The next couple of weeks will be all about Christmas. We will be making shape Rudolph's, snow globes, and gingerbread houses and trees. The kids will be making special reindeer food to sprinkle on the lawn on Christmas Eve and getting into the spirit by reading, Twas the Night Before Christmas! We will continue to talk about the importance of being helpful. How we can help in our community, at school, and our families at home.
We will be talking about how it feels to both give and receive gifts. I also touch on need verses want. This is a great time of year to teach your child about giving to others. Allowing your child to be a part of doing something for others will be an act they will remember and want to repeat. The feeling they get from spreading kindness is a gift you can give your child. There are so many great ways to show them... the Salvation Army Christmas Angels, MCACC blanket donations, and the bell ringers at the store. The best way to teach kindness is not by explaining it, but by modeling it.
Briella's name was chosen for our book club this week.
Week of December 3rd
This week our theme is Gingerbread. We will be reading Gingerbread Baby and continuing to practice our holiday show song, Bells are Ringing.
We will be using our sense of smell and touch while playing with gingerbread scented cloud dough. The kids will also be making cinnamon ornaments to hang from the tree and taste testing gingerbread cookies.
I am in need of one parent volunteer for Friday night's show. I will need you to sit with us in the pew and help guide the children to the stage and back. You will be able to watch all the performances. It just helps to have extra adults with the kids as it can be hard for them to sit still during the show. We are lucky enough to have the very first pew, so hopefully they will be entertained by the other children.
Also, please let me know if you will or will not be making it on Friday night. I don't want to hold things up waiting for children that are not able to make it. I do hope everyone can attend, but understand you may have other commitments.
We are not wearing anything special, as I thought you may enjoy dressing your little one up for the big show.
Thank you,
Kelly
We will be using our sense of smell and touch while playing with gingerbread scented cloud dough. The kids will also be making cinnamon ornaments to hang from the tree and taste testing gingerbread cookies.
I am in need of one parent volunteer for Friday night's show. I will need you to sit with us in the pew and help guide the children to the stage and back. You will be able to watch all the performances. It just helps to have extra adults with the kids as it can be hard for them to sit still during the show. We are lucky enough to have the very first pew, so hopefully they will be entertained by the other children.
Also, please let me know if you will or will not be making it on Friday night. I don't want to hold things up waiting for children that are not able to make it. I do hope everyone can attend, but understand you may have other commitments.
We are not wearing anything special, as I thought you may enjoy dressing your little one up for the big show.
Thank you,
Kelly
Week of November 26th
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our Family Feast. We had a wonderful time and it was great seeing some of your extended families join us.
This Friday is Field Day at school. Please remember to bring a white t-shirt in by Tuesday so we can make class shirts for this fun event. On Friday, each class will be in charge of setting up one event. We are partnering up with Mrs. Drawert's three year class to set up an obstacle course. I know the kids are going to have a blast. What a great way to encourage good sportsmanship, teamwork, and new challenges.
Also, this week we will be practicing our holiday song A LOT! You will most likely catch me singing it randomly in class to help the kids get prepared. We will also be getting ready for the holiday season by making holiday tree garland. By Christmas, our classroom will be filled with a ridiculous amount of holiday ornaments and decorations created by your little ones. At my home, my tree is filled with decorations my daughter made at this school, and I smile every time I look at it!
All of this art your children create help them to become active learners, expand their imagination and exercise their creativity. It develops their small motor control and eye-hand coordination. It also sharpens their power of observations and allows for more self-expression. I find them explaining their painting to their friends, which expands their vocabulary. I also find them working together to create and engaging in conversation, laughing, and sharing tools.
Looking forward to the holiday season, the glitter, and the magic of Christmas with your children.
Kelly
This Friday is Field Day at school. Please remember to bring a white t-shirt in by Tuesday so we can make class shirts for this fun event. On Friday, each class will be in charge of setting up one event. We are partnering up with Mrs. Drawert's three year class to set up an obstacle course. I know the kids are going to have a blast. What a great way to encourage good sportsmanship, teamwork, and new challenges.
Also, this week we will be practicing our holiday song A LOT! You will most likely catch me singing it randomly in class to help the kids get prepared. We will also be getting ready for the holiday season by making holiday tree garland. By Christmas, our classroom will be filled with a ridiculous amount of holiday ornaments and decorations created by your little ones. At my home, my tree is filled with decorations my daughter made at this school, and I smile every time I look at it!
All of this art your children create help them to become active learners, expand their imagination and exercise their creativity. It develops their small motor control and eye-hand coordination. It also sharpens their power of observations and allows for more self-expression. I find them explaining their painting to their friends, which expands their vocabulary. I also find them working together to create and engaging in conversation, laughing, and sharing tools.
Looking forward to the holiday season, the glitter, and the magic of Christmas with your children.
Kelly
Week of November 19th
This year is flying by. It's hard to believe it is already Thanksgiving! On Tuesday we will be celebrating with our school families at our Family Feast. This a special day for the kids as they get to share this special feast with their families! We will be meeting in our class on Tuesday morning at 10:45am. Please bring your favorite holiday dish to share when you come. Please adjust the serving size you bring depending on how many people come with you. You are welcome to invite any extended family with you.
