Check Us Out on Facebook!!!

This year I will be updating families via our Pre-K Facebook page!  I am pretty excited to try this out.  Please like and follow our page.  The link is below.

https://www.facebook.com/MsBrittanyPreK/

Pre-K Greetings

Hello Everyone,
So sorry for the delay in getting our classroom blog up and running.  We have been so busy with beginning of the year preparations, routines, projects, activities and learning, that time has slipped away.  I will be updating monthly, sharing similar information to what is in our Classroom Newsletter.  I will also share fun things we do during our days at school.  

The students have been working very hard on learning classroom/school rules and expectations, as well as how to walk in a line, venture through the lunch line, use a computer (and mouse), and many other school tasks.

Hope you're enjoying this nice weather.  Please check back soon for more updates!  :)

Ms. Brittany

Good Bye Friends

Another year has come and gone, and I can hardly believe it!  This year has been a really special one for me for a multitude of reasons.  First off, it has been so special because our family welcomed our sweet Mason this fall.  Secondly, I have had two outstanding classes this year and have been so blessed to work with such wonderful students and families.  I feel like Mason has truly "bonded" this group of students with me because they don't look at him as MY baby, they look at him as OUR baby.  This is pretty evident when they chant "Mason, Mason, Mason!" at snack time because they want to see his most up to date pictures.  :)  

I will miss the sparkle and personality that each of them bring to our classroom, but also look forward to seeing them blossom as Kindergarteners.  

Thank you for being wonderful partners in your child's first year at our school.  Together, we were able to help these kiddos make huge gains academically, socially and emotionally.  I appreciate all of the time you put in outside of school completing their practice homework, helping them login to Reading Eggs and Math Seeds, reading to them for their Subway coupons, and listening to them about their days...just to name a few.

I hope you have a safe, relaxing and joy filled summer and a fabulous year in Kindergarten.

Ms. Brittany

End of Year Project

I have to admit my heart was pretty full hearing all of the good things these kiddos had to say about themselves.  It was really fun to see what they came up with for this activity.  I know this group will be well taken care of in Kindergarten but I'm just....not....ready...to let them fly.  

They're pretty special.  :)

Highway Department Field Trip

This week we took our third field trip to the Taylor County Highway Department.  There, we met Mr. Rick who taught us all about the machines they use to work on our roads.  We talked about the importance of keeping our roads safe and how we can stay safe when we see the big trucks and flashing lights.  We even got to hear how loud the dump truck's horn can be.  :)

May 2017

MAY IS HERE?!?!?!?!?!  I can't believe how fast the months continue to fly by.   I keep telling the kiddos they're almost ready for Kindergarten!  The month of May is packed full of fun and exciting things.  Please remember to check the blog or the Classroom Newsletters each week to find dates, times and information about upcoming events and field trips.  Below you can find a brief description of events in May!

May 1-5

*Our theme this week is Farm.

*We will learn about farm animals and make some fun projects.  

*On Monday and Tuesday, we will read a story that will teach us about how our food gets from the fields to our tables.  We will make a dairy treat to eat too!  Yummy!  

*We will also have our Tombstone Pizza snack from Week of the Young Child.

*The May Family Event slips are due back Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

May 8-12

*Our theme this week is Mother's Day and Transportation.

On Monday and Tuesday we will be making our moms some special Mother's Day gifts.  

*On Wednesday and Thursday we will focus more on Transportation as we take a field trip to the Taylor County Highway Department.  There, we will get to hop in some big machines and learn how the Highway Department keeps our roads safe and clean.  Please have your child dress in older clothing this day.

*Paw Patrol Story Time will take place on Friday, May 12th beginning promptly at 9:30 A.M. at the Frances L. Simek Memorial Library in Medford.

May 15-19

*Our theme this week is Caterpillars and Butterflies.

*We will learn about the life cycle of a butterfly through many different activities.  

*Students will also be introduced to the term "symmetry" as they work to create their very own butterfly projects.

*On Monday and Tuesday of this week we will be going to the Kuse Nature Trail at 1:45 P.M. for our PBIS Scavenger Hunt.  Please send students to school with rain boots in case the trail is muddy and wet.

*There is an EARLY RELEASE on Wednesday, May 17th and students will be dismissed at 1:52 P.M.

May 22-26

*Our theme this week is Bugs and Frogs.

