Updates

 We have been very busy (like always) these last couple weeks.  We have focused our learning all about the Market and food.  We have read the book, To Market To Market  by Anne Miranda.  It's a very funny story with amazing illustrations.  The best part is that the students don't realize how much they are learning while we read it.  It's a rhyming story and introduces and reinforces great vocabulary.   It also serves as a great book to ask simple wh and complex wh questions.  I found it on amazon for $6 and I strongly recommend it.
                                             

We have also been busy introducing our theme in other ways such as stringing with pasta (fine motor skills),  grocery store in our dramatic play center, painting with vegetables, exploring food with our 5 senses and so much more.  When it is too cold to go outside we make use of the awesome rock wall in our gym, ride our trikes through the school, and even scooter board through the halls.  We also have a motor room where we can use our gross motor skills.

If you signed up to go on our field trip to the Children's Museum you will be receiving a letter very soon.

We have been writing grocery lists for our class grocery store.  Feel free to have your child help you the next time you write a list for shopping.  He could write on your list or even keep his own list for the store.  It's a great way to teach the purpose of writing.  Remember that your child is a preschooler and developmentally may still be scribbling.  Scribbling to writing letters is acceptable and encouraged.  The more enjoyable we make it the more progress your child will have.  We always model proper letter and word formation and before we  know it the students are doing the same. 

Please enjoy some recent photos.

Emily and Colton using the geoboards to make shapes.

Happy Birthday to Hailey.

Painting with carrots.

We even used our sense of hearing to listen to the sound the seeds made in the red pepper when we shook it.

Happy Birthday to Yanni!

Roller Painting

Dear Families,
Welcome to the 2013-2014 blog.  My goal is to update with photos and news from our class.  We have two amazing classes and we enjoy showing off what we are learning and doing.  Please feel free to look through the photos with your child.  I think they will serve as great conversation starters.

Donnie Circle Painting

Dustin using the collage materials.

Hailey working hard at the art center.

James listening to a story at the listening center.

Isabella at the sensory table.

Zander at the listening center.

Yanni playing with shaving cream.

Happy Birthday, Alexis.



Donnie and Kevin with the blocks.

Daniel-apple printing.

At our fieldtrip to the fire station.

Making flubber!

Emily using salt to practice drawing and wrting.

Happy Birthday to James.

The corn at the sensory table was very popular.

Measuring the play dough snakes.

Bronosn and Hailey

Isabella the Cat!

Hammering golf tees into pumpkins.  Great for practicing hand/eye coordination and fine motor skills.

Colton at the math center.

Ready to go trick or treating around our building during our Halloween Party.

Trick or Treat

Ethan exploring the inside of a pumpkin.

We carved a pumpkin at school.  We voted on what shape to make the eyes, nose and mouth.

Trick or Treat!

Christopher the Mummy.

Isabella working hard on a file folder game. 

Tie Dye

Once again we have decided to make tie-dye tee-shirts to wear on our last day of preschool for our celebration. It would be greatly appreciated if you could send in a plain white tee-shirt for your child to tie-dye with your child’s name written on the tag or inside collar.   Once we tie-dye them I will launder them and send them home. Anyone who wants to donate any extra tee shirts is welcome to do so.

Dear Families,

I am so excited to be back at school.  I'm not going to lie and say it's easy to leave my new baby but coming back to all of your children makes it so much easier.  Henry is 8 weeks old and is doing very well.  I missed each student and look forward to the rest of the school year. 

We have many fun learning experiences planned for the remainder of the school year.  We have changed our class theme to Farm.  Following farm we will end our school year with a beach/ice cream theme.

Currently we have 6 caterpillars in our class.  We are observing their metamorphism from small caterpillar to butterfly.  We have a class greenhouse and the students have planted seeds.  These opportunities for observation are priceless.  We will be recording our observations as it's never to early to be a scientist. 

I checked in many times during my maternity leave and heard all about the great learning that was occurring.  I'm excited to see the progress each student made.

As we wrap up the school year there are some important dates I'd like for you to have.

May 23rd-Walk-a-thon - schedule of events to come soon.  The Wed/Fri class is welcome to join for the festivities if accompanied by a parent/guardian.

May 24th- no school

June 5th- picnic celebration (Tues/Thur class)

June 6th- picnic celebration (Wed/Fri class)

More details about the picnic to come soon.

Some of you have asked about my husband.  He is recovering from his spinal surgery and is at home.  It's been an adventure these last few months but things are looking up.  He walks with the use of a walker and has a long road ahead of him but we remain positive and thankful.

We've welcomed Lyla to our Tues/Thurs class.

Remember never hesitate to call, email or write with any questions, concerns or comments,

Gretchen Bayer

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 11^th.  Some of you may have also heard that my husband had emergency spinal cord surgery on February 15^th.  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 6^th.  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 28^th- 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 19^th- 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 23^rd- May 3^rd- 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 29^th-April 4^th.

Have a great 8 weeks and remember never hesitate to call, email or write with any questions and concerns.

                                                                     Sincerely,

                                                                                                                                    Gretchen

Valentine's Day

Valentine Celebration

This week and next week we will be spending much of our learning on writing letters, the alphabet, the post office, mail carriers, delivering mail etc…  The theme correlates very well with Valentine’s Day.  On Tuesday February 12^th and Wednesday February 13^th we will celebrate Valentine’s Day by making a special craft, eating a special snack and exchanging Valentine cards. You are welcome to join us.  Our celebration will be from 1-2 p.m.  Your child is welcome to bring in Valentine cards for his/her peers.  Please encourage your child to sign his or her name on the Valentine cards.  If your child is able he or she is welcome to write the first names of his or her peers on the envelopes.  We will make card boxes or bags for the children to bring their cards home in.