Pre-K4B - 4/2/2024
As you are aware, the children have been trying hard to be kind to each other during Lent. The Easter Bunny left something special in the children’s cubbies on Easter. The children received their 20th pom-pom today. In Religion class the children learned all about the Easter Story. We honored Jesus’s suffering on the cross, by creating individual collage crosses. They are on the bulletin board in the hall outside our classroom. We hope you all had a very Happy Easter.
Your children are natural born scientists and explorers. They loved seeing their reflections while playing with bubbles and mirrors. They also learned that to see a shadow you must have light. Outside on a beautiful sunny day, we found our shadows and noticed that we could see our reflections in glass windows and puddles.
We began our study of shadows and reflections by reading the books I See Myself by Vicki Cobb and Light, Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows by Natalie M. Rosinsky. These simple texts help explain advanced scientific concepts. In Pre-K we use hands-on exploratory activities to help the children learn. A mirror station was set up so the children could see their reflections. They also learned that by creating a half picture and holding it up to a mirror the reflection made it look whole. The children also tried bending mirrors to change the look and size of an object and what happens when you hold a mirror up to a mirror.
After reading the books Light All Around Us, Shadows and Reflections by Daniel Nunn and What are Shadows and Reflections? by Robin Johnson the children learned that you cannot have a reflection without light and that objects can be opaque, translucent, and transparent. The teachers set up a light station with flashlights, mirrors, and transparent, translucent and opaque materials. The children had a lot of fun bouncing the reflected light off a mirror and around the room and holding up different colored slides against the flashlights to see how they would affect the light. To follow-up on this concept the children created beautiful sun catchers that are on the windows in our classrooms.
To help explain shadows and where they come from, we read the book What’s That Shadow? A Photo Riddle book by Christopher Harbo. The children learned that to have a shadow light must be blocked by an object. We went outside on a sunny day recently to see our shadows. During morning recess, we noticed that our shadows were in front of our bodies. At 2:00 in the afternoon our shadows were next to our bodies. The teachers mentioned to the children that at the end of the day our shadows would be behind our bodies. This would be because of where the sun was in the sky.
The final project of the Shadows and Reflections unit was the premier of the Pre-K4B Shadow Puppet Theater featuring animal puppets created by your children. Using animal tracers, construction paper, scissors, and a hole-punch the children created animal shadow puppets. They have been having a lot of fun putting their puppets in front of the light and seeing the shadow on the screen of the theater. We have seen the shadows of T-Rexes, cats, dogs, birds, turtles, and a teddy bear dance and stomp across the theater with sound effects provided by your children. This was a fun activity and opportunity for their imaginations to soar!
As our year continues, we are now moving on to one of my favorite units…Farm Animals and Pets!
Important Dates and Reminders:
On Tuesday, April 9th, the Pre-K/TK children will be taking individual pictures in uniform. We will be taking class pictures as well.
Wednesday, April 3rd, Early Release Day – 11:30 dismissal
Tuesday, April 9th, Pre-K/TK Uniform/Class Picture Day
Mon., April 15th – Fri. April 19th, NO SCHOOL – April School Vacation
Friday, April 26th, Tag Day – Free Dress Day
Happy Spring,
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
As you are aware, the children have been trying hard to be kind to each other during Lent. The Easter Bunny left something special in the children’s cubbies on Easter. The children received their 20th pom-pom today. In Religion class the children learned all about the Easter Story. We honored Jesus’s suffering on the cross, by creating individual collage crosses. They are on the bulletin board in the hall outside our classroom. We hope you all had a very Happy Easter.
Your children are natural born scientists and explorers. They loved seeing their reflections while playing with bubbles and mirrors. They also learned that to see a shadow you must have light. Outside on a beautiful sunny day, we found our shadows and noticed that we could see our reflections in glass windows and puddles.
We began our study of shadows and reflections by reading the books I See Myself by Vicki Cobb and Light, Shadows, Mirrors, and Rainbows by Natalie M. Rosinsky. These simple texts help explain advanced scientific concepts. In Pre-K we use hands-on exploratory activities to help the children learn. A mirror station was set up so the children could see their reflections. They also learned that by creating a half picture and holding it up to a mirror the reflection made it look whole. The children also tried bending mirrors to change the look and size of an object and what happens when you hold a mirror up to a mirror.
After reading the books Light All Around Us, Shadows and Reflections by Daniel Nunn and What are Shadows and Reflections? by Robin Johnson the children learned that you cannot have a reflection without light and that objects can be opaque, translucent, and transparent. The teachers set up a light station with flashlights, mirrors, and transparent, translucent and opaque materials. The children had a lot of fun bouncing the reflected light off a mirror and around the room and holding up different colored slides against the flashlights to see how they would affect the light. To follow-up on this concept the children created beautiful sun catchers that are on the windows in our classrooms.
To help explain shadows and where they come from, we read the book What’s That Shadow? A Photo Riddle book by Christopher Harbo. The children learned that to have a shadow light must be blocked by an object. We went outside on a sunny day recently to see our shadows. During morning recess, we noticed that our shadows were in front of our bodies. At 2:00 in the afternoon our shadows were next to our bodies. The teachers mentioned to the children that at the end of the day our shadows would be behind our bodies. This would be because of where the sun was in the sky.
The final project of the Shadows and Reflections unit was the premier of the Pre-K4B Shadow Puppet Theater featuring animal puppets created by your children. Using animal tracers, construction paper, scissors, and a hole-punch the children created animal shadow puppets. They have been having a lot of fun putting their puppets in front of the light and seeing the shadow on the screen of the theater. We have seen the shadows of T-Rexes, cats, dogs, birds, turtles, and a teddy bear dance and stomp across the theater with sound effects provided by your children. This was a fun activity and opportunity for their imaginations to soar!
As our year continues, we are now moving on to one of my favorite units…Farm Animals and Pets!
Important Dates and Reminders:
On Tuesday, April 9th, the Pre-K/TK children will be taking individual pictures in uniform. We will be taking class pictures as well.
Wednesday, April 3rd, Early Release Day – 11:30 dismissal
Tuesday, April 9th, Pre-K/TK Uniform/Class Picture Day
Mon., April 15th – Fri. April 19th, NO SCHOOL – April School Vacation
Friday, April 26th, Tag Day – Free Dress Day
Happy Spring,
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 3/16/2024
As the year progresses the children in Pre-K 4B are becoming a little more independent, mature, and understanding of each other. They have also been working hard on many interesting projects and having fun while learning about science and math concepts and how to listen to letter sounds and write words.
We have been listening to and enjoying many wonderful books during our Color Theme. The book Elmer by David McKee was the inspiration for our Pre-K elephant story activity. Elmer the elephant is a multi-colored elephant who just wants to look like everyone else. After listening to the story the children were asked to create their own original Elmer the elephant by using cut paper, crayons and markers. Then the children with assistance from the teachers wrote elephant stories using “inventive spelling” and phonemic awareness. They were asked to finish the prompt: “My elephant likes to…” The Elmer the Elephant activity was a wonderful writing activity which helped the children to learn about story structure. The results of their hard work are displayed on the bulletin board in our Pre-K classroom. Please come and visit out Pre-K Jungle. Take a look at their elephants and enjoy their wonderful stories!
During our Color Theme we have also explored shapes. Throughout the year we continuously come back and review concepts that were previously introduced to the children earlier in the year. After reading When a Line Bends...A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene the children created drawings using familiar shapes. One of the highlights of this book was the fact that a banana is a crescent shape and a stop sign is an octagon! First the children had to think about what they wanted to create. Then they chose shapes to reflect the look of the thing they wanted to draw (birds, cats, bumblebees, butterflies, turtles etc.) Next, they traced their shapes and used crayons to color. The last step was to dictate a story to accompany their shape drawings. The teachers ask the children to finish the statement: “My shapes are…” The children were very excited about creating pictures with shapes and they did a fantastic job on this very difficult multi-step project. This is an example of a Pre-K math, and language arts activity. Take a few minutes to stop and admire their beautiful, creative shape drawings on the wall in the hallway!
As we approached the end of our Color Theme the teachers involved the children in a fascinating color science activity… “The Floating S!” This is a Pre-K Science and Language Arts activity that requires the children to be very observant. After placing four Skittles® candies into a white bowl filled with water, the teachers encouraged the children to watch and wait. As the water melts the color off the candies a beautiful rainbow appears in the bowl. The children love seeing the colors! But, with encouragement from the teachers they wait a little longer and see the S’s from the Skittles® candies float to the top of the water. This causes much excitement and fascination. After the experiment is completed the children illustrate the colors they observed in their bowl and dictate to the teachers their observations.
As you know, for Lent the children have been trying very hard every day to be kind and to get a pom-pom in the Kindness Jar. We currently have 13 pom-poms in our jar. Our quest for pom-poms will continue until Holy Thursday. For making a special effort during Lent the children will receive a surprise after Easter. On Thursday, March 28th, we will count the pom-poms and if there are 20 or more pom-poms in our Kindness Jar, we will have a special treat after Easter!
We have spent the past few weeks learning all about colors and shapes. We are now moving onto learning about Shadows and Reflections and the Easter story. It is amazing how much science your children can learn from taking a walk outside to explore shadows on a sunny day!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Report cards went home on Friday, March 15th. There are no regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences this term. If you would like to meet to discuss your child’s progress, please contact Ms. Donna.
Please remember to send in your donations for the school-wide Lenten Service Project by Thursday, March 28th. The Pre-K children are asked to donate one box of tissues or a package of toilet paper per child. We are also collecting spare change in our classroom Mite Lenten container.
Fri., March 29th, No School – Good Friday
Mon. April 1st, No School – Easter Monday
Wed. April 3rd, Early Release Day – 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Tues. April 9th, Pre-K/TK Uniform Pictures
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
As the year progresses the children in Pre-K 4B are becoming a little more independent, mature, and understanding of each other. They have also been working hard on many interesting projects and having fun while learning about science and math concepts and how to listen to letter sounds and write words.
We have been listening to and enjoying many wonderful books during our Color Theme. The book Elmer by David McKee was the inspiration for our Pre-K elephant story activity. Elmer the elephant is a multi-colored elephant who just wants to look like everyone else. After listening to the story the children were asked to create their own original Elmer the elephant by using cut paper, crayons and markers. Then the children with assistance from the teachers wrote elephant stories using “inventive spelling” and phonemic awareness. They were asked to finish the prompt: “My elephant likes to…” The Elmer the Elephant activity was a wonderful writing activity which helped the children to learn about story structure. The results of their hard work are displayed on the bulletin board in our Pre-K classroom. Please come and visit out Pre-K Jungle. Take a look at their elephants and enjoy their wonderful stories!
