Week of March 2-5, 2015

Week of March 2-5, 2015

Theme: How animals move

Focus Question: How do animals move?

Letter of the Week: K

Dear Family,

As we conclude our animal theme, we will focus on the variety of ways in which animals move. We will review animal body parts and make a connection between body parts and movement. In addition to using the words walk, swim, and fly, children will expand their vocabulary to include words such as stomp, waddle, and slither.

Learning Together

• Play a game of "Simon Says" with your child. give instructions such as: "Simon says stomp: or "Simon says swim.
• While reading books identify animals in the story. Identify how the animals are moving: walking, flying, running, and swimming.
• Look through picture books of animals with your child. Discuss and pantomime how each of the animals moves.

Activities:

• Monday is Dr. Seuss's Birthday. So in honor of his birthday we will read one of his books, Mr. Brown Can Moo! Can You? and we will make a special Seuss craft.
• We will also participate in making the sounds and moving like the animals and objects while we read the story.
• We will read the story Move! After reading the story we will try to recall some of the animals and describe how they moved. We will also move our bodies like the animals.
• We will sort animals by whether they are animals you see at the zoo or animals you see at the farm.
• We will also do a different animal sort about where animals move: on land, in the air or in the water.
•  On Wednesday when we go to the gym we will play Animal Charades and move our bodies like a variety of animals.
• This week we will also make a letter K craft for our letter of the week. 
• We will use our building sticks to build our new letter K and review our letters from the month of February: D, P, B, and R.
• The a.m. class will get the opportunity to go to an assembly on March 4th to watch the second grade musical performance. 

Reminders:

• Show and Share is every Thursday and features the letter of the week. Please take some time to find something at home that starts with the letter of the week on Wednesday night and place it in your child's backpack for school on Thursday.
• Spring Break is coming up: April 3-12. School will resume on April 13.
• If we should have another 2 hour delay the protocol is that the a.m. preschool session is cancelled and the p.m. session will come at their normal time.

Week of February 23-26, 2015

Week of February 23-26, 2015

Theme: Comparing Animals

Focus question: How are animals the same and different?

Letter: R

Dear Families,

Since we missed school last week we will be continuing some of the activities that were planned for last week and then add some new activities that compare animals. This week, as we continue our study of animals, children will compare animals. We will discover ways animals are the same and different in terms of how they look and how they sound. As we read a book titled Who is the Beast? children will become familiar with the word beast and its meaning.

Learning Together

• Together, visit a pet store or an animal shelter. Observe fish and discuss how the fish are the same and different. Do the same with other animals such as  birds, dogs, and kittens.
• Search books and magazines for pictures of animals. Point to animals and ask your child, Is this a wild animal? How do you know?
• Have both you and your child draw pictures of an animal, such as a fish. Compare the two pictures, discussing how they are the same and different.

Activities:

• We will compare jungle animals and find ways that they are similar and different. We will also look to apply this to other groups comparing them for similarities and differences. We will be using visual pictures to help us discriminate the similarities and differences.
• We will continue to practice patterning by patterning jungle animals.
• Since we missed Show and Share for letter B last week please have your child bring their letter B Show and Share on Monday. Every week we make a list of words that correspond to our letter and on this list we include items the children brought in for show and share, so we want to make sure to make our B list.
• On Thursday please have your child bring in Show and Share for letter R. 
• Letter of the Week snack: since I do not have the list at home with me I am unable to relay the information regarding who is doing the letter of the week snack for letter R this week. The letter would have gone home on Thursday but since we didn't have school it did not go home. I will send the letter home on Monday and we will push back letter of the week snack until Thursday, which would mean it would not need to be to school until Wednesday. Thank you for your understanding.

I hope everyone is feeling better, we had quite a few children out in each class last week. We will make sure we are washing hands diligently so that we get rid of all of the germs. I did go in to school for a little bit on Friday and wiped down the shelves and toys and put new toys out so hopefully that also will help with any spreading of germs.

Make sure to bundle up and stay warm. We will see everyone on Monday.

Week of February 17-19, 2015

Week of February 17-19, 2015

Theme: Animals at Home

Focus Question: Where do animals live and what do they eat?

Letter of the Week: B

Dear Families,

This week we will be talking about different places animals live. We are going to be reading the book "Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What Do You Hear?" There are several other books that are similar to this book including "Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? and "Panda Bear, Panda Bear, What Do You See? We will be discussing the animals in the book and where they live. We will be making a polar bear mask and using props to retell the story. We will continue to practice patterning both individually and in groups. 

