms and Donuts with Dads during breakfast. This Friday students will be performing for our school's Summer Festival right after Muffins with Moms so we will need to end right at 8:45am. 

Transitions can be difficult and scary. Keep this in mind as we wind down the year. You may start to notice some regressive or new behaviors in the coming weeks. 

How to Support at Home📸

🖍️Acknowledge your child's feelings. Know that some behaviors may be your child's way of communicating anxiety about the transition. 

🖌️Keep your home routines and rituals consistent. This will help your child feel a sense of security and stability at home.

✏️Read books about moving up to kindergarten and talk with your child about the characters and their feelings.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How is kindergarten like preschool?

Literacy: I can change the beginning sounds in words to make rhyming words; segment the sounds in words; tell that letters form words.

Math: I can use vocabulary that describes and compares length, height, weight, capacity, and size.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate focusing attention, listening, and using self-talk during an activity. 

Announcements

Register for Chicago Park District Summer Programs

Online registration is now open for various summer programs and activities for children, teens, and young adults, including camps, sports leagues, clubs, aquatics, and more

☀️ABC Countdown

You may have noticed a different ABC Countdown in the Lenart Family Update. It was student created by our Student Council for students K-8th grade. There are a few differences including the start. I usually begin the countdown a day early so that all students can enjoy the last day as is, however, I will merge our calendar and follow the start of the rest of the school. Please note that some days are different because it is PreK specific!!

🎓Getting Ready for Kindergarten

As we prepare for the end of the school year, I invite you to visit our classroom to share stories and photos of you in kindergarten.

Many of us may have fond memories of kindergarten. What we might not remember is the anxiety and excitement we may have felt leading up to our entry to elementary school. I remember crying and not wanting to leave my table until another student held my hand and walked with me to the rug. I also remember enjoying story time and reading books to my classmates every chance I got. The Very Hungry Caterpillar is my favorite to this day.

The final weeks of school can be scary, fun, and exciting all at the same time, and not just for children! It's understandable for you to experience a range of emotions about your child moving from Pre-K to kindergarten. 

We will have a Moving Up Ceremony for students to celebrate their achievements throughout the school year. It will be about 30-45 minutes in the auditorium before our school picnic. Please be on the lookout for information from parent volunteers regarding the class shirt and items to bring for the picnic.

🌭School Picnic

The School Picnic is a Lenart Lions Pride sponsored event that will be held Friday May 24, from 10am-2pm. This is a time for the Lenart community to socialize and celebrate a successful school year! 

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What is special about our building?

Literacy: I can delete parts of compound words, blend sounds in words; tell the difference between numbers and letters; say the final sound in words with help from my teacher

Math: I can use vocabulary that describes and compares length, height, weight, capacity, and size.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

Today is Earth Day! This week we will learn what it means to reduce, reuse, and recycle to keep our communities clean.

As we begin winding down the year, please be on the lookout for our ABC Countdown. We will have a final countdown to the end of the school year. Each day we will engage in different activities related to a letter in the alphabet. Some days will require students to bring items from home. A hard copy will be shared at dismissal. 

Please be on the lookout for an email about the school picnic after the Moving Up Ceremony.

We are also looking forward to celebrating YOU parents/guardians for Muffins with Moms and Donuts with Dads. The time is TBD so we can choose a time that works for the majority of families. Our options are Morning (8:00-9:00am) and Afternoon (1:30-2:30pm). You are welcome to stay the whole time or as long as your schedule allows. Please share your preference via Remind or during arrival/dismissal.

Chaperones for the Shedd Aquarium field trip will be finalized Friday, April 26th. This means that all CPS requirements for volunteering must be completed by April 26th. We are limited to 5 chaperones per class which means we will have to choose chaperones who have completed all requirements.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How do trash and garbage affect our community?

Literacy: I can delete parts of compound words, blend syllables in words; tell the difference between numbers and letters; say the final sound in words with help from my teacher

Math: I can use vocabulary that describes and compares length, height, weight, capacity, and size.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

We are in the home stretch of the school year! The children are more comfortable in our routine and adjusted to the new schedule without hesitation! We have enjoyed having extra time to focus on small groups and spend time with their friends before going to Specials. Hopefully this will begin to prepare students for the extended days in Kindergarten when there are no rest times! 

Next field trip is May 1 to the Shedd Aquarium. So far we have 5 chaperones but we will need 3 more volunteers for Brookfield Zoo on May 28.  If you would like to chaperone the trip, please let me know during dismissal or via Remind then complete the complete the Level 1 Volunteer Form. 

