Room 7
Monday-Wednesday-Friday
February 2012
January was filled with the season of winter. The children had fun making snowflakes, snow people, penguins and listening to stories about winter.
We reviewed the letters P,W, and Y and we worked on beading and recognizing the numbers 1-10. (Some of the children are also working on patterns and concepts of these numbers.)
We had a pretty good time with our pajama party – it was quite a busy day! In the morning we watched a couple of short DVDs with Mrs. Hogan’s class and made brownies. Then we made pizza for lunch.
For a science experience we popped popcorn with an air popcorn maker. The children were very excited watching the popcorn pop and they certainly enjoyed eating it!
Last month we started having the children print their name on a sign-in sheet everyday when they first arrive at school. This is good practice for them.
This month we will be talking about winter animals, nutrition, dental hygiene, 5 senses – and of course, Valentine’s Day. We will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Monday, February 13th. Please have your child (with your help) make out a Valentine’s card for each of their classmates. A list of the children’s names is printed below.
We will continue to work on our number and letter recognition. Have a great month – I’m sure our class will.
Audrey
Brooke
Emily
Haley
Jacob
Luke
Maddie
Reese
Sean
Zachary F.
Zach P.
January 2012
We hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas. The children were really busy in December doing many types of art projects such as making cinnamon ornaments, candy cane ornaments and reindeer paintings just to name a few. We hope you enjoyed your Christmas angel gifts. We also made gingerbread cookies which the children really enjoyed baking and eating.
This month we will be setting up conferences so we can let you know how your child is progressing here at preschool. There will be a sign up sheet outside of our classroom at the end of this week. Please be sure to sign up for a 15 minute conference. If you prefer a telephone conference, that can be arranged. Just let us know.
January is starting out very cold so please be sure the change of clothes in your child’s tote bag coincides with the winter weather.
Dates to Remember:
January 16th No school
January 20th Pajama day – wear your pajamas!
January 11th Chapel at 9:30 a.m.
January 25 Chapel at 9:30 a.m. Remember you are always welcome to join us.
January 30th No School
February 2nd In-house registration begins
Have a Happy and Healthy New Year!
December 2011
Wow – the month of November flew by! The children were busy working on Thanksgiving projects and singing songs about turkeys of course. They talked about their families and friends and we practiced good manners. We talked about listening while others are speaking, not interrupting without saying excuse me first, helping our classmates clean-up, not using mean words, etc. and of course, please and thank you.
We introduced the letters Tt, Ll and Ss and we continue to introduce the numbers 1-10. The children also used their scissors a lot which helps them with their fine motor skills.
For our food experience we made leaf cookies, pumpkin pie and cornbread.
We attended the Tiny Tots Concert and the children got to hear the West Springfield High School symphony play holiday music. Many of the symphony players came around and showed the children how each of their instruments work. We all enjoyed the show.
It has been a tradition here at Lord of Life for the children to sing
Christmas songs along with their parents -- so please plan to join us on Friday, December 16th at 12:40 p.m. in the chapel. There will also be a school wide bake sale that day.
We will be having our classroom Christmas Party on Friday, December 16th and a sign-up sheet will be posted outside our classroom soon.
Remember to have a change of clothes appropriate for winter in your child’s tote bag and please label all outerwear. We do recommend mittens instead of gloves. They are easier for the children to put on. We hope everyone is practicing at home how to put your coat on and to zipper or button it up.
We are looking forward to the holiday season!
November 2011
The month of October was full of fun. The children enjoyed singing Halloween songs and making Halloween decorations. They especially enjoyed dressing up on Halloween and trick-or-treating at school.
The children were busy using scissors to cut out their jack-o-lanterns, witches and fall trees, and also making their ghosts and spiders.
We introduced the letters c, x, g and h and continue to learn our numbers 1 – 10. For our food experience we made whipped cream and had it with strawberries and short cakes. We also made pumpkin bread and hope that you enjoyed it at our open house. On Halloween we made mummy and pumpkin cookies!
This month we will be talking about using good manners, our families, and Thanksgiving.
FYI We will be attending the Tiny Tots Concert at West Springfield High School on Wednesday morning, November 30th. Please look for the chaperone sign-up sheet outside of our classroom. We will need at least 4 chaperones to go with us to the Concert. Sorry, no siblings will be able to go with us to the Concert.
Reminder: The week of Thanksgiving our class will only meet on Monday, November 21st. There will be no school on Wednesday the 23rd and Friday the 25th because of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
October 2011
In September the children spent time getting to know each other, making new friends, learning about our classroom, classroom helpers, and the classroom rules.
Some of the things your children have the opportunity to do in class are easel paint, finger paint, experience the sensory table, play with play dough, use their imagination in dramatic play, and build with blocks.
Group Music is also a fun time when we join Mrs. Jones’ class in the gathering area each morning to sing and shake our wiggles out!
Our class will have a “Food Experience” 2 or 3 times a month; this is very popular with the children. In September we made butter -- the children really were intrigued how the liquid (heavy cream) turned into a solid (butter) and they enjoyed eating it with crackers. We did apple taste testing where the children tried 6 different types of apples and we made a graph of their favorites ranking most popular to least favorite. Ginger crisp was the winner. We also made homemade biscuits – Mrs. Lewis’ recipe. They were delicious!
Each month we will try to introduce the children to several letters and a couple of numbers. Our letters for September were A, B and numbers 1,2.
Important Dates for October
October 10th : Columbus Day – NO SCHOOL!
October 21th: Picture day. Please have your child dress appropriately.
October 24th: Open House in our classroom from 6:30 p.m. until 7:30 p.m. We hope that your family and child will be able to join us.
October 26th: Chapel at 9:30
October 31st: Halloween celebration
Halloween Information
Our class will be celebrating Halloween on Monday, October 31st. Please have your child wear their Halloween Costume (make sure that it is easy enough for your child to remove and put back on by themselves or with very little help for bathroom purposes).
PLEASE! No scary costumes.
The children will have a special Halloween Group Music that morning with all the classrooms and they will Trick-A-Treat at school from room to room and upstairs in the church offices.
Orientation
Dear Families:
Hello and welcome to Lord of Life’s Room 7! On Wednesday, September 7th, please join us for an informal open house in our room from 9:30 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. This will give you and your child the opportunity to meet with us and the other children whom will be in our class this year along with their families. It will also give your child the chance to become acquainted with us before preschool officially begins.
Attached you will find information on our class overview. We hope this will answer some of the questions you might have. If you should need to speak with me prior to the open hours, you can reach me on my cell phone, 703-655-3376.
We are looking forward to meeting you!
Class Overview
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.
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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.
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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.
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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).
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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.
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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.
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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.
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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.
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"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".
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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.
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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.
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Birthday Celebrations are acknowledged for each child. A crown is made especially for them and we will sing Happy Birthday to them in class. If you would like, you can arrange with us a day that you want to send in a snack such as cookies, brownies, yogurt, or fruit (no cake please.) Due to allergies it is crucial that you check with staff before food is sent in to be shared.
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.