Welcome to Lord of Life Lutheran Preschool (LOL)! We are excited and looking forward to having your child be part of our class. The first weeks of school are a transition period for your child. We will work with you and your child to make this transition as smooth as possible. If you feel the need to check on your child, please call the office and they will be happy to look in on your child and report back to you.

1. We will supply a "tote bag" for your child to use. Please send notes or paperwork to school in the tote bag which is checked daily. While items to go home are generally in your child’s mailbox, please check the tote bag also.

2. Lunch boxes need to be labeled with your child's name and the current day's date. The children will be very active, during school and proper nutrition is essential and so a healthy lunch (no soda or candy) is important.

3. Please keep a change of clothes in your child's tote bag including underwear and socks as accidents sometimes still may occur (spilled paint is one example).

4. There will be a coat hook with your child's name above it located outside of our classroom. This is where the tote bag, lunch box, and sweater, etc. will go.

5. We will go out to the playground each day (weather permitting). Be sure your child has the appropriate attire for that day's weather. Please have your child wear socks with closed-toed shoes to protect their feet properly. In the winter, we recommend that a pair of mittens and a hat always be kept in your child's tote bag.

6. Each child will have a mailbox located by the front door of our classroom. Please encourage your child to check it everyday for items that need to go home. You will want to check it at the beginning of the school year yourself.

7. The children will be involved with hands-on activities, therefore, we strongly suggest your child be dressed in clothes that are comfortable and can get dirty.

8. "Kiss and Ride" is a tool to help the children learn independence and is a convenience for you. In the beginning of the school year, you may want to bring your child to the classroom. After a period of adjustment, we strongly encourage you to use "Kiss and Ride".

9. Communication is very important to us. We will send home a monthly newsletter, and each week lesson plans will be posted in our classroom. In January and again in May we will set-up an official conference time with you to discuss your child. In addition we will keep you up-to-date on progress in an informal fashion. If you should have any concerns, please let us know right away.

10. The office will supply you with a class list. When arranging play dates or birthday parties please do this outside of the school so the other classmates won't have hurt feelings if they are not included. You may put notes in other children’s bags but staff will not deliver them nor are they to be put into the mail slots.

Our main goal is to have your child feel good about him or herself. A positive self-image builds self-esteem and encourages positive learning experiences. In our class we will work on cooperation, sharing, turn taking, and appropriate classroom behavior.

Several free choice centers will be set-up in our classroom; some centers will change according to lesson plans and/or themes. Playing in centers, on the playground, and in the Big Room helps children to develop social and emotional skills, leadership qualities, teamwork, problem solving, and it encourages children to use their imagination which promotes their creativity.

The following is a brief overview of our day.

Circle Time: This is the time when we will do the Pledge of Allegiance, discuss the calendar, who the class helpers will be for the day, and our current theme.

Playground: In addition to developing gross motor skills, playground time promotes
 pro social behavior.

Show and Tell: Each child will have an opportunity to bring in – only one item such as a
 toy, book, pictures, etc. to class to share with their classmates. No weapons – PLEASE!

The Big Room: It is a special place with changing themes where the children have more space to play and where there are many different centers and age appropriate materials.

Music: We will sing songs, read poetry and learn finger plays in the classroom. Group music is an opportunity for the children to express themselves through song and movement.

Art:  We will use many different forms of art such as painting (watercolors and easel), cutting, coloring, and clay. The children will be encouraged to be creative. We will also have special art/craft projects from time to time.

Math: Basic concepts will be taught such as: more and less than, shapes/colors,
and recognition of the numbers 1 – 10.

Science: We will do experiments in areas such as magnets, gravity, scales and
weights, and mixing paints to find new colors.

Social Studies: We will have discussions each day that will revolve around our theme, special events and holidays.

*Free Play: *Did you know that free play is the best way to cultivate a child's learning process. It is essential for learning at this age that the children may choose from different centers.

Language Arts: We will have a letter of the week and will practice recognizing the letters of the alphabet and associating certain phonics sounds with the letters. This will be done both during play and in more formal activities.

Books: The Library Center promotes imagination, social interaction, pre-reading skills and a healthy respect for books. There will be a story read to the class each day, and many of the stories will allow the children to interact with the stories being read.

Closing Circle: This is the time we will review the events of the day.

Birthday Celebrations: We do acknowledge each child's birthday with a crown made especially for them and we will sing Happy Birthday. If you would like, you can arrange with us a day that you want to send in a snack such as cupcakes, cookies, brownies, yogurt, or fruit (no cake please.) Due to allergies it is crucial that you check with the staff before food is sent in to be shared.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

2010-11 Themes
Room 7 MWF

September
Safety at Home and School
All About Me

October
Fall
Manners
Halloween

November
Family/Pets/Friends
Thanksgiving

December
The Five Senses
Christmas

January
Winter/Winter Animals
Dinosaurs

February
Healthy Habits (teeth, food, nutrition)
Valentine’s Day
Feelings

March
Growing Things
Insects/Butterflies

April
Spring
Easter

May/June
Transportation
Spring Fling
End of school activities

2009-2010 Archive