Tag: Pineapple Classroom

February was a fun month for the Pineapples! We cut flowers in the sensory bin to take a closer look at how they work, and to practice our cutting skills. We discussed love and its importance, and thought about what was important in our lives. The kids made art with crayons, glue, paint… all to develop the sensory parts of their brains and to let them explore their creative wants and thoughts. We also discussed the three rules of the school: Ÿou, Me, Stuff. We discussed why these rules are important and had the kids draw or write what stood out to them.

What we will be learning……

Week 1:

On March 2nd is Dr Seuss’ birthday! We will be celebrating his birthday all week. We will use our cutting and glueing skills to make Dr Seuss hats, writing our own silly Dr Seuss books, and making oobleck to get our hands dirty. These activities will help students think outside the box (like Dr Seuss did!) and consider what they want their future to look like through an “Oh the Places You’ll Go” activity.

Week 2:

This week we will be focusing on community workers and how we all work together to build a community. We will pretend to be doctors, diagnosing and checking up on “patients.” We will discuss trailblazers (like Mae Jemison) and how they help us forge a better society. Students will use their critical thinking skills to think about how we all work together to make a functioning community, and what would happen to the world without these workers.

Week 3:

This week we will be celebrating St Patrick’s Day. We will wonder what we would do with the luck of a four leaf clover. We will also begin studying patterns this week, which is an important skill for Kindergarten. We will make patterns with words, letters, and colors. We will also be wrapping up our name study, and have the kids label and draw each member of their class!

Week 4:

During this week we will be working on our rhyming skills. Students will match rhyming words and come up with silly rhymes on their own. We will also create a chart of all of our names and discuss which names are the longest, shortest, and which number has the most amount of names attributed to it. We will work on our 5-10 number book and discuss what it would be like to build a spaceship and go to space.

Thank you,

Ms. Hannah

Upcoming Events

Crazy Dress Up Day

When: March 4th, 2020

St Patrick’s Day – Don’t forget to wear something GREEN!

We will also have a coin hunt for the children on 3/17.

Pineapple Parent Teacher Conference will be held on March 26th.

Parent Teacher Conferences are only for 15 minutes.

Ms. Annie will send a message on brightwheel to allow parents to sign up.

PLAY will be CLOSED April 3rd – 10th

We will re-open on April 13th

Reminders

– Birthdays at PLAY – Our class celebrates all birthdays after our lunch (approx. 12:15pm).

If you’d like to be here for the festivities or if you would like to have a small celebration with decor, treats, etc. please notify me as soon as possible so we can plan it all out and I can offer my help.

Reminder, we do not allow an excess amount of frosting! The majority of our class does not nap and therefore can burn off the sugar high.

– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy, book, or game of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.

– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!

– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask .

School Calendar 2020

Mar 4th – Wacky Wednesday – Dress up Crazy

Mar 17th – St Patrick’s Day

Mar 26th – Pineapple PTC

Apr 3rd – Cesar Chavez Day – PLAY Closed

April 6th – 10th – Spring Break – PLAY Closed

May 4th – Star Wars Day

May 8th – Moms & Muffins

May 11th – 15th – Teacher Appreciation Week

May 22nd – Picture Day

May 25th – Memorial Day – PLAY Closed

June 12th – Parent Appreciation Breakfast

June 19th – Dads & Donuts

June 26th – Graduation Show/Potluck – PLAY Closed / No Child Care

June 29th – July 3rd – Summer Break  – PLAY Closed

What we learned………

Hello parents!

In January the Pineapples got back into the groove of being at school. We read a book about different beasties and then used our imagination to create our own beasties with their own abilities. Students were encouraged to think how their beastie could help (or hinder) the children they interact with. We discussed MLK, his legacy, and what dreams we had for our own lives. They used their fine motor skills to illustrate their dreams with crayons and colored pencils. We engaged our senses by playing with hibernating animals in “snow” (shaving cream) and talked about how different animals react to the winter, including humans! We learned about Alexis’ name by identifying the letters and counting how many there are in Alexis. Finally, we talked about responsibility in the classroom: how to keep everyone safe, how to clean up after ourselves, and how to put on our own coats and jacket. If you are not already, I highly encourage you promote independence within your child by asking them to clean up

after themselves or put on their own jacket.

