This week we wrapped up our unit and projects on Thanksgiving. We sang some FANTASTIC Thanksgiving songs, that I hope will be shared with each and every family during the holidays!!
We practiced and reviewed the letter "O" and did some listening activities to learn how to follow directions better!
On Monday we read "The Know Nothings Talk Turkey" by Michele Sobel Spirn
Tuesday we read "One Terrific Thanksgiving" by Marjorie Sharmat
Wednesday we read "Thanksgiving Day"- by Anne Rockwell
We made a great drawing of what we would eat for thanksgiving dinner, created an adorable turkey headband with feathers, and began painting a special SURPRISE gift for Hanukkah!
We Wish Everyone A Wonderful Holiday!!
See you in December!
Miss. Ali and Miss. C
Wednesday, November 26, 2008
Sunday, November 23, 2008
News from Ms. Terri and Ms. Amber 11/19/08
Hi Moms, Dads and Special Grown-ups,
IMPORTANT!
Please let Ms. Gloria know by Monday, December 1 any dates that you will not be available to co-op from January through May. She will be preparing the new Parent of the Day schedule so that you can receive it before the winter break.
The children were very excited to have Ms. Amber back with us and the appearance of the first snow flakes. We've been having a great time singing Thanksgiving songs and learning a new Winter poem. We finished up letter "C" by reading It looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw. We mixed up a slurry of corn starch and water and poured it onto our blue table and made cloud shapes. The children really enjoyed the feeling of the mixture. You can gather it into a ball for a second, them it oozes through your fingers again. As you play with it, it gets stiffer and then finally turns back to powder.
We've been busy making some fun Thanksgiving treats. We made awesome Turkey hats to wear for a parade or share with the chef du jour and we made a nifty turkey to decorate a special friends celebration.
Some Thanksgiving books we've been reading include: The Thanksgiving Beast Feast by Karen Gray Ruelle, Clifford's Thanksgiving Visit by Norman Bridwell, What is Thanksgiving? by Harriet Ziefert and Claudine Schumacher and Dinosaurs Thanksgiving by Liza Donnelly.
We were thrilled to find a book about Dinosaurs and Thanksgiving as we began to talk about letter "D."
For letter "D" we made a delightful-dotty-diplodocus-dinosaurs and we're working on some big dinosaur D's. Our letter "D" books include:
If the Dinosaurs Came Back by Bernard Most and Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs
by Byron Barton. This week is a short one and we plan to begin our super-secret Hanukkah presents...ssshhhh!
Our New Winter Poem:
Hat and mittens keep us warm
We are ready... for the storm
Pull your coat up to your chin
Do not let the cold weather in!
Our Playschool Art Exhibit will be coming down on Monday, December 1 . If you would like to purchase your child's work of art and/or order customized stationery, please let us know as soon as possible.
Another reminder of upcoming dates to remember:
On Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no After-school Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28.
Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. There will be no classes for the children on conference day, but staff will be available to watch children during meetings. More information will be available soon.
Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Wishing All a peaceful and restful Thanksgiving Holiday!
Ms. Terri and Ms. Amber
Friday, November 21, 2008
News from Ms. Gloria, Friday, November 21, 2008
Letter of the Week: T
On Monday, we read the book that was sent from the Art Museum titled Bear in a Square by Stella Blackstone. In this book, shapes can be found on each colorfully illustrated page. On one of the pages in the book, there is a picture of a clown. As the book was being read, the children were asked to look for the clown's face. For our art project, the boys and girls made their own clown faces with an oval shaped head, star eyes, a heart nose, a crescent mouth, and a rectangle hat. We talked to the children about going on a bus and what they would be doing in the museum.
All of the teachers were very proud of the children as they went on their first trip to the Art Museum. Everyone followed the rules and participated in all of the activities that were presented to us. The theme of the lesson was Shapes and Colors in Art. In the museum, the boys and girls looked at paintings that were filled with shapes. They also found shapes on the ceiling in one of the hallways. They walked through the Gee's Bend Quilts exhibition and viewed many quilts of various styles, colors, fabrics, and designs. Our museum guide gave the children the opportunity to touch a quilted fabric, too. The children made a group quilt design using felt squares. For our art project, the boys and girls made their own quilt square. You can see the squares hanging up in our classroom.
On Wednesday, one group read Top Cat by Lois Ehlert. When Top Cat learns of the arrival of a new kitten, he makes it known who's the boss. The other group of children put a picture of a turkey in their journals. In yoga, Miss Kim asked the children to make their favorite animal pose as they practiced yoga breathing. Their imaginary trip was to play outside at the park. They moved their legs to pretend to ride their bicycles. At the park, they made a picnic lunch, ate gigantic sandwiches, and sipped a drink through a straw. They posed as a frog, too, and then, rode back home on their bicycles. They also played the dog and snake yoga game.
