Dear Families,
I hope you are doing well. Things have been going very well in our classroom these last few weeks. I am sorry I missed the Valentine party. The students all told me they had a great time.
These last two weeks we have been very busy learning about pets. We have read the Pete the Cat books. If you have not heard of these books please check them out. You can even find the songs that go with the books online. We made class books about rocking in our school shoes that go along with the book, Pete the Cat Rocking in his School Shoes. The pet projects have gone really well. The students seemed to really enjoy sharing their posters and learning about their friends pets. We have them displayed throughout the classroom and hallway.
As most of you know I’m expecting my second child very soon. In fact, he is scheduled to arrive on March 11th. Some of you may have also heard that my husband had emergency spinal cord surgery on February 15th. He has been in inpatient rehab since his surgery. We are hoping for a full recovery but currently he still doesn’t have feeling in part of his lower body and cannot walk unassisted.
Ms. Holly Brock is scheduled to cover my maternity leave until May 6th. She is the same person that covered my first maternity leave and I am sure she is the right fit for our classroom. Never hesitate to email me with concerns but feel free to call or write to Holly or Janie with any questions or concerns. We will be in regular contact while I’m home with my new baby and husband.
The lesson plans are set for the next 8 weeks. Here is a little overview of what the children will be learning;
March 12-March 28th- Castle Theme focusing on the book, King Bidgood’s in the Bathtub by Don and Audrey Wood. Our sensory table will be full of sand and jewels. Our dramatic play center will be full of prince, princess, knight, king and queen costumes. Our block area will have castle blocks to build with. The students will participate in various activities such as making crowns, banners, learning new vocabulary and so on. We learn through play therefore everything has a purpose. When the students are stringing beads on a necklace we are working on fine motor skills. We choose books that focus on rhyming and alliteration which helps prepare students for Kindergarten literacy skills. Our writing center introduces new vocabulary in a fun way which encourages writing skills.
April 9-April 19th- Zoo Theme focusing on the books Dear Zoo and Goodnight Gorrilla. Our dramatic play center will have a zoo nursery with zoo animals, bottles, toys etc… We have a fun song called Animal Action to move to that will help us work on our gross motor skills. The students will participate in another take home project about their favorite zoo animal.
April 23rd- May 3rd- Insects, Garden Theme: We will do an author study on Eric Carle focusing on his insects books including; The Very Hungry Caterpillar, The Very Quiet Cricket, The Very Lonely Firefly, The Grouchy Ladybug and The Very Busy Spider. The students will graph and vote on their favorite Eric Carle book. Eric Carle uses collage to illustrate his books and the students will have an opportunity to engage in several types of collage projects. We will also have a special arrival of caterpillars in our classroom which we will observe transform into butterflies. We will have a greenhouse in our class, plant seeds and watch them grow.
Spring Break-March 29th-April 4th.
Have a great 8 weeks and remember never hesitate to call, email or write with any questions and concerns.
Sincerely,
Gretchen 