May 3, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
It finally happened…just what I had feared…May is here! We are so excited to be learning in our Chesapeake Bay unit of studies, but that means that our last month of school is upon us!
On May 9, we will take our field trip to Bevans Oyster Company and Westmoreland State Park. This will be a very special day for Pre-K 5 children and parents. Everyone is welcome to come along with us. Amanda Chappell, Tifffany Longest, and Amanda Matthews have volunteered to drive their vehicles, but I will need one more drivers for the trip. Please let me know ASAP if you would be willing to drive. Our trip to Bevans involves viewing the oyster shuckers working on the shucking line; we also visit the Fast Frozen facility where oysters on the half shell are frozen to 60 degrees below zero for shipping all over the East coast. It is a fascinating experience. The children will get to hold the shucked oysters and actually see "Petey Pea Crab" living in a few of them. (That's from our book Pearly Oyster!) From there, we will travel to Westmoreland State Park to take a look at a beautiful wilderness area that is home to many of Virginia's forest animals. Mr. John Magruder (father of Andrew, Grade 8) will be our guide through the forest. Mr. Magruder is a forester and owner of Three Rivers Forestry. He takes the time every year to lead our troop through the woods. He teaches us about conservation, taking care of our forests, and helps us to look for shark's teeth on the banks of the Potomac. We conclude our morning with a picnic on the playgrounds of the park. I will tell you that the 3/4 to 1 mile hike (one way) to the Potomac River offers some extreme uphill and downhill hiking. (The challenge isn't for the children, but, rather, for the adults!) The scenery is beautiful, and we learn so much from Mr. Magruder. Please consider making this trip with us. A permission and intent form will accompany this newsletter on Friday.
If you are unable to attend the field trip with us, it will be necessary for you to send your child's car seat to school on trip day. Mrs. Spoor will also be with us on this trip, so we will have plenty of supervision to keep your child safe.
On Monday…We sang the "rainy day song" this morning before going to gym class with Mrs. Watts. We later read "Enor the Elephant," our alphabet coloring story. We reviewed some of the vocabulary words from our book Crabby and Nabby…A Tale of Two Blue Crabs by Suzanne Tate. The children retained so much from the story; they even remembered that the male crab's apron looks like the Washington Monument, and the female's like the capitol dome! We even have pictures to illustrate the two aprons! We read Earl the Squirrel by Don Freeman. We had a blast coloring and cutting out our two puppets, Earl and Conrad, the bull. We acted out the story when Mrs. Spoor re-told it. The children had so much fun; I hope they told you the story about the crafty squirrel and the very angry bull.
On Tuesday…The Explore group of children, ages 3 and 4, joined us this morning. Three additional children joined us for morning routine, enjoying gym class with Mrs. Watts. We read our Alpha Tales story, "The Enormous Elephant Show," which was filled with words that begin with the letter E. It is a difficult concept to understand the two sounds for E…long and short! The children enjoyed art class with Ms Schacht, preparing a "Bay scene" with sea grasses, fish and crabs. These pictures are on display in the lower school hallway. We read Johnny Longlegs, A Tale of Big Birds by Suzanne Tate. We had just enough time to color our Great Blue Herons for our journal work. Each activity that we do in the classroom will be placed in your child's journal. You will receive this at the end of the year. There will be a little synopsis about each animal/bird that is studied in the journal for you and your child to read about over the summer.
On Wednesday… We read Pearlie Oyster by Suzanne Tate. She told us the story of an oyster's life cycle as we enjoyed the illustrations of oysters in the book. They were most entertained by the idea that an oyster will share its home with a pea crab! They were such good listeners during library time, they found that a pearl had actually formed in their oysters when they returned to class. These little "paper oysters" came home today. Mrs. Erickson is so proud of the way they participate in music class. We had a short group time after outside play before lunch; we talked about our new vocabulary words from Pearlie Oyster…"spat" is a great word, don't you think? When we have both Music class and Library time in the same day, it keeps us extremely busy.
On Thursday…We began our morning with Callirobics for the letter Ee. The lower case letter e is much more difficult to draw. The children actually want some homework so that they can practice! We enjoyed Computer class with Mrs. Gresham this morning, also. We are preparing some very special gifts for Mother's Day this year, so we prepared ourselves for the task by reading Are You My Mother? by Dr. Seuss! We cannot tell you any more than this! Thos children finishing early had some math challenge work to do!
On Friday…This morning we read one of my favorite books Elmer by David McKee. It is the story of an unusual elephant who is unhappy with the way he looks. He underestimates his value as a special individual with talents all his own. The story teaches a good lesson, and the children really enjoyed the special activity that accompanied it. We also read The Right Number of Elephants by Jeff Sheppard. We worked on numeral 13 for our numeral practice pages. We worked on some additional surprises for our Mother's Day remembrances! We missed Kolton and Thomas today.
Thought for the Week: There is such value in truthfulness. "Raising our children to be honest and truthful wll help tem in many ways. They will understand the value of integrity and trust in their personal relationships with colleagues, friends, and family. They will have the courage to look at themselves and their situations honestly. Most importantly, they will have the comforting knowledge that they are being honest with themselves. The peace of mind that comes from this knowledge is a great gift." Children Learn What They Live by Dorothy Nolte
No linens this week…Kolton has the letter box for Letter I on Monday. (If you don't have the letter box, just use a bag!) Snuggle up and read this weekend! Have a great time with your family! Hope Kolton, Thomas, Millie, Brayson, and LeighAnn are feeling better…
Mrs. Ryan |
April 26, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
April is disappearing right before our eyes! I hope you enjoyed reading through the Farm Books with your children…our plans to visit a dairy farm did not pan out, but we are excited about our two future field trips in May. I have heard from Amanda Chappell and Amanda Matthews (LeighAnn's Mom) who wish to be drivers for both field trips. We need two more drivers, and I think we will be set! Remember, I need to make copies of your driver's license and proof of insurance before the trip; it will be left on file with our business manager.
On Monday…The children were very excited about going to gym; their energy level is especially high during the early morning! We read "Zippy Zebra," our alphabet coloring story with special emphasis on the letter Z. We also read parts of Caring for our Earth by Sally Hewitt, which speaks to issues like forestation, litter, air pollution, and ways to care for the earth. The children colored an "earth" picture to place in their journals. They also colored a sheet on Virginia's forest animals…we learned that taking of our earth helps to provide safe habitats for Virginia's forest animals. Some of the children completed these; they came home in backpacks.
On Tuesday…Gym class at 8:45 a.m.! I cannot tell you how important this class is to your children! Mrs. Watts has them moving, following directions, learning games, cooperating…it is a class of many benefits. During art class, the children began a sunflower painting from the roots up! They discussed the parts of a plant, "planting" their seeds first in their painting. I think they did a wonderful job! I will try to send these home on Friday. After outside play, we painted our steel sculpture (the butterflies) for the garden. We used outside acrylic paint, so I hope it will stand up to the weather! The children are very proud of their butterflies; we will place black or gold ornamentation on them on Wednesday. We also completed our "Spring" season tree for our booklets on the seasons…only one more season to go! These booklets will come home at the end of school.
On Wednesday…First thing this morning, the children decorated their butterflies with black or gold paint. One more day to dry thoroughly, and we're off to the garden! After our morning routine, we worked in our Callirobics workbook on the letter Zz. Some 'spring fever' got a hold of those Z's…we will have to practice a little more for homework! The children enjoyed music class with Mrs. Erickson; they sang some songs about getting along with our friends and being kind. We needed that reminder today. All but one child remembered their library book. Soon, we will be unable to check books out of the library as we get closer to the end of the year. There is a book faire scheduled for the week of May 13, so remember to keep that week in mind for shopping. During instructional time, we tried to learn about our Chesapeake Bay map on the bulletin board. We are concentrating on three peninsulas, six rivers, the Bay and the Atlantic Ocean. It is a very difficult concept to look at the globe, discern the US, then find Virginia, and then close in on the Chesapeake Bay area. We are thinking globally… then to our little corner of the world! (It is our introduction to our place on the planet!) The children are very interested in this process. Kolton already can point on the globe to show me where his bananas come from; Millie knows where Florida is; most identify the Atlantic Ocean; and everyone knows we are close to the Rappahannock River. I will be anxious to see how much information is retained after we study the Bay! We will be using individual maps soon to have even more fun!
On Thursday… We have a visitor today…Elizabeth Donoghue, daughter of Mrs. Mavora Donoghue. We enjoyed some "hands on" math work today as we worked on one-to-one correspondence and counting. The children were anxious to get back to Computer class, as last week Mrs. Gresham was unable to teach our children due to Middle School testing. We read Crabby and Nabby… A Tale of Two Blue Crabs by Suzanne Tate and illustrator, James Melvin. These two (writer and illustrator) have collaborated for nearly forty years. Suzanne Tate's nature series features animals from the Chesapeake Bay and bays in the North Carolina, Outer Banks area. She is a native of Nagshead, NC, and her books are for sale in all of the gift shops and local stores there. We love using her series of books, because we learn all about the life cycle of the various creatures of the Bay. She also incorporates meaningful stories for the children in each book. We colored our crabs a "Chesapeake blue" color; the children also drew their own crabs for a future project.