Please remember this event is for all of our families. If you do not usually attend class on Tuesday, we hope you are still able to come in and join us for the feast.
There will be no Stay N Play on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.
In class this week we will be working with watercolors to create cornucopias. We will continue to work with our colors and shapes by playing Bingo!
Our Field Day is set for November 30th. We are making class T-Shirts to wear for the games. For this, I need to have everyone please bring in a PLAIN WHITE T-SHIRT. We will be decorating them. If you could, bring them in no later than Monday, November 26th.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday with your families.
Kelly
Please remember this event is for all of our families. If you do not usually attend class on Tuesday, we hope you are still able to come in and join us for the feast.
There will be no Stay N Play on Tuesday or Wednesday of this week.
In class this week we will be working with watercolors to create cornucopias. We will continue to work with our colors and shapes by playing Bingo!
Our Field Day is set for November 30th. We are making class T-Shirts to wear for the games. For this, I need to have everyone please bring in a PLAIN WHITE T-SHIRT. We will be decorating them. If you could, bring them in no later than Monday, November 26th.
Wishing you a safe and happy holiday with your families.
Kelly
Week of November 5th
This week is all about welcoming the fall season. We will be working with leaf patterns and letter recognition this month. We will work on these continuously throughout the year. We are discussing the changes in the weather and how both animals and people prepare for the season. We will be using different shapes to create black crows and creating a fall wreath collage.
Tuesday we will hold our very own election at school. Each child will cast a vote. I will talk about opinions and the importance of voting and voicing your opinion.
See you this week,
Kelly
Tuesday we will hold our very own election at school. Each child will cast a vote. I will talk about opinions and the importance of voting and voicing your opinion.
See you this week,
Kelly
Week of October 29th
We have lots of fun activities planned this week for Halloween! We will be reading the poem Five Little Pumpkins and working on our own pumpkins. On Wednesday we will be celebrating the holiday with open doors at school. Each room will have a special activity going on. There will be dry ice, spaghetti worms, and popcorn witch hands. Open doors are always a favorite day. It is a great time to explore the other rooms, and play with new friends and new toys. Since we are not dressing up in our costumes, we voted and decided we should dress up in our PJ's. So, please have the kids keep in their PJ's to come to school.
A big thank you to all the families who both attended and helped with the Fall Festival. It was great to see all the kids dressed up, the families having fun and enjoying all the chili and desserts. It is so wonderful to see all the former students reuniting and the new friends spending time. We really have a special community here. Thank you all!
A big thank you to all the families who both attended and helped with the Fall Festival. It was great to see all the kids dressed up, the families having fun and enjoying all the chili and desserts. It is so wonderful to see all the former students reuniting and the new friends spending time. We really have a special community here. Thank you all!
Week of October 22nd
We have so much to look forward to over the next few months. It is finally feeling like the seasons are changing and we are ready for all of the excitement the holidays bring. Our Fall Festival is Saturday, October 28th from 4-6pm. We will be having a chili cook off, games, and Trunk or Treating. If you are on a committee for this event, please make sure to find out what your responsibilities are.
This week will all about spiders and bats! We will be creating glittery spider webs, marble designs, and egg carton bats. We will learn that while spiders are creepy, they are very helpful. We set up a workshop in our science center and the kids have been busy pounding away on golf tees. On Friday, Truly Nolan will be visiting our preschool and showing us some of their creepy crawlers.
Please remember that our class photos are on Tuesday. If you are not in class on Tuesday, I really hope you can make it in on that morning to get your photos done. I would love to see all of our friends in the class picture. We are set to have ours done right after 9am.
Hope you had a great fall break,
Kelly
This week will all about spiders and bats! We will be creating glittery spider webs, marble designs, and egg carton bats. We will learn that while spiders are creepy, they are very helpful. We set up a workshop in our science center and the kids have been busy pounding away on golf tees. On Friday, Truly Nolan will be visiting our preschool and showing us some of their creepy crawlers.
Please remember that our class photos are on Tuesday. If you are not in class on Tuesday, I really hope you can make it in on that morning to get your photos done. I would love to see all of our friends in the class picture. We are set to have ours done right after 9am.
Hope you had a great fall break,
Kelly
Week of September 17th
Our themes this week are weather and blue. We will be learning about the seasons, what activities we can do depending on the weather, and how we dress and prepare for the changes. We will be making wind art by blowing through a straw, building rain bags to hang in the windows, and creating rainbow fruit loop necklaces.
Please take some time to look through the Scholastic worksheets your child will be working on and bringing home this week.
There are some dates that need filled in on the co-op calendar. Please take a look to see if you can help.
Also, we have some great tools in the kitchen that can be used for snack. We have a toaster oven, cupcake maker, griddle and microwave. The children would love to help cook and it is such a great opportunity for learning. We can do waffles, pancakes, quesadillas, muffins, etc. Please be sure to make sure to have two food groups. One of which should be a fresh fruit or veggie.