On Thursday, we read One Terrific Thanksgiving by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. This book is about a bear who learns that Thanksgiving is not only about eating a big dinner, but it is more importantly, about being with friends. For our art project, the children painted a ceramic gift for their families for the holiday season. On Friday, we read Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis. This book explains the different ways that children may feel on any particular day. Some of the children painted their ceramic project while others made a turkey project.
Thank you to Maxwell, Jack F., Brooke, Max, and Jonnah for being our super "kids of the day" this week. Next week, on Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no Afterschool Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. More information will be available soon. Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming as well. The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Thank you to all of our parents who accompanied us on the trip to the Art Museum. Our next trip will be on January 13, 2009.
Please let me know by Monday, December 1 any dates that you will not be available to co-op from January through May. I will be preparing the new Parent of the Day schedule so that you can receive it before the winter break.
Have a great weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!
Miss Gloria, Miss Allison, Miss Lilly, Miss Sophie and Miss Mindy
On Monday, we read the book that was sent from the Art Museum titled Bear in a Square by Stella Blackstone. In this book, shapes can be found on each colorfully illustrated page. On one of the pages in the book, there is a picture of a clown. As the book was being read, the children were asked to look for the clown's face. For our art project, the boys and girls made their own clown faces with an oval shaped head, star eyes, a heart nose, a crescent mouth, and a rectangle hat. We talked to the children about going on a bus and what they would be doing in the museum.
All of the teachers were very proud of the children as they went on their first trip to the Art Museum. Everyone followed the rules and participated in all of the activities that were presented to us. The theme of the lesson was Shapes and Colors in Art. In the museum, the boys and girls looked at paintings that were filled with shapes. They also found shapes on the ceiling in one of the hallways. They walked through the Gee's Bend Quilts exhibition and viewed many quilts of various styles, colors, fabrics, and designs. Our museum guide gave the children the opportunity to touch a quilted fabric, too. The children made a group quilt design using felt squares. For our art project, the boys and girls made their own quilt square. You can see the squares hanging up in our classroom.
On Wednesday, one group read Top Cat by Lois Ehlert. When Top Cat learns of the arrival of a new kitten, he makes it known who's the boss. The other group of children put a picture of a turkey in their journals. In yoga, Miss Kim asked the children to make their favorite animal pose as they practiced yoga breathing. Their imaginary trip was to play outside at the park. They moved their legs to pretend to ride their bicycles. At the park, they made a picnic lunch, ate gigantic sandwiches, and sipped a drink through a straw. They posed as a frog, too, and then, rode back home on their bicycles. They also played the dog and snake yoga game.
On Thursday, we read One Terrific Thanksgiving by Marjorie Weinman Sharmat. This book is about a bear who learns that Thanksgiving is not only about eating a big dinner, but it is more importantly, about being with friends. For our art project, the children painted a ceramic gift for their families for the holiday season. On Friday, we read Today I Feel Silly and Other Moods That Make My Day by Jamie Lee Curtis. This book explains the different ways that children may feel on any particular day. Some of the children painted their ceramic project while others made a turkey project.
Thank you to Maxwell, Jack F., Brooke, Max, and Jonnah for being our super "kids of the day" this week. Next week, on Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no Afterschool Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. More information will be available soon. Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming as well. The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Thank you to all of our parents who accompanied us on the trip to the Art Museum. Our next trip will be on January 13, 2009.
Please let me know by Monday, December 1 any dates that you will not be available to co-op from January through May. I will be preparing the new Parent of the Day schedule so that you can receive it before the winter break.
Have a great weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!
Miss Gloria, Miss Allison, Miss Lilly, Miss Sophie and Miss Mindy
Miss. Ali's News for November 17th
This week we talked about Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful!!
On Monday, we made fingerprint turkey's and began practice in our Handwriting Without Tears books with the letter "C."
Tuesday, we had a fun and messy time making Tootsie Turkey's using our feet to make the body of the turkey!! We drew colorful feathers around the turkey, and even put on some funny googly eyes!! We also practiced forming and counting the number 5!
Wednesday, we made a turkey Popsicle stick puppet with colorful feathers, and we continued practice with the letter "C."
Thursday, we learned some new song and dances with Miss. Vanda in drama and reviewed our theatre vocabulary words we learned last week! We also made beautiful Wreaths of Thanks that are hanging around our classroom!
Friday ended our week with Shabbat and a letter of the week project for our letter "C."
