I can’t believe summer is over and school has begun! I hope you had a wonderful summer! I am thrilled for this school year to start and I’m sure it will be full of many exciting and fun moments! I can’t wait to watch and help this group of kiddos grow and learn throughout the year! We are going to start the school year off with an “all about me” theme. The first couple weeks we are going to learn all about the classroom rules and routine. We are going to learn about each other from what we look like, to our families, what we like & don’t like, etc. I have many fun and exciting things planned to go along with the theme. We are going to have some fun art projects, do a few science experiments, and read several of my favorite books. There are also several other fun things planned for the children. :) Every once in awhile I will be sending home some type of homework assignment. This months assignment will be due Friday, August 30th. I will send home the directions and some of the materials you will need to complete the project. Please let me know if you have any questions about the project or if you need anything. This is supposed to be a fun activity to do at home with your child to go along with the theme we are talking/learning about at school. Things to do at home with your child: *Ask them about their day: what was their favorite thing they did, who did they play with, what did they have for snack. This is a great thing to do at dinner and have the whole family talk about their day. :) *Read a story before bed: let them pick out the book. Talk about what you think the story is going to be about, what different words in the story mean, what their favorite part about the story was, etc. *Practice their first and last name and how to spell their name. Talk about what the first letter is in their name the sounds all the letters make, etc. First Day of School Photos!
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As the saying goes with April showers comes May flowers…Well let’s hope we don’t have too many days of rain this month! I’m so excited about the warmer weather and the spring flowers that are starting to bloom. Hopefully you all had a wonderful and relaxing spring break! I know I enjoyed the few warm sunny days we had & got some yard work done. :)
This month we will continue to learn about plants. We will learn about the parts of a plant, their life cycle, as well as characteristics of plants. We will also plant our own seeds to watch them grow. We will also be learning about recycling. We will talk about the 3 R’s- Recycle, Reuse & Reduce. We will also talk about water and land pollution as well as finding ways to reuse items. We will also go on a clean up walk around the outside of the school to see what we can do to help keep the school clean. Bugs & insects are another topic we will discuss. We will talk about characteristics of an insect, talk about the different types of insects, and maybe go on an insect hunt outside to see what we can find. We will read several stories, and do several fun projects throughout the month that go along with everything. The dramatic play center is going to remain a Garden Center this month! We will be building math, literacy, science, and social skills during our pretend play! Play is powerful! Learning through play creates meaningful learning opportunities. Your child will be…Designing and sketching vases & bouquets, exploring the lifecycle of a plant, measuring plants, sorting flowers & materials, using rich vocabulary related to flowers and plants when they pretend and interact with their friends, and developing reading and writing skills as they create cards for their bouquets. Students are constantly building social skills during pretend play too! During play students will be taking turns sharing, waiting, controlling their impulses and expressing their feelings through appropriate gestures actions, and words. We will also be talking about several different special days throughout the month of April: Autism Awareness, Easter, Earth Day, & Arbor Day. I have several fun activities & lessons planned to help learn about all of these special days. Tuesday, April 9th there is a kindergarten pre registration/ orientation from 6-7:30. If your child is going to kindergarten in the fall you are invited to come to the grade school and meet the teachers and take a look at the classrooms. If you have any questions please feel free to ask. Things to do with your child: *When you go shopping, try using cloth bags/reusable bags instead of plastic bags. *Be aware of what you throw away. If you can try to recycle some of your trash, have your child help you with the sorting of the different materials. . *Take a bag to the park with you and pick up garbage. *Take a look in your refrigerator and talk about the different plants you eat. What part of the plant is it. (root, stem, leaf, flower) *Have a taste test and try some new foods. The groundhog did not see his shadow on Saturday, which means early spring. Let’s hope he is right! I am ready for warmer weather after last weeks frigid temperatures! This month we are talking about all things space as well as Valentines Day! We are learning All About Space in our classroom! We will be exploring all about the planets, stars, and moon in our solar system. We will be investigating what makes day and night as well as what we see and do during the day versus what we see and do at night. We will also talk about rocket ships and astronauts and what they do. We will conclude the theme with a fun field trip to the Staerkel Planetarium at Parkland College in Champaign on Thursday February 21st. We will read several stories, and do several fun projects. The dramatic play center is changing into a Space Station! We will be building math, literacy, science, and social skills during our pretend play! Play is powerful! Learning through play creates meaningful learning opportunities. Your child will be...
