Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Welcome to December

I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday.  I know my family enjoyed it!

December will bring many things to our little shining stars.  We have begun our unit on The Shoemaker and the Elves.  Our new focus color is green and we are working on circles and squares.  We will begin doing some basic abab patterns because there seems to be so many patterns around at this time of the year.  Ask them to show you different patterns.  You can encourage colors, but also cans, blocks, shapes, sizes like big little big little etc. 

Advent has begun.  Each Monday, we will have a prayer service and "light" one candle in the school hall.  Yesterday, I sent home a colored wreath for you to do with your child.  The candles go purple on weeks 1&2, then pink and the last candle is purple.  Try to connect school and home in the manner as well.  Also, regarding church, don't forget to bring your "MASS PORTS" to church during Advent.

The children are starting to spend more time in their new "groups".  We hope that the classroom is ready the week of December 13 sometime.  We have already seen the huge benefits of these smaller groups for the children.  Remember, I will continue to do the Rowland program with all the older 4s and 5s while Ms. Kim will work with the 3's and young 4s.  This will be daily for about 20 minutes.  The gym classes will be seperate, but Spanish, Art and Library will continue to be together. 

We just celebrated Victoria F's birthday. Our next is Olivia on Dec. 9.  If your child comes home with extra snacks or with their snacks not eaten, that is because someone has brought in a birthday snack. 

As always, stay warm and be happy!
Tanya

Monday, November 22, 2010

Happy Thanksgiving!

Before I forget... Thanks to all that helped to support CMH and RMH! Wait until you see the photos.  It was overwhelming. 
We need to remember daily how blessed we all are.  Times are tough and sometimes health gets shaky, but we have so much to be thankful for.  Perhaps you can say a daily prayer of thanks at dinner. Our snack prayer is:

"We fold our hands and softly say, thank you for our food today."  The children know and understand this prayer. 

I do hope that you are reading to your child or even singing or telling stories.  Children do so much better in school when they have these listening activities at home as well.  If your child does not yet have a library card, try to get there over Thanksgiving to have them get their very own card.  If a child can write their name, they can have a card.  They can go and "shop around" their own book choices.  It is very exciting to a small child.  I am sure most have read 10 books by now. If you have, please return that USA book pledge by Dec. 17 so we can submit them as a class and Scholastic can donate books to less privileged children.

God Bless you all during this, our first family holiday of the year. 

Mrs. Tanya  

Tuesday, November 16, 2010

As Thanksgiving approaches

Let us remember what we are thankful for.  We are talking all about Thanksgiving.  We are talking like pilgrams and learning about the Native Americans that lived in Plymouth.  In all of that, we are also talking about family and how blessed we are for having families.  We talk about how some people are without that very important thing.  We thank God for our family and for our food, our homes, school, friends etc.  Please remind them of those things not just this time of year, but all year round.

Don't forget next Tuesday is our Family luncheon.  Please sign up for a dish if you have done so.  We will start lunch at noon. There is no edp that day, so if you are unable to come for the lunch make arrangements to pick your child up by 1pm.

Finally, don't forget to order your tickets for the TANGLED event on Nov. 28th.  You can see any showtime that day.

GOD BLESS!

Sunday, November 7, 2010

November News

This week we have a shadow day for incoming prek and kindergarten students.  If you know anyone, PLEASE send them our way.  We would love to have some new friends this year or for them to sign up for next year! If they can't come this week on the 11th, next week on the 17th is yet another day to bring a friend.

We are so busy lately.  I apologize for not sending a blog last week.  We have been working on Ee, Ff, in and out.  The students worked together as a whole group to create a classroom book on the SMARTboard!  They came up with the title, the characters and the story line.   This will be printed and each child will have a chance to take it home to share.  PLEASE keep it one night then return it.  I encourage you to fold some paper and staple it together and leave a few on a table with a pencil.  The children LOVE to write stories and this is something they can do with little to no help from an adult.  Don't ask them "what is this? or what does it say?" Instead, say to them "Can you read your story to me?"  This will give their work great value.

We are working on families over this week and next.  Please send a family photo by THURSDAY Nov. 11.  This will be displayed, so if it precious, please make a copy.  Don't forget Mrs. A's art scavenger hunt.  It is so much more fun than just going to the store to buy something.  Also, a big thanks to all who have or continue to donate during this giving season.  We all know times are very hard.  It is even harder for families with very ill children who are stuck "living" in hospitals for weeks and months.  Our last day for collecting is Nov. 12.

Finally, your time slot for parent teacher report cards was sent home.  Please return signed and if you are unable to make it, we will schedule another day after Thanksgiving if you would like.

God Bless!
Tanya :)
adding the yummy ingredients


Making slime swamps to eat
The Whole Gang
Our scavenger hunt