Books We Read This Week:
Monday-Today Is Thanksgiving- P.K. Hallinan
Tuesday- The Thanksgiving Beast Feast- Karen Gray Ruelle
Wednesday- A Turkey for Thanksgiving- Eve Bunting
Thursday- Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks- Margaret Sutherland
Friday- Sometimes its Turkeys, Sometimes its Feathers! -Lorna Bailan
Thanks to our Royal Reader this week, DAN BECKER!!!
The playschool will close at 12:30pm on Wednesday, November 26th. We will be closed Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th for Thanksgiving~
Please check your children's folders regarding information for our Hanukkah Happening on Sunday, December 14th!
Information will be posted shortly about Parent Teacher Conferences..Stay Tuned!!
Shabbat Shalom!
Miss. Ali and Miss. C
On Monday, we made fingerprint turkey's and began practice in our Handwriting Without Tears books with the letter "C."
Tuesday, we had a fun and messy time making Tootsie Turkey's using our feet to make the body of the turkey!! We drew colorful feathers around the turkey, and even put on some funny googly eyes!! We also practiced forming and counting the number 5!
Wednesday, we made a turkey Popsicle stick puppet with colorful feathers, and we continued practice with the letter "C."
Thursday, we learned some new song and dances with Miss. Vanda in drama and reviewed our theatre vocabulary words we learned last week! We also made beautiful Wreaths of Thanks that are hanging around our classroom!
Friday ended our week with Shabbat and a letter of the week project for our letter "C."
Books We Read This Week:
Monday-Today Is Thanksgiving- P.K. Hallinan
Tuesday- The Thanksgiving Beast Feast- Karen Gray Ruelle
Wednesday- A Turkey for Thanksgiving- Eve Bunting
Thursday- Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks- Margaret Sutherland
Friday- Sometimes its Turkeys, Sometimes its Feathers! -Lorna Bailan
Thanks to our Royal Reader this week, DAN BECKER!!!
The playschool will close at 12:30pm on Wednesday, November 26th. We will be closed Thursday, November 27th and Friday, November 28th for Thanksgiving~
Please check your children's folders regarding information for our Hanukkah Happening on Sunday, December 14th!
Information will be posted shortly about Parent Teacher Conferences..Stay Tuned!!
Shabbat Shalom!
Miss. Ali and Miss. C
Tuesday, November 18, 2008
News from Ms. Gloria, Friday, November 14, 2008
Letter of the Week: T
On Monday, we read sometimes it's TURKEY - sometimes it's FEATHERS by Lorna Balian. When Mrs. Gumm finds a turkey egg, she decides to hatch it, care for the turkey, and have the turkey come to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. For our art project, the boys and girls painted a mural for our Thanksgiving bulletin board display in our classroom. The children stood around the table and painted a large sheet of paper. They used scrapers with various shaped edges to add detail and depth to the mural. As a final step, glitter was added.
On Tuesday, we read A Turkey For Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. In this book, a turkey is invited to dinner instead of being dinner. For our letter T project, the children decorated the letter T with a turkey. We asked each of the children to tell us what they were thankful for. One child said that he was thankful for "the letters A to Z". Another child said,"I am thankful for my mommy and daddy and for all of the yummy food that I eat".
On Wednesday, one group read Big Red Tub by Julia Jarman. This colorfully illustrated book, with rhyming text, tells about a fantasy bathtime experience. The other group of children worked in their journals. We talked about going on our trip to the Art Museum and the children made a drawing within a picture frame. In yoga class, Miss Kim asked the children to make the sounds of their favorite animals as they practiced yoga breathing. Their imaginary yoga trip was to take an airplane ride to a rainforest. The boys and girls also traveled by boat to reach their final destination. In the imaginary rainforest, they used their bodies to make the yoga poses for lizards and frogs. They also posed as the flowers and trees that filled the rainforest.
On Thursday, we read The Treasure Chest by Dominique Falda. In this book, the animals of the forest learn that a squirrel's treasure chest is filled with the riches of friendship. We asked the children what they would like to find in a treasure chest. One child used his imagination and said, "Golden wings". For our letter T art project, the boys and girls created pictures of milk trucks. Their art work is on our letter of the week bulletin board.
On Friday, we read Turkey Surprise by Peggy Archer. In this book, a turkey is saved when two brothers find something better than turkey to eat on Thanksgiving. Our art project was to make name tags that the children will wear on the trip to the Art Museum.
Thank you to Cole, Phoebe, Max, and Jack L. for being our super "kids of the day" this week.
