Swimming Starts!

Swimming start this month on Thursday, October 10 and the 24th.  We'll be swimming on the second and fourth Thursdays of the month.  We will swim at the YMCA from 12:30-1:30 and we'll return to school in time for a snack.  We will also have an early lunch that day so we can board the bus at 12:00.

School Pictures

School Pictures will be next Tuesday, October 8th!  I will send home the packages available as well as the individual pictures that you can purchase.

Circle S Farms

Our field trip to Circle S Farms in Grove City, Ohio is this Thursday, October, 3, 2013.  Please have your permissions slips in as soon as possible!  Remember to pack a lunch, including a drink for you and your child.

No Daily Note Today

Wednesday, September 18, 2013

I wanted to let you know that we didn't send home a daily note due to our copy machine isn't working properly.

Today we played in the gym after breakfast.  Tumbling seemed to be the favorite activity for most of the children and my, how they can do somersaults!  Then we read in our small reading groups and gathered together to sing our ABC songs for each letter of the alphabet with each child taking turns pointing to the words as we sang.  We were able to sing our way to letter P today!  We had center time, where the children could choose what to play with while we worked with the children on writing their names and gluing their name collages.

Right before lunch we broke into a Skip-to-my-Lou dance with finding partners to dance with and following the directions of tiptoeing, swinging your partner, and galloping.  We found out today that we have a group that likes to dance!  I will be looking for more music to dance to with our friends this year!  Then we used our rhythm sticks to play follow the leader by just watching me with no added verbal directions.  They did a great job and we finished with singing The Wheels on the Bus using our sticks as the wheels, the windshield wipers, the doors opening and shutting, and the people going up and down.

In the afternoon we played with play-doh and we also learned Nursery Rhymes and used our felt pieces to act them out as we said or sang them.  The day ended with a snack and a few more songs!

Access to Books Online

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Editor's Picks are free for anyone to read, anytime, anywhere, and on any device - without login!

Click here to learn more about We Give Books and see all the great books that are available for you to read online for free!

Rhythm-N-You Music Therapy



 

 

Every Monday we have the pleasure to work with Grace Butler, a board certified music therapist.  She comes into our classroom from 9:40-10:10 with her musical instruments and she works with our class as a whole.  We have only had one session with her but it was magical! She sat in the middle and the children sat in a semi-circle around her.  She used her guitar and her voice to talk to the children and each child needed to wait their turn to make choices of musical instruments that she presented them with. Grace has such a lovely way about her and her voice is beautiful.  The children really responded positively to her.  She will work with our class tomorrow morning and every Monday morning.

 

 

Please click here for more information on Rhythm-N-You music therapy.

Scholastic Books

Shop Online: scholastic.com/readingclub

One-Time Class Activation Code: HKF2P

Dear Families,

Encouraging reading is one of the most important things we can do to help your child succeed. It can be tough finding the right books to keep them interested, which is why I am so excited that our class will be participating in Scholastic Reading Club this school year.

With Scholastic Reading Club:

•    Every book you buy earns FREE Books for our classroom library

•    You can choose from handpicked, grade- and reading-level-specific books for your child

•    You'll find the best values on a variety of formats, including eBooks

Each month, your child will bring home Reading Club flyers. Together you can choose from books hand-selected by teachers and experts, and then order online or by returning your order form and payment to me.

I'm excited to get our class reading!  If you have any questions please let me know.

Thanks,

Hilda

If This Is Your First Time Ordering Online:

•     REGISTER at scholastic.com/readingclub

•     ENTER the Class Activation Code at the top of this letter

•     CHOOSE from thousands of print titles, value packs, and Storia eBooks

•     SUBMIT the order to me by the due date listed on the website

•     EARN FREE Books for our classroom too!

Welcome to the 2013-2014 School Year

Welcome to the New School Year!

We're very excited about this school year!  We're so glad your family will be a part of our school family!  It's Wednesday of the first week of school and we are off to a great start!  In preschool, we love to share experiences with each other and build relationships.  We are working on our field trip and our swim schedule at the YMCA.

67 Ideas for Fun and Learning this Summer

I just came across a great list of ideas to do this summer and I wanted to share it with you!

Please click here for 67 great ideas!

I just found this letter and thought it was appropriate to post!  I know on many occasions you have talked to me about the responses you get when you ask your child about their day and here's a letter that addresses that!

Dear Parents,

When your child responds to the questions “What did you do today?” with a frustrating “Nothing”….remember…..

