May Parent Letter

May

2012

          Where has the time gone?! I feel like this year went by in a wink of an eye. It seems like yesterday that your children were entering this preschool classroom. Everyone was excited and a little nervous about a new school year, a new setting, and new friends. We have had an amazing year of new discoveries and firsts; for some their first letter, their name, last names. Some of us learned to count to ten and others to a hundred. The end of the year is always bittersweet. While we look forward to warmer and sunnier days, we say goodbye to this particular group and in some ways to our 2011-2012 room #133 family. The children have grown beautifully and I have been lucky enough to get to know so many wonderful families. I want to take this opportunity to thank you all for your outpouring of love, generosity, and support. Each family has helped me create a very successful school year. Thank you for allowing us to get to know each individually and wonderfully unique child and thank you for the honor and trust you’ve given me being your child’s preschool teacher. We have had a wonderful year full of memories with your children. It’s been one of those years that I am blessed with the reminder of why I went into teaching- to make a difference and have the opportunity to touch so many talented lives.

          Now we look ahead and some children will have the opportunity to be the “big kids” in class next year and model for the new and younger students. For others, we say a tearful farewell to our child’s toddler/preschool years and we begin embracing the school aged years. We are slowly giving our children a little more independence upon entering Kindergarten. I appreciate all of the parental support, a blessed year, and kindness and friendship; I am so very grateful.

Of the Months

Letter(s): Xx, Yy, Zz, Alphabet Review

Color: Blue

Shape: Oval

Number: Review #’s 0-20

May 1^st- 4^th  Beautiful Butterflies

          This week we will be focusing on Beautiful Butterflies.  With spring in full swing, it’s the perfect time to focus on symbols of new life.  Our main focus will be the life cycle and metamorphosis of a caterpillar into a beautiful butterfly.

May 7^th-11^th  Hip Hop’n Frogs

          Hop on in this week to participate in some “froggy” activities.  We will learn and talk about the life cycle of a frog and compare/contrast it to that of a butterfly.  We will be focusing on the habitat of a frog- the pond.  This week on Thursday, May 10^th is Portfolio Night and there will be no school on Friday, May 11^th.

May 14^th-18^th  We’re Going to the Zoo… How ‘bout you? 

          We’re Going to the Zoo… How ‘bout you?  Lions and tigers, and bears; Oh, my!  This week we will be visiting Brookfield Zoo on Wednesday, May 16^th.  This will be our final field trip and it will be an all preschool/JK trip.  To supplement our real visit we will be doing an animal match up game during large group.  Children will have to find the peer with the matching animal card.  After our zoo adventure we will be journaling about our favorite animal(s) and copying the written word of our favorite animal. 

May 21^st-25^th   Under the Sea

          During this week we will travel in our imaginations to a world under the sea.  We will have lots of sensory fun with water, sand, and rocks.  We will also be creating our very own sea friends to take home.  With so many undiscovered oceanic animals & untouched parts of the ocean that we can only imagine what lies beneath the ocean blue.  It will be fun looking to the children’s imaginations to create their own sea creatures while learning a little more about the ones that are familiar to us. 

May 29^th-June 1^st  Growing a Rainbow

          This week we’re going to take time to smell the flowers. Our focus will be on flowers and gardening basics. Literacy activities will surround the following stories- Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert, Flower Garden by Eve Bunting, and Inch by Inch by Leo Lioni. In addition, we’ll be planting, making a spring mural, dissecting and labeling the basic parts of a flower, and cooking up dirt cups to just name a few activities.

Important Dates

• 5/9— Preschool Prayer Service at 10:00 in the church.
• 5/10—Portfolio Nightà Please check clipboard for your time and your child’s mailbox for more information
• 5/11—No School due to a Professional Development Day
• 5/16—Field Trip to the Brookfield Zooà Please check the clipboard and your child’s mailbox for more information
• 5/17—Last Spanish Class
• 5/23—Last Music Class
• 5/28—No School due to Memorial Day
• 6/5—LAST DAY OF PRESCHOOL! Dismissal will be at 12:20. No AFTERCARE!

