October 2016

Can you believe it!?!?!?  October is right around the corner!  I am updating the blog a little early, since Baby Zenner could be making his appearance any time.  The kids are adjusting very nicely to school and have met Ms. Roxanne who will be the sub while I am on maternity leave.  They love her, and she is going to do a GREAT job!

We continue to work on following school rules and expectations and learning the routines of our days here.  The kiddos are working so hard!  Parent/Teacher conferences are right around the corner!  Conferences will take place next Friday, September 30th and Thursday, October 13th.  We look forward to meeting with each of you for your child's conference.  It is fun to share some of their work with you so that you can see the progress they've made in just a short time.  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!

October 3-7: Leaves and Fall

*We will be learning about the fall season and all of the changes that occur preparing us for winter.  We will make some fun fall projects and finish up some testing before P/T Conferences.

*Our letter of the week is Ll.

*Familes Being Involved (FBI) slips will come home on Monday and Tuesday of this week.  We hope you can make it to our first family event, which will be pumpkin carving!

October 10-14: Hibernation and Migration

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

*There will be no letter this week due to having only one day of school for each group.

*FBI slips are due on Monday and Tuesday.  Please let us know if your family will be participating in the pumpkin carving event.

*There will be no school for Pre-K on Wednesday, October 12th due to Child Development Day.

*There will be no school for all grades on Thursday, October 13th due to parent/teacher conferences.

*There will be no school for all grades on Friday, October 14th.  

October 17-21: Fire Safety Week

*We will be learning about fire safety and creating some fun projects including a fire house and a dalmatian!

*We will be learning about letter Ff.

*October's book order is due Monday and Tuesday of this week.

*On Monday, October 17th and Tuesday, Oct. 18th we will have our first Pre-K fluoride varnish.  Your child will participate if you have signed and returned the consent form.

*Our first Families Being Involved workshop will take place on Friday, October 21st beginning at 9:00 A.M. in the MAES Commons.  Families are invited to carve a pumpkin!

October 24-28: Halloween

*We will be creating fun Halloween projects this week.

*Our letter will be Jj.

*Our Halloween parties will be on Wednesday, October 26th and Thursday, October 27th in the afternoon.  More information will be in your child's folder.

*We will be finishing up re-testing quarter 1 skills for the report cards, which will come out in November.

Child Development Day Information

Please read below for information related to Child Development Day, which will take place this fall.  

What: Child Development Day for the Medford Area Public School District

Who: All children in the Medford Area Public School District who will be at least 2 years of age by October 12, 2016 but will NOT be 5 years of age by September 1, 2017. 

When: Wednesday October 12, 2016 from 8:00 am up to 6:00 pm.  Scheduled times will vary. 

Where: Medford Area Elementary School Gymnasium

How: Make your appointments by contacting the Medford Area Public School District Office at 715-748-4620 ext 534. Registration is open at anytime. 

Why: 

• Developmental readiness screening for your child(ren)
• Community early education and development resources available for your family
• Dental, Hearing, and Vision Checks
• Resource bag for each child
• Free books sponsored by the Taylor County Literacy Council
• DNA Safety Kits sponsored by the Medford Police Department
• Child Care Agencies Registration

September 2016

Hello Pre-K Families,
We are off to a GREAT start this year in Pre-K!  The kiddos are getting familiar with school rules and routines and are enjoying their time here.  Thanks for all you do at home to help prepare your child for school each day.

Please take a minute to check out the tabs on top and familiarize yourself with our classroom blog!  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 12-16 : 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!  We will have a special visitor this week too!  

*We will have our first day of Library on Monday and Tuesday.  Your child will be able to check out a book during library time.  Please remember your child will need to return his/her book before a different library book may be checked out.

*Ms. Roxanne will be stopping in to meet each class and spend some time getting to know our classroom.  She will be the long term substitute teacher while I am gone on maternity leave.  She is going to be GREAT!

*There is an EARLY RELEASE day on Wednesday, September 14th.  Students will be dismissed at 1:52 P.M.



September 14-18 : Apples "Aa"
*We will be learning about where apples come from and how they grow.
*We will be learning about letter Aa.

*On Wednesday and Thursday morning we will be making applesauce!  Please send a baking apple with your child on or before Wednesday, Sept. 21st or Thursday, Sept. 22nd.



September 21-25 : 5 Senses "Yy"
*We will be learning about our 5 senses and taking a 5 senses walk on the Kuse Nature Trail on Monday and Tuesday (weather permitting).  If the weather does not cooperate, we will take our walk on Wednesday and Thursday.
*We will be learning about letter Yy.