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What do the buildings in our neighborhood and in other places look like?

Literacy: I can blend syllables in words; hear the same initial sound in words with help from my teacher; say the initial sound of words with help from my teacher

Math: I can model shapes in the world by building shapes using a variety of materials (blocks, playdough, sticks, etc.)

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

How to Support at Home📸

We welcome pictures of buildings from any source such as newspapers or magazines, postcards, printouts from the internet, and your family's photo collection. 

Study your house our apartment building with your child. What materials were used to build it? How many floors or stories does it have? How many rooms, windows, and doors does it have? Don't forget the basement if you have one! How old is your home? Who built it? What are its dimensions?

📣Announcements📣

🏫April 10 Parent Teacher Conferences

📚April 8-12 Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair will be April 8th - April 12th. Parents are welcome to volunteer. Tasks include escorting students to and from class, reorganizing and restocking books between each class and working the cashier. No experience required, come one come all. Slots are estimated times, you may coordinate with Mr. Lin if you desire to stay longer or cannot fulfill the full slot. Please sign up using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABA629A3F5C16-48076147-spring

Welcome back! I hope your Spring Break was a great balance of rest and adventure. It is the last quarter before students are off to Kindergarten! 

Our schedule has changed! First, Quiet Time will be moved from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Because students needs for rest are shifting, delaying Quiet Time will allow students to engage in more social emotional learning and academic activities before the day ends. Finally, our Specials schedule will change for the last time. Please see the changes below:

🎵Music: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday

🎨Art: Tuesday

🌎Spanish- Thursday

As we begin our math focus on Geometry, Measurement, and Spatial Reasoning, we will also take this time to learn about buildings. As we study buildings we will learn concepts and skills in science, social studies, literacy, math, the arts, and technology. We will also be using thinking skills to investigate ask questions, solve problems, make predictions, and test our ideas.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What do we know about buildings? What do we want to find out?

Literacy: I can blend syllables in words; hear the same initial sound in words with help from my teacher; say the initial sound of words with help from my teacher

Math: I can sort collections of two- and three-dimensional shapes by type (e.g. triangles, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, and pyramids).

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

How to Support at Home📸

We welcome pictures of buildings from any source such as newspapers or magazines, postcards, printouts from the internet, and your family's photo collection. 

Study your house our apartment building with your child. What materials were used to build it? How many floors or stories does it have? How many rooms, windows, and doors does it have? Don't forget the basement if you have one! How old is your home? Who built it? What are its dimensions?

📣Announcements📣

🏫April 10 Parent Teacher Conferences

📚April 8-12 Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair will be April 8th - April 12th. Parents are welcome to volunteer. Tasks include escorting students to and from class, reorganizing and restocking books between each class and working the cashier. No experience required, come one come all. Slots are estimated times, you may coordinate with Mr. Lin if you desire to stay longer or cannot fulfill the full slot. Please sign up using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABA629A3F5C16-48076147-spring

We are 4 days away from Spring Break. When we return April 2nd, our schedule will change in 2 ways. First, Quiet Time will be moved from 11:30am to 1:30pm. Because students needs for rest are shifting, delaying Quiet Time will allow students to engage in more social emotional learning and academic activities before the day ends. Finally, our Specials schedule will change for the last time. Please see the changes below:

🎵Music: Monday, Wednesday, & Friday

🎨Art: Tuesday

🌎Spanish- Thursday

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What jobs are related to exercise?

Literacy: I can blend syllables in words; hear the same initial sound in words with help from my teacher; say the initial sound of words with help from my teacher

Math: I can sort collections of two- and three-dimensional shapes by type (e.g. triangles, rectangles, circles, cubes, spheres, and pyramids).

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

Announcements📣

🍽️March 20 Parent Workshop & Cooking Demonstration

🚀March 22 Field Trip to Children's Museum

🌷 March 26th-April 1st: No School- Spring Break   

🏫April 10 Parent Teacher Conferences

📚April 8-12 Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair will be April 8th - April 12th. Parents are welcome to volunteer. Tasks include escorting students to and from class, reorganizing and restocking books between each class and working the cashier. No experience required, come one come all. Slots are estimated times, you may coordinate with Mr. Lin if you desire to stay longer or cannot fulfill the full slot. Please sign up using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABA629A3F5C16-48076147-spring

Spring is coming in full force. If you notice your child has a slight cough, please consider giving them non-drowsy allergy medicine before school to soothe them throughout the day. Masks are available as needed. 

Our first field trip is happening Friday, March 22. We will be going to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier! Chaperones were chosen based on the responses from the Family Volunteer Form first. 

