Sunday, December 13, 2009

Week of 12/14/09 - 12/18/09

THEME: CHRISTMAS

This week in Preschool we will "deck the halls" in Dramatic Play, pretend to build toys in Santa's Workshop (Block Center), search for red and green items hidden in green sand in the Sensory Table, make a special gift and card for our parents in Art, make reindeer food to put out on Christmas Eve, learn about the letter Q, light the pink candle on our Advent wreath, and continue learning all about the first Christmas and how the Magi honored Jesus.

Monday, Dec. 14 - Spirit Dress/Spirit Night at Rhema

Thursday, Dec. 17 - Bring a canned food item for Catholic Charities and wear free dress/Christmas program is at 6:30 pm in the church

Friday, Dec. 18 - Red and Green Free Dress/ Christmas party 1:00 - 2:00 in the Parish Hall

Thank you to the Ripp family for loaning us your tree!

Thank you to the Homeroom Moms and all who are helping with the party! (Please send your $2.00 if you have not already done so.)

Christmas Break is Dec. 19 - Jan. 3 - School resumes Jan. 4

HAVE A WONDERFUL AND BLESSED CHRISTMAS!!!

Sunday, December 6, 2009

Week of 12/7/09 - 12/11/09

Theme: CASTLES AND FAIRY TALES

This week we will play in a castle in Dramatic Play, using crowns, scarves, a tea set, and a dragon as props. In the Sensory Table we will search for jewels buried in sand. In Blocks we will build castles with the waffle blocks. We will listen to a variety of classic fairy tales. We will learn all about the Letter O. And in Religion, we will hear the story of Mary's good news and talk about the second week of Advent. On Tuesday, we will go to the computer lab with our 6th grade buddies.

Thanks so much for the great response to my request for a x-mas tree! Mrs. Ripp will be sending one for our class to use next week, and now I know lots of people to call in case we need a back up.

Don't forget next week is the Christmas program (Thurs 12/17 at 6:30 in the church) and our class Christmas party (Fri 12/18 at 1:00 in the Parish Hall.)

Monday, November 30, 2009

Week of 11/30/09 - 12/4/09

Theme: NURSERY RHYMES

Sorry for the late post, I couldn't get on the computer last night (teenagers and homework.) This week we will be exploring the world of Mother Goose. We will make Humpty Dumpty in Art and retell the rhyme. In the Sensory Table we will plant Mary, Mary Quite Contrary's Garden. We will build clock towers for the mouse (Hickory, Dickory, Dock) and walls for eggs (Humpty Dumpty) in Blocks. We will act out and use picture cards to retell the rhymes. We will also be learning about Letter C. In Religion, we will begin learning about Advent and will also begin learning about God's house, our church.

We will not be attending Mass this Friday as previously planned. We had planned to attend Gracie's baptism but the date was changed and Gracie was baptized yesterday. Congratulations, Gracie! We are so happy for you and your family.

Thurs. Dec. 3 - you can bring in coffee or laundry detergent to donate to Ronald McDonald House and wear free dress.

Thurs. Dec. 17 - SPX Christmas Program 6:30 - 7:30 in the church

Fri. Dec. 18 - Preschool Christmas Party 1:00 - 2:00 in the Parish Hall (due to the small size of our classroom.) Parents are welcome to attend. And, of course, we hope that all the T-Th kids can come to the party!

***Does anyone have a small (3-4 ft.) artificial tree that we can use in the classroom from Dec. 14 -18 for Dramatic Play? Please let me know - thank you!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

Week of 11/16/09 - 11/20/09

Theme: Thanksgiving

This week we will pretend to live like Native Americans in Dramatic Play, living in a tepee and harvesting vegetables. We will make hand print turkeys in Art. We will play with a Thomas the Train set in Blocks. We will examine different types of feathers with a magnifying glass. We will string beads to make necklaces. We will learn all about the Letter U. We will discover that we give thanks to God for all of his blessings in religion. We will read lots of Thanksgiving books and do many holiday-related activities.

Thursday, Nov. 19 - Bedlam Dress Day (also, you may send Box Tops to vote for your favorite team.)

