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Preschool
March 13, 2020
Dear Parents, Since we are getting ready for spring break, I am posting today instead of Monday. We have had a wonderful week of fun and learning. We worked on the letter V. Emily gave us some great clues about a Valentine pencil and the kids did a great job with the volcano yoga pose. In addition, we cut out pictures of vegetables to glue on the letter v. We talked about how vegetables grow out of the ground and don't have seeds like fruits. We also had a lot of fun with baking soda and vinegar volcanoes. The kids also really enjoyed role playing with a vet kit; I think we may have some future doctors. In addition to this, we also discussed St. Patrick. We reviewed the concept that saints are holy men and women who had great friendships with Jesus. We talked about the life of St. Patrick and watched a Veggie Tale video about him. We talked about how he used the shamrock to teach the people that God has three persons in one God just like a shamrock is one plant with three leaves. We also had a little bit of St. Patrick's Day STEM fun making leprechaun traps. The kids are really hoping we catch one over the break. The kids worked in groups with an adult to make these traps out of classroom and recyclable materials and really did a great job. I may also have some future engineers in this group. Speaking of careers, that is what Miss Katie talked to the kids about on Thursday. She talked about how there are lots of helpers in our community who protect and care for us. The kids then drew pictures of what they want to be when they grow up. We had everything from doctors to unicorns. The sky's the limit. These kids have unlimited potential! Dr. Gilligan did sent home a note about the possibility of distance learning. Unfortunately, the health concerns in our world may keep us apart for more than a week. Know that suggestions I have for you will be fun and include as many play based suggestions as possible. I am hoping that the many prayers of my wonderful students will be heard and that we will all remain healthy. My homework over the break is a van loaded down with toys and dress ups I will be washing and sterilizing, which I do regularly anyway. Have a great spring break. Blessings, Mrs. Hale |
March 9, 2020
Dear Parents, Well I think the kids had a great time celebrating Dr. Seuss last week. We were able to read a different book each day and dress up in a theme to go with it. I think the kids liked the pajama day that accompanied The Sleep Book the most although I think their favorite story was The Cat In The Hat. We were able to accomplish a lot last week. We introduced the letter U. The kids had fun making umbrella and unicorn pictures. They also enjoyed spotting things that were upside down on Wacky Wednesday. Ava did a great job coming up with clues to get us to guess that she brought a uniform in the clue can. We practiced some great skills last week. We worked on cutting 6 inch straight lines when we made Thing 1 hats. We practiced sorting by color, size, and pattern with some paper socks on Silly Socks day. We worked on counting and noticing incongruities when we read the Wacky Wednesday book and found the wacky things in our classroom and on Mrs. Hale. We talked about expressing our gratitude to those who help us with Miss Katie and colored pictures of what we are thankful for. We also sorted and graphed rainbow goldfish before we finally got to eat them. The kids are learning so much; they are like little sponges. This week we will talk about St. Patrick and his lesson for us about how God has three persons; God the Father, Jesus the Son, and the Holy Spirit. We are also getting back to fairy tales. The kids really enjoyed reading Rapunzel today. We will also participate in the school's mission carnival with our seventh grade buddies this Friday, March 13. Please send in a non-parishable food item for St. Vincent DePaul. Thanks for all you do for your wonderful children and our school. I appreciate you! Blessings, Mrs. Hale Dates to Remember Friday, March 13 - Mission Carnival Bring in a food item Monday, March 16- Friday, March 20 - Spring Break - No School Monday, March 23 - classes resume Friday, April 3 - Noon Dismissal |
March 2, 2020
Dear Parents, I am so excited to tell you about another week of fun and learning. Last week we worked on the letter T. In addition to learning how to form the letter and what it sounds like, we also connected the sound of the letter T to learning across the curriculum. We continued discussing fairy tales and talked about princess Tiana in Disney's The Princess and the Frog. It was wonderful how all the stars lined up for this week. We were able to discuss how Tiana lived in New Orleans; a city in the United States that celebrates Mardi Gras. We talked about how this day of fun and food is a tradition celebrated around the world, especially in South American countries where they call it carnival. The kids enjoyed making Mardi Gras masks with their 7th grade buddies, and Miss Megan gave everyone