*On Wednesday and Thursday we will be taking a trip to the school forest.  There, we will look for bugs, frogs, plants, colors, shapes, etc. as we walk to the pond.  We will explore the woods and the pond and will finish up back by the hall for a snack!  Please dress your child for "the woods".  You may also spray them with bug spray before sending them to school. 

May 29 - June 2

*There is NO SCHOOL for all grades on Monday, May 29th due to Memorial Day.

*Our theme this week is Goodbye Friends. 

*We will work on cleaning up our classroom and sending home projects and belongings.

*We will also make some Father's Day projects for our amazing dads!

*On Wednesday and Thursday morning, we will be taking our final field trip to the City Park for some fun at the park and a picnic lunch.  We will be walking to and from the park so please have your child wear tennis shoes!  More information will be coming home to inform you about bag lunches provided by the school.

Last Days of School:  The last days of school for Pre-K are Wednesday, May 31st and Thursday, June 1st.

Meet Hairy

During the Week of the Young Child, Hairy and Company came to visit us at MAES.  He was part of a special performance that touched base on respect, responsibility, safety and fun, as well as other important things that happen during our time at school, like making new friends.  We were even lucky enough to take a picture with Hairy afterwards!

Check out their website: http://www.hairyandcompany.com/

A Visit to the Vet Clinic

On Wednesday and Thursday of this week we took our second field trip to the Medford Veterinary Clinic.  There, veterinarians and nurses talked to us about ways to stay safe around animals, showed us an exam room and some x-rays, and took us to visit some dogs and kitties that were at the clinic.  We learned many important things in our field trip!  Below are pictures of us waiting to start our tours!

Special "thank you" to the Medford Vet Clinic for taking time out of their busy schedules to help us learn about pets!  :)

A Special Visitor

I hope that your families had a wonderful Easter.  Before Easter break we had a special visitor come to school for story time...THE EASTER BUNNY!!!!  The kids were excited to see the Easter Bunny and get a picture with him.  Ms. Paula even got in on story time by reading a story about the Easter Bunny and his friend, Skunk!  :)

April 2017

April is right around the corner!  Hopefully April will bring warmer weather and lots of sunshine!  I think we are all ready for spring.  I am amazed at how fast the months are flying by.  It is hard to believe in a few short months these kiddos will be heading out my door and onto Kindergarten!  :)  This time of year gets very busy for us in and out of the classroom.  Be sure to check the Classroom Newsletter to find dates, times and information about upcoming events and field trips.  Below you can find info for the month of April!

April 3-7: Easter and Spring

*Easter will be a two week theme.  During these weeks we will make spring and Easter projects, play a fun Easter memory game, and share our own experiences about Easter.

*We will be learning about letters Ee and Bb.

*We will be reviewing number 10.

*Information about April's Families Being Involved workshop will be coming home and will be due back before Easter break.  We will be having a pot luck dinner and dance!

*There is an EARLY RELEASE day on Thursday, April 13th and students are dismissed at 1:52 P.M.

*There is NO SCHOOL for all students Friday, April 14th due to Easter Break.  School will resume on Monday, April 17th.  HAPPY EASTER!!!

PENNIES FOR PETS 

Our Pennies for Pets Fundraiser is under way.  Please help us teach our students about generosity by donating some spare change to the Taylor County Humane Society.  We hope to fill our coin jars by the end of Pets week!

April 17-21: Pets

*We will be learning about pets this week.  We will talk about animals that make good pets and how to take care of these animals.  Students will get to share stories about their own pets or about a pet they wish they could have.

*Our letter is Xx.  We will get to see some X-rays when we go on our field trip!

*Our field trip to the Medford Veterinary Clinic is scheduled for Wednesday, April 19th and Thursday, April 20th in the morning.  If you need to know specific times for the field trip, please contact me.

April 24-28: Seeds and Flowers & WOTYC

*We will be celebrating The Week of the Young Child (WOTYC).  Dress up days are as follows:

--Monday - Pajama Day

--Tuesday - Super hero or princess day

--Wednesday - Crazy hair, socks and inside out day

--Thursday - Beach Day

--Friday -Favorite Sport Day

*We will be learning about Seeds and Flowers. 

*Our letter is Uu.

*On Wednesday and Thursday of this week we will be going to the MAES gym for a special presentation of Hairy and Company at 9:30 AM.

