The End of the Year is Here!!!!!

     There are only 7 days of preschool left as I write this post!  This year has whizzed by and I can't believe it's coming to an end already.  We have had an amazing year full of learning, exploration, fun, and discovery.  I have truly enjoyed teaching each child in my class this year.  Every day, the children are discovering something new and I'm learning new things too.  Thank you to the parents for sharing your child with me this year!  I look forward to teaching some of the children again next year and also getting updates from the children who are moving on to Kindergarten.  

     In the classroom, we are wrapping up our plant study.  The children planted okra, Swiss chard, and lavender seeds.  Some of the seeds have sprouted.  Each day, the children are responsible for watering their seeds or sprouts.  Next week we will plant our seeds at the community garden across the street. 

     The children did a GREAT job at the Music Show.  This is the first time I have ever put together a performance with preschool children and I was so pleased with how well they did.  The children worked hard and practiced many times for the performance.  I'm so proud of the great show they put on.  Thank you to all the families that were able to attend the show.  The children were very excited and proud.

     Each day the children have been answering a "Question of the Day" as part of the arrival routine.  Some of the children have been coming up with their own questions, asking their friends, and recording their responses on paper.  I love watching the children take a lesson I have presented and making it their own.  The children are practicing their writing, counting, and comparing in this activity.  


REMINDERS...

• Preschool Family Fun Day - Friday May 22nd @ Sharpsburg Primary, 1:00 on the playground.  There will be crafts and activities for each preschooler to take home.  Each family will gets a beach bucket, books, activities, and a everyone who attends will get a Popsicle.  We hope to see you there! 
• Last Day of School - Thursday May 28th.  Please make sure your child brings his/her school bag every day the rest of the year.  We will be sending home a lot of things between now and the end of the year.   
• End of the year report cards will be sent home the last week of school.  

THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK  YOU to all the parents and family members who have volunteered their time and talents both inside and out of the classroom this year.  I sincerely appreciate the support of everyone who has been involved in our classroom.   

Have a safe and fun filled summer!!!!
-Ms. Katie

May the Fourth (be with you)

A little Star Wars humor for any other Star Wars fans out there :)

     Welcome to the last month of school!  Wow, only 4 weeks of school left until summer break.  This time of year is so exciting and busy.  

     We are busy, busy, busy in our room completing end of the year projects.  The children have been working on a special Mother's Day gifts that will be coming home this week.  Many children continue to work through their picture dictionaries and a few are finishing them up.  Mostly 4 and 5 year old children are working on this project, so don't worry if your child does not come home with one.  We are also finishing up our Get Set for School workbooks.  Children who are going on to kindergarten have been working in these handwriting books all year.  They will be sent home when we are finished.  

   This week we will be planing seeds from the Williams Community Garden.  After the seeds sprout,we will walk over to the Community Garden and transplant the seedlings.  We are planting Swiss chard and okra.  We are continuing to work on recycled lid collages and melted crayon art (whenever we have parent volunteer).  

     Last week, a few of the children used unifix cubes to measure their friends.  Since the children were so interested in measuring each other, I made a chart so they could record their observations and compare.  This also became a spontaneous lesson in counting by 10's.  All week, the children were taking turns measuring and being measured.  They worked together to create sets of unifix cubes, write down their observations, and help each other with measuring.  It was such a fun learning activity for everyone.  The children really enjoyed measuring each other and being measured and I loved being a part of this teachable moment!  Some of the concepts that were a part of this activity include: counting with 1:1 correspondence to 60 or higher, creating sets of 10, counting by 10's, comparing numbers, understanding taller, shorter, more, less, writing names of peers, recording information on a chart, and much, much more.   



THANK YOU

• A very big THANK YOU to all the parents and families that have volunteered and supported our classroom this year.  Without your help, we wouldn't be able to do many of the great projects like sewing, string art. and melted crayon art.  There are still opportunities to volunteer before the end of the year.  Sign up via Sign Up Genius (click the link) or contact me directly if there is a date and time not listed that works for you.  

REMINDERS...