We need 1 more volunteer for the Shedd Aquarium (May 1) and 5 for the Brookfield Zoo (May 28). If you would like to chaperone the trip, please let me know during dismissal or via Remind then complete the complete the Level 1 Volunteer Form. 

Sign up for Parent Teacher Conferences (April 10) and the Family Workshop (March 20) will take place during arrival/dismissal.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What do our bodies need in order to move and exercise?

Literacy: I can recognize the difference between print and pictures, identify  words with the same beginning sound, and segment compound words into two words.

Math: I can describe the difference between two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") and three-dimensional shapes ("solid").

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

Announcements📣

🍽️March 20 Parent Workshop & Cooking Demonstration

🚀March 22 Field Trip to Children's Museum

🌷 March 26th-April 1st: No School- Spring Break   

🏫April 10 Parent Teacher Conferences

📚April 8-12 Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair will be April 8th - April 12th. Parents are welcome to volunteer. Tasks include escorting students to and from class, reorganizing and restocking books between each class and working the cashier. No experience required, come one come all. Slots are estimated times, you may coordinate with Mr. Lin if you desire to stay longer or cannot fulfill the full slot. Please sign up using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABA629A3F5C16-48076147-spring

I hope you and your family were able to enjoy the sunshine yesterday! I enjoyed riding my bike by the lake and the energy boost from the sunshine. 

It was brought to my attention that you may not have been receiving the weekly updates from Principal Sims. I hope that you are now signed up as there was a lot of information shared in last week's update regarding upcoming events and changes here at Lenart. If you are not yet signed up, please go to our school's website linked here and complete the form that says "Join Our Newsletter." 

Our first field trip is happening Friday, March 22. We will be going to the Children's Museum at Navy Pier! We will need 5 chaperones. Chaperones will be chosen based on the responses from the Family Volunteer Form first. If you would like to chaperone the trip, please let me know during dismissal or via Remind.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How do our bodies work when we exercise?

Literacy: I can say the initial sound of words, recognize words that rhyme, and blend two words together to make a compound word.

Math: I can describe the difference between two-dimensional (lying in a plane, "flat") and three-dimensional shapes ("solid").

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate speaking up assertively in response to scenarios.

Announcements📣

🍽️March 20 Parent Workshop & Cooking Demonstration

🚀March 22 Field Trip to Children's Museum

🌷 March 26th-April 1st: No School- Spring Break   

🏫April 10 Parent Teacher Conferences

📚April 8-12 Spring Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair will be April 8th - April 12th. Parents are welcome to volunteer. Tasks include escorting students to and from class, reorganizing and restocking books between each class and working the cashier. No experience required, come one come all. Slots are estimated times, you may coordinate with Mr. Lin if you desire to stay longer or cannot fulfill the full slot. Please sign up using the link below.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0E4AABA629A3F5C16-48076147-spring

February zoomed by and Spring is rapidly approaching. The Winter Checkpoints will be finalized Friday, March 1 and shared during Parent/Teacher Conferences on Wednesday, April 10. All sessions are in person. If you need to schedule a virtual conference, please let me know by Friday, April 5. There will be a sign up sheet during arrival/dismissal.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What kind of different exercises are there?

Literacy: I can tell that letters form words, delete one small word in a compound.

Math: I can represent teen numbers as ten and some ones.

Social Emotional: I can think of solutions to problems.

Announcements📣

What: Let's Play! At Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

When: Saturday, March 2 10:00am-12:00pm

Where: Peggy Notebaert Nature Museum

2340 N Cannon Drive, Chicago

FREE Registration Required!   

https://www.eventbrite.com/e/lets-play-at-peggy-notebaert-nature-museum-tickets-673919931657?aff=oddtdtcreator 

Our camera study is almost complete! As a school we are learning about historically black colleges and universities. Our class looked at images of Spelman and Morehouse Colleges and took pictures wearing Future Spelman Women and Future Morehouse Men shirts.

Over the last few weeks students have been learning about healthy food choices through the University of Illinois Chicago Hip Hop to Health Program (UIC HH2H). Students have learned about "go and grow" foods such as fruits, vegetables, dairy, grains, and protein. This learning has lead us to our new study of exercise. Students will explore different types of exercise and what our bodies need to move and exercise. 

UIC Hip Hop to Health in partnership with our Pre-K Program will host a Family Workshop on Wednesday, March 20th 3:30pm to 4:30pm in the auditorium. Please save the date as more information will be available soon!

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How do people use cameras for work and play?

Literacy: I can say the last sound in words with help from my teacher.

