A Peek Into Our Day




Week of February 24

This week we will focus on the Letter O and Outdoor Fun. We will discuss the seasons and weather. This class is very interested in the weather. I pull up the Weather Channel website most mornings so the children can see the weather forcast. They are aware that I have an app on my phone and often ask to see the temperature when we are outside. I know they will enjoy this week!

A few of the centers have stayed the same since the children were enjoying the money. The Kitchen Area is still a bank and the STEAM table will continue to have the surface tension experiments. In my demonstration, we added 21 drips of water to the surface of a penny. We will bring water play, back to the Sensory Table and allow the children to wash toy dishes.

I will also continue to do final assessments for our upcoming progress report. The children are more confident in their letter identification and I was able to assess uppercase and lowercase letters in two days. Typically, it takes several days to complete just uppercase. I also assessed number identification.

Monday: We began a Season Tree project today. Mrs. Golebiowski had previously traced and cut the children's handprints. I glued these four handprints onto paper to represent trees. Each day, we will decorate a tree to represent a particular season. Today we pulled apart cotton balls to make snow to glue to our Winter tree.

Tomorrow is Homeroom Pictures. Children are expected to be in full uniform, including a sweatshirt. If you wish to order, please return the envelope with payment. Our pictures are at 8:30 in the morning.

Tuesday: We played an Outdoor Fun card game. I placed four cards around the classroom with the name of each season. The children were handed a picture card such as a snowflake, beach pail, tree with orange, yellow, and red leaves, etc. The children had to determine which season their card represented. They walked around the classroom and stood by the card with the season's name. 

We completer the Spring tree on our Season Tree project. We glued small pink and green buds (construction paper) to the tree.

We discussed Lent and Ash Wednesday. I explained that the cross is a symbol of Lent. There is a crucifix in every room of our school. Most of the children were familiar with the fact that Jesus died on the cross. I explained that a lot of people did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God. This part of our faith is difficult for the children to understand. I try to teach them without getting into the details that might be upsetting for them at this young age. The children already knew that Jesus was put on the cross, but I did not elaborate and mentioned that he was nailed to the cross. I described how the children would receive ashes tomorrow in Mass. Then we created mosaic foam crosses. The children glued foam shapes to a foam cross cutout. The children were very proud of their results. Several wanted to take them home, however, I plan on displaying them in the classroom during Lent. I promised that they would go home before Easter break.

The children enjoyed painting with watercolors a few weeks ago. We painted heart shapes and I demonstrated how to use the paints properly. I told them the cup of water was like a washing machine for the paint brush. They need to wash the brush before changing colors. Adding more water would provide a lighter color, whereas little water would make the color darker/ more vibrant. Since we had indoor recess, I brought out the paints again. We painted a picture of a stained glass window containing a cross. The children were so excited and begging to be one of the first called to the tables to paint. Love their enthusiasm!

Wednesday: We attended the 9:30 Mass for Ash Wednesday with our seventh grade buddies. Due to Mass, we attended Art earlier than usual. Other than our weekly Religion page, most of our morning was outside of the classroom.

We had indoor recess due to the fact that the faculty and staff parked in the back lot. This occurs every Ash Wednesday so the front parkling lot is available to all the attendees for Mass. 

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Week of February 17

This week we will focus on the Letter Q and Quarters, Dimes, Nickels, and Pennies. We will discuss Presidents and money. We will also learn about Dental Health as it is Dental Health Month. I will also be assessing letter identification and counting individually with the children.

Our kitchen area will become a bank for the week. Cash registers will be added and play money.We will have coins in other center areas as well. We will be cleaning coins in the sensory table with a vinegar and salt mixture. At the STEAM table, we will investigate Surface Tension by using an eye dropper to add water to the surface of a coin.

Tuesday: We will learn to identify these coins and their amount: quarter, dime, nickel, and penny. Please send in these four coins in a zip lock bag labeled with your child's name or in a coin purse. We will be using them for a couple of activities this week.

Our Clifford Magazine today is about Dental Health as we prepare for tomorrow's special visitor. Mrs. White, Natalie's mom, will visit us and teach us about dental health.

We assessed to see how high the children could count. All children counted at least ten units higher than our January assessment. A few were absent and we will try to fit them in later this week. Also practice skip counting at home by fives and tens. 

We had an excellent day today! The children were on their best behavior. Last Friday, we completed Mrs. Potato Head! We earned this reward very quickly! We voted this morning for our reward. Depending on the weather, we will try to have our extra recess this week. Well today, we earned two pieces of Mr. Potato Head with our great behavior.
                                

Wednesday: The children enjoyed our Dental Health presentation this morning. Thank you, Natalie, for bringing mom to school today! Mrs. Albert's class joined us for the presentation. Thank you to Mrs. White for the awesome goody bags. My friends were very excited about using their new timers to help them brush their teeth for the appropriate length of time. 

I am impressed at how quickly my friends learned the worth of the four coins we introduced yesterday. There is a money song we have been singing. I apologize if they are singing it around the house! They have been singing/ humming it all day and I find myself singing it as well. The song is by Jack Hartman and is on YouTube. He has many educational songs that we do for our morning exercises. Today we cut out the four coins and glued them onto a strip of paper. Then we matched up the correct amounts: 1 cent, 5 cents, 10 cents, and 25 cents. The children matched them all correctly!

Thursday: We completed a few assessments today. The children colored their February page of their Month Book for the binders. I assessed uppercase letters during Shelf Work. After lunch, we practiced writing numbers correctly.

Q Cooking was q-tips today. They were quite easy! We also enjoyed our 100 Munchie Mix. Everyone was so generous, we had extra food from the 100th Day of School. However, we didn't count out 100 pieces again. I poured the snacks into a large bowl and mixed them together.

Friday: We finished Q week by learning about the job of a President. We watched a video of Barack Obama being interviewed in the Oval Office when he was President. The interviewer is an nine year old child so the questions are of interest to a child. The peek into the White House was facinating to the children as well.

Have a wonderful weekend! Next week, we will be jumping rope in Gym Class. Mrs. Schock is looking for eight volunteers to assist. Thank you to the three parents who have volunteered so far. The Sign Up Genius link is on my main page under "Important Dates". 

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Week of February 10

We have an exciting week ahead of us! The 100th Day of School is an important milestone in school. We have been counting each day during morning circle, adding 1 straw for each day of school, wrapping a rubber band around each group of ten, and adding a number card to our chart. On Tuesday, we will bundle all the straw into a large bundle of 100. Students will have a 100 Munchie Mix for snack and eat 100 pieces of food. Students may dress down and wear a shirt with any number on it.

It is also Valentine's Day on Friday. All week we will mail our valentines to our classmates in our EC4A Post Office. Friday is also a Tag Day and students may dress down in a Valentine shirt or Valentine colors. Pretzels will be offered to those children who ordered. We will have pizza for lunch and decorate cookies. Thank you for all of your donations. We are keeping this party simple and only for the children. Our Homeroom Parents will be there to assist with lunch. Families are welcome at our next party, our Easter Egg Hunt.

Monday: Today is the 99th Day of School! We are so close! Students will continue with Valentine surprises for our families. If you did not send in a zip lock bag with 100 items today, please do so for tomorrow. The children will share their bags during Circle Time. Be sure the bag is labeled with your child's name. It will be returned on Friday.

Tuesday: Hooray! Today is the 100th Day of School! Thank you to everyone who donated a food item for our 100th Day of School Munchie Mix. The children had a great time counting 100 pieces of food. They were each provided with a placemat with 100 boxes, ten rows of ten. One row at a time, the children filled the boxes. We ate the 100 snack during morning snack and lunch.

The children were very excited for today and walked into the classroom with a high level of energy due to this excitement. Change in routine is difficult for this class to handle. There were a couple 100 Day activities that we were unable to do. I told them we hopefully can participate later in the week.

Wednesday: The children have been enjoying mailing their valentines to their friends. The mailbags are set up in the kitchen area (girls' bags) and on the sensory table (boys' bags). The children first read the name on their envelope/ bag. Then they walk around the bags searching for the correct one. It has really been a confidence boost to their reading skills.

We completed an Art project of what we would look like if we were 100 years old. We took a head shape cut from a brown paper bag and scrunched it to make wrinkles in our skin. We glued cotton balls to create our white hair. My friends enjoy jems so we added buttons and earrings and jems to accessorize our clothes.

Back to our normal routine and back to our great behavior! The children did a wonderful job this morning. I praised them telling them that this is how a class who has been in school for 100 days behaves! In the afternoon, I began to not feel well. I asked the children to be patient with me as we completed our V binder page. During rest time, I prepared for Thursday in case I was absent. The children were very kind and caring.

Thursday: I was not in school today. Miss Marilyn was the substitute with Mrs. Golebiowski. 

Reminder: Tomorrow the children will have pizza for lunch and will be decorating cookies. You do not need to pack a lunch, unless your child does not eat pizza. There will be pretzels for morning snack for those who ordered since it is a Tag Day. The theme is Valentines Day and students may dress down in valentine colors or any shirt that represents the holiday.

Friday: Thank you to everyone who donated an item for our party today. 

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Week of February 3

Last week (Catholic Schools Week) was a memorable one for the children. We enjoyed fun activities each day and found time to pray, review our letters and patterns. This break from routine allowed the children to have fun and bond even more with their classmates. We had a rough day on Thursday, but ended the week on a positive note. The children came with their listening ears and earned two Mr. Potato Head pieces. (one for their excellent behavior while having Game Day with their 5th grade buddies and the other for Computer class) I have to admit, it was great to enter the Tech Lab and hear Mrs. Coffield complimenting their behavior. We were able to play ABC Bingo and watch the movie Cars during rest time.

This week we will focus on the letter N and Laura Numeroff's "If You Give" series of books. We will begin with If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. We will sequence the story using story props. This week we will also prepare for Valentine's Day and the 100th Day of School. Our kitchen area will become the EC4A Post Office. This week I will add paper, pencils, and envelopes for the children to make cards and mail them. Next week, we will be mailing our Valentines and our mailboxes will be set up in the EC4A Post Office. Don't forget to have your child work on his or her Valentines. They may be sent in anyday next week. A few students will mail each day.

Monday: Today is the 94th Day of School. We colored a special crown that we will wear on the 100th Day of School. The teachers will cut and assemble the crowns. Next week, we will compare 100 items. Please send in 100 of any item in a zip lock bag, labeled with your child's name by next Monday. For example: 100 barrettes, 100 pieces of cereal, 100 q-tips. We will share our items and then the children will use a balance scale to compare the items during the week at Shelf Work. Find items around the house and allow your child to count the items. We count our straws each day by skip counting. Tell your child to make 10 piles of 10 items and skip count. Then count to 100.

We changed our seats today for the month of February. We had a fantastic day! We earned a Mr. Potato Head piece for BOTH specials, Spanish and Music! We finally dressed him fully and will vote on our class reward tomorrow. Many firends stayed up late last night to watch the Super Bowl so we heard many complaints of being tired and not feeling well. Please be sure your child gets rest tonight. I know I need to go to bed early as well! 

Tuesday: We read If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. If you are not familar with these books, they are circular tales. The mouse asks a young boy for a cookie and then several events take place. Ultimately, this leads the mouse back to his original request for a cookie. They are perfect books for the children to sequence. We will use story props to sequence the story.

We also read If You Give a Moose a Muffin. Then we assessed the children's ability to create a pattern. I provided red, yellow, and green muffin cut outs. The children created their own patterns by gluing the cut outs onto a sentence strip.

Here are the results of our voting for our Mr. Potato Head class reward which we earned for group time behavior. Students may bring in a stuffed animal on Friday. Please send in a stuffed animal that your child can hold on his or her lap.
                          

Wednesday: We continued to practice creating our own patterns today. The children enjoyed making our Fruit Pattern Kabobs last week so we made food patterns this morning. We used Goldfish, pretzels, and Cheezits. We challenged the students to do four repetitions of the pattern. Mr. Hart came in to observe the students creating their food patterns. They were happy to share their results!