What we will be learning……

Week 1:

We will focus on ice and how it works. We will discuss that ice is solid form of water and conduct experiments to determine where ice will melt the fastest. Will it be outside? In a cup of cold water? At room temperature? We will also be asking what works in our school and what we wish were different. Giving the students a voice in  this way helps them feel accountable to the classroom as a whole.

Week 2:

We will be celebrating love! Students will make books about why they love their family and friends, as well as creating crafts to reflect that love and hone their fine motor skills. Come in on Friday for a fun family activity!

Week 3:

We will have us exploring space. We will celebrate Mae Jemison as the first black woman in space and wonder what there is to find in space. Students will hypothesize about the universe beyond Earth and think about how to achieve difficult goals.

Finally, for the last week of February, we will be thinking about fairy tales. We will read fairy tales and vote on which one we loved the best. We will create our own fairy tales and think about the concept of a “moral.” Students will be encouraged to create their own morals that pertain to their beliefs and lives.

Thank you,

Ms. Hannah

Upcoming Events

Come join your little one for an art project or story time on Valentines Day!

When: February 14th

Where: Your little ones classroom

Time: 9:30 – 10:30

Valentines Sensory and Creativity play date @ PLAY Preschool!

When: Saturday , February 15th

Time: 10:30 to 1:30

Come join us and explore sensory activities, art projects and play on our playground.

Everyone is Welcome!

Tell Friends and Families

Admissions: $ 10 per family

To sign up please contact Ms. Annie via brightwheel or email (annie@playpreschools.com).

PLAY will be closed in observance of Presidents Day on February 17th!

PLAY will be CLOSED February 27th and 28th for Teachers In Service Day!

Reminders

– Birthdays at PLAY – Our class celebrates all birthdays after our lunch (approx. 12:15pm).

If you’d like to be here for the festivities or if you would like to have a small celebration with decor, treats, etc. please notify me as soon as possible so we can plan it all out and I can offer my help.

Reminder, we do not allow an excess amount of frosting! The majority of our class does not nap and therefore can burn off the sugar high.

– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy, book, or game of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.

– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!

– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask .

School Calendar 2020

Feb 14th – Valentines Day

Feb 17th – Presidents Day – PLAY Closed

Feb 27th-28th – Teachers In Service – PLAY Closed

Mar 17th – St Patrick’s Day

Mar 24th – Blue/Kiwi PTC

Mar 25th – Strawberry PTC

Mar 26th – Pineapple PTC

Apr 3rd – Cesar Chavez Day – PLAY Closed

April 6th – 10th – Spring Break – PLAY Closed

May 4th – Star Wars Day

May 5th – Cinco De Mayo

May 8th – Moms & Muffins

May 11th – 15th – Teacher Appreciation Week

May 22nd – Picture Day

May 25th – Memorial Day – PLAY Closed

June 12th – Parent Appreciation Breakfast

June 19th – Dads & Donuts

June 26th – Graduation Show/Potluck – PLAY Closed / No Child Care

June 29th – July 3rd – Summer Break  – PLAY Closed

Happy April!

I hope your Spring Break was an enjoyable one!

This month will be filled with lots of exciting events, exploration, and learning! We will “travel” around Europe, learn about teachers and what they do, learn more about spring and discover weather patterns, meet creepy crawly creatures up close, test out our patience, and share about our Spring Break adventures!

A reminder to please arrive by 9:30am so the children understand the flow of the day, can do their appointed jobs and to hear about what our day will be like.

Monthly Curriculum

Theme: Spring

Value: Patience

Color: rainbow

Multicultural Visit: Europe

Animal: Insects

Community Helper: Teacher

Additional Theme: Weather Cycles

Letters/Sounds: Vv, Xx

Words: Review

Numbers: 61-70

Shapes: Review

Countdown to Graduation!!

2 months & 26 days

*Graduation Day is June 29th

** Week One- April 3- 6

————————————————————

This week, we will be learning about SPRING and WEATHER PATTERNS. We will learn about plant life cycles, clouds, precipitation, wind, and RAINBOWS! Our class will create many beautiful crafts using natural and recycled materials including bird feeders, our nature names, and a rainbow windsock.

For S.T.E.M. we will be creating our own sprout houses and growing a bean plant! Each child will create his/her own greenhouse environment using a Ziploc like bag, moist paper towel, and bean seed. Being in control of the process will help them take ownership over their project and feel proud of their accomplishment when it sprouts. The children will also get to take ome a small pot in which they will plant  some flower seeds with you! I will give them each a small book to document their flowers growth and to track how many times they water it and where it is placed in or out of your home.