Math: I can represent teen numbers as ten and some ones.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate calming down and using words to say the problem.

Announcements📣

Friday, February 23rd: Picture Day!

Last week we celebrated the 100th Day of School. I can truly say each student is 100 days smarter and I enjoy being their teacher. We will continue developing number sense, base ten, and addition/subtraction in a variety of ways. 

You will begin to see more of student work in these specific areas on Seesaw. As students share their learning with you, begin to ask them to explain their thinking by saying, "How do you know?" or "Can you show me another way?"

Wednesday is Valentine's Day. Students are welcome to bring Valentines but aren't required. We will have family volunteers leading students in arts and crafts activities to create valentines and friendship bracelets. Any treats shared will be sent home to be shared at family's discretion. There are 18 students in the class, 11 girls and 7 boys.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How do people use cameras for work and play?

Literacy: I can segment words in sentences.

Math: I can represent teen numbers as ten and some ones.

Social Emotional: I can come up with lots of ideas for play and identify positive ways to join in.

Our camera unit is coming to an end but that doesn't mean students will stop using cameras. We will continue to embed technology into our learning. Last week students created their own videos describing different ways to make 5. This week we will add on to that learning by adding number sentences and representing teen numbers as ten and some ones.

For Black History Month, our school is learning about Historically Black Colleges and Universities. As a graduate of Spelman College, we will learn about Spelman and Morehouse so students can see themselves and their interests reflected in each school's rich history and dedication to academic excellence in the liberal arts and sciences. 

Our school will also be celebrating the 100th Day of School on Thursday as well as the Lunar New Year. Please share any pictures or videos of you and your family celebrating throughout the month!

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How do people use cameras for work and play?

Literacy: I can point to words as my teacher reads them.

Math: I can represent teen numbers as ten and some ones.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate how to use inviting language and invite others to play. 

This week was exciting! The children used cameras to take pictures of our classroom experiences. We explored digital cameras, cameras on devices (phones and ipads), and a disposable camera. In STEM, students began learning how to use the microphone, camera, and drawing tools on Seesaw. The children will continue learning how to use Seesaw to document their learning experiences and engage in personalized learning activities. Please be on the lookout for their individual QR Codes so you can see their progress.

Please don't forget to complete the  Family Volunteer Survey to share how you would like to volunteer and/or chaperone field trips. The dates and times will shared here ahead of time to help with planning your availability.

We need your help gathering cameras and camera-related materials for the children to investigate. We'll need different types of cameras that are commonly used at home and at school. Below you will find a list of suggested items, but you may also send in items that are not the list. Please label without name any items you would like returned to you. We'll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study.

• digital cameras

• disposable cameras

• old smartphones

• toy cameras

• film strips

• books and photographs that feature different types of photography, such as nature, sports, portraits, and still life

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What can we do with cameras?

Literacy: I can blend syllables into words.

Math: I can represent math stories with number sentences.

Social Emotional: I can identify how they feel when other children do or do not play in fair ways; name ways they have fun with their friends. 

Thank you for all of the birthday wishes last week! I enjoyed my birthday and the extra long weekend (thanks to the negative degree weather). 

Our investigation of cameras has begun and I am excited to partner with our STEM teacher Mrs. Chorba to extend students learning in her class. Students will learn how to navigate Seesaw, a learning platform which allows children to demonstrate what they know through pictures, videos, and more. Mrs. Chorba and I will orient students to the platform in the coming weeks and explore ways to keep you connected as well.

We need your help gathering cameras and camera-related materials for the children to investigate. We'll need different types of cameras that are commonly used at home and at school. Below you will find a list of suggested items, but you may also send in items that are not the list. Please label without name any items you would like returned to you. We'll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study.

• digital cameras

• disposable cameras

• old smartphones

• toy cameras

• film strips

• books and photographs that feature different types of photography, such as nature, sports, portraits, and still life

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What different types of cameras are there? How do we use cameras?

Literacy: I can recognize words that rhyme.

Math: I can represent math stories with number sentences.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate asking to play together, trade, or take turns when playing with another child.

Announcements📣

If you would like to volunteer in the classroom or chaperone a field trip please complete the following steps:

Step 1: Complete the CPS Volunteer Form to be a Level 1 Volunteer.

Step 2: Complete this Family Volunteers survey to share how you would like to volunteer and/or which field trip you would like to chaperone.

This week we readjusted to being back in school by reviewing our classroom schedule and routines. We also read Martin's Big Words and discussed why we honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Monday can be a day of much needed rest but also a day of service in the community. I am sharing a few family events but please be mindful of the weather warnings!

