WELCOME TO EC3A

2018-2019

IMPORTANT DATES:        
Friday, 5/17-  Donuts with Dads (classroom) 7:40-8:15
Friday, 5/17 - visit from Officer Clark for O week, LAST DAY FOR HOT LUNCH 
Friday 5/24 -    NO SCHOOL
Monday, 5/27 - NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, 5/28- Chick Fila Lunch
Wednesday, 5/29 -  Popsicles and scavenger hunt with 4th grade buddies
Thursday 5/30- Sibling Lunch
Friday, 5/31 -  Last day of school for ECP, picnic lunch - CHILDREN WILL BE DISMISSED AT THE END OF LUNCH - NO EAGLE'S CLUB FOR PRESCHOOL

******Daily News*****

What an exciting morning! Donuts with Dads and A visit from 2 Police Officers! 




May 16, 2019,

The children had a great time at field day today. We were so happy that the weather cleared up and they were able to have a fun day outside. I asked my friends what was their favorite activity of the day. Most of them said it was water balloon play. It is always a favorite.
Thank you so much to all of the volunteers that made our day so successful. We could not of done it without you! Thank you for spending your morning with us! 

Tomorrow is Donuts with Dads. Dads please try and park along the tree line in the back lot. Gym class may be outside first period. Also there is no need to check in at the office. This will be a quick but memorable morning. 

Notes about Field Day tomorrow: 
Your child should wear their Gym uniform. Girls should have their hair pulled back and all children should wear sunscreen since we will be outside all day. My friends all need a refillable water bottle with their name on it. Children will be served a bag of pretzels for morning snack and pizza for lunch. Please pack a drink and snacks for lunch as the children are very hunrgy and thirsty by then. If your child will not eat pizza, please pack them a lunch. This is a fun day for the children and Mrs. Schock works very hard to make sure it is a well planned and organized and fun day for the children.
 Volunteers are to sign in at the office and go straight to the gym for instructions about the day. If you are staying for the day, please do not park out back as most of the events will be in our back parking lot. Pray for good weather!!

Tomorrow, Tuesday May 14th  We will be having a special color themed tag day with the entire school. (Color Wars) our class color is YELLOW. I am looking forward to seeing how creative my friends will be dress.

May 10, 2019,
Happy Mother's Day! Thank you mom's for making our morning so special! 

Today we visited the Queen of all mom's. We adorned Mary with flowers and prayed the Hail Mary.

May 9, 2019

Tomorrow is Beach theme tag day and pretzels. 

The children are very excited for our Muffins with Moms. Moms please try and park almond the tree line in the back lot. Gym class may be outside first period. Also there is no need to check in at the office. This will be a quick but memorable morning.

Special Persons Lunch was very successful. Thank you to all the special people that made my little ones day! They were so excited for their special lunch.

Last day for our Library Book Fair! If you would like your child to do any last minute shopping please send in money. All moms you may also take your child after our Muffins with Mom.
Thank you so much for all of the books that were bought for out classroom. Your kindness and generosity is greatly appreciated. My friends were so excited for me to read their books and add it to out library. Thank you!

May is such a busy month in our classroom. We are busy making gifts for moms, dads, special people and end of the year. Although we are busy, we still find plenty of time for play. I really enjoy observing the class play. They have formed kind and caring friendships with one another. It melts my heart listening to their conversations and problem solving. They have developed skills that will last a lifetime.

This week we finished up the letter “ Z” with a visit from the Brandywine traveling zoo. This is a great hands on visit for the children. They were able to meet a turtle, ferret , and a porcupine.


We then moved onto the letter “ I” for insects. We are observing the metamorphosis of 6 caterpillars. The caterpillars came to us little and very hungry. We watched as they ate and grew bigger. They are now in the chrysalis form. We have read “ The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and “ The Very Impatient Caterpillar” We will be finishing the letter tomorrow with an ice cream party. 

A letter is being sent home about our last day of school and lunch order tomorrow. Please let me know if you have any questions. 

Field Day is Thursday, May 16th. All children are welcomed to attend. We are still in need of one parent to walk around with our class. Please let me know if you are available to help. An e-mail was sent out with information about the day. Please do not forget to send in a water bottle with your child’s name on it. Lunch will be provided but you may want to pack a few extra snacks. 
Please inform me if you did not receive the school email. We are looking forward to a great day! Let’s all pray for no rain!!!!

We celebrated Kira.s birthday today! Happy Birthday! We hope you had a fantastic day and thank you for the delicious cookies.

Lastly, thank you to our wonderful H&SA for making Teachers Appreciation Week so special. We were greeted Monday with a snack bag full of delicious items and a breakfast this morning. Thank you to all of you for the special gifts. What a wonderful surprise and generous gesture to think of us. I am truly blessed everyday to be able to spend time with your fabulous, sweet and enthusiastic children. 


April 30, 2019,
Welcome back! I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter and Spring Break. Now it is time to get ready for a busy and exciting last month of school. 

Information will be sent home tomorrow in your child's folder about Muffins with Moms and Donuts with Dads.

Group pictures were sent home. If your ordered a picture and did not receive it please let me know.

We are discussing the letter "Z" for our Zoo theme this week. We played a zoo animal guessing game, learned the finger play 5 little Monkeys with flannel props and read the stories "Giraffes Can't Dance" and "Good Night Gorilla"

We focused on cutting skills today at our centers. The children cut out a lion and its mane and a gorilla face. They are doing a fantastic job with their cutting skills. 

The children also worked on building a zoo in the block area along with animal sorting by size and color.
 

Thank you for all of the donations for our Easter Baskets. My friends helped put them together this morning. We will bring them to church for the Easter Blessing on Wednesday and then they will be transported to the Emmanual dinning room. thank you so much for your generosity.

We said goodbye to the Baby Chicks today. My friends were very sad to see them go but were happy to know they would get to see their Mommy and Daddy. We spent time playing with them this morning before they returned to the Farm.







We have 11of 12 eggs hatched in one classroom and 10 of 12 in another! How exciting. The children each had a chance to hold and pet a baby chick today. We will have time withe chicks again tomorrow and Friday before they retrun home. 

April 9, 2019,

Exciting News! Our first Egg Hatched today! We were able to see the egg with a tiny hole/ crack early in th emorning. When we returned from Technology class the egg had hatched. The chick needs to stay in the incubater for 24 hours before it can taken out. We will be able to explore the chick and hopefuly some more tomorrow. 

Below are pictures of some of our Easter Learning centers.






April 8, 2019,
 

What a beautiful day outside!  My friends really enjoyed the warm weather! Some were even telling me they were hot!  Please make sure that you start applying sun screen to your children in the morning before the come to school. We will definitely be going outside for morning and afternoon recess on these sunny days.

We will be continuing to discuss the letter “Y” and Easter this week. My friends are very excited for the baby chicks. Tomorrow we will be visiting the Eggs that have arrived in the incubators. We are hoping that the hatching will start to happen by Wednesday. I read the story “If were an Easter Bunny today during Circle time. After the story my friends had a turn to share what they would do if they were the Easter bunny. Most of them would eat lots of chocolate. Too cute! We also worked on using our descriptive words by answering questions about a Spring Scene at the playground. My friends did fantastic with this activity.

We took a very short rest after recess this afternoon. We had a sprit rally/dance party in the gym to celebrate the end of the second trimester. My friends really seem to have fun dancing. Our class won the spirit award for their efforts in Art Class. I am so proud of all of my friends

Our class is in desperate need of baby wipes, clorox wipes and glue sticks.  If you would like to dontate some to get us through the end of the year that would be great! Thank you so much for your help!

Enjoy the sunshine!

March 26, 2019,
We have been discussing the season of Spring in the classroom with the themes Kite "K" and Umbrella "U". My friends have become quite the experts on weather and making predictons on wether or not we will be able to have morning recess. (warm, rainy, cold, windy)

We have been working on counting especially with one to one corespondence. Some of my friends are even solving basic addition/subtraction problems. It is completely amazing how much we learn while we are playing.

Below are pictures of some of the spring theme centers: Dramatic play has transformed into a flower shop. Customers are ordering flowers by checking off the diffrent color flowers they want on an order from. The florist is taking orders either by phone or in person. They are also taking care of the flowers by watering and sorting them. They make a bouquet, put it in the vase and the customer fills out a gift card. (too cute) This is a big hit with my friends. 

The block area (I can build) has many Spring task cards but today my friends chose to build a baseball field and have a game. Wow! what amazing imaginations.

The play dough tray is filled with pots, seeds, flowers and bugs. The children made gardens and seemed to enjoy hiding the seeds in the play dough.

Book orders forms are being sent home today. I hope to have the books delivered before Easter Break. As always, Thank you for all of  your orders we have been able to get lots of new books and manipulatives for our classroom with our points. 



Our class picture will be taken at 8:00 in the gym tomorrow morning. If you would like your child to be in the picture please make sure that they are at school on time because we will be leaving the classroom to head to the gym at 7:45. The children are to wear their school uniforms for the picture. MWF students are welcomed to attend school tomorrow instead of Friday to be present for the picture. Thank you!

Field Day is Scheduled for Thursday May 16th. All children are welcomed to attend school and particicpate in Field Day! We are still in need of one parent to help walk our class around to stations. Thank you!