The children will also have the opportunity to experiment and explore rainbows with prisms! The kids have already expressed interest in rainbows but this week we will really get to learn the scientific properties of how they are formed. To mix in rainbow colors, plant anatomy, and nature, we will be dying white flowers the different colors of the rainbow! This will be not only beautiful but also a good visual on how a plant “drinks” up water and distributes it to different parts.

Week Two- April 9 – 13

This week we will be traveling through Europe! We will “travel” to the UK, France, Italy, and Germany while learning about traditional foods, music, clothing, art, sport, famous monuments, and their varying environments. While we are adventuring through Europe, we will be making crafts that represent each country, making/trying traditional foods (pasta, croissants, kartoffelpuffers, and shortbread cookies) listening to the national anthems, and listening to a story in each language or accent.

Additionally, The class will learn more about Teachers! I will share my experience being a teacher, inform the children about the various types of teachers, and discuss their questions about what and who teachers are, how a person becomes a teacher, and why a teacher is so important to the community. the kids will also have the fun opportunity to be teacher for the day!

Week Three- April 16 – 20

This week, we will investigate INSECTS! The children will learn the different parts of an insects body, their shared characteristics such as an exoskeleton, and the various species of ant, beetle, bee, butterfly, and moth. The class will create their own insect dioramas, a chart labeling the insects bodies, and artistic representations of butterflies. We of course want to continue with our thought of respecting nature so we will not be capturing wild insects to observe in class. We will, however, be given small caterpillars to raise until they turn into butterflies!!

Our school will also be visited by the Critter Squad! They will bring along a variety of insect, arachnid, and reptile friends to show off and teach us a bit more about.

Monthly Academic Focus

Academically, we will be going over the Letters: Vv and Xx. Each week, we will focus on one letter/sound and practice writing it, review words that start with that sound, search for things in our classroom that start with that sound, and read a book about that letter and its sound. We will also continue listening to the zoophonics song to help the children learn their letter names and sounds in a more entertaining way. We will be reviewing ending Family words using the sounding out methods we have learned so far. We will learn to read these words by blending sounds from left to right and matching them to picture words!

For math, the children will have the opportunity to create flower and insect patterns using our class tangram shapes. This will help them practice identifying the shapes, figure out which shape best fits where, and enhance puzzle skills. Our class will practice going over numbers 60-79 with the 100’s pocket chart, the Montessori Tens Board and beads, and our unifix blocks. These materials will allow us to match the quantities with its appropriate number. We will also practice reading numbers from left to right and how our two digit numbers all have an identifying number in the front followed by our unchanging 0-9 pattern (6 for 60’s & 7 for 70’s).

CVC Words

the                           for                             of

to                             up                             down

a                              look                           see

I                                is                              little

and                           go                             it

you                           we                             said

in                              can                            not

Upcoming Events

PLAY Family Outing

Saturday, April 14th!

The entire school community is invited to meet up at Kidspace Children’s Museum in Pasadena at 10am. Please have your child wear their PLAY shirt so others know you are with our school group!

These monthly outings, ‘Field Trips’, are aligned with our themed curriculum and give your child the opportunity to share what they are learning in class with you. They also give families the opportunity to meet each other and make new friends! You might even see a teacher there with their family!

Volunteers

I have openings on for mystery readers, art activity leaders, Science/Math activity leaders, career day discussions, and cultural presentations.

Dates available in April:  Wed 4th, Thurs, 5th, Tue – Thurs 10-12, Tue 17th, Wed 18th

Time available: 10:40am

Reminders

– Birthdays at PLAY – Our class celebrates all birthdays after our lunch (approx. 12:35pm).

If you’d like to be here for the festivities or if you would like to have a small celebration with decor, treats, etc. please notify me as soon as possible so we can plan it all out and I can offer my help.

Reminder, we do not allow an excess amount of frosting! The majority of our class does not nap and therefore can burn off the sugar high.

– Hot lunch will continue to be $5 when ordered in advance, however if ordered the day of or by the week it will be billed at $6.

– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy, book, or game of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.

– Date Night is (typically) every other Saturday from 5:00pm-12:00am. $15/hr for an individual child or $20/hr for a pair of siblings (min. charge is $60). Dinner and a movie are also provided.

– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!

– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!

If you have any other questions please feel free to ask myself, Gabriel, or Ms. Annie.