Birthday Shout Outs!

          May all of our friends have a happy birthday filled with sunshine and rainbows. May God bless all of you on your special day!

• 5/20- Ms. Kelley
• 5/27- Ally L.
• 6/17- Winnie
• 8/13- Oliver

          Congratulations to all of our preschoolers. For those returning to preschool I look forward to seeing you in the fall.

To all our students moving on, Congratulations on completing preschool. We wish you the best of luck in Kindergarten!

All the best,

Ms. Barrett & Ms. Kelley



March Parent Letter

March 2012

Dear Families,

Welcome to March!   We will have many fun and exciting activities and trips this month.  Please keep in mind that Assessments will be going home on Wednesday, March 21^st.  If you do not receive your child’s assessment from me directly, please check your child’s mailbox and their papers.  Thank you. This month we will explore the works of Dr. Seuss, Learn about Saint Patrick, Explore Rainbows and  Learn about the weather (lions and lambs),

Did you know that Dr Seuss’s Birthday is on March 2^nd?  For our first week of the month we will explore the works of Dr. Seuss.  We will read many of his stories including My Many Colored Days, The Cat in the Hat, Green Eggs and Ham, The Foot Book, and One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish!  For art time we will create a fanciful zoo animals, fish bowls, and snazzy socks.  For Science time we will make oobleck and cook up some green eggs!  Our letter of the week is Ss and our number is 19 and our number review. ON Thursday, March 8^th we will attend the production of Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day.

The second week in class we will learn all about Saint Patrick.  The children will learn about the story of Saint Patrick and how he became the patron Saint of Ireland.  During Language Arts time the children will hear the stories The Story of Saint Patrick, Clever Tom and the Leprechaun, The Night before Saint Patrick’s Day, and Fin M’Coul.  For art time the children will create leprechaun wind dancers, shamrock’s galore and more, and magic clovers.  Our Letter of the week is Tt and we will review our numbers.  On Wednesday, March 14^th we will have our Dad’s day in the classroom from 8:15 to 9:00.

Our third week we will go Over the Rainbow!  The children will create many colorful rainbow creations this week.  We will also learn the colors of the rainbow and remember those colors by remembering the name Roy G. Biv.  The children will complete a journaling activity about what they would find at the end of their rainbow and learn how rainbows appear in the sky.  This week we will review Letter Oo and we will continue our number review.  On Friday, March 23^rd, the school will be closed for a Professional Development Day,

During our last week of the month we will talk about the crazy weather we have in March.  We will learn that it comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb!  We are so ready for spring!  During Language Arts time we will read The Wind Blew, One Windy Day, The Rain Came Down, and It Looked like Spilt Milk.  During Art time the children will create Paper plate lions and lambs and colorful kites!   For Science time we will explore how air can move some objects but not others.  Our letter of the week is Oo, Pp Qq reviewed and our number is 0- 20 reviewed.

As you can see we have a very busy, but very fun, month ahead of us.  As always if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me at EBarrett@stbenedict.com

Of the Months:

Shape of the month is: Shamrock and Triangle

The color of the month is: Green

Numbers of the month: 19 and 20 and number review

Letters of the month: Ss, Tt, and review Oo, Pp, and Qq

Some Important Dates to Remember:

Saturday, March 3^rd - Ball and Auction

Wednesday, March 7^th- Preschool Prayer Service at 10:00

Thursday, March 14^th- We’re Lucky to have our Dads morning from 8:15 to 9:00.

Wednesday, March 21^st- Assessments go Home

Friday, March 23^rd- School Closed- Professional Development Day

Birthday Shout Outs!

May all your birthday wishes come true!

  March 12^th- Leilani            March 18^th- Elliot

March 18^th- Kellen          March 24^th- Zach

Have a Happy Saint Patrick’s Day!!!!