*Thursday, April 27th is Pre-K registration from 3:30-5:30 PM.  This is also the evening of the Beach Party- Pre-K Pot Luck Dinner and Dance.  The dinner will be from 5:00-5:30PM and the dance will be from 5:30-6:00PM in the MAES Commons/Cafeteria.  If your family hasn't sign up, but would like to, please do so ASAP.

PALS testing - Ms. Brittany will be completing PALS testing with each student on Monday, April 24th and Tuesday, April 25th.

GoNoodle

I wanted to share a website with you all that is super fun and gets us up and moving throughout the day.  As you may know, Pre-K students do not go to phy ed class, therefore I try to incorporate movement activities into our daily routines.  These movement activities allow us to get out the wiggles and give our brains a nice little break before moving onto the next activity.  We spend at least 10 minutes a day doing GoNoodle.  The kids actually beg to do this and it has turned into something they really look forward to.  GoNoodle is a free website that you are able to use at home as well.  Feel free to check it out!  Here is a clip of the T/TH kids dancing to one of their new favorite songs, "Cheerleader" from KidzBop.

I really love how the kids try their best when completing these songs and activities.  My FAVORITE part of GoNoodle is hearing them sing parts of this song throughout the day.  Today I heard, "Love Shack, baby love shack!"  and "Bang, bang...on the door baby."  It is just TOO FUNNY!  :)

Leprechaun Surprise!!!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!  

Boy oh boy, were we surprised when we came back from computer lab this week to find GOLD and leprechaun dust in our classroom.  We tried to trick that leprechaun to come into our room by making pots of gold and leprechauns.  He was pretty sneaky and awfully quick and quiet!  While we didn't catch him or see him, he left us a nice note and a small treat. 

Dr. Seuss Week

During Dr. Seuss week at school we did many fun activities to help celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday.  This included making our very own Cat in the Hat headbands.  The students worked on cutting, direction following, gluing and patterning during this activity and came away with a fun headband.  

I have learned an awesome trick while trying to take pictures of 15-16 four and five year olds.  FIRST - they have to all look at the camera and take a nice picture, THEN - they get to take a silly one.  It turns out PERFECTLY every time!  :)

M/W Class

T/TH Class

March 2017

Hello,

Can you believe it is already March?!?!?!?  Hopefully the weather will begin to warm up and spring will be on its way!  Below you will find more information about our March themes and other events that will be taking place.  Please remember that even though the temps may warm up, our playground is still covered in snow.  This means winter clothes are necessary for recess.  I will inform you when winter clothes are no longer needed.  Thanks!!

March 6-10: Zoo

*This week we will be learning about animals that live in a zoo and why we have zoos.

*We will be learning about letter Zz.

*We will be reviewing number 5.

March 13-1: St. Patrick's Day

*This week we be learning about St. Patrick's Day by making leprechaun projects and by talking about shamrocks and luck.  I wonder if that quick and quiet leprechaun will visit our classroom!?!?!

*We will be learning about letter Qq.

*We will be reviewing number 6.

*On Monday and Tuesday Mrs. Weiler, our school social worker, will be coming in to talk to us for social skill time.

*March's family project, The ABC Scavenger Hunt is due on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

*Ms. Brittany and Ms. Paula will both be gone on Wednesday, March 15th as we will be attending a conference.

March 21 - 31: Oceans

*Oceans will be a two week theme.  During these weeks we will make lots of ocean animal projects, pretend we are scuba divers, and watch a fun ocean video.

*We will be learning about letter Oo.

*We will be reviewing numbers 7 and 8.

*Quarter 3 ends on Friday, March 24th.

*There is NO SCHOOL for all students Monday, March 27th due to teacher inservice.

*Report cards will come home Wednesday, March 29th and Thursday, March 30th.

FBI - Ice Skating

For January's Families Being Involved (FBI) event, we invited families to try out ice skating at the Simek Center in Medford.  What a fun experience!  Lots of kiddos were able to skate for the first time and many parents "sharpened" their ice skating skills.  :)

Thank you to all who were able to attend.

Elsie and her mom enjoyed skating with Lydia.  These girls come to school on different days but instantly made friends with each other!

Alayna trying out skating with her mom.

Issac enjoying some ice skating with Mom.

Paxson's whole family made it out for the event.

Asher and his family enjoying some skating.

Lincoln had a great time skating with his mom.

