Turkeys

Sorry this one is coming late in the weekend again, sickness hit our home again!  We are all on the mend and back at it!


On Monday, we started with cutting apart a turkey puzzle. Students then had to count the number of dots on the bottom to put the puzzle back together.  They then got to color the turkey in.

This permission slip came home this week.  Each 4k site hosts a district wide event.  Ours was the 4k family fun night in October.  This event, Breakfast with Santa, is hosted by Play and Grow in Greenville.  Please EVERYBODY turn a slip in so I can email a correct count to the site. Thanks!

We worked on counting on Wednesday as well.  We counted the dots on the turkey body, went "shopping" for the correct feather at the blue table, and then brought it back to glue on the X by the number.  They had fun shopping and getting up and moving between feathers.  They did much better, I can tell they have been working with numbers a bit more.  Keep working on this at home!


We have been working on proper writing in general.  Here is a look at our lines. There is the sky line, the plane line, and the ground. (eventually there will be a worm line but we aren't to worm line letters).  We always start at the sky line. ALWAYS.  For an A, it is start at the sky, Slant down, slant down, across the plane line.  For a, it is circle back, close, pull down to the ground.  Encourage this language and proper formation as it will truly help the with their fluency down the road.  We added a worm line now because the lower case g goes down to the worms!

The letter of the week was Ss. 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 S with Star Stickers.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, S is for Spider.

Students also do a maze of the letter helping get from one object to another starting with that letter, find and color all of the letter, color a page of something that starts with that letter, and make a crown at the end of the week to be the Kings and Queens of the letter!

We also do a handwriting sheet.  This is important because writing the letters correctly helps with efficiency as well as learning cursive down the line.  We ALWAYS START AT THE TOP.  Please encourage students to write the letter correctly! S is curve back, curve forward.

Important Notes:

• ****PM STUDENTS**** There is no school on Wednesday November 25 due to the Thanksgiving break starting at 12:30.  There is also no school on Wednesday December 23 because that is the start of the Christmas break at 12:30.  Those are the only half days that there will be no PM 4k.  All other district half days 4k will be in session.
• ****AM STUDENTS**** On Wednesday Nov 25 and Wed Dec 23, because it is the start of the holiday breaks, there will be no after care offered.  All students must be picked up by 11 (normal pick up time) or 12:30 if they stay all day.  Please reply to the email if you haven't already with pick up time and WHO is picking up.  Thank you.

• Dress for the weather Please send your child dressed for the weather.  We go outside 2 days a week (We really TRY).  AM goes out Wednesday and Thursday.  PM goes out Tuesday and Thursday.  Extended day (students who stay all day) go out every day.  Unless it is below 0* or raining we do go out.  Please send the clothes that will keep them warm.  Also, please attempt to send in clothes that your child can do themselves.  This may be sending a zip up sweatshirt over a pull over, zipper instead of buttons, mittens instead of gloves, etc.  Thought we will always help to get your child ready, we cannot help all at the same time.  Teaching the children self help and self dress skills is an important goal of the 4k program.  By sending easier clothes, it helps them be more successful.  
• Layers may be necessary in the school.  Heat does not turn on until later in the fall/early winter so the building can be a little chilly in the morning before the bodies warm it up.  Send your child in layers and maybe have an extra sweatshirt/sweater left in lockers in case they are cold.  It may also be time to switch out the clothes in the top of lockers to warmer options.
• As a part of our room decorations and to make every one feel at home, we have a "family and friends" board in our room.  Students will feel more at home and have a school family if they have their home family with them.  (The same as you putting a family picture on your desk).    Please feel free to send in a family photo that will be stapled up on our wall for the duration of the school year. Send in those family photos!
• Background checks. When it comes to these, we assume you are good unless we get a note otherwise, but we are counting on it not being processed (and will not make that assumption that it was run and you are good) until 2 WEEKS AFTER TURNING THE FORMS IN.
• Homework Some parents have asked about homework and keep home stuff.  Homework would be the only blank stuff sent home.  We have a homework stamp page in the back of you child's every day folder.  When you do homework with your child and send it back, we stamp the homework, stamp the homework page, and then send it back. Anything with a stamp on it or a project that is already done is yours to keep.  The homework page in the back of the folder explains more about homework. Homework TYPICALLY comes home on Thursdays and it is some reinforcing of letters at home (same sheet different letters so they also become independent).
• 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 MONDAY.
• 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 Books will be sent home with your child when they come in unless you send a note that you would like it done differently.  We do encourage books to be gifts so if this is the case, please send a note and we put them in brown paper bags and tell the student it is mom/dad's homework.  The next book order is due November 25th.  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. If you do not get your order in by Novemeber 25, a final Christmas order will be submitted December 10 (to be in in time for the holidays).  No more pamphlets are coming home.
• Snack reminder. Please remember healthy, nut free choices.   A list can be found on the blog at the bottom.  If you send an item that needs spoons/forks, please also send in those items. Thank You!