On Friday…We read "Zack the Lazy Zebra," our Alpha Tales story for the letter Z. The children worked on their letter Z page for their alphabet binders. We also planted Zinnias this morning, and will wait patiently for the 5-7 days to watch them poke up through the soil. We thought our tall sunflowers could use some shorter siblings in the garden! We read If I Ran the Zoo by Dr. Seuss, a very funny, strange rhyming book about a little boy who would change the zoo. Gerald McGrew had some very different ideas about the kinds of animals that should live in a zoo. The children worked on their numeral practice sheets for number 12. We also returned our beautiful butterflies to the garden this afternoon.
Thought for the Week: I am reminded (every day) of the time I spent with my own children when they were five…every time I prepare a certain food, ride by a Little League field, drive by a soccer field or pick up a tennis racket…read the crazy, wonderful stories that I transcribed for them in their journals. The most important gift you will ever give your child is your time and attention. (And…you don't get a re-do on this one!) Thank goodness for that little icon on this computer!
Linens will come home this week…have a wonderful weekend with your family!
Wanda Ryan |
April 19, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
We welcomed another beautiful week on Monday…even with a little light rain! We are so anxious to visit the garden to see how much our sunflowers have grown; we will be measuring their height and development of our plants. Standardized testing is taking place in our school this week so we are traveling in the hallways quietly and respectfully. I am very proud of our children and their ability to do what is asked.
I have decided to go ahead with sending home a paper copy of the newsletter. I don't think we will be penalized for using seven pieces of paper. I noticed that not everyone had an opportunity to log in to the website this past weekend; I feel that the newsletter is easier to read if you have them in hand.
On Monday…We began our day with a trip to gym class. Mrs. Watts had the children busy doing morning exercises and some fun games. Upon returning to the classroom, we began our study of Virginia by examining a map and comparing it to what the US looks like and the world map. We will be studying about Virginia during Vv week! We found the Rappahannock River, Aylett and VA; we also found the state capitol, the Chesapeake Bay, and the Atlantic Ocean. We talked about the topography of Virginia, also. We will have a much larger map on our bulletin board when we get to our unit on the Chesapeake Bay. Children really love looking at maps; it is a fun activity to do with them. We also read The Tale of Peter Rabbit by Beatrix Potter. After the story, the children colored a little story board with two small puppets to retell the story of Peter Rabbit. (an explanation came home…)
On Tuesday…We enjoyed early morning gym class again! Brayson brought in the letter box for letter V; he had pictures of a volcano, a viper, a violin, and a vulture. He also had a bottle of vanilla flavoring, which we all smelled! The children created "hand made" lilies in Art class with Ms Schacht. We identified our state bird, the state flower, and the state fossil…the Chesapecten jeffersonius. Thanks to Kolton's grandfather, the classroom has a wonderful supply of these amazing fossils. Each child received their own fossil, but we are keeping them here until we discuss more about fossils in the midst of our Chesapeake Bay unit. (This unit begins on Thursday, April 18.)
On Wednesday…The children practiced the letter Vv in their Callirobics workbooks. Surprisingly, the letter V offered some unique challenges for them. I will send home some practice work with this newsletter on Friday. After Music class, we had a brief time to put some finishing touches on our "Farm Books." Library time with Ms Schacht found all but one child with a returned library book. Great job this week! We read through our Farm books before sending them home today. The children are very proud of their accomplishments. They have a little difficulty remembering the male and female names for some of the animals, but you should be able to reinforce these names when you read through the book with your child. My favorite paintings are the tractors! I hope you will display those at home. We also traveled to the garden to plant Kaylee's sunflowers today; all of the plants, accept one, are thriving! We planted a few extra just to make certain that our bed is going to be full of blooms!
On Thursday…The entire atmosphere of the room changed this morning as Thomas and Tayloe brought in a cage full of swallowtail butterflies for us to observe! They worked quite diligently to catch them and get them into the butterfly box. Our plan is to release them into the garden after lunch. This morning we read "Vera Viper's Valentine," our Alpha Tales story for the letter V. It was Very, Very, Very entertaining! The children worked on their letter V sheets for their alphabet binders. Even though our morning began with a surprise downfall of rain, the children loved being outside. We also began a new unit of study today…"The Chesapeake Bay!" We read Chesapeake A B C by Priscilla Cummings. We are so excited to learn about the creatures who inhabit the Bay, and as much information about the Bay as we can absorb! Today we worked on coloring our Chesapeake Bay maps; we will be learning about the important rivers that feed into the Bay…the Potomac, the Rappahannock, the Mattaponi, the Pamunkey (which become the York) and the James River. They are thrilled to be junior cartographers! Each assignment that we complete will be placed in their journal for safe keeping. At the end of the year, journals will come home, and you will be able to see the extent of what we have studied for the Chesapeake Bay.
On Friday…We have a visitor today…Benjamin Atkinson, who will be advancing to the Kindergarten classroom with our children next year! This morning, we read an alphabet, rhyming book Come Rhyme with Me by Hans Wilhelm. We are working very diligently on letter identification (review) and beginning letter sounds. Beginning letter sounds are the most important introductory skills for pre-reading. These really need to be in place before Kindergarten. The children colored their Virginia State Insect, the Tiger Swallowtail. These are the butterflies that we released into the garden yesterday! We have touched on some of the Virginia state symbols, but will hold on to our fossil until we can add to the information about it during our Chesapeake Bay unit. We read The Perfect Nest by Catherine Friend, a story about a chicken, a duck, and a goose who fought over a nest, unsuccessfully! After the story, the children worked on their "Vegetable Vests" for the letter V week. We looked for pictures of vegetables to include on our vests. If you have vegetables for dinner tonight, be sure to remark about them. Maybe you could find a picture to add to the vest.
I can give you some advance notice about upcoming field trips!
(Unless changed due to inclement weather…)
May 9, 2013 8:15 a.m. Leave for Bevans Oyster Company and
Westmoreland State Park --we are driving cars
and will need three drivers. This is an observation
and learning trip at Bevans; a hiking trip with guide
John Magruder in Westmoreland--picnic on the
Playground!
May 29, 2013 8:30 a.m. Leave for Faunce's Seafood in Montross, VA
We are also driving cars for this trip. On this trip, we get to view a peeler tank for crabs which is constructed by Mr. Billy Howeth; the children get to see soft shell crabs, molting crabs, even some doublers! Mr. Howeth breaks a claw off so that they can all be handled.
It really does not make any sense to take a huge school bus on these trips. A driver for our field trip must be able to show proof of insurance and a copy of their driver's license to be on file at the school. Parents are responsible for sending car seats.
Linens will come home this week…just don't forget to send them back to school on Monday!
Thought for the day…There is something magical about a butterfly being released
from captivity…almost as magical as the look in the child's
eyes who is releasing it.
Have a wonderful, chilly weekend! Mrs. Ryan |
April 12, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
What a beautiful beginning to our week after spring break! We are so delighted with the warm weather, and the "no coats outside" policy for these few days. I am sure we will experience some cooler weather, so please listen to the forecasts to dress your child appropriately.
Some information for you: On Tuesday and Wednesday mornings, Mrs. Spoor will be conducting a little "Introduction to Pre-School" class for three year olds during the months of April and May. This small class takes place in the Pre-K 3-4 room next door. Her little ones arrive at 8:30 a.m. and are dismissed to their parents at 12:00 Noon. She will return to be with us at noon until she leaves at 1:00 p.m. This program was offered to parents who have concerns about their three-year-olds entering school; it is a 'welcoming' class to help them get used to the idea of school! Our class will continue to function smoothly without interruption. Mrs. Spoor will only be out of the classroom these two mornings each week.
On Monday…The children were very excited to see one another…you would have thought it was the first day of school! Early morning gym class was welcomed with delight. We had a visitor today…Brice Chappell. Children, who are expecting to enroll at ACDS in our preschool program in the Fall, are invited to visit for a day in Pre-K 5. This is more frequent occurrence during April and May, but it does not interrupt our classroom objectives. Pre-K 5 children welcomed Brice and made him feel at home! We read Yoko by Rosemary Wells, a little book about exploring foods from different cultures. We hunted for food pictures to fill out our USDA "Food Plate" to illustrate a healthy meal. We will do this again. We also read one of my favorite Dr. Seuss books, Yertle the Turtle, a story of "kingness" vs "kindness"…or how not to step on your friends to make your way to the top! Dr. Seuss always displays a noteworthy lesson in his stories. The children worked on a numeral writing and coloring activity that accompanied the book.
On Tuesday…We enjoyed another early morning art class with Mrs. Watts. Delilah brought in the letter box for 'X' with interesting things that contain the letter X in their names. The family was very creative! X is about the most difficult letter to look for when filling the letter box. We examined all sorts of items that contained the letter X at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of their names. (Windex, Xylophone, Xray, EXIT, Exfoliant) Great job, Bakers! The children were soon off to art class to construct some beautiful daffodils. We will send these home as soon as possible. I had ordered some "geodes" some time ago; then forgot where I had put them. We decided to open them up to look for crystals. Although true geodes show air pockets and defined crystals inside, these small ones gave the children a peak inside at some forming crystals. It was fun! We worked on a few additional pictures for our Farm Books, also.
