January 2015

Welcome to the new year!  January is another busy month in Pre-K!  Below you will see some of the events happening throughout the month.  We will also begin preparing for our very first field trip!  How exciting!?!?

January 5-8: Winter Clothes

*We will be learning about all of the clothing that we wear during the winter months.  We will also be graphing winter vs. summer clothes.

*We will be learning about letter Ww.

*Our number this week is 6.

*January's family project is due Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*We will be starting "The Big Cheese".  This is similar to star of the week.  Each child will get a turn to share about their family and be "the big cheese."

January 12-15: Snow and Snowmen

*We will be making lots of snow projects this week including a snowflake and a few different kinds of snowmen.  

*We will be learning about letter Ss.

*Our number this week is 7.

*January's Families Being Involved slips are due back Monday and Tuesday this week.

*The ice skating family event will be held Friday, January 16th at the Simek Recreation Center in Medford.  M/W students will skate from 9:00-9:30 and the T/TH students will skate from 9:30-10:30.

January 19-22: Games

*We will be learning all about games, sportsmanship, following rules and counting.  During this week we will even get to play games with some older students!

*We will be learning about letter Gg.

*Our number this week is 8.

*Please check your child's folder on Wednesday and Thursday of this week for information regarding our first field trip!

*Quarter 2 ends on Thursday, January 22nd.

*There will be NO SCHOOL for all grades on Friday, January 23rd due to teacher inservice.

January 26-29: Dinosaurs

*We will begin learning about dinosaurs this week.  Dinosaurs is a two week theme.

*We will be learning about letter Dd.

*Our number this week is 9.

*The $3.00 snack money is due back to school on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.  This will cover popcorn and a drink at our field trip to The Broadway Theatre.

Families Being Involved - Cookie Decorating

This month's family event included decorating Christmas cut out cookies in the MAES commons.  Families were invited in on a Friday morning to decorate cookies while enjoying the company of other Pre-K families, visiting with teachers and listening to some holiday music.  Many of the students even taste tested their creations!  Frosting cookies is a great fine motor and coordination task that children can participate in!  Here are a few pictures from our event:

Elyn took a turn with the pink frosting while her mom and sister watched.

Naomi was showing all of the beautiful cookies she created.

Citori chose many different colors of frosting for her cookies.

Wyatt and Dylan worked side by side to decorate their cookies.

Sophie used many different colors and sprinkles!  Fun, fun, fun!!

December 2014

Where has the first half of the year gone?!?!  We are busy, busy, busy preparing for Christmas during our days at school.  We have been practicing our Christmas concert songs, as well as making special projects and gifts for our loved ones!  

Our Christmas concert is right around the corner.  Our concert will be held in the MAES gymnasium on Monday, December 22nd and Tuesday, December 23rd beginning at 9:30 A.M.  There will be cookies and punch in the cafeteria following the concert.  The students have been working really hard to prepare for this special day.  They're very excited to perform for you, and equally as excited for the cookie that comes after!  :)

REMINDERS:
**There will be no school for all grades from Wednesday, December 24th - Friday, January 2nd for Christmas break.  School will resume on Monday, January 5th, 2015.

**Rest time bedding will be coming home on December 17th-18th.  Please keep the bedding and wash it over Christmas break.  You may send it back in January.

**Your child will be bringing a ziploc bag of extra clothing home as well.  Please check to make sure the clothing fits your child and is season appropriate.  Thanks in advance!

I hope your family has a joyful and healthy Christmas break!  See you in the new year!

~Ms. Brittany

November 2014

Wow!  It's hard to believe it's only November with the recent snow falls!  Please remember to send winter clothing with your child, as we go out two times per day for recess.  Thanks to all of the families who completed a turkey feather.  They are decorating our hallway, and the kids love looking at them each day!  Here's what's happening in the month of November:

November 3-6: Night Time

*We will be learning about things we can do in the night time and which animals are awake during the night.

