Week of December 1, 2014

Week of December 1, 2014
Theme: My Community & Community Helpers
Letter of the Week: C

Dear Family,

During the past few weeks, children have been exploring the concept of community. They have learned about the various parts of a community, the places that are common to most communities, and the people who help within them. This week, children will learn about how they can help in their community. They will talk about how they can be efficient classroom helpers and how they can help on a regular basis at home. 

Learning Together

• Ask your child to tell you about one way in which he or she helped a teacher or a classmate at school. Then talk about additional ways that he or she can help in the classroom, such as by cleaning up, sharing, helping with pets, listening politely, and following directions.
• Together, plan a project such as baking, planting or cleaning, and have your child think of ways in which he or she can help you complete it.

This week some of our classroom activities include:

• C craft-car
• Cookie craft-following directions and practice cutting activity
• Qualities of things that are alive vs not a live
• Daily 5-learning about 3 ways to read a book (read the words, read the pictures or retell the story)
• We will beginning using the netbooks in class which has some learning activities that correspond to our curriculum. This week we will learn how to use a mouse and practice using the mouse. Many children are very familiar with how to use a touch tablet but have not become acquainted with using the mouse with the computer. We will play some games that give them practice with using a mouse before we begin using the curriculum programs. 
• This week we will have a vet clinic in the dramatic play area. Over the last couple of weeks the children have had many learning experiences as well as fun participating in the grocery store and the post office that were in the dramatic play area. 
• Our story for the week is: Quinito’s Neighborhood.
• We are also going to compare different community helpers and the types of things they do and they tools they use.

I want to thank everyone for participating in our Thanksgiving Day Feast and for providing the food and supplies for the feast.

Upcoming dates:

• December 4-Show and Share letter C
• Holiday Break-December 20-January 4. Return to school January 5, 2015.

Week of November 24-25, 2014

Week of November 24-25, 2014

Theme: Thanksgiving

No Letter this week

Dear Parents,

This week we will be celebrating Thanksgiving at school. We will have our class feast on Monday.  The a.m. feast will be 10:15-11:00 and the p.m. feast will be 1:45-2:30. I look forward to celebrating with everyone. We will be making our desert for the feast on Monday. I would like to thank everyone for participating and providing food for our feast.

We will do several thanksgiving activities such as talking about and writing down what we are thankful for. We will be reading a Scholastic magazine about Turkeys and we will be coloring a turkey by following the number code by color. 

I hope everyone has the opportunity to spend time with family and friends during their time off. Please remember there is no school on November 26 & 27. School will resume on December 1.

Week of November 17-20, 2014

Week of November 17-20, 2014

Theme: My Community

Focus Question:How does a community help me?

Letter of the Week:  U

Dear Families,

During the upcoming week, children will explore the activities in their community and how the people within it help and assist them. they will talk about community helpers, such as the school nurse. They will learn about "rush hour," when people travel in vehicle to and from work and school. They will learn to recognize buildings in which people go to work. 

Learning Together

• Tell your child about where you and/or other members of your family go to work. If possible, visit that place.
• Ask your child to tell you the name of his or her bus driver.
• Take your child along when you go to the grocery store, gas station or other locations in your community. Talk about how the workers  help you, your family and others in the community.

This week we will have the community post office at preschool. The grocery store was so much fun, all of the children had fun buying food, stocking shelves and checking out purchases at the cash register. If you have any junk mail at home that you would like to contribute to the post office we will have more mail that the children can deliver. 

Activities:

• The children will make their own letters to deliver in mailboxes in the classroom.
• We will sort "mail" (beanbags) by color as we deliver our mail on our bikes when we go to the gym.
• We will be making a craft for letter U.
• Our story this week is "Rush Hour."
• Officer John will visit us in preschool on Monday to tell us all about how police officers help us in the community.

Don't forget:

• Show and Share on Thursday, November 20 letter U. 
• Thanksgiving Feast on November 24th, a.m. 10:15-11:30, p.m. 1:45-2:30
• Thanksgiving Break: November 26-30. Return to school on November 30th.

Week of November 10, 2014

Week of November 20, 2014

 Theme: In Our Community

Letter of the week: I

Dear Families:

This week, children will begin to explore the concept of a community. They will learn that a community is a place where people live and work. Children will talk about the parts of a community, such as places to live, places to play, places to work, and the community members who work in those places. they will also learn to recognize the common needs of all members of a community and discuss good practices for playing and working safely in the community.

Learning Together

• Take a walk in your neighborhood with your child. Point out buildings such as houses and apartment, stores, schools, the public library, hospitals or medical centers, the post office, and the police and fire stations. Talk with your child about what goes onion each building and who works there.
• Plan to visit an elderly neighbor with your child. Talk with your child about something fun the two of you might do with your neighbor.

Next week I have set up a grocery store in our dramatic play area.  If you have any empty containers from food could you please clean them out and send them to school so we can add them to our grocery store.  The children will have the opportunity to shop in the grocery store, cut out coupons, make a shopping list, and scan and collect money for groceries. The children will be able to take on different roles in the grocery store such as: stocking the shelves, checking out customers, and delivering food to the store. 

We will also read stories about a variety of places and services that are available in communities. We will work together to make a list of places and services we have in our community including community helpers. The children will use stickers to create their own communities. We will also practice some map skills by using a community map and finding different places on the map and driving a car there. We will also practice matching numbers by parking numbered cars in a parking garage. 

On November 24th we will be having a Thanksgiving Feast at school in which families are invited to join us.  I will be sending a sign up shortly for items we will need for the feast. 

I wanted to make a correction in last week's newsletter. The p.m. class has a new friend and I believe I spelled his name wrong, his name is Prathyush. 

Reminders:

Show and Share is on November 13th for the letter I.

Week of November 3-6, 2014

Week of November 3-6, 2014

Unit: All About Me

Theme: Families

Letter of the Week: T

Dear Families,

During the week, the children will be learning about families. Children will learn the names of family members, such as father, mother, grandfather, sister, and uncle. They will describe their own families and read about a storybook family. They will also learn that families can be different; they can be made up of different family members can do together.

Learning Together

• If you have a family album, look at the photographs with your child. Together, name the family members. Point out and name any family members that children have not met or who have passed away. If photographs aren't available, draw a family picture and name the pictured individuals.
• Plan a whole family activity, such as cooking a meal, playing a game, or having a picnic.
• Talk about ways family members help and support each other, such as by cheering at a fame or celebrating a birthday. Discuss with your child how he or she can help other family members.

This weeks activities include:

• Learning about what living things need to survive
• Recognizing our family members by illustrating a book page.
• Graphing brothers and sisters, then comparing the two groups.
• Sorting and ordering numbers 1-10.
• Making a Letter T craft-Tractor
• Musical letters with the letters we have learned so far.
• Stories include: Llama Llama home with Mama and Jonathan and His Mommy

Our Halloween party was fun. We went trick or treating around the school and brought home many wonderful treats. I hope everyone had a safe holiday weekend. It looks like the cold weather is beginning to set in so make sure your child is dressed appropriately for the chilly weather.