Dr. Seuss Week

Hello Everyone,

This week in pre-k we will be celebrating Dr. Seuss!  We will be reading many of his books and talking about the rhymes within them.  Our letter this week is "Rr."  Please work with your child at home to identify the letter, write the letter, and to find items around your house that begin with an "Rr."  Also, please continue to practice rhyming with your child as well as recognizing the letters in their names at home.  These are skills that is tested in the 3rd quarter.  

We have many fun activities planned for this week, including having many guest readers.  The Monday/Wednesday group will have Mr. Woller read to them on Monday and Mr. Miller and Mr. Joe read to them on Wednesday.  The Tuesday/Thursday group will have Mr. Miller and Mr. Joe read to them on Thursday.  We also will have hot fudge sundaes this week as a special treat for filling up the big PBIS shield.  McDonald's supplied the yummy treat!  Thank you McDonald's!!!!

With this week, comes many fun dress up days.  You have received the list in this week's Classroom News and in the red fliers handed out in your child's folder last week.  Just in case you missed them, here they are again:

-Monday: Wear an outfit that shows where you'd like to be

-Tuesday: Crazy Hat Day

-Wednesday:  Silly Sock Day

-Thursday: Wear Green Day

Upcoming Events/Reminders:

~Tuesday, February 18th is an Early Release Day.  Dismissal is at 1:47.

~FBI Permission Slips for the March swimming event are due Thurs., March 1 and Fri., March 2.

~Parent/Teacher Conferences are scheduled on March 1, from 4:30-8.  I have contacted you if I would like to meet with you.  However, if you'd like to schedule a conference with me, please contact me as soon as possible.

~There is NO SCHOOL for Pre-K on March 8th, as this is Child Development Days.

~Child Development Days will be held in the MAES gym from 8-6:30 on March 8th.

~The next FBI will be March 16th from 10:30-11:30 at the MASH swimming pool. 

Newton's Law

We had a very interesting event occur in our classroom today.  There were a number of boys playing with balancing boards this morning.  The goal of these boards is to use their feet and body weight to make the boards balance.  Well one boy decided to conduct a little experiment that ended up turning into a science phenomenon!

In our classroom we have three mesh, squishy balls.  The smallest is green, the medium one is blue and the largest is red.  The children use these balls during play to roll or sometimes gently toss to each other.  One child thought he would try putting one of the balls on the end of the balancing board to see what happened and WALA....Newton's Laws were put into practice!  His first law states, "Every object will remain at rest or in uniform motion in a straight line unless compelled to change its state by the action of an external force," and his third law states, "For every action, there is an equal but opposite reaction."   

Now some of you might think this is a little overboard to be doing in a classroom, however we first talked about rules with the balls, how high they can go, etc.  The learning that occurred was AMAZING!  The children explored, experimented and asked many questions such as, "What will happen if I use a smaller ball vs. a larger ball?" or "What happens if I step on it lightly instead of really hard?"  They had a ton of fun experimenting!  

Here are some pictures of the fun!

Here is Mason using the blue ball (which is at the very top of the picture).

Owen and Bryce try using the large, red ball with only a very light step.

Oopsie..the green ball went a little too high!  :)

Nice catch Preston!

Time to Rhyme

Greetings Everyone,

This week in pre-k we will begin working on rhyming.  Our theme is Nursery Rhymes and our letter is "Nn."  Please work with your child to find objects around your house that begin with the letter "Nn."  Monday and Tuesday you will find a rhyming chart in your child's folder.  Please complete this together, or as a family, and send it back by the dates listed.  Any time that you can work on rhyming with your child, will help them master the skill.  This is as skill that is tested in the 3rd quarter.  

There will be some information about Dr. Seuss week coming home in your child's folder.  There are a lot of fun dress up dates, as well as special activities going on that week.  Be sure to take a look so that your child can participate in the fun!  Next week Mr. Joe and Mr. Miller will each take a turn reading a Dr. Seuss book to each class!  We also have many fun activities planned!

Our March FBI permission slip will be coming home Monday and Tuesday.  In order to reserve the pool and have the appropriate amount of lifeguards, we need a head count two weeks before the actual date.  If your family would like to attend, be sure to return the permission slip with the correct number of swimmers.  Please remember to count your child, yourself, and younger siblings, and/or any other family members that will be coming to swim.

Upcoming Events:

-Fluoride Varnishes will be Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.  If you signed your child up in the fall, s/he will be receiving the varnish this week.

-Our February FBI will be this Friday, Feb. 24th, from 1:30-2:30 in the MAES cafeteria.  Be sure to arrive before 2:00 to ensure that you have enough time to complete the activities.

-February 28th - Round Table of Community Providers:  Please refer to the note that was sent home with your child.  Times are: 2:15-3:30 and 4:00-5:30.  This is also an EARLY RELEASE DAY.

-Feb. 29th and Mar. 1- March FBI permission slips due back to school

-March 8: Child Development Days from 8:00-6:30.  There will be NO PRE-K for the Tues./Thurs. class this day.