We will be starting a new investigation of Cameras. Most children like having their picture taken and enjoy looking at photos of themselves and others. In the classroom, we encourage the children to discuss different photos they see, play with toy phones, and showing interest in the way we use cameras to take pictures of their work and experiences.

We need your help gathering cameras and camera-related materials for the children to investigate. We'll need different types of cameras that are commonly used at home and at school. Below you will find a list of suggested items, but you may also send in items that are not the list. Please label without name any items you would like returned to you. We'll take good care of them so we can return them to you at the end of the study.

• digital cameras

• disposable cameras

• old smartphones

• toy cameras

• film strips

• books and photographs that feature different types of photography, such as nature, sports, portraits, and still life

As we study cameras, we will learn concepts and skills related to language and literacy, math, science, social studies, the arts, and technology. We will also use thinking skills to investigate, ask questions, solve problems, make predictions, and test our ideas.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What do we know about cameras? What do we want to know about cameras?

Literacy: I can recognize words that rhyme.

Math: I can represent math stories with number sentences.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate waiting in a game. 

Announcements📣

Calling all chaperones! We are planning field trips to DuSable Museum and Shedd Aquarium. All chaperones must be a Level 1 Volunteer. The ratio for most field trips is 1 adult per 10 children so we may not be able to accommodate entrance fees for all adults. We are asking for 3 chaperones for each trip. I will share a google form with dates and times to sign up for the field trip of your choice.

How to Support at Home📸

Take a lot of photos and videos. Share them with me via Remind! What can you take pictures and videos of? Anything you and your child can think of! Show your child the cameras you have at home. Point out the difference between parts of the camera (e.g., lens, viewfinder, shutter button, display), show your child how to properly hold the camera, demonstrate how to aim the camera, and explain how to press the button independently. These meaningful interactions between you and your child will help them gain a deeper understanding of the study topic. Thank you for being a part of our study and our learning!

Last week students explored percussion instruments and the different ways people play them. This week we will explore string instruments and how to play them. 

Student Council is selling Candy Grams for students to share candy canes with their friends. All students will receive a free candy cane from Student Council. Students aren't required to purchase 6 but I would suggest maybe 1 for a special friend.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What other instruments are there? How do people play them?

Literacy: I can identify character feelings in a story.

Math: I can describe attributes of shapes.

Social Emotional: I can name feelings in response to scenarios.

Announcements

💕Grandparent's Day at Lenart has been rescheduled to Wednesday, December 20th 8:00-10:00am.

🎵 Lenart Winter Performance will be Thursday, December 14th at 9:00am and 6:00pm. 

How to Support at Home

Hot or Cold 3D Shapes

1. Show and name a few three-dimensional shapes, e.g., a can (cylinder), a ball (sphere), and a box (cube). Explain that you will hide one of them.

2. Ask your child cover their eyes while you hide one of the shapes.

3. Say, “Hot!” when your child gets closer to the object and “Cold!” when they move away from it.

4. Encourage your child to name the shape and say where it was hidden.

5. Repeat the activity using another three-dimensional shape.

Drawing Shapes

1. Invite your child to play a shape game with you. Explain that you will each take turns drawing and naming shapes.

2. Draw a simple shape (circle, square, triangle) on a sheet of paper.

3. Ask your child to name the shape you drew. Help them name any shapes they do not know.

4. Invite your child to draw a shape. Try to guess what shape your child has drawn, and invite them to share what shape it is.

We have a solid 3 weeks before winter break. The children are enjoying the music making investigation so far! This week we will have visitors who play percussion instruments: Ms. Winslow plays drums from Guinea West Africa and Mr. Flowers, our nutritionist, plays piano.

Students will have the opportunity to play instruments in the classroom as well as make their own! We will continue with the same learning goals from last week as we learn about percussion instruments and discuss rhythm, tempo, sound effects, vibration, musical notes and rest.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What instruments can we play by hitting, tapping, or shaking them?

Literacy: I can use descriptive words to talk about music.

Math: I can count and compare groups of objects by using words like more, less, fewer, the same as.

Social Emotional: I can recognize and name when someone is feeling frustrated.

Announcements

💕Grandparent's Day at Lenart has been rescheduled to Wednesday, December 20th 8:00-10:00am.

🎵 Lenart Winter Performance will be Thursday, December 14th at 9:00am and 6:00pm. 

How to Support at Home

Shared Writing✍️

1. Explain to your child that you will create a list together (e.g., grocery list, to-do list). Ask him to share what he would like to add. Let’s create a grocery list of things we need to buy from the store. What would you like to add first?

