Community Helpers & Spirit Week

Monday was patriotic day.  Students went down stairs and did a hop-a-thon for leukemia.  When they were done hopping, students went to join our music teacher, Mrs. Klemp, in singing patriotic songs and waving flags.  After singing, we did 2 art projects: we made Valentine cards for veterans and then we made red white and blue crowns.  What a busy day! Listen to us sing by clicking the link/image below.

Tuesday, we had St. Edward/Blue & Yellow Day!  We did our normal letter of the week activities.


Wednesday was Neon day.  We worked on community helpers again and made two different projects with the different teachers.  Students made a "How Much Gear" book.  We, again, worked on our one to one correspondence while  reading--pointing to the words as we read, we also worked on counting and writing numbers up to five. We will be reading these in a circle time yet this week and then they will come home.  We also helped find the tools of community helpers.  Students got to pick between: Teacher, Doctor, or Police Officer and sorted a variety of "tools" into Yes :) this community helper uses this and No :( this community helper does not use this.  Students practiced cutting, sorting, and learning about community helpers.  These projects are hanging in our room.

Thursday was beach day (and finish everything else from the week) day.  We, unfortunately, did not get a picture of the group.

The letter of the week was Hh. 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 Hh with  Hearts.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, H is for Hippo.  

****One thing we are working on while reading book is only moving our finger for each word we read, not each syllable.   Please work on this with your child when reading with them****

VALENTINES DAY

Valentine buckets: for your child's valentine buckets we would like you to please send a cleaned out gallon jug (for milk or OJ). We will decorate these and have a nice handled container.

Valentine distribution: our school takes an "all or nothing" policy with valentines. You can bring valentines for 1) the whole school 2) the whole class 3) nobody. This way there is no picking or choosing or hurt feelings.  **for the 4k program, we recommend you let YOUR CHILD sign their name on their valentines, but then leave the "TO" blank.  This way, your child gets practice writing their name but can simply go down the line of valentine buckets distribute valentines.** We have 19 students in our class.

Valentine Party: we will be having valentine themed centers on Thursday February 12. Centers will include: art, valentine distribution, valentine game, and free choice.

Important Notes:

•  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 __.  Please click on the link for scholastic at the top of this page.  When you buy books for your child, it helps buy books and supplies for our classrooms.
• Send in those family photos!

Next Week:
Theme: Groundhog's Day and Shadows
Letter of the Week: Bb
Snack: Pynenberg Family

PreK T-Ball

Information on PreK Tball is available by clicking on the image.  Please click the image and it will bring you to a google document in which you can print and bring to Greenville Elementary School if you are interested.

Daddy Daughter Dance

Hello Parents! 

Information on a daddy daughter dance is available by clicking on the image.  Please click the image and it will bring you to a google document in which you can print and bring to Greenville Elementary School if you are interested.

PALS and Community Helpers

Students finished up their PALS assessments as well as their "This is what I know book."  The quarter ended on Wednesday, and the report cards will be coming out on Wednesday January 28, 2015.

Students were introduced to the topic of community helpers.  We made a list of all the helpers we need in our community to make it work the best it can.  

Students also matched the community helpers to their cars by counting and matching numbers to their dice dots.

Students also got an early reader called Helpers.  It is a book about many community helpers.  It follows a predictable pattern: I see a ____.  Have kids find and read the title, point to each word as they read (make sure they point to each word they read not each syllable they say), and even tell you what that dot at the end of a sentence is-and what that dot tells us.  Students are really growing in the area of literacy and parent support helps them feel successful and enjoy reading.


We got outside on Wednesday (THANK YOU ALL FOR BEING FLEXIBLE WITH THE CHANGE IN SPECIALS THE PAST 2 WEEKS).  Unfortunately, there was a funeral and our playground shares with the parking lot of church.  For safety, we stayed on the grass.  One friend made a snow angel and we commented on it.  Next thing we knew, we had a field of angels!

The letter of the week was Jj. 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 Jj with  Jello (liquid).  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, J is for Jaguar.

Next week we will be doing a School Spirit Week.  The days your child can dress up and activities they can expect to see are below.  If your child stays all day in Mrs. Zajicek, there will be additional activities in the afternoons as well (please see their Wednesday folder for more information)

Important Notes:

•  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 __.  Please click on the link for scholastic at the top of this page.  When you buy books for your child, it helps buy books and supplies for our classrooms.
• Send in those family photos!

Next Week:
Theme: Community Helpers & School Spirit Week
Letter of the Week: Hh
Snack: DiPietro

Polar Animals and PALS

We got the cool opportunity to watch penguins and polar bears live on zoo webcams.  We got to
watch them underwater and on the ground.  The students loved it!  If this is something your family would be interested in, you can google: live feed "animal name"  It can be fun family time.

Mrs. Drummond was able to do a fun polar animal patterning activity with students.  We talk in calendar that a pattern is something that happens again and again, but it was one of the first time they tried it on their own.  This is a fun activity you can do at home with colors, foods, or anything!  Learning can be fun!