On Tuesday, we will going to the Art Museum. All children, who will be attending the trip, can come to school at our regular time of 8:30 AM. We will have free playtime, and at 9 AM, we will clean up, have a short circle time, use the bathrooms, and eat a light snack. The bus will be here by 9:30. At the museum, the class will be divided into two groups. Each group will be accompanied through the museum with a museum guide. After each of the groups have completed the lesson, we will all meet back in the preschool classroom to complete an art project. Please pack your child's lunch in a paper bag with his/her name so that we do not have to keep track of lunch boxes. We will be back at school by 12:30 PM.
In looking forward, on Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no Afterschool Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. More information will be available soon. Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Gloria, Miss Allison, Miss Sophie, Miss Lilly and Miss Mindy
On Monday, we read sometimes it's TURKEY - sometimes it's FEATHERS by Lorna Balian. When Mrs. Gumm finds a turkey egg, she decides to hatch it, care for the turkey, and have the turkey come to her house for Thanksgiving dinner. For our art project, the boys and girls painted a mural for our Thanksgiving bulletin board display in our classroom. The children stood around the table and painted a large sheet of paper. They used scrapers with various shaped edges to add detail and depth to the mural. As a final step, glitter was added.
On Tuesday, we read A Turkey For Thanksgiving by Eve Bunting. In this book, a turkey is invited to dinner instead of being dinner. For our letter T project, the children decorated the letter T with a turkey. We asked each of the children to tell us what they were thankful for. One child said that he was thankful for "the letters A to Z". Another child said,"I am thankful for my mommy and daddy and for all of the yummy food that I eat".
On Wednesday, one group read Big Red Tub by Julia Jarman. This colorfully illustrated book, with rhyming text, tells about a fantasy bathtime experience. The other group of children worked in their journals. We talked about going on our trip to the Art Museum and the children made a drawing within a picture frame. In yoga class, Miss Kim asked the children to make the sounds of their favorite animals as they practiced yoga breathing. Their imaginary yoga trip was to take an airplane ride to a rainforest. The boys and girls also traveled by boat to reach their final destination. In the imaginary rainforest, they used their bodies to make the yoga poses for lizards and frogs. They also posed as the flowers and trees that filled the rainforest.
On Thursday, we read The Treasure Chest by Dominique Falda. In this book, the animals of the forest learn that a squirrel's treasure chest is filled with the riches of friendship. We asked the children what they would like to find in a treasure chest. One child used his imagination and said, "Golden wings". For our letter T art project, the boys and girls created pictures of milk trucks. Their art work is on our letter of the week bulletin board.
On Friday, we read Turkey Surprise by Peggy Archer. In this book, a turkey is saved when two brothers find something better than turkey to eat on Thanksgiving. Our art project was to make name tags that the children will wear on the trip to the Art Museum.
Thank you to Cole, Phoebe, Max, and Jack L. for being our super "kids of the day" this week.
On Tuesday, we will going to the Art Museum. All children, who will be attending the trip, can come to school at our regular time of 8:30 AM. We will have free playtime, and at 9 AM, we will clean up, have a short circle time, use the bathrooms, and eat a light snack. The bus will be here by 9:30. At the museum, the class will be divided into two groups. Each group will be accompanied through the museum with a museum guide. After each of the groups have completed the lesson, we will all meet back in the preschool classroom to complete an art project. Please pack your child's lunch in a paper bag with his/her name so that we do not have to keep track of lunch boxes. We will be back at school by 12:30 PM.
In looking forward, on Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no Afterschool Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. More information will be available soon. Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Have a great weekend!
Miss Gloria, Miss Allison, Miss Sophie, Miss Lilly and Miss Mindy
Wednesday, November 12, 2008
News From Miss. Ali and Miss. C
This week we continued our discussion about community jobs and people! We had such a BUSY week with our field trip to Super Fresh and all of our terrific parent volunteers who came in to talk to the children about jobs that they have!
On Monday, Joyce Miele came in to talk to the children about her job as a hair stylist. She talked about what happens when you go to a salon, and how to give people the best haircut! She also discussed how all people have different shaped faces, and how there is a hair style to match everyone! She brought in different cutouts of shapes, and also wonderful crazy hairstyles that the children had to color and cut out! They were able to create different looks on their "clients" using the different hair styles that they designed! We also started practice with our letter of the week, letter "U."
On Tuesday, we went on our exciting field trip to Super Fresh! The children got to see all of the different jobs that a supermarket has~! We spoke with the produce manager, the deli manager, the baker, and even the manager of the entire supermarket!! The children got to touch a lobster too!! We received some yummy treats, and had a wonderful time touring!! We even got to ask the manager some great questions, such as "Where does the meat come from?" and "How does the cheese arrive at the supermarket?" When we got back, we wrote a letter to our friends at Super Fresh thanking them for letting us come in and tour the market! We had practice signing our name, and talking about the parts of a letter.