beads. We also did some science activities that tied to the letter T. We watched our magnetic trains push and pull with magnets. We saw how drinks like coffee, tea, and soda can stain our teeth by letting soda stain an egg shell. Then we brushed the egg with water, and saw the stain was still there. Finally we brushed with toothpaste and made the shell white again. We talked about how we should brush our teeth twice a day to keep them clean and healthy. We also heard an African fairy tale, a Chinese fairy tale, and today a the story of Goldilocks read by our Spanish teacher in Spanish. I believe it is important to see that great stories are told everywhere. We also read some other stories to help us focus on the season of Lent. We read Clifford's Good Deeds. This helped us understand what a good deed is and how we need to be careful to be sure our good deeds end up helping. We are tracking our own good deeds, or acts of kindness, in the classroom. Each day we are noting which deeds on a list of 15 we see done each day and are keeping track of it on a chart. We had 8 on Wednesday and Thursday, and 7 on Friday. This is our way of giving to others this Lent. We also committed to praying more. We are reading a small devotional each day, and we also attended the Ash Wednesday mass with our buddies. I also sent some sheets home that can help you take these concepts further at home. There is a list of 15 good deeds to do at home. You can try to see how many your family can do each day like we do at school, or just have your preschooler try to do all 15 during lent. There is also a sheet with footprints. Each footprint has a prayer, act of service or sacrifice to experience each day of Lent. I kept this on the fridge when my own kids were small. It is hard for us to give something up for 40 days, and that is way too much to ask of a 3-5 year old, but a daily goal is very achievable. We also read The Very Hungry Caterpillar. We talked about how we start the season of Lent hungry for a closer friendship with Jesus. We talked about how if we talk to him each day in prayer and work to love our brothers and sisters with acts of kindness, we grow more beautiful in God's eyes. If we work on praying and performing acts of kindness, this lent, we will be like God's beautiful butterflies. We even made clothespin caterpillars and put them in paper bag chrysalis's. When Easter comes, we will turn our caterpillars into butterflies. This week, we will step away from fairy tales for a bit, and focus on beloved children's author, Dr. Seuss. This is a national week to celebrate reading. Don't forget our fun dress up days. Tuesday - Fox in Socks - wear crazy socks Wednesday - Wacky Wednesday - Wear things that are silly and mismatched Thursday - The Sleep Book - Wear your pajamas Friday - One Fish Two Fish, Red Fish Blue Fish - wear red and blue I hope everyone has a great week. Blessings, Mrs. Hale Dates to remember Friday, March 6 - Noon Dismissal Monday, March 16 - Friday March 20 No School for Spring Break Wednesday, March 25-Thursday, March 26 - Spring Picture Day |
February 24, 2020
Dear Parents, We have had another great week full of fun and learning. Last week we worked on the letter Ss. In addition to reading an alliterative poem, listing words that begin with s, doing our yoga pose, and guessing what Simi placed in the clue can (a sock), we also had fun string beads and playing scrabble soup. We also started talking about fairy tales. The kids love playing with the castle blocks and this class of mostly girls is really interested in princesses. I decided to capitalize on this interest and take it further. So we read Snow White (tying to the letter s) and even used the seven dwarfs to talk about our unique personalities in a fun writing projects. We also read a traditional version of Red Riding Hood and then a silly version told from the wolf's point of view. Both of these stories let us discuss important issues in our social and emotional development. Understanding our own personality and how different people can see the same situation very differently are great concepts to introduce to young children. We also got a chance today to share a traditional tale most of the kids had never heard before, Anansi and the Moss Covered Rock. This is an African folk tale about a tricky spider that has a moral lesson. I am reading familiar favorites to capitalize on the kids interest, but introducing stories from other cultures too. This week we will celebrate Mardi Gras/Carnivaal on Tuesday (again, this day is really celebrated in a lot of South American cultures). It also leads us to Ash Wednesday, the first day of Lent which is an important season for our own Christian culture. We will be attending Mass with our buddies and receiving ashes. So much to learn and celebrate. Your child will bring home a handout on Wednesday with a path. On this path are small things kids can do to sacrifice or pray more during lent. I encourage you to place this on the fridge, and encourage your child to do each day's activity during lent. It think that 3-5 year olds are not ready for a 40 day sacrifice, but can do well when we take it one day at a time. It is my hope that they continue to flourish in their friendship with Jesus during this special season. Please have a great week and a faith filled lent. Blessings, Mrs. Hale |