*We will be learning about letter Kk.

*Our number this week is 2.

*November's family project is due Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*PJ and movie day is Wednesday, Nov. 5th and Thursday, Nov. 6th.

*Bedding will come home to be washed and returned.

November 10-13: Scarecrows

*We will be learning about the purpose of scarecrows and how to build one.  We will also make a fun scarecrow project.

*We will be learning about letter Hh.

*Our number this week is 3.

*December's Families Being Involved slip will be sent home Monday and Tuesday of this week!

November 16-25: Thanksgiving

*This theme will be two weeks.  We will talk about what we are thankful for and will also make some fun turkey projects.  We will be enjoying a special Thanksgiving snack of pumpkin bars on Monday Nov. 24th and Tuesday, Nov. 25th.

*We will be learning about letter Tt.

*Our number this week is 4.

*Families Being Involved Cookie Decorating slips are due Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*November's Families Being Involved workshop will be Friday, Nov. 21st from 8:00-9:00 for M/W students and 9:30-10:30 for T/Th students.  This will be held at The Sports Page.

*There is an early release day on Tuesday, Nov. 25th.

*There is NO SCHOOL for all students on Wednesday, Nov. 26th-Friday, Nov. 28th due to Thanksgiving break.

Families Being Involved ~ October

Today was our first Families Being Involved (FBI) workshop!  We had a fun filled morning of pumpkin carving in the MAES cafeteria.  We had about 25 Pre-K families attend...WOW!  I would like to send out a special "thank you" to Jim and Judy Sorge and Dawn and Mark Wudi for donating the pumpkins for our event!  Here are a few pictures from the workshop.

Naomi and her mom worked together to carve their pumpkin.

Dylan and his mom pulling out the pumpkin guts.

Citori put all the seeds in the bag while her mom scooped out the pumpkin.

Ayden's family worked together to draw the face and carve their pumpkin.

Elyn scooped out the insides while Mom and Dad helped.

Sophie and her mom carved an Olaf pumpkin.

Will, his mom and his cousin, Eve, carved scary faces in their pumpkins!

Lily and her mom worked together to draw a face.

Wyatt, his sister and his mom stopped to smile for a picture.

October 2014

Wow!  I can't believe how fast September has gone by!  The kids are adjusting very nicely to school and we are getting a lot accomplished each day.  I look forward to meeting with each of you for parent/teacher conferences in mid-October.  It is always nice to take time to discuss the progress of the students.  Please look for information in your child's folder regarding our First Families Being Involved workshop, as well as the Halloween parties, which will take place at the end of the month!

Happy October!  :)

October 6-9: Fire Safety Week

*We will be learning about fire safety and will have special visitors from the Medford Area Fire Department on Wednesday and Thursday.

*We will be learning about letter Ff.

*October's family project is due Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

*Ms. Brittany will be gone from school on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

October 13-16: Hibernation and Migration

*We will be learning the terms hibernation and migration and making a fun book about bears.

*We will begin talking about the letter Mm.

*There will be no school for Pre-K on Wednesday, October 15th due to Child Development Day.

*There will be no school for all grades on Thursday, October 16th due to parent/teacher conferences.

*There will be no school for all grades on Friday, October 17th.  

October 20-23 and October 27-30: Halloween

*We will be creating a lot of fun Halloween projects during this two week theme.

*We will focus on letters Mm and Jj and will begin learning about number 1 during week two of Halloween.

*Our Halloween parties will be on Wednesday, October 29th and Thursday, October 30th in the afternoon.  More information will be in your child's folder.

September 2014

Hello Pre-K Families,
Please take a minute to check out the tabs on top!  There is a lot of useful information as well as fun games for your children to play at home!  I will update the blog monthly, as well as add pictures of any fun projects or activities we may do throughout the course of the year.  These are the themes and letters we will be covering for the month of September:

September 8-11 : Shapes
We will focus on the four basic shapes: circle, square, triangle and rectangle.  We will be making some fun projects as well as playing shape games and singing the Shape Hokey Pokey!  Our first family project is due back this week!