Nov. 23 - Nov. 27 - No School - Thanksgiving Break!

A huge THANK YOU to all of you for the very generous gift cards for my birthday! I've already bought some books for the classroom and I can't wait to eat dinner at P.F. Chang's! Thank you so much. Also, the party on my birthday was wonderful. I just loved the cards that the kids made, the banner, and, of course, the cupcakes!

The recycling club is collecting aluminum cans, now through Dec. 4. The class with the most cans wins a Free Dress Day.

The auction committee is sponsoring Money for Monuments. If you would like to donate any spare change for this, there is a jar in our classroom. Our monument is a pagoda (I think) from Vietnam. There is a picture of this hanging under the crucifix. The class with the most money wins a Free Dress Day. All proceeds go towards the auction.

Bryce and the amazing Chloe!


Gracie and her hermit crabs

Sunday, November 8, 2009

Week of 11/9/09 - 11/13/09

Theme: Weather and Seasons

Sorry that I did not post last week. I had a bad case of bronchitis and am just now starting to feel like my old self. I missed the kids, though, and was glad to get back to class

This week we will make fluffy clouds to hang all around our room in Art. We will play with "ice" blocks and arctic animals. We will play in a "rain storm" in the Sensory Table (Mylar strips, cotton balls, and laminated raindrops.) We will make a crystallized snowflake using borax and water in a science experiment. We will learn all about the way the weather changes in different seasons. We will learn about our next vowel, the Letter I. We will hear the story "Come, Follow Me" in Religion.

Thursday, Nov. 12 - Spirit Dress/Spirit Night
Friday, Nov. 13 - H1N1 vaccinations

Thanks to all of you who brought pets last week. The kids loved it! If anyone would still like to bring in a pet to visit just let us know and we'll set up a time. Check out the pictures below. (Hope I got the dog names right!)

Holden and Pixie




Brice and Snickers



Sam and his big puppy, Lance


Sunday, October 25, 2009

Examining the inside of a pumpkin - squishy fun!


Captain Rick Bruder visits Preschool to talk about fire safety.
Week of 10/26/09 - 10/30/09
THEME: HALLOWEEN
This week in Preschool we will pretend to have a Halloween party in Dramatic Play, review our letters and start using our notebooks, make footprint bats in Art, play hula hoop math games, sing Halloween songs, and learn all about taking care of ourselves, as we are God's creation, in Religion.
Wed, Oct 28 and Thurs, Oct 29 - Report cards sent home. Please sign for the first quarter and return report card in the folder. The report card will be yours to keep at the end of the school year.
Thurs, Oct 29 - Pizza order forms due for the Wed., Nov 4 pizza day.
Please remember to send warm outerwear for your child now that it is getting colder. Please put your child's name in coats, etc. We will go outside unless it is below freezing, raining, or snowing.
****Next week we will be learning about pets. We are considering allowing the students to bring in pets from home, with parent present, of course. Please let me know if your child has any pet allergies, fears, etc.


Sunday, October 18, 2009

October 19, 2009
Week of 10/19/09 - 10/23/09
THEME: PUMPKINS
This week in Preschool we will examine real pumpkins using all of our senses. We will make a tasty pumpkin treat (pumpkin mousse), play in the Preschool Pumpkin Patch, see if fall items sink or float in a science experiment, learn all about the letter H, and hear the story of Adam and Eve in Religion, learning that God made all people special.
Tues. Oct 20 - Captain Rick Bruder from the Tulsa Fire Department will come to visit about fire
safety!
Thurs. Oct 22 - Spirit Dress/Spirit Night
Sun. Oct 25 - Fun Day at SPX from 2:00 - 5:00 - hope to see you there! Thanks for working in
our class booth.
Having fun in the Preschool Fire Station!



Look! It's Brice's butterfly right after it came out of the chrysallis!

It was amazing to watch the life cycle - thank you Brice and family.

