9/29 Classroom Update

This week, we had so much fun talking about the different seasons and learning more about fall! Here are some picture highlights from the week:

We are so excited about our new Handwriting Without Tears workbooks!

Practicing correct crayon grip through aim and scribble

Picking apples in our classroom apple orchard - this was a class favorite!

Building a Leaf Man using the Mat Man song

Letter Matching

Painting fall trees

Scholastic Book Orders: This week, I sent home Scholastic Book orders in your child's folder. October book orders are due by Thursday, October 12th. You can order books online by completing the steps below. You may also turn in your paper order and payment to me and I will input your order for you.

1. Go to the Scholastic Reading Club Website here.
2. Click Connect to your Teacher and enter our class activation code: PJFBX.
3. Then click to order from this month's flyer. Our default flyer is the "Early Childhood" flyer; however, you may order from any of the flyers. You can view more details about each book and add them to your cart by clicking on them in the flyer. 
4. After selecting your items, click on the cart to create an account or sign-in to your existing account in order to check-out.  
5. October orders need to be placed by this coming Thursday, October 12.

Important Dates/Reminders:

Spirit Week: We will be having a spirit week here at WECC the week of October 9-12. We invite students and families to dress up according to each day's theme!

• Monday 10/9 - Team Day
• Tuesday 10/10 - Fancy Day or Blue/Gold Day
• Wednesday 10/11 - Fancy Day (for pictures!)
• Thursday 10/12 - PJ Day

Picture Day: Picture day is Wednesday October 11th! ECSE students will be taking their pictures in the morning with Ms. Carly, and PM 5's students will be taking their pictures in the afternoon with Ms. Katie.

Country Basket Field Trip: On Thursday, October 26th, we will be visiting Schwallier's Country Basket for a fun afternoon learning about the farm, pollination, and growing apples and pumpkins. At Schwallier's students will get to pick a pumpkin and apple, pet and feed baby goats, and explore different outdoor play stations. 

• Plan to get to class a few minutes early on 10/26. We will be leaving promptly at 12:30 pm.
• If you are interested in driving on the field trip, please sign up on the bulletin board outside our classroom indicating the number of children you can drive or send me an email at kbillmei@egrps.org.
• There is a fee of $5 per child that will be charged to your monthly preschool account. Adults attending will pay $5 at Schwallier's.
• All children will need to be transported in a car seat. Please bring booster seats pre-labeled with your child's name on the day of our trip. 

Field Trip Drivers: Any adult transporting a child other than their own will need to fill out a self-reporting form and provide proof of insurance, driver's license and registration in the office. All parent volunteers for the field trip must fill out a volunteer form. This form can be found at www.egrps.org under Quick Links.

Have a great weekend!

9/22 Classroom Update

This week, we discussed what it means to be a good friend and how we can be good friends to others. We also met our friend Mat Man and learned how to build and draw him. We use the Mat Man song to help build body awareness and to teach drawing a person. The song can be found here. Ms. Janet visited our class for the first time this week, and we had a blast learning about beats in music. We look forward to her next visit on 10/4!

Building Mat Man

Drawing Mat Man

 Music class with Ms. Janet

Letter Matching

Reading our class book "My Preschool Friends"

Building with legos at Free Choice time

Next week, we will be focusing on fall and practicing proper crayon grip. We use the song "Pick Up a Crayon" to reinforce a pincer grip with the thumb, pointer, and tall man (middle finger) . The words to the song can be found here.

Important Dates/Reminders:

Spirit Week: We will be having a spirit week here at WECC the week of October 9-12. We invite students and families to dress up according to each day's theme!

• Monday 10/9 - Team Day
• Tuesday 10/10 - Fancy Day or Blue/Gold Day
• Wednesday 10/11 - Fancy Day (for pictures!)
• Thursday 10/12 - PJ Day

Picture Day: Picture day is Wednesday October 11th! ECSE students will be taking their pictures in the morning with Ms. Carly, and PM 5's students will be taking their pictures in the afternoon with Ms. Katie.

Country Basket Field Trip: On Thursday, October 26th, we will be visiting Schwallier's Country Basket for a fun afternoon learning about the farm, pollination, and growing apples and pumpkins. At Schwallier's students will get to pick a pumpkin and apple, pet and feed baby goats, and explore different outdoor play stations. 

• Plan to get to class a few minutes early on 10/26. We will be leaving promptly at 12:30 pm.
• If you are interested in driving on the field trip, please sign up on the bulletin board outside our classroom indicating the number of children you can drive or send me an email at kbillmei@egrps.org.
• There is a fee of $5 per child that will be charged to your monthly preschool account. Adults attending will pay $5 at Schwallier's.
• All children will need to be transported in a car seat. Please bring booster seats pre-labeled with your child's name on the day of our trip. 

