St. Patrick's Day

Well Parents some sad news, I am working away on the blog and for whatever reason it got overridden and was last week's blog when I logged in to finish it up.  I can re-write it all, but I cannot put the images in because they were all imported directly into the blog (and not saved anywhere else) and when the post was over written they are gone.

We had a leprechaun visit the room this week.  He left a note asking students to write him notes, draw him maps, or build traps (but they can only stay up if the wrote a Do not Touch sign).  That leprechaun has a tricky way of getting them to use their fine motor skills.

I was always told where there are rainbows, there is also gold. We filled our classroom with rainbows to try and get some gold.  Students are working on reading their color words by looking at the initial sound/letter. They then had to rip tiny pieces to fit into the strips of the rainbow.  This also got them strengthening their fine motor skills.  Our room is so bright and colorful!

Wednesday, students measured St Patrick's Day pictures with green cubes. Students worked on keeping them in a straight line, counting how many went dot to dot, and then how wrote that number on their sheets.

Though journaling is not a required 4k skill, some students are ready for it.  For those who are ready, we began journaling on Wednesday.  Students come to small group, have a brainstorm, draw their picture in their brain, and then do their best to write what they hear (invented spelling) to write about their picture.  We are off to a great start.

I do have photos of the kids in all their green on my phone so I was able to import those!

The letter of the week was Ww. 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 W with watercolors. 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, W is for Whale.

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.

• 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.
• Hortonville Spring Event will be held on April 7 and Hortonville Elementary.  It will have a gross motor focus. Permission slip coming home Monday. (pink).
• Spring Field Trip will be April 19.  We will be going to Bubolz nature Preserve and we will be doing a 5 senses hike.  Cost is $3.50 a  student, no cost for chaperones.  Permission slip coming next week (blue). THE BUS NEEDS TO LEAVE ON TIME IN ORDER TO GET TO OUR DESTINATION ON TIME, HAVE LONG ENOUGH ON THE TRIP, AND GET BACK IN TIME.  IF YOUR STUDENTS IS NOT AT SCHOOL ON TIME, THE BUS WILL LEAVE WITHOUT THEM.
• 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. THE BUS NEEDS TO LEAVE ON TIME IN ORDER TO GET TO OUR DESTINATION ON TIME, HAVE LONG ENOUGH ON THE TRIP, AND GET BACK IN TIME.  IF YOUR STUDENTS IS NOT AT SCHOOL ON TIME, THE BUS WILL LEAVE WITHOUT THEM.
• 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: Easter.Spring
Letter of the Week: Xx
AM Snack: Lloyd (already in)

PM Snack: Jahnel