Sunday, October 11, 2009

October 11, 2009

Week of 10/12/09 - 10/16/09

THEME: FIRE SAFETY

Hello, all! This is one of my favorite themes as the kids really love it. This week we will be painting fire trucks in Art, playing in a pretend fire station in Dramatic Play (equipped with a "real" fire truck courtesy of Mr. Newton - he changed the bear cave into a fire truck), playing with Rescue Heroes and rescue vehicles, adding spots to a dalmation and counting them. We will also learn about "Stop, Drop, and Roll" and how to crawl under smoke. We will learn about our first vowel, the letter E. In Religion we will hear the story of "The Perfect Beach" and learn that we are called to care for all of God's creation.

Wed. Oct 14 - Picture Retakes
Thurs. Oct 15 - I will be attending an early childhood conference and Mrs. Lisa Bierig will be filling in for me.
Fri. Oct 16 - Speech Screenings

FUN DAY ALERT! Fun Day is just around the corner - Sunday Oct 25 from 2:00 - 5:00. This is our annual all-school Halloween celebration. Please sign up to work in our class booth. The sign-in sheet will be in our classroom and/or you can contact Becky Ripp (Holden's mom) with any questions. Hope everyone can make it - it's really a lot of fun.

Sunday, October 4, 2009

October 4, 2009

THEME: AUTUMN LEAVES

Fall is in the air! What a beautiful time of year. I decided to switch the themes for the next two weeks so we'll be doing autumn leaves this week, and fire safety next week. This week we'll be talking all about the change of season. We'll make some beautiful leaves for our windows and we'll play in a leaf pile in the sensory table. We'll be learning our next letter, the letter F. In Religion, we'll be learning about the creation story and hearing a story and song about Abraham, as well. We'll make number charts with stickers, and of course, continue playing in centers and on the playground, and attending all of our specials. We'll keep working on getting along with our friends, sharing, and taking turns. Your kids are just wonderful and they make me smile every day! Thanks for sending them to our school.

Wed. Oct 7 is Picture Retake day and Fri. Oct. 9 there is no school due to a Diocesan Inservice day. Thanks to all of you for the continued donations of awesome treasure box items!

See the great picture below. The Tuesday - Thursday kids are having fun shucking corn and exploring corn products!


Sunday, September 27, 2009

Sunday, September 27, 2009

THEME: FARMS

This week will be learning all about Farms. We will make torn paper pigs in Art to create a Preschool Pig Pen on our wall. We will harvest vegetables in Dramatic Play. We will play with feed corn and plastic mice in the Sensory Table. We will learn all about our first letter, the letter L. We will learn its sound, practice making it with play dough, and practice writing L in our workbooks. We will hear a story about how Kim's mom loves and cares for her in Religion. We will also compare different types of corn products (corn starch, corn meal, popcorn) and we will shuck our own ear of corn. We will also sing farm songs.

Please return the permission forms for the speech and language screenings by Thursday Oct. 1, if you are interested. So far we have only received two forms for the upcoming screening to be held on Oct. 16.


Sunday, September 20, 2009

Sunday, September 21, 2009

This week in Preschool our theme is apples. We will be using apples as paint stampers and will be making patterns as an Art and Math activity. We will explore apples with a magnifying glass, scale, and our taste buds. We will pretend to make an apple pie in the Sensory Table. We will continue learning how Jesus is our shepherd in Religion. In Handwriting we will continue working on crayon grip, coloring, and tracing.

Book Fair is this week in the Middle School Library! Stop by and shop, and see the Wednesday packet for more information about special events.

Wednesday 9/23 is Pizza Day! Please send money for your child if you have not already done so.

Thursday 9/24 is Spirit Dress! Your child may wear an SPX t-shirt and jeans/shorts.






HOORAY FOR TEDDY BEAR DAY!

SHH! THE BEARS ARE HIBERNATING!

Sunday, September 13, 2009

WEEK OF 9/14/09 - 9/17/09

THEME: Bears

THIS WEEK: We will have a teddy bear picnic in Dramatic Play, make circle bears in Art, hunt for bears in the Sensory Table, sort bears by size and color, and learn about hibernation. We will do an aim and trace activity in our handwriting books. In Religion we will learn that our names are special and that God knows us each by name.