 Ms. Barrett & Ms. Kelley



February Newsletter

February

2012

          This is one of my favorite months! The days are beginning to get longer, the sun is beginning to shine a little brighter, and if you close your eyes you can feel the warmth of spring creeping upon us. While this may be the shortest month of the year, we’re going to try to pack a lot in.

          I want to start with saying how wonderful the children are progressing together in the classroom. More children are writing their names independently and quite a few are independently writing their last names or copying their last name. All of the children recognize their name in print and many are able to use the keyboard to type their name on journal activities. Each child is taking ownership of being responsible in the care of the classroom. The children have definitely grown fond of one another. More importantly, they help one another out. With that said, this is the perfect month to discuss and share the love that Jesus has for all of us. Equally important is the gift of friendship.

Special Family Project

          This month we are focusing on celebrating God’s love on Valentine’s Day. We will be discussing God’s eternal and unconditional love for all of us.  As a family project I will be supplying each family with a heart cut out.  I am asking each family to decorate a heart.  Hearts are due in class on Tuesday, February 7^th.  These hearts will be used to decorate our Jesus bulletin board. 

January 30^st-February 3^rd

          This week is Catholic Schools Week. The theme for Catholic Schools Week this year is “Faith, Academics, and Service.”

• Tuesday 1/31 – Literacy Collaboration- One School One Author

§  The High school students will be coming in and doing an art activity with the preschoolers, centered on the author Jane Yoland, author of Owl Moon.

§   Children will be creating thank you cards for their parents for their Catholic education.  Children will also create a thank you card for a special member of the St. Ben’s family. 

§  Holy Halls Saint Projects- Our class will be reading a story about Saint Benedict and creating a class poster about him.  This poster will be displayed in the hallway. 

§   

• Wednesday 2/1-
• Thursday 2/2- Holy Halls Saint Tour

§  We will be taking our class around the preschool and elementary reading and viewing the saint posters created by each classroom.

§  We will also be taking the preschoolers on a Holy Scavenger hunt.  We will be hiding church related items around the classroom and learning about them. 

**Beginning Friday, January 27^th there will be a Book Fair in the High school Library.

       February 6^th-10^th

                    Our focus this week will be on dental hygiene. February is          National Dental Health Month. We will be conducting a science       experiment, observing and demonstrating proper brushing and        flossing. We will be discussing healthy and unhealthy foods for our           teeth.

• Tuesday 2/8-

February 13^th-17^th

Our theme will be “OXOXOX”. This week hearts will be abounding with love. Some stories of this week include Skidamarink and Love Bugs. We will be lacing hearts and stringing heard leis as small motor activities. For math we will be focusing on symmetry and children will practice their cutting skills by cutting a folded piece of paper with half a heart drawn, when completed children should unfold to discover a whole heart!

• Tuesday 2/14-
• Wednesday 2/15- “We love our moms!”

§  We will be serving muffins and juice in the classroom from 8:15-9:00.  There will be a special story being read and a song the children will sing for their moms. 

**NO classes on February 2/17- Professional Development Day

February 20^th-24^th

          Our theme this week will be “United We Stand”. We will discuss and have activities centered on Lincoln and Washington. Please point out to your child who is on a penny, a quarter, or even a dollar bill. We will be journaling “If I had $100”. This is a new activity in my class and it will be interesting to see what the children want to or think they can purchase with a whole hundred dollars! We will be sorting coins, emphasizing the Pledge of Allegiance, and paying close attention to the colors of the U.S. flag.

• No classes on February 2/20- President’s Day!

February 27^th- March 2^nd

Our theme this week will be On the Loose with Dr. Seuss.  We will focus on Theodore Geisel, better known as Dr. Seuss; his birthday is on March 2^nd.  We will pay tribute to a classic author with several activities based on the following books- Hop on Pop; we will practice hopping on one foot and two. Green Eggs and Ham; we will be cooking green eggs and ham; and if children wish to try them, they may, they may I say. My Many Colored Days; we  will talk about our feelings and journal about what color we are feeling, practice left to right recognition by tracking our individual sentences, assembling our sentences and drawing a picture to correspond.

