April 1-April 4

Our letter of the week was Yy.  We talked about the sound Yy makes (like in yak, yellow, yes, and yarn).  We practiced our hand symbol (one student told me "It looks like 'hang loose!'", practiced the handwriting sheet, and made our hand print book page (Yak), and we decorated the letter Yy on yellow paper with yellow yarn.  The students are doing really well with our alphabet letters.  I am so proud of their progress with the sign language symbol, the sound symbol, the letter and even our handwriting sheets are improving!  

Here is my letter Yy handwriting video:

Our theme this week was pets.  We started with a list of pets we know about.  Students helped me write the

list by helping me figure out the letter that it started with.  Students were excited to see our dramatic play area turned into a vet office and/or animal shelter, Littlest Pet Shop was in block area, and letter hidden in shredded paper (like animal bedding) for matching and sorting in the sensory table.

We matched the dog with the lower case letter on his envelope to the capital letter dog house, drew pictures of a pet we want or we already have, and sorted pets by how many legs they have.

We also made spring blossoms for our class tree/bulletin board so hopefully it will bring on the real spring weather!  I think the snow may have been jinxing us!

The Shelter field trip is Wednesday April 24th.  We have gotten a lot of permission slips in, but are still waiting for many payments.  Please make sure to send the $2 CASH payment if you have not done so.  

As always, photos available by email at your request.  Additional photos are available for viewing on the website: http://mrsgloudemans.wix.com/stedward4k 

Important Notes:

• Field Trip information forms came out 3 weeks ago. Please be sure to send the payment with the slips as CASH. If you have donations, you can send those to school as well and I will bring them all together with us to the trip.  A list of needed items came home with the permission slip.  If you have any questions/concerns, please feel free to contact me!
• Chaperones are still needed for the trip, especially for our AM trip.  Many noted they could volunteer depending on the date.  Again, the date is April 24.  Bus: 8:45-10:45 and 12:05-2:15.
• Book Orders are due April 26th.  There are some great new collections. Also, if you order online you get a coupon for free books.  It also earns points and free books for our classroom as well!  Find the link the scholastic section of the website: http://mrsgloudemans.wix.com/stedward4k
• Reading with the Stars Monday April 15, 2012!
• Dress for the Weather.  We go outside Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Students need coats, hats, and mittens.  If there is snow or even if it is in the 30s I would suggest snowpants and boots for warmth and dryness.  St. Edward Extended day families, these students go outside for "long recess" after lunch daily and need to be dressed for it daily.  Please come with everything they need to stay warm and have fun!
• Even as Spring approaches, if there is snow we need your child to come in snowpants and winter gear for playing on the playground.  If they do not have the proper clothes, they will need to stand on the blacktop with the teachers.
• Lost and Found.  Our lost and found is growing.  If you are missing something please feel free to check out the box on top of the lockers by our door, or email me and I will take a look for you!  
• As always, any questions or concerns please feel free to email me!  Have a great weekend!

Next week:

Theme: Pets

Letter: Zz

AM Snack: Griesbach Family

PM Snack: Brunn Family