During our Color Theme we have also explored shapes. Throughout the year we continuously come back and review concepts that were previously introduced to the children earlier in the year. After reading When a Line Bends...A Shape Begins by Rhonda Gowler Greene the children created drawings using familiar shapes. One of the highlights of this book was the fact that a banana is a crescent shape and a stop sign is an octagon! First the children had to think about what they wanted to create. Then they chose shapes to reflect the look of the thing they wanted to draw (birds, cats, bumblebees, butterflies, turtles etc.) Next, they traced their shapes and used crayons to color. The last step was to dictate a story to accompany their shape drawings. The teachers ask the children to finish the statement: “My shapes are…” The children were very excited about creating pictures with shapes and they did a fantastic job on this very difficult multi-step project. This is an example of a Pre-K math, and language arts activity. Take a few minutes to stop and admire their beautiful, creative shape drawings on the wall in the hallway!
As we approached the end of our Color Theme the teachers involved the children in a fascinating color science activity… “The Floating S!” This is a Pre-K Science and Language Arts activity that requires the children to be very observant. After placing four Skittles® candies into a white bowl filled with water, the teachers encouraged the children to watch and wait. As the water melts the color off the candies a beautiful rainbow appears in the bowl. The children love seeing the colors! But, with encouragement from the teachers they wait a little longer and see the S’s from the Skittles® candies float to the top of the water. This causes much excitement and fascination. After the experiment is completed the children illustrate the colors they observed in their bowl and dictate to the teachers their observations.
As you know, for Lent the children have been trying very hard every day to be kind and to get a pom-pom in the Kindness Jar. We currently have 13 pom-poms in our jar. Our quest for pom-poms will continue until Holy Thursday. For making a special effort during Lent the children will receive a surprise after Easter. On Thursday, March 28th, we will count the pom-poms and if there are 20 or more pom-poms in our Kindness Jar, we will have a special treat after Easter!
We have spent the past few weeks learning all about colors and shapes. We are now moving onto learning about Shadows and Reflections and the Easter story. It is amazing how much science your children can learn from taking a walk outside to explore shadows on a sunny day!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Report cards went home on Friday, March 15th. There are no regularly scheduled parent-teacher conferences this term. If you would like to meet to discuss your child’s progress, please contact Ms. Donna.
Please remember to send in your donations for the school-wide Lenten Service Project by Thursday, March 28th. The Pre-K children are asked to donate one box of tissues or a package of toilet paper per child. We are also collecting spare change in our classroom Mite Lenten container.
Fri., March 29th, No School – Good Friday
Mon. April 1st, No School – Easter Monday
Wed. April 3rd, Early Release Day – 11:30 a.m. dismissal
Tues. April 9th, Pre-K/TK Uniform Pictures
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 3/2/2024
The year continues to rush by, and I can’t believe the month of March is already here! I hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s Day and a wonderful winter break! The children had a lot of fun Valentine’s week. We made Valentine’s cards and bags, learned the H-E-A-R-T song, and danced around to the “Skidamarink A Dink A Dink” song.
Changing themes is always fun for the children and the teachers. We have now moved on from learning about the Weather to Colors and Shapes. Over the past two weeks, the teachers have involved the children in various color focused activities. We created
Valentine snowflake patterns, original color palettes, celebrated the 100th day of Pre-K, and Dr. Suess’s Birthday!
To introduce the concept of symmetry and patterns the teachers showed the children pictures of snowflakes and we learned that all the sides of a snowflake are identical. We also noticed that our bodies are symmetrical. Then each child was given three strips of paper, dauber markers and a heart shape sticker. After gluing their paper strips together to make a six-sided snowflake, each child created a unique pattern. The most difficult part of this activity was copying the same pattern on all six spokes of the snowflake. This is an example of an early childhood math and science activity that was fun for the children. Our Valentine snowflakes are on the wall outside our classroom.
Mixing colors is always a fun activity for the children and the teachers saw many surprised and excited expressions during the color palette activity. As the children selected primary colors (red, yellow, blue, black, and white) to mix together, the teachers heard many wonderful comments like: “How do I make brown?” “What happens when I mix all the colors together?” “Ooh I made green!” Each child created six different color combinations for their palettes. Once their palettes were completed, they filled out an Artist Statement with their name and their favorite color. These color palettes are on the bulletin board outside our classroom.
The teachers are always trying to find fun ways to introduce new concepts and to review concepts taught previously during the school year. During Morning Meeting, we dance the months of the year (Macarena Months) and play number and letter matching games. To celebrate the 100th day of school in Pre-K, the teachers created a large gumball machine. Each child was asked to pick their favorite dauber marker color and make five marks on the gumball machine. We then graphed each color to see which color had the most votes. The winner was purple! As a follow-up activity, each child was given a picture of a gumball machine which they colored with crayons. Then they had to count out 10 colorful stickers (gumballs) to fill their machine and write the number 10.
To help the children understand the significance of doing something special or making a sacrifice for Lent, we now have a class Kindness Jar. After listening to the book, The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven we discussed how to show kindness to friends through our words and our actions. The children are rewarded with a pom-pom in the jar for each school day during Lent that they have been kind to their friends and teachers. On Holy Thursday we will count the pom-poms and if there are 20 or more pom-poms in our Kindness Jar, we will have a special treat after Easter!
The children in Pre-K 4B love listening to Dr. Seuss’s stories. On March 1st, we celebrated Dr. Seuss’s Birthday! It was a fun day with various “Seuss” related activities. We listened to the stories One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and The Cat in the Hat. We decorated hats like the “Cat in the Hat”. We also did a fun One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish math activity. The children were given a picture of a fishbowl. After coloring the water, they added red and blue fish to their fishbowl. The final part of the activity was to count all their fish and write the number. This activity was set up at a table during Center Time for the children to do independently. It fosters counting, identifying quantity, and number writing skills.
We have been enjoying many wonderful books as we explore colors and shapes. Here is a list of some of our favorites:
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
A Color of his Own by Leo Lionni
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
Important Dates & Reminders:
Report Cards go home for the second term on Friday, March 15th. There are no regularly scheduled parent-teachers conferences this term. Please see Ms. Donna if you would like to set up a meeting to discuss your child’s progress.
Wednesday, March 6th, Early Release Day, 11:30 Dismissal
Wed. March 13th, Zoom PTO Meeting – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 15th, Report Cards go home – Second Term
Friday, March 15th, Tag Day/Free Dress Day
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
The year continues to rush by, and I can’t believe the month of March is already here! I hope you all had a Happy Valentine’s Day and a wonderful winter break! The children had a lot of fun Valentine’s week. We made Valentine’s cards and bags, learned the H-E-A-R-T song, and danced around to the “Skidamarink A Dink A Dink” song.
Changing themes is always fun for the children and the teachers. We have now moved on from learning about the Weather to Colors and Shapes. Over the past two weeks, the teachers have involved the children in various color focused activities. We created
Valentine snowflake patterns, original color palettes, celebrated the 100th day of Pre-K, and Dr. Suess’s Birthday!
To introduce the concept of symmetry and patterns the teachers showed the children pictures of snowflakes and we learned that all the sides of a snowflake are identical. We also noticed that our bodies are symmetrical. Then each child was given three strips of paper, dauber markers and a heart shape sticker. After gluing their paper strips together to make a six-sided snowflake, each child created a unique pattern. The most difficult part of this activity was copying the same pattern on all six spokes of the snowflake. This is an example of an early childhood math and science activity that was fun for the children. Our Valentine snowflakes are on the wall outside our classroom.
Mixing colors is always a fun activity for the children and the teachers saw many surprised and excited expressions during the color palette activity. As the children selected primary colors (red, yellow, blue, black, and white) to mix together, the teachers heard many wonderful comments like: “How do I make brown?” “What happens when I mix all the colors together?” “Ooh I made green!” Each child created six different color combinations for their palettes. Once their palettes were completed, they filled out an Artist Statement with their name and their favorite color. These color palettes are on the bulletin board outside our classroom.
The teachers are always trying to find fun ways to introduce new concepts and to review concepts taught previously during the school year. During Morning Meeting, we dance the months of the year (Macarena Months) and play number and letter matching games. To celebrate the 100th day of school in Pre-K, the teachers created a large gumball machine. Each child was asked to pick their favorite dauber marker color and make five marks on the gumball machine. We then graphed each color to see which color had the most votes. The winner was purple! As a follow-up activity, each child was given a picture of a gumball machine which they colored with crayons. Then they had to count out 10 colorful stickers (gumballs) to fill their machine and write the number 10.
To help the children understand the significance of doing something special or making a sacrifice for Lent, we now have a class Kindness Jar. After listening to the book, The Lion and the Little Red Bird by Elisa Kleven we discussed how to show kindness to friends through our words and our actions. The children are rewarded with a pom-pom in the jar for each school day during Lent that they have been kind to their friends and teachers. On Holy Thursday we will count the pom-poms and if there are 20 or more pom-poms in our Kindness Jar, we will have a special treat after Easter!
The children in Pre-K 4B love listening to Dr. Seuss’s stories. On March 1st, we celebrated Dr. Seuss’s Birthday! It was a fun day with various “Seuss” related activities. We listened to the stories One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish and The Cat in the Hat. We decorated hats like the “Cat in the Hat”. We also did a fun One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish math activity. The children were given a picture of a fishbowl. After coloring the water, they added red and blue fish to their fishbowl. The final part of the activity was to count all their fish and write the number. This activity was set up at a table during Center Time for the children to do independently. It fosters counting, identifying quantity, and number writing skills.
We have been enjoying many wonderful books as we explore colors and shapes. Here is a list of some of our favorites:
Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Walsh
White Rabbit’s Color Book by Alan Baker
Little Blue and Little Yellow by Leo Lionni
A Color of his Own by Leo Lionni
Dog’s Colorful Day by Emma Dodd
Monsters Love Colors by Mike Austin
Important Dates & Reminders:
Report Cards go home for the second term on Friday, March 15th. There are no regularly scheduled parent-teachers conferences this term. Please see Ms. Donna if you would like to set up a meeting to discuss your child’s progress.
Wednesday, March 6th, Early Release Day, 11:30 Dismissal
Wed. March 13th, Zoom PTO Meeting – 7:00 p.m.
Friday, March 15th, Report Cards go home – Second Term
Friday, March 15th, Tag Day/Free Dress Day
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 2/3/2024
The children in Pre-K4B have spent the past few weeks studying weather. With the arrival of February and Valentine’s Day, we are focusing on writing our friend’s names and sending and receiving notes and cards.
Speaking of weather did you know that you can pretend to be a snowman, have a make-believe snowball fight, and use your hands and feet to make rain sounds? In Pre-K 4B when we study weather, we not only learn about it, but we also experience it through music, movement, and science activities.