September 15-18 : Apples "Aa"
*We will have our first day of Library on Monday and Tuesday.  Your child will be able to check out a book during next week's library time.  Please remember your child will need to return his/her book before a different library book may be checked out.

*We will be learning about where apples come from and how they grow.
*We will be learning about letter Aa.

*The FFA students from the high school will be coming to our classroom on Wednesday and Thursday morning to help us make applesauce!  Please send a baking apple with your child on or before Wednesday, Sept. 17th or Thursday, Sept. 18th.

*Our first Early Release Day is this Wednesday, September 17^th.  Students will be dismissed from school at 1:52 P.M.

September 22-25 : 5 Senses "Yy"
*We will be learning abouour 5 senses and taking a 5 senses walk on the Kuse Nature Trail on Monday and Tuesday (weather permitting).
*We will be learning about letter Yy.

September 29-October 2 : Leaves and Fall "Ll"
*We will be learning leaves and the season of fall.
*We will be learning about letter Ll.

*Our October family project will be coming home during this week!  You will get to decorate a fall pumpkin to hang up on our bulletin board in the hallway!

REMINDERS:  
Child Development Day is Wednesday, October 15th.  There is no school for Pre-K students this day.
Parent Teacher conferences are scheduled for Oct. 16th.  There is no school for all students this day.

Welcome!!!

Greetings and welcome to the 2014-15 school year!  

I am very excited to meet each and every one of you at our Open House on Tuesday, August 26th.  The Monday/Wednesday group will meet from 4:00-4:45 PM and the Tuesday/Thursday group will meet from 4:45-5:30 in our classroom (room 220).  You will be asked to fill out some paperwork and can look around our classroom and familiarize yourselves with our school.  Below is a sneak peek of our bulletin board with all of your names on it!  

See you soon,

Ms. Brittany

Good Bye Friends

Dear Pre-K Parents and Students, 

It is always a bittersweet feeling at the end of each school year.  The children are ready for summer vacation and are so excited to move onto another year of school, yet I find myself sad that I have to let them go.  Thank you for giving me the opportunity to work with your families and your children.  I enjoy watching them learn, grow and build new friendships throughout the year.  I had three students say to me today that they didn't want school to end because they love coming to school.  Those words make a teacher's heart so incredibly happy.   I appreciate all of the open communication you, as parents, have had with me as we worked together to help your child.  I would also like to extend a sincere "thank you" for all of the help you have given to your child from home this school year.

I received a gift from one of my students the other day that says "Teachers are a gift, they touch our hearts forever."  I can honestly say that is true about students as well.  Each and every one of them is remembered even though the years pass.

I hope that your families have a fabulous summer vacation and I look forward to seeing these kiddos next school year!

Have a safe and healthy summer,

Ms. Brittany

May 2014

Hello Everyone,
Wow!  I apologize for not keeping you up to date for the month of April!  We have been very busy at school.  The month of May is going to be the busiest month yet!  We will be having so much fun preparing for the end of the year and going on three field trips!  The kids are so excited!  Here is a glance at the rest of our school year!

May 5-8: Transportation and Mother's Day

*We will be learning about transportation and then later in the week, celebrating our wonderful mother's for Mother's day.

*We will be attending our 3rd field trip to the Taylor County Highway Department on Monday, May 5th and Tuesday, May 6th in the morning. 

*FFA students will be coming in to help us make a special Mother's Day gift on Wednesday and Thursday afternoon.

May 12-15: Farm

*We will be learning about farm animals, what farmers do and the many things that happen on a farm.

*We will be heading to a farm for a field trip on Wednesday, May 14th and Thursday, May 15th.  We will be gone for the majority of the morning.

*May's Families Being Involved sign up slips are due on Monday, May 12th and Tuesday, May 13th.

