Preschool News:
It was a short but very busy month in Preschool. We learned about the 8th month of the school year (April), the color (yellow), and the shape (square). We have learned the “hokey pokey,” a popular choice of our song-pickers and a great way to reinforce lefts and rights! We also finished the Alphabet! I can’t believe our Z ended up in some of your homes and as far away as St. John!!!
We also learned about growing plants from seeds. We started out painting a small plant pot, then we filled it with soil, planted a seed, watered it each day at school, found a sunny spot, and WAITED. Our seeds grew QUICKLY, and we styled our grassy heads “hair” before bringing them home! We enjoyed making flowers for our Harmony classroom tree and had fun making Easter Bunnies. We had lots of fun on our Easter Egg and treasure hunts throughout the month. It has been nice getting outside more now that we are having spring-like weather. Please remember rubber boots for wet weather and warm outerwear on those cold mornings. We look forward to lots of outdoor time in the weeks to follow.
At this time of the school year it is remarkable to see how much our students have grown emotionally, socially, academically, and physically! Your children very much understand our Harmony Do’s (being kind, respectful, safe, first time listeners, and optimists). Clearly communicated goals and expectations are consistent each day and have helped lead your children onto their path of being GREAT STUDENTS.
Miss Lori
Pre-K News:
April was a quick but fun-filled month in Pre-K!
The children began the month with decorating a vase; having to choose between making an “optimist” or “pessimist” face on it. Next, each child filled their vase with soil (the fancy word for dirt), sprinkled grass seeds on top, and lastly, added water. I placed their vases in a sunny window. For a science experiment, we subtracted one part of the “growing plant process” to see what would happen!! Ask your student what happened to the experiment plant that did NOT get sun!!!! The children are experts at the six steps of growing a plant! 1. vase, 2. soil, 3. seeds, 4. water, 5. sun, 6. time.
Having learned the letter sounds and lines for X, Y, and Z, we completed our work on the alphabet! The children (and teachers!) were so proud! We celebrated with a fantastic Alphabet party, went on a mini letter Z scavenger hunt, and assembled the entire Pre-K Alphabet Train; taking turns, finding a toy that belongs in each train car, starting with A and ending with Z. The favorite letter T-shirts were a big hit!
We continue to work on the calendar... breaking it down by year, season, month, days of the week, as well as “today” and “tomorrow”... quiz your little one and ask them how many seasons and months there are... also ask them what DOES NOT repeat on the calendar... they are so smart!
The children have been practicing counting to 100! They are coming along really well... any time home practice presents itself... driveway chalk, counting things while driving... while waiting in line... those little time bursts of practice are so powerful and awesome at exercising those developing brains! We spend time organizing all types of things in groups of 10s... and then count how many rows we have... and then practice counting by 10s!!
We talk A LOT about pushing through “hard” things... Those “hard” moments are when our brains are inside our heads doing back-flips and getting stronger!!! The children have developed a wonderful respect for each others “turn to learn” and appreciating that some of us need a little more time to let our brain find the answers... AND that some of us find some things easy that others find hard... we are all so different... AND wonderful! I am so proud of my students! Know that in those “hard” moments... new brain synapses pathways are being created... a more flexible mind is developing... and a life-long problem solver is budding!!
The children have become little Yoga experts... not to mention strong like little bulls! They are working out every day! I can’t WAIT to see those April Push Up Challenge calendars!!
Our favorite book this month was:
SuperHero ABC, by Bob McLeod.
The children have been learning how to break down words into syllables. When introducing a new word to them, clap out how many “parts” the word has. This is a great pre-reading skill, as the children learn to break the word down by parts to eventually sound out each one.
We have started “sounding out” time!!! I’ll write a new word on the white board... and “practice” sounding out the words... they will be readers before you know it!
We will continue to practice using the calendar, building the letters with blocks while practicing their sounds... and we will play with numbers... counting to 100, finding differences, and using simple math. Soon, we will build an analogue clock... many are very excited about learning how to tell time... but for now we will start with building the clock...
Next month we will learn all about the butterfly life cycle!
It has been a great month!
Miss Holly
Coming Up:
Mothers Day Tea!!!
Thursday, May 14th at 10:45, Thursday May 14th at 2:15, and Friday May 15th 10:45. The children have already started preparing!!
We will be spending more time outside; catching caterpillars and going on nature walks. Please remember to apply sunscreen and bug spray before the children arrive to school. I have noticed ticks on myself after being outside. Here is good information on Lyme: https://www.cdc.gov/lyme/index.html
The month of May will be all about the BUTTERFLY life cycle!
Observation Reports will be handed out towards the end of May.
AFTER this week, there are 4 short weeks of school left!
We will plan a PREK bike day later in the month of May.
Save the date: THURSDAY, May 28th... we will have our end of the year show at Rockland High School 52 Mackinlay Way!!!! 6:00
Thank Yous
Thank you very much for the thoughtful Alphabet party! It was a big hit!!
Thank you for the paper towel donations! We use them up so quickly!
Awesome job being on time for drop off! Learning how to be on time, and organized for school is a life long habit that will serve your children well; it truly sets each child up for success when they feel prepared for their day.