Children love playing with water and with the addition of eye droppers and a variety of materials you have a fun activity and a great way to introduce a scientific concept. After showing the children how a cotton towel absorbs water and an umbrella repels water, the children were given samples of felt fabric, construction paper, wax paper, aluminum foil and shells to test whether the water would be absorbed or repelled. The wax paper was the favorite of everyone in the class.
The book Umbrella by Taro Yashima was the inspiration for our umbrella math activity. First the children traced and cut out triangles, squares, circles, and rectangles to decorate their umbrellas. Then they counted their shapes, wrote the number, and the last step was to add glittery raindrops. The children’s beautiful creative math umbrellas are on the bulletin board outside the classroom.
We ended our Weather Unit with some fun winter/snow activities. To help the children become more confident when writing we involved them in a snowman writing activity. We read the book Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright. The teachers asked the children to create a melted snowman like Sneezy. They painted a blob of white paint on blue construction paper. Then they traced and cut-out hats, and scarves, used wiggly eyes and paper buttons to decorate their snowmen. The last part of the activity was to use inventive spelling to finish the statement, “My snowman likes to…” Come visit our melted snowmen on the bulletin board in the classroom.
After reading the book Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Beuhner, the children participated in a math and name recognition activity by making snow-people. To create a snow person, the children needed to know how many letters are in their first name. Then they counted out the correct number of snowballs, (white circles) wrote one letter on each snowball and glued them all together to make a snow person. After drawing a face and gluing on wiggly eyes, the children used construction paper to decorate their snow-people with hats, arms, and legs. Our Pre-K4B snow-people are decorating the wall in the hall outside the classroom.
Catholic Schools Week was a fun-filled week for the children in Pre-K4B. On Thursday, Assembly Day, we watched a wonderful presentation put on by Pumpernickel Puppets. The children were such a good and attentive audience and loved seeing the puppets. We had popcorn and watched “Finding Nemo” on Wednesday, Movie Day, and Friday was the Ice Cream Social. A special thank you to Our Lady’s PTO for arranging all the activities for Catholic Schools Week!
You should have received an e-mail with information about our Valentine’s Day party on Tuesday, February 13th, from 11:30 to 1:00, that included a class list. We will be making Valentine’s bags this week. Please make sure if you are sending in valentines that you include one for each child in Pre-K4B.
Important Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, February 7th, Early Release Day, 11:30 Dismissal
Tuesday February 13th, Valentine’s Day Party at 11:30 a.m.
Friday, February 16th, PTO Tag Day – Free Dress
Mon., Feb. 19, - Fri. Feb. 23, No School February Vacation
Wednesday, March 6th, Early Release Day, 11:30 Dismissal
Thank you for all your help and support throughout the year!
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
The children in Pre-K4B have spent the past few weeks studying weather. With the arrival of February and Valentine’s Day, we are focusing on writing our friend’s names and sending and receiving notes and cards.
Speaking of weather did you know that you can pretend to be a snowman, have a make-believe snowball fight, and use your hands and feet to make rain sounds? In Pre-K 4B when we study weather, we not only learn about it, but we also experience it through music, movement, and science activities.
Children love playing with water and with the addition of eye droppers and a variety of materials you have a fun activity and a great way to introduce a scientific concept. After showing the children how a cotton towel absorbs water and an umbrella repels water, the children were given samples of felt fabric, construction paper, wax paper, aluminum foil and shells to test whether the water would be absorbed or repelled. The wax paper was the favorite of everyone in the class.
The book Umbrella by Taro Yashima was the inspiration for our umbrella math activity. First the children traced and cut out triangles, squares, circles, and rectangles to decorate their umbrellas. Then they counted their shapes, wrote the number, and the last step was to add glittery raindrops. The children’s beautiful creative math umbrellas are on the bulletin board outside the classroom.
We ended our Weather Unit with some fun winter/snow activities. To help the children become more confident when writing we involved them in a snowman writing activity. We read the book Sneezy the Snowman by Maureen Wright. The teachers asked the children to create a melted snowman like Sneezy. They painted a blob of white paint on blue construction paper. Then they traced and cut-out hats, and scarves, used wiggly eyes and paper buttons to decorate their snowmen. The last part of the activity was to use inventive spelling to finish the statement, “My snowman likes to…” Come visit our melted snowmen on the bulletin board in the classroom.
After reading the book Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Beuhner, the children participated in a math and name recognition activity by making snow-people. To create a snow person, the children needed to know how many letters are in their first name. Then they counted out the correct number of snowballs, (white circles) wrote one letter on each snowball and glued them all together to make a snow person. After drawing a face and gluing on wiggly eyes, the children used construction paper to decorate their snow-people with hats, arms, and legs. Our Pre-K4B snow-people are decorating the wall in the hall outside the classroom.
Catholic Schools Week was a fun-filled week for the children in Pre-K4B. On Thursday, Assembly Day, we watched a wonderful presentation put on by Pumpernickel Puppets. The children were such a good and attentive audience and loved seeing the puppets. We had popcorn and watched “Finding Nemo” on Wednesday, Movie Day, and Friday was the Ice Cream Social. A special thank you to Our Lady’s PTO for arranging all the activities for Catholic Schools Week!
You should have received an e-mail with information about our Valentine’s Day party on Tuesday, February 13th, from 11:30 to 1:00, that included a class list. We will be making Valentine’s bags this week. Please make sure if you are sending in valentines that you include one for each child in Pre-K4B.
Important Dates to Remember:
Wednesday, February 7th, Early Release Day, 11:30 Dismissal
Tuesday February 13th, Valentine’s Day Party at 11:30 a.m.
Friday, February 16th, PTO Tag Day – Free Dress
Mon., Feb. 19, - Fri. Feb. 23, No School February Vacation
Wednesday, March 6th, Early Release Day, 11:30 Dismissal
Thank you for all your help and support throughout the year!
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 1/28/2024
Learning about weather at this time of the year is wonderful for children. They can experience the wonder of it, and it sparks a natural curiosity in them. Over the past few weeks, we have had quite a variety of weather…snow, wind, rain and cold!
The book Gusts and Gales: A Book About Wind by Josepha Sherman was a wonderful introduction to the concepts of wind, and how winds are formed. We used this information to be scientists and create a wind experiment. Using a small fan and several objects from the classroom (a tennis ball, a feather, a pompom, an empty soup can, a water bottle and a wooden block) the children were first asked to predict what would be moved by the wind. Then they placed the object in front of the fan and waited to see what happened. It was a lot of fun and there were some surprise findings. After conducting the fan experiment the children reported their findings. They were asked to draw a picture of their favorite part of the experiment and dictate to the teachers their observations. See pictures of this activity on the classroom website: https://pre-k4b.weebly.com/pictures.html. Then type prekindergarten4b.
We finished our study of wind by reading, Why Is It Windy? by Judith Williams and the very amusing book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. The high point of this book is when a Tomato Tornado destroys the town of Chewandswallow. Using two soda bottles, a vortex, food coloring and some glitter, the teachers created our very own Pre-K Tomato Tornado. The children had fun shaking the bottles to create the tornado effect and have noticed how, “The water in the bottom bottle looks like a shower.” This is a very hands-on way to explain scientific concepts to the very young child. We also designed a Pre-K town complete with an assortment of buildings and food falling from the sky. The children created town drawings using shape tracers, cut out pictures of their favorite foods and gave their towns unique names. In the hall outside our classroom, you can visit Candy Town, Pizza Town, Orange and Strawberry Juice Town, and Princess Unicorn Town.
To introduce the children to the water cycle, we read the books Drippy the Raindrop, To the Mountains and Back (an on-line book) by Joel Kimball and Where Do Puddles Go? by Faye Robinson. Since Pre-K children learn through hands-on activities, rainy day cloud pictures helped the children understand the concept of rain and precipitation. After gluing cotton balls on the top of watercolor paper, the children used eye droppers to drip rain drops of blue paint all over the paper. The last step was to tip the paper to watch the rain fall from the clouds and make puddles at the bottom of the paper. Please take a look at our rainy-day cloud pictures on the wall in our classroom. Since Pre-K children learn through hands-on activities, cotton balls and pans of water became clouds absorbing moisture to demonstrate the water cycle.
You are probably aware of the various activities we do in Morning Meeting each day. We read the message, which usually has a few missing letters for the children to identify and write. We do calendar activities and report on the weather. Right now, we have a make-believe thermometer in the room and report on the current temperature as well. In addition to our phonemic and letter focused activities we usually have a math focused activity as well. We write the number of the week, work on number identification, counting skills and the concept of quantity or “How Many” through our question of the day activity. Yesterday, the question was, “Do you like Lollipops?” The children pick Yes, No, or Maybe. We count the tally marks/votes for each category and count the total number of votes. The children have become quite good at counting tally marks!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Saturday, January 27th to Friday, February 2nd, is Catholic Schools Week. The PTO is planning activities for each day that week. Change for Charity Begins on Monday, January 29th. Classes will compete against each other to collect the most change to effect change. The classroom collecting the most change “wins” a free dress day on Monday, February 5th, and donates all the money raised to the charity selected by THEIR classroom. The last day for coin collection is Thursday, Feb. 1st.
Pre-K4B is collecting change for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
If you have any questions about Catholic Schools Week, please email Ms. Donna. Here are the dates and events:
Saturday, Jan. 27th, Family Bingo Night from 5:00-8:00 pm.
Sunday, Jan. 28th, 9:00 a.m. Mass for OLA Students and Parents
Monday, Jan. 29th, School Spirit Day - Student can show their school spirit by dressing in blue or gold and wearing crazy socks and/or crazy hair.
Tuesday, Jan. 30th, Comfy Cozy Day, bring in a donation to Cradles to Crayons in exchange for wearing your comfy cozy clothes to school.
Wednesday, Jan. 31st, Movie Day – Pre-4B will watch “Finding Nemo”.
Thursday, Feb. 1st, Assembly Day Pre-K children will see the Pumpernickel Puppet Show at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 2nd, Ice Cream Social-Pre-K children in classrooms
Wednesday, Feb. 7th, Early Release Day – 11:30 Dismissal
Thank you for all your help and support throughout the year!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Learning about weather at this time of the year is wonderful for children. They can experience the wonder of it, and it sparks a natural curiosity in them. Over the past few weeks, we have had quite a variety of weather…snow, wind, rain and cold!
The book Gusts and Gales: A Book About Wind by Josepha Sherman was a wonderful introduction to the concepts of wind, and how winds are formed. We used this information to be scientists and create a wind experiment. Using a small fan and several objects from the classroom (a tennis ball, a feather, a pompom, an empty soup can, a water bottle and a wooden block) the children were first asked to predict what would be moved by the wind. Then they placed the object in front of the fan and waited to see what happened. It was a lot of fun and there were some surprise findings. After conducting the fan experiment the children reported their findings. They were asked to draw a picture of their favorite part of the experiment and dictate to the teachers their observations. See pictures of this activity on the classroom website: https://pre-k4b.weebly.com/pictures.html. Then type prekindergarten4b.
