High School Buddies

Our Monday/Wednesday classes are lucky enough to have high school buddies that come to visit them every Wednesday.  During this time the high school kids help us with our projects as well as have the opportunity to come up with their own ideas and teach them to us!  Here are a few pictures!

Christmas

 Hello,

Our theme for the next two weeks is Christmas.  During this time we will be doing many activities including: making gifts, creating props for our Christmas Program, practicing our Christmas songs, having a holiday party and much more!  We will also be focusing on the letter "Ii."  We have learned the numbers 1-10 but will continue to review them throughout the days. 

We will be having a class Christmas party on Wed., Dec. 21st or Thurs., Dec. 22nd.  This will be in the morning before our program, therefore if your child leaves, they will not miss out on the festivities!  Please remember that your child should bring their $5.00 gift exchange present by December 19th or 20th.  If this would be a hardship for your family, please talk to me as soon as possible.  

Our Christmas programs will be held at 10:00 A.M. on Wednesday, Dec. 21st or Thursday, Dec. 22nd in the MAES gym.  There will be refreshments to follow, as well as a few "goodies" for the parents to pick up in the classroom before they leave.  Please  fill out and return the bottom portion of the Christmas Program invitation that was sent home earlier this month.  Please know that most children do go home after the concert, but are not required to.  

Christmas break will begin on Friday, December 23rd and will go through Monday, January 2nd.  School will resume Tuesday, January 3rd. 

 On a personal note, over the holiday break my husband and I will be traveling to Pasadena to attend the Rose Bowl for our honeymoon.  Since the Badgers play on January 2nd, we will not be flying back until the 3rd, therefore we will have a guest teacher on that day!  I will be back to school on Wednesday, January 4th.

Have a very happy holiday season and GO BADGERS!!

Ms. Brittany     

Families Being Involved!!

Here are a few pictures I took of the December Families Being Involved event.  Families who participated came to MAES and decorated Christmas cookies together.  It was an enjoyable and tasty event for all!

Allison with her mom and dad.

Lexus decorating cookies with her mom.

Gabriel and Mom!

Evan got to bring a special guest...his grandma!!

Cookies and Christmas Trees

Hello Pre-K Families,

Hope you are all enjoying the snow!  The children LOVE to play in it while at recess.  They plowed a little hill of snow where Pre-K usually plays, so that is something new and exciting for the children!  This week our theme is "Cookies and Christmas Trees."  We will be focusing on the number 10 as well as the the Letter "Cc."  Please remember that any practice you can provide at home is a tremendous help here at school!  This week we will begin to write the first 3 letters of our names as well.  We continue to review shapes, colors, numbers and the letters we have already learned. 

Within the last week we have started practicing the songs for our Christmas Program!  Most of the children seem to enjoy them, while others think there are just too many songs.  :)  Just a reminder that our programs are Wednesday, December 21 and Thursday, December 22 at 10:00 A.M. in the MAES gymnasium.  There will be refreshments afterwards.  Your child will then have a little something special for you waiting in our classroom.  After that, you are free to take your child or leave (if your child is spending the rest of the day at school.)

Just a reminder that we will be having our gift exchange/Christmas parties the same days as our Christmas Programs.  The parities will be in the morning, therefore your child will not miss out on the fun if you choose to take them home!  Please send the gift exchange gift as soon as possible, but no later than December 19th or 20th.  If this is a financial burden for your family, please talk to me as soon as possible.  Thank you so much for your cooperation and participation!

Have a great week,

Ms. Brittany

 

Don't Play With Your Food!!

I'm sure that many of you tell your children that they should eat their food, not play with it.  Well, I usually tell them the same thing....unless we have Froot Loops for snack!!!  I was walking around and noticed a few children "learning while eating."  I couldn't help but encourage the children to check out how their friends were sorting their snack by color!  Ms. Teresa taught the children a fun activity where someone picks a color, such as blue.  Everyone then picks up a blue Froot Loop, holds it up and when Ms. Teresa says, "Down the hatch!" they get to eat it!  Just wanted to share all of the learning that goes on throughout the day!