On Wednesday…The children worked very diligently on their letter Xx in their Callirobics workbook. This proved to be a more difficult letter than I anticipated. I am sending home some practice work on Friday. The children enjoyed Music class with Mrs. Erickson; they are using xylophones this week! We were missing a few library books this week; please keep in mind how important it is to help your children develop good book returning habits! Library is every Wednesday. We read Pig's Egg, by Katherine Sully, which is a very interesting book about a pig who wants to hatch an egg. We worked on a farm counting set for our Farm book this morning, also.
On Thursday…The children listened to "A Xylophone for X-ray Fish," the Alpha Tales story for the letter X. The children worked on the letter X page for their alphabet binders. The enjoyed computer class with Mrs. Gresham. We read Out and About at the Dairy Farm by Andy Murphy as preparation for our "Barnyard Math" work! The children had to count sets of farm animals and objects; then practice making the numerals for their answers. I would suggest that the next time you visit Costco (or any other store that might sell activity books) that you purchase a fun-filled, activity book that allows your child to practice writing numerals or letters. I strongly suggest that you do this over the summer; it is fun and something you might tie a reward to upon completion of each page of "work"! It gets you ready for rainy days and lapses of time when your children are "bored" during the summer. I always remember being prepared with both crafts and a little academic work for my children. They used to love completing workbooks in order to obtain a small reward…especially ice cream at Parr's Drive-in! (That's in Tappahannock for those of you who don't live around here.) The important thing to remember is that children entering Kindergarten should know how to print their letters and numerals, with little help. That's why we are working so continuously on these skills.
On Friday…We read a wonderful book What Does The X-Ray Say? by the second grade students of Longfellow Elementary in West Allis, Wisconsin. (They drew all of the pictures and helped to write the rhyming verses!) We learned about some of the strange things that people and animals swallow…detected by X-ray!
We embarked on an adventure throughout the lower and middle school to find every single EXIT sign on our property. The children had a chart to color in for every sign they found. Turns out…we have 27 EXIT signs; all in working order so that children know how to leave the building if they need to. Pre-K 5 was quiet, orderly, and very interested in counting EXIT signs! We reported to our business manager, Mrs. Turpin, that all of our signs are in working order. She thanked us for our service to the school, and told us that she would inform the fire marshal that all signs were functioning! After some much needed play time, we re-visited our "coin caterpillars" that we have used from time to time to reinforce the names of the four coins we have studied. These are coming home today. Please ask your children to place the correct coins on the caterpillar and try to identify them for you. This is something you can go back to from time to time. We re-read Out and About at the Dairy Farm. It seems there were some questions about dairy cattle that the children remembered from yesterday, and they asked to re-read the book. After studying a chart about how milk gets from the cow to the grocery store, we completed a page for our Farm Book.
After lunch today, we skipped to the garden to plant sunflowers! The children loved doing this! WE are the first class to get plants in the ground! Kaylee will be able to plant her seedlings on Tuesday. We will be measuring our sunflowers every other day to see how tall they are growing!
Linens come home today. We hope to see all of you at the "Bull, Barbecue, and Bands" event on the ACDS fairgrounds on Saturday! It should prove to be an enjoyable, fun event! Come out and support the school!
Thought for the week: We must have done something good to deserve the beauty of this week! Your children are exploding…upward! I think every one of them has grown two inches during the year. We will take a final measurement during the last week of school, but be glad it is shorts weather…you can get by without new pants for awhile!
Have a wonderful, safe weekend! Mrs. Ryan |
March 28, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
If it is still March, can we really be rid of snow? Apparently, not! I hope all of you enjoyed your surprise day off on Monday. The snow was truly beautiful on Sunday evening… some of the biggest flakes I have ever seen! This week will fly by entirely too quickly, but we will try our best to accomplish most of what we hoped to.
On Tuesday…The children were very thrilled to return to school, so we geared up for some exciting activities. We were happy to see Mrs. Watts at the classroom door; Pre-K 5 had exercise class in the health room today. The gym was occupied by a special program for "History on the Go," a presentation set up for Grades 3-5. After our morning routine, we read Max's Chocolate Chicken by Rosemary Wells. This is a favorite book of mine; the children loved it. We headed to art class where Ms Schacht had an Easter egg activity ready for the children. They traced eggs; then decorated them with crayons. The third step was to "wash" the pictures with a watery paint solution to cause the colors to be more muted. The children loved doing this; it was a little bit like water coloring over crayons! These will come home tomorrow. Back in the classroom, we discussed behavior as we traveled to the Kindergarten classroom to view a play about the Emperor Penquin that lives in Antarctica. Against a backdrop of icy mountains and ocean, the Kindergarteners acted out the life cycle of an Emperor penguin…from the egg to adulthood. Our children were mesmerized as the wind and snow blew; the mothers and fathers called to one another; and as the baby penguins began a new life. They asked many questions about the Emperor penguin and his life cycle. The Pre-K 5 children were excellent listeners…an exemplary audience! Just after the play, Mr. Rice visited our classroom to read to the children. (This has been quite an exciting day!) He read a very comical story titled "Big Chickens," about a group of chickens who finally found their 'chicken guts!' He was a great sport, and the children really had fun listening to him. We still had time to work on our Sparkle Box numeral 11 booklet, and make our special bunny baskets for tomorrow.
On Wednesday…We read our Alpha Tales story, "The Yak Who Yelled Yuck," a tale about 'y' words on the loose! The children worked on the letter 'y' for their alphabet binders. They enjoyed music class with Mrs. Erickson; she proclaims that Pre-K 5 is her favorite class of students! We read my absolute favorite book…The Runaway Bunny by Margaret Wise Brown…a story that I re-read to my teenagers! The children did a little exercise in identifying ordinal numbers with Easter pictures. After library time with Ms Schacht, we got a little exercise outside before the Easter party began! Thank you so very much to Catherine Emery and Stephanie Jimmo for a wonderful Easter party. The children enjoyed decorating a sand pail; they had a great egg hunt! After lunch, Mrs. Emery read Jan Brett's book The Easter Egg. The children had a blast opening their Easter eggs and basket treats! We missed Millie, but were glad to see her back on Friday. We saved everything for her from the party! Thank you to Mandy Matthews, Catherine Emery, and Stephanie Jimmo for the special treats they brought us!
On Thursday…We had visitors today…"Rascal," "Liz Taylor," and "Clover"…the three Emery bunnies came to play! Thank you to Catherine and Thomas for sharing their beautiful bunnies with us. We really feel that we have ushered in the Spring break! The children worked on the letter 'Y' in their Callirobics workbook. Letter Yy is a very difficult letter to practice; I am sending home additional practice sheets. Please notice how the arrows indicate the direction and sequence of lines for both letters. This little sheet might come in handy when you need some quiet time with your child; the practice will be great. Please return practice sheets, and we will place them in your child's alphabet binder. The children enjoyed computer class with Mrs. Gresham; they worked on the "Reading Eggs" program today. We read Happy Easter Little Critter by Mercer Mayer before our egg ordination activity. We had an activity that required the children to place their decorated eggs on construction paper from smallest to largest.
Please send me your email address if it is not listed in the directory. I have decided to email the newsletter directly to your email address. It will also be on the ACDS website under Pre-K 5 homework. ( acdspatriots.net )
Have a wonderful Spring break…enjoy relaxing time with your families.
Thought for the Week: Everything you say or do is stored in your child's memory bank; you are an awesome, constant example of moral behavior and appropriate words. You never get to stop being good parents…no matter how old your children become!
Hoppy Easter! Mrs. Ryan |
March 22, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
What an interesting beginning to our week! I do love the snow, but I am ready for the spring…I can't wait much longer to plant things! The Pre-K 5 class has already started two varieties of sunflower seeds in pots in the classroom. We are anxiously awaiting the arrival of 'green' things in those pots. On Tuesday, we embraced warmer weather and enjoyed being outside regardless of the wet circumstances. Wednesday? Well, I can only say that it was a truly wacky day full of fun and surprises! It seems to be a favorite day in Pre-K 5…one that the children remember long after they have moved on to other grades. I got home at 6:00 p.m. last night…their reactions Wednesday morning made all the preparations worthwhile.
On Monday…The children enjoyed early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts. We read Warthogs in the Kitchen (a sloppy counting book!) by Pamela Edwards. Afterward, we completed our coin books to take home. The children are getting to be adept at recognizing the different coins. I did not add the one dollar coin, because I thought it might be too confusing. I may surprise them later with this! We also read There's a Wocket in my Pocket by Dr. Seuss, which is an excellent rhyming book to work on beginning letter sounds. (Most of his books are excellent resources to reinforce letter sounds!) The children created their tactile numeral 10; the worked on the numeral 11 practice pages.