          Those two weeks will expose the children to many activities that involve rhyming; I strongly encourage families to point out rhyming sets to their children to help reinforce the idea.

Of the Months

          Letters: Oo, Pp, Qq – review Oo, Pp, Qq, Rr

          Numbers: 1-20

          Color: Pink

          Shape: Heart

Important Dates to Remember

• Every Tuesday is 2pm dismissal
• Monday 1/30 – Friday 2/3- Catholic Schools Week
• Tuesday 2/7- Adler Planetarium In-house field trip
• Tuesday 2/14- Valentine’s Card Exchange 10:50-12:20
• Wednesday 2/15- “We Love Our Moms!” 8:15- 9:00 am
• Friday 2/17- No School- Professional Development
• Monday 2/20- No School- President’s Day!

Birthday Shout-Outs!

Every child is a gift of love from God. Happy Birthday

and may all your sweet wishes come true!

• Monday, February 20^th- Kate

Sincerely,

Ms. Barrett and Ms. Kelley



January Newsletter

January

2012

*Please visit our website at http://sbps.stbenedict.comerin-barrett/

          Happy New Year! We hope everyone has had a restful holiday break. Now is the time of year we enter the long, cold winter without any holiday hype. I know winter days seem long to us, but just think how long they feel for your child who longs for warm, sunny days at the park. I’m hoping to take some of the hum-glum out of the winter with some fun activities. This month we will be demonstrating how fun cold, snow, and winter can be. Our main focus will be winter, how animals prepare as well as how we keep warm. We will also be studying Martin Luther King Jr., and we will wrap up the month with a unit on penguins.

 Weather Reminders

          If it should snow and your child comes to school in boots, I ask you to assist your child in changing their boots outside of the classroom. Please place wet boots on the trays provided. Make sure all boots, coats, hats, scarves, and gloves/mittens are clearly labeled with your child’s name. Please bring another pair of shoes to wear in the classroom, but no slippers. We ask this as a safety precaution so that your child does not fall. As you know, I foster a classroom of independent and able bodied children. Part of this process is having your child put away their winter gear in their own cubbies. I am also asking parents to allow your child the chance to bundle themselves before going to school. For example, allow your child to put on their own coat and hat, and if your child is able to, allow them to zip or finish zipping their own coat. This is good self help practice and small motor strengthening exercise that will help your child to write!

 Snow Fun!

          If the temperature and wind chill permits we

would love to take the children outside for large motor

time. In order to do so the children need snow pants.

We are asking that all children have a pair of snow pants on the days they attend school, so this way we are able to take the children out to play! The fresh air and outdoor fun is best for the children and the children behave better and are better focused when they have some outside time.

 Of the months…

     Letters: Ll, Mm, Nn and review Ll, Mm, Nn

     Numbers: 11-14

     Color: Blue

     Shape: Oval

                 Important Dates to Remember:

     School Resumes Thursday, January 5^th

     Monday, January 16^th there is No School for Martin Luther King Jr.’s birthday

     Thursday, January 26^th Parent Teacher Conferences from 4pm to 7pm. (Optional Conference)

     Friday, January 27^th there is No School for 2^nd Trimester Conferences from 8:30 to 12:00

     Please remember every Tuesday is early dismissal at 2pm.

     If your child is a full day student please remember dismissal is at 2:45. Students not picked up by 2:45 may have to go to after-care and are considered a late pick-up and may be subject to a late pick-up fee as stated in the school handbook. Thank you for your assistance.

 January Birthday Shout-Outs

Hooray and happy, happy birthday to…

1-5 Anya!!!!

 We look forward to a fun blustery month of painting snowflakes, reading Snowmen at Night, sequencing snowballs, and assembling our letters to spell “snowflake”.

 Sincerely,

 Ms. Barrett and Ms. Kelley   



Canned Food Drive

I just wanted to say thank you to all our families for all the canned food we collected.  Our class made our gaol and exceeded it!  In all we collected 113 cans of peaches and chili and 2 boxes of peach fruit cups.  Thank you so much to all our families for your generosity!