The Magic of PlayDoh

Although very messy and not a favorite of parents, playing with PlayDoh is a GREAT way to give your child's hands a work out!  Because of it's consistency, PlayDoh targets fine motor skills as the children work to kneed it, roll it into balls, roll it out to be a snake, and/or press cookie cutters into it.  The ideas and creativity are endless!!!  Below is a sacred PlayDoh recipe from the preschool teacher at UW-River Falls, where I attended college and student taught.

PlayDoh

2 cups flour

1 cup salt

2 cups water with food coloring

2 tablespoons oil

2 teaspoons of cream of tartar

Mix all in a large pan (or pot) and stir over low heat until the magic of PlayDoh happens!

Here are some ideas that you can encourage your child to do with PlayDoh:

• Roll it out to look like a snake and then cut it with scissors
• Roll it out with a rolling pin and make "cookies" using cooking cutters
• Create a pretend "meal" using the PlayDoh
• Make animals with it
• Create a person's face - don't forget to add all the parts: ears, a nose, hair, eyes, eyebrows, a mouth and teeth!!

The possibilities are endless!  One thing that is certain, is that your child will be building up those little muscles in their hands and fingers, which will help them complete many important tasks!

Cookies and Christmas Trees

Greetings,

I hope your Thanksgiving break was excellent and long enough for you!  :)  I was definitely ready to get back to school and see all of the students.  This week we will be talking about "Cookie and Christmas Trees" as well as the letter "Ww" and numbers 8 and 9.  Please take some time to review the "Ww" sound with your child.  You can also find objects around your house to count!  This helps tremendously in the classroom!

Monday and Tuesday we will begin practicing our Christmas songs for our programs.  The dates for those are as follows: Mon/Wed group : Wednesday, December 21st and Tues/Thurs group: Thursday, December 22nd.  The program will be held in the MAES gym with refreshments served afterwards.  Please check to make sure you have the correct date, as it was misprinted in the past Classroom News.

Our theme for next week will be Christmas!   

Upcoming Events:

December 2: Families Being Involved- Cookie Decorating

December 12 and 13: Fluoride Varnish Day

December 21 and 22: Christmas Programs

December 23-January 2: No School (Christmas Break)

Thanks for all that you do to help your child succeed in and out of the classroom!  It is great to see so much homework being completed and returned!

Ms. Brittany

Information Regarding Pertussis

Pertussis Advisory

There have been several cases of pertussis at various schools in the district.  Some of you have come to me with questions, so I am sending you a copy of the advisory that went home to parents of children who may have been in contact with the affected child.

What is pertussis?                  Pertussis (also called whooping cough) is a disease caused by bacteria that spreads from person to person with close contact.  Pertussis is often mild in older children and adults, but can cause serious problems in infants.

Who gets pertussis?               Pertussis is most common among people who are unvaccinated, or who have lost the protection they got from childhood vaccines (immunity usually wanes by adolescence), and have not received a booster dose of vaccine.  Infants are also likely to get the disease since they are often too young to have full protection from the vaccine.

What are the symptoms?        Pertussis is a cough illness whose symptoms can range from mild to severe.  It usually begins with cold-like symptoms, with a runny nose, sneezing and dry cough.  After two weeks of cold-like symptoms, the cough slowly gets worse.  The next stage, which may last from four to six weeks, may be marked by coughing spells that are uncontrollable and may be followed by vomiting.  Between spells, the person may appear to be well and usually there is no fever.  These typical symptoms are more common in infants and young children.  Vaccinated children, teens and adults may have milder symptoms that can seem like bronchitis. 

How is pertussis spread?       The germs that cause pertussis live in the nose, mouth and throat and are sprayed into the air when an infected person sneezes, coughs or talks.  Other people can then inhale the germs in the droplets produced by the person with pertussis.  Touching a tissue or sharing a cup used by someone with the disease can also spread the disease.  The first symptoms usually appear 7 to 10 days after a person is exposed, although sometimes people do not get sick for up to 21 days after their last exposure.

How is pertussis diagnosed?             A doctor may think a patient has pertussis based on their symptoms, however, a culture or PCR test can help a doctor confirm this. For testing, a swab is taken from the back of the nose.