During Shelf Work, we created a Valentine surprise for our families. We had a great day today! We earned two Mrs. Potato Head pieces, one for Art and one for Group Work in the afternoon. The children cleaned up in Art when they were asked by Miss Beth, the substitute, to do so. In the afterrnoon, the children did an amazing job on their N paper for the assessment binders. Everyone was on task, drawing their N pictures, and helping me sound out the words. I was so pleased that we played a Scholastic game on the Smart Board together.

Thursday: During Shelf Work, we created a Gumball Machine. Actually, it was more of a Candy Heart Machine. The children glued small, colorful heart cut outs onto a large circle shape. The circles will be laminated to give the circles the appearance of glass. Then it will be added to the red base.

During February, each class in the school will have a weekly Black History Month lesson. We watched a video on George Washington Carver. He was an inventor known for finding alternative uses for crops, such as peanut butter and cotton. He developed approximately 300 inventions using peanut butter, including shaving cream. After the video, we did shaving cream writing on the tables. I covered the tables with shaving cream and instructed the children to write letters, names, and even draw shapes with their fingers. It was efinitely a fun way to practice our writing.

Thanks you to Lilly for providing our N Cooking activity. The Noodle Nests were nice! The children used LaChoy noodles and melted chocolate to form their nest.

                                 

Reminder: Tomorrow is Stuffed Animal Day.

Friday: We created our Valentine mailboxes by gluing hearts onto a large bag. These will be placed in our EC4A Post Office (kitchen area). If your child made Valentines for their classmates, you may begin sending these in to school on Monday. We will assist a few children each day in mailing their cards.


TORNADO WARNING: As you know we had a tornado warning this morning. The children were in Computer Class at the time of the alert. With the help of Mrs. Coffield, Mrs. Golebiowski and I walked them down stairs and took shelter in the first floor hallway. I did not use the word tornado. I said there was a bad thunderstorm and I did not want to walk them to our building because of lightning. They were fine, no tears! We played games with the kindergarten class who sat with us. They did an excellent job of listening!

Have a wonderful weekend!

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Week of January 27

Thank you to everyone for taking the time to attend conferences last Friday and this week. I love sharing their binders with you and hearing stories of how much they love school. It is amazing to see how far they have come since September. This year is flying by! Today is the 89th day of school. We are quickly approaching the 100th Day of School celebration, Lent, Spring, and a very busy month of May.

Welcome to Catholic Schools Week. Across the United States, all Catholic Schools are celebrating and praying together. Due to fun activities, we will not have a Letter of the Week or begin any new concepts this week. Our schedule will be modified this week which will prove to be a challenge for our class, which thrives on structure.

Last week we learned how to melt ice without applying heat. We discussed the use of rock salt. I froze a toy animal in a bowl of ice and placed it in the sensory table. The children used table salt and warm water to melt the block of ice. We will continue with this during Centers this week. In Math, we will also revisit patterns and creating our own patterns, as well as writing numbers 7, 8, 9, and 10. We will also practice reading color words. I also have some art activities planned, if time permits.

This week is very busy so I have added the whole week below. I may need to update so please continue to check daily. There was one additionto the original schedule. Friday will be Game Day with our Fifth grade buddies. EC4A students need to bring in a game that 2 to 4 players can play so they can play with their buddies or combine with another group. Due to lack of storage space, please do not send in the game until Friday. Please remember that rest blankets will come home Friday afternoon. You may want to send the game inside another bag that can be carried along with the backpack.

Monday: Our schedule will remain the same today, however, we will have our Dance Party for the three and four year old classes during Center time. There is no Hot Lunch today and CHick-Fil-A is available for those who ordered. Children are permitted to accessorize for the Dance Party such as tutus, hats, crazy socks, etc. Please wear sneakers. Glow necklaces will be provided.

We created SJB pattern crosses. The students cut out a cross and glued black and yellow squares onto it. We also completed a K recognition page.

Tuesday: We will attend the 9:30 Mass and sit with our seventh grade prayer buddies. Today is regular uniform day.

We will practice how to write the numbers 7 and 8. Here are the rhymes:
     - Across the sky and down from heaven,
       This is the number known as seven.

     - Make an S, but do not wait.
       Go back to the top, and you've got an 8.

Due to the Mass schedule, our Library is moved to the afternoon and overlaps with part of rest time. When we attend Mass our day is pretty calm and not all the children rest. I may allow those children who are tired and need a break to stay with me and not attend Library. After Library, we will have a very short rest time, if needed.

When it came time for Library, I explained that a few friends were going to stay with me and rest in the classroom. I first asked if there was anyone who felt that they needed a rest and instructed them to go to their mats. I was impressed that some of the children made the decision on their own. And these children did in fact sleep. Nine children went to Library and the rest slept. It was so quiet when the children returned from Library that most fell asleep.

Wednesday: Today is Crazy Hat and Crazy Socks Day.  We will miss Art and Centers today. At 9:30, we will go to the Hall to see Jungle John.

We learned our rhyme for the number nine. We also practiced the number ten, which does not have a rhyme.
     - Make an oval, then a line.
       This is how we make a nine.

The students enjoyed the visit from Jungle John. He shared a few snakes of various sizes, lizards, an alligator, and a turtle. He shared some information regarding each. At the end the children were permitted to touch a very large yellow snake that he was holding. We also took a class picture which I will add later to the webpage.

We have begun to decorate our class for the next holiday, Valentine's Day. The bulletin board looks great in the hallway with all of the hearts that the children decorated at home. Today we created a penquin with several heart body parts (wings, feet, and belly). The children had to follow directions to assemble the penguin and glue it together correctly.

Thursday: Today is Multiples Day. Our class Multiples theme is Beach. Your child may wear a shirt that represents a beach destination or summer. Accessories such as hats, sunglasses, or leis may be worn. Boys may wear bathing suits over their pants. Be creative!

Pizza will be provided for lunch and we will eat in the classroom. We will play ABC Bingo in the afternoon.

We began a Mitten Color Book. The children will read the sentence and color the mitten the appropriate color. 

We had our K Cooking today. We reviewed patterns and then created our own Fruit Pattern Kabobs, using strawberries, grapes, and marshmallows. 

We had a fabulous morning! The children played a pattern game using picture cards. We then created our fruit kabobs. Unfortunately, it did not stay that way. I arrived at the gym to pick up the class and was told that they were not listening. They chose to run around the gym rather than put on their coats when class was over. I was very disappointed. This happens quite often in specials and during play time. The children do not clean up or line up when asked. We came back to the classroom and completed our Mitten Color Book (in the folders today). I only intended to complete three pages, but they pulled themselves together and were on task. They loved reading the color words by themselves so we completed all six pages! After lunch, we forgot our listening ears again. I count not play ABC Bingo with the class. I explained to them that we need to listening to play Bingo so we can hear the letters that I say. Instead, I allowed the children to play with our morning building tubs at the tables. It is my hope that we can play ABC Bingo tomorrow.

Thank you to Home and School for providing lunch today. The children enjoyed pizza, water, Rice Krispie treats, and Doritos.

Friday: Childen may replace their SJB uniform top with SJB Spirit Wear. Your child may wear a SJB shirt, Spirit Rally shirt, Blue Ribbon shirt, or shirt with school colors or black and gold.

Game Day with our Fifth Grade buddies is today. Usually, we participate in STEAM activities with our buddies. Today we wanted to have a fun activity together. The teachers have noticed the bond that is forming. The fifth graders come over at lunch recess to visit my students. My students look for them every time we enter the big building. This will take place immediately after drop off, please be on time. 

In the afternoon, we will move the tables and lay all the rest mats down in front of the Smart Board. We will watch a show and snuggle with our stuffed animals. 

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Week of January 21

Last Friday was a very busy day to complete our Winter theme. We viewed a Youtube video about how animals survive in the Arctic. We discussed how the animals adapt to the environment and how their bodies protect them. We then created a craft where the students had to glue protective coating on the animals. We glued cotton balls onto a polar bear to represent their thick fur, feathers on a cardinal, and foam shapes onto a seal to represent blubber.

We also took part in a language activity. Students had to finish the sentence prompt, "My snowman melted because....". We then created melted snowmen by painting with a shaving cream/ glue mixture.

In Math, the children completed a graph. We learned about graphs in the fall so this was a review activity. The children had to listen and follow directions to set up the graph by coloring the mittens in the correct order. I had a sample on the easel for the children to view. You may check your child's progress by comparing it to the graph below.
                                  

We have a three day week this week due to conferences on Friday. As a reminder, there is no school for the children. This week our theme will be Kindness with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and the letter K. We will learn that Dr. King strived to make America a place where everyone would be treated fair and equally.

Tuesday: Today we learned that Dr. King is considered a hero. We read Courageous People Who Changed the World by Kyle Kershner. We listened to stories about other heroes such as Rosa Parks, Harriet Tubman, Abraham Lincoln, Susan B. Anthony, Ghandi, and Malala Yousafzai. Each child then drew a picture of someone they consider to be a hero.

Wednesday is Tag Day for the three and four year old classes only. This is rescheduled from Friday due to conferences. The theme is Pajama Day and there will be pretzels for snack for those who ordered.

Wednesday: In Religion, we talked about how our actions reflect our emotions. If we are cranky or upset, we may unknowingly treats others unkindly. If we are happy, we may smile and hug our friends more. We then discussed how our actions can show our love for Jesus. The children brainstormed a list of actions that Jesus would expect of us. Each child drew one act of kindness.

In Gym on Thursday, the children will participate in Reindeer Games. The children will be pulled on scooters. Please be sure that girls have their hair pulled up.

Thursday: Letter K Cooking will be next Thursday. Due to the three day week, I decided to move Cooking until next week. We will not have a Letter of the Week next week due to Catholic Schools Week. Be sure to check the schedule for all of the dress themes. Monday and Wednesday are days to add accessories to the regular uniform. Tuesday will be regular uniform since we will attend Mass. Thursday is a full dress down day with Beach theme. And Friday, we will change our tops to Spirit Wear.

We learned our next two number rhymes.
       The number five has a big, fat belly.
       And with his hat, he looks so funny!

       Pull the line down, and then go around.
       The number six we have found.

Tomorrow is Parent Teacher Conferences. There is no school for the three and four year old classes. I look forward to meeting with all of you tomorrow to discuss your child's progress and goals for the remainder of the school year.      

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Week of January 13

This week we will focus on the letter W and the theme of Winter. We will learn the correct way to write the numbers three and four. Many of our centers remain the same as last week. However, the sensory table now has snow in it! Using Insta Snow powder, we created snow. It is perfect because the children can play without freezing their fingers and it won't melt. Last week we introduced the weather you will find in winter, while this week we will learn how animals and people survive in winter.

The children did an amazing job last week. Much of that can be attributed to the fact that the children were well rested and healthy. Our schedule is our normal routine for most of January so the children can enjoy playing in the classroom with each other. We earned four Mr. Potato Head pieces and many stickers on our Good Deed Chart. I was able to assess fine motor and gross motor skills. So if your child mentioned that we had some silly activities such as hopping on one foot, this would be the reason. This week I plan to assess letter and number recogntiton.

Monday: We are beginning to practice writing our last names. Many of the children would benefit from extra practice writing first names. At this point of the year, focus on size when writing names. Uppercase letteers should be tall and proud! And writing names a bit smaller.

Tuesday: We learned how an Igloo is built. The children followed directions to complete an igloo project. We also read The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats. We then completed a journal writing activity where the children had to draw their favorite thing to do in the snow and attempt to spell it.

Wednesday: We have been learning how animals survive in the winter. We designed a bird feeder craft. I am impressed at how their coloring is progressing. My friends are really taking their time and staying in the lines. The children colored three birds and glued them onto paper. Then they glued craft sticks to assemble a feeder. Finally, they glued a bit of bird seed on the paper. I hope to make real bird feeders with the children soon.