School Calendar 2017

April

Tuesday – 3rd- Back from Spring Break

Saturday – 7th- Date Night with Mrs. Gloria

Saturday – 14th – PLAY Family Outing

Saturday -21st – LAST Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Wednesday – 25th – Disney Character dress up day!

May

Friday – 4th

– Star Wars Day

Saturday – 5th – Date Night with Ms. Diana & Ms. Lorraine

Monday – 7th – PLAY’s Cinco De Mayo Fiesta

Monday – 7th- Teacher Appreciation Week – Give a Creative gift

Tuesday – 8th – Teacher Appreciation Week – Give the gift of Food

Wednesday – 9th – Teacher Appreciation Week – Give a gift that Grows

Thursday – 10th – Teacher Appreciation Week – Give the gift of Touch

Friday – 11th – Teacher Appreciation Week – Give a Class gift

Friday – 11th – Moms & Muffins

Saturday – 19th – Date Night with Mrs. Hasmik & Ms. Cynthia

Monday – 21st – Blueberry Parent Teacher Conferences

Tuesday – 22nd – Kiwi & Peach Parent Teacher Conferences

Wednesday – 23rd – Strawberry & Raspberry Parent Teacher Conferences

Thursday – 24th – Pineapple Parent Teacher Conferences

Monday – 28th – NO SCHOOL – Memorial Day

Welcome to March!

This month will be filled with lots of exciting events, exploration, and learning! We will “travel” to Ireland, learn about Chef’s and what they do, learn about Mother Nature, our beautiful Earth and the environments that surround us, journey back to the Jurassic period while we learn all about DINOSAURS, enjoy a coin hunt on St. Patrick’s Day, and take a few days to celebrate Read Across America week!! Below is a quick synopsis of all we will be doing this month.

A reminder to please arrive by 9:30am so the children understand the flow of the day, can do their appointed jobs and to hear about what our day will be like.

Monthly Curriculum

Theme: Environment

Value: Respecting Mother Nature

Color: Green

Multicultural Visit: Ireland

Holiday: St. Patrick’s Day

Animal: Dinosaurs

Community Helper: Chef

Additional Theme: Plant Life Cycles – Flowers, Fruits & Veggies

Letters/Sounds: Jj, Kk, Qq

Words: -en Family: den, hen, men, pen, ten, then, when

Numbers: 51-60

Shapes: Parallelogram

Hip Hip Hooray!!

These kiddos are turning 5!

Jaiden – March 16

Philip – March 22

** Week One- Mar. 5- 9

————————————————————

Its read Across America Week at PLAY! Jayt aas in many schools all across the nation, children will be given the opportunities to fall in love with books and reading. In our class, we will focus on the works of the great Dr. Seuss. Each coming day will be themed! We will read a Dr. Seuss book, dress up, create an art activity, play a game, or conduct a science experiment. Below you will find the list of themes and actions for the day.

* Wednesday: Wacky Wednesday – Wear your clothes inside out or backwards or just put on the WACKIEST outfit you can think up!

* Thursday: Oh, the Places You’ll Go! – we will be creating 3D hot air balloons in art.

* Friday: Bartholomew and the Oobleck – We’re making OOBLECK in science!!

We will also spend time learning about DINOSAURS!! We will discuss and learn fun facts about Triceratops, Tyrannosaurus Rex, Velociraptors, Pterodactyls, Brachiosaurus, Ankylosaurs, etc. Our class will pretend to venture on a paleontological expedition! To enhance their sensory experience and imaginative play, our class sensory bin will be filed with various ‘fossils’ and bones to excavate! Additionally, we will measure how long a T. Rex was, see how big one of their footprints would have been and compare it to the size of our own feet!

Week Two- Mar. 12 – Mar. 16

In Social Studies and Geography, the Pineapple’s will journey to Ireland!  We will learn facts about the country and locate it on our world map! We will discover that Ireland is called Éire in Irish and is also known as the Republic of Ireland. Ireland covers five-sixths of the island of the same name, the remaining one-sixth of the island is Northern Ireland, which is part of the United Kingdom. Irish, or Irish Gaelic is the country’s first official language, however the second official language English is more commonly spoken. There were over 4.75 million people living in Ireland as of July 2013.

The Irish capital, Dublin is home to over one quarter of their total population. We will look at and learn fun facts about a few famous landmarks such as, the Blarney stone and Blarney castle, the Cliff of Moher, Killarney National Park, the Giants Causeway, the Ring of Kerry, St. Patrick’s Cathedral and Brú na Bóinne. We will also learn a couple of phrases in Gaelic, as well as, our number 1-10. Some of our arts and crafts projects and activities will be shamrocks, Irish flag, Rainbow with a pot of gold, creating our own leprechauns, and trying to make our own medieval castles.