On Friday 3/22, students may wear their craziest looking socks for Rock Your Socks Day.  This day is to bring awareness to Down Syndrome.  Student Council, on behalf of our Girl Scout Troop, will be making a donation to the Delaware Down Syndrome Association. So....ROCK YOUR SOCKS!!!

Please do not forget to sign up for Special Persons Day! Below is the Link from the email that was sent out from the school office.
https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdOLuQW-BrmCcr6pcoOqmwUzsGvVdjNTuNSMz9zkjPjdi93-Q/viewform?usp=sf_link

March 18, 2019,

Today we celebrated Evelyn's Birthday! Happy Birthday Evelyn! We hope you have a wonderful day and thank you for the yummy rice crispy treats.

Report Cards are being sent home today in your child's folder. Please sign the envelope on the second line and return to school. thank you

Children are to wear their uniforms for our class Picture on Thursday. The photographer will return for spring/sibling portraits.

A sign up for Easter Basket donations was sent out on Friday! Thank you for signing up so fast, your generosity is amazing! You are the best!

Mrs Schock sent out an email through the school office about Field Day volunteers. We are in need of two more volunteers to walk our class around to stations. Field Day is a fun filled day for the children. Mrs Schock sets up activites in the gym and in the back parking lot. The children are walked around by parent volunteers to the diffrent stations that are also run by parents. This is a day that would not be possible without all of you! Thank you so much! It really is such a fun and exciting day for the students. 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b48afa82ba4ff2-field3
March 15, 2019,
Well, we did not catch the Leprechaun but we sure did have fun trying. After we read an Ispy the Leprechaun book during our circle time we all took turns putting our traps in a special place where we thoght we could catch a Leprechaun. We then very quietly waked to Library. When we retruned to our class.. We found a huge mess. The Leprechaun was definetely here. He dumped toys, took things out of our cubbies, knocked over chairs and left us each a gold chocolate coin. It was so great to see how excited my friends were. They were so protective of our classroom that they busily went around and straightened it up. (I wish our daily clean up was this easy). We were a little disappointed that we didn't get to see the Leprechaun but everyone seemed happy to  be taking their traps home to try again over the weekend!!!! Hope you all have a Lucky St Patrick's Day!!
Thank you to Meara and Lyla for bringing in yummy treats! They were a big hit!


March 14, 2019,
What a beautiful day! We really enjoyed our time outsdie today! Mrs Newcomb was not here today so we did not have art class. This gave us a chance to have a little extra recess! We were able to spend time on both playgorunds, play with chalk and cars, and run on the field! It was a great day in ECP3.

During circle time we listened to the story How to Catch a Leprechaun. We also danced to some St. Patrick's Day songs. I read the Rainbow Fish and we had a discussion about opposites. I gave my friends a word and they needed to use their thinking caps and tell me what they thought would be the opposite. They did great! Way to Go! We also learned a song about a Hiding Leprechaun.

At centers my friends worked on locating the letters of thier name out of a pot of gold. After they found the letters they wrote their names for me. They also made a rainbow coming out of a pot of gold using dot markers. We have been busy working on counting.. some of us are even doing simple addition. It is amazing! 

Mrs Schock sent out an email through the school office about Field Day volunteers. We are in need of three more volunteers to walk our class around to stations. Field Day is a fun filled day for the children. Mrs Schock sets up activites in the gym and in the back parking lot. The children are walked around by parent volunteers to the diffrent stations that are also run by parents. This is a day that would not be possible without all of you! Thank you so much! It really is such a fun and exciting day for the students. 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b48afa82ba4ff2-field3

Please do not forget to fill out the google form about Special Persons Day!
An email was sent out from the school Office regarding Special Persons Day.  Special Persons day is a time where two Special people in your child’s life may come and eat lunch with them. The event is held on May the date you attend is according to your child’s last name. If your last name falls on a date that your child does not attend school. Please choose another date on the reservation form. Only 2 adults per family are allowed to attend. All Siblings will sit together as a family. The adults are required to bring lunch for your child and themselves. There will be no hot lunch available during this time.  The book fair will also be going on in the Library during this special event.

Students have a St Patrick's Dag day and Pretzels Tomorrow!

Our Class picture will be taken on Thursday, March 21 ^st. My MWF students are welcomed to come to school on Thursday instead of Friday if you would like them to be present for the picture.

March 13, 2019,
We celebrated Meela's birthday today! Thank you for the delicious cake pops and strawberries. We hope you have a wonderful birthday on Friday!

What a busy day! Our morning was packed with a fun filled Gym and spanish class. We then had a visit from our 4th grade buddies. They helped my friends build Leprechaun traps. They are all so very creative. We are going to set them up on Friday in hopes to catch that tricky Leprechaun. the children are so excited and very proud of thier work. Thank you so much for all of the boxes!!!














March 12, 2019,

We will be making our Leprechaun traps tomorrow with our 4th grade buddies. We are going to try really hard to catch a Leprechaun. If you have any empty boxes please send them in. thank you! (Cereal, Shoe, Amazon). As of right now we only have 2 boxes> We could really use alot more!!!!

During our circle time Meela shared items from home that began with the letter "R". I read the book The Littlest Leprechaun and then we discussed ways on how we could try to catch a Leprechaun if he came to our classroom. We had some very interesting ideas and a great deal of laughs during this circle time.
 

Center time Fun (Pictures Below)

March 11, 2019,

Our Class picture will be taken on Thursday, March 21 ^st. My MWF students are welcomed to come to school on Thursday instead of Friday if you would like them to be present for the picture.

An email was sent out from the school Office regarding Special Persons Day.  Special Persons day is a time where two Special people in your child’s life may come and eat lunch with them. The event is held on May the date you attend is according to your child’s last name. If your last name falls on a date that your child does not attend school. Please choose another date on the reservation form. Only 2 adults per family are allowed to attend. All Siblings will sit together as a family. The adults are required to bring lunch for your child and themselves. There will be no hot lunch available during this time.  The book fair will also be going on in the Library during this special event.

We will be making Leprechaun traps this week. We are going to try really hard to catch a Leprechaun. If you have any empty boxes please send them in. thank you! (Cereal, Shoe, Amazon)

If anyone would like to make a special sweet treat for Friday please let me know. We will have a little celebration (hopefully after the Leprechaun has visited us)

We started a new letter today “R” for Rainbows. We will also be incorporating St Patrick’s Day into this theme. I read the book Rosie the Rabbit’s Radish during circle time. We discussed as a class all of the words that begin with the letter “R” in the story. My friends had to really use their listening ears to hear the R sound. They did a great job. We then helped Rosie name items in the classroom begin with the letter.

During our center time the children made rain clouds out of the letter “R” for their alphabet book. We also completed the push pin and spot the dot for the letter. The children worked in our block area to make pots of gold, Leprechaun traps and clover mazes.  They also made shamrocks out of playdough and sorted shamrocks by patterns.

March 6, 2019,

Today we celebrated Cooper's Birthday. We enjoyed a special treat at lunch (Chocolate covered oreo's and grapes) Thank you Cooper! Happy Birthday!

Father Coffiey visited our classroom and gave the children a special blessing. He then distributed ashes to each one of my friends. I explained to the children that we wear our ashes on our forehead to show our love for Jesus. 



We made crosses to celebrate the Season of Lent. They are on display in our hallway bulletin board. We aslo continued with our Transportation theme and letter X. Below are pictures of a few of the fun centers we are playing with for this theme. After recess we had a dance party to shake our wiggles out. We then had a special treat,  we watched a short show "Stinky" its a series on amazon prime about trucks.






March 4, 2019,

Welcome March! I sure hope this was the last time we will be seeing snow this season. We are all wishing for outside time. 

We started a new letter "X" and will be incorporating the "Things that Go" theme. During circle time we discussed different types of transportation. We watched a few silly songs about sailboats, trains and airplanes. I read the story "Go Dog Go" to finish up with Dr Seuss.

During our center time my friends made a sailboat by painting the bottom of a paper plate. We then added a colorful sail. We also worked on various transportaion puzzles. We made bridges and ramps out of blocks for the cars and played in a rock construction site in our sensory table. We also counted and sorted boats, planes, trains and cars.

A special thank you to all who participated in Bidamania. I hope you had a fun evening and won something very exciting! This event is always such a huge event for our school and it is wonderful to see all of the support from our families. 

February 27, 2019,
We started off the morning with gym class. thank you to our volunterers for helping the class with jump roping. Our class had fun with this activty. As always we appreciate all of the time that you can spend with us volunterring!

In Spanish class today the children counted to 50 in spanish. Ms Koval also worked on emotions and some activities on the smart board.

We finished discussing dinosaurs during our circle time. We will spend the next two days celebrating Dr. Seuss. I read the story Dinosaurs long ago and we sang our dinosaur song. We even did some dino exercises and danced to a "We are the dinosaurs"youtube dance.

Our dinosaur centers were still avalible to explore during our center time. I worked on name recognition and writting and Ms Kavanagh had my friends cutting out dino shapes.
 