We finished our study of wind by reading, Why Is It Windy? by Judith Williams and the very amusing book Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs by Judi Barrett. The high point of this book is when a Tomato Tornado destroys the town of Chewandswallow. Using two soda bottles, a vortex, food coloring and some glitter, the teachers created our very own Pre-K Tomato Tornado. The children had fun shaking the bottles to create the tornado effect and have noticed how, “The water in the bottom bottle looks like a shower.” This is a very hands-on way to explain scientific concepts to the very young child. We also designed a Pre-K town complete with an assortment of buildings and food falling from the sky. The children created town drawings using shape tracers, cut out pictures of their favorite foods and gave their towns unique names. In the hall outside our classroom, you can visit Candy Town, Pizza Town, Orange and Strawberry Juice Town, and Princess Unicorn Town.
To introduce the children to the water cycle, we read the books Drippy the Raindrop, To the Mountains and Back (an on-line book) by Joel Kimball and Where Do Puddles Go? by Faye Robinson. Since Pre-K children learn through hands-on activities, rainy day cloud pictures helped the children understand the concept of rain and precipitation. After gluing cotton balls on the top of watercolor paper, the children used eye droppers to drip rain drops of blue paint all over the paper. The last step was to tip the paper to watch the rain fall from the clouds and make puddles at the bottom of the paper. Please take a look at our rainy-day cloud pictures on the wall in our classroom. Since Pre-K children learn through hands-on activities, cotton balls and pans of water became clouds absorbing moisture to demonstrate the water cycle.
You are probably aware of the various activities we do in Morning Meeting each day. We read the message, which usually has a few missing letters for the children to identify and write. We do calendar activities and report on the weather. Right now, we have a make-believe thermometer in the room and report on the current temperature as well. In addition to our phonemic and letter focused activities we usually have a math focused activity as well. We write the number of the week, work on number identification, counting skills and the concept of quantity or “How Many” through our question of the day activity. Yesterday, the question was, “Do you like Lollipops?” The children pick Yes, No, or Maybe. We count the tally marks/votes for each category and count the total number of votes. The children have become quite good at counting tally marks!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Saturday, January 27th to Friday, February 2nd, is Catholic Schools Week. The PTO is planning activities for each day that week. Change for Charity Begins on Monday, January 29th. Classes will compete against each other to collect the most change to effect change. The classroom collecting the most change “wins” a free dress day on Monday, February 5th, and donates all the money raised to the charity selected by THEIR classroom. The last day for coin collection is Thursday, Feb. 1st.
Pre-K4B is collecting change for St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital.
If you have any questions about Catholic Schools Week, please email Ms. Donna. Here are the dates and events:
Saturday, Jan. 27th, Family Bingo Night from 5:00-8:00 pm.
Sunday, Jan. 28th, 9:00 a.m. Mass for OLA Students and Parents
Monday, Jan. 29th, School Spirit Day - Student can show their school spirit by dressing in blue or gold and wearing crazy socks and/or crazy hair.
Tuesday, Jan. 30th, Comfy Cozy Day, bring in a donation to Cradles to Crayons in exchange for wearing your comfy cozy clothes to school.
Wednesday, Jan. 31st, Movie Day – Pre-4B will watch “Finding Nemo”.
Thursday, Feb. 1st, Assembly Day Pre-K children will see the Pumpernickel Puppet Show at 9:00 a.m.
Friday, Feb. 2nd, Ice Cream Social-Pre-K children in classrooms
Wednesday, Feb. 7th, Early Release Day – 11:30 Dismissal
Thank you for all your help and support throughout the year!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 1/6/2024
Happy New Year! It was wonderful to see your children again after the long holiday break. Children love to share stories from their lives! They were very excited to tell their teachers and friends all about the many gifts they received during the holidays.
During our unit on Polar Bears, we read many interesting and educational books, Polar Bears by Mark Newman, National Geographic Kids Polar Bears book by Laura Marsh, and Baby Polar Bears’ Snow Day by Michael Teitelbaum. We learned that polar bears have black skin under their white fur and front paws the size of dinner plates. Which helps them to swim at a rate of six miles per hour. The children were also excited to learn that polar bears live in the Arctic with Santa Claus at the North Pole.
Did you know you can create a polar bear by using circle and oval shapes? The children in Pre-K4B were surprised to discover this. As a fun math activity, the children were given an oval shape tracer and were asked to create a polar bear body. They used a circle for the head and, more ovals and two semi-circles for the legs and ears. Then they set to work deciding how their polar bears would look. Chalk was used to create an Arctic landscape, with a sprinkling of glitter for snowflakes. Come and visit the polar bears in the winter wonderland on the bulletin board in our classroom.
After listening to the book Moongame by Frank Asch and visiting the author’s website, the children used oil pastels to create their own Moonbear pictures. The teachers then asked them to create original stories to accompany their artwork. The writing prompt for this activity was, “Once upon a time there was a bear…” which gave the children a starting point for their story. For the Pre-K level this is one of many writing/composition activities we will be doing throughout the year. These types of activities help the children to understand story structure and increase print awareness. Take a few minutes to admire their artwork and enjoy their stories on the wall outside our classroom.
January is finally here, and we are starting one of my favorite themes…weather! Over the next few weeks, we will be learning all about wind, clouds, rain, and snow. We are beginning our weather unit with a focus on wind. We asked the children, “What do you know about wind?” Here are their replies:
- Winds are so strong
- The wind blows down trees
- The wind blows everybody
- The wind makes the leaves on the tress fall off
- The wind blows really hard
- The wind cools you off
- The wind knocks down trash cans
- The wind blows hats
- The wind blows my hair
- The wind blows kitty cats
- The wind blows dogs
- The wind blows flags
We started our wind unit with a fun art activity. After listening to the book, The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins, we created windy art printmaking pictures. First, we used sponge rollers to cover a plastic tray with blue paint. Then the children made wind designs in the paint with their pointer fingers. We placed a piece of white construction paper on the paint and low and behold you have a wind picture. To give the pictures a visual sense of wind we decorated them with oil pastels and glued on a few colorful feathers. Then using inventive spelling, the children wrote a word to finish this sentence, “The wind blew my…” Come see their windy art pictures on the bulletin board in the hall.
The Housekeeping area of our classroom has become a Weather Station. The children have been having fun predicting the weather. The Weather Station has a computer keyboard, a make-believe thermometer, some cardboard binoculars for observing the weather, and a map of the United States. Stop by and visit our Pre-K Weather Station. You never know what the children might predict will fall from the sky!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Wednesday, Jan. 10th, PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15th, NO SCHOOL/Martin Luther King Day
Friday, Jan. 19th, Tag Day/ Free Dress Day
Jan. 29th, to Feb. 2nd, Catholic Schools Week 2024
Thank you for all your help and support throughout the year!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Happy New Year! It was wonderful to see your children again after the long holiday break. Children love to share stories from their lives! They were very excited to tell their teachers and friends all about the many gifts they received during the holidays.
During our unit on Polar Bears, we read many interesting and educational books, Polar Bears by Mark Newman, National Geographic Kids Polar Bears book by Laura Marsh, and Baby Polar Bears’ Snow Day by Michael Teitelbaum. We learned that polar bears have black skin under their white fur and front paws the size of dinner plates. Which helps them to swim at a rate of six miles per hour. The children were also excited to learn that polar bears live in the Arctic with Santa Claus at the North Pole.
Did you know you can create a polar bear by using circle and oval shapes? The children in Pre-K4B were surprised to discover this. As a fun math activity, the children were given an oval shape tracer and were asked to create a polar bear body. They used a circle for the head and, more ovals and two semi-circles for the legs and ears. Then they set to work deciding how their polar bears would look. Chalk was used to create an Arctic landscape, with a sprinkling of glitter for snowflakes. Come and visit the polar bears in the winter wonderland on the bulletin board in our classroom.
After listening to the book Moongame by Frank Asch and visiting the author’s website, the children used oil pastels to create their own Moonbear pictures. The teachers then asked them to create original stories to accompany their artwork. The writing prompt for this activity was, “Once upon a time there was a bear…” which gave the children a starting point for their story. For the Pre-K level this is one of many writing/composition activities we will be doing throughout the year. These types of activities help the children to understand story structure and increase print awareness. Take a few minutes to admire their artwork and enjoy their stories on the wall outside our classroom.
January is finally here, and we are starting one of my favorite themes…weather! Over the next few weeks, we will be learning all about wind, clouds, rain, and snow. We are beginning our weather unit with a focus on wind. We asked the children, “What do you know about wind?” Here are their replies:
- Winds are so strong
- The wind blows down trees
- The wind blows everybody
- The wind makes the leaves on the tress fall off
- The wind blows really hard
- The wind cools you off
- The wind knocks down trash cans
- The wind blows hats
- The wind blows my hair
- The wind blows kitty cats
- The wind blows dogs
- The wind blows flags
We started our wind unit with a fun art activity. After listening to the book, The Wind Blew by Pat Hutchins, we created windy art printmaking pictures. First, we used sponge rollers to cover a plastic tray with blue paint. Then the children made wind designs in the paint with their pointer fingers. We placed a piece of white construction paper on the paint and low and behold you have a wind picture. To give the pictures a visual sense of wind we decorated them with oil pastels and glued on a few colorful feathers. Then using inventive spelling, the children wrote a word to finish this sentence, “The wind blew my…” Come see their windy art pictures on the bulletin board in the hall.
The Housekeeping area of our classroom has become a Weather Station. The children have been having fun predicting the weather. The Weather Station has a computer keyboard, a make-believe thermometer, some cardboard binoculars for observing the weather, and a map of the United States. Stop by and visit our Pre-K Weather Station. You never know what the children might predict will fall from the sky!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Wednesday, Jan. 10th, PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Monday, Jan. 15th, NO SCHOOL/Martin Luther King Day
Friday, Jan. 19th, Tag Day/ Free Dress Day
Jan. 29th, to Feb. 2nd, Catholic Schools Week 2024
Thank you for all your help and support throughout the year!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 12/5/2023
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday break filled with good food, friends, and family!
As Thanksgiving approached, the teachers spent some time talking with the children about what it means to be thankful. We read The Thankful Book by Tod Paar and Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland. Both books focus on having a sense of gratitude and they mention the people and things that children are thankful for. These books help the children have a better understanding of the meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday. After listening to the books, the teachers helped the children create cute turkey placemats. First, they traced the children’s hands, then the children added a little color and decorations to create turkeys. The last step was for the children to dictate to the teachers who and what they are thankful for.