Thurs. Sept. 17 - Pizza forms are due
PTC after school
Fri. Sept. 18 - No School - PTC

COMING ATTRACTIONS:
Sept. 21 - 25 - Book Fair in the Middle School Library
Wed., Sept. 23 - Pizza Day
Thurs. Sept. 24 - Spirit Night - your child may wear Spirit Dress to school

****YOUR CHILD MAY BRING A TEDDY BEAR FROM HOME ON WEDNESDAY (9/16) AND THURSDAY (9/17) FOR SOME FUN ACTIVITIES!

Monday, September 7, 2009

P.S.

Ms. Iten, our librarian, invites everyone to view her new blog at msitenslibrary.blogspot.com !
Monday, September 8, 2009

I hope that everyone had a great, relaxing, long weekend! This week in Preschool we will be learning all about colors. We will play in the Preschool Paint Store in Dramatic Play, we will observe two science experiments (mixing colors and liquid layers), we will finger paint in Art, and we will hear the story of Scat the Cat who changes colors "just like that!" In Religion we will learn that Jesus loves and cares for us just like a shepherd cares for his sheep. We will talk about others who love and care for us in our families, school, and the community. We will begin using our Handwriting workbooks. It's going to be a busy week!

Also, picture day is tomorrow and we are scheduled for 8:45 am. Retake day will be Wednesday, October 7.

Next week we have conferences after school on Thursday, Sept. 17 and in the morning on Friday, Sept. 18 (there is no school that day.) Conference times will be sent home on Wednesday and Thursday of this week.

Many thanks to the Krout, Determan, and Burke families for the treasure chest goodies!

Sunday, August 30, 2009

Hello, All! Our theme this week is Shapes. We will be learning all about basic shapes by making a book in Art, singing shape songs and playing shape games. We will also hunt for shapes in the Sensory Table. In Dramatic Play we will be pretending to visit and work at a Beauty Shop. In Religion we will hear a story about Jamal and Abby being welcomed at school. We will also make a "friendship cake." In Handwriting we will learn how to use our wood pieces to make a person called "Mat Man." We will also be talking about the difference between living and non-living things.



Info. for the week:

  • Tuesday 9/1 and Wednesday 9/2 - Vision Screenings
  • We are sending home character cut-outs that go along with the Religion program. These are for your child to keep at home. They can use these to retell stories heard at school or simply play with them.
  • We are in need of donations for our treasure chest. If anyone can help, we need small toys, stickers, etc. to give out for end-of-the-week prizes. These do not need to be new items. Oftentimes, people just clean out the toy box! Yes, things get recycled this way. Also, if you get extra or duplicate happy meal toys, these are great. Thanks for any help with this.
  • We are sending home a class roster so that you can know the names of the children who are in class with your child (great idea Mrs. Ripp!) The school will be sending out a school directory sometime soon as well.
  • Have a great week!



  • Sunday, August 23, 2009

    Hello, Everyone! Sorry I didn't post last week. We have been quite busy getting settled in our room and getting adjusted to our routines and each other. Things are going well and I am excited about this great group of kids!

    This week our theme is "My Family." Please feel free to send a family photo for your child to share with the class. We will be making family trees in art, graphing the number of people in our families, and passing the puppy around the circle to give each student a chance to share and answer questions about their family. We will also begin our religion and handwriting programs.

    Schedules will be sent home this week. Keep in mind that although we try to stick to our posted time frames, we have to be flexible at this age, so times are approximate.

    Remember, if you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at school or through email. I think we're off to a great start. Thank you for sharing your wonderful children with me!

    Monday, August 10, 2009

    Welcome

    Dear Parents and Students,

    I want to welcome you to Preschool! We have been working hard all summer to create a new classroom from the old nursery, and I must say, it looks fabulous! I hope that you will be as excited as I am when you come to see it on Wednesday, August 12 from 9:00 - 11:00 for the Meet and Greet. You can bring all of your school supplies and check out the new space.
    I am looking forward to meeting you and to getting to know all of the new Preschoolers!
    Also, there will be a Back-to-School breakfast for parents in the Parish Hall on Thursday, August 13. Stop by after you drop off your child.

    Mrs. Newton