February 26, 2019,

Mrs Schock asked me to reach out to see if there were anymore parents available to help out with gym class this week. As of right now she has 2 parents signed up and was hoping for 6. Thank you
www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b48afa82ba4ff2-physical

Bidamania is right around the corner and all of the classroom baskets are set up the library. If you are not planning on attending the event on Saturday please stop by and take a look at the baskets. You can stop by during morning drop off or at pick up.  A special thank you to Cooper's mom for putting EC3A's Nerf Basket together. Our class will have a chance to put raffle tickets into the baskets on Friday. If you are interested in tickets for your child please send in money in a marked envelope by Friday. Thank you!

Today during our center time we discussed 2 dinosaurs the T-rex and the brontosaurus. I read two books about the dinosaurs and we spoke about how they were alike and different. We also spoke about paleontologisits and fossils. In  technology class the children have been woking hard using the mouse to play various games. Below are pictures of some of our dinosaur learning centers for this week.


Meara with the letter Jar.

Dinosaur Play


Dinosaur letters in our name play

Counting Dinosaurs

Dinosaur craft

A trip to the doctor's office

Digging for fossils
Dinosaur playdough tray

Lacing dinosaurs

Sorting dino eggs

Matching Dinosaurs

Counting with our dinosaur stew

Dinosaur puzzle play

Exploring at the dino /letter "D" writting center.

February 25, 2019,
I sure was glad to be back with my friends today. I am hoping and praying that all of the germs have spread through my household and that we will all be healthy for the rest of the school year.

We had a visit from the dentist office on Friday. The children learned about healthy brushing and ways to take care of their teeth. A goodie bag was sent home. More dental information is being sent home to day thanks to Natalie's mom. During Library on Friday the children were able to pick out a book to keep at home. (in case you were wondering where the book came from)

Mrs Schock asked me to reach out to see if there were anymore parents available to help out with gym class this week. As of right now she has 2 parents signed up and was hoping for 6. Thank you
www.signupgenius.com/go/4090b48afa82ba4ff2-physical

Bidamania is right around the corner and all of the classroom baskets are set up the library. If you are not planning on attending the event on Saturday please stop by and take a look at the baskets. A special thank you to Cooper's mom for putting EC3A's Nerf Basket together. Our class will have a chance to put raffle tickets into the baskets on Friday. If you are interested in tickets for your child please send in money in a marked envelope by Friday. Thank you!

We were super busy in the classroom today. We started the morning off with music class. My friends really enjoy music. We always have 100% participation from my friends. You can always tell the days we have music because my friends continue to sing the songs from class all day long (especially in the bathroom)

After music we watched a few youtube clips about dinosaurs, Meara shared her items from our "D" letter jar and I read the book Dinosailors. We also learned a song "Dinosaur, Dinosaur turn around". We were getting ready for centers when... The gentleman from the Museum of Natural History came to our door. I was so busy getting back into the swing of things that I completely forgot about his visit. The children were very surprised and did fantastic with the transition. The visit was so much more informative and age appropriate than our last visit. The children were entertained for almost an hour with live animals and specimens from the museum.

Since it was so cold and windy outside we came back to the classroom after lunch and worked on our centers. We made a dinosaur hatching from it's egg. Found the letters of our name to make dinosaurs spikes. We dug up fossils in our sensory table, made a dinosaur land in the block area. Our dramatic play are has transformed into a doctor's office. We spent time taking care of our sick babies.



February 19, 2019,
Please be aware that if there is an early dismissal tomorrow due to weather conditions all children from EC3A will be dismissed in the back parking lot (Limestone). The school will send out notifications by phone, text and email.

We started discussing the letter "D" today for our Dental/Dinosaur theme. I read the story Detective Dog and the Disappearing Doughnuts. Then we were all detectives naming objects that begin with the letter "D". 

During our center time we worked on making a dinosaur out of the letter "D" for our alphabet book. We also did spot the dot and push pinning for the letter. We counted and sorted dinosaurs. Used dinosaur stencils. Put together a gigantic dinosaur puzzle. We even made a very long dinosaur train. We are doing to have lots of fun with dinosaurs this week. 



February 14, 2019,

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY!!!

February 13, 2019,
What a super fun and very busy day in EC3A. We started off the morning with Gym class. Mrs Schock was so impressed with my friends jump roping skills. When we arrived back to the classroom there was a Surprise! The room was set up for our Valentine's snack.

After we were finished with snack we went to Spanish class. Ms Koval taught the children a few songs and how to count to fifty in Spanish.

During our circle time I read the Story The night before Valentine's Day. Our Question of the day was: Do you like to eat chocolate? We played a color matching heart game and Valentine yoga.

While the children were exploring their centers, we had a visitor from the Catholic Schools office observe us play and our classroom.









After lunch we delivered our special Valentines to our friends. The children did a fantastic job putting a Valentine into each one of their friends bag. Once we were finished we had a dance party in the classroom to get our wiggles out before rest time.

Thank you for sending in all of the yummy treats for our party and for all of the special Valentines.
 
Bidamania is selling out fast. Please do not forget to purchase your tickets! Come out and see your teachers get auctioned off for a special gathering or activity.

February 12, 2019,
I hope everyone enjoyed the snow yesterday! My friends were so excited to tell me about their fun day off! The day flew by with our late start. We did not have our Technology special but managed to get in some smartboard time.

I introduced the letter "V' for Valentines. We read the story "Love Monster" and learned a finger play with flannel props 5 Little Valentines"

We worked on a letter "V" craft for our end of the year Alphabet books. We gave our fine moter skills a work out by stringing beads to make patterns. Our Valentine theme centers were all open. My freinds really like the Writting center and Bakery with this theme. I apologize for the lack of pictures. I was not in on Thursday or Friday. My son was home sick. Please look for pictures to be posted tomorrow. 

There are some really bad virus going around the school and our classroom. We are doing our best to disinfect and keep the children healthy. I know it is hard but please continue to remind your little ones to keep their hands out of their mouth and nose. Thank you!

Our Valentine's snack and card exchange will be tomorrow. Please see note above. Thank you to all of you who have contributed to our special snack. Children may wear Valentine colors tomorrow and Thursday.

Bidamania is selling out fast. Please do not forget to purchase your tickets! Come out and see your teachers get auctioned off for a special gathering or activity.

February 6, 2019,
We only had one special today (Gym). Ms Koval was out sick today so the children did not have Spanish class. In Gym my friends were introduced to the basics of jump roping. 

We spent some more time discussing Bears today during our circle time. We read the story Brown Bear, Brown Bear with story props. We went on a Bear Hunt. We sang the song Polar Bear, Polar Bear with lots of movements. We also watched some short clips on youtube with Bear Facts.

We went outside for morning recess. We used sidewalk chalk to make roads for our cars and trains. 

During center time the children made a brown bear by painting a paper plate. We also did spot the dot and push pinning for the letter "B". My friends continued to explore our Valentine themed centers. (Look for Pictures tomorrow)

February 5, 2019,
What a gorgeous day! We took advantage of the beautiful weather with an extended recess. We played on the playground, took a walk and used sidewalk chalk.

I introduced the letter "B" for Bears. We discussed 4 different bears: Panda, Black, Grizzly and Polar. We read the story Polar Bear, Polar Bear What do You Hear? We learned the song Bear is Sleeping. 

We counted bears and connected them by number. The children sorted bears by color and made patterns. We used forks and white paint to create a polar bear for our art project. My freinds also explored in all of our Valentine theme centers.

A Bidamaina flyer is going home in your child's folder. This is always a fun night for SJB families. Please consider attending and support our school. Tickets will sell out for this event. 

Mrs Schock is asking for volunteers to help with jump roping for gym class. Here is the link if you are intereted in helping out. Thank you!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/4090B48AFA82BA4FF2-physical

February 4, 2019
Today we finished up with the letter G and discussed the outcome of Groundhog Day. Most of my friends knew that Puunxsutawney Phil did not see his shadow on Saturday. We were all praying for that outcome and it seems we may have some spring like weather this week. Some of us want just a little more snow to play in before spring arrives. We watched a clip of Phil on the smartboard. The children thought he was so cute. 

All of our centers have transformed into a Valentine theme. The children worked on building a Candyland in the block area. They also made some sweet treats in our Bakery. We made love bugs out of playdough, sorted colored pompoms, made heart patterns and cut hearts at the writting center.

We were finally able to go outside for both morning and afternnon recess. It was so nice being back to our normal routine and enjoying the outdoors.

Mismatch Day!

Sports Team Day!

Building Fun with our 4th Grade Buddies!






January 28, 2019,
Happy Catholic Schools Week! This week we celebrate our school and all the reasons why we love SJB!!

Our EC3 class had a very fun glow dance party today. My friends danced for about an hour in the gym! What a great way to kick off the week. 

We also had a chance to get some fresh air today and play together on the playground!
 

Tomorrow is MisMatch Day for the ECP Students! I cant wait to see how creative my friends will be with their outfits!!
 