Reminders:    We have 11:35 dismissal this Friday, January 17. If your child
                     is attending Eagles Club, please remember to pack a lunch and
                     afternoon snack. Also, send in a blanket for rest time. 

                     There is no school on Monday, January 20, to celebrate the
                     Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday.

Thursday: It was great to be back in the Hall for Gym class with Mrs. Schock.

We learned how to write the numbers three and four. Our special rhymes help us to write the numbers correctly.
       - Around a tree, around a tree. This is the number known as three.

       - Down halfway, then turn right. A tall straight stick and the number
         four is in sight.

Thank you, Natalie, for providing our W Cooking Activity. White's Winter Wonderland Waffles were wonderful!
                                
                    
Due to the half day schedule tomorrow, we will have Computer Class at 7:40. Please make every effort to be on time for school. Just a reminder that students are to arrive by 7:35 each morning. If the doors to our building are closed when you arrive, then you are late and must go to the Main Office for a late pass. The ladies in the office will sign your child in on the computer which updates our class PowerSchool attendance. 

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Week of January 6

Happy New Year! It was great to be back with all of my students today! They were all so excited to see each other and I could tell how much they missed each other. Our day had a bit of an unusual beginning due to the power outage, but they handled the situation amazingly. It was rather cloudy this morning, so it was darker than usual in our classroom. We sat at the tables and took turns sharing one detail of our Christmas break, either a gift we received or a special activity. Once it became brighter, we moved to the carpet and had Circle Time. I then introduced all of our new Center activities. This week we will focus on the Letter J and Happy New Year. Next week, our theme will be Winter so I explained that I have so many fun activities for Winter that we would begin a few this week. Our kitchen area has a Hot Chocolate Station with cups and mini pom poms as marshmallows. There is also a snowman made from large boxes wrapped in white paper so the children can build a snowman and add a hat and scarf. In the sensory table, the children are driving cars in the snow (shaving cream and toy cars). At the STEAM table, the children are building a snowman using their fine motor skills. Using tweezers, the children will pick up white pom poms and add them to a Wawa iced tea bottle decorated like a snowman. I added arctic animals and an igloo to the block area. In Math we will learn about symmetry and pairs. At the easel, the children will use dot markers to decorate a pair of mittens so they are identical.

We will begin learning the proper way to write numbers this week. This Thursday, we will learn the rhymes to help us write the numbers one and two.

The children did an excellent job coming into school this morning. They followed our morning routine with minimal reminders. They unpacked, placed their folders in the basket, and found their new seats for the month of January. When they signed in on the Smart Board, they had to find their last names and slide them into a mitten shape. Many recognized their last name immediately!

The children were VERY EXCITED to open their pencil boxes and find new supplies! (Sharpened pencils and new pointy crayons) They were so eager to use them. Also, I cleaned out the cubbies and pencil boxes. We have a few friends to like to hold onto scraps of paper and such. 

I was very pleased with their overall behavior today. I kept praising them! They were well rested and pleasant. They were so kind with each other in their words and actions. They brought their "listening ears" to school today. Their effort was 110%. The only issue today was bathroom time. This has been something we have been working on. Bathroom time is not playtime. We cannot be loud and fooling around in the bathroom and hallway. This is a safety concern as well as the fact that we may disturn other classes.

We had so much fun today ....... they were exhausted! They slept well during Rest Time and some were very reluctant to wake up.

Monday: We learned about the feast of the Epiphany. We read Small Camel Follows the Star by Rachel W. N. Brown. The book describes the adventure of the three Wise Men's travels as they follow the star to meet Baby Jesus through the point of view of one of the camels. We then followed directions to glue shapes to create a Three Kings craft.

Happy birthday, Natalie! Natalie turned five during break and brought in yummy cupcakes to celebrate today.

Tuesday: We read Snowmen at Night by Caralyn Buehner. During Group Time, the children created a snowman. This took several steps to complete. First, the children traced tand cut two circles, one small and one large, to create the snowman's body. Then they traced and cut a hat shape and two mitten shapes. The children are doing a nice job using tracers. A few are rushing when cutting and need to slow down and cut on the line. The hat and mitten shapes were a challenge for the students. I explained to them yesterday that we are in the second half of the school year and I will be giving them more challenges. I told them that before Christmas was the time for me to teach them new skills and now is the time for them to show me what they have learned and build on those skills. To complete the snowman project, the children had to follow directions to assemble. We are moving on to three step directions more now. This is difficult for many students because they need to be patient and listen to all directions before moving. They hear my first step and quickly begin it before listening to the other two steps. Also, memory is a factor. Children will hear me say, "Go to your cubby, put away your pencil box, and put on your coat." They go their cubby and put their pencil box away, but do not put their coat on. When I inquire, some can repeat the directions back and quickly realize their mistake. Others cannot repeat the steps back. This skill improves as they mature.

Wednesday: In Religion, we took a break from our weekly lesson from the text book. I read the book, The Caring Me I Want to Be by Mary DiPalermo. We brainstormed ways to be caring to others. I reminded them of our class rule to Be Kind. I always tell them "Kind words and Kind actions". During Shelf Work, the students drew their second self portrait of the year. Their final drawing will be in May and all three are part of their portfolio binders. These will demonstrate their fine motor progress and self awareness during this school year. I cannot wait to share their binders with you during conferences. If you have not signed up for a conferences on January 24th, please so so.

We had an impromptu lesson on Emergency Alerts and snow squalls today. This morning, an emergency alert sounded and I explained the importance of these types of alerts. Once the snow squall arrived, the children were mesmerized! They could not take their eyes off the snow. They quickly understood why the alert was needed.

Thursday: Due to the work on the floor in the Hall, Gym took place in the classroom. Here is a message that Mrs. Schock asked me to share:

Dear EC 4A Families!

Thank you so much for thinking of me at Christmas with the Dunkin Donut gift card. I greatly appreciate your thoughtfulness. I enjoy teaching each of you and am looking forward to more fun-filled classes. I hope that you had a blessed Christmas and here's to 2020 filled with lots of physical activity.

Mrs. Schock

We learned how to properly write the numbers one and two.
Here are the rhymes we learned:
         1   A straight line down makes a one. Writing numbers can be fun!

         2   Around the bend and back to you, is how you make the number two!

Our J Cooking activity was making strawberry and orange
J-ello. The children were amazed at how the J-ello was first a powder, then a liquid, and eventually a solid. It was just like a Science experiment! We allowed the J-ello to set in the fridge overnight. We will taste test the two flavors on Friday.

Friday is Silly Sock Day. The children may wear a pair of matching silly socks to school tomorrow.
     


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Week of December 16

We have a busy week ahead as we begin the third week of Advent and prepare for Christmas. We will focus on the Letter C and Christmas. Thank you for all of your help this month. I appreciate your donations and volunteering at our various events. I know the children enjoy all of the special events and activities.

Home and School Five Below Takeover is all week. Present the flyer when you make a purchase to support SJB.

Monday: Throughout the morning, the children attended the Santa Shop to purchase gifts for their loved ones. This is such a special tradition at SJB and we almost had to miss it. Thank you to all of the parents who came in to assist the children with shopping.

Due to the Santa Shop being in the Hall, there is no Hot Lunch available. Chick-Fil-A was provided to those who ordered. If you did not order, please send in a lunch.

Happy Birthday, Sophia! Thank you for the yummy cupcakes.

Happy Birthday, Scarlett! Thank you for the yummy cupcakes last Friday.

Tuesday: NO HOT LUNCH FOR THE REMAINDER OF THE WEEK due to Hall floor renovations. We will eat in the classroom. I assume reindeer games will be canceled in Gym class Thursday, but that has not been confirmed yet.

We read There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Bell by Lucille Colandro.
The children had to sequence the story. They glued story cards in order.

Wenesday morning we are meeting with our 5th grade buddies. Please be on time as we are meeting them at 7:45. Our activity is "Santa needs a Parachute". The students will work with their 5th grade partners to design and construct a prachute to carry Santa safely.

Pretzels for snack tomorrow for those who ordered.

We will have an earlier rest time tomorrow due to an activity in Church. Last week the children did great with the earlier rest due to the Spirit rally. However, due to the time, we may just have quiet time and watch a show.

Today was a rough day in EC4A. Due to the weather, we have not been able to go outside for recess and release some energy. Many of the children have colds so they are not feeling their best. Many arguments have occurred as a result. I understand that it is close to Christmas and I expect there to be a high level of energy. But my friends needed several reminders of our rules. "Kind hands. kind words." 

Wednesday: Our STEAM activity with the 5th grade was "Santa needs a parachute". Santa needs a parachute so that he will be able to deliver presents on Christmas Eve. The object is to construct a parachute with a basket that will help him land safely and slowly on the ground. Students were provided materials and worked with their 5th grade buddy to design and construct their parachute. Materials were coffee filters, napkins, plastic table cloths, yarn, straws, index cards,  and paper cups.

Thursday we have Peacemaker Awards. Every trimester, one child is selected to receive the award who displays the Franciscan Values. We alternate between boys and girls. This trimester a girl was chosen. Next trimester, a boy will be chosen. This takes place during rest. I will bring our girl to Church and the rest of the class will have rest time.

Thursday: Gym was held in the classroom today and with the chilly temperatures, we stayed inside all day. It was a bit of a blessing that we could not use the Hall for lunch or gym class.

Tomorrow is Tag Day. Children may dress down and wear Christmas clothing or colors to school. We do have to climb the stairs to Computers so please make sure shoes are appropriate.

Our Christmas breakfast will take place immediately after drop off Friday morning. Please allow enough time to sign in at the Main Office before coming to our classroom. I plan to begin our mini performance right away since I know many family members may have to head to work or run errands before the kiddos are home with you for the holidays. The children will sing five songs and then we will enjoy breakfast. It is hard to predict how the children will do. Sometimes they get stage fright when they see all the adults. A few children who are a bit shy during our rehearsals can be heard singing quietly during rest time. During the Chistmas concert today, they were so excited when they heard two songs that we are singing as well. They proudly sang along with the older students! Whatever happens, they will be cute and enjoy the special morning with you in the classroom. Thank you for all of your donations!
 


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Week of December 9

This week we will focus on the Letter B and learn about Baby Jesus. We will learn about the religious importance of the holiday. The kitchen area remains a Gingerbread bake shop, but I will add a small Christmas tree so that the children can decorate it. The sensory table will become Santa's workshop and my little elves will be wrapping presents (blocks). We will be working on surprises for our families this week.

The children really enjoyed St. Nicholas Day on Friday. The children were excited to return from lunch and see that a surprise was left in their shoes. We also received a class gift of new dollhouse people and pets. I told them that Santa must have been listening to me. I said the other day that our people needed to be replaced since they were very worn. The children also enjoyed decorating gingerbread cookies in the afternoon (once they were returned to our class!) I am sure your child told you that our cookies were stolen by the Gingerbread Baby while we were in Computers. He left a series of notes sending us on a scavenger hunt throughout the school. We eventually found our cookies in the library and brought them back to our room. The children were very concerned that they may diappear again while we were at lunch. They insisted that I lock the cookies in the closet so they would be safe!

Four year olds thrive on routine. The next two weeks will prove to be a challenge for them as there are many changes to our schedule.

Progress reports will be in the folders on Monday. There is a sticker on the envelope for you to sign. You may keep the report, but please return the envelope in the folder. This report assessed your child's transition to the four year old program. 

Friday is a half day and there is no Eagles Club available. Dismissal is at 11:35. Please send me a note in the folder by Thursday to alert me if there is a change in your child's usual pick up person. Please tell them I will need to check their ID since I have not met them before.

Monday: We attended the 9:30 Mass with our seventh grade buddies. We also had Spanish and Music so it was an easy day for EC4A. 

Tuesday is our first Spirit Rally. The children are to wear their Spirit Rally white t-shirts that we decorated as a jersey with the black and yellow stars. The number on the back is their class number which is on their folder. The children are to wear their regular uniform bottoms, but are not required to wear their sweatshirts. Feel free to put a long sleeve shirt under the Spirit Rally shirt. I washed my sample t-shirt in cold water and the colors did not bleed or fade. I did not put it in the dryer. The children will wear this shirt for the T2 Spirit Rally and Field Day in T3.