2. Write your child’s suggestions on the list.You said bananas. I am going to write “bananas” on the list.

3. After creating the list, review the items with your child. Talk about individual words and letters. We added milk to the list. Milk starts with the letter m!

Counting & Comparing 🧸

1. Gather a collection of objects for your child to sort and compare, e.g., toys, blocks, clothes, or shoes.

2. Ask your child questions about the objects and how they can be sorted: What kind of objects are these? Can you tell me how all of these objects are the same?
   
   3. Support your child to compare and sort the items into two categories, e.g., red blocks and blue blocks, short-sleeved shirts and long-sleeved shirts, or adult shoes and baby shoes.

3. Invite your child to compare the two groups, describe their differences, and count them:You picked up red block and a blue block. What is different about them? You’re right, the red blocks are a different color than the blue blocks. Let’s count how many red blocks there are.

Welcome back to a new week of learning. I hope you had a restful Thanksgiving holiday. I flew to San Francisco to visit some of my family and enjoy some warm weather. I am rested and excited for the next 4 weeks before we break again for the winter holidays.

We concluded our Tree Unit before the break by creating not one but TWO class books! This week we will begin a new investigation of Music Making. We will discuss what the children already know about music and what they want to learn over the next few weeks. We will celebrate their learning with a mini performance. If you or a family member play an instrument or have experience with making music, we would love to have you share your knowledge and wisdom with the class. We are flexible with scheduling but looking for volunteers on the following days: 

Tuesday, December 5

Thursday, December 14

Wednesday, December 20

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What can we do with parts of trees?

Literacy: I can use descriptive words to talk about music.

Math: I can count and compare groups of objects by using words like more, less, fewer, the same as.

Social Emotional: I can identify worry as an uncomfortable feeling and identify a grown-up to talk to when they feel worried.

Announcements

💕Grandparent's Day at Lenart has been rescheduled to Wednesday, December 20th 8:00-10:00am.

🎵 Lenart Winter Performance will be Thursday, December 14th at 9:00am and 6:00pm. 

Thank you for your patience while I was ill. Please take this time to replace your child's spare clothes with more weather appropriate items such as long sleeve shirts, sweaters, and pants. We will continue to go outside until the weather drops below 32 degrees per CPS Recess Weather Guidelines.

Join us for our Halloween Parade around the school!  Students are also welcome to join Ms. Lisenby for fun fall themed activities as an alternative for students who choose to opt out of the Halloween parade. Let me know if your family prefers this option.

We will begin wrapping up our tree unit soon. If you would like to join us in making applesauce or snacks with your child's favorite fruit please reach out to me via email or Remind to plan for the activity.

Friday you received an email from Jasmine Bell regarding the Fall Festival taking place Friday, November 3. Jasmine Bell and Carla Curry are our Room Representatives. They will communicate information about school wide events and specific class needs such as supplies and/or volunteers for various activities.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What food grows on trees?

Literacy: I can retell stories by acting them out.

Math: I can use objects to solve simple story problems.

Social Emotional: I am learning people can have different feelings about the same thing; it is okay for people to have different feelings about the same thing.

How to Support at Home

🧦🥄With your child, gather several objects in a box or bag, including some that start with the same sound (sock, spoon, button, ball) and some that do not start with the same sound (ribbon, car, marker). Ask your child to name the items in the box, and take turns sorting the objects that have names that begin with the same sound. Join your child to look around your home for items that match the remaining objects. Say the name of the object slowly to emphasize the beginning letter sounds.

🛒Gather some pieces of print found in a grocery store, such as product containers or labels and a grocery bag. Invite your child to explore the grocery store items. Take an item from the grocery bag and talk about the print by pointing out the words, letters, and letter features. You might say, Chase, your name ends with an “e” just like this word: cheese. Do you see another “e” in this word?

💕Practice comparing your feelings and your child's feelings about the same event. Use events such as bedtime, tooth-brushing time, snack time, clean up time, and story time.

Children who know how to identify emotions tend to have better social skills and be less aggressive and more accepted by peers. Children who can identify their own and other people’s feelings at age five are more likely than others to show academic gains by age nine. 

This week children learn another important part of empathy: understanding typical causes of emotions. Paying attention to situational clues, or what is happening, is a way to identify a person’s feelings. When possible, help children understand what’s causing their emotions. This week we are focused on the feelings surprised and scared.

Parent/Teacher Conferences. Conferences will be held Thursday, October 26, 2023. Please sign up using the link below.