January 22, 2019,

I hope everyone enjoyed the nice long weekend. My friends must have been super busy because they were all so quiet and tired today. I want to thank all of you for coming in and meeting with me for conferences. It was so nice to be able to share your child's progress and acomplishments in our ECP program. 
This week we are still continuing with our winter theme but now discussing the letter Q for quilt. During our center time we played with shaving cream. the children rolled monster trucks in the cream, then washed them clean. They also practiced making shapes in a  white sand writting tray. Our sensory table had hidden artic animals. The children had to work hard to find the animals in a mountian of ice.
Next week we will be celebrating Cathoilc Schools Week. We have numerous activities scheduled for the week. Please note the important dates above for our scheduled tag days.

January 17, 2019

I am looking forward to our conferences tomorrow. Please come straight to the classroom, there is no need to check in at the main office. Thank you. 

January 7, 2019,

There is a permission slip for an IN HOUSE field trip from Delaware Museum of Natural History. The directions for payment on Smart Tuition are on this sheet. Please follow the directions to make your payment and then return the permissions slip to school so we know that payment was made.

We are working on the letter "W" this week for Winter. We will be having so much fun with this theme. Our block area has transformed into "Winter Building" the children have materials to make iceburgs, snow roads, hockey rinks, sleds, snowmen and snowflakes. 

Today my friends worked on writting their names to create a snowman, First, they had to find their name card (recognition) then, they had to count the letters in their name and count the cooresponding snowballs they would need for each letter of their name. Last, they wrote each letter of their name on a snowball and glued them together in order to make a snowman. This was a big activity for my friends. They all did a fantastic job. I worked with each child individually on this activitry. They could not wait for their turn. I love to see my friends get so excited about learning. 



December 21, 2018,
What a wonderful party! My little angels did such a great job singing for all of you. I hope you enjoyed watching them as much as I did. They were so excited! If anyone has a group picture of the children dressed as angels could you please email it to me. Thank you! Thank you for all of the contributions to our party. As I always say.. None of this would be possible without your help! It takes a village and we are part of one of the greatest (SJB). Thank you all for the wonderful gift basket. I can't wait to look through all of the wonderful and generous gifts. I hope that everyone has a joyous and healthy holiday. 
Merry Christmas!
Ms Mekulski

December 17, 2018,
It was so great to be back with all of my friends today. I
 missed them so much. I am feeling much better, thank you for all of your prayers and concern. 

Thank you also for all of the contributions to our gingerbread house activity. The children all told me how much fun they had with their buddies. I was sad to miss but loved seeing all of the pictures of their finished product.










December 12, 2018,

As you may of heard from your little ones I have been out sick the past few days. I regret to inform you that my Bronchitis has turned into Pneumonia. My heart is so heavy that I can not be with my students this week. I treat each of your children as if they were my own and really do not like missing time with them. I know that they are in the best care with Ms Kavanagh, Ms Debbie and Ms Beth. They are continuing with our normal routine and activities. I am doing my best to get well and return soon.

Unfortunately, due to my being out, I am going to have to postpone the sibling lunch until after the holidays. I am so sorry to disappoint the children. I will reschedule it when we return from break. Thank you for your understanding.

The children have been busy little elves making surprises for you for the holiday. Sorry about the green feet.

They had a fun time shopping for you all at Santa Shop. I spoke to them about putting their presents under the tree and waiting till Christmas to open them. Not sure if it worked!

The children went to Rosary yesterday morning. The Rosary was recited by children from school in Spanish. Father Lewis also visited with the Portrait of “ OUR LADY OF WILMINGTON”

In the afternoon the children went to the hall for a spirit rally and dance party hosted by the cheerleaders. What a fun event for the children.

We will continue with our gingerbread house activity on Friday. The fourth graders are very excited. Please don’t forget your Christmas pajamas.

Thank you for all of your contributions for Adopt a Family and other sign ups. You are the best. 
Please stay healthy,
Ms Mekulski

December 7, 2018,

REMEMBER SANTA SHOP ENVELOPES ON MONDAY! Pizza will be served for lunch. Please pack snacks and a drink. Also a lunch for those who do not like pizza. 

It has been a rough two days for me. I have been home sick with Bronchitis and really missing all of my friends. Ms Kavanagh has been holding down the fort with my absence and keeping the children in a normal routine. 

She said that the children were very excited with the arrival of St. Nicholas and they had a great time with their buddies today for game time. I was so sad to of missed these activities.

I look forward to return to my friends on Monday. We have a very busy and exciting week ahead of us.

I sent out a sign up for our gingerbread activity and Christmas Party. Please do not feel overwhelmed by all that is going on in our classroom and school. I promise we will get through it and have a wonderful holiday season.

I hope that everyone has a great weekend and stays healthy.
Ms Mekulski


December 5, 2018,
Please read all of my post today as there is alot of information about upcoming classroom happenings. Thank you!

A sign up Genius for conferences is going out today. I used the emails that were in the student directory. Please let me know if you did not receive the email. As I stated in the sign up, if the date and times allotted do not work for you. Please let me know as soon as possible so we can make other arrangements. 

If anyone has any extra wrapping paper that they would be willing to send in it would be greatly appreciated. We could use some rolls to wrap the presents for our adopt a family. 

Santa shop envelops and information is being sent home today in your child's folder. This is a very fun way for my freinds to shop for their loved ones.  All of the presents are $2.00 so keep this in mind when sending in money. Thank you! Please ley me know if you have any questions. The envelopes being sent home has all of the details.

If you haven't done so already please send in a slipper for St. Nicholas Day tomorrow.

On Friday, December 7th we will be meeting with our 4th grade buddies for "Game Time". Please send in a favorite game that your child would like to play with their buddies. Thank you.

Please send in a Large white T-shit by Monday, December 17th

On Thursday, December 13th EC3A will be having a sibling lunch in our classroom (S is for Sibling) a note will be coming home in folders regarding the lunch. Everyone must have a packed lunch as we will not be going to the cafeteria. If anyone would like to send in a desert treat for our special lunch please let me know.

On Friday, December 14th we will meet with our fouth grade buddies to build "Gingerbread traps". Together we will read the story the Gingerbread Baby. Each group will get their very own gingerbread baby that they will have to build a trap/house to keep him safe. We will be using ghram crackers and icing. I will be sending out a sign up to both classes asking to help with donations for this activity. As always thank you for your generosity. The children (both classes) will be able to wear their Christmas Pajamas to school that day.

On Friday, December 21st. We will be having a Christmas party Lunch. Our party will start at 11:00. All are welcomed to attend our classroom party. The children will sing some of the holiday songs they have been working on in class. I will be ordering Pizza for the children. A sign up will be going home soon for a few other items that will be needed. 

I know there is alot going on this month. Please do not worry about missing anything. It is my job and pleasure to take care of your children and keep everthing straight.
 
December 4, 2018,

Vison screenings were completed this morning. Reports from the screening are being sent home for concerns only. The Lions club will be returning in January to screen the children that were not present today.

Information on our Secret Santa Shop will be coming home in your child's folder tomorrow. 

On Friday, December 7th we will be meeting with our 4th grade buddies for "Game Time". Please send in a favorite game that your child would like to play with their buddies. Thank you.

Ms Kavanagh was back today and feeling better. Looks like our prayers worked!!

Today I read a story about the first Christmas. We made a manger for baby Jesus out of popsicle sticks. We also worked out cutting out a circle ornament. This was a very challenging activity for my friends. I was so happy to see so much determination in they way they were maneuvering the paper to cut out circle shape.

  Important Reminders:

Please send in a one slipper by Thursday, December 6th

Please send in a Large white T-shit by Monday, December 17th

December 3, 2018,

What a beautiful day! We had an extended morning and afternoon recess today. It was so wonderful to feel the warmth of the sun. 
We were very excited to be back in the hall for lunch. I am so excited to be back to our normal routine!

Ms Kavanagh was out sick today. We made sure to say a special prayer for her to feel better soon and get back to us.

The children really enjoyed music class this morning. They used, sticks, bells, scraves and drums while singing songs with Mrs. Wagner.

My friends worked on making a Star craft with baby Jesus during center time. They also played a counting Christmas stew activity. They had to pick a card and add the Christmas ingredients  to a "stew" pot and sing a cooresponding song. We cut wrapping paper and played in Santa's workshop.
 

Important Reminders:

Please send in a one slipper by Thursday, December 6th

Please send in a Large white T-shit by Monday, December 17th

Scholastic book order due December 10th

There is now just one item that needs to be purchased for our Parish Family for our class Adopt a Family holiday program. Thank to those who have signed up. Your generosity will mean so much to this family. We appreciate your kindness. Please let me know if you did not receive the sign up genius.

November 30, 2018,

On Thursday, December 6th we will be celebrating the feast of St. Nicholas Day. Please send in a slipper or extra shoe with your child. The children will put the slippers/shoes outside our classroom during rest time and a special vistor will fill them with special treats. This is always a fun surprise for our class.

The fourth grade class visited us during our scheduled library time this morning. They read lots of books to my friends. They ended up staying and reading for about 45 minuites. (way longer than I expected). Both classes were very entertained with each other. This was a great experience for my friends. 

IMPORTANT***
The gym/hall will be back in operation by Monday, December 3rd. We will return to eating lunch in the hall. Hot lunch will be available starting on Monday.

There is now just one item that needs to be purchased for our Parish Family for our class Adopt a Family holiday program. Thank to those who have signed up. Your generosity will mean so much to this family. We appreciate your kindness. Please let me know if you did not receive the sign up genius.

