1/27 Classroom Update

Important Dates/Reminders

Spirit Week: February is Kindness Month and to celebrate, we will participate in Spirit Days the first week of the month. Throughout February, we encourage students to perform random acts of kindness for others. Below are the are the Spirit Week themes for each day next week:

• Monday, January 30 - Kindness is Warm & Fuzzy (Pajama Day)
• Tuesday, January 31 - Crazy for Kindness (Wear mismatched clothes)
• Wednesday, February 1 - Hats off for Kindness (Hat Day)
• Thursday, February 2 - Kindness Shines Bright (Wear bright colors)
• Friday, February 3 - Team Up for Kindness (Favorite team/East colors)

Preschool Conferences/Progress Reports: Preschool conferences will be held on Tuesday, February 7th and Thursday February 9th from 3:30-6:30 pm in the WECC gym. Please visit here to sign up for a ten minute conference. During the conference, we will review and send home progress reports, and I can also answer questions regarding placement for next year. If you are in need of childcare during the conference, children are welcome to play in a designated area in the gym. I am looking forward to sharing in your child's successes with you!

Kindergarten Enrollment: The EGRPS website regarding kindergarten registration information has been updated. Intent to enroll forms are now available. The link to the page can be found here. Please let me know if you plan on enrolling your child and I will fill out a Preschool Teacher form for you!

Mid-Winter Break: There are no preschool classes on Friday, February 17 and Monday, February 20 for Mid-Winter Break. 

Spring Break: There will be no preschool classes from Friday, March 31 through Friday, April 7. Classes will resume on Monday, April 10. 

MWF 3's Class:

This week, we learned more about polar animals and how they adapt to living in the cold. We discussed how people stay warm versus animals. We also did an experiment to see how blubber keeps polar animals warm, and we were surprised to learn that we could not feel the ice water with a "blubber" glove on. We also felt a real reindeer pelt and how thick, warm and soft it is. We took a tour of the Arctic and learned many interesting facts about polar animals! We also went on a polar animal safari hunt in our classroom. We practiced taking turns and working together cooperatively playing a penguin shape matching game. We also painted with ice and played with polar animals in the snow bin. We learned about the letter N, learned the sign for the letter N, and made our handprints into a night sky. Here are some picture highlights from our week in preschool:

PM 5's Class:

This week, we learned about the Arctic and Antarctic, and many of the animals who live there. We discussed how the North Pole and South Pole are on opposite ends of the Earth, and we identified many pairs of opposites. We had lots of fun playing outside in the cold and snow, and spent time discussing how people stay warm. We compared how we stay warm versus the adaptations polar animals have to stay warm. We enjoyed learning interesting facts about many different types of polar animals, and solved polar animal riddles. We were surprised to learn that there are 17 different types of penguins, that polar bears have clear/translucent fur, and that snowy owls have a wing span of 4 feet! We read the story of Penguin and Pinecone, completed directed drawings of penguins in our fine motor journals, and turned pinecones into penguins. Our focus letter was the letter K, and we turned the letter K into a Kangaroo for our letter books. Here are some picture highlights of our week in 5's:

Have a great weekend!