Wednesday, Sheri Watson came in to talk about her job as a professor. Sheri teaches lighting on the college level, and showed the children how we can use light in fun ways. She made adorable shadow puppets with us, and the children had a great time putting on a puppet show with shadows!! We also had some practice in language arts, learning about what objects go with different pictures.
Thursday, Stephanie Squires came in to discuss her job of owning a fabric store! She brought in many different beautiful fabrics, and explained where you could use them in a home. The children were able to cut out different patterns of fabric, and glue them to a canvas! We used tassels, patterns of boats, seahorses, children and polka dots! Once these projects dry, they will be showcased in our classroom! Miss Vanda also came for drama and taught us new words, "Mime" and what it means to talk in "unison." The children had fun miming different everyday activities such as opening the door, ringing the doorbell, and seeing something really funny! They also got to act out the story "The Bear Snores On." Each child got to be a different animal in the story, trying to wake up the snoring bear!
We ended our week on Friday doing a project with our letter of the week, letter "U." We colored the letter "U" then thought of some great words that the letter began with" U." We had a fun time with Cantor Carl singing some of our favorite Shabbat Songs!
A GREAT BIG THANK TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL PARENT HELPERS THIS WEEK!
Thanks to Joyce Miele, Sheri Watson, Fanny Ziegler, Stephanie Squires and to our Royal Reader AND parent helper, Gloria Stefel~!!
Books We Read This Week:
Monday- I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato- Lauren Child
Tuesday- The Boy Who Wouldn't Share- Mike Reiss
Wednesday- What Do You Want To Be?- Todd Parr
Thursday- Mister Seahorse- Eric Carle
Friday- I've Lost My Yellow Zebra- Angela Brooksbank
Please stay tuned for more info regarding Parent- Teacher Conferences and our Hanukkah Happening in December!
The playschool will close at 12:30pm on Wednesday, November 26th and will be closed Thursday, November 27th for Thanksgiving~
Have a Super Weekend!
Miss. Ali and Miss. C
On Monday, Joyce Miele came in to talk to the children about her job as a hair stylist. She talked about what happens when you go to a salon, and how to give people the best haircut! She also discussed how all people have different shaped faces, and how there is a hair style to match everyone! She brought in different cutouts of shapes, and also wonderful crazy hairstyles that the children had to color and cut out! They were able to create different looks on their "clients" using the different hair styles that they designed! We also started practice with our letter of the week, letter "U."
On Tuesday, we went on our exciting field trip to Super Fresh! The children got to see all of the different jobs that a supermarket has~! We spoke with the produce manager, the deli manager, the baker, and even the manager of the entire supermarket!! The children got to touch a lobster too!! We received some yummy treats, and had a wonderful time touring!! We even got to ask the manager some great questions, such as "Where does the meat come from?" and "How does the cheese arrive at the supermarket?" When we got back, we wrote a letter to our friends at Super Fresh thanking them for letting us come in and tour the market! We had practice signing our name, and talking about the parts of a letter.
Wednesday, Sheri Watson came in to talk about her job as a professor. Sheri teaches lighting on the college level, and showed the children how we can use light in fun ways. She made adorable shadow puppets with us, and the children had a great time putting on a puppet show with shadows!! We also had some practice in language arts, learning about what objects go with different pictures.
Thursday, Stephanie Squires came in to discuss her job of owning a fabric store! She brought in many different beautiful fabrics, and explained where you could use them in a home. The children were able to cut out different patterns of fabric, and glue them to a canvas! We used tassels, patterns of boats, seahorses, children and polka dots! Once these projects dry, they will be showcased in our classroom! Miss Vanda also came for drama and taught us new words, "Mime" and what it means to talk in "unison." The children had fun miming different everyday activities such as opening the door, ringing the doorbell, and seeing something really funny! They also got to act out the story "The Bear Snores On." Each child got to be a different animal in the story, trying to wake up the snoring bear!
We ended our week on Friday doing a project with our letter of the week, letter "U." We colored the letter "U" then thought of some great words that the letter began with" U." We had a fun time with Cantor Carl singing some of our favorite Shabbat Songs!
A GREAT BIG THANK TO ALL OF OUR WONDERFUL PARENT HELPERS THIS WEEK!
Thanks to Joyce Miele, Sheri Watson, Fanny Ziegler, Stephanie Squires and to our Royal Reader AND parent helper, Gloria Stefel~!!
Books We Read This Week:
Monday- I will Never Not Ever Eat a Tomato- Lauren Child
Tuesday- The Boy Who Wouldn't Share- Mike Reiss
Wednesday- What Do You Want To Be?- Todd Parr
Thursday- Mister Seahorse- Eric Carle
Friday- I've Lost My Yellow Zebra- Angela Brooksbank
Please stay tuned for more info regarding Parent- Teacher Conferences and our Hanukkah Happening in December!