Our big box has been transformed several times now from a vet clinic, to a Valentine's day house and this week we will be transforming it into an igloo where arctic animals live. We will watch a short video about polar bears and penguins and how they survive in the cold.

We will be making our own book based on the Polar Bear, Polar Bear book. Each child will have their own page and they will get to choose what they hear and how it sounds, they are only limited by their creativity. 

Upcoming Dates:

For those students who will be going to kindergarten next school year please look for a letter coming home this week telling you what you need to do for kindergarten registration. Please remember that your children are already registered students in the district and therefore only need to sign up for a screening time at their home school. 

Show and Share: Thursday, February 19-Letter B

Family Bingo Night!

Dear Families,

Please register for our Bingo Night, which is to be held at the Middle School. This is traditionally a very popular event, and this year the theme is “Bingo for Books,” so all prizes are books or writing accessories. Also, families are encouraged to dress in the costume of their favorite literary characters if they would like! More information available on our PSO website www.Hiltonpso.com. Any questions regarding the event can be directed to info@hiltonpso.com. Thanks!

February 9-12, 2015

Happy Valentine's Day

Week of February 9-12, 2015

Theme: Valentine's Day & Kindness

Letter of the Week: P

Dear Parents,

This week we will be discussing Valentine's Day. We will be talking about helping one another, showing kindness and working together.

Activities

• In preparation for our Valentine's Day Party on Thursday, February 12 we will be decorating the boxes covered boxes the children are bringing back to school. Please make sure you return your box to school on Monday so that we can get them decorated for our party.  Please also have your child send in their Valentine's Day cards before Thursday as well.
• We will also be making a Valentine's Day card and a Penguin for letter P. When the children are participating in these types of activities they are practicing some important skills, such as: attending/focusing, following oral directions and practicing fine motor skills such as cutting and proper grip on a pencil or crayon. We also do several activities that help reinforce these skills such as using the thumb and pointer finger to pick up small objects, using tweezers to pick up objects, picking up flat objects and placing them into a slotted containers, all of these activities help the children build hand strength, coordination and appropriate grip for perform activities such cutting, coloring and writing. 
• We will be practicing sorting and patterning with conversation hearts. 
• We will also be practicing identifying rhyming words, rhyming is an important early literacy skill. The younger children are being introduced to this skill and may be practicing it. The older children are also learning this skill and are definitely moving on to practicing this skill.

Important Reminders:

• February 16-No School President's Day
• If you have not returned your conference form please remember to return it to school with your child so that we can set up a conference to discuss your child's progress.

Week of February 2-5, 2015

Week of February 2-5, 2015

Theme: I Know Animals

Focus Question: What are animals like?

Letter of the Week: D

Dear Families,

During this week, we will talk about animals, focusing on pets. We will compare animals based on appearances and discuss characteristics that make some animals amazing. This theme also gives us the opportunity to discuss how to care for pets. We will also talk about the difference between real and make-believe animals.

Learning Together

• Talk with your child about the animals that they know about. If you or a neighbor has a pet, ask your child to describe what the animal looks like and how it sounds.
• together, look for animals, such as birds or squirrels in your area. You might want to chart of the animals you see this week.
• With your child, watch television documentaries about animals. Discuss the appearances of the animals you see.
• Look through magazines and newspapers for pictures of animals and see which ones your child can name.

Activities

• Last week I was lucky enough to get a large box from a freezer that was being delivered at school. This week we are going to turn this box into something for our pets. The children will get to decide what they want to turn it into and then will be able to help with the transformation. 
• A variety of items to care for pets will be provided as well as some stuffed pets for the children to play with, there will also be items that may be used in a veterinary office so that the children can help their pets stay healthy.
• We will be sorting dog bones by size. 
• We will be choosing a pet and designing a house for our pet to live in. 
• We will be discussing what are important things for our pets to have to keep them healthy and safe as well as what we can do to help take care of them. 
• We are going to be making a D dog.
• We are also going to play a dice game. We will roll the dice and the number on the dice will tell us how many spots to put on the dog each time.
• We are going to be listening to letter sounds and environmental sounds and determining if they sound the same or different.
• Please send in a half sheet of paper that lists if you have any pets at home, what type of pets they are and what their names are. If you have any pictures of your pets we would love to see those as well. We are going to be graphing pets and seeing which type of pet there is the most of.

Upcoming dates:

• February 12-Valentine's Day party (kids only)-later this week I will be sending home information regarding Valentine's day activities.
• February 16th-No School President's Day