Here we are at the beginning of December and the season of Advent has begun. It is a very special time for the children in Pre-K4B. The teachers have created an Advent Chain to help the children visualize the time period of Advent. Each day as part of our Morning Meeting we will sing an Advent song and attach a picture to our chain representing a part of the Christmas story for that day. Excitement is already building for the coming of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. To light the way for Jesus the children have created Advent Candles which are on the bulletin board in the hall outside our classroom.
Moving onto to a new theme is always fun for the children and the teachers. During December we will be learning about bears, polar bears, and Christmas.
We began our new theme by talking about habitats. The teachers explained to the children how animals over the years adapt or change to match their habitat. We talked about the colors of rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and bears that live in the forest and how they blend into their surroundings. Next the teachers showed the children picture of different Arctic animals such as the hare, wolf, polar bear, and reindeer. The children noticed that all these animals are white which is important if you live in the Arctic. This helped to introduce the concept of camouflage. To demonstrate camouflage, the children were given a piece of white paper and a cut-out of a white bear. Using a small amount of glue, they decided where they wanted their bears to hide. The children discovered that it is hard to see a white bear on white paper. To reinforce the concept further we used a sponge to apply green or brown paint to our papers. The teachers then carefully removed the cut-out bear to reveal a white bear in a green or brown cave. This Pre-K science lesson is a hands-on activity that helps to teach a very advanced concept. Our camouflage bears are on the wall in the hallways outside our classroom.
We have started to decorate our classroom for Christmas. On our classroom door there are reindeer getting ready to pull Santa’s sleigh. This was a fun activity for the children that sparked a lot of conversations. Many children wanted to know why there were no red noses. Also, there were many discussions on whether their reindeer should have happy, silly, or sad faces. Please remember not to feed the reindeer!
I found this quote and thought it was applicable to how we work as a team in Pre-K4B…
“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.”
― Margaret Carty
The teachers see examples of teamwork emerging as the children learn to play cooperatively and share. This is evident when they are working on a puzzle together, building a castle or parking garage with blocks, and taking turns in the bear cave in our housekeeping area. All throughout our classroom the teachers encourage the children to, “Use your words, check-in with your friends to see if they are okay and learn to share and play together like a family.”
Pre-K Important Dates and Reminders:
Wednesday, Dec. 6th, Early Release Day. Dismissal is at 11:30 a.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, Dec. 12th, 9:30 Pre-K/TK/K Christmas Concert
Wednesday, Dec. 13th, Virtual PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 15th, Tag Day – Free Dress Day
Now that the cold weather is here, please ensure that your child has a warm hat and mittens or gloves for playground time.
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
We hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday break filled with good food, friends, and family!
As Thanksgiving approached, the teachers spent some time talking with the children about what it means to be thankful. We read The Thankful Book by Tod Paar and Thanksgiving Is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland. Both books focus on having a sense of gratitude and they mention the people and things that children are thankful for. These books help the children have a better understanding of the meaning behind the Thanksgiving holiday. After listening to the books, the teachers helped the children create cute turkey placemats. First, they traced the children’s hands, then the children added a little color and decorations to create turkeys. The last step was for the children to dictate to the teachers who and what they are thankful for.
Here we are at the beginning of December and the season of Advent has begun. It is a very special time for the children in Pre-K4B. The teachers have created an Advent Chain to help the children visualize the time period of Advent. Each day as part of our Morning Meeting we will sing an Advent song and attach a picture to our chain representing a part of the Christmas story for that day. Excitement is already building for the coming of Christmas and the birth of Jesus. To light the way for Jesus the children have created Advent Candles which are on the bulletin board in the hall outside our classroom.
Moving onto to a new theme is always fun for the children and the teachers. During December we will be learning about bears, polar bears, and Christmas.
We began our new theme by talking about habitats. The teachers explained to the children how animals over the years adapt or change to match their habitat. We talked about the colors of rabbits, squirrels, raccoons, and bears that live in the forest and how they blend into their surroundings. Next the teachers showed the children picture of different Arctic animals such as the hare, wolf, polar bear, and reindeer. The children noticed that all these animals are white which is important if you live in the Arctic. This helped to introduce the concept of camouflage. To demonstrate camouflage, the children were given a piece of white paper and a cut-out of a white bear. Using a small amount of glue, they decided where they wanted their bears to hide. The children discovered that it is hard to see a white bear on white paper. To reinforce the concept further we used a sponge to apply green or brown paint to our papers. The teachers then carefully removed the cut-out bear to reveal a white bear in a green or brown cave. This Pre-K science lesson is a hands-on activity that helps to teach a very advanced concept. Our camouflage bears are on the wall in the hallways outside our classroom.
We have started to decorate our classroom for Christmas. On our classroom door there are reindeer getting ready to pull Santa’s sleigh. This was a fun activity for the children that sparked a lot of conversations. Many children wanted to know why there were no red noses. Also, there were many discussions on whether their reindeer should have happy, silly, or sad faces. Please remember not to feed the reindeer!
I found this quote and thought it was applicable to how we work as a team in Pre-K4B…
“The nice thing about teamwork is that you always have others on your side.”
― Margaret Carty
The teachers see examples of teamwork emerging as the children learn to play cooperatively and share. This is evident when they are working on a puzzle together, building a castle or parking garage with blocks, and taking turns in the bear cave in our housekeeping area. All throughout our classroom the teachers encourage the children to, “Use your words, check-in with your friends to see if they are okay and learn to share and play together like a family.”
Pre-K Important Dates and Reminders:
Wednesday, Dec. 6th, Early Release Day. Dismissal is at 11:30 a.m.
Parent-Teacher Conferences
Tuesday, Dec. 12th, 9:30 Pre-K/TK/K Christmas Concert
Wednesday, Dec. 13th, Virtual PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Friday, Dec. 15th, Tag Day – Free Dress Day
Now that the cold weather is here, please ensure that your child has a warm hat and mittens or gloves for playground time.
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 11/18/2023
“Come, little leaves” said the wind one day, “Come over the meadows with me, and play; Put on your dresses of red and gold; Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
by G. Cooper
As the frost approaches it is time to harvest the crops. The children in Pre-K 4B have been busy selling food in the Harvest Market, learning all about scarecrows and the life cycle of a pumpkin.
You may have noticed some cute scarecrows on the wall outside our classroom. To find out what scarecrows do, we read Scarecrows by Lola Schaefer and Jeb Scarecrow’s Pumpkin Patch by Jana Dillon. We learned that scarecrows are straw people, and they frighten birds away…sometimes! The children had fun designing scarecrows. They used basic shapes (triangles, circles, and squares) to make a scarecrow body. Then they cut out arms and legs, added wiggly eyes and voila you have a scarecrow. After decorating their scarecrows, the children with assistance from the teachers wrote words using “inventive spelling” and phonemic awareness. They were asked to finish the prompt: “My scarecrow likes to…” This was our very first inventive spelling/writing activity. Enjoy our scarecrows and hopefully they will protect the harvest!
After reading Market Day by Carol Foskett Cordse, the children discovered that the cooler weather meant it was time to harvest the crops and sell them at the Pre-K Market. The children created signs to advertise the items they were selling. The teachers asked them to draw a picture of their product, use inventive spelling to sound out the words, write the price and write their name. Please stop by the Market and see their signs. They are selling apples, flowers, blueberries, houses, and much more. No trip to the market would be complete without reading To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda, a very humorous book based on the “To Market, To Market” rhyme. The children just loved this book, and I have never heard so many giggles in Pre-K4B!
As you know the children have been learning all about Pumpkins. After reading Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington and Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie by Jill Esbaum we sequenced the growth cycle of a pumpkin from seed to pumpkin. We glued on a pumpkin seed, which sprouted a yarn vine followed by a few paper leaves and then a big orange or green pumpkin. The teachers were very proud of how carefully the children traced and cut out their pumpkins for our pumpkin plants. The Pre-K pumpkin patch is on the bulletin board in our classroom.
Important Dates & Reminders:
Report cards for the first marking period will be sent home on Monday, or Tuesday, of this coming week depending upon your child’s schedule. Please check your child’s folder for their report card. Parent Teacher Conferences for the first term are held during the afternoon of the early release day on Wednesday, December 6th, and during the week of December 4th. Thank you all for signing up for conferences. I look forward to meeting with you and discussing your children.
Now that the weather is getting colder, please ensure that your child has sweatpants in their cubby in case an accident occurs during the day. Also, please send in mittens and hats as we go outside in cold weather.
Tuesday, November 21st, Report Cards Go Home
Wednesday-Friday, Nov.22nd, -24th, No School, Thanksgiving Holiday Break
Wednesday, December 6th, 11:30 Early dismissal - Parent Conferences
Tuesday, December 12th, Pre-K/K Christmas Show – 9:30 a.m.
I found this quote recently and feel it most applicable to our Pre-K classroom where our motto is “In Pre-K4 we try!”
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” - Unknown
Thank you for all your help and support,
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
“Come, little leaves” said the wind one day, “Come over the meadows with me, and play; Put on your dresses of red and gold; Summer is gone, and the days grow cold.”
by G. Cooper
As the frost approaches it is time to harvest the crops. The children in Pre-K 4B have been busy selling food in the Harvest Market, learning all about scarecrows and the life cycle of a pumpkin.
You may have noticed some cute scarecrows on the wall outside our classroom. To find out what scarecrows do, we read Scarecrows by Lola Schaefer and Jeb Scarecrow’s Pumpkin Patch by Jana Dillon. We learned that scarecrows are straw people, and they frighten birds away…sometimes! The children had fun designing scarecrows. They used basic shapes (triangles, circles, and squares) to make a scarecrow body. Then they cut out arms and legs, added wiggly eyes and voila you have a scarecrow. After decorating their scarecrows, the children with assistance from the teachers wrote words using “inventive spelling” and phonemic awareness. They were asked to finish the prompt: “My scarecrow likes to…” This was our very first inventive spelling/writing activity. Enjoy our scarecrows and hopefully they will protect the harvest!
After reading Market Day by Carol Foskett Cordse, the children discovered that the cooler weather meant it was time to harvest the crops and sell them at the Pre-K Market. The children created signs to advertise the items they were selling. The teachers asked them to draw a picture of their product, use inventive spelling to sound out the words, write the price and write their name. Please stop by the Market and see their signs. They are selling apples, flowers, blueberries, houses, and much more. No trip to the market would be complete without reading To Market, To Market by Anne Miranda, a very humorous book based on the “To Market, To Market” rhyme. The children just loved this book, and I have never heard so many giggles in Pre-K4B!
As you know the children have been learning all about Pumpkins. After reading Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jeanne Titherington and Seed, Sprout, Pumpkin Pie by Jill Esbaum we sequenced the growth cycle of a pumpkin from seed to pumpkin. We glued on a pumpkin seed, which sprouted a yarn vine followed by a few paper leaves and then a big orange or green pumpkin. The teachers were very proud of how carefully the children traced and cut out their pumpkins for our pumpkin plants. The Pre-K pumpkin patch is on the bulletin board in our classroom.