A Diocesan progress report will be sent home with your child on December 10th. The rest of the school will be receiving their report cards the same day. This is a report on your child's progression so far this year. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns, A sign up genius for conferences will be sent out next week. Conferences will be scheduled on January 18th. There is no school or Eagles club on this day for the entire preschool program. 

Please send in a large adult white t-shirt. This shirt will be returned to you after our Christmas Party. The shirt does not have to be new and it can be borrowed from dad. We want the shirt to be like a dress on the children. Please send it in by Monday, December 17th thank you.


November 29, 2018,

Welcome Back! I hope that everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and Fall Break. My friends were so happy to be back in school today. It was so wonderful to see how happy and excited they were to see each other. I know I missed everyone and was also ready to return to school.

Our classroom has transformed into a winter wonderland.  We are getting ready for Christmas and this wonderful time of year.

During circle time, I introduced the letter "N" for Nativity. We discussed the Nativity scene that is displayed in our classroom. We spoke about how we celebrate the birth of baby Jesus on Christmas Day. The children then helped Neal the Nightingale name objects that begin with the letter "N". I read the story The Nicest Newt. We also learned a Christmas finger play about Santa and the song Christmas Star.

Our circle time was full of new and exciting Christmas activities. My friends played in santa's workshop. They were busy little elves delivering presents, writting letters and baking cookies. We made a night time scene out of the letter "N' for our alphabet book. Decorating Christmas trees, sorting, counting and matching cookies and building a train track were some of the other activites the chldren explored. We also completed the spot the dot and push pin worksheet. 

IMPORTANT***
 

November 20, 2018,
I hope that you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving and are able to spend time with your loved ones. Thank you so much for sharing your children with me and sending them to SJB. I feel so blessed to be your child's teacher. They bring so much joy to our classroom everyday.

Thank you also for spending time in our classroom for our Thanksgiving Feast. The children worked hard learning all of the songs for you. They looked so cute dressed up as turkeys.  I was so proud of them. Thank you for all of the contributions for our feast. A special thank you to Mrs. Ferris for organizing. We always apprectiate all of your help.

Our class went to Thanksgiving Mass at 9:30. My friends did a fantastic job and were very reverent during mass. Please let them know how proud you are of them.

We made turkeys out of toilet paper rolls today. I then read the book: The Amazing Turkey Rescue. After the story my friends were challenged to use the materials provided to hide their turkeys. The children each worked really hard building a contraption to hide their turkey from me. They are bringing their turkeys home so that they can build something for it to hide form you. 

Happy Thanksgiving
Ms Mekulski



November 15, 2018,

We were so excited to see snow today! I used the forecast as a teachable moment this morning. I put the weather radar map on the smartboard and googled our location (SJB). We discussed that the weather forecasters predicted that it would start to snow around 9:10 at SJB. We spoke about how they predict weather and the tools they used. We then put on our jackets and went outside. Sure enough while we were on the playground it began to flurry.. then snow. My friends were so excited. I was never so happy to see snow. Their reaction was priceless.

It was so great to see some of you at the book fair last night. I hope you all had fun and enjoyed your night out.

We did a Taste Testing with Three Types of Teddy Grahams Today. Chocolate, Honey and Chocolate Chip were the flavors of teddy grahams my friends tasted. Chocolate was the most popular (of course).

We also discussed the first Thanksgiving. The children had a chance to play in a teepee.

I will not be in school tomorrow. I have to take my son to AI for a medical test that will last all day. It is nothing too serious but could use some prayers. Ms Marilyn will be my substitue. The children all know her and are very comfortable in her care. I hope that you all enjoy your weekend and will join us for our feast on Monday.

Below are some pictures from our Thanksgiving/Turkey week:









November 14, 2018,
We had such a busy morning. Gym was in our classroom. Mrs Schock did an activity on the smartboard about healthy foods. They danced and exercised to bring their heart rate up and then slowed down. My friends all said they could feel their heart beating going fast.

We then went to the Library for our vision screenings. After three friends were screened the machine broke. We patiently waited for it to be fixed, but no luck. The screening will be rescheduled for all students in our class. The date is to be determined. 

The children we able to have a few minutes of Spanish class. This was enough time to sing a few songs that they have been learning.

We completed the Turkey Time Scholastic Big World Magazine. My friends watched a few short videos on Turkeys and then we completed the back side together. We then played an interactive game on the smartboard with turkey Feather parterns. The children needed to finish an AB color pattern by choosing the correct color of feather.

During center time we worked on a surprise craft for our Thanksgiving Feast. We also continued with our same theme learning centers as yesterday. 

I hope to see you all at the Barnes and Noble book fair tonight. My sons will be playing in the band starting at 7:00, (I know that is late for some of my friends)

November 13, 2018,
We learned two more Turkey songs today. My friends will be sure to put on quite the show during our Thanksgiving Feast. Our Feast will be on Monday, November 19th at 10:00. Please let me know if your child will not be attending the Feast. I will make sure that they have all of their crafts and gift sent home with them on Friday. Thank you!

My friends finger painted feathers on a turkey for their craft during center time. We also worked on counting by making a Turkey Stew. The children also used their fine motor stills by adding beads to pipe cleaners and water bottles. The children used the blocks and materials to build, Thanksgiving theme objects in our building center. They also enjoyed making turkeys out of playdough by adding feathers, eyes, feet and a beak.

We were able to go outside after lunch and play on the blacktop and take a walk around the building. We saw those mysterious foot prints again.. but this time they were child size. The children measured their feet to the prints. As we kept walking the prints disappeared. The children searched and searched for another footprint the entire way back to our building. I have feeling we are going to be searching for fiootprints all year.

November 12, 2018
I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend. I wanted to inform you that I left today during the children's lunch time to take my son to the Doctor. Miss Marilyn took my place while I was gone. The children were in good hands. They seemed really confused when I was packing up to leave. Ms Kavanaugh said they had a great afternoon. Lunch, long recess and rest.

My friends started off the morning with music class. This class really enjoys to sing. I am amazed at how quickly the pick up the words to all the songs.

During cirle time we said good-bye to the letter "L" and I introduced the letter"T". We used our invisible crayons to make the letter. We also helped Tony the Tiger name objects that begin with the letter T from our class letter Jar. I read the story Tilly Turtle's Tea Party. We also learned two Turkey songs.

My friends made a turkey out of the letter "T" for our end of the year alphabet book during our center time. We also worked on spot the dot and push pin activity for the letter. They played with a Thanksgiving set including the Mayflower, Pilgrims and Native Americans. The fall dramatic play area has continued to be a huge success. The children are raking leaves in a pile, jumping in them, throwing them in the air and filling wheelbarrows. Our sensory table is filled with all things fall, leaves, stones, pinecones, acorns, sticks, apples and pumpkins.

November 8, 2018,
We took adavantage of the beautiful Fall day and went on a Leaf Hunt this morning. My friends each had a bag to collect leaves. We challenged ourselves to see if we could find one of each of the Fall colors (red, orange, yellow and brown). I think we were very successfull. The bags are coming home with my friends today.

After our walk we made a harvest mix for our cooking project. We followed a recipe giving each of my friends a chance to add an ingredient to the mix. We enjoyed eating our mix while listening to the story We are Going on a Leaf Hunt. 

Our science project today was leaf investigation. Each friend had to pick a favorite leaf from their collection. We filled out an infromation sheet on their leaf. They used magnifying glasses to explore each leaf a little closer. We shared our results with the entire class. Most of our friends picked a yellow leaf as their favorite. We two had two friends that picked red and one friend that picked a multicolor leaf. We had fun with our leaves today!

During art my friends painted leaf rubbings and made color monster out of a scribble paper.

November 7, 2018,

Scholastic book order will be submitted on Friday for anyone interested in books. I would like to have the order arrive before Thanksgiving Break. Thank you!

We were so excited to get outside for both morning and afternon recess. We even went on a squirrel hunt walk around the school. We found 4 squirrels and one even had an acorn in its mouth.

We had gym in the classroom this morning due to the hall repairs. Mrs. Schock gave the children a dance party, which they absolutely loved.

During Spanish the children prepared a party for "Dia De Los Muertos". 
They each had flowers, food and a small gift to bring to their party.

During circle time I read the book Leaves. We learned two new songs: Im a Little Acorn and Leaves, Leaves Everywhere. The children have been singing them all day. We will perform these songs for you at our Thanksgiving Feast.

The children used marbles and the color of fall paints to create a leaf during our center time. We have also been working on a counting activity. "Fall Stew". The children pick a recipe card and count all of the objects in the recipie to put in a pot. Once finished we stir and sing a song. My friends are all doing really well using one to one coorespondance and recognizing their numbers. 

November 6, 2018,
We have been making the most of this rainy weather. It has been challenging for my friends not getting a chance to run around outside.

We got our wiggles out by doing some dancing today and some activites on the smartboard.

My friends all received a mystery postcard today during circle time. Each card had a letter written about a fall object. They had to guess the object and find the stamp with its picture on it. Once they found the stamp,  they mailed the letter in our Fall Mailbox. This was a great game for using our listening ears. i read the story Leaves Fall down and we played a letter Leaf game on the smartboard.