The playschool will close at 12:30pm on Wednesday, November 26th and will be closed Thursday, November 27th for Thanksgiving~
Have a Super Weekend!
Miss. Ali and Miss. C
Friday, November 7, 2008
News From Ms. Terri and Ms. Amber 11/07/08
Is our Letter of the Week!!!
Hi Moms, Dads and special Grown-ups,
This week we've been talking about how tricky the letter "C' can be.
Sometimes it sounds like letters K and S and when it's next to an H...
we get a whole new sound like in choo-choo and cheese! We read Eric Carle's The Very Hungry Caterpillar and Have You Seen My Cat? We painted the letter C to look like the Caterpillar in the story and we made some really cool cats. We read Hi Cat! by Ezra Jack Keats. The children thought it was really funny that the little black cat followed the boys everywhere they went. They were hoping the cat would move in to the house! We are getting ready to begin next week talking about clouds and then we move on to letter D and Thanksgiving.
We are learning lots of Thanksgiving songs and will be making some wonderful things to take home and share with family while visiting for dinner! We will put the words to songs in your mail box this week. We also wanted to remind you that Ms. Amber will be away until the 17th of November. She is getting married on November 9th and will be Honeymooning in Canada. We wish her a beautiful time!!! Ms. Sophie and Ms. Lilly will be filling in for her. They are two of the wonderful teaching assistants in Ms. Gloria's class.
Our Playschool Art Exhibit is still on display. If you would like to purchase your child's work of art and/or order customized stationery, please let us know as soon as possible.
Here are some important dates to remind you about in the coming weeks!
On Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no After-school Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28.
Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. There will be no classes for the children on conference day, but staff will be available to watch children during meetings. More information will be available soon.
Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks.
The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Have a great weekend, Shabbat Shalom!
Ms. Terri, Ms. Amber, Ms. Sophie and Ms. Lilly
News From Miss Gloria and Friends, 11/07/08
Letter of the Week: N
On Monday, we read In the Night Kitchen by Maurice Sendak. In this fantasy story, a young boy's dream sends him on a journey through a baker's kitchen where he assists in the creation of a cake. For our art project, the boys and girls made an illustration from the story. We began to talk about Thanksgiving as we looked at the November calendar. The children learned that on Thanksgiving we think about things that we are thankful for. The boys and girls began learning a few Thanksgiving songs, too.
On Tuesday, we read One Dark Night by Lisa Wheeler. Mouse and Mole are in fear of the dark night until they find Bear who shows them kindness by sharing his dinner with them. Our letter of the week project was to make the dark, nighttime sky. On the letter N, the children put an owl sitting in a tree, bats, and the shining stars up in the sky. During circle time, for a letter N activity, the children told us their first and last names. We learned a few more funny turkey songs for Thanksgiving.
On Wednesday, one group of children worked in their journals. On their page, they decorated the letter N with pieces of newspapers. The other children read a fall book called Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Ehlert. This book tells about trees in the four seasons. In yoga class, Miss Kim asked the children what they would like to be when they grew up, as they practiced yoga breathing. The children played "Yoga Simon Says" using various yoga poses. Today's lesson focused on learning animal poses, such as a donkeys, lizards, seals, snakes, and cats.
Thursday, we read Nanta's Lion by Suse MacDonald. Nanta is in search of a lion who is scaring the cattle in her African village. This search-and-find book has a surprise ending as Nanta shows her disappointment in being unable to find the lion. For our art project, the boys and girls painted their own lions like the one that Nanta lost. We listened to a musical CD called Dinosaurs by Wee Sing and Learn. The children also had fun singing some silly Thanksgiving Day songs.
On Friday, we read Ten Red Apples by Virginia Miller. In this number book, Bartholomew Bear loves to count the apples on his apple tree. He counts the apples until he has enough to make an apple pie. For our project, the children put the numbers one through nine on the letter N.
Thank you to Hayden, Thomas, Harry, Owen, and Nina for being our super "kids of the day" this week. Please let us know if your child will be attending the trip to the Art Museum on Tuesday, November 18. The cost is $10.00 per child and $10.00 for an adult. Parents are invited to attend, too. The theme of the lesson will be Shapes and Colors in Art.
Our Playschool Art Exhibit is still on display. If you would like to purchase your child's work of art and/or order customized stationery, please let us know as soon as possible.
In Afterschool Arts Clubs, on Monday, we made pumpkin pie, on Tuesday, we did an experiment with food coloring and flowers, on Wednesday, we read The Napping House and created our own napping houses, and on Thursday, we played parachute games.