Please be sure that your child has a good night sleep tonight. Due to the Spirit Rally, our rest time will be earlier. As I mentioned above, this class thrives on routine, so I am not sure if they will fall asleep. We will head over to the Hall at 1:30 to see the Magician performance at 1:45 until 2:15.

There is no Hot Lunch on Tuesday and we will eat in the classroom.

Our class is participating in the Santa Shop next Monday. Sorry for the delay, but there were several factors in play. There was a possibility that our children could not participate due to inventory concerns and lack of volunteers. This weekend the decision was made that the Early Childhood children could participate, but would require several volunteers to assist them with shopping. I sent a Sign Up Genius for volunteers and a shopping list is in the folders today. Please return the list by Friday so I can assign shopping groups over the weekend. Please keep the labels attached to the shopping list.

Tuesday: We read The Legend of the Poinsettia by Tomie dePaola. After reading the beautiful book, the children cut out six red petals and two green leaves to create their own poinsettia flowers. 

We ate lunch in the classroom and then had quiet time on our rest mats. Our Spirit Rally was in the afternoon. EC3, EC4, and Kindergarten classes went to the Hall at 1:45 to enjoy a magician show.

I believe Wednesday is a normal day for us! Our schedule is changing daily... so we will see!

Thank you for returning report card envelopes and Shopping Lists so promptly. Thank you to those who volunteered to assist with Santa Shop.

Wednesday: The children did a great job yesterday with our schedule. Even though we had early rest time, they were able to relax. This allowed them to enjoy the magician. Today was much calmer. We created a Christmas surprise and worked on the sound of B.

Thursday: We read about the situation surrounding the birth of Jesus. We learned about the events leading up to and after the birth of Jesus.

Thank you to Lyla for providing our B cooking activity. The Brownie Reindeer Bites were the best!
                             

Friday is a half day and dismissal will be at 11:35. There is no Eagles Club so please be sure that your child is picked up on time. Please send in an extra morning snack since we will not have lunch at school.

Santa Shop Shopping List is due Friday. Please fill out the labels and leave them attached. You may send in money on Monday morning, have it attached to the shopping list, or bring with you if you are volunteering. A note explaining Santa Shop is in the folders today. There is a Sign Up Genius link on the letter. That link is to volunteer to help in the Hall with the older grades. If you sign up on that link, you will not be assisting EC4A. To volunteer with EC4A, please use the link that I sent to you.

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Week of December 2

Welcome back! I hope everyone enjoyed the Thanksgiving break. There are flurries in the forecast, which prompted me to think of early dismissals due to snow. When we dismiss early, all students are dismissed from the back parking lot. We do not identify as Limestone or Milltown car riders. I walk the students down the sidewalk and dismiss by the edge of the playground. Children are dismissed directly to the care of parents or guardians. There are six classes that need to dismiss from our building. To ensure this process goes efficiently, please stand back while the other classes dismiss and then walk forward as our class dismisses. 

Today begins the second trimester. Our first progress report will be sent home in the folder next Monday. Diocesan report cards are given for the second and third trimester. Now that the transitional period of the first trimester is complete, we need to address certain behaviors/ skills in the classroom. The goal for entering Kindergarten is for your child to become self sufficient. Can they take care of their own needs and belongings? Can they express their needs and wants to teachers? Can they follow directions and complete tasks appropriately? Do they participate in Circle Time or group activities? Today is Day 61 in our class. We still have many children who refuse/ or are unable to clean up during play time. Please make this part of their chores at home so that they can master this skill in the classroom. Please practice writing their first names at home. After Christmas, we will be introducing last names. We won't be writing them right away, but we will be signing in on the Smart Board using last names.

This week begins Advent. During December, each week will focus on Christmas in a unique way. We begin with G and Gingerbread. At the STEAM table, we will build traps for the Gingerbread Baby (foam cut out and blocks). The kitchen area has changed. The children were dumping all the plates and food on the floor during Centers and stepping on them. I replaced many of those toys over the summer so it upsets me to see how they are being used. I told the children that I would have to limit the amount of toys that were in there. I removed the plates and food and turned the kitchen area into a Gingerbread Bake Shop. There are cookie sheets, spatulas, and foam gingerbread cookie cut outs. In the block area, I have added a Little People Nativity set. There are Christmas stampers in the Creativity Station. I added water to the sensory table because this seems to be a favorite actvity for the children. At the easel, the children are working on their control of the paint brush. I have supplied small brushes and a Gingerbread Man picture that requires the children to paint within small spaces.

We will end Gingerbread Week by decorating Gingerbread Man shaped cookies. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to donate an item for this activity!

In the folders today, are the birthday ribbons for children who celebrated a birthday in November. These ribbons are hanging in the school outside the main office during the month and then given to the student to use as a dress down pass. On the deay your child wishes to dress down, please return the ribbon and I will punch a hole in it to show it has been used.

Monday: This week we will read four "Gingerbread" books. We will analyze the differences and similarities between the books. Today we read Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett. This is the longest of the four, but it introduces the children to the mischievious character of the Gingerbread Man. In all the books, the Gingerbread Man finds himself upsetting the other characters and inevitably being chased by them. And they are interested in catching the Man and enjoying the cookie. The students colored candy pictures that will be used to decorate a Gingerbread house.

Tuesday: Today we read the Gingerbread Kid Goes to School by Joan Holub. We compared this book with Gingerbread Baby. The children discussed how the characters, settings, plots, and conclusions were similar and different.

During Shelf Work, the children decorated a Christmas Bulb for a display in our classroom. Using small paint brushes, the children added glitter paint designs to the bulb to make it shine. 

We had indoor recess due to the wind chills.
 
Not much sleeping took place today at rest. A few friends had trouble settling down and laying quietly at rest. Therefore, the others could not sleep today.

We are finishing our decorating our Spirit Rally t-shirts this week. I had hoped to accomplish this before Thanksgiving, but with the many absences due to illness, I had assessments to complete for the report cards. The children are sponge painting stars on the front in our school colors. On the back, I added each child's class number. This is the number on their folder and on the star in their cubby. I will send home each shirt as we complete it. The children are to wear the shirt to school next Tuesday.

A few children have brought in their slipper for Friday. I asked them to leave the slipper in the schoolbags since I do not have a place to store them.

Wednesday: Today we read Ninjabread Man by CJ Leigh. Again, we compared and contrasted the book to previous books. We completed our Gingerbread Houses. 

We created Measurement Christmas trees. The children cut a tree into strips that were pre-drawn. Then they had to measure the strips and order them shortest to longest. Once this task was complete, the children glued the strips to red construction paper.

Thursday: Thank you Audrey for providing our G cooking activity.

Friday is the Feast of St. Nicholas. Children may wear pajamas to school. Please be sure that your child wears sneakers so he or she can play. Also, please send in one slipper or shoe to be placed in the hallway in case St. Nicholas leaves us a treat.

Gifts for the Adopt a Family are due Friday. Other classes may have different due dates, but I need adequate time to wrap the gifts. The older children are able to wrap the gifts in class.

We will be decorating gingerbread cookies on Friday to end Gingerbread Week. Thank you to everyone who donated an item for this activity.

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Week of November 25

We will continue with our theme of Thanksgiving on Monday and Tuesday. There is no school on Wednesday as we begin our Thanksgiving break. I wish you and your family a wonderful holiday and a relaxing time together. Hopefully, the time away from school will allow my friends to become healthy again. Many of the children have colds and coughs. When they do not feel well, they do not perform well in school.

Thank you for all of your help with our Thanksgiving Feast on Friday. Thank you to our Homeroom Moms for organizing. The children had a great time. They were VERY excited all morning waiting for your arrival. I introduced the children to idea of second dinner, or in our situation- second lunch. About 12:30, the children who remained at school enjoyed lunch again. The children were very hungry since they did not eat much during the feast. They devoured all the mac and cheese, Goldfish, and fruit! And there were just enough cookies to have a second dessert as well.

On half days, the childen miss lunch. We eat lunch normally at 10:50 to 11:20. Please send in extra snacks both days this week. Eagles Club will eat in our classroom as soon as I dismiss the Car riders. If your child is staying for Eagles Club, please send in an afternoon snack and a blanket (no sheet) for rest time.

Decorated stockings and Christmas tree projects are due Tuesday. I would like to hang the stockings in the hallway over break.  

The children have been working hard to become mambers of our Zipper Club! This encourages the children to learn how to dress themselves for the outdoors. To become a member, the children must be able to put on their own coat and zipper the coat themselves, with no assistance from the teachers. Many are ready to become members. After Thanksgiving, I will begin adding names to our poster to recognize the members.

Monday: We retold the story of the first Thanksgiving using beads. The children listened to the words and slid beads onto a pipe cleaner.

We also had a STEAM activity today. The children had to design and construct a Mayflower (boat or barge) using aluminum foil that could hold cargo. Then we tested our Mayflowers by floating them in the sensory table. Once we determined those that were able to float, we added fruit and vegetable counters, one at a time.

Tuesday: We revisited the topic of the Mayflower and how difficult it was for the Pilgrims to leave their country. We discussed that space was limited on the Mayflower and only essentials were brought. Each child shared the item that they brought from home that they considered to be a necessity for a Pilgrim to pack on the Mayflower.

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Week of November 18

We begin our Thanksgiving Unit and the Letter Tt. We will discuss being thankful and the First Thanksgiving. We will have our Thanksgiving Feast this Friday, at 11:00 a.m., in our classroom. All families are invited to attend. Please sign in at the office first before coming to our building.

I am keeping some of our centers the same as last week since nutrition goes along with being thankful for food. I have changed the sensory table to allow the children to wash dishes. I have added our kitchen area plates and soapy water so the children can pretend they are cleaning after Thanksgiving dinner.

Over the weekend, I created a Sign Up Genius for Adopt a Family Advent Service Project. If you did not receive the email, please look at the Sign Up Genius Tab and consider donating an item to our assigned family. Thank you to those who already signed up.

Monday: We are continuing to work on following directions when I address the whole group. Children should be able to follow three step directions by the time they enter kindergarten. We created a turkey headband that the children will wear Friday at our feast. The children had to locate the piece that I named, glue as I instructed, and then place it in the correct spot. For example, "find the yellow feather, add glue to the bottom/ straight edge, and place it on the brown circle". I repeat directions three times. This was a fairly simple project so it was a perfect one for following three step directions. 

If the weather cooperates, I hope to have a Fall Scavenger Hunt on Tuesday. We will walk around campus looking for signs of Fall.

Tuesday: Today we discussed the First Thanksgiving and how the Pilgrims and Native Americans lived. We learned that everything had to be built or grown by them. They could not go to Acme or Amazon for what they needed. The children decorated a cornucopia and learned its purpose.

We haven't completed a Clifford magazine for a few weeks. This week, we will do two. Both November editions focus on Thanksgiving.

Please check your child's schoolbag for stowaways! Many stuffed animals, toys, jewelry, lip gloss have been coming into school. The children are permitted to bring one, small stuffed animal for rest time. These additional items take up space in the school bag and are becoming a distraction during the day.

We did not have the opportunity to take our Fall Scavenger Hunt today. I was hoping to do it in the morning after snack, but it was still rather cold. I will keep an eye on the weather. 

Mrs. Golebiowski was not in school today. Miss Beth was her substitute. Many of the children recognized her from Eagles Club.

Wednesday: We created Thanksgiving cards for our families. Due to the absences lately, I am still conducting letter and number recognition assessments. I hope to complete them this week.

In Religion, we learned that God created light.

Thursday: Thank you Smith and Brandon for providing our T Cooking activity. The Train snacks were terrific!
                       

Tomorrow is our Thanksgiving Feast at 11:00 in our classroom. Families are welcome to attend. Please sign in at the Main Office first before coming to our building to receive your visitor's badge. Thank you to everyone for all of your donations!