On Tuesday…The children had gym class again on their schedule; they love the spaciousness and sheer 'greatness' of the gym! Mrs. Watts always has a willing group of children to attend gym class. After our morning routine, the children worked in their 'Sparklebox' student booklets for the numeral 10. During art class with Ms Schacht, the children painted their own tractors; we now have a display of farm equipment (some including combines and discs) on our bulletin board right outside of the classroom. Every farmer needs a tractor! Once back in our room, the children painted their favorite farm animals to place around the bulletin board barn. They are very creative when they paint…we just stand back and offer ideas, but do not interfere with creativity! These animals are expressions of a variety of farm creatures…you will have to come and take a look! We also discussed Wacky Wednesday, and all that would entail. I think they are ready!
On Wednesday… Despite the warning signs, seven very excited children passed through our doorway to enter the "Wacky Wednesday" classroom! We were ready for them, and took lots of pictures. There was a table where one could don a witch's hat and make a witch's stew! There was a table where only 'smart children' could work on math activities! (All children are smart!) There was a business office set up in the library; a "circle of silence" that we would enter if we got too loud! There was a table where you could make patterns out of counting bears; you could also make Halloween cards and write notes of love. We had basketball on the back of the classroom door; "stroller snow ball toss;" and a bean bag toss. The children had a nativity play set to work with…things were just wacky today! We still managed to get to music class and library…Mrs. Erickson and Ms Schacht played along with our wacky day…Mr. Rice came to visit with a "chicken hat" on his head! All day long, the children had a wonderful and fun time, while still managing to be attentive listeners. Even Kindergarten visited us to see what all the fuss was about! Your child will come home today with prizes earned from completing their wacky jobs…everything from pencils to plastic creatures!
On Thursday… Everyone came to school looking for a little "wacky" left over from yesterday! We re-introduced several of the math manipulatives that we had out yesterday, and the children enjoyed working with those. We read If You're Angry and You Know It…by Cecily Kaiser, a book which demonstrates actions you can take if you feel really angry (fun and age appropriate!). We worked on a student "whale book," to highlight the letter 'w,' before heading off to computer class with Mrs. Gresham. We celebrated the first full day of spring with Delilah's daffodils…the only sign we could see of spring today. We read Barnyard Boogie by Jim and Janet Post, just for fun! We also read part of the Dorling Kindersley series Food and Farming as a preparation for working on the next two pages of our farm books. Next week, we are going to be preparing some "nutritious snacks" that come from the farm…more about that soon!
On Friday…We put the finishing touches on our farm animal paintings this morning--these are adorable! They will be on the barn bulletin board for about a week. We read Wanda's Washing Machine by Anna McQuinn, a book full of 'w' words for us to have fun with. We worked on a beginning sounds worksheet for the letter 'w.' We also read a special book titled Go Glow Grow--Foods for You from the USDA, which illustrates the various food groups and how many servings each day we need. The children had a special activity which involved coloring various foods and placing them in the appropriate columns for Meats, Fruits, Vegetables, Dairy, Grains, and Sweets (Fats, oils). They had such fun categorizing their foods; and they were very proud of what they had accomplished. We will add to this activity next week. I would like to revisit their work.
Linens will come home this week. We are here at Spring Break time, and I can scarcely believe it. Next Wednesday, March 27, will be the date of our Easter party. Hostesses are Stephanie Jimmo and Catherine Emery. Traditionally, we hold a little Easter egg hunt in the front yard of the school, but hostesses may plan any activity they wish to. We are always open to innovation.
Pre-K 5 is Sooooooo close to having 100% participation in annual giving! We are so excited that we are nearing our goal. Each gift, whether $5, $10, $25, is another addition to that faith that you have in our school. Many, many thanks to those of you who have already donated to the annual fund!
I am letting you know that this will be the last week that I send home a hard copy newsletter. In an effort to save on the cost of paper, we are going to offer our newsletter on line only…unless you would prefer a paper copy. Please let me know if that is your preference; I will be happy to send it home to you.
Thanks so much for reading about our week! Have a wonderful weekend with your family!
Wanda Ryan |
March 15, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
Can Spring finally be arriving? We hope so! We have certainly enjoyed the beginning of a beautiful week, and I hope it continues! We are excited about starting plants for our Aylett garden space. We are also getting excited about our unit on Virginia farms. There are so many different kinds of farms that surround us…cattle farms, dairy farms; soybean, corn, and vegetable farms. We even have a sod farm nearby. Look for an insert in the Rappahannock Times next Wednesday that will describe what is happening in all of the classes at ACDS! I hope to have a little article in the newspaper about the visit we enjoyed on Tuesday from the Women's Committee of the Farm Bureau.
On Monday…Early morning gym class is always a huge, favorite activity! We read "Wacky Walrus," our alphabet coloring story featuring the letter 'w'. We read Farm Patterns by Nathan Olson which detailed many different patterns that we see on farms and with farm animals. The children worked on a counting/writing activity to practice forming numerals. Those finishing early made animal patterns with pictures provided for them. We had a very busy, productive morning!
On Tuesday… This was "Open House" day at ACDS, and we are pleased that at least two families visited our school. Mrs. Smith hosted a Pre-K 3 Fun Day which was attended by five children. LeighAnn brought in the letter box for the letter 'W'. She did a great job finding objects that begin with letter 'w'; this was her very first time! We also watched a video that Mr. and Mrs. Emery made showing the release of an eagle that had been nursed back to health at the Wilna Wildlife Refuge near Warsaw. Both Thomas and his brother, Tayloe, were able to attend the release of the eagle. We are so grateful to the Emerys for sharing this video with us! Although it rained for all of our morning, we still had lots of fun playing with one another in the classroom. We read our Alpha Tales story, "Worm's Wagon," a silly story about animals trying to fit in a wagon pulled by a worm! (…many words that begin with the letter 'w'!) The children did an excellent job working on their letter W for their alphabet binders.
On Wednesday…We welcomed members of the Women's Committee of the Essex County Farm Bureau this morning. As I told the children, these ladies are wives of farmers, relatives of farmers, or farm owners. They belong to an association of people who work for the good of farmers everywhere. Mrs. Linda Mundie, former Pre-K 5 teacher here at ACDS, read Kelly's Big Day by Tammy Maxey, a Farm Bureau member. The story featured Farmer Ben's family as they prepared for a day at the state fair. After reading the story, Mrs. Smitty T. Elliott, Mrs. Mundie, and Mrs. Alice Mae Hundley helped the children to make "cow puppets." We had so much fun. The children were perfectly behaved and well mannered; I was very proud of them in the presence of our special guests. We just had enough time for snack and then music class with Mrs. Erickson. After library time with Ms Schacht, we worked on our student booklet about coins. We will finish this little booklet tomorrow. Learning to identify coins is a little more difficult for the children; the three silver coins are so similar in size!
On Thursday…We had such a busy day today! First we worked on the letters N and W in our Callirobics workbook. The children then enjoyed computer class with Mrs. Gresham where they are working in a program called "Reading Eggs". After computer class, the fourth grade class joined us for some St. Patrick's Day "green treats"! We enjoyed fresh broccoli, fresh zucchini, and fresh green peppers with Ranch dip. We also enjoyed green grapes, Granny Smith apples and kiwi! The children had a green treat…lime jello with a Hershey's kiss on top! They had so much fun having their snack with their "big brothers and sisters!" After an outside play time that just about blew us away…we read Tops and Bottoms by Janet Stevens, a wonderfully clever book about a hare who outsmarts his neighbor. The children then "planted their own gardens" showing tops and bottoms!
On Friday…We had a wonderful time reading A Day At Greenhill Farm by Sue Nicholson. It introduced us to farm animals and their babies; so many things to remember. The children worked on their "Peek-a-boo" barns, which will serve as the cover for their book about Virginia farming. After morning recess, we read This is a Sunflower by Lola Schaefer. We planted sunflower seeds in two kinds of pots…plastic containers and jiffy peat pots! We planted "Tall Orange Sun" and "Lemon Queen" sunflowers. We have placed them on our window sills in hopes for plants within two weeks. This is a very exciting time! Those children finishing early were able to construct some wallpaper patterns with wallpaper.
Linens come home this week…Next week we are going to get a little "WACKY"! On Wednesday, March 20, our classroom will be transformed into a wacky place…tables and chairs rearranged; new, strange work jobs; silly activities; and strange creatures will be present! We turn our classroom into a "wacky room" based on the book Wacky Wednesday by Dr. Seuss. We ask that your children get creative and wear wacky clothing…mismatched tops and bottoms, pajamas, different shoes, crazy hair styles or a wig…we leave this to your creativity! Children have dressed as their businessmen fathers (whatever their father's or mother's occupation might be!), even carrying a briefcase! They have worn wigs and funny glasses; you have such a variety of ideas you could choose! We don't really advocate Halloween costumes, although we have had a princess or two visit on Wacky Wednesday! (…the wackier the better!) It is a favorite day of the year as far as all of our previous students are concerned. They all come back to peek into the classroom to see what wacky things are going on! We have lots of fun and, yet, manage to accomplish quite a lot! So remember…Wacky Wednesday is next week--prepare yourself for fun and foolishness!
I will send a reminder home on Tuesday regarding Wacky Wednesday. I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend with family!
Mrs. Ryan |
March 8, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
The week ahead looks interesting weather-wise…we will see what is in store. We began our Monday with four children absent; those three remaining all fizzled out before the end of the day! Oh…for Spring to arrive, we would be so grateful! I know everyone is so tired of the flu and various viruses…hang in there! I remember the days when I thought I should buy amoxycillan by the barrel! Ear infections were rampant at my house!