Next Week:
Theme: Thanksgiving
Letter of the Week: None-make up missed letter work from past weeks
AM Snack: Schmidt
PM Snack : Springstroh
***Thanks to a parent suggestion, here is a healthy snack list site that can help with some ideas!***
Snack List

Migration & Hibernation

It was so nice seeing all of you at conferences over the past few days. Thank you for taking the time t come and chat about your child.

This week we talked about migration and hibernation.  We started with geese because the letter of the week is also G.  The geese fly south (Ella and Brielle S told us it was to Florida because that is where they just were/were going to be warm) for the winter to stay warm.  They fly in a V and they say hong honk!   Students had to cut out the pieces which was some of the trickier cutting we have done, and then they used the scraps to stuff the bags.  Students then crumpled up other recycleables to work those fine motor skills.  We stapled the body parts on and they are not flying in V formation in our room (and really pointing south, I checked ;) )

We then talked about hibernation.  In the fall times the animals that hibernate eat and eat and eat until they are so full they go in their resting place and "sleep" for the winter.  In the winter there is snow so of course there had to be glitter!  Students cut out the cave door which was a little trickier since paper plates are harder to cut than a lot of the paper we have been cutting, and it was on a curved line.  We then colored our bears and glued them on (still working on the appropriate amount of glue stick!) We then painted our caves brown and they were stapled onto our paper.  We then had to strengthen those fine motor skills again by squeezing the glue bottle and then we got to use glitter!

In the block center, we have added the farm to do more fall harvest.

The pocket chart has turkeys to help work on counting, number recognition, and for those ready even some reading word matching with the number words!

We have been working on proper writing in general.  Here is a look at our lines. There is the sky line, the plane line, and the ground. (eventually there will be a worm line but we aren't to worm line letters).  We always start at the sky line. ALWAYS.  For an A, it is start at the sky, Slant down, slant down, across the plane line.  For a, it is circle back, close, pull down to the ground.  Encourage this language and proper formation as it will truly help the with their fluency down the road.  We added a worm line now because the lower case g goes down to the worms!

The letter of the week was Gg. 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 G with green and gold glitter.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, G is for Ghost.

Students also do a maze of the letter helping get from one object to another starting with that letter, find and color all of the letter, color a page of something that starts with that letter, and make a crown at the end of the week to be the Kings and Queens of the letter!

We also do a handwriting sheet.  This is important because writing the letters correctly helps with efficiency as well as learning cursive down the line.  We ALWAYS START AT THE TOP.  Please encourage students to write the letter correctly!

Important Notes:

• You may have seen the sign that says "No School Nov 16" Monday.  This is not the case for PM 4k and AM has already discussed their attendance (green note).  I will not be in the building, but there will be a sub.  Students days will run as normal, and if your child is at school and has speech they are able to attend still.
• ****PM STUDENTS***** There is no school on Wednesday November 25 due to the Thanksgiving break starting at 12:30.  There is also no school on Wednesday December 23 because that is the start of the Christmas break at 12:30.  Those are the only half days that there will be no PM 4k.  All other district half days 4k will be in session.
• ****AM STUDENTS**** On Wednesday Nov 25 and Wed Dec 23, because it is the start of the holiday breaks, there will be no after care offered.  All students must be picked up by 11 (normal pick up time) or 12:30 if they stay all day.