During Technolgy class the children watched video and learned information about Fall and our letter of the week "L".

Some center time pictures form today.




November 5, 2018
Wow! the time change really had my friends super tired today! This is always a hard adjustment with school.
We celebrated Cassidy's Birthday today! Happy Birthday and thank you for the yummy cookies!
During Circle time I read the story Nuts to You. We discussed squirrels and how they are working hard to gather their nuts for the winter. We then Learned the song"Grey Squirrel". We also completed an activity using discriptive words. I put a Fall scene on the Smartboard. I asked each child to describe an object in the scene or tell me where it was located. This was challenging for some of my friends at first. They wanted to point at the object but after a little coaching yhey began to uses their discriptive words. This was a great activity for this class. It was Lyla's turn with the letter Jar. She shared all of the objects she could find from home that began with the letter"L"

During our center time the children made a grey squirrel by glueing cotton balls for a tail and then painting them grey. They also played in a fall themed block area building tractors, scarecrows and cornfields.

We did get a chance to take a walk around the building to get some fresh air today.

My friends were all asleep seconds after the lights went out today. 

November 2, 2018

During circle time I introduced the letter "L" and our new theme "Leaves". We will be discussing the season of Fall. My Friends helped Leo the Lion name items that begin with the letter "L". We read the story The Lamb that Loved to Laugh. When we were finished we named all of the animals in the story that began with the letter "L". We learned a new song "Leaves are Falling".

During center time we played with all things "L",  Legos, Lincoln Logs, Lacing, Links, Ladybugs, and Lolipops. We made a Ladybug out of the letter "L" for our end of the year alphabet book and completed a spot the dot and push pin activity.

Have a wonderful weeked!







November 1 

I hope everyone enjoyed their Halloween night. We were all a little tired this morning. We had a very low key day in the classroom and spent a good amount of time outside enjyoing the weather.
The children had art class in the morning and then we went to Church for Mass. That's right we did it!!! We went to our first school Mass of the year! My friends did a fantastic job! I am so proud of them! Please let them know how proud you are of them also! Each child sat and stood so quietly through the entire Mass! We recieved so many compliments from the school faculty about our reverent behavior! Way to Go!

October 31     
Happy Halloween! We had a great time celebrating with you today! Thank you for attending our parade and helping out with our classroom party. We had so many yummy treats! Thank you for all of the contributions. We appreciate your generousity. A special thank you to Mrs. Ferris for organizing! I will post pictures either tonight or tomorrow morning.

Pictures with our 4th grade buddies:







October 30, 2018,

What a fun day in EC3A! We had a visit from our fouth grade buddies. The fouth graders spent time in our classroom helping our friends with some special Halloween games and activities. The children (both classes) really enjoyed their time together, They played pumpkin bean bag toss, ghost bowling, brew ball toss and ring the witch hat. They also used scissors to make a ghost, colored a halloween sheet, made a lollipop ghost and built a pumpkin playground out of candy corn. Stations were set up around the room. The fourth graders helped our friends have fun at each station. Please ask them to tell you all about it. We will be getting together with our buddies once a month for a theme based activity.

Looking forward to a fun filled day tomorrow!

Our Halloween Party will be tomorrow. Special guests are welcomed to come watch the children parade outside in front of the Gerres Building. After about 6 loops around and pictures, our class will parade through the school. All are welcomed to stay for the party (in our classroom). We will meet you after we are finished in the school. 
Children are to come to school with their costumes. Please have your child wear their uniform under their costume if you will not be present to assist them with changing. Please bring a bag to store costume when finished.  I ask any parents that stay for the party to please help assist children out of their costumes. This can be quite a hectic time. After the children are changed we will head outside on the playground to make good-byes a little easier. Children are welcomed to leave after the party. I know it is a big exciting day and you may want them to rest at home since they will be out late. Thank you all for signing up to contribute items to our party. We really appreciate your generousity! Please let me know if you have any questions.

October 29, 2018,
The children all looked great in their orange today. Please feel free to have your child wear a special Halloween shirt or Halloween color tomorrow also. 

This morning the children had a special Halloween themed music class. Mrs Wagner sang songs, played insturments and books all about Halloween. They really enjoyed this class.

During our center time, We continued to play in all of our Halloween themed areas. The children painted a candy corn, and played Candy Corn Bingo. I also painted their hands for a special surprise. The children are doing a fantastic job with all of our learning centers. 

We went on a Ghost Hunt during our circle time. We acted out 
Halloween Characters with yoga cards and  played the Halloween guessing game again because the children really had a fun time with this activity. Since my friends like dancing so much , we danced along to two Halloween songs on the smartboard.

Tomorrow we will be meeting with our 4th grade buddies for some Halloween fun!


October 26, 2018,
Today I read the story, Pumpkin Soup. It is a story about turn taking and helping. After the story we completed a Science experiment by making our own" pumpkin soup". We took turns adding/stirring food coloring to water to make different colors. We made a guess as to what color we would make before mixing the colors.

This morning we worked on making treat bags for our 4 year old neighbors. We floated to their door like very quiet ghosts and yelled BOO! then ran back into our classroom. After Library, we had a very strange knock on our door and followed by loud BOOS. When we opened the door no one was there.. We were BOOED! We took lots of guesses as to who it could have been! There is a goody bag going home in their bookbags.

In Library the children made Jack-O-Lanterns, went on a leaf hunt and picked pumpkins.

We created mummies out of tissue paper, played candy corn bingo and worked on making spider webs.

Our Halloween Party will be on October 31st. Special guests are welcomed to come watch the children parade outside in front of the Gerris Building. After about 6 loops around and pictures, our class will parade through the school. All are welcomed to stay for the party (in our classroom). We will meet you after we are finished in the school. 
Children are to come to school with their costumes over their uniform. Please bring a bag to store costume when finished. Our Halloween tag day will be on Tuesday. I ask any parents that stay for the party to please help assist children out of their costumes. This can be quite a hectic time. After the children are changed we will head outside on the playground (weather permitting ) to make good-byes a little easier. Children are welcomed to leave after the party. I know it is a big exciting day and you may want them to rest at home since they will be out late. Thank you all for signing up to contribute items to our party. We really appreciate your generousity! Please let me know if you have any questions.

October 25, 2018,

Picture re-takes are tomorrow. If you would like your child to have their picture taken please send me an email or a note in their folder. Thank you!

I realize the field trip payment process was confusing with the new Smart Tuition system. There are a number of chaperones that have still not paid. The cost of the trip was $13 for students and an addtional $13 for chaperones. This included admission and bus. I am truly sorry for the inconvenience and confusion.

Scholastic Flyers are going home today. Due date is November 9th. 

Today we read the story of Spookly the Square Pumpkin. After the story we created our own very yummy Spookly out of rice crispy treats. The children decorated their Spookly with orage icing and added eyes, a stem and a leaf. 

During circle time, we played a Halloween guessing game. I gave the children clues and they had to guess the Halloween object I was describing. This is such a good game to practice our listening skills. We also read the story of "Crakenstien". We spoke about how we all have our "Crakenstien" moments. We then played a Halloween freeze dance game on the smartboard.

Tomorrow we will be working on a color changing Science project and candy corn tasting.

October 24, 2018,
Justin with the letter Jar "C"

Using teamwork with a Halloween Puzzle

Exploring with a Halloween themed Playdough Tray

Playing in our Halloween themed Sensory Table.

Important news: The Hall will be closed for repairs starting on October 29th. There will be no hot lunch from October 29th to November 30th. We will have lunch in our classroom during this time.

Our Halloween party will be on October 31st. Mrs Ferris is working on a Sign up Genius for contributions to our party. Thank you! I will post more information about the parade/party this week.

During circle time I read two books about 5 Little Ghosts. The first story was about Ghosts that changed color when they ate a particular food. I used story props and the children had to predict what color the ghost was going to change. The second story was about ghosts playing tricks at school. We also took turns discussing our Halloween costumes.

For our center time we worked on writting the letter "C". The children used Q-tips and small pencils to make the letter formation. They also created a ghost out of a paper plate. This craft is hanging in our classroom. My friends also counted candy corn and put costumes on potato heads.

October 23, 2018,
Below are some pictures of our Pajama Day and Pet Parade:



In your child's folder you will find a consent for vision screening. The screening will be held on Wednesday, November 14th. This is a very simple test and easy for the children. The actual screening only takes a few seconds. Please let me know if you have any questions or concerns.

It was such a beautiful day that we tried to spend a little extra time outside today.

We discussed the letter "C" during circle time. My friends helped Cathy the Cow name items that begin with the letter "C". It was also Justin's trun with the letter Jar. He brought in  items from home that begin with the letter. Great Job Justin! I then read the story Copy Cats. We then played a game where the children had to copy all of my actions.

During center time my friends made a cat out of the letter "c". We also completed the spot the dot and push pin activity for the letter. Other activities inculde a Halloween theme building Center, the children are making spider webs, haunted houses and pumpkin patches. Halloween puzzles, matching games and sorting are also available to explore.

Tonight is our Home and School's takeover at Cafe Napoli. Please try and support our school by either dinning in or taking out!