Parent/Teacher Conferences

Click on an open appointment slot to sign up. If no slots are available, please try a different time range. To cancel an appointment slot you've already booked, leave this sign-up page and delete the event from your own calendar. Please make sure you are looking at the correct date: October 26.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: Who lives in trees?

Literacy: I can ask and answer questions about details in a nonfiction book; use sticks to create different letters.

Math: I can use objects to solve simple story problems.

Social Emotional: I can identify the feelings surprised and scared using physical (face or body) and situational clues.

How to Support at Home

✏️Gather a collection of craft sticks, toothpicks, chopsticks, or small branches from a neighborhood walk. Explain that you will work together and use the sticks to make letters. Show your child how to make a letter with the sticks.

1. Talk about the letters that are made with only straight lines. Write or show letters for reference. Let’s say the alphabet together and think about the shape of each letter.

2. Discuss the difference between forming upper- and lowercase letters. Names always start with uppercase letters. See how big they are compared to the lowercase letters?

🧩Explain that a riddle is a word puzzle, or word problem, that your child can figure out. Pose a riddle that prompts them to share a rhyming word. For example, I’m thinking of something you wear on your head that rhymes with cat, or For lunch we will be having a fruit that rhymes with danana. After your child has solved the riddles, invite them to share a riddle for you to guess. 

🔎Play a game with your child to practice using the two different ways to tell how other people are feeling: 

😮look at their faces and bodies for clues 

👁️focus attention on what is happening 

Thank you for your patience and understanding while I was under the weather. Please be on the lookout for information about scheduling Parent/Teacher Conferences. Conferences will be held Thursday, October 26, 2023. I look forward to sharing progress and setting goals for Quarter 2! 

Identity Maps due Monday, October 16, 2023.

The identity maps will help students connect with classmates and begin new friendships through similar hobbies, favorite food, and even experiences. Did you know we have three sets of students who share the same birthday? Students are beginning to develop what I hope will be lifelong friendships. Please connect with the families of their friends to arrange playdates outside of school and nurture their abilities to make and keep friends. 

Friendship Skills & Problem Solving

Mr. O'Connor and I are aware of the moments and times when children have a hard time keeping their bodies to themselves. I've noticed that students are most physically active during recess and play times. They enjoy playing together but often get carried away when playing tag and engaging in imaginative play.

One of the big rules in our classroom is "Keep your body to yourself." We tell the students that our rules help them learn and keep them safe. Please continue encouraging your children to let an adult know if/when someone is playing too rough so we can address the situations. We will continue to follow up with you to make sure all students get the most out of their learning time with us.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What are the characteristics of trees?

Literacy: I can ask and answer questions about details in a nonfiction book; describe characteristics of trees.

Math: I can explore and identify geometric solids (sphere, cylinder, cube, cone).

Social Emotional: I can identify the feelings happy and sad using physical (face or body) clues.

How to Support at Home

📚Choose a familiar children’s book. Ask your child to point to letters they know. Say a letter and ask your child to find it on the page. Begin with the letters in your child’s name, turning to new pages in the book as needed. 

😀Play a game with your child to practice finding happy or sad clues on other people. Play while taking a walk, watching tv, or doing an activity in which you see other people. Review happy clues or sad clues.

😀Happy Clues😀:

Eyes not wide open. 

Mouth smiling.

Cheeks pushed up.

☹️Sad Clues☹️:

Eyes looking down.

Mouth turned down.

Head down.

Last week students shared what they know about fall and explored books about fall with a buddy. We are practicing following text from left to right and using the pictures to gather information. Students also practiced writing by tracing lines and using whiteboards. 

Students began using iPads to read using RAZ Kids. I encourage creating a routine throughout the week to listen and record your child reading at least 1 book each night. This will provide context for sight words they may know and encourage reading behaviors necessary for Kindergarten and beyond. 

Student Identity Map will be due Monday, October 16, 2023. Posters are encouraged but please try to limit it to no bigger than a 18x24 poster. We keep the posters up throughout the year, however, space is limited. 

Picture Day is Friday, October 6th! Students will take pictures at 8:15am.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What do we know about trees? What do we want to know about trees?

Literacy: I can ask and answer questions about details in a nonfiction book; describe characteristics of trees.

Math: I can demonstrate understanding of sorting by characteristics or attributes.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate asking for what I need or want.

How to Support at Home

• Take a walk around a park and/or your neighborhood to examine the trees you see. Take pictures and help your child gather interesting tree parts that have fallen (leaves, twigs, acorns, and bark) to share with the class.