May 19-22: Caterpillars and Butterflies

*We will be learning about caterpillars, butterflies and their life cycle.  

*On Wednesday and Thursday afternoon, we will be taking a nature walk on the Kuse Trail.

*Our final Families Being Involved workshop will be held on Friday, May 23rd from 12:00 noon - 2:00 P.M. in the outdoor classroom at MAES.

May 26-29: Bugs and Frogs

*We will be learning about bugs, frogs, life cycles and much more!

*There will be NO SCHOOL on Monday, May 26th due to Memorial Day.

*We will be having another field trip to the School Forest on Wednesday, May 28th and Thursday, May 29th to explore the forest and the pond!  We will be gone for the morning and will return during lunch.

*We will be sending home rest time pillows and blankets to be washed.  Please keep them at home for the remainder of the year.  

If you'd like to know more about our School Forest, please visit the following link: http://www.medford.k12.wi.us/do/school%20forest/FOREST.HTM

June 2-6

*Our theme is Good Bye Friends.  We will be making a special Father's Day gift.

*On Wednesday, June 4th and Thursday, June 5th we will be heading to the City Park for our final field trip of the year.  We will have a picnic lunch and some popsicles!  We will be walking to and from the park, so please send your child in tennis shoes.

*The last day of school for all grades is Friday, June 6th.

Dr. Seuss Fun!

At the beginning of March we celebrated Dr. Seuss' birthday.  We made fun projects and had guest readers come into our classroom to read Dr. Seuss books! Below are pictures of both classes with their cute Cat in the Hat, hats!!

March 2014

Greetings,

We had to switch things up a little bit at the end of February.  We ended up doing Arctic Animals in February and pushing Dr. Seuss back a week in order to have it line up with Dr. Seuss week at MAES.  March is off to a great start!  Hopefully we can get some warm weather soon!!  Below are the themes and some information about what is to come in Pre-K!

March 3-7: Dr. Seuss Week

*We will be celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday by doing fun Dr. Seuss inspired projects throughout the week.

*We will be learning about letter Rr and will continue to work on rhyming. 

*Mr. Miller will read us a Dr. Seuss story on Monday and Tuesday.

*Rhyming Charts will be coming home on Monday and Tuesday!

*Parent/Teacher Conferences will be held Thursday, March 6th from 3:45-7:30 P.M. at MAES.

March 10-14: St. Patrick's Day

*We will be learning about quick and quiet leprechauns!  I wonder if one will visit our classroom?  ;)

*We will be learning about letter Qq and reviewing numbers 1-2.

*Rhyming Charts are due on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*Our PK Fluoride Varnish will take place Monday, March 10th and Tuesday, March 11th.

March 17-21: Zoo

*We will be learning about animals that we can see in a zoo, as well as making a fun zebra and a giraffe.

*We will be learning about letter Zz and reviewing numbers 3-4. 

*Information on our Pre-K Pot Luck and Beach Party will come home in your child's folder on Wednesday, Mar. 19th and Thursday, Mar. 20th.

March 24-28: Zoo

*We will be learning about seeds and flowers.  Hopefully spring will be on it's way already!! :)
*Our letter will be Uu and we will be reviewing numbers 5-6.
*FBI Beach Party slips are due on Wednesday, March 26th and Thursday, March 27th.
*FBI Swimming will be held from 1:30-2:30 on Friday, March 28th at the MASH pool.

March 31 - April 3: Pets

*We will learn about animals that make good pets vs. animals that wouldn't make good pets.

*My dog, Zoe, will come in for a quick afternoon visit!

*We will go on our 2nd field trip to the Medford Veterinary Clinic on Wednesday, April 2nd and Thursday, Apirl 3rd.

February 2014

February 2-6: Dinosaurs

*We will be wrapping up our theme of dinosaurs.

*We will be learning about letter Oo and reviewing numbers 9-10. 