PLAY will celebrate St. Patrick’s Day on Friday, March. 16^th, don’t forget to have your child come to school wearing something GREEN!

Monthly Academic Focus

Academically, we will be going over the Letters: Jj, Kk, and Qq. Each week, we will focus on one letter/sound and practice writing it, review words that start with that sound, search for things in our classroom that start with that sound, and read a book about that letter and its sound. We will also begin listening to the zoophonics song to help the children learn their letter names and sounds in a more entertaining way. We will start learning our -en Family words using the sounding out methods we have learned so far! The words we will learn this month are den, hen, men, pen, ten, then, and when. We will learn to read these words by blending sounds from left to right and matching them to picture words!

For math, the children will have the opportunity to create dinosaur patterns using our class tangram shapes. This will help them practice identifying the shapes, figure out which shape best fits where, and enhance puzzle skills. Our class will practice going over numbers 51-60 with the 100’s pocket chart, the Montessori Tens Board and beads, and our unifix blocks. These materials will allow us to match the quantities with its appropriate number. We will also practice reading numbers from left to right and how our 50’s numbers all have a 5 in the front followed by our unchanging 0-9 pattern.

In the Math area, the children can practice their patterning and geometry skills by making pictures using pentagons, hexagons, octagons, squares, triangles, circles or rectangles.

CVC Words

the                           for                             of

to                             up                             down

a                              look                           see

I                                is                              little

and                           go                             it

you                           we                             said

in                              can                            not

Upcoming Events

PLAY Family Outing

Saturday, March 10th!

The entire school community is invited to meet up at the National History Museum on Saturday, March 10^th at 10am. Please have your child wear their PLAY shirt so others know you are with our school group!

These monthly outings, ‘Field Trips’, are aligned with our themed curriculum and give your child the opportunity to share what they are learning in class with you. They also give families the opportunity to meet each other and make new friends! You might even see a teacher there with their family!

Volunteers

I have openings on for mystery readers, art activity leaders, Science/Math activity leaders, career day discussions, and cultural presentations.

Dates available in March: Thur. 8, Tues. 13, Wed. 14, Thurs. 15,  Wed. 21, Thurs. 22

Times available: 10:40am or 2:40pm

Reminders

– Birthdays at PLAY – Our class celebrates all birthdays after our lunch (approx. 12:35pm).

If you’d like to be here for the festivities or if you would like to have a small celebration with decor, treats, etc. please notify me as soon as possible so we can plan it all out and I can offer my help.

Reminder, we do not allow an excess amount of frosting! The majority of our class does not nap and therefore can burn off the sugar high.

– Hot lunch will continue to be $5 when ordered in advance, however if ordered the day of or by the week it will be billed at $6.

– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy, book, or game of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.

– Date Night is (typically) every other Saturday from 5:00pm-12:00am. $15/hr for an individual child or $20/hr for a pair of siblings (min. charge is $60). Dinner and a movie are also provided.

– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!

– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!

If you have any other questions about the parent handbook feel free to ask myself, Gabriel, or Ms. Annie.

School Calendar 2017

March

Saturday – 10th – Date Night with Ms. Cynthia

Friday – 16th – Celebrating St Patrick’s Day

Tuesday – 20th – Egg Hunt

Friday – 23rd to 2nd – NO SCHOOL- Spring Break

April

Tuesday – 3rd- Back from Spring Break

Saturday – 7th- Date Night with Mrs. Gloria

Saturday -21st – Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Happy February!

Thank you to all parents providing your little one with valentines day cards and treats for the entire class! An extra special shout out to the parents that were able to join us in class.It is always special to have you share in the festivities!

Our class will round out this month by learning  about farms, farm animals and their special jobs, Doctors, and continue practicing Love & Friendship!

A reminder to please arrive by 9:30am so the children understand the flow of the day, can do their appointed jobs and to hear about what our day will be like.

Monthly Curriculum

Theme: Love

Value: Friendship

Color: Pink & Purple

Multicultural Visit: Asia

Holiday: Valentine’s Day & Lunar New Year!