Looking forward, on Wednesday, November 26, we will dismiss at 12:30 and there will be no Afterschool Arts Club. The Playschool will be closed for Thanksgiving on Thursday, November 27 and Friday, November 28. Wednesday, December 10 and Thursday, December 11 are Parent Teacher Conferences. More information will be available soon. Our annual Hanukkah Happening and Playschool Open House will be held on Sunday, December 14 at 11AM. More information will be forthcoming in the next few weeks. The winter holiday break begins on Monday, December 22. The Playschool will re-open on Monday, January 5, 2009.
Next week, we will learn letter T. Have a great weekend!
Ms. Gloria, Ms. Allison, Ms. Lily, Ms. Sophie, Ms. Mindy
Pre-K News...Week of November 3rd
This week in Pre- K our unit was Community Jobs and People! We did many fun projects, and are getting ready for our field trip to Super Fresh next week!
Monday, we colored and decorated faces and described what their job could be! We started practicing the letter "I" in our Handwriting Without Tears book, and thought of words that began with the letter "I."
Tuesday, we cut out paper dolls, colored them and made a background scene for them. Many of our friends wanted their dolls to be pilots, ballerina's and doctors! We did some work in language arts and are learning to understand letter, picture recognition.
Wednesday, we decorated paper cut outs and talked about heroes. Each child created their own hero, and explained why they choose their hero. Some of heroes were lawyers, vets and school bus drivers!!
Thursday, we illustrated a picture of a job we would like to be when we grow up, and then explained it! They are hanging around our classroom, and the children did an excellent job explaining their pictures!
Friday, we did a project for our letter of the week, letter "I." We used bingo paint dotters to color our I's, then said a sentence using a word that began with "I." We also celebrated Shabbat with Cantor Carl, and sang some great songs.
Thanks a MILLION to Sheri Watson, our super Royal Reader this week!!
Books:
Monday- Sally Gets A Job- Stephen Huneck
Tuesday- Doctor Maisy- Lucy Cousins
Wednesday- The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers- Stan and Jan Berenstain
Thursday- We're Taking An Airplane Trip- Dinah Moche
Friday-The Jolly Postman- Janet and Allen Ahlberg
*** Our Field Trip to Super Fresh has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 11th!!
Shabbat Shalom, Have a great weekend!
Miss Ali and Miss. C
Monday, we colored and decorated faces and described what their job could be! We started practicing the letter "I" in our Handwriting Without Tears book, and thought of words that began with the letter "I."
Tuesday, we cut out paper dolls, colored them and made a background scene for them. Many of our friends wanted their dolls to be pilots, ballerina's and doctors! We did some work in language arts and are learning to understand letter, picture recognition.
Wednesday, we decorated paper cut outs and talked about heroes. Each child created their own hero, and explained why they choose their hero. Some of heroes were lawyers, vets and school bus drivers!!
Thursday, we illustrated a picture of a job we would like to be when we grow up, and then explained it! They are hanging around our classroom, and the children did an excellent job explaining their pictures!
Friday, we did a project for our letter of the week, letter "I." We used bingo paint dotters to color our I's, then said a sentence using a word that began with "I." We also celebrated Shabbat with Cantor Carl, and sang some great songs.
Thanks a MILLION to Sheri Watson, our super Royal Reader this week!!
Books:
Monday- Sally Gets A Job- Stephen Huneck
Tuesday- Doctor Maisy- Lucy Cousins
Wednesday- The Berenstain Bears Learn About Strangers- Stan and Jan Berenstain
Thursday- We're Taking An Airplane Trip- Dinah Moche
Friday-The Jolly Postman- Janet and Allen Ahlberg
*** Our Field Trip to Super Fresh has been rescheduled to Tuesday, November 11th!!
Shabbat Shalom, Have a great weekend!
Miss Ali and Miss. C
Monday, November 3, 2008
Miss. Ali and Miss. C's classroom news for week of Oct 27th
This week our unit was Families! The children learned about different types of families and what makes each one special. We read some great books and did some fantastic projects that are displayed around our classroom!
On Monday, the children made a family tree using paper cupcake liners to draw the members of their families on. We also began the letter "T" in our Handwriting without Tears workbooks1
Tuesday, we made our families using paper hands! Each child drew a picture of their family members on the fingers of our family tree hand projects! We also had some practice writing and counting the number 4.
Wednesday, the children had a choice to make either a grandfather puppet or a grandmother puppet. They colored and decorated them the way they thought their grandparents looked! We also continued practice with the letter "T"
Thursday, we decorated picture frames for our grandparents day gifts! The children did a beautiful job creating a present especially for their grandparent, and got a kick out of seeing their pictures in the frames! We also practiced understanding determining different sizes of pictures and shapes in language arts.