On Monday…Brayson, Delilah, and Thomas held the fort down! They had fun in gym class first thing in the morning. We read "Noisy Newt," our alphabet coloring story. The children had fun reading the story as we emphasized all of the words that begin with the letter 'n.' When you are reading a story at home, stop occasionally and point to a beginning letter of a word. Ask your child if he knows that letter; try to find additional words with the letter you are looking at. We read The Napping House by Audrey Wood, an interesting story of how five characters had their sleep disrupted. The children created their own "bed with Granny"; then added the remaining characters in sequence as they appeared in the story. We even added the "flea!" Those of you who know the story can guess why.
On Tuesday… It's going to be an "all girls day"…all of our boys are out sick. We enjoyed gym class for the second time this week. We are working on identifying coins--the quarter, nickel, dime, and penny. We have placed said coins on a "Coin Caterpillar," which we will all be working on later this week. I really want everyone in the class to have this instruction. You will see the coin caterpillar a little later! The children enjoyed painting flowers with Ms Schacht in art class; we decided to save the "tractor" until the boys join us! We have just begun a new unit of study about "Virginia Farms"…grains, vegetables, and animals that are grown all around us. We are going to try to learn how the milk we drink gets from the cow to the table! We want to understand why farmers are so important to our families, and what foods are the most nutritious for us to eat. I know it sounds like a lot for four and five-year-olds to comprehend, but it is so important to begin early with information about nutrition. We may be calling on you to provide us with some food items that we can use for cooking. I will give you plenty of notice! After reading Farms by Adele Richardson, the children pieced together a collection of shapes to make a barn on construction paper. They have added some of their favorite animals.
On Wednesday…The children danced and sang to "Singing in the Rain," one of their favorite songs. The rain was pouring steadily! We read "The Nicest Newt," our Alpha Tales story. We worked on our alphabet coloring page for a few minutes. After our Music class with Mrs. Erickson, we received word that school would be closing early. In the hour and one half until 12:30 p.m, there was an accumulation of 2 1/2 to 3 inches on my car! When I got home (seven miles north on Rt.#17, the ground was barely white!) What a difference 7 miles can make! Needless to say, the excitement of snow overshadowed anything we might accomplish in the classroom…hope you all enjoyed its beauty!
On Thursday…After arriving late, we settled down for a quick snack! We read Ready, Set, Grow, a story about farming in Virginia by Tammy Maxey. We are learning that Virginia has farms for horses, cattle, dairy cows; nurseries for plants and grass (sod); and orchards for fruits and nuts. Virginia also has farms for growing vegetables, soybeans, peanuts, and tobacco. The children are very interested in where their food comes from; some of the answers were not exactly what they expected! As we study about the various farms, we are trying to plan for a field trip to a nearby farm. I will let you know more about this soon. We had just enough time to color our "barn" page for our Farming Book. We were really trying to play "catch up" from arriving late this morning.
On Friday… The children were excited to see the sunshine, but the wind nearly blew us away! We extend a huge thank you to Delilah and Bettina Baker for bringing in their week old chicks for us to hold and love. It was so much fun watching the children cuddle with the baby chicks. Thank you, thank you! We read Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown, which is a classroom, "big book." The children really enjoyed it. We then colored our second page in the student farm book which is a tractor, working to pull a wagon. We tried to play outside, but the wind chased us back in…it was deceptively colder than it registered on the thermometer! We read Whoo Goes There? by Jennifer Ericsson, a beautifully illustrated book about an owl hunting for his dinner. The children worked on their numeral practice pages for the number 10. We had some owls to count there also! Noon dismissal arrives much too soon!
Thought for the day… On Monday morning, your children will be attending the all school assembly at 8:30 a.m. We are going to lead an exercise that emphasizes the "Six Secrets of Friendship" or, as you might explain it, a little lesson in tolerance. The entire student body will participate. One of the "six secrets" is to remember a little inspirational quote…"Say what you mean, mean what you say…but don't say it mean!" Another quote is "A smile, a handshake…a hand on the shoulder…can make a person's day." Your child will come home on Monday with a little zip-lock baggie with items in it that represent the six secrets. See if they can explain it to you!
Just a couple of reminders…There may be one or two families that have not returned their permission slips for children to be tested for Kindergarten Readiness. Please try to do this next week.
We are working so diligently to bring all of our children to language arts, math, and fine motor proficiency. Each segment of time that we have in the classroom for instruction is very special to us, and important to each child. Sometimes, interruptions are counter-productive to a student's concentration. Might we ask that when parents come to pick up their children early, that we deliver them to you in the foyer? Thank you so much for understanding.
Have a beautiful weekend; I understand we are going to enjoy sensational weather!
Mrs. Ryan |
|
March 1, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
We were welcomed back to a full week of school by some very excited children…well rested and full of enthusiasm! We hope to finish our unit on Backyard Birds this week, and move into the realm of "The Farm." We completed our bird unit this week with one of my favorite activities…we "flew" our owls silently through the corridors of ACDS…into classrooms and to the middle school without making a sound. (You know that owls fly silently looking for their prey at night!) Our owls flew during the day, but what a fantastic sight they were! See notes about Tuesday!
On Monday…We enjoyed early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts--always a good time filled with exercise! We read our alphabet coloring story, "Oh, Oh Octopus," while concentrating on all of the letter "o" sounds in the story. We talked about fables and "tall tales" as we prepared to read Paul Bunyan andHis Blue Ox" by Patsy Jensen. This was a pretty "tall" tale, indeed, but the children loved it. We talked about using our imaginations to re-tell stories, and how in the telling of stories and passing them down to children…those tales get 'taller and taller!' This might be what happened to the Paul Bunyan story! We had fun! We then used our 'blue ox' handout to count Cheerios and use those Cheerios to form numerals. You can use all sorts of food items to count at home…try raisins, cereals, carrot sticks, celery pieces, cherry tomatoes, jelly beans…any kind of finger food that would lend itself to counting…makes it fun!
On Tuesday…We arranged another date with Mrs. Watts for gym class! The children worked on their "Sparklebox" numeral 9 student booklet while we readied our owls for flight. During art class, the children had an opportunity to learn "scratch art" techniques. Ms Schacht taught them to use a pointed, wooden stylus to draw an owl; once the stylus is used, colors appears beneath the drawing on this special scratch art paper. This art is included in your child's "Book of Backyard Birds." We re-read Owl Moon in preparation for our completely quiet journey of owl flight through the school. We left the classroom with our owls and 'flew' to the art room, the music room, the cafeteria, several classrooms in the middle school and then back to the front office in the lower school building. During this time of flight, no owls made a single noise…not one word was spoken...not one giggle or laugh…but lots of smiles! Once in the classroom, we all hooted our delight at being to speak again. Rain forced us to send the owls home on Wednesday instead of today.
On Wednesday…We completed our discussions of feelings and emotions with the Second Step Violence Prevention program. The children have enjoyed this little unit of study, but it is one that we will talk about over and over again as we try to dissect how we are feeling on a daily basis. We will go henceforth trying to put all of what we have learned into practice…how to comfort sadness, how to manage our anger and disappointment…how to embrace someone who is frightened. We could all use some reminders regarding 'extending' comfort to others; children are great examples! We finished another book that we were reading about Abraham Lincoln; I think he is our favorite president! The children visited the library to return and check out books. The Kindergarten class was invited to come and view our "Backyard Birds Books." We had a great time showing them what we have learned. Again, I apologize for neglecting to insert three of their bird pictures.
On Thursday…The children worked in their Callirobics workbooks on the upper and lower case letter "o". They enjoyed computer class with Mrs. Gresham. After outside play time, the children listened to Math Fables by Greg Tang, a fun-filled book of counting and arithmetic. The children worked on their tactile numeral #9; then on their Scholastic practice pages for the numeral #9. Those children who finished early were able to work on their "teens…" numerals 11-20! It was a very busy day for Mrs. Spoor and the children. I was fortunate enough to visit the Faison School for Autistic Children in Richmond, VA, today. It was a wonderful opportunity to learn about the teaching practices and educational opportunities provided there.
On Friday…We began our day with exercise and song! We read An Octopus Followed Me Home by Dan Yaccarino, a rhyming book with a very funny story attached. What followed was a wild ride with "Alphabet Bingo"--we have never played this before! While the children were so excited, it was more stress than they could handle…waiting their turn to call out "Bingo!" I gave out little prizes for all of the winners; everyone received a prize…the stress was alleviated! We read The Ox-Cart Man, a 1979 Caldecott Award winning book by Donald Hall. The children listened as we read about a farming family that knitted shawls and gloves, split shingles, made maple syrup from the maple trees; carved brooms and grew vegetables…all to sell at the marketplace in Portsmouth. The children learned that the farmer and his family all worked very hard to sell things at the market so that they could have money to buy necessary things to live through the next year when they would return to the market again. Maybe they can share some of the story with you. The children worked on a little student booklet that they will bring home today.