Animal: Farm Animals

Community Helper: Doctor

Additional Theme: President’s Day

Letters/Sounds: Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, Uu

Words: – ot family words & CVC list 1

Numbers: 30-50

Shapes: Pentagon, Hexagon, Octagon

** Week Three – Feb. 20 – 23

————————————————————

In preparation for the petting zoo visit, we will begin our week by learning about farms! We will learn what a farm is, the various types of farms, how we benefit from them, and all the hard work that goes into running one!  We will also spend some time learning about different Farm Animals and their roles on the farm. We will discuss and learn fun facts about cows, horses, pigs, ducks, chickens, sheep, and goats. Our class will also learn to “milk a cow” using latex gloves, and water!

To enhance their sensory and imaginative play. our class water table will be filed with various dirty farm animals that can be cleaned with small sponges and water.

In the block area, the children can practice their building and geometry skills by making animal pens in the shape of a pentagon, hexagon, octagon, square, triangle, or rectangle.

In Social Studies and Geography, the Pineapple’s will continue their journey through Asia! Our class will continue our focus on countries such as, China, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, and Indonesia. We will find the countries on our map and learn more about each country by seeing pictures of the cityscapes, natural environments, and native animals, listening to music, listening to the language and trying out phrases for ourselves, trying on traditional garments, and looking at, recreating, and discussing each countries flag.

While in Japan, the children will learn about sushi, Koinobori Windsock Flags, and chopsticks! Our class will discuss what the chopsticks are and how they are used, and they will have the chance to experience using them with a fun manipulatives activity.

On our trip to China, we will learn facts about the country and locate it on our world map! We will discover that China is the most populated country on our planet and that the animals that inhabit its land and waters include various species of panda, the only 2 fresh water dolphins on Earth, various monkeys, and even some tigers. We will look at and learn fun facts about a few famous landmarks such as, the Great Wall of China, the forbidden city, the Terracotta Warriors, and Mount Everest. We will also learn a couple of phrases in Chinese as well as the numbers 1-10. Some of our arts and crafts projects and activities will be panda masks, making a recreation of the Chinese flag, creating our own Terracotta Warriors, and trying to recreate the Great Wall of China.

Week Four – Feb. 26 – Mar. 2

Our class will be continue practicing what we learned about LOVE and FRIENDSHIP. The kids will continue to have the opportunity to write on the Kindness Wall. This is a space for the children to show their love for their friends by using kind words. We will also focus on making our class FRIENDSHIP QUILT! Each child will receive a square piece of paper and be asked to decorate it how they want. It will be a unique artistic representation of themselves.

This month’s community helper is our friend the DOCTOR!!! We will discuss their job, tools, and how they help us stay healthy! Our class will focus on what it takes for our bodies to be in tip top condition. We will discuss what a proper diet looks like, what foods are good for our bodies and what benefits each food gives us. We will also see what an unhealthy diet looks like, what foods are unhealthy and what those foods can do to our bodies, minds and emotions,

With flu season being in full swing, our class will focus a bit more on the human body and good hygiene habits, using creative crafts, activities, and small clips of the Magic School Bus. We will also do an experiment to see how fast and far germs can spread when we cough, sneeze, or put our hands in our mouths, YUCK!

Monthly Academic Focus

Academically, we will be going over the VOWELS:  Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu. Each week, we will focus on one letter/sound and practice writing it using worksheets and our lined practice paper, review words that start with that sound, search for things in our classroom that start with that sound, and read a book about that letter and its sound. So far in the school year we have learned 4 word families (-at, -an, -am and -ad) and will start learning our -ot Family words using the sounding out methods we have learned so far! The words we will learn this month are cot, dot, hot, lot, not, pot, rot, and spot. We will learn to read these words by blending sounds from left to right and matching them to picture words!

For math, the children will have the opportunity to create Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and farm animal patterns using our class tangram shapes. This will help them practice identifying the shapes, figure out which shape best fits where, and enhance puzzle skills. Our class will practice going over numbers 30-50 with the 100’s pocket chart, the Montessori Tens Board and beads, and our unifix blocks. These materials will allow the children to match the quantities with its appropriate number. We will also practice reading numbers from left to right and how our 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s numbers all have a 3, 4, or 5 in the front followed by our unchanging 0-9 pattern.

Upcoming Events

The Petting Zoo is coming to PLAY!

One of our learning themes this month is Farms. On Wednesday, February 21st the children will have the opportunity to see and pet small/baby sheep, goats, bunnies, chickens, ducks, guinea pigs, and a pony.