• Dress for the weather Please send your child dressed for the weather.  We go outside 2 days a week (We really TRY).  AM goes out Wednesday and Thursday.  PM goes out Tuesday and Thursday.  Extended day (students who stay all day) go out every day.  Unless it is below 0* or raining we do go out.  Please send the clothes that will keep them warm.  Also, please attempt to send in clothes that your child can do themselves.  This may be sending a zip up sweatshirt over a pull over, zipper instead of buttons, mittens instead of gloves, etc.  Thought we will always help to get your child ready, we cannot help all at the same time.  Teaching the children self help and self dress skills is an important goal of the 4k program.  By sending easier clothes, it helps them be more successful.  
• Layers may be necessary in the school.  Heat does not turn on until later in the fall/early winter so the building can be a little chilly in the morning before the bodies warm it up.  Send your child in layers and maybe have an extra sweatshirt/sweater left in lockers in case they are cold.  It may also be time to switch out the clothes in the top of lockers to warmer options.
• As a part of our room decorations and to make every one feel at home, we have a "family and friends" board in our room.  Students will feel more at home and have a school family if they have their home family with them.  (The same as you putting a family picture on your desk).    Please feel free to send in a family photo that will be stapled up on our wall for the duration of the school year. Send in those family photos!
• Background checks. When it comes to these, we assume you are good unless we get a note otherwise, but we are counting on it not being processed (and will not make that assumption that it was run and you are good) until 2 WEEKS AFTER TURNING THE FORMS IN.
• Homework Some parents have asked about homework and keep home stuff.  Homework would be the only blank stuff sent home.  We have a homework stamp page in the back of you child's every day folder.  When you do homework with your child and send it back, we stamp the homework, stamp the homework page, and then send it back. Anything with a stamp on it or a project that is already done is yours to keep.  The homework page in the back of the folder explains more about homework. Homework TYPICALLY comes home on Thursdays and it is some reinforcing of letters at home (same sheet different letters so they also become independent).
• 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 MONDAY.
• 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 Books will be sent home with your child when they come in unless you send a note that you would like it done differently.  We do encourage books to be gifts so if this is the case, please send a note and we put them in brown paper bags and tell the student it is mom/dad's homework.  The next book order is due November 25th.  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. 
• Snack reminder. Please remember healthy, nut free choices.   A list can be found on the blog at the bottom.  If you send an item that needs spoons/forks, please also send in those items. Thank You!

Next Week:
Theme: Turkeys
Letter of the Week: Ss
AM Snack: Vosters
PM Snack : Woerpel
***Thanks to a parent suggestion, here is a healthy snack list site that can help with some ideas!***
Snack List

A personal Note

Hello Parents,

I have some very exciting personal news to share.  

My family and I are expecting another little baby in June!

My son came on his due date and we are hoping the same for this little one...I am due 4 days after school gets out-June 6.

 I have been doing pretty well with morning sickness and keeping awake during the day, but appreciate your patience when emails took a few days to come back!

During conferences, I have three very packed nights.  The schedule is still manageable, but I do ask patience as I run to the bathroom, snack on some crackers between conferences, and drink water through conferences.

I did tell the students today as well.  Just to let you know its not a story they are making up.

...And a little inside joke for those families that have been here before:

Apparently when you put a Backes, Bonnet, and a Sprangers together in a class, their teacher will have a baby!  This is the third time in 3 years the 3 families have been together and their teacher was expecting!

Harvest

Conferences are this week. 

If you ALSO attend extended day with Mrs. Zajicek: Tuesday (My 3rd link in the email)
If you come in the AM and go home at 11: Thursday (My 1st link)
If you are in the PM class: Wednesday (My 2nd link)

• If you have not done so, please reply to the Green Note (AM only), the hearing/vision screening on the yellow note, and the "Decemeber" email regarding activities that are ok for our class to do.

This week we had a lot of fun.  We added fall counters to our discovery center where we finish the pattern and we have to build candy corn by matching the number to the number of dots.  Number are still tricky for this group so keep practicing at home!

In gym, we introduced a relay race with Indian corn.  Students who had the corn had to run, touch a pole and pass off the indian corn.  The concept of a relay is tricky, but when they have something to hold it teaches the concept much quicker.  

We learned the importance of scarecrows and how their job is the scare crows.  When the crows are scared they do not eat the food so we can still harvest it.  We sorted crows and scarecrows into the groups small middle big.  Students had to cut on straight lines, sort the objects, and are still working on using the correct amount of glue stick.

We also learned what it means to harvest.  Students talked about what we can harvest.  In calendar, we introduced patterning this month.  The pattern this month is turkey, turkey, cornicopia.  We learned the big word cornicopia and talked about how it helps in the harvest and we see it at Thanksgiving time because the feast was a celebration of the harvest.  

We then made indian corn.  Students rolled the dice, counted the dots and had to take that many red corn kernals.  They glued the kernals on their cob, and then wrote how many in that color. We repeated this for yellow and purple as well. They are hanging in our hall.  