-March 16- FBI Swimming 10:30-11:30

 

 

  

Dental Health and Nutrition

Hello Pre-K Families,

We will begin this week with our Valentine's Day parties.  This includes playing shape dash, a fly swatter (shapes/colors) game, exchanging valentines, watching a Charlie Brown movie and, of course, having a few Valentine's Day goodies!  During the rest of this week we will focus on dental health and nutrition.  We will be talking about how and why to brush our teeth, healthy vs. unhealthy foods, and the different kinds of foods (fruits, vegetables, meats, dairy, etc.)  Our letter this week is Xx.  Please know that we will be focusing on words that END in "Xx."


Thank you very much to those of you who participated in the February family project.  I talked to the activities director at Memorial Nursing and Rehab and have arranged for them to deliver our valentines to residents of the nursing home on Tuesday, February 14th during their Valentine's Day celebration.  I'm hoping that there were be some pictures of it in The Star News so keep an eye out!  It was great to see all of your creativity!  The residents will LOVE the surprise!  

I also appreciate the time you take to help your child do his/her homework.  With Pre-K being only two days a week, that extra practice at home helps your child tremendously.   Please remember to have your child write his/her name on their homework.  


Just a few reminders:
~ If you haven't done so, please review your child's report card and then sign and return the envelope to school.  


~ There will be NO SCHOOL for all of the students this coming Friday, February 17th.


~Our next FBI will be Friday, February 24th from 1:30-2:30 in the MAES cafeteria.  Please return your child's permission slip if you'll be attending.  To insure you have enough time to complete the activities, please come between 1:30-2:00.


~Book orders are due February 22nd or 23rd.


~There will be another set of Parent/Teacher Conferences on the evening of March 1st.  If I would like to set up a meeting with you, I will be contacting you within the next few weeks.  If I haven't requested a meeting but you'd like to have a conference with me, please let me know!


Have a great week,
Ms. Brittany

Valentine's Day

Greetings,

Can you believe it is already February?!?!  Where has the time gone?  The children are making such great progress in the classroom and continue to work hard.  I am so proud of each and every one of them!

This week and into the beginning of next week, we will be talking about Valentine's Day.  We're working on the letter "Vv" as well as reviewing the numbers 9 and 10.  We will be making panda bears out of hearts, sorting candy hearts, making a "lovebug" (ladybug) and even writing the letter Vv in glitter!  We will conclude Valentine's Day with our Valentine's Day parties next Monday and Tuesday.  During that time, we will watch a short movie, play games and share our valentines with our friends.  Many children have started to bring in their valentines so feel free to send them whenever it is convenient for you!

UPCOMING EVENTS:

-I will be out Thursday morning, as I will be observing Ms. Amanda from Stetsonville.  I will be back in the afternoon to finish out the day!  

-Fluoride Varnish will be held February 21st and 22nd during the school day.  If you signed your child up at the beginning of the school year, they will receive the varnish that day.

-Our next FBI workshop will be Friday, February 24th at 1:30 in the afternoon.  Permission slips came home this week in  your child's folder.  If you'd like to attend, please send back the permission slip with your child.

REMINDERS:

-Please remember that although the snow is melting, the children still go out for recess and there is still snow on the playground.  Please continue to send all of your child's winter clothing including snowpants, boots, hats, and mittens.  

Have a great week,

Ms. Brittany

Upcoming Events

Hello Pre-K Families,

We are finishing up our second week of dinosaurs and the kids are loving it!  Our first field trip was very successful!  The children enjoyed the movie, snack and bus ride.  They were excellent listeners and followed our rules nicely.  I wanted to send out an update with just a few upcoming events. 

~ February 13th or 14th will be our Valentine's Day parties.  We will celebrate in the morning by playing some games, watching a short video and handing out valentines.  Your child may bring a treat to share.  Please remember that the children will have to take most of the treats home, so please send something that won't get squashed or ruined on the trip home.  Your child may start bringing in his/her valentine's whenever.  Please label them "My Friend."  That way your child can pass them out!  

~ Round Table of Community Providers

Everyone is welcome to join us to learn more about the many resources and services that are available here in Taylor County.  This is the first time that all of these great organizations are available to tell the community and school staff about their services.

Date:     Tuesday February 28
Times:    2:15 to 3:30 pm or 4:00 to 5:30 pm
Location: Medford Area Elementary School Media Room

Providers will include:

Indianhead Community Action Agency
Taylor County Parent Resource Center
Taylor County Family Support Services
Taylor County Birth to Three Services
Taylor County Mental Health Services
Taylor County Health Department
Wisconsin Early Autism Project
Medford Adult Diploma Academy
Taylor County Literacy Council
Northwest CEP
Stepping Stones
Big Brothers Big Sisters
Abiding Care Pregnancy and Resource Center
University of Wisconsin Extension

~ February 17th there is NO SCHOOL for the district

~February 24th will be our February Families Being Involved event.  We are planning on doing "Science Fun!"  More information will come home soon!

~Tuesday, February 28th is an Early Release Day.

Next week we will begin a unit on Valentine's Day!   Have a great rest of the week!

Ms. Brittany