Dr. Seuss week 1

If you have not done so already, please send in the yellow 5k intention forms.  We do need 100% response back as the district needs to staff accordingly. This is the biggest 4k group the district has ever had so they just want to make sure they have enough kindergarten teachers in the right places.  

On another note, if you are planning on staying at St. Edward, we also would love to have your registration paper work turned in as soon as possible.  We love verbal commitments, but we cannot staff a teacher in a room until we have numbers based on enrollment paperwork.  PLEASE return enrollment paperwork to give our school a good count as well.

We did Dr. Seuss this week.  We are diving into rhyming and all the great books he wrote.  This also brought the opportunity of some cool new centers.  Warning you right now, they will ask if EVERYTHING rhymes as they are figuring this whole rhyming thing out!

Students were introduced to a new QR reader that will play YouTube videos of Dr. Seuss being read to them.

We have a rhyming clip game in puzzles and games where students clip a clothes pin on the words that rhyme. This works on fine motor skills as well as their rhyming skills.

Students that were ready
worked on adding by looking
at the numbers and using the cubes
as manipulatives to help.

Students count one group of hats,
then count the other group of hats,
and then count how many hats in all.

Monday we worked on math with Dr. Seuss. We varied the work up by need/ability so your child was getting practice in the area that they needed.

Students counted and colored the appropriate number of Dr. Seuss pictures.

On Wednesday (what a crazy day! We had a sub for part of the day in the AM so all staff could attend a staff meeting, and PM had a sub for part of the day so I could go cover for my sick babysitter).  Students started by celebrating Dr. Seuss' birthday by making him a card.  We then made hats that are from his famous book The Cat and the Hat.  Students first patterned their hat to get it looking red, white, red, white.  They then had to help come up with rhyming words that rhymed with at. They wrote the initial sound on the line to complete the __at word.  We then wore them for a great group picture!

The letter of the week was  Qq. 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 Q with quilt pieces.  Students are getting good at making predictions of what they think they will be decorating with based on words that start with that sound.  On Thursday, our letter of the week project was to read a page from our alphabet book, Q is for Queen.

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!  This came home on the blue sheets from break.

Important Notes:
Now that we are in March, it feels like the school year flies!  We have a lot of events/dates, forms, announcements, trips, etc. coming up.  Please read these important notes weekly and/or check the calendar in the tab at the top to stay up to date.

• Half day Wednesday March 9.  Extended day families, please reply to your email. PM students will have class as normal.
• 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 March 10.  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. 
• Reading with the Stars will be held on Monday March 14.  5:30-6:30pm.  Please do your best to reply regardless of yes or no so we can get an accurate count, make the right amount of materials, and pick a space that will fit everyone best.  This will be the final Reading with the Stars.  April we spend a lot of time prepping for graduation, and May has graduation.
• Spring Break will be the week of March 28-31.  St. Edward school will be closing at 12:30 on Thursday March 24 with no after school care offered.  PM 4K WILL RUN AS NORMAL ON THURSDAY MARCH 24, IT WILL BE THE ONLY PROGRAM IN THE BUILDING. Buses will run as normal. There will be no after school care offered. Friday March 25 will have no Friday 4k.  Classes resume as normal on April 4.
• Spring Field Trip will be coming up in April.  The teachers are working on where and when now.  More information will come as we get it.
• Graduation Photos are offered to all students (to get photo for slide show, please sign consent) and optional purchase.  They are adorable in their cap and gown photos.  We do not wear cap and gown at graduation, just this one photo.  Information will come out closer, but photos will be during the school day on April 21.
• Bloomin' Bonanza is our school spring fundraiser. We sell annuals, perennials, and crafts.  There is also a table at which the students make things to sell as well.  It is a fun event to support the school and get those gardens looking great! (It is also Mother's day weekend so it makes for some great mothers day gifts as well!)
• Graduation usually is the end of the year, but with my being due so close, I wanted the best chance to be there as possible.  Graduation will be held on Thursday May 12 5:30-6:30pm.  We love to have all students there as they will be singing for you, a power point presentation (they write the slides and have 1st day/graduation photos) getting their diplomas, and little presents.  There will be a social afterwards.
• 4k Safety Fair Trip is a free trip offered by the district. The Hortonville High School students enrolled in an early childhood class plan the day for us.  We visit Hillside preschool and use their building.  The trip includes firefighters, police officers, pharmacists, pet specialists/trainers, Emotional health specialists, and then the high schoolers host a bike rodeo for bike safety training.  It is a lot of fun and a good message to send students with before the summer break. More details to come.
• 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.
• 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.
• 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 few weeks.  Students will have a week to complete the project inside and can then return the bag with completed sheets in it on TUESDAY.
• 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. 
• 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: Dr. Seuss (week 2)
Letter of the Week: Vv
AM Snack: Backes

PM Snack: Still looking (PM parents, please see email)