• Measuring and weighing “space rocks” • Planning, building, and drawing various space things (space ships, rovers, satellites, etc.) • Reading and writing various space observations and checklists • Reading numbers on reports and various tools • Reading labels throughout the center • Reading books, labels, and signs as conducting space research • Using rich vocabulary related to space when they interact with their friends • Counting backwards during launch Students are constantly building social skills during pretend play too! During play students will be taking turns, sharing, waiting, controlling their impulses, and expressing their feelings through appropriate gestures, actions, and words. We will also be talking about Valentine’s day and love. We will read a few stories & do some fun craftsWe will celebrate the holiday on Thursday, February 14th. A note was sent home a couple weeks ago about the party, please let me know if you have any questions about it. Also please let us know if you would like to attend the party, we would love for you to join us! A few reminders: *Please remember to call the office to let us know if your child will not be at school. 217-354-4221 *To help keep everyone as healthy as possible, please keep your child at home if they are sick. Remember fever free for 24 hrs with no meds. *We will be going outside if the weather allows us (32 degrees and dry) Please send your child to school with appropriate outerwear- coat, hat, gloves/mittens, etc. If you are in need of any of these items please let me know and we can help. Things to do with your child: *Make valentines at home for family members & pass them out *Grab a notebook. Go outside during the day and draw and write about what you see. Later, go outside at night draw and write about what you see. Compare your observations. *February is a month of showing kindness…I challenge you as a family to do 5 random acts of kindness this month. Write a thank you note for the mailman, leave a special treat on your neighbors door, give someone a complement, help someone out with out them asking, there are an endless list of possibilities. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas break! I got to spend lots of quality time with my family and friends as well as got some well needed rest! I hope you all had the same. :) This month we are jumping into all things winter weather weather! We will be learning all about ice and snow! We are going to explore and experiment all about how water changes from a solid to a liquid. We will also be exploring snowflakes and how they are made. Our dramatic play center is changing into an Ice Skating Rink! We will be building math, literacy, social skills, and gross motor skills during our pretend play!
Play is powerful! Learning through play creates meaningful learning opportunities. Your child will be: *Measuring their feet when trying on skates *Reading labels throughout the center *Reading the menu *Writing and reading snack orders *Sorting cups & skates by size *Using rich vocabulary related to ice skating when they interact with their friends *Counting money *Writing numbers to create receipts *“Skating” on the ice (balance) *Playing hockey (hand eye coordination) Students are constantly building social skills during pretend play too! During play students are taking turns, sharing, waiting, controlling their impulses, working as a team, collaborating, problem solving, and expressing their feelings through appropriate gestures, actions, and words. We will also be reading several books about snow, ice, snowmen, and winter animals. Some of them include: Sneezy the snowman, Snowmen at night, The mitten, Snowmen at work, and so many more. Things to do with your child: *Learn about ice and snow at home and do an ice experiment! Take out four ice cubes and place each one in a clear cup. Sprinkle different things on each one (ex: salt, sugar, coffee). Check on them throughout the night and observe what melted the ice the fastest! *Pretend to ice skate at home! Pretend paper plates are ice skates, and skate around the house! Have a magical month! Ms. Cross I guess I forgot to post in November...Sorry! We had so much fun in November learning about Thanksgiving! We enjoyed our own Thanksgiving dinner with the CARE classroom and read several fun books!
Happy December! It’s my favorite time of year with all of the bright christmas lights, beautiful decorations, the magical feeling, time with family, yummy food, and all the love and cheer! This month we are going to continue learning about shapes and add on a little bit about Christmas! Our bakery has turned into a gingerbread house and we will be decorating it through out the month. We will also be reading several stories about Christmas! A few of the books will be different variations of the Gingerbread man, we will talk about how they are the same as well as how they are different. We will also be singing several different christmas time songs and playing several fun games and activities. There are several fun art projects planned for this month as well. Our elf, Buddy will also be making his way back from the North Pole to visit us! He will be keeping an eye out for Santa as well as helping us do kind deeds throughout the month! Don’t forget to ask your child what Buddy did each day! Its a great way to get your child to talk about their day at school! We will be having a couple fun christmas celebrations throughout the month! One of them will be a party with the CARE class on December 19th. We have several fun games and activities planned for that day! :) We will get our pictures taken with Santa that day as well! Another fun celebration we will be doing is having a pajama party and watching the Polar Express! Keep a look out for additional notes about the upcoming events. We will be visiting the Santa shop (Ran by our wonderful PTO) on Thursday, December 13th to buy gifts for family & friends. if you would like to send money in for your child to purchase gifts you may do so. A list of who they are buying for is helpful as well. :) Gift prices range from $.50 up to $10. They are also looking for volunteers to help with the Santa shop so if you would like to help out please let them know. A few reminders: *Please remember to call the office to let us know if your child will not be at school. 217-354-4221 *To help keep the spreading of germs down, please keep your child at home if they are sick. Remember fever free for 24 hrs. *We will be going outside if the weather allows us to (32 degrees and dry) Please send your child to school with appropriate outerwear- coat, hat, gloves/mittens, etc. If you are in need of any of these items please let me know and we can help. Things to do with your child: *Go on a drive at night to look at all of the pretty Christmas lights. *Decorate sugar cookies together. *Make a homemade christmas ornament for a loved one. *Talk about your family Christmas traditions. *Read your favorite christmas stories together. Thank You so much to the Oakwood Grade School PTO! We had so much fun playing in the bounce houses! I can’t believe its already October! We have had an awesome first month and a half of school so far! We learned all about our friends & families, classroom rules & expectations, how to be a good friend and so much more! I can't wait to see/experience all the fun things we have planned for the rest of the year!