• Montessori Preschool Music Show
• Thursday May 7th @ 10:30 and 2:00 in the auditorium.  We hope to see you there!
• Preschool Family Fun Day 
• Friday May 22 @ Sharpsburg Primary.  1:00-2:00
• Please make an enrollment appointment for the 2015-2016 school  year.  Returning preschoolers and new kindergartners need to enroll.

April Showers

     We are beginning to change over the classroom for our plant and flower study and beginning some end of the year projects. 

      During the last 2 weeks, we had water beads in the touch table. The children really enjoyed this sensory experience.  You can pick up a pack of amazing water beads at most craft stores in the floral supply section.  Check out Pinterest for tons of great water beads activities. Click the link below to go to Pinterest.  

Pinterest - water beads  

We are also working on recycled lid collages.  We would love to have a parent volunteer to help with this and the melted crayon art project.   Many of the children have been working on Picture Dictionaries.  The children cut out pictures for each letter of the alphabet, glue them into their book, and write the word.   

     The children who are moving on to Kindergarten are also finishing up their handwriting workbooks (Handwriting Without Tears, Get Set for School) and all the children have been practicing proper letter formation through our letter of the week activities.  We have been learning about vertical, horizontal, and diagonal lines within our letter of the week activities.  We've been using our bodies to make the different types of lines.  The children have been answering a "question of the day" at the start of our group meeting each day.  The teacher helper asks the question to each child and the children place a magnet on the chart to indicate their answer to the question.  We have been using this activity to compare numbers, count with 1 to 1 correspondence and develop understanding of the concepts "more than" and "less than."  Examples of questions include: Can you whistle?  Do you like bugs? Can you snap?  Have you ever been on an airplane?  When you child comes home from school, ask them if they remember the question of the day.  

     In the upcoming weeks, we will make melted crayon art, a special Mother's Day craft, plant seeds at the Norwood Community Garden, and much more.  


OTHER INFO...

• I mistakenly stated in an earlier newsletter that I would be sending home 3rd Q report cards.  We are using a new report card system this year (and I'm still learning all the ins and outs of the new system) and the next reporting period is for the end of the year.  I apologize for any confusion this may have caused.  End of the year report cards will be sent in May along with an end of the year progress sheet.  If you have any questions about your child's progress at any time, feel free to contact me.   
• Volunteers are still needed to help with some fun end of the year projects in the classroom.  Please let me know if you are interested in helping with these projects or sign up directly on the SignUpGenius page.    
• If you have not yet sent in $1 or $2 to cover the cost of the end of the year projects, please send it in as soon as possible.  Thank you!
• Have you made your Preschool or Kindergarten enrollment appointment for the 2015-2016 school year yet?  Whether your child is attending Preschool or Kindergarten next year, you will need to make an enrollment appointment.  Appointments can be made by calling 924-2506.
• Scholastic Book orders have been sent home.  This is the last chance to order for the year. I encourage you to pick out a few books for you and your child to read together over the summer.  

Important Dates

• Thursday May 7th - Music Performance in the Auditorium.  Parents are invited to attend the performance.  Morning class performance @ 10:30 and afternoon @ 2:00.  RSVP sheet sent home soon.    
• Friday May 22nd - Preschool Family Fun Activity at Sharpsburg.  Every family who attends will get to take home some great beach themed activities.  
• Thursday May 28th - Last day of Preschool.

Happy Spring

I hope everyone had a safe and fun Spring Break.  The end of the year is quickly approaching.  There are only 8 weeks of school left!  We will be busy in the classroom every day until the end of the year.  We are wrapping up our recycling study and will briefly study building and construction before moving on to a plant study to wrap up the year.

Before Spring Break the children worked on a concentric circle art project based on the the painting "Squares with Concentric Circles" by Wassily Kandinsky.  The children selected plastic lids to trace, then cut them out and arranged them from largest to smallest on a square of paper.  We put all the children's squares together to make a college.  It looks great! 

Upcoming Projects...
- We have some fun projects coming up, but we need your help to make them possible.

