Just to let you know...

*We will be having a "hat day" on Friday, January 30th! Please send your child with a hat (whatever kind they would like to wear!!)

*We would like to take the children to the Falmouth Ice Arena on Thursday, February 19th from 12:-2:30. The rink is putting on "free skating for preschoolers" and we would like to take advantage of it! Please be sure to look out for permission slips that we MUST have in order to go! Thank You!!

Our spring roll recipe...

A few parents asked so here it is... (modified to what OUR actual Pre-K kids liked!)
Steam the following vegetable after cutting them into skinny strips:
*carrots
*onion
*lettuce
*white rice
We purchased egg roll wrappers from the grocery store (they are located next to the tofu!) Add a little bit of every ingredient into the center of the wrapper. Roll it up. Broil in the oven for a few minutes (or you can fry them depending on you taste!) Be sure to use non stick cooking spray because they do stick! Enjoy!!

Happy Chinese New Year/Our Friendly Bowl Celebration!

We celebrated Chinese New Year by reading lots of books about the Chinese culture. We also made some yummy homemade spring rolls to have with lunch. A few of us really enjoyed them..a few of us didn't! We also celebrated our friendly bowl being filled to the top! Abigail's mom, Pam came in and gave us all face and arm paintings! THANK YOU PAM!!!

January Newsletter

January 2009
Dear Pre-K Families,
Happy New Year! We would like to Welcome everyone back from their time off and vacations. This month we will be Exploring one of our favorite authors, Jan Brett. This coincides with the Guideline for Preschool Learning Experiences: Listening to several books by the same author or using the same illustrator and listening to a wide variety of literature read aloud. We will be reading many of Jan Brett’s books and exploring a bit about her life as an author. We also have many fun activities planned for the month.
We would like to say “Thank You!” to everyone that gave both gifts to the classroom as well as gifts to the teachers. We really appreciate all of your generosity. Thank You!
We would like to Welcome Sam Kellogg and his family to the Pre-K classroom. Sam has recently moved up from Preschool. Welcome!
We will be going to Heritage Assisted Living on Thursday, January 22nd at 10:30am. We will be leaving the center at 10:15am!
We will be using an assessment tool in the next couple of weeks to help us learn more about your child’s social and emotional health. It is called DECA and it will help us identify the strengths and potential areas of growth for all of the children. Please sign the permission slip and return as soon as possible if you wish to participate.
Just a few reminders:
*January Book Orders are due Friday, January 9th.
*Please bring in slippers to be left at school.
*Please update spare clothing bins located in the Pre-K bathroom. Many children need weather and size appropriate clothing.
*Please be sure to sign IN and OUT everyday!
*Please make sure your child has a clean sheet and blanket every week. This helps us keep the germs down.
*Please dress children appropriately everyday. Snow pants, boots, coats, hats and gloves are needed on snowy days!
*Don’t forget to check out our internet blog!
www.vnaprek2.blogspot.com
Thank You & Happy New Year,
Alicia & Kayla

January Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experience

Guidelines for Preschool Learning Experiences
Month: January Theme: Exploring Jane Brett


English Language Arts
Practice actively in discussions, listen to others, and ask and answer relevant questions. Communicate personal experiences or interests. Listen to a wide variety of age appropriate literature read aloud. Listen to several books by the same author or using the same illustrator. Relate themes and information in books to personal experiences. Use emergent writing skills to make letters in many settings and for many purposes.
Mathematics
Use positional language and ordinal numbers (first, second, third) in everyday activities. Sort, categorize, or classify objects by more than one attributes. Use estimation in meaningful ways and follow up by verifying the accuracy of the estimations. Organize and draw conclusions from facts they have collected.
Science and Technology Engineering
Record observations and share ideas through simple forms of representation such as drawings. Identify the characteristics of local weather based on first hand observations. (now, sleet, ice) Observe the seasonal changes in plants, animals and their personal lives. Explore, describe and compare the properties of liquids and solids found in children’s daily environments (water changing to ice, snow changing to water) Demonstrate and explain the safe and proper use of tools and materials.
History and Social Science
Discuss and identify the order of daily routines. (Pre-K schedule, line leader chart) Discus examples of rules, fairness, personal experiences and authority in their own experiences and stories read to them. Discuss classroom responsibilities in daily activities. Discuss rules and responsibilities of family or community members who promote the welfare and safety of children and adults. Observe some U.S. national holidays and discuss how and why we celebrate them. (Martin Luther King day)


Health Education
Build awareness of directionality and position in space. Strengthen hand grasp flexibility. Use thumb/forefinger in pincer grasp. Use a variety of tools and materials to build grasp-and release skill. Build finger dexterity. (scissors, hole punchers) Practice personal hygiene and safety measures. (Washing hands to prevent the spread of germs and sickness.) Practice independence and self help skills. Discuss strategies to prevent injury and illness, control the spread of disease, and promote cleanliness. Talk about basic ways they can keep their environment clean and take care of it.
Arts
Express themselves freely through movement. Develop audience skills by observing performances or artists at work in various aspects of art. (Puppet shows, putting on ballet shows) Sing expressively. Play instruments using different beats, tempos, dynamics and interpretations. Listen to storytellers and watch puppet shows. Observe the safe and appropriate use and care of art materials. Explore concepts of pattern and symmetry in the environment and artwork.

*A Snowy Day!*

We had a lot of fun playing in the snow today! Ms.Kayla helped us build a snowman and we named him Frosty! When we were finished building Frosty we decided to dance around him and sing "Frosty the Snowman!"