Tomorrow is also Tag Day and the theme is favorite sports team. There will be pretzels for snack for those who ordered in September for the year. 

Lunch boxes are not necessary tomorrow, unless your child did not order a pretzel. Please remember to send in a water bottle. Lunch is our feast.

A few have asked if children are permitted to leave after the feast. We do have a full school day tomorrow. If you are signing your child out as an early dismissal tomorrow, please be discreet. The other children tend to become very upset when they see other children leaving early. 

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Week of November 11

This week we will learn about My Plate (Nutrition) and the Letter M. My Plate replaced the Food Pyramid a few years ago as a simpler way for children to understand the components of a healthy, balanced meal. We will learn the five food groups and discuss healthy food choices. This Friday is our field trip to the Delaware Children's Museum. The children will have an opportunity to explore the museum and participate in a classroom presentation, Healthy Bodies, Healthy Minds. A perfect way to end My Plate week!

This week many of our center areas will focus on healthy eating and contain various nutrition games. In the Sensory Table, the children will investigate sinking and floating. The children will add weighted fish to a plastic boat in an attempt to sink the boat. 

On Tuesday, we will be building a balanced meal using the food group pictures that were due Monday. If you did not send them in, please do so for tomorrow.

Monday: The children were introduced to My Plate today. I read a book and we watched a YouTube video explaining its purpose. We played a food group matching game. Each child was given pictures of different foods and had to sort them according to their food groups.

Tuesday is the last day to purchase raffle tickets for a Barnes and Noble Gift Card. 5 chances for $1.00

Tuesday: Today we shared our food pictures that were sent in from home. The children had to identify the food group and glue the picture in the appropriate place on a diagram of My Plate. We learned that our plates should have as many colors as possible so that we eat a variety of foods. The children also learned that exercise is important. We discussed the fact that we have morning exercises and recess everyday.

This afternoon we read It Looked Like Spilt Milk by George Shaw. In the book, each dark blue page shows what appears to be spilled milk. The children guessed the spilled milk image on each page. We then created our own spilled milk images. The children were given a small cup of milk (white paint and water mixture) to pour onto blue paper. These will dry overnight and then we will decide what image was created.

Tomorrow is our Book Fair at Barnes and Noble in the Christiana Mall. Please consider visiting.

Wednesday: Today the children began a three day turkey project. The children painted a paper plate and bowl brown to become the turkey's body and head. In the afternoon, they traced six feathers on construction paper. Last time we traced corn, the children worked together as tracing buddies. This time the children held their own tracer. They did an amazing job!

Thursday: Thank you for all of the wonderful book donations from the Book Fair. I was so sad to not attend. I was looking forward to seeing everyone, but I ended up working at Eagles Club until 6:00. I knew that most of my friends would be home by the time I arrived. The children were very excited to see the new books and we can't wait to read them.

We completed the next part of our turkeys today. The children cut out the feathers that were traced yesterday. A few children are still struggling with scissor grip. I have to readjust their hands and remind them to have their thumbs up. Please be sure your child uses the correct grip before this becomes a difficult habit to break. On a positive note, I was really impressed with their ability to cut on the line. They also their speed improved. They easily cut out all six feathers with no complaints. The feathers were then glued to the brown plate. If we have time tomorrow, we will glue the face on the bowl.

Friday: Today is our field trip to the Delaware Children's Museum. We will have our Letter M Cooking before we leave for the trip. Please send in morning snack as usual in case they are still hungry after cooking. We eat lunch at 12:00 which is later than our usual time. Please refer to the letter that was in the folders on Monday for all details.

Remember to pack lunch for your child. Chaperones will carry the lunches on the bus. We are departing school at 9:30, the museum opens at 10:00. Our trip ends at 1:00. We will then depart the museum and we should return to school by 1:45. Chaperones are welcome to take their child home after the trip.

Thank you to everyone who was a chaperone! We appreciate your help!

Thank you Justin for providing out M Cooking activity. The Mini Milk Chocolate Chip Muffins were Mmmm, Mmmm, good!
                               
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Week of November 4

We will focus on the Letter L and our theme will be Learning Shapes and Colors. However, we will kick it up a notch. We will look for shapes in the world around us. The children can identify a square when shown one. But can they recognize that a book is the shape of a square? When it comes to colors, we will introduce the terms primary and secondary colors. We will mix our own secondary colors. In Religion, we will continue with Creation, focusing on Birds and Plants. At the STEAM table, the students will build shapes using marshmallows and toothpicks. At the easel. the students will be practicing writing fall words. This month we have brown playdough to build turkeys using the dough and feathers.

*** If you did not send in a white t-shirt, please do so ASAP. We will be decorating them as jerseys. I need to add the numbers to the back before the children can decorate the front. I will need a few volunteers to help us decorate the shirts with fabric paint on Monday, November 25th, 10:00 to 11:15. Let me know if you are available.

*** Next week we will learn about nutrition and My Plate. Please send in 5 pictures (one from each of the following food groups: Grain, Dairy, Protein, Fruit, and Vegetable). Please send the pictures in an envelope or zip lock bag, labeled with your child's name. The picture should be small, no larger than three inches.

Monday: We read the story Mouse Shapes by Ellen Stoll Walsh. The mice tried to elude the cat by using shapes to build structures. The children then were given various shapes to create their own designs. The children need to recognize the shapes all around them. A Christmas tree is a triangle and a rectangle. A cereal box is a rectangle. A clock is a circle.

Last week was an exciting week and the children were very hyped up for Halloween. There were a few unacceptable behaviors that occurred and were addressed, but I was understanding of the situation. These behaviors (lack of listening, arguing, hands on one another, refusing to clean up) unfortunately continued today. I had hoped that the weekend would provide rest and a break from the behaviors. These behaviors occur now and then in a typical classroom setting, but last week it seemed that every student had a part in the negative behavior which was quite frequent. And it happened in our special classes as well. We had a class meeting this morning and talked about getting back on track. I will be reaching out to parents, if needed. The next two months will prove to be challenging as we enter Advent and prepare for Christmas. 

Please do not send candy into school for snack. Thank you.

Tuesday: Today we had a scavenger hunt in our classroom. I have a color/ shape wheel. I spun the wheel and the children had to find something in the classroom with that color or shape. Our green, Learning Without Tears, workbook is where we learn to write letters and number properly. It also has a section where we learn to draw shapes. Today, we practiced drawing circles, squares, and triangles.

Wednesday: We read the next book in the Mouse series, Mouse Paint. This time three white mice have eluded the cat by hiding on white paper. They accidently knock over red, blue, and yellow paint while hiding. They end up mixing the primary colors to form secondary colors of orange, green, and purple. Today we began a color wheel and painted the primary colors on a paper plate wheel. Tomorrow and Friday, we will mix paint to form the secondary colors and then add them to the wheel.

The email containing the Chaperone Fee for the Delaware Children's Museuam trip was emailed this evening. If you cannot open link, please let me know. 

Thursday: We countinued with practicing how to draw shapes in our Learning Without Tears green book. We drew triangles and diamonds. The children felt like real artists today as they mixed paint together. They were able to see how different shades were created by how well they mixed or how much paint I gave them. If a little too much red dripped, the child would achieve a darker shade of orange. And our blue paint is rather dark, so very little was needed to acheive green or purple.

Happy Birthday, Efrain!

Thank you, Meara, for providing our L Cooking activity today. The Lizards snacks were lovely! 
          

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Week of October 28

This week will prove to be a busy one. We will focus on the Letter S and Saints and Scarecrows. The children are very excited for Halloween and our party on Thursday. I kept a few centers the same so the children could enjoy them a little longer. The costumes are still part of the kitchen area. We will be using pom poms to paint a candy corn craft. We are building scarecrows in the sensory table with baby clothes and shredded news paper. In Religion, we are continuing with creation.

We will keep an eye on the weather for our parade on Thursday. All families are invited to attend the parade at 8:30. The children will process out of our building and walk in a circle around the blacktop between the Gerres building and the playgrounds. We will pose for a group photo and then head into the Main building to parade thoughout the school. The parade gets crowded so please keep the children with the group and do not pull them out of line.

After the parade, the children will return to the classroom for a special Halloween snack. We ask that only the adults who have volunteered to assist with the party attend the events in the classroom. (Families are invited to our Thanksgiving Feast, Christmas breakfast, Easter Egg Hunt and breakfast, and End of Year Picnic. Halloween, Valentine's Day, and 100th Day of School parties are for students only.) After snack, we will play a few games and change out of our costumes. If your child's uniform fits underneath the costume, that would be best. We will enjoy pizza lunch in our classroom. Thank you to everyone who volunteeres to provide an item for the day or help with the games!!!!

Monday: Miss Koval was absent, so this allowed extra center time in the classroom. We also began Saint Presentations. The children who presented today did a wonderful job. A few were able to discuss more than their one fact!

Tuesday: We continued with the Saint project presentations today. During Shelf Work, we colored a scarecrow with markers and added items to decorate it such as straw paper, buttons, foam shapes.

This afternoon we did a gummy bear experiment. One gummy bear was placed in each cup: warm water, cold water, sugar water, and salt water. After rest time, we observed the change in the gummy bears. The gummy bear in the cold water expanded. The warm water immediately shrunk. Here is my sample of the experiment recording. You can compare your child's paper for accuracy. 

          

Wednesday: If it is raining tomorrow morning, the Halloween parade will take place in the Hall. We have reserved the Hall at 8:30 until 9:00. Please arrive at 8:20 since Mrs. Schock will have a class in there until that time. A few parents have agreed to walk us over to the Hall with large umbrellas to try and keep the children dry. We will not have Gym class tomorrow due to the Halloween party.

Pizza lunch will be provided as part of our Halloween party. If your child does not eat pizza, please send in a substition. Your child does not need a lunchbox tomorrow since snack and lunch will both be provided. However, please send a water bottle.

We will be attending the 9:30 All Saints Day mass on Friday with our seventh grade buddies.

Thursday: Thank you so much for all of your help with our Halloween celebration today. Thank you to those who helped to walk us to the Hall with large umbrellas in the rain. Thank you for coming to the gym to cheer us on during the parade. Thank you for those who assisted us with our games. And thank you for all of the donations of food and paper products. The children had a wonderful time and really seemed to enjoy the day. 

After our morning parade, we entered the Main building and paraded through each classroom. Grades 1 through 4 were interested in seeing what costumes the children wore. Fifth grade was overjoyed to see their buddies and gave hugs and high fives. My friends were a bit nervous to walk through the middle school, but soon relaxed and gave high fives to the big kids.

We returned to the classroom and had Halloween snacks. Then the children gathered in small groups with a parent volunteer to rotate through our games. We played Halloween hopscotch, Pin the nose on the witch, Halloween Bingo, Halloween Memory, and Spider Toss. The children worked up an appetite for pizza lunch. Due to the weather, the field was too muddy for us to play outside for recess. I pulled out the mats and allowed the children to watch a Halloween episode of PJ Mask while they relaxed. A few even fell asleep during the show.

Friday: We had our S Cooking today due to our Halloween festivities yesterday. Thank you Cassidy for provinding our S Cooking activity. The Spirits in the Graveyard were super!
                             

We attended the 9:30 Mass for All Saints Day. We sat with our seventh grade buddies.

Happy Birthday, Kennedy! Thank you for the Munchkins! 
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Week of October 21

Halloween has arrived in EC4A! This week we will focus on the Letter H and Halloween. We will have a fun week with crafts and experiments as we prepare for the holiday next week. I have completed most of the letter and number assessments. There are a few children I still need to assess number recognition. I hope to send the reports to you by the end of the week. I suggest keeping the report so you can compare it with November's assessment.

I have added a few simple costumes in the kitchen area for the class to enjoy. At the STEAM table, the children are creating Frankenstiens, jack o lanterns, haunted houses, and candies using unifix cubes (AKA snap cubes). At the Creativity Table, the children will design monsters. We will have two Science experiments this week and one STEAM activity.