How can pertussis                  Although DTP or DTaP vaccine (diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis)

be prevented?                                    


usually provides adequate protection against pertussis to children, the effects of the vaccine wear off over time, leaving most teens and adults at risk of the disease. However, a vaccine for teens and adults, called Tdap, is recommended to give protection against pertussis in these age groups. Tdap is given as a single “booster” dose. If your child or adolescent (10 years of age or older) has not yet had a dose of Tdap, contact your                                                       healthcare provider to discuss receiving this vaccine. If your the DTaP series (check with you provider if you are unsure).

                                                Antibiotics are sometimes given to help prevent illness in the contacts of someone with pertussis, or to decrease infectiousness in someone with pertussis.  After five days of treatment a case is no longer contagious.

What should I do?             If your child is symptomatic, he/she should be evaluated by your family’s health care provider. If pertussis is suspected, testing for pertussis should performed and five days of  antibiotic treatment should be completed before returning to school.Please contact your health care provider and bring this advisory with you.  

Students who are symptomatic and who have had close contact with a case of pertussis will be excluded from school until they have completed 5 days of appropriate antibiotic therapy.

From Medford Area Public School District Medical Advisor Dr. Mark Reuter and School Nurse Jill Koenig

Thanksgiving

Greetings,

During these next few weeks we will be talking about Thanksgiving and thankfulness.  A few activities the children will take part in include making tie-dye turkeys, patterning, playing a match game with letters, and writing the first two letters of their first names.  Our letter during this time is "Tt" and the numbers we will focus on include numbers 5, 6 and 7.  Next week on Monday and Tuesday we will have a Thanksgiving Feast where we celebrate the holiday with pumpkin bars and a Thanksgiving movie with all of the Pre-K classes at MAES.  

At home, please continue to work on the letters and numbers of the week.  It is also great practice to have your child write his or her name whenever possible.  This helps tremendously with their writing at school.  I am thrilled with the progress they have made so far this year!  Some students that came to Pre-K not knowing any letters of their name can now write their whole name!  It's an honor being on this journey with your children!

Please remember that there is no school on November 23-25, as it is Thanksgiving Break.  When the children come back, we will jump right into talking about Winter Clothes and the letter "Ww."

Have a great week and a great Thanksgiving!

Ms. Brittany

Scarecrow Week

Hello Everyone,

The children are excited about the recent snow fall.  I'm not sure if I can say the same.  :)  With the winter weather, comes all sorts of extra winter gear at school.  Please label your child's things with his/her name or initials so that we can help keep things organized!

This week in Pre-K, we are talking about Scarecrows and the letter "Hh."  Wednesday and Thursday are dress like a scarecrow day.  The children seem to really like the dress up days.  Thank you for putting in the effort to help them participate!  This week we are focusing on numbers 3 and 4.  You will see "homework" sheets that will give your child extra number practice!  Please say the number rhyme with them as they write each number.  

This Friday is our Families Being Involved - Bowling event.  If you signed up, your bowling times are as follows: M/W - 8:00 A.M. and T/TH - 9:30 A.M.  Once you arrive at the Sports Page, we will have you head to your lane and you can begin bowling!  I'm looking forward to seeing lots of happy faces!

Thanks for all you do to help your child succeed!  Every little bit helps!

Ms. Brittany

Halloween Pictures

Here are some pictures of our Halloween celebrations!  The children enjoyed trick-or-treating with their classmates, sampling tasty treats, and playing spoooooky games!  Thanks for sending treats and costumes!  It definitely made the day fun for the children!

Hibernation and Migration

Greetings Pre-K Families,

I hope you all are enjoying this nice, long Halloween break!  Thanks for taking the time this last week to compile Halloween costumes and treats for the children for our Halloween party!  The kids had such a great time celebrating.  I will post pictures next week!

This week we will be focusing on animals that hibernate and migrate.  Our letter of the week will be "Mm."  Please feel free to review this letter at home by finding "Mm" things around your house or by drawing pictures of "Mm" objects!  We will also begin learning our numbers, which is very exciting!  Many opportunities to practice those numbers can be found in your child's folder throughout the upcoming weeks.  This week our focus will be numbers 1 and 2.  Be sure to say the rhyme with your child as they practice writing!  A "cheat sheet" will be coming home shortly that will help you with the rhymes.

Please remember to turn in the permission slips for our bowling Families Being Involved event so we can start working on getting everything set up for a morning of bowling fun!! 