February 2017

Greetings Pre-K Families,

What a fun week we have had in Pre-K.  We took our very first field trip to The Broadway Theatre to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs.  The kids had a GREAT time and enjoyed their special movie theatre snacks.  We have a busy month ahead of us!  Please check out the info below.

February 6-10: Games

*This week our theme is "Games."  We will work on turn taking, counting, and being good sports.  On Wednesday and Thursday of this week, we will play board games with older students in the media room!

*We will be learning about letter Gg.

*We will review number 1.

*February's family project is due on Wednesday and Thursday of this week!  Valentines will be delivered to the nursing home on Friday.

February 13-17: Valentine's Day

*This week our theme is "Valentine's Day."  We will be making many projects out of hearts!

*We will be learning about letter Vv and will be reviewing number 2..

*Our Valentine's Day parties will be on Monday and Tuesday in the afternoon.  Your child is invited to bring in a treat/valentines to share with his/her classmates.  Please know this is not a requirement.  There are 16 students in the M/W class and 15 students in the T/TH class.  :)  

*There is an EARLY RELEASE day on Thursday, Feb. 16th.  Student are dismissed at 1:52 P.M.

*There is NO SCHOOL for all grades on Friday, Feb. 17th.

February 20-24: Nursery Rhymes/Rhyming:

*Our theme will be "Nursery Rhymes and Rhyming."  We will be doing many rhyming activities during our days at school.  Please continue to practice finding rhyming items at home.  :)

*We will be learning about letter Nn.

*We will review number 3.

*We will be having a dentist visit on Feb. 22nd and 23rd from 1:15-1:45 in the media room.

*March's Families Being Involved slips will come home this week!  The FBI will be Friday, March 3rd at 1:15 PM at SES.  We will be watching a movie in the gym!  Each family will get a bag of popcorn, but feel free to bring other snacks and drinks!  You may also bring chairs or blankets as we will be in the gym.

February 7 - March 3: Dr. Seuss/Rhyming:

*Our theme will be "Dr. Seuss and Rhyming."  We will celebrate Dr. Seuss's birthday by reading his rhyming stories and making some fun projects.

*We will be learning about letter Rr.

*We will review number 4.

*FBI slips are due back Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences will be on Thursday, March 2nd from 3:45-6:30 PM.  These conferences are only for those requested by the teacher or the parent.

*The March FBI will take place on Friday, March 3rd at 1:15 PM in the SES gym.  We look forward to seeing those who can attend. 

Calling All Paw Patrol Fans!!!

The F.L. Simek Memorial Library in Medford will be hosting Paw Patrol Storytime on Saturday, January 14th at 11 A.M.  This will include books, crafts, snacks and games!

Hope you Paw Patrol fans can make it!  

January 2017

Happy New Year and welcome back!  The kids and I both were excited to get back into the swing of things!  They have done an excellent job of adjusting back into the school routine and rules!  Below you will see some of the events happening throughout the month.  

We will also begin preparing for our very first field trip!

January 2-6: 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 winter project will be a fun winter adventure in the great outdoors!

*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."  This will continue until May.

January 9-13: 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 info will come home this week.  The ice skating family event will be held Friday, January 27th 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.  Concession stands will be open and there are some ice skates available.  If you have skates at home, feel free to bring them!

January 16-20: Arctic Animals

*We will be learning all about Arctic Animals including polar bears and penguins!

*We will be learning about letter Pp.

*Our number this week is 8.

*Our 2nd fluoride varnish will take place on Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*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 19th.

*There will be NO SCHOOL for all grades on Friday, January 20th due to teacher inservice.

January 23 - February 3: Dinosaurs (two weeks)

*For these two weeks we will learn about dinosaurs, make a fossil using macaroni noodles and do some digging for dino bones in our sensory table.  We will also learn rules and expectations for our field trip!

*We will be learning about letters Dd and Mm.

*Our numbers will be 9 and 10.

*Report cards will come home on January 25th and 26th.

*The January FBI will take place at the Simek Center on January 27th from 9-10 am.

*The $4.00 snack money is due back to school on Wednesday, January 25th and Thursday, January 26th.  This will cover popcorn and a drink at our field trip to The Broadway Theatre.

*Info for our Valentine's Day party will come home at the end of January. 

*We will be traveling to The Broadway Theatre for our first field trip in the morning on Wednesday, Feb. 1st, and Thursday, Feb. 2nd.  We will watch Ice Age, Dawn of the Dinosaurs.