Reminders for the week:
      - Thursday is Tag Day.

      - Friday is picture retakes (if students are retaking their school picture,
        they may dress down) and a visit from Ashland Nature Center.
        Pretzels for those who ordered.

      - Saint projects are due next Monday, October 28th.

Monday: Our STEAM activity today was investigating catapults. After watching a video on how catapults work, the children were given a catapult created with craft sticks, rubber bands, and bottle caps. The children were given wrapped starbursts and dot candies to catapult across the table. They experimented with how much pressure to apply in order to launch the candy further.

Today we Booed KB! This week all the classes in the Early Childhood Building are BOOing each other and leaving a bag of treats outside the door. Since we started the BOOing, we will get BOOed last on Friday.

Tuesday: Today was all about ghosts and monsters! We enjoyed two Halloween stories and two art projects based on those books. We watched a video of the book The Ghost's Dinner by Jacques Duquennoy. In the book, Henry the ghost invites his friends over for a dinner party. The ghosts turn colors based on the foods that they eat. For example, when they eat the pumpkin soup, they turn orange. The children made ghosts by coloring a coffee filter with markers. We then squirted the filters with water and watched the colors bleed.  The children also completed a coloring sheet where they had to color the ghosts based on the picture of food under the ghosts.

Our second book was Go Away, Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley. Each page adds a feature onto the monster. I read the book first, then the children read along with me. The third time, the children created their own monsters as I read to them. We painted a paper plate green this morning. The children glued the facial features as I read this afternoon.

Wednesday: We completed our first journal writing activity today. The children answered the prompt, "On Halloween, I will be _______." The children drew themselves in their costumes. Then the children attempted to spell the word. When we complete journal activities, it allows the children to strengthen the areas they need. Children who recognize letter sounds will work with me to hear the sounds in the words we write. Typically, in the beginning, the children are able to hear the beginning and ending sounds of words. Vowels and middle sounds come with practice. Children who are not ready to hear sounds will practice their letter recognition by writing the letters I dictate. 

Thursday is Tag Day for those children who have paid on Smart Tuition to participate in Tag Days. The theme is Breast Cancer Awareness- Go Pink.

Thursday: The children created mummies today using white duct tape. Each child was given a black mummy cut out and a strip of tape. The children had to measure and cut the tape to fit across the mummy's body parts. 

After lunch we had a Science Experiment involving leaves and chlorophyll. We watched a YouTube video, "Why do leaves change color?". We added leaves to a glass jar with rubbing alcohol. The jar was placed in a bowl of hot water for an hour while we rested. We then added a coffee filter and watched as the pigment was pulled out of the leaves.

Thank you to Valeria for providing our H cooking activity. The Halloween Spider Crackers Snacks made us very Happy!
                                   

Friday: Ashland Nature Center came to our classroom at 9:30 this morning for a 30 minute presentation called, "Unhuggables". Miss Lauren brought live animals that would be considered unhuggable to our classroom and explained their importance in nature. We saw a toad, box turtle, snapping turtle, and a ball python.

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Week of October 15

Please scroll down and read Friday's update. We had a busy day on Friday and the children (as well as myself) were exhausted! I apologize for not updating on Friday. It was a fun day!

I hope everyone enjoyed the long holiday weekend. This week we will continue with the Letter P and Pumpkins. Last week we focused on the life cycle of pumpkins. This week we will have a little fun with pumpkins.

Tuesday: The Five Little Pumpkins rhyme is the focus of today! We began our day reviewing the song we learned last week. Then we participated in a STEAM activity. The children had to construct a gate that could hold five little pumpkin candies using blocks, manipulatives, or craft sticks. We substituted Dot candies for the pumpkin candy corn to be peanut safe. Due to the flat bottom, the Dots worked a bit better. 

During Shelf Work, the children created a Five Little Pumpkins craft by gluing craft sticks to form the gate. They also added pumpkin foam shapes, witches, and ghosts to the pictures. Our Clifford magazine was also about Five Little Pumpkins!

Wednesday: Due to K through 8th grade attending Church to pray the Rosary this afternoon, we were on a modified schedule. Art was a bit earlier than usual. We discussed how the leaves change colors during Autumn and fall to the ground. We read Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf by Lois Elhert. During Shelf Work we created colorful Fall leaves with sand. Each child was given a leaf cut out to cover with glue. We used paint brushes to ensure good coverage. Then the children pinched and scattered colored sand over the glue.

In Religion, we are beginning a Unit on Creation. Over the next week few weeks our lessons will be devoted to an aspect of God's World. Next week, however, we will have a lesson on Halloween. Remember to practice with your child how to properly make the Sign of the Cross.

Also, we have been praying the Hail Mary each morning during October. The children are doing a great job with this prayer!

Thursday: Recognizing rhyming words can be difficult for young learners. However, it is a vital skill for beginning readers. This afternoon we played a game that involved matching rhyming words.

We practiced our cutting skills again today. The children cut out a square and circle for assessment. These will be compared to the ones we cut in September to monitor growth. I also began assessing numbers today individually.

Friday: We have reached the end of our pumpkin theme.The children have really enjoyed all of our activities, especially hammering golf tees into a pumkin. We completed our Pumpkins Grow mini books. Ask your child to read it to you.

Thank you to Meara for providing our P Cooking activity. The Pumpkin Pancakes were perfect!
                              
We had a fire drill this morning. The children did very well. We were returning from Computers so we had to take a different route to our safe place. I taught them that when I blow the whistle they need to stop and look at me. I use the whistle for emergencies only. When they hear the whistle they know there is something important we need to do or something important I need to say. 

Have a wonderful weekend!  
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​​​​​​​Week of October 7

On Monday, we will end our unit on Fire Safety. On Tuesday, we will begin the Letter P and our new two week theme of Pumpkins. In Math, we will be working with patterns. In the kitchen area, we will add wheelbarrows and foam pumpkins. At the Science table, we will investigate pumpkins and gourds. The children will participate in two STEAM activities this theme, one for Fire Safety and the other will involve Five Little Pumpkins. 

Thank you to everyone who volunteered to chaperone for our November field trip. I will submit the names to Mrs. Malatesta for approval. Once I receive approval, I will be given the link for the chaperone payment. We are in need of two more chaperones for the trip. Please let me know immediately if you are available.

On Friday, we earned our last two Mrs. Potato Head pieces! The children voted for their reward and Stuffed Animal Day won. We will have Stuffed Animal Day on Tuesday. Please send in a stuffed animal that will fit on your child's lap when seated at the table.
           

Monday: Mr. Taggart, a Wilmington Fire Fighter and parent of two current SJB students and one former student, visited our classroom this morning and taught us about fire safety. We completed our fire engine project. Last week, we painted a paper towel roll to make our engine. Today, we added a window, wheels, and a ladder.

Tomorrow is Stuffed Animal Day!!!!

Tuesday: Due to the upper grades attending Church to pray the rosary, we were on Rosary schedule today. This means that class periods were shortened. Since we are a self contained classroom this typically does not affect us, however, it does affect special classes. We had Library at a different time and change can be difficult for my friends.

Today we learned about the parts of a pumpkin: skin, seed, strand, stem, and pulp. We glued together the parts of a pumpkin and labeled them as well. We also created a paper bag pumpkin. The children stuffed a brown paper bag with recycling and then we placed a rubber band at the top. The children painted the bag orange. Those who did not have an opportunity to paint their bag today will do so tomorrow.

Wednesday is the Vision Screening. Please be sure that you return the permission slip.

Stuffed animal day was a lot of fun! Our stuffed friends tagged along all day, including to Library. However, they took a nap during lunch and recess. After rest, we had a stuffed animal dance party.
  

Wednesday: I have begun assessing the students' identification of letters and numbers. As I mentioned at Back to School night, I assess each month and will send a report home at the end of the month to inform you of your child's progress. In the four year old class, I expect that the child can name the letter when shown the letter as opposed to pointing to the letter that I name. Remember that I am not looking for mastery at this point of all letters. This is the first assessment and the children are adapting to the way I assess. I tell them we are playing games and try to keep it as stress free as possible. However, some children will figure out that I am assessing and will become cautious or anxious. On the other hand, some children will rush through the game to get back to playing. When you receive the report, do not focus on the total correct. Compare it to November's report and see that your child has retained identification of those letters/ numbers and added a few more. I am looking for growth each month and retention of mastered letters.

Our Religion lesson this week is learning how to make the Sign of the Cross. Please practice this at home and be sure that your child is using the correct hand. This is an item on the progress report that your child will receive in the second and third trimester.

The children who returned the permission slip participated in the vision screening this morning.

Happy Birthday to Cruz! Thank you for the yummy popsicles for snack today.

Thursday: We did not have P Cooking today. It will be next Thursday.

We completed our paper bag pumpkins by drawing jack o lantern faces on it. I continued assessing uppercase letters individually with the students.

Tomorrow morning we will have our STEAM activity with the fifth graders. The problem to be solved is how to help the firefighter climb the ladder. The students will use straws, string, and a firefighter cut out to create a pulley system. The children learned how pulleys worked on Monday. The cereal boxes will be used to create the ladder. (Thank you to everyone who sent in a cereal box.) Each child will be paired with a fifth grade student to complete the activity. Please be on time as we need to meet the fifth graders in the Maker Space Lab in the Main building at 7:50.

Friday: The children had a wonderful experience with the fifth graders. We first went to the fifth grade classroom and met our buddies. The fifth graders escorted us to the Maker Space on the second floor. First, the pairs designed the ladder. Then they engineered their pulley system. The fifth graders were very resourceful and creative with the pulley designs. And my friends were very interested and active in the whole process. 

What impressed me even more was the connection that quickly formed between the two groups. At lunch recess, we were playing on the little playground and the fifth graders came over to say hello. The children's eyes lit up and most of them spent the time talking to their new buddies.

Working with a partner or as a team is difficult for young children. We spend so much time encouraging them to be their best selves and try new things. The give and take that is required for team work is a foreign concept to them. Collaboration is a big component of STEAM activities. This afternoon I tried another partner activity with the class. I demonstrated how to use a tracer. We are making corn stalks for our bulletin board and each child needed to trace one yellow corn shape and two green corn shapes. I paired the children up and assigned one the job of tracing and the other the job of tracing buddy (the buddy who holds the tracing in place). Once the tracer was finished, they swotched roles. They impresses me again! They were able to work together and complete the tasks, but I also heard words of encouragement. Some even helped their partner who was struggling.

Happy birthday, Meara! Thank you for yummy cupcakes for snack.
​ 
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Week of September 30

We have a very busy week ahead of us! Our new theme is Fire Prevention and the Letter Ff. We will learn all about fire safety and the Mill Creek Fire Company will visit our school on Wednesday to show us the fire engine and the equiptment the fire fighter use. We also will prepare a class gift for Sr. JoAnn who is retiring. We will celebrate her retirement during Mass this Friday.

On Tuesday, we will change our seats at the tables for the month of October. I have been preparing the children for this event. I also assigned places on the rug to help minimize distractions and allow us to quickly find our places. For Fire Safety week, we will be washing fire engines in the sensory table with soapy water, buckets, and sponges. At the STEAM table, the children will build fire engines with Legos. The students will paint a fire engine at the easels. The Kitchen area is a Fire Station this week, with toy extinguishers and helmets. The children will observe and investigate rock collections at the Science table.

Permission slips for our Field Trip to the Delaware Children's Museum are in the folders Monday. If you are interested in being a chaperone, please send a note in the folder by Friday, October 4th. I can take ten chaperones and will draw names from a hat. I will inform you next week if you are chosen as a chaperone.

Thank you to everyone who sent in an empty paper towel roll last week. We are short several rolls. If you did not send one in or have extra in your recycling bin, please send them in.

Next week, we will learn about pumpkins. If anyone would like to send in a pumpkin or gourd for our class, please let me know.

Sign Up Geniuses for Guest Reader and Specials Volunteers were emailed Sunday night. I have attached them to my web page under the Sign Up Genius tab. Please let me know if you did not receive an email so I can correct my email list.