Important Dates & Reminders:
Report cards for the first marking period will be sent home on Monday, or Tuesday, of this coming week depending upon your child’s schedule. Please check your child’s folder for their report card. Parent Teacher Conferences for the first term are held during the afternoon of the early release day on Wednesday, December 6th, and during the week of December 4th. Thank you all for signing up for conferences. I look forward to meeting with you and discussing your children.
Now that the weather is getting colder, please ensure that your child has sweatpants in their cubby in case an accident occurs during the day. Also, please send in mittens and hats as we go outside in cold weather.
Tuesday, November 21st, Report Cards Go Home
Wednesday-Friday, Nov.22nd, -24th, No School, Thanksgiving Holiday Break
Wednesday, December 6th, 11:30 Early dismissal - Parent Conferences
Tuesday, December 12th, Pre-K/K Christmas Show – 9:30 a.m.
I found this quote recently and feel it most applicable to our Pre-K classroom where our motto is “In Pre-K4 we try!”
“Every accomplishment starts with the decision to try.” - Unknown
Thank you for all your help and support,
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 11/4/2023
We hope you all had a very happy Halloween. Halloween Day in Pre-K was the culmination of a week filled with fun Halloween themed activities. The children were so excited to be wearing their costumes to school today. Thank you to the Room Parents for the delicious snacks and the cute pumpkin craft. The children also learned some fun Halloween songs this past week: “Five Little Pumpkins,” “Roll That Pumpkin Down to Town,” the “Spooky, Spooky, Hokey Pokey” song, and “This Old Ghost”.
To add a touch of Halloween to our classroom, the teachers involved the children in several fine motor focused Halloween crafts. We created scary jack-o-lanterns by painting paper plates and ripping black and green construction paper to create the faces and stems. Our scary jack-o-lanterns are on the wall in our classroom. You might have noticed our cute Halloween wiggly eyed monsters on the train table in our classroom. The children had a lot of fun wrapping yarn around their paper towel tubes, adding feathers, and counting out wiggly eyes! Some of our monsters have four eyes!
We have been enjoying Halloween themed books all week. After listening to the book “The Teeny Tiny Ghost” by Kay Winters, the teachers involved the children in a fine motor ghost painting activity. First, we glued down several pictures of ghosts. Then using purple paint and a sponge we outlined our ghosts using a daubing motion. After removing the pictures, the children completed their ghosts by giving them eyes, a nose, and a mouth. They came out quite cute and kids loved creating them.
As we moved from October to November our focus in Pre-K 4B has moved as well to our Pumpkin theme. We started our exploration of pumpkins by trying to solve a pressing scientific question, “Will a pumpkin sink or float?” Well, the children in Pre-K 4B love science and playing with water. Yes, pumpkins float as do apples, bananas, and zucchini. We found that rocks, carrots, potatoes, and grapes sink. The children also learned that inside a pumpkin there is a little bit of air, which helps it to float! Visit our web-site: https://pre-k4b.weebly.com/401/login.php?redirect=/pictures.html and type prekindergarten4b to see pictures of this activity.
Using our helping hands, sharing, and being kind are important and sometimes difficult concepts for Pre-K children. The teachers continue to review these ideas through reading books on sharing and taking turns and giving the children the words to use when interacting with friends. Our Pre-K Religion curriculum has also been focused on loving God, helping others, and treating friends as you would like to be treated. The teachers hope that as the year progresses the children will continue to grow their cooperative skills whether we are playing in Housekeeping or cleaning-up the classroom together.
We have had a lot of fun over the past few weeks learning about apples and celebrating Halloween. Now that November is here and it is harvest time, we are moving on to pumpkins, scarecrows, and Thanksgiving!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Report cards for the first marking period will be sent home on Tuesday, November 21st. Parent – Teacher conferences will be held Wednesday afternoon,
December 6th, which is also an Early Release Day. You should have received an email from me inviting you to pick a time slot via Google Docs for your parent-teacher conference. If none of these times are convenient for you, please let me know so that another time can be arranged for your conference.
Tuesday, November 7th, No School/Professional Day for Faculty
Wednesday, November 8th, PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Friday, November 10th, No School/Veterans Day
Friday, November 17th, Tag Day
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
We hope you all had a very happy Halloween. Halloween Day in Pre-K was the culmination of a week filled with fun Halloween themed activities. The children were so excited to be wearing their costumes to school today. Thank you to the Room Parents for the delicious snacks and the cute pumpkin craft. The children also learned some fun Halloween songs this past week: “Five Little Pumpkins,” “Roll That Pumpkin Down to Town,” the “Spooky, Spooky, Hokey Pokey” song, and “This Old Ghost”.
To add a touch of Halloween to our classroom, the teachers involved the children in several fine motor focused Halloween crafts. We created scary jack-o-lanterns by painting paper plates and ripping black and green construction paper to create the faces and stems. Our scary jack-o-lanterns are on the wall in our classroom. You might have noticed our cute Halloween wiggly eyed monsters on the train table in our classroom. The children had a lot of fun wrapping yarn around their paper towel tubes, adding feathers, and counting out wiggly eyes! Some of our monsters have four eyes!
We have been enjoying Halloween themed books all week. After listening to the book “The Teeny Tiny Ghost” by Kay Winters, the teachers involved the children in a fine motor ghost painting activity. First, we glued down several pictures of ghosts. Then using purple paint and a sponge we outlined our ghosts using a daubing motion. After removing the pictures, the children completed their ghosts by giving them eyes, a nose, and a mouth. They came out quite cute and kids loved creating them.
As we moved from October to November our focus in Pre-K 4B has moved as well to our Pumpkin theme. We started our exploration of pumpkins by trying to solve a pressing scientific question, “Will a pumpkin sink or float?” Well, the children in Pre-K 4B love science and playing with water. Yes, pumpkins float as do apples, bananas, and zucchini. We found that rocks, carrots, potatoes, and grapes sink. The children also learned that inside a pumpkin there is a little bit of air, which helps it to float! Visit our web-site: https://pre-k4b.weebly.com/401/login.php?redirect=/pictures.html and type prekindergarten4b to see pictures of this activity.
Using our helping hands, sharing, and being kind are important and sometimes difficult concepts for Pre-K children. The teachers continue to review these ideas through reading books on sharing and taking turns and giving the children the words to use when interacting with friends. Our Pre-K Religion curriculum has also been focused on loving God, helping others, and treating friends as you would like to be treated. The teachers hope that as the year progresses the children will continue to grow their cooperative skills whether we are playing in Housekeeping or cleaning-up the classroom together.
We have had a lot of fun over the past few weeks learning about apples and celebrating Halloween. Now that November is here and it is harvest time, we are moving on to pumpkins, scarecrows, and Thanksgiving!
Important Dates and Reminders:
Report cards for the first marking period will be sent home on Tuesday, November 21st. Parent – Teacher conferences will be held Wednesday afternoon,
December 6th, which is also an Early Release Day. You should have received an email from me inviting you to pick a time slot via Google Docs for your parent-teacher conference. If none of these times are convenient for you, please let me know so that another time can be arranged for your conference.
Tuesday, November 7th, No School/Professional Day for Faculty
Wednesday, November 8th, PTO Meeting 7:00 p.m.
Friday, November 10th, No School/Veterans Day
Friday, November 17th, Tag Day
Thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 10/21/2023
We are enjoying a beautiful fall. The leaves are just beginning to change color and the children have loved being outside for recess. The teachers continue to help the children grow their academic learning and build friendships through cooperative play activities.
We ended our “All About Me” theme with a marble painting cooperative activity. After reading the book Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells, the children used marbles and fall colored paints to create beautiful artwork. They were assigned partners and had to work together to keep the marbles from falling out of the box. It was a fun activity that really focused on effective communication and learning to work together. Then teachers used the marble paintings to create beautiful apple shapes. Next the children cut out a stem and decorated their apples with leaves. The children had a lot of fun rolling and shaking their boxes. We only had a few marbles go flying! The apples are on the bulletin board in our classroom.
Moving on to a new theme is always exciting and fun for both the children and teachers. We began our unit on trees, apples, and pumpkins with a fun tree building STEM activity. After asking the children what they know about trees, we read the book, We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow. We then discussed the parts of a tree and how we would build a tree using popsicle sticks, playdoh, and leaf stickers. The children were very excited and began designing and building their trees. As part of the STEM process, the children had to adjust and revamp their designs until they had a tree that could stand and support its branches and leaves. This was a fun interactive way to learn about trees.
After reading the book A Tree Is A Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla, the teachers asked the children “What is your favorite way to eat an apple?” This was a fun math, social science, and fine motor activity. The children were shown a poster with pictures of an apple cinnamon cereal bar, a fresh apple, applesauce, and apple juice. Then the children were asked to vote for their favorite. They wrote their names and colored an apple. We as a class tried to predict the winner. Then we graphed and counted the votes. Apple juice was the winner! The poster with our votes is on the wall outside our classroom.
One of my favorite apple themed projects is the “What’s Inside an Apple” activity. The book My Apple by Kay Davies was a nice introduction to the parts of the apple. Each child was given an apple. They looked at their apple, shook it to hear the seeds and smelled it. The children then colored a paper apple and were asked by the teachers to predict the number of seeds in the apple. After the teachers cut open the apples, they had a lot of fun digging in the apples for seeds. The children counted the seeds they found, colored the inside of their paper apple, and wrote the number of seeds. Their apples are growing on an apple tree on the bulletin board in the hall outside our classroom.
An update on our Bread/Hand Washing Experiment. The children noticed a change in some of the slices of bread. The bread that we wiped on the tables has grown mold and other things. The bread that the children touched with dirty hands also has shown mold. I was surprised to see that the bread that was touched by hands that were cleaned by hand sanitizer showed no signs of change. This was a fun experiment. It just took a long time to percolate because bread today is treated with preservatives.
Information:
On Tuesday, October 31st, the children in Pre-K4B will be enjoying a small Halloween Party from 11:30 to 1:00. If your child does not attend school on Tuesdays, please feel free to drop them off at 11:30 a.m. for the party. We have been given permission to have the children wear their Halloween costumes to school, without masks, for the day on that Tuesday. Please ensure that your children can get out of their costumes to go to the bathroom. If you decide you don't want to purchase a costume just for school, please feel free to have your children wear any dress-up clothes they may have at home. It should be a fun-filled day. Please pack a lunch for your child. The Room Parents and Teachers are donating special snacks for the children to enjoy. We will be dancing and singing Halloween songs and doing a little Halloween craft. Please let me know if your child is planning on coming to school that day for the party.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, October 31st, Halloween Day in Pre-K4B
Wednesday, November 1st, Early Release - Dismissal time is 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, November 7th, No School – Professional Development
Friday, November 10th, No School – Veterans Day
As always, thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
We are enjoying a beautiful fall. The leaves are just beginning to change color and the children have loved being outside for recess. The teachers continue to help the children grow their academic learning and build friendships through cooperative play activities.