Thought for the Week: (from "Parade Magazine's" article on what makes a family happy…)
"When a team of psychologists measured children's resilience, they found that the kids who knew the most about their family's history were best able to handle stress. They have a stronger sense of control over their lives and a higher self-esteem. They understand that they belong to something bigger than themselves and that families naturally experience both highs and lows."
Have a wonderful weekend with your family and don't forget to send those clean linens back on Monday. If any of you owe me a change of clothing or underwear…please, please send that in also!
Thanks so much!
Mrs. Ryan |
February 22, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
I hope all of you have had a wonderful week; the children certainly have! We were so pleased and excited to welcome our newest student, LeighAnn Matthews to our Pre-K 5 classroom. The children have nurtured her and been at her elbow for every need she might have. They have done a wonderful job of welcoming LeighAnn into our midst. I think LeighAnn is beginning to enjoy her new class as well!
I really want to thank our hostesses for the Valentine's Day party again…it seems that our carnations were delivered after some of the children had gone home. We apologize if you were not here when they were delivered. We also welcomed Brayson back (on Wednesday), from a long weekend; it is nice to see him feeling better.
On Tuesday… We enjoyed gym class with Mrs. Watts first thing this morning! LeighAnn did not arrived until after gym, so we spent some time just getting to know one another after our morning routine. We enjoyed watching LeighAnn open her bag of surprises from Pre-K 5; this was a little ice-breaker for us. During art class, the children sponge painted birds on a branch, and also counted birds on a branch. They had so much fun doing this! Kaylee shared the items that she brought in for the Letter 'O'…we did the "Ohio" State cheer and saw a picture of Mom and Dad at the 'ocean.' We are emphasizing the fact that the letter 'o' has two important sounds…long 'o' and short 'o'. We read "Olive Octopus's Day of Juggling," our Alpha Tales story for the letter 'o.' The children worked on their letter "O" for their alphabet binders.
On Wednesday…After our morning routine, we read one of my favorite books…Owl Moon by Jane Yolen, a beautifully illustrated book with a poetic story. This book prefaced our painting of the Great Horned Owl; the children did a wonderful job. We hope to be flying our owls throughout the school on Tuesday of next week! The children enjoyed music class with Mrs. Erickson…moving and singing is always a good thing! After library time with Ms Schacht, we introduced a new work job. Since we are going to be celebrating George Washington's birthday on Friday, we introduced the map of quarters to the children. They busily searched, trying to match their quarters to a chart picturing each state. I am missing some states that I would like you to look for at home…
Georgia Florida Texas
California Minnesota Kansas
Iowa Connecticut Rhode Island
Kentucky Indiana Illinois
Alabama Maine Missouri
If you could look at home to see if you have any of these quarters, I would greatly appreciate it. We have some children who are very excited to find them!
On Thursday…We miss LeighAnn this morning…she is not feeling well. We hope she will be back tomorrow. We read The Life Cycle of An Owl by Ruth Thomson; I was so happy with the amount of information the children have absorbed from our study of owls. We gave each child a packet of owls that were numbered 1-9, so that we could place them in numerical order. We then found "mystery numbers" that I wrote on a dry erase board for them. We are working on the 'teens' and 'twenties' this week! The children had a fun time in computer class with Mr. Gresham working from the "Starfall" program "Ten Little 'O's." We completed the painting of our owls, adding black and white feathers, eyes and beaks. These owls will be great additions to your art collection at home! We read Bald Eagles by Doug Wechsler, in preparation for completing the coloring of one of our last birds for entry into the bird books.
On Friday…Today is George Washington's birthday, and we are prepared to celebrate in style. Everyone is in their Tricorn hat as we listen to the story of Young George Washington by Andrew Woods. The children found it fascinating that George Washington was actually a young boy once who loved horse back riding! It's hard to imagine presidents as anything other than grown men. We worked in our George Washington student booklet; not all pages were colored, but it makes for interesting reading with your child. I thought the sixteen sided barn was really neat! We made our own "O-shaped" snacks with bread rounds, peanut butter, cream cheese and cheerios. We sang "Happy Birthday" to George and had our picture taken with Mr. Rice…all wearing our Tricorn hats! We continued reading in our book Counting is for the Birds by Frank Mazzola, Jr. We colored our Bluebirds for our Bird books, then worked to finish our George Washington student books. It was a very busy morning! We are also putting some finishing touches on our Great Horned Owls, in preparation for 'flying' on Tuesday.
Linens will come home today. Sorry that we didn't see any snow today; maybe before winter is officially over, we will see some flakes!
Thought for the week…
From "Parade Magazine" in last Sunday's paper, I read the synopsis of what makes a happy family. It goes something like this…
"Three quarters of American adults say their family is the most important element of their lives, and 85% say that the family they have today is as close or closer than the family they grew up with. Happy families adapt. They talk--a lot; they go out and play…together. They make the decision to keep working on their families. In the end this may be the most enduring lesson of all. What is the secret to a happy family? Trying,"
I remember (with my own family) how difficult it was to balance school, outside activities, sports, leisure time, and family time. The most challenging aspect of this was just to have the strength, energy, and endurance to keep making the situation better…demanding that family time regardless of what else might be pulling at the family unit. Keep trying!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Ryan |
February 14, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
Sometimes a four day week can be busier than a five day week! That's what we have discovered about this week. We have readied ourselves for the day of love, celebrated Abraham Lincoln's birthday, and made our very own puppets. Monday and Tuesday's weather was a gift that we were so grateful for. The children soaked up the warmth as they played outside. We are looking forward to our "winter weekend" beginning on Friday, February 15. Hope that all of you are able to enjoy a wonderful family weekend.
On Monday…Early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts was fun and full of exercise! We read a book titled Young Abraham Lincoln, the Log Cabin President by Andrew Woods. The book was age appropriate and centered on Lincoln's early life. The children were thoroughly engaged in a discussion of what life was like 200 years ago, and exactly what does a lawyer do. We also got our "Lincoln top hats" ready for Tuesday. We read a very challenging book Desert Giant by Barbara Bash, a book which details the life cycle, and features of the saguaro cactus as it is a habitat for many different animals, birds, and insects. We had a bit of time left over, so we colored our crows for the bird book. We hope that the Backyard Birds book will come home next week.
On Tuesday…We enjoyed an early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts. The children then made their Valentine "mail bags" to house the Valentines that should be coming in Wednesday and Thursday. This is such fun for the children. I made all of my Valentines during the past two weeks; I'm as excited as the children are! In art class, the children used chalk to draw night sky and a tree; then they block printed a great horned owl in their trees. Ms Schacht made this block owl for printing several years ago, and it has been a favorite project for Pre-K 5 ever since. We continued our celebrating of Abraham Lincoln's birthday by donning our Lincoln hats and listening to Let's Read About Abraham Lincoln by Sonia Black. This book went into a little more detail about Lincoln's later life. The discussions and interest continued as we worked in our student books about Lincoln's life. This president really had an effect on the children!
On Wednesday…We continued in our Second Step program; this week's emotion was "worried." Impatient Puppy got very excited when the children came to group time; they had to show him how to sit quietly to listen. We talked about how it feels to be worried; how we can show empathy to others when they are feeling worried, sad, or frightened. We did a little role playing to seal the deal! We prepared special valentines for our parents in between Music class and Library time. To culminate our week of "P", we made our very own spoon puppets. The children were very excited about this! They chose their fabric, drew faces on the spoons, helped to design their hair, and played with their puppets. This was a lot of fun for them, and for us, too!
On Thursday… Excitement abounds as children fill the mailbags with Valentines! We made "Owl Snacks" for our snack time today…bread rounds with peanut butter or cream cheese; 2 banana eyes with raisins, a cheese wedge for a beak and some Cheerios for interesting feathers! Everyone had fun making their snack. After computer class with Mrs. Gresham, the children listened to The Valentine Bears by Eve Bunting. We put the finishing touches on Valentines that are headed home. We added a page to our counting book that is "in the process" of being completed…one numeral at a time. Our Valentine party began at 11:30 a.m. with Lauren Bristow and Bettina Baker as hostesses. What a great time we had! Thank you to our hostesses for a wonderful party!
Thought for the Week: If we could just get everyone interested in sharing the love, think what a better place this would be. You don't have to convince four and five-year-olds that loving one another is a good idea! We have a bit of romance going on in the Pre-K 5 classroom…it is a blast to watch!
Enjoy your wonderful long weekend…we will see you and our new student, Leigh Ann Matthews, on Tuesday, February 19!
Mrs. Ryan |
February 8, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
What a cold beginning to our week! We stayed outside long enough for our noses and cheeks to turn red during our recess times. The children seem undeterred as they run and play; we did a lot of races to the fence and back to stay warm! Tuesday is looking a little warmer…can spring be far behind? I hope lots of parents turn out to help with the school garden construction on Sunday; it is so exciting to imagine our garden! Thank you, Catherine Emery, for the inspiration and formulation of plans for our garden.
On Monday… Early morning gym class had everyone in high spirits! We read our alphabet story "Polka Pig;" it was filled with a plethora of 'p' words! The children had just enough time to color several of the pages in their alphabet book. We also read The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hayden, a sixty-five year old book that still delights. It is all about animals getting ready for winter, and how we can help those who need food during the coldest months. We also worked on the numeral 8, a difficult number to write. The children have come a long way since September!
