Turkeys!

**Please Read!**

I would like to do a St. Nick Project and an Elf on the Shelf project for the Holiday season.  For St. Nick, we would be making a fire and then "sewing" a stocking in which we will hang by the fire. We will then await a St. Nick Gift on Thursday December 5.  For Elf on the Shelf, we will name our elf and find what trouble he gets into when we are not in the room. We would also watch the Elf on the Shelf video, write him letters, and more.  These activities would be educational and fun, but I need to make sure it does not conflict with anyone's religious or personal beliefs before going ahead.  IF YOU HAVE ANY CONCERNS WITH EITHER OF THESE PROJECTS, PLEASE CONTACT ME VIA A NOTE OR EMAIL.  If I do not get any notes by Thursday Nov. 28, I will proceed with these plans.  

**Thank you!**

There is only 3 days of school this week. When we have these special weeks there are a couple of categories in which your children fit in when it comes to when and how they are getting home. Please read below.

• Students who ride the bus to and from 4k: Your bus will run as normal on Wednesday November 27th
• Students who are picked up and dropped off for JUST our 3 hour session (7:55-10:55) You will be picked up as normal on Wenesday November 27th
• Students who attend extended day (Stay at St. Edward all day) you have two options.
• Attend the Thanksgiving Feast at 11:25 with the 4k Students  and the rest of the school.  You can take your child home when the feast is done. (If you cannot attend the feast but you want your child to still, you can pick them up at 12:30-the approximate time the feast will be done)
• Pick your child up at 10:55 when the rest of the pick up students are being picked up.
• THERE WILL BE NO EXTENDED DAY OR AFTERCARE AFTER 12:30PM ON WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 27TH.

Our topic this week was Turkeys.

We took turkeys that were missing their feathers and made sure they got them by counting the dots on the turkey's body and gluing the correct numbered feather on.  Students are doing pretty good, but please continue to have the conversations with your child about numbers in your environment.  

We also made turkey headbands from a paper plate.  Cutting the paper plate can be difficult for some but encouraging them to do it on their own helps strengthen their fine motor skills and teach persistence.  Students then had to take two of each other. This taught some new vocabulary as well as mathematical concepts.


Students have also gotten the opportunity to play some math games that also work on mouse clicking and dragging.  To introduce the game, we took turns doing it on the smart board.

The letter of the week was Rr. We learned the sign language for a letter, the literacy link sound symbols, the letter sound, and looking at and writing it in both capital letters and lower case letters.  Click here to view the many ways we learn the letter of the week!

Each week we watch letter videos from "Have Fun Teaching" and the students are really picking up the names of letters, formations, and the sounds of letters.  Check out these videos with you child!  Click HERE.

The Tuesday project of letter of the week is to decorate a letter with something that starts with the letter. This week we decorated the letter

E with our Elbows!!  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, E is for Elephant.

Please visit the whole website (4k, drop down menu, Gallery) to see your child's first day photo as well as photos from through out the week.  If you would like the first day photo, please email me and I can send you the digital copy.

Field Trip notes came home on Thursday. We are going bowling and going to have a lot of fun using our gross motor and social skills!  Please make sure you return the trip form, the money, and send your child dressed appropriately on Dec 5th.  Please plan on your child being at school the normal times on this day.   If you have any questions, concerns, or need some financial assistance in covering the trip cost, please let me or the office know.

Important Notes:

• Boy oh boy, did it get cold fast!  Dress for the weather.  Please send your child dressed for the weather as we go outside as long as it is not raining or below 0*(students are more than welcome to bring layers daily or to leave in their lockers)  It may also be time to change out the change of clothes to make sure they are weather appropriate.  If you send a new change of clothes, we will send the warm weather clothes in their backpacks.
• Folders. Please be checking your child's daily folder each night.  We put notes on the notebook pages in their folders as well as any notes we may have for you.  Artwork is also sent home this way. As we start letter of the week, we will also start sending home homework to help reinforce the letter concept and identification.  Please work on this with you child to help the students make the connection between home and school. 
• Also, Please check the student's Wednesday Folders.  Please try to take info out and return the folder and any forms/info/payments in those folders a day or two after receiving. 
• Literacy Bags come home every three weeks.  Students will have a week to complete the project inside and can then return the bag with completed sheets in it on TUESDAYS.
• Library Books come every week.  We go to library on Monday and student have the opportunity to check out a book and keep it for a week. It can be kept in their back packs or at home, but please remember to bring it on Mondays. 
• Book Order due December 6th (paper fliers came out, online available in the scholastic tab of the website: mrsgloudemans.wix.com/stedward). WE WILL NOT BE DOING ANOTHER ORDER IN DECEMBER BECAUSE THEY WILL NOT HAVE TIME TO GET THEM IN BEFORE THE HOLIDAYS.
• PLEASE CONSIDER BOOK ORDER BOOKS FOR HOLIDAY GIFTS!  Reading is a great gift to share with your child and others.  If you purchase online, you also help our class to earn points to buy books for our room.  IF YOU WANT BOOK ORDERS TO BE A GIFT, PLEASE LET ME KNOW AND I WILL WRAP THEM DISCREETLY AND GET THEM TO YOU SO THEY CAN BE A GIFT.
• Send in those family photos!

Next Week:
Theme: Thanksgiving
Letter of the Week: none with the short week
Snack: Hurst Family