Friday, we had a wonderful day celebrating grandparents day! The children and their grandparents took part in playtime, circle time and our story of the day. We also had a lot of fun listing why grandparents are special to us. We ended the day with a great Shabbat celebration with Cantor Carl.
Much Thanks to our SUPER Royal Reader this week, Matt Duncan!!
Books We Read This Week:
Monday- Just me and my Mom- Mercer Mayer
Tuesday-The Daddy Mountain- Jules Feiffer
Wednesday- The Family Book- Todd Parr
Thursday- It's OK to be Different- Todd Parr
Friday- - The Ultimate Guide to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s- Sally Lloyd Jones
* Our class field trip to Super Fresh for our unit on Community Jobs and People, is Monday, November 10th at 10am!
On Monday, the children made a family tree using paper cupcake liners to draw the members of their families on. We also began the letter "T" in our Handwriting without Tears workbooks1
Tuesday, we made our families using paper hands! Each child drew a picture of their family members on the fingers of our family tree hand projects! We also had some practice writing and counting the number 4.
Wednesday, the children had a choice to make either a grandfather puppet or a grandmother puppet. They colored and decorated them the way they thought their grandparents looked! We also continued practice with the letter "T"
Thursday, we decorated picture frames for our grandparents day gifts! The children did a beautiful job creating a present especially for their grandparent, and got a kick out of seeing their pictures in the frames! We also practiced understanding determining different sizes of pictures and shapes in language arts.
Friday, we had a wonderful day celebrating grandparents day! The children and their grandparents took part in playtime, circle time and our story of the day. We also had a lot of fun listing why grandparents are special to us. We ended the day with a great Shabbat celebration with Cantor Carl.
Much Thanks to our SUPER Royal Reader this week, Matt Duncan!!
Books We Read This Week:
Monday- Just me and my Mom- Mercer Mayer
Tuesday-The Daddy Mountain- Jules Feiffer
Wednesday- The Family Book- Todd Parr
Thursday- It's OK to be Different- Todd Parr
Friday- - The Ultimate Guide to Grandma’s and Grandpa’s- Sally Lloyd Jones
* Our class field trip to Super Fresh for our unit on Community Jobs and People, is Monday, November 10th at 10am!
Sunday, November 2, 2008
News From Ms. Terri and Ms. Amber 10/31/08
http://www.georgerodrigue.com/Hi Moms, Dads and Special Grownups,
We have been so busy over the past few weeks celebrating all of the Fall Holidays.
It was a little tricky having so many days off. We are really happy to be back on a regular schedule!
We wanted to catch you up with some of the books we read for Sukkot. In addition to Sammy Spider, we read It's Sukkah Time by by Latifa Berry Kropf with photographs by Tod Cohen. The children really liked this book because of the photographs. We passed around an Etrog and sniffed it, just like the girl on the cover. We also read Papa, Please get the Moon for Me by Eric Carle. This book is an absolute treasure and the children love the fold out pages and luscious paintings. We made fantastic "Moon masks" to view the moon through. The children are excited for the next full moon!
Thank you all for making our Fall Shabbat dinner such a lovely experience and Thank you so much for your generous support of our school by participating in our Art Exhibit fund raiser.
The children worked so hard on their paintings for days. Each time we used something different to make marks, brushes, string, stamps, and sticks. We used different colors each time we worked on it. We read Olivia by Ian Falconer and paid close attention to the Degas and Pollack paintings in the story. The children were really proud of the final product and are still excited about the "show." We plan to take walks to go and look at the paintings while they are still hanging.
We got to wrap up our letter "B" exploration this week. We made big-blue-B's, birds, and beaded bracelets. We read The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear, by Audrey and Don Wood and Bear in a Square by Stella Blackstone and Debbie Harter. Our favorite book of the week was Whis is Blue Dog Blue? by George Rodrigue. We learned allot of new names for colors, like chartreuse, auburn and magenta. We made paintings of Blue Dog.
We have been learning lots of new songs! Each time we talk about a different letter, we are changing the first letter of our names and singing the Willoughby Walloughby song. (ie. Ms. Terri>Ms. Berri) Our current favorites are The Goldfish song by Laurie Berkner and this Little Apple Seed song below. It is sung to the tune of Itsy-Bitsy Spider!
A little apple seed was planted in the ground
Down came the rain drops, falling all around
Up came the bright sun, as bright as bright can be
And the little apple seed grew up to be an apple tree
This week...Letter "C"
Have a great weekend and Shabbat Shalom,
Ms. Terri and Ms. Amber
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