On Tuesday… The children enjoyed early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts. We read our Alpha Tales story for the letter 'P'…"The Pig's Picnic," which is always a favorite. The children worked on their letter P pictures for their alphabet binder. During art class, the children painted their "owl boxes." These boxes will house the owl family that the children will be making. We read in one of our favorite books, Counting is for the Birds by Frank Mazzola, Jr. The children colored their Junco birds for their bird books and continued to work on their letter "P" pictures. We keep counting birds…this year is the year of the Junco bird! We love it when the doves come to our feeders; we always put food on the ground for them. We have at least eight pair with one lone dove that feeds with them.
On Wednesday… We enjoyed learning about two new emotions today…surprise and fear. Our Second Step program is a wonderful introduction to understanding the feelings of others. The children are very adept at identifying emotions; handling their own is the challenge sometimes! We read Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower, which illustrated the life cycle of the barn owl. We are preparing to make our own owl boxes with a family of owls inside. We filled the boxes with soft "down" (fiberfill) to replicate the soft feathers the baby owls will lose as they grow into adulthood. The children used heart-shaped patterns to draw the face of their owls; then drew the bodies around the hearts! They were so excited as they configured the parents and the babies for their boxes. Next we will add the snakes, mice and small insects that the babies need for food. I know you can hardly wait to have these owl boxes at home!
On Thursday…The children worked on the letter 'Pp' and lower case 'q' in their Callirobics workbook. Learning to write these lower case letters so that they form below the line is a difficult concept, but we are going to be vigilant. The children had a great time in computer class with Mrs. Gresham. They are working from a program called "Starfall;" we are using the program for writing, sounds, and math.
We watched a wonderful DVD titled "Backyard Barn Owls" by Bert Kersey. This 27 minute video was actual footage of a barn owl box and its inhabitants. It made for great conversation! It was a wonderful follow-up to our book yesterday. If anyone is interested in borrowing the video, I would be happy to loan it to you.
On Friday…We were greeted by rain instead of snow, thank goodness! We read Look Whooo's Counting by Suse MacDonald, an owl's eye view of counting! We worked in our Sparklebox workbook on the numeral eight; and created our tactile numeral eight for our alphabet binder. A lot of the work that we do in the classroom is remaining here, whether in the binders we are keeping, or in the books we are making. This work will come home eventually! We read The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel. The children had an "accordion" booklet to complete with the various parts of the story inside. They enjoyed making their booklets!
Reminders: 1. Valentine's Day Party is Thursday, February 14. A list of our children is enclosed. Hostesses are Lauren Bristow and Bettina Baker. Some parents like to attend; you are all welcomed! You can begin sending in Valentines for our mail bags on Monday…the children get to "deliver" the Valentines to their classmates' bags for distribution at the party.
2. Linens will come home on February 14.
3. A new student is arriving on February 19…Leigh Ann Mathews,
granddaughter of former headmaster John Colby.
Thought for the Week: Take the time to talk about 'feelings' with your children.
Let them know how much what they say can influence another
child. Sometimes it is just a matter of understanding the
powerful influence of words. Once they fly out of the mouth,
you cannot take them back. (That's what we say here!) Better
to choose kind, gentle words that could not hurt in any way.
Have a wonderful weekend…I hope that all of our families begin to see healthy children before Monday!
Mrs. Ryan |
February 8, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
What a cold beginning to our week! We stayed outside long enough for our noses and cheeks to turn red during our recess times. The children seem undeterred as they run and play; we did a lot of races to the fence and back to stay warm! Tuesday is looking a little warmer…can spring be far behind? I hope lots of parents turn out to help with the school garden construction on Sunday; it is so exciting to imagine our garden! Thank you, Catherine Emery, for the inspiration and formulation of plans for our garden.
On Monday… Early morning gym class had everyone in high spirits! We read our alphabet story "Polka Pig;" it was filled with a plethora of 'p' words! The children had just enough time to color several of the pages in their alphabet book. We also read The Big Snow by Berta and Elmer Hayden, a sixty-five year old book that still delights. It is all about animals getting ready for winter, and how we can help those who need food during the coldest months. We also worked on the numeral 8, a difficult number to write. The children have come a long way since September!
On Tuesday… The children enjoyed early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts. We read our Alpha Tales story for the letter 'P'…"The Pig's Picnic," which is always a favorite. The children worked on their letter P pictures for their alphabet binder. During art class, the children painted their "owl boxes." These boxes will house the owl family that the children will be making. We read in one of our favorite books, Counting is for the Birds by Frank Mazzola, Jr. The children colored their Junco birds for their bird books and continued to work on their letter "P" pictures. We keep counting birds…this year is the year of the Junco bird! We love it when the doves come to our feeders; we always put food on the ground for them. We have at least eight pair with one lone dove that feeds with them.
On Wednesday… We enjoyed learning about two new emotions today…surprise and fear. Our Second Step program is a wonderful introduction to understanding the feelings of others. The children are very adept at identifying emotions; handling their own is the challenge sometimes! We read Barn Owl by Phyllis Flower, which illustrated the life cycle of the barn owl. We are preparing to make our own owl boxes with a family of owls inside. We filled the boxes with soft "down" (fiberfill) to replicate the soft feathers the baby owls will lose as they grow into adulthood. The children used heart-shaped patterns to draw the face of their owls; then drew the bodies around the hearts! They were so excited as they configured the parents and the babies for their boxes. Next we will add the snakes, mice and small insects that the babies need for food. I know you can hardly wait to have these owl boxes at home!
On Thursday…The children worked on the letter 'Pp' and lower case 'q' in their Callirobics workbook. Learning to write these lower case letters so that they form below the line is a difficult concept, but we are going to be vigilant. The children had a great time in computer class with Mrs. Gresham. They are working from a program called "Starfall;" we are using the program for writing, sounds, and math.
We watched a wonderful DVD titled "Backyard Barn Owls" by Bert Kersey. This 27 minute video was actual footage of a barn owl box and its inhabitants. It made for great conversation! It was a wonderful follow-up to our book yesterday. If anyone is interested in borrowing the video, I would be happy to loan it to you.
On Friday…We were greeted by rain instead of snow, thank goodness! We read Look Whooo's Counting by Suse MacDonald, an owl's eye view of counting! We worked in our Sparklebox workbook on the numeral eight; and created our tactile numeral eight for our alphabet binder. A lot of the work that we do in the classroom is remaining here, whether in the binders we are keeping, or in the books we are making. This work will come home eventually! We read The Jacket I Wear in the Snow by Shirley Neitzel. The children had an "accordion" booklet to complete with the various parts of the story inside. They enjoyed making their booklets!
Reminders: 1. Valentine's Day Party is Thursday, February 14. A list of our children is enclosed. Hostesses are Lauren Bristow and Bettina Baker. Some parents like to attend; you are all welcomed! You can begin sending in Valentines for our mail bags on Monday…the children get to "deliver" the Valentines to their classmates' bags for distribution at the party.
2. Linens will come home on February 14.
3. A new student is arriving on February 19…Leigh Ann Mathews,
granddaughter of former headmaster John Colby.
Thought for the Week: Take the time to talk about 'feelings' with your
children. Let them know how much what they
say can influence another child. Sometimes it
is just a matter of understanding the powerful
influence of words. Once they fly out of the
mouth, words cannot be taken back. (That's
what we say here!) Better to choose kind,
gentle words that could not hurt in any way.
Have a wonderful weekend…I hope that all of our families begin to see healthy children before Monday!
Mrs. Ryan |
January 11, 2013 Pre-K 5 Newsletter
Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children:
We have welcomed everyone back to the first full week of school since vacation, and it has been a great one! The bird feeders are in place and filled with bird seed. Thank you to the Emerys for donating birdseed to our classroom. I told the children that it might take up to a week for the birds to find our feeders, but they were here the very next day. We are graphing the birds as we see them. So far, we have seen male and female Cardinals, lots of Junco birds, Goldfinches, Crows, several Mockingbirds, and even a Bluebird. We have two bluebird boxes that are just waiting for inhabitants! The children are very excited about observing the birds…waiting for them to show up so that they can document them. If you should see any unusual birds where you live, be sure to talk to your children about them. We often see eagles here when we are out on the playground. Sometimes it is difficult to tell immature eagles from other large birds, but we try. One day we walked over to the fairgrounds, because we saw a gathering of large birds. When we got closer, we discovered that we had found a meeting of vultures…very interesting looking birds!
On Monday…Everyone helped to fill our bird feeders. We were careful to wash hands thoroughly after doing so. The children watched as Kolton displayed his items for the "R" letterbox; some items were too large to fit in there. He brought his Christmas robe, and a really large stuffed reindeer that plays a tune. We read our alphabet coloring story "Racing Raccoon;" a story of 'r' animals who participated in raft racing. Keep reading these little alphabet stories when they come home; practicing the letter sounds is just as important as learning how to write the letter. We completed our "Mitten" animals; re-read the story; and created our own sneezing explosion! (We had read Jan Brett's, The Mitten on Friday, and had begun coloring our animals then.) The children really had a lot of fun with this activity.