• We need glass baby food jars (clean and dry).  If you have any, please send them in.
• The children will have to opportunity to create a melted crayon art project.  I am asking for each child to send in $1-$2 to cover the cost of the canvases, glue gun and glue, and blow dryer. 
• I have updated the volunteer sign up page with dates for the remainder of the  year.  We will need help with at least 3 art projects.  If you would like to volunteer, please sign up on the sign-up genius page or let me know when you would like to come in. Click the link below to go to the page.
• SignUp Genius
• We are in need of solid color plastic eggs (25) and parent who is willing to fill them with rice and glue them closed.  If you are interested in helping with any part of this project, please contact me.  I have the rice to fill the eggs.  

End of the Year Events...

• Our class will be putting on a little music performance of some of our favorite songs.  The performance will be on Thursday May 7th.  More details soon.
• Preschool Family Activity on Friday May 22nd at Sharpsburg.  More details soon.  
• Last day of Preschool - May 28th

March... in like a lion

March has certainly come in like a lion, I hope it goes out like a lamb.    

We are "marching" on with our learning this month.  We have started our recycling study.  We learned what the word recycle means and what types of things can be recycled.  We have also begun collecting round plastic lids for a recycled art project.  As we get more lids in, we will begin to sort them by color and size.  We will also be doing a recycled crayon project later this month.  As we get closer to the dates, I will be asking for parent volunteers. 

The children really enjoyed playing on the playground this week.  It seems like forever since we have been able to spend any length of time outside.  This week, we will be taking a litter walk.  We will walk around our school community and pick up any litter we see (with gloves on).   


Several students have been working with the 100 board, cube chains, and bead bars.  The children are practicing linear counting, counting with 1 to 1 correspondence, putting numerals in order, and skip counting.  A few children have also started some addition work with the bead bars.  I have also been giving the children a "challenge work" each day.  I am suggesting a work that the children don't typically pull off the shelf on their own or that is a little bit more challenging.  I've been encouraging several students to choose the moveable alphabet to work on building words. I'm so thrilled with the progress the children are making and all the new things they are discovering.   


I enjoyed meeting with many of you during parent-teacher conferences over the last few weeks.  Thank you for your flexibility in rescheduling.  3rd quarter report cards will be sent home at the end of the month.  If at any time you would like to discuss your child's progress or any other questions, please feel free to contact me.  

IMPORTANT INFO...

• The Preschool Parent Information Meeting has been rescheduled (again) for Thursday March 26th.  This is the time to register NEW preschool students.  Currently enrolled preschool children who will be returning next year do not need to register.  (You will need to re-enroll at a later date.)  
• A blue form will be in your child's folder with details for the Parent Information Night.  You do NOT need to fill this form out for your currently enrolled child.  The form is for new students only and can be turned in at the Parent Information Night or afterwards.  Please feel free to invite other Norwood families to the Information Night.  
• The Classroom Open House is rescheduled for Friday March 27th.  This is a time for new families to tour a play-based and Montessori classroom before enrolling their child.  
• Kindergarten Information Meetings - 
• An orange flier was sent home with information for Kindergarten registration.  If your child will be attending Kindergarten next year, please be sure to attend the meeting at your neighborhood elementary.
• Family Fun Activity
• The Preschool teachers are hosting a Family Fun Activity on Friday May 22nd.  Please check your child's folder for more information.  Be sure to fill out the form to let us know if you will be coming.   

Other News...

 * Norwood City Schools will (finally) have a preschool website!!!!  It will be hosted on the Norwood City Schools website along with the other schools.  If you have web design talent or knowledge that you would like to share, please let me know.  When the site is up and running, I will share the information with you.  

February Fun

February is flying by with all kinds of fun stuff taking place in the classroom!

     We are beginning to wrap up our clothing study.  Upcoming studies including buildings, construction, and recycling.  These studies will overlap somewhat.  I have a few ideas in mind for some big projects that include both building and recycling.  More information soon.  

     Thank you to Mae's mom and Eva's dad for helping the children with the string sculpture projects.  We read the book "The Things a String Can Be" and then made our own class book.  Each child used their imagination to think of something they could do with a piece of string.  the children really enjoyed getting messy and sticky with the glue and string to create their string sculptures.  We also had visits in the morning from Izzi's mom and Charlie's dad.  Izzi's mom is a dietitian and  talked to the class about her job and the children also learned about the food groups.  Charlie's dad is a fire fighter and paramedic.  He talked about his uniform, his job, and fire safety.  Lastly. Paige's mom came and read the book "Chocolatina" about a little girl who turns into chocolate.  Next week we will have a visit from a Norwood Police Officer.  Thank you to all the parents who support our classroom in various ways!