Centers continue to teach a variety of skills, besides the great social skills of playing.  In this center, students find the number and clip that many clothes pins on it.  This game alone is teaching number recognition, counting, and fine motor skills!

We have been working on proper writing in general.  Here is a look at our lines. There is the sky line, the plane line, and the ground. (eventually there will be a worm line but we aren't to worm line letters).  We always start at the sky line. ALWAYS.  For an A, it is start at the sky, Slant down, slant down, across the plane line.  For a, it is circle back, close, pull down to the ground.  Encourage this language and proper formation as it will truly help the with their fluency down the road.

The letter of the week was Dd. 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 D with dotters.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, D is for Duck.

Students also do a maze of the letter helping get from one object to another starting with that letter, find and color all of the letter, color a page of something that starts with that letter, and make a crown at the end of the week to be the Kings and Queens of the letter!

We also do a handwriting sheet.  This is important because writing the letters correctly helps with efficiency as well as learning cursive down the line.  We ALWAYS START AT THE TOP.  Please encourage students to write the letter correctly!

Thank you to those who made it out for 4k family fun night.  We had a great time.  Photos can be seen in the photos tab by clicking on Halloween Week.
---a blue baby blanket and a pink water bottle were found at clean up.  If they are yours, please let us know and we will get them back to you!

Important Notes:

• You all got your email about conferences.  You can refer back to that link any time for your time and day.

-- If you are in the PM class: Wednesday (My 2nd link)
-- If you come in the AM and go home at 11: Thursday (My 1st link)
-- If you ALSO attend extended day with Mrs. Zajicek: Tuesday (My 3rd link in the email)

• Dress for the weather Please send your child dressed for the weather.  We go outside 2 days a week (We really TRY).  AM goes out Wednesday and Thursday.  PM goes out Tuesday and Thursday.  Extended day (students who stay all day) go out every day.  Unless it is below 0* or raining we do go out.  Please send the clothes that will keep them warm.  Also, please attempt to send in clothes that your child can do themselves.  This may be sending a zip up sweatshirt over a pull over, zipper instead of buttons, mittens instead of gloves, etc.  Thought we will always help to get your child ready, we cannot help all at the same time.  Teaching the children self help and self dress skills is an important goal of the 4k program.  By sending easier clothes, it helps them be more successful.  
• If you have not done so, please reply to the Green Note (AM only), the hearing/vision screening on the yellow note, and the "Decemeber" email regarding activities that are ok for our class to do.
• Layers may be necessary in the school.  Heat does not turn on until later in the fall/early winter so the building can be a little chilly in the morning before the bodies warm it up.  Send your child in layers and maybe have an extra sweatshirt/sweater left in lockers in case they are cold.  It may also be time to switch out the clothes in the top of lockers to warmer options.
• As a part of our room decorations and to make every one feel at home, we have a "family and friends" board in our room.  Students will feel more at home and have a school family if they have their home family with them.  (The same as you putting a family picture on your desk).    Please feel free to send in a family photo that will be stapled up on our wall for the duration of the school year. Send in those family photos!
• Background checks. When it comes to these, we assume you are good unless we get a note otherwise, but we are counting on it not being processed (and will not make that assumption that it was run and you are good) until 2 WEEKS AFTER TURNING THE FORMS IN.
• Homework Some parents have asked about homework and keep home stuff.  Homework would be the only blank stuff sent home.  We have a homework stamp page in the back of you child's every day folder.  When you do homework with your child and send it back, we stamp the homework, stamp the homework page, and then send it back. Anything with a stamp on it or a project that is already done is yours to keep.  The homework page in the back of the folder explains more about homework. Homework TYPICALLY comes home on Thursdays and it is some reinforcing of letters at home (same sheet different letters so they also become independent).
• 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 MONDAY.
• 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 Books will be sent home with your child when they come in unless you send a note that you would like it done differently.  We do encourage books to be gifts so if this is the case, please send a note and we put them in brown paper bags and tell the student it is mom/dad's homework.  The next book order is due November 25th.  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. 
• Snack reminder. Please remember healthy, nut free choices.   A list can be found on the blog at the bottom.  If you send an item that needs spoons/forks, please also send in those items. Thank You!

Next Week:
Theme: Hibernation/migration
Letter of the Week: Gg
AM Snack: Reimann
PM Snack : Singh
***Thanks to a parent suggestion, here is a healthy snack list site that can help with some ideas!***
Snack List