• Ask your child to sort their toys, clothes, or shoes into two groups according to an attribute like color (for example, red and not red), shape (for example, box and not box) size (for example, big and not big) or according to another attribute (for example, laces and no laces, or stripes and not striped). Decide which group has more by pairing an item from one group to an item in the other group.

• Create a routine throughout the week to listen and record your child reading at least 1 book each night using RAZ Kids or library books. This will provide context for sight words they may know and encourage reading behaviors necessary for Kindergarten and beyond. 

📢Announcements📢

Picture Day is Friday October 6th

Literacy Night is Thursday, October 12th.

We are halfway through the first quarter! Students are settling into our daily routine and beginning to engage in more instructional activities. We practiced creating patterns through movement, classroom objects, and writing. Students also created friendship bracelets to add joy and practice fine motor skills.

Next week we will begin preparing for our next unit. As the seasons are changing we will explore ideas related to fall and investigate trees. We hope that you enjoy this unit as we embed opportunities for students to explore their understanding of self and others through the Identity Map and Family Tree projects. Click the link below for more information about what to expect in this unit.

Trees and Me Unit

If you were unable to attend the Selective Enrollment Information Session, please see the presentation below. Enrollment in the Lenart Pre-K program does not guarantee enrollment in Lenart's Gifted Pogram. All families must apply through the GoCPS platform.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: How do the seasons affect living things?

Literacy: I can ask and answer questions about details in a nonfiction book; describe characteristics of seasons.

Math: I can demonstrate understanding of sorting by characteristics or attributes.

Social Emotional: I can demonstrate asking for what I need or want.

How to Support at Home

• Ask your child to sort their toys, clothes, or shoes into two groups according to an attribute like color (for example, red and not red), shape (for example, box and not box) size (for example, big and not big) or according to another attribute (for example, laces and no laces, or stripes and not striped). Decide which group has more by pairing an item from one group to an item in the other group.

• Make grocery lists together. Organize the items by group (for example, cereals, dairy products, meat, fruits, and vegetables).

• Help your child survey relatives or friends to find out what they like to eat, favorite colors, and so on. Have your child report their findings to interested relatives or friends.

📢Announcements📢

Picture Day is Friday October 6th

Week 1 is in the books! I know this isn't the first school experience for some students, however, adjusting to a new classroom environment and new people can be overwhelming. The students jumped in ready to learn and make new friends. 

Our focus was learning names of people, places, and things at our school as well as classroom routines. At the end of each day students reflected on their favorite part of their day and who they played with to practice using their friends names. 

We want each child to be ready as possible for kindergarten. This is not just about knowing letters and numbers. It's also about knowing how to learn and get along with others. Building children’s welcoming skills creates a sense of connection and comfort in the classroom community. This allows children to participate fully in classroom learning experiences. Having a positive experience of belonging in the early-learning setting helps children look forward to belonging to the learning communities of kindergarten and beyond.

Please see our learning goals for the upcoming week.

📚Our Learning Goals✏️

Focus Question: What should I do if I feel sad or scared at school?

Literacy: I can count syllables and tell my favorite part of a story.

Math: I can demonstrate understanding of numbers, number names, and numerals.

Social Emotional: I can describe what to do when I feel sad or scared at school; I can demonstrate our Listening Rules. 

This week students will continue to engage in our themed days. Today students enaged in Make it Monday in many different ways. Students used playdough with playdough toys that strengthen hand muscles and support fine motor activities such as writing. During small group time we created a graph to be used throughout the week to practice sorting, counting, and data analysis. Students also made a fruit smoothie with bananas, strawberries, and kiwis. All students practiced cutting strawberries and bananas into smaller pieces then added them to the blender. Please check out this article to learn How Cooking Can Help Preschoolers.

Ways to Support at Home

• Ask your child to sort their toys, clothes, or shoes into two groups according to an attribute like color (for example, red and not red), shape (for example, box and not box) size (for example, big and not big) or according to another attribute (for example, laces and no laces, or stripes and not striped). Decide which group has more by pairing an item from one group to an item in the other group.

• Make grocery lists together. Organize the items by group (for example, cereals, dairy products, meat, fruits, and vegetables).

• Help your child survey relatives or friends to find out what they like to eat, favorite colors, and so on. Have your child report their findings to interested relatives or friends.

📢Announcements📢

Water Wednesday

We will learn outside again for Water Wednesday this week. Students will play outside with balls, books, bubbles, musical instruments, and of course water. Students may dress comfortably for these activities and a change of clothes is encouraged. Also, please consider sending a pair of water shoes or sandals for this time.