     The children enjoyed passing Valentines out to their friends this week. 

     We now have a tabletop light panel for the children to use and explore.  It has been very popular this week.  I am working on writing a grant to acquire additional materials to use with the light panel.
 

     I enjoyed meeting with several parents last night for parent-teacher conferences and I look forward to meeting with everyone else next week on Thursday and Friday.  


REGISTER FOR THE 2015-2016 SCHOOL YEAR
*Please make sure you fill out and turn in the bright orange form with your plans for your child for next school year.  If your child will be returning to preschool, this form secures a spot for him/her.  It also helps in the planning process so we know how many spots we will have available for new students next year.  
*If you are planning to send a sibling next year, you will need to fill out a new student registration form and turn it in on Parent Information Night (Thursday February 26th).  
*If you know other families in the community with preschool age children, please encourage them to attend the Parent Information Night to learn about programs available in Norwood and register their child for preschool.  

"Sew" Much Fun

     We had a very busy week this week.  On Tuesday both the morning and afternoon class had visitors to show them different ways to sew.  Claire's mom came to visit in the morning and helped each child stuff and sew their own pillow.  Then, several of the children decided they wanted to continue sewing.  Using scraps of fabric, they decided to make a doll.  The children and Claire's mom, worked together to sew a doll that is now in the book corner of our classroom.  In the afternoon, Jenna's grandma showed the children how to crochet.  The children watched her work on crocheting a blanket.  She also made a "book worm" for each of the children to take home.  A VERY big thank you to each of them for sharing their talents with our class.  The children are really enjoying learning about different ways clothes are made.  
  
     If you have a talent or skill you would like to share with the class, please let me know.  I'm also open to parents coming in to do a craft, activity, or experiment with the children.  If you have an idea for something you would like to do, please contact me.  I'm also looking for a parent to come in in the next week or so to work on a project with string and glue with each of the children.   Disclaimer: it will be messy and fun! 

    We read the book "Pete the Cat and His Four Groovy Buttons" this week.  This book has a great repetitive text.  The children enjoyed helping me read the book.  We also watched a video of another class telling the story, set to music.  The children glue buttons onto a paper shirt, counted the buttons, and recorded how many buttons they had.

     We've been singing an alphabet song called "Alphardy" by Dr. Jean.  The song is set to the Jeopardy theme song.  The song goes through the letters of the alphabet naming the letter, it's sound, and a word that begins with the sound.  There is also a book to go along with the song.  There are several printable resources available click here for printable Alphardy resources.  We are also using Visual Phonics when we sing the song (a set of hand cues to accompany each letter sound).  You can read about Visual Phonics by clicking here.  I participated in Visual Phonics training earlier this year and have been using the hand cues throughout the year.  I can see them working with the children as I go through letter sound assessments and the children are using the hand cues to help them remember the letter sounds! 

     Way to go Julian for his work with linear counting using the 8 and 9 square bead chains with labels.  Finn completed the hundred board this week.  Nice work!  All of the children are making great progress and have been working really hard!  

• Valentine's Day is coming up.  If your child would like to make Valentine's for the children in the class, please bring them in on Wednesday February 11th.  Cards and other non-food treats are preferred.  There are 19 children in AM class and 18 in the PM class.  If you want to send Valentines that include a treat, please follow the guidelines that were recently sent home or find them by clicking here.  

REMINDERS...

• Parent-teacher conferences- 2/12, 2/19, 2/20.  Conference confirmation forms will be sent home this week.  
• Progress reports will also be sent home this week.
• Preschool Parent Information Night - 2/26.  More information will be sent home soon.  Registration for new preschool students also takes place on this night.
• Please fill out and send in the orange form indicating your plans for the 2015-2016 school year.  If your child will be attending preschool again next year, you MUST send this form in to hold your spot.