Monday: The four year old classes are creating a book of pictures to make Sr. JoAnn smile, which we will present on Friday. Each child drew a happy picture for Sister today.

Kids Stuff books or payment are due today. Also, please return the vision screening consent form as soon as possible.

Tuesday: We have been learning the role of a fire fighter. I read the children a book called, Firehouse Dog. The children learned what happens in a firehouse through the eyes of a Dalmation named Hooper. We learned the gear that a fire fighter wears such as a turn out coat. Tomorrow the children will have the opportunity to see this gear up close when Mill Creek Fire Company visits us after lunch.

When the children arrived this morning, they had to locate their new seat for the month of October. In the folder today, are apples with star stickers on them. These were our apples on the Good Deed Tree for the month of September. These stickers were earned when the children engaged in an act of kindness without being asked. Great job for the first month of school!

Wednesday: We created a firehouse Dalmation dog craft today. This activity required the children to follow directions and to copy a model. The children used my sample as a model to glue the pieces in the correct places.

We will be working with the fifth grade next Friday, October 11, on a STEAM activity in the Maker Space lab. For this activity, we are in need of empty cereal boxes. Please send any boxes you may have into school before Thursday, October 10. Thanks!

The children were very excited to see the fire engine today. We sat under the tree in front of the Vianney House and waited for the truck to arrive. Their eyes lit up as they watched it drive into the parking lot. They were very attentive as the firefighters explained how to exit a house safely, how to call 911, and how to stop, drop, cover your eyes, and roll. The firefighters explained their protective clothing as they dressed in their full gear. They even put on their mask and air tank. They want the children to understand that they may look scary when dressed in their gear, but they should not be afraid and hide from them. Often children are frightened and hide from fire fighters. A few of my friends were a bit nervous and came to stand with me. The fire fighters talked with the mask on and told the children that the mask makes them sound like Darth Vader.

Thursday: We began to create fire engines by painting a paper towel roll. These will need to dry before we glue a window, ladder, and wheels.

Tomorrow we will attend the 9:30 Mass. Each child will sit with a seventh grader. This Mass will be a bit longer than a usual school Mass. Our Student Council officers will be installed and we will celebrate Sr. JoAnn and her years of service at SJB.

Thank you to Evelyn and her family for providing our F Cooking activity today. The French Toast was fabulous! I was impressed by their cooking skills. A few cracked the eggs and they all enjoyed whisking the mixture. They are learning how to cut with plastic knives and they cut their own french toast into smaller bite sized pieces.

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Week of September 23 

This week we will focus on the Letter Aa and Apples. We will learn how apples grow, the parts of an apple, and how we can use apples. All of our activities will focus on apples. At the Science table, the children will weigh and compare apples to other items using a balance scale. In the Sensory table, the children will sort apples (red, green, and yellow pom poms) using tongs/ tweezers. The children will build trees that can hold apples at the STEAM table (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math) using toilet paper rolls, green craft sticks, and mini apples or pom poms. The children will free paint apples at the easels. And I have added baskets of toy apples to the kitchen area. Our Math activities will be sorting apples by size (small, medium, and large) and counting. The children will add apples to an apple tree according to the number on the tree card. We will even do some taste testing on Friday.

Reminders for the week:
     - Monday is Independence Day! Beginning Monday, children are to walk into 
       school by themselves everyday.

     - Bishop Malooly will visit SJB on Tuesday. EC3 through 2nd grade will meet 
       in Church at 10:00. We will recite our Morning Prayer for him. We will not
       have Library due to the visit.

     - We will have a Special Snack on Wednesday. This is the class reward that
       the children voted on for building Mr. Potato Head.

     - Thursday is our first Alphabet Cooking for the Letter A.

     - Friday is our first Tag Day. Please pay your donation on Smart Tuition to
       participate. The theme is Blast from the Past and the children are
       encouraged to dress from any decade of their choice. I know this theme
       may be difficult for our students to comprehend, so any clothes that your
       child wishes to wear are fine.

       Pretzels will be provided by Home and School at snack for those who
       ordered.

       A paper towel roll is due today for an Art project next week. Please write
       your child's name on the inside of the roll.

       We will be taste testing apples and apple drinks On Friday afternoon.

Monday: We introduced the Letter A using wooden pieces from our Learning Without Tears Program. The children use the pieces to build the letter. Each child was handed two big pieces and one little piece to create "big line down, big line down, little line across". We looked at picture cards of A words and the children wrote the letter A on the Smart Board.

We discussed the parts of an apple. I cut open an apple and named the parts for the children: skin, flesh, seeds, stems, and leaf. One of the seeds had a small sprout emerging from it, which I thought was pretty cool! The children then colored an apple diagram based on the directions I gave them.

Independence Day was a success! All the children did an amazing job! Even the few that were a bit teary had smiles as soon as they walked into school and saw their friends. We enjoyed ice cream in the classroom after lunch recess.

Tuesday: We learned how an apple grows. Yesterday, I explained that apples begin as pink and white flowers on an apple tree. They could not believe it! Today, I showed them a book with real photographs of an apple tree. 

We had a STEAM activity where we built an apple tree. This is the activity on the STEAM table this week, but I wanted to present it to the group first. At first, the children struggled with how to build the tree. STEAM activities do require the children to think outside the box. One we built the tree, the children found that the thinner craft sticks gave the apples more support than the thick craft sticks. The pom poms were easily added to the tree. 

We attended Church at 10:00 for our visit with Bishop Malooly. Every year, the Bishop visits each diocesan school. We did not attend Library due to the visit.

Tomorrow we will have a special snack for our class reward. To celebrate our reward and our theme, I will provide apple cider donuts. I will also have goldfish crackers.

Wednesday: During Shelf Work, the children decorated an apple cut out with tissue paper squares. The children are learning to apply the correct amount of glue on the appropriate places on crafts. They also learned how to pin punch the letter Aa, which is a great fine motor activity. It was definitely challenging for some students, but I was impressed that they stayed focused on th task. 

We also completed our first ABC Pictionary page. This page will become part of our Binders. I explained to the children that this is when I teach them to write and draw, as well as learn their sounds. In one simple page, we address several topics. We first recalled words that begin with A. Then I demonstrated on the Smart Board how to draw an apple, an ant, and an acorn. While drawing words each week, I also end up giving mini lessons, if appropriate. For example, today while drawing an ant I explained that it is an insect and has three body parts and six legs. Finally, we wrote the word APPLE. Once the children are more comfortable with writing letters, we will write all three words and I will vary between uppercase and lowercase. They were attentive and eager to do this activity.

Tomorrow is Gym Day. Please remember to have your child's name on his or her shirt. Girls should have their hair pulled back.

Thursday: The children have been doing an amazing job of walking into school themselves! I know some may be teary or upset when they are leaving your arms, but they quickly recover. Once they enter the room, they are all smiles!

Friday is Tag Day. (dress down day) Children are permitted to dress down. Tag Days are Student Council's way of collecting donations for charity. This month's theme is Blast from the Past. If you have not already done so, please make your donation on Smart Tuition. Pretzels will be delivered to the classroom for snack time, for those who ordered. 

Letter of the Week Cooking began today! The children were very excited to cook. Thank you to Antonio and family for the Amazing Applesauce! The children loved cutting the apples into small pieces. The apples had to cook in the crockpot for four hours and then cool before we could mash them. We enjoyed the applesauce this afternoon. Some children were licking the bowl clean! All recipes will be included in the children's binders that will be sent home at the end of the year. 
                             

Friday: We created an apple pie craft which required the children to cut different shapes and then follow directions to glue correctly.  We have been working on writing our names the big kid way. Please remind your child to write his or her name this way. 

Thank you to the families who donated an item to our apple tasting activity today. We enjoyed taste testing red, green, and yellow apples. We completed a questionaire regarding the apples. We also tried apple juice and apple cider.

Have a wonderful first weekend of Fall!

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Week of September 16

Our new theme is All About Me and we will learn that we are all special and have unique talents. Each day a group of children will share their All About Me Bags and share with the class what makes them special. We will continue to practice writing our names the big kid way. In Math, we began sorting last week. We sorted Bingo chips by color. This week we will sort by shape.

On Friday afternoon, we finally had the opportunity to vote on the name of our class pet. Sweetie is the name of our red Betta fish! 
                         
       
Monday, September 23rd, is Independence Day. This is the day when caregivers are no longer permitted in the building and children walk to their classrooms all by themselves. Take the opportunity this week to prepare your child. Walk them inside the building and watch them walk to the door alone. Stand outside the main doors and watch your child. Praise them for a job well done! Many children have begun this process already and they are doing amazing. I am so proud of them!

Each child will need an empty paper towel roll for an activity at the end of the month. Please send one in by Friday, September 27th.

Next week, we will learn about Apples. If you are able to donate an item for taste testing on Friday, September, 27th, please email me:
                a gallon of apple cider    (someone volunteered)
                a gallon of apple juice   (someone volunteered)
                four red apples    (someone volunteered)
                four yellow apples
                four green apples    (someone volunteered)

Monday: We began our new theme by reading a beautiful book, Designed By God So I Must Be Special. The book discussed the five senses and how wonderful it is to experience God's world and be a part of it. We used markers to color a child shape. These unique self portraits will be decorated tomorrow using buttons, stickers, yarn hair, etc.

Tuesday: Today we discussed how each of us is unique and special. Using rocks as a comparison, we investigated how each rock was different (different shapes, colors, texture). God made the rocks just like he created us. We are also different colors and sizes, like the rocks. Each child chose a rock that he or she felt was special. This rock became a Prayer Rock. We wrote the children's names on the rocks and they added paint fingerprints. These rocks will decorate our Prayer Table to remind us all year how special we are and that God loves us.

The children have been doing a great job sharing their All About Me Bags so far. Each child sits on the bench and shares the contents of their bags. The class is very excited to see what makes their classmates special.

Wednesday: Last week we introduced writing our names the big kid way. Today we practiced tracing our names on laminated cards. We are encouraging the children to use proper pencil grip. Please watch your child at home to ensure that he or she is holding the pencil correctly. Many of the children have been switching from a correct grip to a fist like grip throughout an activity. Also, please watch scissor grip as well. We always say "thumb up!" to help them remember the correct grip.

Tomorrow is our Gym day so please remember to wear a shirt with your child's name written on it for class.

Thursday: Children love to pretend they are grown ups. I love observing them in the kitchen area when they are deciding who is the mommy, who is the doctor, baker, etc. We discussed what we would like to be when we grow up. I love hearing their responses! We read When I Grow Up by Al Yankovic. We created a "When I Grow Up" craft during Shelf Work.

Tonight is Back to School Night for EC3 and EC4 classes. This is for caregivers only. If you can not attend, please view my Back to School Night tab. These are my key talking points for the evening. If you have any questions, please let me know. We will begin at 6:30 in the classroom.

You will be receiving an email regarding class colors for school events such as Field Day and Spirit Rallies. This information is also on Mrs. Schock's web page. EC4A was assigned white. Please purchase a white t-shirt and send it into school by November 1st. We will be decorating it in school during November so it will be ready for the December Spirit Rally. Keep an eye out for sales at AC Moore. They often do three or four shirts for $10.00 which is great if you have multiple children.

Friday: We painted a fish using water colors today. We read the book Only One You by Linda Kranz. The characters in the book are fish, but the story relates to the children's lives. It was a great way to end All About Me Week!

EXCITING NEWS!!! Miss Kavanagh is now engaged! She is the para for EC3A and many of my students had her last year as a teacher. Her fiancee Nick proposed during lunch today in front of EC3 through sencond grade classes, allowing all of her current and former students to witness the event.

And...... we completed bulding Mr. Potato Head!!!! We will vote on a class reward party to be celebrated next week. Great job! They have worked really hard during Specials to earn this reward.
                                      

With all the excitement, I currently have six children sleeping during rest time! 

Have a wonderful weekend! Letter of the Week begins next week.