I have put a Fresh n' Easy envelope on the bulletin board by the calendar. SUMC Preschool earns $1 for each receipt over $20. Please save your receipts and drop them in our envelope. Our school Fresh n' Easy night is set for Wednesday, October 3rd. The staff volunteers to bag the groceries at the Thomas/Hayden location from 4-8pm that night. The preschool receives a % of all sales during that time We are asking for a little help from each class. I need 2 volunteers to help for one hour that night. I need a 6-7 and a 7-8 person. It is a great way to support the school and spend some time with other parents. The Fresh n' Easy fundraiser was a huge success last year and we are hoping this year is even better. Please let me know if you can help.
Please take some time to look through the Scholastic worksheets your child will be working on and bringing home this week.
There are some dates that need filled in on the co-op calendar. Please take a look to see if you can help.
Also, we have some great tools in the kitchen that can be used for snack. We have a toaster oven, cupcake maker, griddle and microwave. The children would love to help cook and it is such a great opportunity for learning. We can do waffles, pancakes, quesadillas, muffins, etc. Please be sure to make sure to have two food groups. One of which should be a fresh fruit or veggie.
I have put a Fresh n' Easy envelope on the bulletin board by the calendar. SUMC Preschool earns $1 for each receipt over $20. Please save your receipts and drop them in our envelope. Our school Fresh n' Easy night is set for Wednesday, October 3rd. The staff volunteers to bag the groceries at the Thomas/Hayden location from 4-8pm that night. The preschool receives a % of all sales during that time We are asking for a little help from each class. I need 2 volunteers to help for one hour that night. I need a 6-7 and a 7-8 person. It is a great way to support the school and spend some time with other parents. The Fresh n' Easy fundraiser was a huge success last year and we are hoping this year is even better. Please let me know if you can help.
Weeks of September 4th & 10th
The next couple of weeks we will learn about our five senses. The class is learning about each one and how each helps us to learn about our world and keep us safe. We are playing with shaving cream (both smell and touch), painting with Kool-Aid (smells yummy!) and creating handprints with different textures. We will be using lots of great sensory items such as sandpaper and coffee. They will also be guessing the mystery smells (please come back to our science center to see your child's guesses). The kids will be playing tray memory during circle time.
Just a reminder to please dress your children in shoes that do not hinder their ability to run and play outside. Close toe shoes are mandatory.
See you at school!
Just a reminder to please dress your children in shoes that do not hinder their ability to run and play outside. Close toe shoes are mandatory.
See you at school!
Week of August 27th
This week we will continue with our All About Me theme. We will talk about our families and learn more about our new friends. Lots of time will be spent this year learning how to be a good friend. This includes sharing, taking turns, using kind words, and gentle hands.
On Friday, we made green rice to play with in our sensory tub this week. We will also be continuing to practice our cutting skills by creating faces from magazine cut-outs.
I have really enjoyed getting to know your little ones over the past couple of weeks. Their personalities are really starting to show and it has been so much fun to watch new friendships form. We have lots to look forward to this year.
On Friday, we made green rice to play with in our sensory tub this week. We will also be continuing to practice our cutting skills by creating faces from magazine cut-outs.
I have really enjoyed getting to know your little ones over the past couple of weeks. Their personalities are really starting to show and it has been so much fun to watch new friendships form. We have lots to look forward to this year.
Week of August 20th
The theme for this week is All About Me! We will be painting with our favorite colors, graphing these same colors, and creating self-portraits later in the week. We will spend a little time talking about our favorite things and how we are all the same and how we are different.
We will working with scissors and straws this week in the sensory tub. We will be learning to hold them correctly and how to safely handle scissors around others.
We will working with scissors and straws this week in the sensory tub. We will be learning to hold them correctly and how to safely handle scissors around others.
Week of August 13th
It was so great to meet all of the new families and see all of the returning families at Open House last night. I appreciate you all taking the time to come over and help your child get comfortable in their new classroom.
The theme this first week will be all about School. We go on a scavenger hunt to find all of the centers in our room. We will be learning some school rules. We will also be learning that while we can do certain things at home, we may not be able to do those same things at school (and vice versa). We will spend time talking about how we can be a good friend and why this is important. Most of these first few weeks will be exploring our new room, making new friends and playing with some fun, new toys.
Please be sure to bring in the spare change of clothes if you have not already done so. Also, it is important you bring in a water bottle each day. I can refill it throughout the day, but please make sure it arrives filled and their name is on it.
I am really looking forward to great year!
See you next week,
Kelly
The theme this first week will be all about School. We go on a scavenger hunt to find all of the centers in our room. We will be learning some school rules. We will also be learning that while we can do certain things at home, we may not be able to do those same things at school (and vice versa). We will spend time talking about how we can be a good friend and why this is important. Most of these first few weeks will be exploring our new room, making new friends and playing with some fun, new toys.
Please be sure to bring in the spare change of clothes if you have not already done so. Also, it is important you bring in a water bottle each day. I can refill it throughout the day, but please make sure it arrives filled and their name is on it.
I am really looking forward to great year!
See you next week,
Kelly