On Wednesday, November 2 and Thursday, November 3, I will be sending home your child's blanket and pillow to be washed.  These items will come home at the end of each month for a good washing!  :)  Please return it to school with your child on the next day s/he has class.  Since we had so many Halloween goodies this past week, I decided to wait to send home the bedding until this week.  

Until next time,

Ms. Brittany

Pumpkins and Halloween

Hello Everyone,

I'd like to start by thanking all of you who attended/are attending conferences this week!  It's great to hear all of the positive things your children have to say about school!  I appreciate you taking the time to stop in to hear how your child is doing.  Thanks for being great partners in your child's education as you continue to work with them on Quarter 1 skills at home. 

For the next two weeks we will be focusing on "Pumpkins and Halloween" as well as the letter Jj.  During these few days we will be doing many fun Halloween activities as well showing off our Halloween costumes and carving pumpkins at our Halloween parties!  More information will be coming home about the parties Tuesday and Wednesday.  

On Friday, October 21st, is our first Families Being Involved (FBI) event!  We look forward to having about 21 families carving pumpkins!  The Star News will be here to take pictures of the event, and the pumpkins were donated by Jim and Judy Sorge and County Market!  We're so thankful for such a wonderful community members who are willing to help out!!

I hope that you have a great week!  Please remember that my door is always open and to let me know if you have questions or concerns!

Ms. Brittany

 

The Leaves are Falling!

Greetings Pre-K Families,

It has already been a very busy week with the PBIS Fall Festival that took place last night!  I hope many of you were able to enjoy the event!   This week in pre-kindergarten we are focusing on the letter Ll and the theme of fall and leaves.  We are making beautiful fall leaves with tissue paper and vinegar, working on the Ll sound, finding Ll words, and reviewing our colors by making a leaf book.  

The children continue to enjoy the beautiful weather as they play outdoors at recess!  I keep reminding them that it's going to get pretty chilly soon!  The children have also been working hard with me as we continue testing skills for conferences.  If you have any questions about Parent/Teacher Conferences, feel free to give me a call or send me an email!   

Just a friendly reminder that next week is our first Families Being Involved (FBI) event.  It is being held from 8:30-9:30 at MAES and the theme is pumpkin carving.  The permission slips are due by Thursday, Oct. 13. 

Next week our theme will be Pumpkins and Halloween!  I will give a detailed update on next week's events later on!  Thanks for being such awesome partners in your child's education!

Ms. Brittany 

Stop, Drop and Roll into Fire Safety Week

Greetings Pre-K Families,

What an exciting week it is for the pre-kindergarteners!!  Our theme this week is "Fire Safety" and our letter is "Ff."  On Monday and Tuesday we have special visitors coming from the Fire Department in Medford.  One firefighter will show all of the gear and equipment that they wear while putting out a fire and another will show us the ins and outs of a fire truck.  They will discuss the importance of fire alarms and smoke detectors, as well as encourage the children to never be afraid of a firefighter.  These are GREAT things for you to talk about to your families as well!

On Wednesday and Thursday, Mr. Miller (and possibly Mrs. Crank-Woller) will walk us around the school and talk about all of the PBIS shields.  These shields state the expectations and rules at different areas of the school, such as the cafeteria, library, gym, hallways, bathrooms, buses, cross walks, etc.  We also have a shield with our classroom rules on it.  Feel free to quiz your child to see if they remember some of our classroom rules!  :) 

During center work, I will continue to work on testing the children as we prepare for Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Some other skills we will work on include sorting, fine motor skills, matching, and writing (pencil grip.)

I encourage you to talk with your child about the importance of fire safety as well as create a family fire plan and a meeting place in case a fire were to ever occur in your house.  You can never be too safe when it comes to fire safety!  Enjoy your week!

A World Full of Senses!!

Greetings Everyone,

I apologize for not posting sooner.  The days just fly by in Pre-K!  This week we focused on naming our 5 senses and talking about what each one does.  We made scratch & sniff books with jell-o!  I'm sure your child will share it with you, as many were very excited about it!  This week we also talked about the letter "Yy" and the sound it makes.  

I continue to test the children on colors, shapes, their first and last names, and their ages, as well as other skills.  I will discuss these results with you at Parent/Teacher Conferences in October.  