Students were also able to count the carrots to feed to the Frozen reindeer. They are doing great at counting and still working on writing numbers.  Keep practicing at home!

Students also got to do a cool science experiment.  Students started with making a prediction of what they thought would happen if they put a hand in snow with nothing on it.  They then tried it if they had blubber on their hands like the polar animals did.  They then tested their predictions and found out that the blubber keeps their hands warmer!

Another fun project we did was pretend we were polar animals (in gym and the hallways).  Students really worked some new muscles!

Polar Bear Walk: Students put their hands and feet on the floor (not their knees)

Walking like a Walrus: Students put their tummys to the floor, hands on the floor, straighten their arms, and walk with their hands.

Walking like a Penguin: Students hold a ball (penguin egg) between their eggs and waddle.

Students should continue to work on writing their name and forming the letters correctly.  If you would like more of the practice sheets that were sent home over break, please just send a note in the folder or an email and we will be sure to send more practice home.  Practice makes progress!

Students worked on PALS and telling me all they know so that we can put it in their notes to moms and dads.  They are making so much progress.  Keep practicing at home!

Important Notes:

•  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 January 29.  Please click on the link for scholastic at the top of this page.  When you buy books for your child, it helps buy books and supplies for our classrooms.

Next Week:
Theme: Community Helpers
Letter of the Week: J
Snack: Geise Family

Polar Animals (and a Polor Vortex too)

Hello Parents,

I hope you are staying warm in this polar vortex!  We have been learning all about animals that also live in cold all the time.  They may start to think we are polar people!

On Monday, we started by making feathers for our penguins.  Penguins need their black and white feathers to be warm when sliding in the snow and diving in the icy waters.  Students had to rip their feathers from the black and white paper and match it to the black or white skin.  Students did a great job and they got to work those fine motor skills!

Wednesday was our snow/cold day.

The letter of the week was Pp. 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 P with  popcorn in paint.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, P is for penguin.

I am so sorry the reading with the stars paper copies didn't come home this week. Here is a digital image.  Please rsvp by email, note in your child's folder, or printing and returning the rsvp.  Thank you! Hope to see you there!

Important Notes:

•  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 YOUR CHILD RIDES THE BUS we ask that they have all their winter clothes including snowpants, boots, hat, and mittens.
• Our school can be chilly so you may want to send your child in layers and/or a backup sweater/sweatshirt to keep in their locker. 
• 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 January 29.  Please click on the link for scholastic at the top of this page.  When you buy books for your child, it helps buy books and supplies for our classrooms.

Next Week:
Theme:  PALS assessments and Polar Animals
Letter of the Week: No letter due to PALS
Snack: Manteufel

Christmas Week

Hello Parents!

I hope this newsletter finds you well and you had a nice relaxing break.

I wanted to thank all of you very much for all of your generosity for gifts, cards, pictures, and more.  You are all so generous and I am so very thankful for the gifts and for the opportunity to work with your child this year.  It truly is a pleasure every day!

We had a lot of students out sick, if your child was out sick before break, we have your present from them (we made them the week before break for such situations), the homework the kids had to do whenever you want/can, and a gift from me as well.  Hope everyone is feeling healthy!

With the cold weather we are expecting tomorrow and 2 hour delays in the area already being called, I wanted to update all of you with the procedures for a 2 hour delay at our school.

We follow the Hortonville Area School District with all closures and delays.

• If there is a 2 hour delay, there will be no 4k held- This will count as a snow day for students (we have 2 planned in)
• If your child attends Mrs. Zajicek's extended day class, your child may arrive at 9:45am for her class and stay through lunch and resume their normal day with her--after school care would still be offered.
• Busses will run at 9:45am for students who come to Mrs. Zajicek's class (and the rest of the students attending school grades k-5)--PLEASE CALL THE BUS COMPANY TO REMIND THEM YOUR CHILD IS RIDING THE BUS if you choose this option.
• PM 4k will still run and a 2 hour delay does not affect their schedule.

With the frigid temperatures and regardless if we have a 2 our delay or not, please be sure to 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. 

School can be chilly, it is suggested students have a sweater/sweatshirt in their lockers to put on incase they feel cold. 

Next Week:
Theme: Polar Animals
Letter: Pp
Snack: Zitzelsberger

2 HOUR DELAY INFORMATION

 I wanted to update all of you with the procedures for a 2 hour delay at our school.
We follow the Hortonville Area School District with all closures and delays.

• If there is a 2 hour delay, there will be no 4k held- This will count as a snow day for students (we have 2 planned in)
• If your child attends Mrs. Zajicek's extended day class, your child may arrive at 9:45am for her class and stay through lunch and resume their normal day with her--after school care would still be offered.
• Busses will run at 9:45am for students who come to Mrs. Zajicek's class (and the rest of the students attending school grades k-5)--PLEASE CALL THE BUS COMPANY TO REMIND THEM YOUR CHILD IS RIDING THE BUS if you choose this option.
• PM 4k will still run and a 2 hour delay does not affect their schedule.