This month we are going to learn about all things fall and Halloween! We are going to talk about the leaves on the trees, apples, pumpkins, and so much more. We are going to have a pretend pumpkin patch in the classroom, investigate the inside and outside of a pumpkin, have an apple taste test, do some fun art projects, and go on a walk around the school to spot signs of fall. We will also read several of my favorite fall books and sing some fun fall songs. We are also going to have a special visit from the Conservation district on October 9th to talk to us about how animals were preparing for winter, and the changes in the environment. They will bring furs and other items for the kids to touch and interact with. It should be a lot of fun! The weather is also getting a little cooler. We will still be going outside as long as the weather allows, please make sure you send your child to school with the appropriate clothes/coats. Also, please send a new set of extra clothes for cooler weather- pants/long sleeve shirt. Parent teacher conferences are coming up and I would love to meet with you to discuss how your child is doing. You can sign up online or call the office to schedule a time. Conferences are on Wednesday, October 17th and Thursday, October 18th from 4-7 pm. I will be sending a note home a little later in the month about our Halloween Party, Please keep a look out for it in your child’s folder. **Important dates** *October 2: PTO meeting at 6 in OGS conference room *October 5: No School!- County wide institute day *October 8: No School- Columbus Day *October 12: Buy Out Bash & end of 1st Quarter *October 17: Early out 1:40/1:50 Parent Teacher Conference 4-7 *October 18: Early out 1:40/1:50 Parent Teacher Conference 4-7 *October 19: No School *October 23: picture retakes *October 31: Halloween! Party & parade (Keep a look out for more information about the party) We had a great first day of school today! We got to play outside, read a few books, played at centers, ate snack, and had tons of fun! We also got to name our class pet...Meet Mr. Fishy
Happy April! I hope you all had a wonderful spring break! It kind of felt like winter break with all that snow :) We are going to continue with our talks & learning about spring this month. We are going to look into plants, gardens, and our earth. We will be starting our own plants from seeds and watching them grow, talking about the parts of a plant, what they need to grow & live, and so much more. We are also going to do many different art and science projects this month as well. At the end of the month we are going to learn all about the Earth and how we can help take care of it for Earth day. This month we will also be talking about Autism awareness & acceptance. We are gong to read a few stories, watch a few videos, and do a few other activities to help us learn. Every Friday for the month of April is also wear Blue for Autism.
Please remember that if it is not raining, too wet, or cold out we will be going outside to play. Please make sure you send your child to school in weather appropriate clothing & a coat/jacket. Also, don’t forget to call the office if your child will not be at school. Some fun things to do at home: *Go on a walk and find all the different signs of spring! Look high and low. Talk about the different sounds, smells, sights, feelings, and maybe even tastes. *Have fun drawing/scribbling on paper. Use crayons, markers, colored pencils, etc. After your done drawing talk about what you made. Not only does this help with their fine motor of drawing/writing but it also helps with their imagination, vocabulary, and so much more. Dates to remember! April 3: PTO meeting @ 6 pm in conference room April 5: Pre-K Screening- NO Ms. Cross (sub in room) April 10: Kindergarten Orientation & Pre-registration 6-7:30pm April 12: Science Fair 5-7pm (Come see all the fun things going on at the school) April 17: Spring Pictures April 18: Late Start-9 am April 20: NO School (EC/CARE)-Week of the Young Child (Come see us at the Mall in Danville) April 27: Early Out 11:30 (NO PM CLASS) Happy March! I’m so happy spring is right around the corner. The warmer days with the sun shining has been amazing. The children have been so excited that the weather has been cooperating and we have been able to go outside to play. Don’t forget to send your child to school in outerwear appropriate for the weather. If it is warm enough ( above 32 with the windchill) we will be going outside to play.
This month we are going to dive into all things spring. Last week we had a class discussion about the different things we are seeing outside. We will be talking about the weather, the flowers & trees blooming, all of the baby animals, and so much more. We also kicked off the month with my favorite Author Dr. Seuss. We read several of my favorite Dr. Seuss books as well as did a few other fun activities. We are in need of paper towels for the classroom. If you are willing to send some in we would greatly appreciate them! If your child isn’t feeling well please keep them home. Remember they must be fever free for 24 hrs without medicine. The flu is going around pretty thick and we are trying our best to keep everyone in the classroom healthy! :) Some fun things to do at home: *Take a walk and look for signs of spring *Color Easter eggs- try mixing colors to see what happens :) Dates to remember! *March 6: PTO meeting at 6 in OGS conf. room *March 9: End of 3rd quarter *March 11: Daylight savings- move clocks forward 1 hr. *March 21 :Early out 1:50 & Parent teacher conferences from 4-7 *March 22:Early out 1:50 & Parent teacher conferences from 4-7: *March 23-April 1: Spring break! *April 1: Easter/April Fool's day |
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March 2019
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