Next week we will talk about Fire Safety and the letter "Ff."  We will have special visitors from the fire station on Monday and Tuesday who will talk about the fire truck and about how a firefighter would look if they had to go into a house to rescue people. 

As promised (and I know I'm tremendously late) I am posting pictures.  Please look at the tabs on the top of the page.  One will be labeled Monday/Wednesday Pictures and the other Tuesday/Thursday Pictures.  I try to get a good amount of pictures from both groups, but sometimes I forget.  :(  

Let's hope for sunny weather next week!  :) 

We were able to take a nature walk with our Tuesday/Thursday friends since the weather was cooperative on Thursday!  They loved the walk and used many of their senses while on the trail!  I'm hoping to get out in the path with our Monday/Wednesday friends before the snow flies!! 

Upcoming Events

Hello Everyone,
It's been a very exciting week!  I will be posting pictures, hopefully later this evening.  I just wanted to share some information with you about events that are coming up in the Medford School District that you are more than welcome to take part in. 

On September 29, we have our first early release day.  During this time, Don Everhard will present information on Safety for Staff and Students for Certified Staff, parents, and community members from 4:00 to 5:00.  This presentation will also go over and review Appropriate Use of Seclusion and Physical Restraintas part of this training.

Another exciting event is a sign language course that is being offered to educators and parents.  So far 29 people are registered.  This class is being covered through CLC Community Education and
begins on Monday October 3rd from 3:30 to 5:30 at MAES.  The cost of the registration, course instructor,
and sign language book is all being covered through CLC Community Education.  If you would like to sign up for this course, please contact Joseph Greget or Luanne Olson at the District Office.

Apples, Apples Everywhere!!

Welcome to week three of school!  The children are all adjusting to their new "jobs" nicely!  I'm so proud of all the progress they're making!  This week is a busy, busy week in Pre-K.  We have a lot of fun activities going on that your child will surely love!  Our theme this week is "Apples" and  we will also be starting a letter of the week, which is "Aa."  During class, the letter will be introduced and children will have the opportunity to learn the sound that it makes, as well as practice writing it.  Below are a few different events that will be going on this week as well:




***On Monday and Tuesday, the children will check out their first book during library time.  Please remember that the book your child checks out must be returned before another can be checked out.  Feel free to bring it back after a few days, or send it back on the next library day.  


***Picture days for Pre-K are as follows: 
M/W Group - Pictures will be on Wednesday, Oct. 21st
T/TH Group - Pictures will be on Tuesday, Oct. 20th






***We have a bus evacuation drill for each Pre-K class which will take place on either Monday or Thursday so that it doesn't interfere with pictures.  :)








***We will be making applesauce with a parent volunteer on Wednesday and Thursday.  Please remember to send an apple with your child for the activity.  Just a friendly reminder to try to stay away from Red Delicious apples, as they don't mash/bake nicely.  


Whew, That was a lot of information for only one week!  I hope that your child has many wonderful things to say about his/her school days!  Please remember that the homework  being sent home is optional and not a requirement!  It is however, great to see many children bringing back their homework completed!  Thanks for being great partners in your child's education!


Ms. Brittany

Shapes and Colors Oh My!!

This week in Pre-K we will be learning about many shapes and colors.  We will be doing fun activities like the Shape Hokey Pokey, playing Shape Dash, reading great stories, and continuing to explore our classroom.  We continue to review our classroom and school rules and are doing a FABULOUS job so far!  On Monday and Tuesday we ventured to the library for the first time!  The students attended story time, learned how to care for the books and even saw some "sad books" that had been previously damaged.  Ask your child to tell you all about the library!!!  I will be adding some pictures within the next few days!

Have a fantastic week!!

Welcome 2011-2012 Pre-K Families!!

Welcome everyone to the 2011-2012 school year! 

I am very excited to meet all of you at Open House and look forward to molding many young minds this year.  I have created this blog as a communication tool from school to home.  It can be accessed from any device that has internet access by simply typing the blog address into the address bar at the top of the internet window.  Throughout the year we will post pictures of fun activities that are happening within our classroom as well as what we are learning!  Please feel free to add any comments to the posts if you'd like!  I look forward to working with each and every one of you!

Ms. Brittany