October 22, 2018,
Thank you to all of the chaperones that attended our Field Trip. The children all said that they had a wonderful time. We took turns talking about our favorite part of the trip during circle time today. We all really liked getting pumpkins and riding the special Disney bus. Thank you for helping us make our trip so successfull. Ms Kavanaugh and I really enjoyed spending time and getting to know all of you.

Mrs Murphy created a facebook group for our class. This is a great way to share pictures and communicate with each other. The group is: SJB Class of 2029 (current EC3A class)

We went on a pajama pet parade through the school. The children were so excited to spend the day with their special pets. I will post pictures soon. We said good bye to the letter "P" and began to discuss the letter "C". This is our fun Hallowwen theme. We use the letter "C" for costume and candy
Here are some pictures from our cooking and science experiments last week:
After we worked on our Scholastic Magazine about Pumpkin Science, we decided to test if a pumpkin really floats. We added water to our sensory table and then put in a pumpkin. Our pumpkin did not float at first. We decided we needed to add more water. We continued to add water until our Pumpkin floated. We also expolred the inside of the pumpkin. We kept a few seeds to dry out for planting.


We also completed a second science experiment using warm water and salt. We made a salt crystal pumpkin. The children are still observing the pumpkin and the way the salt crystals have formed. The pumpkin is on display at our science table.


Our cooking project this week was pumpkin patch dirt cups. My friends helped make dirt by crushing oreo cookies. We then stirred milk to make pudding. Once the pudding was finished we each made our own little pumpkin patch. We scooped pudding, then dirt and added a special worm and pumpkin. This project got a special thumbs up!





October 17, 2018,
Information about our Field Trip and a Special Tag day can be found in your child's folder.

This week we are still working on the letter "p" and having fun with Pets and Pumpkins.
We finger painted pumpkins

We worked on writting the Lettter "P"

We picked Pumpkins in our PumpKin Patch

We made pumpkins out of Playdough

We used teamwork to build a huge tower!

October 12, 2018,

This week we celebrated Meara and Jacob's Birthday. Happy Birthday!! We hope that you enjoyed your special day!

We also made a card and presented a special gift for a friend in our school that is sick and in the hospital. We purchased books from our classes Scholastic book order. Thanks to all of your orders we were able to purchase 30 books for our friend. We hope this little gift helps our friend know that she is loved and in our daily prayers. 

We worked on various activites with the "5 Little Pumpkins" this week. I read the book and then we acted out the story with hand motions and flannel board props.

We also sang along to a Pete the Cat You tube Video of the "5 Little Pumpkins" followed by a smart board activity. The children created their own Jack o Lantern by adding eyes, mouth ect. and then moved it onto a gate to sing "5 Little Pumpkins". they all did so well sitting patiently waiting for a turn. We were so excited to see how each friend would create thier Jack O Lantern.


During our center time, the children worked on creating a "5 Little Pumpkins " art project. They worked hard on creating a gate for 5 little pumpkins to sit on to coresponde with our song and story.







Our science experiment this week was watching Popcorn dance. We added vinegar to a container of popcorn kernels. We watched as the popcorn danced around the jar. When they seemd to be tired we added more vinegar and the kernels began to dance some more. My friends really enjoyed dancing along with the popcorn.

October 9, 2018,
I hope everyone enjoyed the long weekend. Today, I introduced the letter"P". My friends helped Pete the Pig name objects that begin with the letter "P". I also read the book the Pig's Picnic. 

During our center time we made a pumpkin patch out of the letter "P" for our alphabet book. We played with various items that begin the letter "P"  We had a pizza party, dressed up Princesses, took care of sick Pets, and played with potato heads.  We also played a puppy matching game and sorted fish by number.


Have a good night
Ms Mekulski
 

October 4, 2018,
This morning we were visited by firefighter Tim from the Wilmington Fire Department. He spoke to the children about how Firefighters are their friends and to not be scared. He dressed in full gear for the children and walked around the room giving each child a high five. We are so thankful that firefighter Tim took time to visit us today.

Our Saint of the week is Saint Francis. We spoke about how he is the patron Saint of Animals. We celebrated his feast day by saying a special prayer and making a St. Francis puppet.

We did a science experiment today. We made fireworks in a bottle. We used food coloring and oil. We observed the beautiful colors as I poured the two ingredients into warm water. We repeated the experiment with diffrent color combinations. 

During our circle time we palyed a fun game with STOP, DROP and ROLL. I also read the story My Mom is a Firefighter.

At our centers the children made a 5 little Firefighters craft out of their handprint. The children had fun together exploring with various firehouses, trucks and firefighters with the blocks.

Tomorrow is a half day with a 11:35 dismissal. Children will need a snack only. If your child is attending Eagles club...they will need a lunch and afternoon snack. Eagles club will do their best to follow our schedule and routine.

October 3, 2018,

For those of you that are having difficulty paying for the chaperone portion of the field trip. The link https://bngn.smarttuition.com/?id=4gqzcyp4a5g will take you immediately to the site for payment. I tried it myself this morning. You must click the green button until you get to the checkout screen. Please let me know if you are still having difficulties. 

During gym class the children played various games with balls and in Spanish they counted and learned words for different emotions. 

During circle time I read the story" Spot the Firehouse Dog". We also spoke about things that we safe and not safe to touch. We charted our responses.

My friends made a Dalmatian by fingerptinting spots during our center time. We also worked on cutting "thumbs up" by getting a firetruck to the fire. 

Tomorrow our class will have a visit from a fire fighter. We will also make a Firework in a bottle for our science experiment. 

October 2, 2018,
We went on a surprising adventure today. During our walk back from technology class we noticed big muddy footprints. We measured our feet to compare the size. We made a guess as to who's footprint it could be. We walked the same path and noticed the footprints disapeared. We found out at lunch that it was our maintance man who left the muddy footprints. This was a fun and very unexpected activity to tie in the letter "F".

During circle time Cooper shared all of the items he could find from home that began with the letter "F" for our letter Jar. Way to go Cooper! I also read the story "Fire Engines" and we sang our song and fingerpaly.

My friends sorted Fire Hats by color, counted spots on a dalmatian, used magnetic fire extiguishers to put out fires and created a fire truck during our center time.

October 1, 2018,
We had a fantastic begining to "F" week. Millcreek Fire Company visited us today after lunch. We had a chance to meet 3 firefighters, climb in a firetruck and learn all about how they are our friends and keep us safe.

During our clircle time I introuduced the letter "F". Freddie the Frog helped us name some objects that begin with the letter. I then read they story Fifi the Ferret's Flute. We played I spy and named some objects in the book that began with the letter "F". We also learned "10 Little Fire Fighters" finger play and sang the song "Hurry, Hurry Drive that Fire Truck"

Our dramatic play area has transformed to a fire station. My friends put out lots of fires today. We worked on making a fire fighter out of the letter "F" for our Alphabet book. At the sensory table , the children used spray bottles to squirt fire (Paper flames). They also completed the spot the dot and push pin activity. 

On Friday our class made butter and had a vegtable tasting to go with our Farm theme. Please take a look at all of the pictures from the week under the Photo tab. 

RED wear day tomorrow for our class! No uniforms!

September, 20, 2018,

Happy Thursday! My friends became scientists as we explored apples and made them erupt. We used one red and one green apple for our experiment. I cut a hole in the Apple and the children took turns adding baking soda and vinegar. We then watched as the apple erupted. The children were so excited. We also took the seeds from the apple and placed then into wet paper towels. We are going to let them germinate over the wekend and plant them on Monday. They are at the Science table for my friends to explore.

During our circle time we learned about St. Anthony our patron saint of lost items. We played a game of hide and seek and watched a short You Tube video. I also read the Big book "Annie the Apple Farmer" We sang our apple songs and finger play.


The children painted with apple halves during center time. They also completed a search and find. We counted and sorted apples to number 5. We worked on a simple A/B pattern and used tweezers to add apples to an apple tree. This is a great activity to work on fine motor skills. 

Tomorrow we will use our apples form our classroom orchard to make applesauce.

See you all this evening for Back to School Night. 6:30 in our classroom (parents only). Please come directly to our building as the Main School building will be closed. Thank you

September 18, 2018,

What a fun day in ECP3-A! We started off our morning with Jacob sharing items from home that start with the letter "A" for our class letter Jar. Great job Jacob! We then had an apple tasting. We tasted green and red apples then graphed our favorite using stickers. The green apple seemed to be the class favorite. We spoke about how they tasted sweet and sour. 

We had technology class today. The children watched short video clips on "the letter "A" and apples.  After class we played outside with the chalk and monster trucks on the black top.

During circle time, I read the story "Im an apple". We discuused the life cycle of an apple, We then discussed our classsroom jobs, calendar and weather wall. We will start to do this same routine daily.

During our center time, the children sorted apples by color and counted apples up to number 5 for one to one coorespondence. Our Dramatic play area has been transformed to an apple orchard. The children went apple picking and weighed apples to be bought and sold at the market.
We also used stamps and q-tips to trace a letter "A" and created a tissue paper apple. They are displayed on our classroom windows. 


September 17, 2018,
I hope everyone enjoyed the beautiful weekend. My friends are doing so well with our morning routine. I am so proud of them. The good-byes are getting shorter and tear free. 