February 17, 2020
Dear Parents, I am glad to report that we had another fun week filled with lots of learning. We worked on the letter Rr this week. In addition to our usual discussion of letter formation and sound, alliterative poem, yoga pose, and clue can with Adrianna, we had some fun letter R science lessons. On Monday, we made a rainbow of liquids with different densities. I explained to the kids that liquids whose molecules are close together will sink while liquids whose molecules are more spread out will rise. On Thursday, we even did a little rocket science. The kids loved watching my balloon powered paper rocket move up the string because of the force of air coming out of the balloon. We also had fun getting ready for Valentine's day. We read some fun Valentine themed books, decorated our valentine bags with paint, cut playdough into hearts, made patterns with heart shaped gems, and sorted candy hearts by color. Hopefully, the party went well, I wish I could have been there, but my youngest son came down with the flu and needed his mommy. The kids also did a great job working on their animal yoga poses with Miss Katie. These poses are a way to focus our breathing and calm our bodies when big feelings get the best of little bodies. When your child struggles with big feelings at home, feel free to encourage them to make their bodies into some of their favorite animals (dog, cat, snake). I am looking forward to another fun week. Mrs Hale |
February 9,2020
Dear Parents, We have had another week full of fun and learning. We were able to see some guest jumpers from the American Heart Association, perform their advanced jump rope techniques and tricks. We also attended mass with our 7th grade buddies. The kids really did well! Our letter of the week was Qq. In addition to our usual activities, we also made a friendship quilt and enjoyed guessing what Morgan put in the clue can. We are continuing to work on our letters and numbers in play, journal and centers. The kids really enjoyed playing number bingo this week. Miss Katie reviewed some of the emotions we talked about with a quiz using characters from the movie Inside Out, and reviewed some of our animal yoga poses. It is so nice to have her help us learn to identify and handle our feelings. We ended the week with a wonderful walking field trip to the Florissant Civic Center to see Owen and Mzee. The story is about a baby hippo in Africa who is separated from his parents by a tsunami. He ends up making friends with a turtle in an animal sanctuary. The kids really seemed to enjoy the story of friendship punctuated by some African inspired music. Don't forget that this Friday, February 14th is the Valentine's Party. Please have your child sign their valentines, but NOT address them to friends. This way the students can place a valentine in every bag without needing assistance to read names. There are 21 students so your child needs 20 valentines. Have a great week. Blessings, Mrs. Hale |
Febraury 3, 2020
Dear Parents, Well, I think last week was a terrific Catholic School's Week. We really had a great opportunity to celebrate all that is wonderful about our school: parents, students, community, parish, and teachers. We were able to have a week full of celebration and learning. On Monday, we celebrated the 100th day of school. We did 4 25 piece puzzles, tried to string 100 fruit loops (but we didn't get quite that far), and wrote about what we would buy with $100. We continued working on the letter P. The kids painted penguins and learned about symmetry, worked puzzles, the cut pieces of pink and purple paper to glue on the letter P, read a book about and colored a picture of Peppa Pig, and played with playdough. Praise also gave us some great clues for the clue can. Miss Katie came in and talked about how we can melt like a snowman when we feel anxious and upset and also helped the kids make mindfulness jars. The idea is that the kids can shake up the glitter and watch it fall to the bottom. This is something that can help kids calm down when big feelings get the best of their little bodies. We also got a chance to work with magnets. The kids really enjoyed seeing what was and was not attracted to the magnets. They also liked watching like magnets push instead of pull. Physics is fun!! I just want to take this opportunity to thank you for sharing your most precious gift, your children, with me. It is a joy to watch them grow and learn. They are amazing individuals, and I am truly blessed to be a small part of their lives. God bless you all, Mrs. Hale |
January 30, 2020