Feel free to dress up your child in a fun Farmer or animal outfit!

Picture Day is Monday, March 5th!

All pictures will be taken between 8a – 11a. If Monday is not your regular school day you are welcome to bring your child in for just the pictures or for an extra school day as a Drop-In.

Feel free to pack a spare play outfit for when pictures are all done!

Reminders

– Birthdays at PLAY – Our class celebrates all birthdays after our lunch (approx. 12:35pm).

If you’d like to be here for the festivities or if you would like to have a small celebration with decor, treats, etc. please notify me as soon as possible so we can plan it all out and I can offer my help.

Reminder, we do not allow an excess amount of frosting! The majority of our class does not nap and therefore can burn off the sugar high.

– Hot lunch will continue to be $5 when ordered in advance, however if ordered the day of or by the week it will be billed at $6.

– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy, book, or game of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.

– Date Night is (typically) every other Saturday from 5:00pm-12:00am. $15/hr for an individual child or $20/hr for a pair of siblings (min. charge is $60). Dinner and a movie are also provided.

– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!

– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!

If you have any other questions about the parent handbook feel free to ask myself, Gabriel, or Ms. Annie.

School Calendar 2017

February

Wednesday- 21st-  Petting Zoo Visit

March

Saturday – 3rd- Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Monday – 5th – Picture Day

Saturday – 10th – Date Night with Ms. Cynthia

Friday – 16th – Celebrating St Patrick’s Day

Tuesday – 20th – Egg Hunt

Friday – 23rd to 2nd – NO SCHOOL- Spring Break

April

Tuesday – 3rd- Back from Spring Break

Saturday – 7th- Date Night with Mrs. Gloria

Saturday -21st – Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Happy February!

Ahh, I can’t believe we are in the last 6 months of school! From this point on we will begin our mock Kindergarten structure to school. We will have a consistent schedule and routine for work and play. Please be sure to arrive by 9:30am so that the children understand the flow of the day, can do their appointed jobs and to hear about what our day will be like.

This month we will be learning about SO many new and interesting things like, various countries in Asia, the story behind Lunar New Year, Our Presidents, Farms, Farm animals and their special jobs, Love & Friendship, and doctors!

Monthly Curriculum

Theme: Love

Value: Friendship

Color: Pink & Purple

Multicultural Visit: Asia

Holiday: Valentine’s Day & Lunar New Year!

Animal: Farm Animals

Community Helper: Doctor

Additional Theme: President’s Day

Letters/Sounds: Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, Uu

Words: – ot family words & CVC list 1

Numbers: 30-50

Shapes: Pentagon, Hexagon, Octagon

** Week One – Feb. 5 – 9

————————————————————

In preparation for Presidents’ Day, Abraham Lincoln’s Birthday, and George Washington’s Birthday, we will begin our week by learning about our Presidents! We will learn how many we have had, when the first president took office, all about the job, their responsibilities, why we have a president and how they too can become one if they wanted one day. I will highlight our most distinguished Past Presidents, their accomplishments, and the impact they had on our country. Not all presidents were famous men of change but there are still some very fun/funny facts to learn about them! I will share a few about the more obscure and less famous presidents with the children. Our class will also learn about the lives and actions of 2 strong, brave, and forthcoming women who fought for liberty and justice for all; Susan B. Anthony (honored on Feb. 15th) and Rosa Parks (honored on Feb. 4th). Please don’t forget, there will be no school on February 19th for President’s Day.

In Social Studies and Geography, our class will take an imaginative journey oversees to Asia! Our class will learn about various countries such as, China, Japan, South Korea, Cambodia, and Indonesia. We will find the countries on our map and learn more about each country by seeing pictures of the cityscapes, natural environments, and native animals, listening to music, listening to the language and trying out phrases for ourselves, trying on traditional garments, and looking at, recreating, and discussing each countries flag.

While in Japan, the children will learn about sushi, Koinobori Windsock Flags, and chopsticks! Our class will discuss what the chopsticks are and how they are used, and they will have the chance to experience using them with a fun manipulatives activity.

On our trip to China, we will learn facts about the country and locate it on our world map! We will discover that China is the most populated country on our planet and that the animals that inhabit its land and waters include various species of panda, the only 2 fresh water dolphins on Earth, various monkeys, and even some tigers. We will look at and learn fun facts about a few famous landmarks such as, the Great Wall of China, the forbidden city, the Terracotta Warriors, and Mount Everest. We will also learn a couple of phrases in Chinese as well as our number 1-10. Some of our arts and crafts projects and activities will be panda masks, making a recreation of the Chinese flag, creating our own Terracotta Warriors, and trying to recreate the Great Wall of China.