We ended our “All About Me” theme with a marble painting cooperative activity. After reading the book Noisy Nora by Rosemary Wells, the children used marbles and fall colored paints to create beautiful artwork. They were assigned partners and had to work together to keep the marbles from falling out of the box. It was a fun activity that really focused on effective communication and learning to work together. Then teachers used the marble paintings to create beautiful apple shapes. Next the children cut out a stem and decorated their apples with leaves. The children had a lot of fun rolling and shaking their boxes. We only had a few marbles go flying! The apples are on the bulletin board in our classroom.
Moving on to a new theme is always exciting and fun for both the children and teachers. We began our unit on trees, apples, and pumpkins with a fun tree building STEM activity. After asking the children what they know about trees, we read the book, We Planted a Tree by Diane Muldrow. We then discussed the parts of a tree and how we would build a tree using popsicle sticks, playdoh, and leaf stickers. The children were very excited and began designing and building their trees. As part of the STEM process, the children had to adjust and revamp their designs until they had a tree that could stand and support its branches and leaves. This was a fun interactive way to learn about trees.
After reading the book A Tree Is A Plant by Clyde Robert Bulla, the teachers asked the children “What is your favorite way to eat an apple?” This was a fun math, social science, and fine motor activity. The children were shown a poster with pictures of an apple cinnamon cereal bar, a fresh apple, applesauce, and apple juice. Then the children were asked to vote for their favorite. They wrote their names and colored an apple. We as a class tried to predict the winner. Then we graphed and counted the votes. Apple juice was the winner! The poster with our votes is on the wall outside our classroom.
One of my favorite apple themed projects is the “What’s Inside an Apple” activity. The book My Apple by Kay Davies was a nice introduction to the parts of the apple. Each child was given an apple. They looked at their apple, shook it to hear the seeds and smelled it. The children then colored a paper apple and were asked by the teachers to predict the number of seeds in the apple. After the teachers cut open the apples, they had a lot of fun digging in the apples for seeds. The children counted the seeds they found, colored the inside of their paper apple, and wrote the number of seeds. Their apples are growing on an apple tree on the bulletin board in the hall outside our classroom.
An update on our Bread/Hand Washing Experiment. The children noticed a change in some of the slices of bread. The bread that we wiped on the tables has grown mold and other things. The bread that the children touched with dirty hands also has shown mold. I was surprised to see that the bread that was touched by hands that were cleaned by hand sanitizer showed no signs of change. This was a fun experiment. It just took a long time to percolate because bread today is treated with preservatives.
Information:
On Tuesday, October 31st, the children in Pre-K4B will be enjoying a small Halloween Party from 11:30 to 1:00. If your child does not attend school on Tuesdays, please feel free to drop them off at 11:30 a.m. for the party. We have been given permission to have the children wear their Halloween costumes to school, without masks, for the day on that Tuesday. Please ensure that your children can get out of their costumes to go to the bathroom. If you decide you don't want to purchase a costume just for school, please feel free to have your children wear any dress-up clothes they may have at home. It should be a fun-filled day. Please pack a lunch for your child. The Room Parents and Teachers are donating special snacks for the children to enjoy. We will be dancing and singing Halloween songs and doing a little Halloween craft. Please let me know if your child is planning on coming to school that day for the party.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, October 31st, Halloween Day in Pre-K4B
Wednesday, November 1st, Early Release - Dismissal time is 11:30 a.m.
Tuesday, November 7th, No School – Professional Development
Friday, November 10th, No School – Veterans Day
As always, thank you for sharing your child with us!
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 10/7/2023
As we spend more time in school together the children in Pre-K4B are continuing to discover new friendships and become a community of learners. One of our goals for the children is to learn to work together and to be kind and considerate of each other.
We have been enjoying activities that focus on math and our families. One of my favorite activities is the Family Math project. After listening to the book, The Napping House by Don and Audrey Wood, each child was given a picture of a house and asked by the teachers to think about who lives with them. After counting the correct number of people and pets, the children cut out pictures and glued them on their house. Then they wrote the number which represented the total for their house and decorated their picture with crayons. The Family Math pictures are on the wall in the hall outside our classroom.
Did you know that the name Chrysanthemum has 13 letters! The children in Pre-K4B discovered this during our “My Name” activity recently. We read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, and each child was given a special “My Name” sheet that had blank boxes on it. Using their name tags as a guide the children had to find the letters that matched their names and glue them in the appropriate boxes. The next step was to count the number of letters in their name and write that number on their sheet. This is an example of a Pre-K math and language activity and a fun way for children to learn the letters in their name!
As I am sure you are aware our daily Morning Meeting is one of the most academically focused part of our day. We involve the children in social activities like our “Hello Song”, but we also read our Morning Message, count the days of the month, and learn to write numbers through calendar activities. Additionally, we engage the children in phonemic awareness activities as we learn the days of the week, and science and environmental activities as we talk about the weather. We have started focusing on the letters of the alphabet, beginning with the letter “A”. We sing “Happy Birthday” using the sound of the letter “A”. We will learn to write the letter “A” and create a list of words for our Word Wall that begin with the letter “A”.
As part of the Pre-K Religious Education program, the children will be meeting weekly with Mrs. Ashba. She will be sharing Bible Stories with the children, teaching them prayers, and doing religious focused activities. The children will also have many opportunities to visit our Church during the year for Conferences with Fr. Di Perri. The Pre-K teachers will be doing religious weekly gospel themed lessons throughout the year as part of the Pflaum Publishing “Seeds” curriculum for preschool age children. Look for the lesson activities handouts in the children’s backpacks. You should have also received a Seeds Catechism Book in your child’s backpack for you to use with each weekly lesson. Look for the logo each week in the Seeds lesson handout.
We will be finishing our “All About Me” theme this week and then moving onto trees, apples, and pumpkins. Stay tuned for more information in our next newsletter!
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, Oct. 10th, Pre-K Conference with Fr. DiPerri – 9:15 a.m.
Wednesday, Oct.11th, PTO Monthly Meeting 7:00 OLA Conference Room
Friday, Oct. 20th, Tag Day
As always, thank you for sharing your child with us.
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
As we spend more time in school together the children in Pre-K4B are continuing to discover new friendships and become a community of learners. One of our goals for the children is to learn to work together and to be kind and considerate of each other.
We have been enjoying activities that focus on math and our families. One of my favorite activities is the Family Math project. After listening to the book, The Napping House by Don and Audrey Wood, each child was given a picture of a house and asked by the teachers to think about who lives with them. After counting the correct number of people and pets, the children cut out pictures and glued them on their house. Then they wrote the number which represented the total for their house and decorated their picture with crayons. The Family Math pictures are on the wall in the hall outside our classroom.
Did you know that the name Chrysanthemum has 13 letters! The children in Pre-K4B discovered this during our “My Name” activity recently. We read the book Chrysanthemum by Kevin Henkes, and each child was given a special “My Name” sheet that had blank boxes on it. Using their name tags as a guide the children had to find the letters that matched their names and glue them in the appropriate boxes. The next step was to count the number of letters in their name and write that number on their sheet. This is an example of a Pre-K math and language activity and a fun way for children to learn the letters in their name!
As I am sure you are aware our daily Morning Meeting is one of the most academically focused part of our day. We involve the children in social activities like our “Hello Song”, but we also read our Morning Message, count the days of the month, and learn to write numbers through calendar activities. Additionally, we engage the children in phonemic awareness activities as we learn the days of the week, and science and environmental activities as we talk about the weather. We have started focusing on the letters of the alphabet, beginning with the letter “A”. We sing “Happy Birthday” using the sound of the letter “A”. We will learn to write the letter “A” and create a list of words for our Word Wall that begin with the letter “A”.
As part of the Pre-K Religious Education program, the children will be meeting weekly with Mrs. Ashba. She will be sharing Bible Stories with the children, teaching them prayers, and doing religious focused activities. The children will also have many opportunities to visit our Church during the year for Conferences with Fr. Di Perri. The Pre-K teachers will be doing religious weekly gospel themed lessons throughout the year as part of the Pflaum Publishing “Seeds” curriculum for preschool age children. Look for the lesson activities handouts in the children’s backpacks. You should have also received a Seeds Catechism Book in your child’s backpack for you to use with each weekly lesson. Look for the logo each week in the Seeds lesson handout.
We will be finishing our “All About Me” theme this week and then moving onto trees, apples, and pumpkins. Stay tuned for more information in our next newsletter!
Dates to Remember
Tuesday, Oct. 10th, Pre-K Conference with Fr. DiPerri – 9:15 a.m.
Wednesday, Oct.11th, PTO Monthly Meeting 7:00 OLA Conference Room
Friday, Oct. 20th, Tag Day
As always, thank you for sharing your child with us.
Ms. Donna and Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 9/23/2023
Welcome to Pre-K4B. This is our first official newsletter of the year! You will be receiving newsletters approximately every two weeks. We are looking forward to a wonderful year of fun learning experiences.
Our first theme of the year is “All About Me.” We have been engaged in activities that focus on friends and family. Thank you so much for sending in the “All About Me” pages. Every day at our Morning Meeting we have had two children share their “All About Me” pages and Me Bags. It has been a nice way for the children to get to know each other. Our Pre-K4B classroom also has a website where you can view the daily classroom schedule, read the newsletters, and see pictures of the children.
Visit: http://pre-k4b.weebly.com/
Your children are off to a great start! They are busy building new friendships and becoming more acclimated to their new classroom. Our first project of the year was based on the book The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. This is a wonderful book for the beginning of the school year. It helps the children understand that no matter where they go, they can still feel their families love through an invisible string. After reading the book each child was given a heart to color. Then the teachers asked each child what they like to do with their families. Their dictation along with their beautifully colored hearts are on the bulletin board in our classroom.
Learning to use scissors is an essential skill for the Pre-K child. The teachers introduced scissors and how to cut paper to the children. First as a group, each child was shown how to hold scissors. Then they were given strips of white paper and told to cut it up. The children had a lot of fun with their scissors and the tables looked like they were covered in white snow! As a fun beginning scissors activity the children made cut paper collages using strips of colored paper, scissors, and a glue stick. The children really liked cutting the paper to make their pictures. Each week the children will be involved in beginning cutting activities to strengthen their scissor grip and increase their ability to cut on a line.
The children in Pre-K 4B understand that we have classroom rules. This year instead of doing a poster with all our rules, Ms. Donna is using a Rules Chant for our class that we say every day. The teachers thought this would be an easy way for the children to remember the rules.