Parents, Just a couple of quick notes for all of you. 1. Registration packets were sent home this week. Please be sure to send those back in to reserve your child's spot in his/her 2020/21 preschool or kindergarten class. 2. There is a permission slip for a field trip in your child's folder today. The field trip is a week from Friday, on February 7th. Please return these ASAP, including the attached sheet if your child will not be attending. This is a walking field trip, so please dress your child for a walk in the weather. They are due next Monday, February 3rd. 3. There have been confirmed cases of flu and strep in our school, so please take any complaints of body aches and sore throats seriously. I want as many students (and their teachers) to stay healthy as possible. 4. Valentine's day will be celebrated on Friday February 14th. We have 20 students. We will decorate bags to collect cards in class, you do not have to do anything at home. Please use this as an opportunity to have your child practice writing all or part of his/her name. Please to Not write who the valentine is for on the envelope. Preschoolers can't read and I want to let them have the fun of distributing their own cards. Thanks for all you do to make our school such an amazing place to learn and grow. Blessings, Mrs. Hale |
January 27, 2020
Welcome to Catholic School's Week. I am excited to joyfully share with your children how excited I am about being a part of a wonderful Catholic school like ASA at St. Rose Philippine Duchesne Campus. Last week we continued talking about the letter O. It was a short week and the snow day meant we couldn't do the clue can until last Wednesday, and vowels can always use some extra attention anyway. This week we will talk about the letter P. The kids already started listing words on Friday. With such a forceful sound, P is an easier letter for them. The highlight of last week was celebrating the 98th day of school. I thought last Thursday would be the 100th day, but with one miscalculation and an unexpected snow day, I was wrong. So we dressed like 98 year olds on Thursday. We also had the chance to make glasses from 98 gray hairs and build with 98 blocks. I wanted to stay consistent with the note I send home since I have a slightly different mix of kids each day. Today we will celebrate the 100th day. We have a writing project, a crown to make and a chance to put 100 links together. We will even try to make 100 fruit loop necklaces. In addition, we will celebrate our Catholic community with a prayer service. If you didn't get a chance at open house, please take a look at all of our work on display in the hall. The kids did a great snowman writing assignment last week after reading Sneezy the Snowman. I hope that everyone has a great week. Thank you for all you do for our great Catholic school community. Blessings, Mrs. Hale |
January 13, 2020
Happy New Year! I am so exited to begin the second half of the year in preschool. The kids have learned so much already. Report cards will be coming home on Wednesday. Our report card looks at major areas of development: spiritual formation, socialization, communication, fine motor skills, reading readiness, and math readiness. I assess several objectives in each of these areas. Each objective is rated as B for beginning, D for developing, or P for proficient. Please remember, that I look at preschool as a two year program. Some kids are only one fourth of the way through that program. It is ok if they are just beginning to develop some of these skills. If every child were proficient in every skill, they wouldn't need to be in the class. If you have any questions after viewing your child's report card, please let me know, and we can either e-mail, meet before or after school to discuss, or set up a phone conference. I am always available to talk, I just need to schedule it for a time when I am not taking care of your children. Last week we had a great start. I began using the stoplight system for behavior management and communication. I hope that everyone is checking their child's calendar daily. Be sure to express how proud you are of every green day. Each green day means your made a choice to follow directions, stay safe, and be kind to others. If it has been a rough start, please remember that this calendar is a tool to increase our communication. It is not meant to stress you out. It is a chance to have a five minute conversation with your child about what choices were good and which ones were bad, and how they can improve the next day. Remember, every child starts on green every day. God wipes our slates clean, it's the least we can do for our children. In this last week we worked on the letter Nn. We talked about the sound of the letter, how to form it, and what words begin with it. We also covered the N with newspaper, made noodle necklaces, and made snowmen out of our names. We also managed to read the story of the Magi visiting the baby Jesus, talk about speaking from the heart and being star listeners with Miss Katie, and worked on naming community helpers and sang a song with Mrs. Pacheco our speech and language teacher. This week we will work on the letter O and so much more. Have a great week. Blessings, Mrs. Hale |
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