On Tuesday…We talked about how we would graph our birds that came to the feeder. Everyone had an opportunity to place the colorful squares by the particular bird that they saw. I was really happy that the birds found our feeders so quickly; I know the children were! Art class with Ms Schacht was very fruitful! The children used pieces of cardboard to paint branches on paper. Then they sponged shapes making their own cardinals. We added beaks, feet, eyes, and black feathers around the eyes later. These wonderful 'birds on branches' are displayed in the hall by our door. We read Cardinals by Patrick Merrick, a beautifully illustrated book about cardinals, their habitat, and their habits. The children colored the first of their many bird pictures for "My Book About Birds" which will come home at the end of our unit. We are paying close attention to the coloration of birds, their wings, and special features. Your children have learned that cardinals are perching birds (three toes to wrap around the branch in front and one toe around the back of the branch…) They heard the beautiful sound of the cardinal, also. They colored both the male and female birds for their books.
On Wednesday…We read "Rosie Rabbit's Radish," our Alpha Tales story for the letter R. The children worked on coloring a rainbow for their letter 'R' which will be placed in their alphabet binders. They had other letter 'r' pictures to add to the page, also. Music class with Mrs. Erickson is always enjoyable; each child received a new library book today during library time. Our academic time is a little limited on Wednesdays, so we try to make the most of every minute. We had some time to paint our own cardinals…no shapes or sponges were used. We actually did remind the children to paint thinking about some of the shapes we have studied. Their cardinal paintings are beautiful and very creative; these may require a special frame.
On Thursday…The children completed work on the letter R in their Callirobics workbook; we also practiced the lower case letter 'r.' We began working on our number practice sheets for the numeral 7. The children enjoyed Computer class with Mrs.Gresham this morning. They worked on making a "stained glass" picture so that they could practice changing colors with the mouse.. After outside play, we read Two Blue Jays by Anne Rockwell. This story follows a blue jay family from the time the male and female build their nest until the time when the babies fly away on their own. It is a little confusing for the children to understand that only blue jays can determine who is a male and who is a female; we can only guess by observing their behavior during nest building and sitting on eggs. Male and female look just alike! The children colored the blue jay bird picture for their book while we talked about what we had learned.
On Friday…We had an exercise that involved name writing practice first thing this morning. We had fun with our new math booklet today; it is called "Sparklebox Numerals" for the number 7. We also worked on our tactile numeral 7 for our alphabet binder. By feeling the numerals, the children get a better sense of how to construct them in writing. For snack, we made "Rabbit Refreshers;" the recipe is coming home today. We read Sam the Snowman by Susan Winget, a story about children waiting for the first snowfall of the year! (That's us!) We then made our own "snow buddies," a math project that looks like a snowman, but involves graphing for the children. They had a blast!
Linens will come home today. I want to remind you that "Betsy Q," a renowned song writer, singer, and author of many CD's that we love, will be performing at ACDS on Thursday, January 17, at 10:00 a.m. in the library. We are welcoming parents if they would like to attend! Betsy Q is so entertaining, and her children's songs have been sung in pre-school for years! We love her music and her gentle way with children. Hope you will find the time to attend with us!
Thank you all for your support…I know that some of you have contributed to our annual giving campaign…there is still time! Let's get our little "thermometer" (outside our classroom door!) to the maximum! Have a grand weekend, full of adventure and lots of bird watching!
Mrs. Ryan |
December 14, 2012 Pre-K 5 Newsletter Dear Parents of Pre-K 5 Children: It's been a great week, filled with Christmas preparations and a wonderful field trip. The children have been so excited as we have read seasonal literature and completed fun projects. The "macaroni trees" are hanging on our Christmas tree, and we delivered the fourth grade trees to our Big Brothers and Big Sisters there. We plan to have a joint project with the fourth graders monthly; Mrs. Taylor will sponsor the next one in January! The children really love getting together with the older children. On Monday afternoon, I traveled to the UPS store in Mechanicsville to post four large boxes filled with toys, hats, mittens, gift cards and a $200.00 check to the families and children of Belmar Elementary School in Belmar, New Jersey. Our scheduled deadline to send all contributions is today…December 14. UPS was gracious enough to give me a 10% discount on shipping, and guaranteed that our gifts will reach Belmar by the 14th. The storm relief committee for the school will use the gift cards and gifts to distribute to families that were so devastated by the storm. You have made such a difference to these families. Not only will they receive some much needed help and gifts for their children, but they also receive the message of hope and love from their neighbors just a little further South…they know others are thinking of them. That is really something to be proud of! On Monday…The children enjoyed early morning gym class with Mrs. Watts. We read our alphabet coloring story "Kicky Kangaroo," a series by Jill Coudron. (Keep reading these silly stories at home…the repetition of letter sounds is very important!) We also read If You Take a Mouse to the Movies by Laura Numeroff, the tale of a mouse who cannot be satisfied until he has ornaments, popcorn, a trip to the movies and countless other little necessities! The children really enjoyed making their own little booklet "If You Take a Mouse…" Each time we make a 'student booklet,' we are encouraging children to read left to right; we are emphasizing letters and sounds, plus encouraging some imaginative thoughts! It's fun to make books at home to go with stories that you might make up. A wonderful idea is to make a story book about Christmas, especially the night before! You can transcribe your child's thoughts, while he is drawing pictures for the book. It only has to be 3 or 4 pages, but what a lot of fun to go back and read it later. On Tuesday…Thank you, parents, for accompanying us on our fun field trip to the Virginia Repertory Theatre! I thought the performance was delightful, and I hope you did, also! The children were enthralled! I was so proud of their behavior, and the way they paid attention to the production! On Wednesday…We began our morning with one of Karma Wilson's books The Bear Snores On. We are introducing the animal characters in this book so that we can make puppets when we read Bear Stays Up for Christmas. This will be a follow up to her first book. The children had a great time 'teaching' us about their very special family trees. We have an abundance of great-grandparents pictured! The family tree posters are hanging in the foyer hallway so that everyone can enjoy them. I have placed a picture from Grandparents' Day on each poster for you to add to your collection! These posters will come back to you on December 18, so that you can show them off during Christmas break. Many of our parents have purchased poster frames to "house" the family tree. It is a fairly nominal cost, and would provide a home for the tree for years! I hope you enjoyed putting these together with your child. We read The Nutcracker Ballet by Deborah Hautzig, the wonderful story of Marie, and her nutcracker who turned into a prince. We completed the second page of our Christmas book. After lunch, the children paired with each other…three sets of princes and "Maries." They had their pictures taken on their thrones, then danced to some lovely classical music. It was quite a spectacle! I am bringing each of them a surprise tomorrow! On Thursday…We worked in our Callirobics workbook on the letter K. This was a difficult letter for some of our children, so we practiced a little additionally! The children were able to draw in their journals depicting something from "Madeline's Christmas." We practiced sneezing while we drew 12 little beds, or the Eiffel Tower! The children enjoyed computer class with Mrs. Gresham; she had a surprise movie for them to celebrate the holiday! We had a special guest visit our room at 11:00 a.m. Mr. Rice came to our room to read How The Grinch Stole Christmas and The Night Before Christmas! The children were very attentive; they just love Mr. Rice. He stops by to visit us frequently, so they know him well. After our story, the children made lovely ornaments for our tree. We used their pictures from Grandparents' Day to make little framed ornaments. Each child worked to create a beautiful frame. I think you will enjoy these when they come home! Those children completing their frames set about working on page 3 of their Christmas book! On Friday…At 8:30 a.m., we assembled in the front hallway to take our stockings to Mrs. Elliott, a representative for the Salvation Army. Mr. Tal Ambrose sang a beautiful Christmas carol while Mrs. Taylor played the piano. We all joined in singing Christmas carols once Mrs. Elliott had thanked the children for their stockings. It was a lovely gathering! We read The Polar Express by Chris Van Allsburg, one of my favorite books for Christmas. Each child received a first gift of Christmas…a silver bell to wear around their neck. They also completed the fourth page of their Christmas book. We also read Bear Stays Up for Christmas by Karma Wilson, in preparation for an activity that we planned. The children are creating animal puppets to use in retelling the story of how the bear stayed up for Christmas! We are also making Christmas lists to put into the stockings we are sewing! It doesn't seem possible that we are arrived at December 14; I hope you are enjoying these prep days before Christmas. If you want a good laugh, take a little time to read The Best Christmas Pageant Ever by Barbara Robinson. (It has also been made into a movie…) As for me, I will be curled up with "It's a Wonderful Life" and "The Grinch Who Stole Christmas"…the Jim Carey version! We look forward to our class Christmas party on Tuesday, December 18…11:30 to 1:00 p.m. Our hostesses for the party are Amanda Chappell and Bettina Baker.We welcome any parents who wish to come join us! Thought for the Week: I am still in the thankful mode…I am thankful for such wonderful parents and the beautiful children that we have in Pre-K 5. Take every moment to enjoy them this holiday…before you can turn around twice, you will be waiting for them to come home for the holidays! …patiently waiting, just like a kid waiting for Santa! Sometimes, I even have my nose pressed against the window! A blessed Christmas to all of you… Wanda Ryan |
|