Week Two – Feb. 12 – 16

In preparation for Valentine’s Day, we will be learning about LOVE and FRIENDSHIP. We will create a list of all the ways we can show love, give love, and how to be a good friend. We will read books about love, friendship, patience, and sharing, such as, Toot and Puddle: A Present for Toot by Holly Hobbie, The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein, and I Will Surprise My Friend by Mo Willems. The kids will always work together to make a FRIENDSHIP QUILT! Each child will receive a square piece of paper and be asked to decorate it how they want. It will be a unique artistic representation of themselves.

Our writing center will be transformed into a Valentine’s Day card making station! The children will be able to write a card to whomever they’d like with the fun materials provided. We will also be making a special batch of cards to send joy to the children at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

In preparation of the Lunar New Year, our class will listen the story of how the animals for the Chinese Zodiac came to be. We will also learn about how this year is the year of the Dog and find out what animal they and other members of our school are! As a collaborative art project, our class will create a Chinese dragon out of recyclable materials and tissue paper! Our class will then take this Dragon around in a Lunar New Year  parade with the Raspberry and Strawberry classrooms.

Monthly Academic Focus

Academically, we will be going over the VOWELS:  Aa, Ee, Ii, Oo, and Uu. Each week, we will focus on one letter/sound and practice writing it using worksheets and our lined practice paper, review words that start with that sound, search for things in our classroom that start with that sound, and read a book about that letter and its sound. So far in the school year we have learned 4 word families (-at, -an, -am and -ad) and will start learning our -ot Family words using the sounding out methods we have learned so far! The words we will learn this month are cot, dot, hot, lot, not, pot, rot, and spot. We will learn to read these words by blending sounds from left to right and matching them to picture words!

For math, the children will have the opportunity to create Lunar New Year, Valentine’s Day, and farm animal patterns using our class tangram shapes. This will help them practice identifying the shapes, figure out which shape best fits where, and enhance puzzle skills. Our class will practice going over numbers 30-50 with the 100’s pocket chart, the Montessori Tens Board and beads, and our unifix blocks. These materials will allow the children to match the quantities with its appropriate number. We will also practice reading numbers from left to right and how our 30’s, 40’s, and 50’s numbers all have a 3, 4, or 5 in the front followed by our unchanging 0-9 pattern.

Valentine’s Day

Abraham De Los Santos

Elijah Sessions

Jaiden Moore

Philip Duffy

Rania Shakra

Rogan Alper

Reminders

– Hot lunch will continue to be $5 when ordered in advance, however if ordered the day of or by the week it will be billed at $6.

– Show and Tell is every Friday! Encourage your child to bring in a special toy, book, or game of their choice to share with the class. Show & Tell is great because it’s fun for the kids and simultaneously enhances effective communication, strengthens their vocabulary , improves their listening skills, and promotes self confidence.

– Date Night is (typically) every other Saturday from 5:00pm-12:00am. $15/hr for an individual child or $17/hr for a pair of siblings (min. charge is $60). Dinner and a movie are also provided.

– We are now NUT FREE! We have a number of students in the school allergic to peanuts and tree nuts, in order to keep them safe we ask that you please do not send your child to school with any products containing nuts. If you would like a list of nut-free food suggestions let me know and I will get you a list!

– And lastly, a personal request from myself, please try to label all of your child’s items! Many families buy the same things and sometimes other students or teachers may move your child’s items mistakenly; labeling your things will greatly help avoid any mishaps!

If you have any other questions about the parent handbook feel free to ask myself, Gabriel, or Ms. Annie.

School Calendar 2017

February

Saturday – 3rd – Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Saturday – 10th – Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Friday – 16th – Lunar New Year

Monday – 19th –  NO SCHOOL- President’s Day

March

Saturday – 3rd- Date Night with Ms. Jennifer

Monday – 5th – Picture Day

Saturday – 10th – Date Night with Ms. Diana

Friday – 16th – Celebrating St Patrick’s Day

Tuesday – 20th – Egg Hunt

Friday – 23rd to 2nd – NO SCHOOL- Spring Break

April

Tuesday – 3rd- Back from Spring Break

Saturday – 7th- Date Night with Mrs. Gloria

Saturday -21st – Date Night with Ms. Jennifer