“Be kind to friends and teachers” – Arms crossed over your chest.
“Use your listening ears” – Hand at your ears.
“Raise your hand when you want to speak” – One hand in the air.
“Keep hands on our bodies” – Tap knees.
“Use your walking feet” – Walk in place.
“Share Toys and Clean Up” – Open Hands and then scoop-up.
“These are the rules of our classroom.”
After reading the book All By Myself by Mercer Mayer the teachers taught the children a short song, “I can do so many things all by myself.” Then the teachers asked the children, “What are the things you can do all by yourself?” The children were excited to share that they could brush their teeth, ride their bikes, pick-up their toys, and make their beds. This activity was a lot of fun for the children and helped us build a sense of community in our classroom. The next step was to color little Mini-me people and dictate to the teachers all the things they were able to do. Enjoy the children’s artwork and read about the things they are proud to say they can do, “All By Themselves” on the bulletin board in the hallway.
There is so much for the children to learn at the beginning of the year. Washing our hands at various times throughout the day is sometimes hard for them to remember. To reinforce the importance of hand washing, the teachers did a STEM activity using a few slices of bread, zip-lock bags, and hand sanitizer. First, we listened to the book Pete the Kitty: Wash Your Hands by James Dean which helped the children understand the importance of hand washing. Then the teachers divided the children into four groups and gave each group one slice of bread. The children passed the bread around in each group. Then the bread was placed in a zip lock bag and labeled: Fresh and Untouched, Dirty Hands, Soap and Water, Hand Sanitizer and Bread Rubbed on Tables. The children were then asked to predict what would happen to the bread. Over the next three to four weeks, we will see what happens. Come and observe our STEM project on the wall in our classroom.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, September 26th, is picture day for the children in Pre-K and TK. You should have received a picture form in your child's backpack. Please fill out the form and return it to school by Tuesday. If your child does not attend school on Tuesdays, you may bring them in around 8:30 a.m. to get their picture taken. The photographers will be set-up in the Auditorium. Please stop at the Main Office before proceeding to the Auditorium for pictures. The children may wear a favorite outfit for picture day. If you have any questions, please speak with Ms. Donna
Tuesday, Sept. 26th, Picture Day for Pre-K/TK
Monday, October 2rd, 7:50 a.m. the Blessing of the Animals/Stuffed Animals
Wednesday, October 4th, Early Release Day. Dismissal time is 11:30 a.m.
After School Program is available.
Monday, October 9th, Columbus Day Holiday, School is closed
We look forward to working with you and your child this year and sharing many opportunities to create, explore and discover in the days ahead.
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
Welcome to Pre-K4B. This is our first official newsletter of the year! You will be receiving newsletters approximately every two weeks. We are looking forward to a wonderful year of fun learning experiences.
Our first theme of the year is “All About Me.” We have been engaged in activities that focus on friends and family. Thank you so much for sending in the “All About Me” pages. Every day at our Morning Meeting we have had two children share their “All About Me” pages and Me Bags. It has been a nice way for the children to get to know each other. Our Pre-K4B classroom also has a website where you can view the daily classroom schedule, read the newsletters, and see pictures of the children.
Visit: http://pre-k4b.weebly.com/
Your children are off to a great start! They are busy building new friendships and becoming more acclimated to their new classroom. Our first project of the year was based on the book The Invisible String by Patrice Karst. This is a wonderful book for the beginning of the school year. It helps the children understand that no matter where they go, they can still feel their families love through an invisible string. After reading the book each child was given a heart to color. Then the teachers asked each child what they like to do with their families. Their dictation along with their beautifully colored hearts are on the bulletin board in our classroom.
Learning to use scissors is an essential skill for the Pre-K child. The teachers introduced scissors and how to cut paper to the children. First as a group, each child was shown how to hold scissors. Then they were given strips of white paper and told to cut it up. The children had a lot of fun with their scissors and the tables looked like they were covered in white snow! As a fun beginning scissors activity the children made cut paper collages using strips of colored paper, scissors, and a glue stick. The children really liked cutting the paper to make their pictures. Each week the children will be involved in beginning cutting activities to strengthen their scissor grip and increase their ability to cut on a line.
The children in Pre-K 4B understand that we have classroom rules. This year instead of doing a poster with all our rules, Ms. Donna is using a Rules Chant for our class that we say every day. The teachers thought this would be an easy way for the children to remember the rules.
“Be kind to friends and teachers” – Arms crossed over your chest.
“Use your listening ears” – Hand at your ears.
“Raise your hand when you want to speak” – One hand in the air.
“Keep hands on our bodies” – Tap knees.
“Use your walking feet” – Walk in place.
“Share Toys and Clean Up” – Open Hands and then scoop-up.
“These are the rules of our classroom.”
After reading the book All By Myself by Mercer Mayer the teachers taught the children a short song, “I can do so many things all by myself.” Then the teachers asked the children, “What are the things you can do all by yourself?” The children were excited to share that they could brush their teeth, ride their bikes, pick-up their toys, and make their beds. This activity was a lot of fun for the children and helped us build a sense of community in our classroom. The next step was to color little Mini-me people and dictate to the teachers all the things they were able to do. Enjoy the children’s artwork and read about the things they are proud to say they can do, “All By Themselves” on the bulletin board in the hallway.
There is so much for the children to learn at the beginning of the year. Washing our hands at various times throughout the day is sometimes hard for them to remember. To reinforce the importance of hand washing, the teachers did a STEM activity using a few slices of bread, zip-lock bags, and hand sanitizer. First, we listened to the book Pete the Kitty: Wash Your Hands by James Dean which helped the children understand the importance of hand washing. Then the teachers divided the children into four groups and gave each group one slice of bread. The children passed the bread around in each group. Then the bread was placed in a zip lock bag and labeled: Fresh and Untouched, Dirty Hands, Soap and Water, Hand Sanitizer and Bread Rubbed on Tables. The children were then asked to predict what would happen to the bread. Over the next three to four weeks, we will see what happens. Come and observe our STEM project on the wall in our classroom.
Dates to Remember:
Tuesday, September 26th, is picture day for the children in Pre-K and TK. You should have received a picture form in your child's backpack. Please fill out the form and return it to school by Tuesday. If your child does not attend school on Tuesdays, you may bring them in around 8:30 a.m. to get their picture taken. The photographers will be set-up in the Auditorium. Please stop at the Main Office before proceeding to the Auditorium for pictures. The children may wear a favorite outfit for picture day. If you have any questions, please speak with Ms. Donna
Tuesday, Sept. 26th, Picture Day for Pre-K/TK
Monday, October 2rd, 7:50 a.m. the Blessing of the Animals/Stuffed Animals
Wednesday, October 4th, Early Release Day. Dismissal time is 11:30 a.m.
After School Program is available.
Monday, October 9th, Columbus Day Holiday, School is closed
We look forward to working with you and your child this year and sharing many opportunities to create, explore and discover in the days ahead.
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
Pre-K4B - 9/8/2023
Welcome to Pre-K4B! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of fun learning experiences. Our first theme of the year is “All About Me.” We will be engaging in activities that focus on friends and family. Thank you so much for sending in the “All About Me” pages. The children will be sharing their pages with the class and combining them to make a class book. If you need an extra copy of the “All About Me” page, please see Ms. Donna or send me an e-mail at: [email protected].
Our Pre-K4B classroom also has a website where you can view the daily classroom schedule, read the newsletters, and see pictures of the children. The current schedules listed on the website are tentative. I will be giving out the password for the picture page at Curriculum Night, visit: http://pre-k4b.weebly.com/
In your child’s folder you will find an “All About Me” bag. We have also included information for parents about the “All About Me” bags. The children are to put five favorite items in the bag, decorate it with crayons and markers and bring it back on their assigned school day. We will be starting this activity during the week of September 11th. Two to three children will be selected every day to bring in their Me Bags. The activity will continue over the following two weeks.
A couple of quick reminders. Please send in a small blanket for Rest Time. Each child should have a pencil box with crayons, glue sticks and a pair of small scissors. We use these items for activities throughout the year. Thank you.
Dates to Remember:
Curriculum Night is on Monday evening, September 18th. This is an opportunity for parents to learn all about the themes and concepts we will be exploring with the children during the year. You should be receiving more information about Curriculum Night from the School Administration. I will be sending home the curriculum overview, classroom information, and a daily schedule at Curriculum Night. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Wednesday, September 13th, at 7:00 p.m. is the first PTO Meeting of the year. This is an opportunity to hear about all the wonderful activities the PTO plans for the children. Please see the PTO Newsletter for more information.
Friday, September 15th, is the first “Tag Day” of the year. The children are allowed to wear something other than their uniforms. But it must meet Our Lady’s Academy’s “free dress” requirements.
We look forward to working with you and your child this year and in sharing the many opportunities to create, explore and discover in the days ahead.
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette
Welcome to Pre-K4B! We are looking forward to a wonderful year of fun learning experiences. Our first theme of the year is “All About Me.” We will be engaging in activities that focus on friends and family. Thank you so much for sending in the “All About Me” pages. The children will be sharing their pages with the class and combining them to make a class book. If you need an extra copy of the “All About Me” page, please see Ms. Donna or send me an e-mail at: [email protected].
Our Pre-K4B classroom also has a website where you can view the daily classroom schedule, read the newsletters, and see pictures of the children. The current schedules listed on the website are tentative. I will be giving out the password for the picture page at Curriculum Night, visit: http://pre-k4b.weebly.com/
In your child’s folder you will find an “All About Me” bag. We have also included information for parents about the “All About Me” bags. The children are to put five favorite items in the bag, decorate it with crayons and markers and bring it back on their assigned school day. We will be starting this activity during the week of September 11th. Two to three children will be selected every day to bring in their Me Bags. The activity will continue over the following two weeks.
A couple of quick reminders. Please send in a small blanket for Rest Time. Each child should have a pencil box with crayons, glue sticks and a pair of small scissors. We use these items for activities throughout the year. Thank you.
Dates to Remember:
Curriculum Night is on Monday evening, September 18th. This is an opportunity for parents to learn all about the themes and concepts we will be exploring with the children during the year. You should be receiving more information about Curriculum Night from the School Administration. I will be sending home the curriculum overview, classroom information, and a daily schedule at Curriculum Night. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Wednesday, September 13th, at 7:00 p.m. is the first PTO Meeting of the year. This is an opportunity to hear about all the wonderful activities the PTO plans for the children. Please see the PTO Newsletter for more information.
Friday, September 15th, is the first “Tag Day” of the year. The children are allowed to wear something other than their uniforms. But it must meet Our Lady’s Academy’s “free dress” requirements.
We look forward to working with you and your child this year and in sharing the many opportunities to create, explore and discover in the days ahead.
Ms. Donna & Ms. Jeannette