*Our first field trip will be Wednesday, Feb. 5th and Thursday, Feb. 6th to the Broadway Theatre for a movie!

February 10-13: Valentine's Day

*We will be learning about Valentine's Day and having a special Valentine's Day party on Wednesday and Thursday.

*We will be learning about letter Vv. 

*February's family project is due on Feb 10th and 11th.  I will be delivering the valentines that are made to a local nursing home.

*There is NO SCHOOL for all grades on Friday, Feb. 14th.

February 17-20: Nursery Rhymes and Rhyming

*We will begin learning about rhyming by exploring many different nursery rhymes.

*We will be learning about letter Nn. 

*Our February's Families Being Involved information sheet will come home on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*This week MAES will be celebrating the Winter Olympics!  On Wednesday and Thursday, please have your child wear the color RED to school, as Pre-K will be representing the USA!

February 24-27: Dr. Seuss

*We will be celebrating Dr. Seuss's birthday by doing fun Dr. Seuss inspired projects throughout the week.

*We will be learning about letter Rr and will continue to work on rhyming. 

*Mr. Miller will read us a Dr. Seuss story during this week.

*February FBI slips are due Monday and Tuesday.

*February's FBI workshop will be held on Friday, February 28th at 1:15 in the Stetsonville Elementary School's gym.

AUTIUSM SUPPORT GROUP MEETING:

Taylor County Autism Support Group 

3rd Monday of Each Month - Beginning on January 20

6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

Medford Area Public School District Office Building

FBI - Ice Skating

On January 17th, Pre-K families were invited to the Simek Center for a morning of ice skating!  This year was the first time we have tried the ice skating workshop!  We had a nice turn out and the kids seemed to enjoy themselves!  Even parents and grandparents got out onto the ice!  Some had mentioned that they hadn't ice skated since high school.  Many families enjoyed hot chocolate or a slushy from the concession stands afterwards!  Here are a few pictures of families that attended.

Dominick and Mason tried ice skating for the first time!

Cash showed us a lot of his ice skating moves!  He was very brave on the ice.

Tristen skates with his mom.

Austin and his mom work their way around the skating rink.

Lindsey was able to do some tricks on the ice.  

Maniah skated around with help from her grandma and her mom. 

January 2014

We are officially back to school after the frigid, cold days we've had recently!  Both classes are getting back into the swing of things after their Christmas breaks.  They seem happy to be back, as am I.  Below are the themes and a few events that will be going on during the month of January. 

January 6-9: Winter Clothes

*We will be learning about the clothing we wear outside in the winter, why it is important and what parts of our bodies it protects.

*We will be learning about letter Ww and reviewing numbers 1-2. 

*Pre-K Fluoride Varnish is Wednesday, Jan. 8 and Thursday, Jan. 9 in the morning.

January 13-16: Snow and Snowmen

*We will be learning about letter Ss and reviewing numbers 3-4.

*Families Being Involved- Ice Skating slips are due back on Monday, Jan. 13 and Tuesday, Jan. 14.

*Our Families Being Involved workshop will be held on Friday, Jan. 17th.  The M/W group will skate from 9-9:45 and the T/TH group will skate from 10-10:45.  The concession stands will be open if your family would like to purchase snacks.  

January 20-23: Games

*We will be learning how to play various board games, with help from high school friends and 4th graders.

*We will be focusing on the letter Gg and reviewing numbers 5-6.

*Informational letters about our upcoming field trip to the Broadway Theatre will come home on Wednesday, Jan. 22 and Thursday, Jan. 23.

*The semester ends on Wednesday, Jan. 22.

*There will be no school for all grades on Friday, Jan. 24, due to inservice.

January 27-30: Dinosaurs

*This will be week 1 of our two week dinosaur theme.

*We will be learning about letter Dd and review numbers 7-8.

*Snack money for our Broadway Theatre field trip is due on Wednesday, Jan. 29 and Thursday, Jan. 30.  Please return it in the envelope that was sent home with your child.