We started off our morning with music class. Mrs Wagner taught the children the song "Jesus Loves the Little Children". We will sing this song to the bishop during his visit.

I introduced our letter of the week "A" and apple theme today. We helped our friend Abby the aligator (puppet) name items that begin with the letter "A" using our letter jars. We then read the story "Abby's Adventure" and "Apples" We learned the song" Way up high in the Apple Tree"

During circle time we made an apple out of the Letter "A" for our alphabet book. (this will go home at the end of the year once all letter crafts have been completed). Our sensory table is filled with items to create an apple pie. This was a big hit with the children. We also worked on a push pinning and Spot the Dot activity for letter "A"


September 13, 2018,

The children looked fabulous for picture day! My friends did so well waiting for their turn to get their picture taken. I was so proud of them. 
After pictures and snack, we spent time outside playing with chalk on the black top. We made roads for our trucks. We even played a jumping and hopping game while counting to ten.

During circle time, I read the stories: "I'll Wait Mr Panda" and "Please, Mr Panda." We spoke about using manners and patience (which we had to use this morning with pictures). We made a coconut tree for "chicka chicka boom boom" and used stickers to spell out our name. Next week we will start working on name recognition by finding our name in the morning to sign in.

I have been slowly opening the centers in the classroom. This is so we all learn classroom rules and expectations. Today, the manipulative center opened. This was a big deal for my friends. The children did fantastic playing with a bin of toys and putting it away before they took out another.  Way to go!

September 12, 2018,

We had such a busy day! We made it to our first Gym class by 8:00 this morning! WOW! My friends transitioned very well. During gym, Mrs Schock played games with the children and had them running around the perimeter of the gym. She was so impressed with how well they did for their first class. After Gym we went to Spanish. The Children looked so cute sitting in the big desks. They were introduced to the "Our Father" in spanish and a few words. 

We celebrated Evan's Birthday during Lunch! Happy Birthday Evan!

During our circle time we read the story "Chicka Chicka Boom Boom" and played a sound game to go along with the story. We worked on our Scholastic Magazine (In folder) as a class. My friends did so well following directions as a group. We watched a short video and played a game on the smartboard from the magazine.

We also enjoyed the weather and spent time outside on both playgrounds for morning and afternoon recess.

Picture day is tomorrow at 8:00. Please have your child to school early and ready for pictures. We have an early morning transition. Pictures are from the waist up so please have your child wear sneakers. Thank you for your cooperation.

We had our first Technology class this morning. My friends did amazing walking to the big building and up the stairs to class. Ms Luce was so impressed with how well the children listened and followed directions. 

During our circle time we read the story "Pete the Cat - I Love My White Shoes". and We played a "I spy color game". The children made a Pete the Cat by painting a small paper plate. they will be hanging in our classroom. We also played a Pete the Cat Groovy Button board game. This was a great game counting to the number 5 using one to one correspondance.

We played outside on the black top 2 times today. The children are playing so well with one another. It is so nice how fast friendships are forming among the class.

Our picture time has been moved to 8:00. Part time families please meet us in the Library with your picture form  by 7:55. thank you

September 10, 2018. 

We had our first Music class today! Mrs Wagner introduced my friends to scarves and sticks along with singing and dancing. 

We read the story "The Kissing Hand" during circle time. We spoke about how "Chester" the raccoon in the story was so sad and scared to go to school. His mommy kissed his hand so he would have a kiss to take with him to school. Whenever Chester was sad he could put his hand to his cheek and feel mommy's kiss.
We painted our hand and put our own special kiss inside. We also made a Chester the Raccoon craft that is on display in the hallway.
Our morning goodbyes are getting easier. My freinds are adjusting well. Please have your children finish their breakfast before entering school. It can be challenging when one Friend sees another eating. We have snack usually around 8:30. Thank you for your cooperation. 

Picture day is Thursday!
Picture forms are being sent home today in your child's folder. Please make sure they have this form or the online print out with them on Thursday.
If your child is a part time student and you would like them to get their picture taken, our picture time is scheduled for 8:30. You are welcomed to meet our class in the Library at this time. 

September 7, 2018,
What another great day! Our MWF friends started today! Everyone transitioned into the classroom well and began playing immediately after good-byes. I know it can be very difficult to leave your child when they are upset, but I promise you they become distracted right away and begin to play and have fun.

We had our first special today (Library). My friends did an amazing job walking in the "Big Building" to the Library. Ask them to show you how we walk in the hallway. (so cute) We walk with a finger on our lips and hand on our hips. This helps us to remember to stay quiet and keep our hands to ourselves while we walk. 

The children listened to a story and played a game "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar" (this helped the teacher learn all of the children's names. (if you havent done so already please make sure your child has their name on the front of their shirt. thank you)
After Library we walked to visit the nurses office to visit with the nurse. I wanted the children to see the office so that if there was ever a reason for a visit they would not be scared.

We then took a walk around our school building to practice walking in a line behind a friend. We worked on walking on the crack of the side walk pretending it was a bridge and that there was water all around us. We even spoke about all of the sea life that might be in the water. The children had so much fun with this game they didn't even realize how well the were doing walking.

Once in the classroom we had a short circle time. We read the story "David Gets in Trouble" and charted poor choices and good choices. I held up a picture of a behavior (hitting, sitting on the carpet, quiet voice, pushing etc.) and my friends had to tell me if it was a good choice or poor choice. They did a great job!! Thumbs up! We then did some more playing in the classroom exploring more toys and painted a paper plate to make a David face that corresponded to our story.

We were able to go outside for morning and afternoon recess and use both playgrounds today. 
I will not be sending home crib sheets and blankets today because it was a short week. They will go home next Friday. 
Look for picture forms in your child's folder on Monday.

Have a great weekend!

September 6, 2018
We did it! We successfully completed our first day of school! My friends did such a fantastic job! There were a few tears this morining but the children transitioned nicely into playing and had a great day! 

The children had time to explore the classrom this morning while playing with playdough, cars, magnet blocks, kitchen and tool bench. Once we cleaned up the room (they are amazing helpers) we transitioned to our special animals on the carpet. We discussed a few classroom rules (after we clean up we always sit on our animal)  and then lined up on our animal train to use the potty. The bathroom today went well. My friends are very independant with their potty skills. After the potty, we ate snack. (please remember to label your child's snack). My friends sat at the table on their special animal chair and enjoyed their snack. We then went outside onto the "Big Playground" for about 10 minuites. Once the weather breaks we will enjoy more time outside. 

When we came back inside we had a short circle time. I read the story "No David" and we played a game with our special animals (to help us remember). I will slowly start to introduce more circle-time activites each day. We then moved onto more playing. The children made a special "David" craft to go along with our story. They are displayed on our classroom bulletin board.

The children did really well at lunch. We walked in a line, behind a freind,  staying on the sidewalk over to the lunch hall. The children did a great job sitting at the table waiting for all of their friends to finish eating. We did not have outdoor recess after lunch because of the heat. The children were happy to come back to the classroom to play. 

Before rest we used the potty, read  a Pete the Cat story and watched a short 10 minute Pete the Cat Video on our smartboard. My friends transitioned well into rest time. Please remember to bring in any item from home that will help with rest. Let me know if it is to be returned home at the end of the day.

Have a wonderful night!
As always, please let me know if you have any questions or concerns!
Looking forward to a new adventure tomorrow.

               

Welcome to EC3-A. I, Ms Mekulski will be your child's teacher along with my para Ms Kavanagh. We have been very busy getting our classrrom ready for your arrival. I am so excited about this year and look forward to meeting you and your child at our small group orientations on Tuesday 9/4 and  Wednesday 9/5 . I will go over classroom and school information and answer any questions you may have about our upcoming year.

Please remember to bring:

• Child Information Sheet

• OWL ABOUT ME SHEET

• Change of Clothing (labeled with your child's name)

• Towel or blanket and crib sheet for rest (labeled with your child's name)

• 1 box of Tissues

• 1 clorox wipes

• 1 pack of wipes

BACKGROUND CHECK INFORMATION:

Anyone that is interested in participating in any school/class activities will need a background check (this include our loving grandparents that take part in our fun). I am including the steps needed to complete this check.  I ask that you take care of this ASAP.  I can not allow you to attend the first field trip if you are not given the OK. Each adult will need their own $30 check along with their own background check. If you have a background check please send an email to Mrs. Maltesta so she can update her information.

Contact person will be Marie Maltesta.  Please contact her at mmaltesta@sjbdel.org 
Send in a check for $30 made out to Saint John the Beloved.  Please send the check to Mrs. Albert in an envelope.  The envelope should be labeled BACKGROUND CHECK and who the background check is for. 
Once Mrs. Maltesta receives your check will be sent an email with the code and directions to complete your background check.   

I thank you for following through with this promptly.  The great thing is the background check is good for 5 years!!!  We have lots of fun activities planned and would love for you to be part of them!!! 

All school parents who wish to volunteer and participate in Field Trips, Field Days, Lunch/Recess Monitors, etc. must request a Background Check (if you have not already had one done).  Please submit your name, a $30.00 check made payable to "SJB", and your email address to Mrs. Marie Malatesta.  Her email ismmalatesta@sjbdel.org and her phone is 998-5525 ext. 205.