*Ms. Brittany will be holding Parent/Teacher conferences on Friday, September 30th from 10:00 AM - 1:30 PM.

REMINDERS:  
Child Development Day is Wednesday, October 12th.  There is no school for Pre-K students this day.
Parent Teacher conferences are scheduled for Oct. 13th.  There is no school for all students this day.  
There is also NO SCHOOL for all students on Friday, Oct. 14th.

Welcome 2016-17

Dear Pre-K Families, 

I would like to welcome you to the Medford Elementary School and to my pre-kindergarten class!  I am really looking forward to meeting all of you at our upcoming open house!  The open house will be on Monday, August 29^th at 4:00-4:30 for the Mon./Wed. group and 4:45-5:15 for the Tues./Thurs. group. Upon arriving please join me in our classroom where I will have a short checklist of items for you to take care of before leaving.  You will be asked to fill out your child’s emergency contact information, make a deposit into your family's lunch/snack/milk account, confirm bus information, view the classroom and ask any questions you might have.  (Please come prepared to take care these items).  If you can’t make it you are welcome to come in on Thursday, September 1^st at 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM to complete the necessary paperwork before school begins.

The open house will be a great opportunity for me to meet you and your child.  Upon arriving please pick up your child’s folder and checklist.  Feel free to explore the room, however, please let your children know that they WON’T be able to play with any of the toys as our time together is limited.  We will get to play with all of the fun toys on the very first day of school!  You are also welcome to walk around the school to help familiarize yourself and your child with its layout.

Your child will not need to bring his/her backpack during the night of open house but can bring his/her rest items.  (Remember that if the rest  items do not easily fit into the cubby space you will be asked to take them home and replace them with something smaller.  A beach towel and small travel sized pillow are recommended.)

At Open House you will have the opportunity to sign up for fall Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Please know beforehand, that there will be two days you may sign up.  Friday, September 30th and Thursday, October 13th.  I am expecting our first child in early October and will no tbe here on the October conference day.  My substitute and Ms. Paula (our assistant) will be here to meet with you.  The same information will be shared regardless if you meet with the substitute or with me.  As we all know, the baby will make most of the decisions, so thank you in advance for understanding if changes need to be made to the conference schedule.  If you have questions regarding this, please do not hesitate to ask.  :)

  

I’m looking forward to meeting each of you and hope your child is excited for the upcoming school year!

Ms. Brittany

Goodbye Friends

I can hardly believe that another school year as come and gone.  Wow!!  It surely flew by.  I really enjoy seeing the progress that each of the kiddos have made from September until now.  They sure are ready for Kindergarten and will have a fabulous time next year.  

First off, I would like to say thank you for sending your child to Pre-K at MAES.  Without that first step, I wouldn't have been able to meet them, help them learn and enjoy their wonderful personalities.  I would also like to thank you for playing a vital role in the success of your child, in and out of school, and for encouraging them as they began their schooling venture.  Your support means a lot and it has been a pleasure getting to work with each of your families.

I hope you all have a safe, happy, and healthy summer and I look forward to seeing these kiddos next year in the hallways and at lunch as Kindergarteners!  

Happy summer,
Ms. Brittany

Scavenger Hunt

On Wednesday and Thursday our classes participated in a scavenger hunt on the Kuse Trail.  This scavenger hunt was to reward our positive behavior as the school year comes to an end.  We ended up at the Kuse Farm and were able to meet Hildegard and Loretta.  They were gracious enough to let us tour their farm and meet many of the animals they had.  We even stopped along the way on the trail for a quick picture.  Our goal was to see if everyone could fit on the bench at the same time.  We ended with a snack of trailmix and a juicebox.  What a nice end of the year celebration!

Meeting the Pups

Ms. Brittany has been promising since Pets week that Zoe and Addie would get to come in for a visit.  With the cold, snowy, muddy weather we've had this spring, the girls finally made it to school last week.  The kids were so excited to meet them and Zoe and Addie were on their best behavior.  Each child had the opportunity to pet the dogs and throw the ball for them.  What a fun activity for everyone!!  We have to send a special "thanks" to Mr. MJ for taking his lunch break two days in a row to bring the dogs to school!

Treyton's turn to throw the ball while the others watch.

Giving Zoe a little pat before she heads back home.

The M/W kids petting Addie.

The T/TH class getting to pet each dog before we played fetch.

Getting to meet all of the kids.  

Throwing the ball to Addie while Zoe watches.  :)