When children come home at the end of the day,
The question they're asked as they scurry to play,
is “Tell me, what did you do today?”

Perhaps nothing means I worked with clay
Or learned my shapes or counted today.
Maybe I did a listening sheet,
Or reviewed the body parts from head to feet.

Nothing may mean that I sang a song,
Or learned concepts like short or long.
I may have learned how to write my name,
Or gone outside to play a game.

Maybe this was the day for the first time
That my scissors followed a very straight line.
Maybe I said the ABC’s from beginning to end,
Or worked cooperatively with a brand new friend.

I may have walked the balance beam and fallen off,
Or learned to cover my mouth when I cough.
Perhaps nothing means that I painted a tree,
Or wrote the numbers 1,2,3.

When you are a child and your heart has wings,
“Nothing” can mean so many things!!
-Author Unknown

Summer Science Ideas

Steve Spangler Science

Steve Spangler is the science teacher that you always wanted to have!  

I just recently found his website and I love it and I wanted to share it with you since he has so many good experiments that you can do with your children over the summer.

Click here for summer camp science experiments.

Click here for great science toys for four to five year olds.

Preschool Celebration on May 22, 2013

                                            

You are invited to the 2013

 Brooks-Yates Preschool

 Celebration on               

Wednesday, May 2

 at 1:00 

The celebration will be

held in the conference

    room followed by

  refreshments.

 Please feel free to invite

your family and friends!

Sources for Free E-books for your children

Reading Rockets has a great article on e-books for your children.  

Please click here to access the information.

Tumblebooks Subscription

We now have a Tumblebooks subscription for a year!  Here's the link that you can use to access the books and activities.  I will send home a paper with the username and password for you to use at home or wherever you are!

Please click here for Tumblebooks!

May's Activities

   

                          

May's Activities

May 1-trip to the flower/garden shop for a present for someone special in our children's lives...hint, hint! In the afternoon we're going to Head Start Playground.

2nd-going swimming/family center at the YMCA

7th-going to the Zoo with the rain date on the 16th.  If we would go to the Zoo on the 16th then we would cancel our last day at the YMCA.

8th and 15th-going to Head Start playground

22nd-Preschool Celebration at school at 1:00 for our end of the year program and graduation celebration for the children moving onto Kindergarten next year

23rd-Picnic and play at Mary Virginia Crites Hannan Park which is the last day of school.

April Events

           

April Events

Monday, April 8-Bookmobile

Tuesday, April 9-Field trip to Pioneer School in Chillicothe and lunch at Tumbleweed Restaurant

Wednesday, April 17-play at Head Start playground

Thursday, April 18-Swim and Family Center at the YMCA

Wednesday, April 24-play at Head Start playground

Thursday, April 25-Field trip to Slate Run Living Historical Farm and picnic lunch at Buzzard's Roost

Monday, April 29-Bookmobile

Nutrition Information for Preschoolers

There's a newsletter for preschoolers using the my plate concept that I wanted to pass onto you.  

Please click here for the information.

My Plate for Preschoolers

March Events

We now have the Post Office up and running in our classroom so you might be getting some wonderful envelopes sent in as the children are writing letters and then delivering them to each other.

We mailed our letter to our new friends at Head Start and they will be coming to play with us a few times this month!  We're looking forward to going to their place on Corwin Street and playing with them on their playground.

Events in March

 

Wednesday, March 6, 20, and 27 our friends from Head Start are playing with us in our gym.

 

Thursday, March 7 and 21-YMCA-swimming and family center

 

Monday, March 11-No School-Staff In-service Day

 

Thursday, March 14-World of Bounce Field Trip

 

Monday, March 18-Bookmobile

 

Thursday-Monday, March 28-April 1-No School-Spring Break

 

Tuesday, April 2-School Resumes

 

February's Activities

What's Happening in February?

 

 

Thursday, February 14- Valentine's Party and then onto McDonald's for lunch and playing in their Play Place.

 

Monday, February 18-No School for President's Day.

 

Wednesday, February 20 and 27-Our new friends from Head Start come over and play with us in our gym from 1:45-2:30.

 

Thursday, February 21-YMCA swimming and family center fun.

 

Monday, February 25-the bookmobile visits ours school.  

Great Resource: Reading Rockets for Common Core Standards

 

We are hearing a lot of discussion about the Common Core Standards in Ohio and what it means for our children in school.  For an excellent source of information you can click on Reading Rockets.