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| Cooperative building and play. |
We
certainly have had a busy week, after I’m sure a very busy holiday break. Along
with settling back into old routines, I have introduced a few new routines to
the children. For the most part they have greeted the new routines with
enthusiasm. And you will see why J I turned the day upside down. Although I had strategically chosen
exploration time at the end of the day in November and December, I decided to
move this activity to the first period of the day. This will hopefully provide extra incentive for them to get
to school on time and complete their morning task efficiently.
Upon
arrival they still go through their morning routines of checking-in, choosing
milk, handing in their folders, doing a morning table task, reading the morning
message and answering the question of the day. The children then get to choose
a center/exploration activity. They generally still have a full 20 minutes
before we start our morning meeting. They cherish this time socializing as they
work together on collaborative projects or on individual projects alongside
their classmates.
Another
change that I have made to routines is in regard to helping them become more
responsible in the classroom. Each child is sitting at a table that I’ve given
a “team” name: the Mittens, the Snowmen and the Stars. Each person is
responsible for different jobs at their table during snack. Throughout the day
they are responsible for making sure their table is neat and chairs are pushed
in. (it can be hazardous walking through the classroom if chairs are left
pulled out!). At the end of the week, the winning table earns 3 points. When a
table earns 5 points they can choose an experiential benefit: for instance use
the computers in the classroom, have first choice of explorations, etc. It’s really a privilege that they are
earning. I am trying to help them understand cause and effect. If they are good
at working as a team, then they will benefit as a team.
Jolly
Phonics: We picked up this week by reviewing the old letter sounds already
introduced and then learned /y/ on Wed. and will be learning /x/ on Friday.
Please continue to sit with your child on a daily basis to read their Sound
Book with them or play the “Guess My Word” game. If you would like to play the Memory
game again, send a note in with your child and I will put a sound memory game
in their backpack. You can keep it as many days as you need.
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| Building with straws. |
Centers:
In preparation for creating math centers in January, I am introducing new
activities to the children. Earlier in the week the children explored the
various ways to build objects and geometric shapes using straws and connectors.
We will be learning how to play a variety of math related games as well as
using dice to build our understanding of number sense.
LANGUAGE
ARTS
We
read Strega Nona this week. The children are currently working on
creating their own 3 page summary of the story as they think about the
beginning, middle and end. The children also were able to connect to another
book we read in December, Latkes, Latkes, Good to Eat. We were able to
compare and contrast them in our discussions.
SOCIAL
STUDIES
The
memory boxes were a big hit. Most children were able to present before the
holiday. The children enjoyed sharing their treasures and stories associated
with them. The children also made a very good audience for their classmates.
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| Outside recess: Free Play! |
Share:
This current week’s share was a free choice. This coming week share will be
/ai/ -- anything with the long “a” sound. It will give me a chance to address
the different spellings for this sound. Thanks!
- Boots, snow pants, hats, and mittens. Winter recesses are cold! Please let me know if some of these items can stay in the classroom during the week. It makes the end of day packing much easier.
- A pair of sneakers is good to have in their cubbies for gym day: (Wednesday and Friday).
CALENDAR
- Snacks: Thank you to Kaitlyn’s family for providing this week’s healthy snack. Next week’s snack will be donated by Maple’s family.
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| Anna Lary and Ian making ornaments. |
- Early Dismissal: Noon, Friday, January 13th.
- Holiday Classroom Celebration: Thank you to all the families who donated holiday snacks, materials and their time, baking and shopping! The holiday celebration was a big success. Anna Spaulding was able to help during the day as well as Kaitlyn’s cousin, Tanya. Thank you to you one and all. J
HOUSEKEEPING
ITEMS:
- Classroom Wish List: For general classroom supplies: glue sticks.
Thank you to
families who were able to donate white board markers!
Sincerely,
Mrs.
Bodnar