Field Trip Drivers: Any adult transporting a child other than their own will need to fill out a self-reporting form and provide proof of insurance, driver's license and registration in the office. All parent volunteers for the field trip must fill out a volunteer form. This form can be found at www.egrps.org under Quick Links.

Have a great weekend!

9/14 Classroom Update

We had a great second week in preschool 5's! This week, we continued to explore the different centers and toys within our classroom, as well as settled into our classroom routines. This week, we learned more about each other by discussing our likes and dislikes and by drawing pictures of our families with Ms. Patti. Our self portraits with some of our favorite things are now proudly hanging in the hall! After reading Chicka Chicka Boom Boom, we made coconut trees with all the letters in our names racing to the top. We also read the story Chrysanthemum and talked about how each of our names are important and special to us. We then measured our names using different items in the classroom. The kitchen, cars, and playdough centers continued to be some of the most popular centers during free choice!

 Measuring our names with counting bears

Playing in the car center

Next week, we will be talking about friendship and things that good friends do! We will also be learning all about Mat Man, and will practice both building and drawing Mat Man. On Wednesday, Mrs. Janet Kremers will begin her bi-weekly music class with our preschoolers during our afternoon class. With Ms. Janet, our students will sing and dance to many new songs, learn about different types of music and music terminology, as will as play different types of instruments.

Important Dates/Reminders:

Country Basket Field Trip: On Thursday, October 26th, we will be visiting Schwallier's Country Basket for a fun afternoon learning about the farm, pollination, and growing apples and pumpkins. At Schwallier's students will get to pick a pumpkin and apple, pet and feed baby goats, and explore different outdoor play stations. 

• Plan to get to class a few minutes early on 10/26. We will be leaving promptly at 12:30 pm.
• If you are interested in driving on the field trip, please sign up on the bulletin board outside our classroom indicating the number of children you can drive or send me an email at kbillmei@egrps.org.
• There is a fee of $5 per child that will be charged to your monthly preschool account. Adults attending will pay $5 at Schwallier's.
• All children will need to be transported in a car seat. Please bring booster seats pre-labeled with your child's name on the day of our trip. 

Field Trip Drivers: Any adult transporting a child other than their own will need to fill out a self-reporting form and provide proof of insurance, driver's license and registration in the office. All parent volunteers for the field trip must fill out a volunteer form. This form can be found at www.egrps.org under Quick Links. 

Parent Information Forms/Blog Permission Slip: Thank you to all the parents who have returned your forms to us so quickly! If you have yet to turn in your forms, please do so at your earliest convenience. If you need another copy of either form, I am happy to send another one home!

Have a great weekend!

9/8 Classroom Update

We had a great first week in our half day 5's class! This week, we spent the majority of our time together making new friends and learning about our classroom. We explored many of the new toys in our room, as well as learned how to use many of our classroom supplies.

Each day, we follow the same basic schedule and routine. Here is a little more information about each component of our day:

12:30-12:45 – Opening Activity & Table Toys: During this time, students are free to socialize with their peers and play freely with the table toys. Once we settle into our routine, Ms. Katie will be calling students to work one-on-one and in small groups on name and other writing skills during this time.

12:45-1:15 – Large Group Literacy & Read Aloud: During our first circle time, we meet on the rug to explore our weekly theme and read a related story. Circle time also includes mini-lessons and breaks for movements and music.

1:15-2:00 – Small Group Centers: During center time, students rotate in small groups between six different learning and play-based centers over the span of two days. Our preschoolers will visit three centers each day: one teacher directed center and two independent centers. The next day, students will visit the other three centers. Center time allows students to build critical literacy, math, and social skills, as well as fosters independence and creativity.

2:00-2:20 – Outside Play: Playground time is always a favorite! We will always go outside weather permitting. In the winter, we go outside as long as the windchill is above zero.

2:20-2:30 – Calendar/Math Literacy: During our second circle time, we will review our classroom calendar and work on various math skills.

2:30-3:00 – Snack & Free Choice: During snack time, students will also get a choice of white milk or water. During free choice, students are free to play at the centers of their choice in the classroom. Free choice allows for students to use their decision making skills, explore personal interests, and practice social skills playing with their peers. The playdough, kitchen, and transportation centers have been big hits so far!

3:00-3:15 – Closing Circle: During closing circle, we will review what we learned that day and sing our goodbye song.

Reminders:

• This week, I sent home two forms in your child's folder: a student information sheet and blog permission slip. Please return both forms at your earliest convenience. 

Have a great weekend!