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Week of September 9

We will continue with the theme Welcome to SJB. We will reinforce the expectations of the classroom that were introduced last week. The children have responded well to their new environment. They quickly are learning the morning routine. They are unpacking their bags and placing their folders in the basket. They sign in on the Smart Board. The children are able to slide their first name into the apple on the Smart Board. They are beginning to interact with their new friends at the tables. It is nice to see them share the toys and have little conversations with each other.  

Rest time has gone well. A few are not sleeping, but they are quiet and allow their friends to rest. The children have been sleeping with their stuffed animals in an appropriate manner. The rule is that the stuffed animals must stay in the bag until rest time. However, a few children are walking into school in the morning carrying their toys. They refuse to place their toys in their schoolbag. Please be sure the stuffed animals are inside the schoolbag before the children enter school. 

Next week, our theme will be "All About Me". The children will receive a brown bag, All About Me Bag, to prepare for next week. Please keep the bags at home until your child's assigned day. 

This Thursday is Picture Day. All children will be photographed for the yearbook, even if you are not purchasing a photo package. Children may dress down in Sunday best clothes. Our class has Gym that day so please be sure your child wears sneakers or similar style or they will not be permitted to participate in class.

Monday: Every Monday, we have two special classes. Spanish in the morning and Music in the afternoon. We travel to the Main Building to see Ms. Koval for la clase de espanol. Mrs. Wagner comes to our class for Music. Due to two specials, we do not have Shelf Work (Centers) on Mondays.

We read Mo Willems new book, The Pigeon Has to Go to School. I love his Pigeon series because it invites the children to participate. In each of the books, the reader is tasked with keeping the Pigeon out of trouble. As the Pigeon speaks, the children instinctively respond. Last week, I read a few previous books at Guest Reader time so the children would become familiar with Pigeon's personality. During Group Time, we created a Pigeon craft. I placed all the cut outs that the children required for the activity inside their pencil boxes. The children had to listen carefully to the directions and locate which piece they needed from their box and glue it in the correct spot.

I introduced our Star Student activity today. I shared a poster with information about myself. Next week, Mrs. Golebiowski will be the Star Student. Then we pass it to the children. I will choose a ping pong ball (the balls are labeled with the children's names) from the jar to see who the Star Student will be each week.

Tuesday: We continued our discussion of our class rule, "Be Kind". I introduced our Tree of Good Deeds. When Mrs. Golebiowski and I witness a random act of kindness the children earn a sticker on their shape on the tree. For example, during September our Tree of Good Deeds has tweny-three apples, one for each student. We hope the children have a few stickers on their apples by the end of the month. In October, a new shape will be on the tree.

During Shelf Work, the children are practicing cutting curves by cutting a large circle. I am assessing shape recognition and pencil grip this week.

During our afternoon Group Work, we completed our first Clifford Magazine. Together we read the magazine. Then we watch the corresponding videos on the Smart Board. With each magazine, there is also an online game that we play on the Smart Board. There is a letter in the folders today explaining how to access online activities at home.

Wednesday: During Shelf Work, we continued to practice cutting a circle and assessing shapes. I wanted to devote two days to these activities. I love how eager my friends are to work with the teachers. On Tuesday, when I announced that it was time to clean up several children were quite upset that they did not work with us at the tables yet. They are so excited about school that even a simple activity such as tracing a triangle as I assess pencil grip brings joy to them. We finished assessing all the children today.

Tomorrow is Picture Day. Please order pictures online or send in payment tomorrow. Our pictures are scheduled for 8:30 in the morning. Please remember to wear sneakers of similar shoes for Gym Class.

Thursday: Today we discussed writing our name the "Big Kid" way. It is developmentally appropriate to teach children to first write their names using uppercase letters. When the reach the four year old class, they possess the fine motor skills to attempt lowercase letters. We talked about initials. We practiced tracing our first names. I encourage the children to write their own names, even if they can only write one letter. Please teach your child proper letter formation and to always begin at the top.

School pictures ran over a bit. We went back to the classroom to have snack and missed Gym Class. Instead, we went outside to the playground. The children were so patient and quiet during picture time. They needed to move around and release some energy. During lunch recess, the weather was very hot so we went inside after 20 minutes of running in the field. We rehydrated with our water bottles and watched an episode of Paw Patrol.

Friday: We read the book, If You Take a Mouse to School, by Laura Numeroff. In the book, Mouse packs a lunch and attends school with the boy. Mouse is busy all day with different activities. We discussed items that are acceptable for school. We discussed how to respect toys in school.

We continued to identify our initials. The children decorated a large cut out of their initial with various art supplies. We used a q-tip to apply liguid glue to the paper and then added the sequin, button, etc.

Have a wonderful weekend! Don't forget to send your child's All About Me Bag on his or her assigned day next week.  

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Week of September 3

Welcome to SJB! This will be our theme for the next two weeks. Whether your child is a returning student or new to our school, we are welcoming them to a new year at SJB. We will spend a majority of our time this week introducing classroom expectations and our class rule, "BE KIND". We will ease into our daily routine allowing the children to adjust to their new surroundings. I have a few projects planned which will provide me with the opportunity to assess the children's pencil and scissor grip, ability to glue and trace, color and shape recognition, and following directions. These assessments will aid in determining how to plan the next few weeks.

Snack: Remember to pack a morning snack each day inside the lunch box. Also, send in a water bottle that is separate from the lunch box for drinks throughout the day. If your child attends Eagles Club, please pack a snack and place the snack in the front pocket of your child's schoolbag. Please send two napkins in the lunch box everyday for snack and lunch.

Arrival: On the first day, you may walk your child into the classroom to help him or her navigate hanging the belongings in the cubby and placing the folder in the basket. On day two, parents walk children to the classroom door and allow the children to enter the classroom by themselves. We need to begin establishing our morning routine. Parents may walk their children into the building and to the classroom door until September 23rd, which is known as Independence Day in the Early Childhhod building. Doors open at 7:20. Our day begins promptly at 7:35, so please be on time.

Lunch: I will send home any food that your child brings from home and does not finish. I want you to be aware of what they are eating. Please be patient with us. Mrs. Golebiowski and I have twenty-three students and we will do our best to encourage eating. Mrs. Golebiowski will take those students who order through the hot lunch line. I stay at the tables opening lunches for those who pack lunch. In the beginning, the children are either too excited to eat or starved. Their bodies are adjusting to their new eating times. Please send two napkins in the lunchbox everyday for snack and lunch.

Rest time: I noticed that a few children brought pillows to school for rest time. In the four year old classes, we do not allow pillows. The cubbies are crowded with the blankets and change of shoes/ underwear. Your child may bring in a SMALL stuffed animal to sleep with. This will be kept in the schoolbag, not the cubby. If the stuffed animal becomes a distraction during rest, your child will have to return it to the school bag.

Outerwear: Please be sure everything is labeled with your child's first and last name. On rainy days, we ask that your child does not bring an umbrella into the classroom. Please have your child wear a raincoat or any coat with a hood.


Tuesday: Happy First Day of School! We began our day with Circle Time and introduced our "Super Star Helpers" classroom jobs. This took some time as I explained each job to the class. During Shelf Work, I introduced all the center areas. Our Special today was Library with Mrs. Oldiges and Mrs. Tobin. The children were excited to visit the Library and hear a story. Each week, the children will hear a story and complete a coloring activity that corelates to the story.

After lunch, I read Pete the Cat, Rocking in My School Shoes, by Eric Litwin. Then the children retrieved their new pencil boxes from their cubbies. I love new crayons!!! We colored a picture of Pete the Cat on a First Day of School certificate.

I am happy to report that the class earned thier first Mr. Potato Head piece! Every time I receive a good report when I pick the class up from a Special Class Teacher or the class does an amazing job as a whole, we earn a piece to assemble Mr. Potato Head. In Library, I was told that my friends did an "Excellent job!". Wow! I usually do not introduce our Mr. Potato Head reward system until week two. Earning a piece on Day One is a great accomplishment. I am so proud of my friends! Sometimes I draw a name to dress Mr. Potato Head and sometimes I choose a child who is doing an exceptional job. Many friends were on task all day, but we only could add one piece. Antonio was chosen and  he added a mouth. When Mr. Potato Head is completely assembled, we will vote on a class reward. Some examples include a dance party, special snack, stuffed animal day, extra recess, movie at lunch, etc. 

Wednesday: We continued to have fun with Pete the Cat. I read Pete the Cat and the Four Groovy Buttons. I even wore my own yellow shirt with four groovy felt buttons. As I read the book, I removed a button each time Pete lost a button. The children enjoyed helping me count down from the number four. Afterwards, the students glued a yellow shirt to a Pete the Cat cut out. Then we worked on number recognition as the students attached numbered button stickers to Pete's shirt. I provided the children with four button stickers and they had to put them on the shirt in the correct order. These will be on display outside our classroom.

We met Mrs. Newcomb, our Art teacher, today. The children walked across the hall to the Art room. They really love sitting in the big kid chairs!

During Shelf Work, we practiced proper scissor grip and cutting on a line. The children cut out strips of paper as we observed their techniques. We also decorated a special cover for our binders.

Thank you to everyone who chose a donation card at the orientation. I am overwhelmed by your generosity! Thank you so much for all of the donations. The kitchen items will be used when we do our weekly cooking. Many of the other items will be used for our STEAM activities. The chalk and bubbles will come in handy tomorrow when we have the black top for recess.

Reminder: Thursday is our Gym day! Mrs. Schock requests that your child wears a school shirt that is labeled with his or her name on the front. You may write this with a permanent marker. 

Thursday: We read one of my favorite books, The Day the Crayons Quit, by Drew Daywalt. This book is quite humorous and the children love it! It sparks great conversations about treating other kindly and learning that everyone has feelings. The children each chose a crayon to decorate. They had to cut out the crayon shape and then follow directions to add arms, legs, and a face to the crayon. These crayons will decorate a bulletin board inside the classroom. We cannot wait for you to see all our creations when you come to Back to School night. 

We completed our first Religion book page today. Each lesson comes with a parent letter. Since this is the first lesson in the unit, you will also receive a Unit One letter and a Lesson One letter. We complete one lesson weekly.

We attended Gym class in the Hall with Mrs. Schock. Each special teacher has a webpage on the site. They do not update as often as homeroom teachers. Please take a look at their pages.

We ate lunch in the classroom today. We had a lot of cleaning up to do after Shelf Work and were going to be late for lunch. Also, we are learning how to walk in a line which means it takes a bit longer to arrive at places. In the three year old classes, they walk in a single line. In the four year old classes, we begin having a boy line and a girl line. My friends are very curious and observing their surroundings as we walk. Somehow the girls keep veering into my boy line. The boys stop to look at everything. I decided that I wanted the children to enjoy their lunch and need have to inhale it. I turned on an episode of Paw Patrol and we had plenty of time to eat our lunches.

We added two more pieces to Mr. Potato Head! Natalie and Scarlett a chose eyes and an ear. We earned one piece for an excellent first gym class. The other I awarded for great listening during our crayon craft. We completed these as a group so the children really had to focus and follow directions.

Friday: We did not attend Mass today. We usually attend our first school Mass in November. However, this year we will honor Sr. JoAnn and wish her a happy retirement during the October Mass on the feast of St. Francis. I am hoping that the children will be ready to attend this Mass so EC4A can be part of the celebration. The school was on Mass schedule today so we had snack and Computer class a little earlier that usual. We met Mrs. Coffield, who is new to SJB this year.

During Shelf Work, I began assessing recognition of colors and shapes. In the afternoon, we completed our first page in our "Green Book". This book is part of our Handwriting Without Tears program to introduce letter writing. Today's page was to practice drawing lines and curves. 

Today we send home rest towels and sheets. Please wash them over the weekend and return on Monday. I have a added a few pictures on the Photo Tab. 

Have a great weekend! It was a fabulous first week with my new friends. Mrs. Golebiowski and I are pleased with the behavior and enthusiasm we have seen already. We cannot wait to do it again next week!