Parent teacher conferences begin for our classroom next Thursday. The children WILL NOT HAVE SCHOOL on Thursday March 12th and Thursday March 19th. Ms. Thabet and I will be using this time to meet individually with families to talk about your child’s growth. Paper reminders for March 12th will go home on Monday, March 9th. Reminders for March 19th will go home on Monday, March 16th. You can find the complete list of conference appointment times by clicking on the conference page at the top of my blog.
Our school is partnering with DSHINES to provide physical activity and nutrition lessons/activities for children and families. Please take a few moments to fill out this survey so we can gather information about the best ways to support your family.
The children had a wonderful time exploring the exhibits at the Michigan Science Center. Here are some pictures from the trip!
Mid-Winter Break
There will be no school Monday, February 17-Friday February, 21st. Enjoy the time with you families and we will see everyone back at school on Monday, February 24th!
Over the break please continue to work with your children on writing their names, as well as recognizing letters and numbers.
February Parent Meeting
Our next classroom parent meeting is Thursday, February 27th. We will be meeting in our classroom at 8:45am and the topic will be technology. Looking forward to seeing everyone there!
Important Dates
February 17th to the 21st – Mid Winter Break
February 27th – Mandatory Classroom Parent Meeting at 8:45
February 28th – Spring session of Parent University begins from 9-10
March 2nd – BINGO for Books at Cotter from 4 pm to 5 pm
March 6th – Parent University 9-10
March 12th – No School for PreK – Parent Teacher Conferences
March 13th – Parent University 9-10
March 19th – No School for PreK – Parent Teacher Conferences
March 20th – Parent University 9-10
Have a great week, and we will see everyone on February 24th!
During Daily 5 this week we began reading the story The Three Billy Goats Gruff by Paul Galdone. We talked about ways the billy goats could cross the bridge without getting caught by the troll, and during small group time the children used packing boxes, tape, glue, and various art materials to build “traps” to catch the trolls and keep the billy goats safe. We worked on our traps over the course of two days, and many children continued to work on them during work time after our lesson was done. The children were so engaged and excited to build their traps and shared very detailed explanations about how the troll would get caught!
Field Trip to the Michigan Science Center
Our next field trip will be Thursday, February 13 to the Michigan Science Center. Permission slips will be going home in your child’s folder on Monday. If you would like to join us as a chaperone please indicate that on the permission slip. Once again I can only take two chaperones with me, and priority will be given to those parents who have not had a chance to join us yet.
We will be starting an after school exercise club at Cotter in the upcoming weeks. After School Exercise Club is an opportunity for your child to spend 1 extra hour after school playing games and getting exercise! The exercise club be be on Tuesday afternoons from 2:50-3:50pm and the cost is FREE. If you are interested in your child attending, please fill out the interest form in your child’s folder and return to school on Monday. As soon as we have an idea of how many children are interested you will be contacted with more information of when the program will start.
Healthy Students and Classrooms
The flu seems to be going around right now; washing winter coats, hats, gloves, backpacks, and nap things is one way help prevent the spread of germs from child to child (or child to parent/teacher!) Please continue to use your best judgement when sending your child to school. Here is a good rule of thumb to follow if you are uncertain if you child is healthy enough for school.
Parent University classes starting soon!
If you or someone you know has children ages 0-4 then Parent University is for you! Parent University is a FREE 6 session, 1 hour class where parents and children will engage in a variety of hands on activities together lead by Dearborn’s GSRP PreK Staff. No registration in necessary, classes begin February 28th at the following Dearborn elementary schools:
River Oaks
Lindbergh
Long
Maples
William Ford
Salina Elementary
Upcoming Dates
February 13- Field Trip to Michigan Science Center
February 17-21 – No School! Mid-Winter Break
February 27 – Monthly Parent Meeting 8:45am
March 2- Literacy Night/Bingo for books
March 12- No School! Parent Teacher Conferences all day
March 19 – No School! Parent Teacher Conferences all day
The children had a great time yesterday at the Outdoor Adventure Center exploring many of the natural resources our state has to offer. We flew in an airplane, took a ride on a four-wheeler and snow mobile, practiced fishing, learned about bee farming, and even climbed a tree!
Our next field trip will be Thursday, February 13th to the Michigan Science Center. Stay tuned for more information!
Thank you so much for joining us for our monthly parent meeting! This month we explored different activities and strategies you can use at home to teach letter names and sounds, writing skills, and hand strength. Here is a break down of what you and your child were learning together in our classroom:
What is Literacy?
Literacy is a lot of things! In preschool we focus on:
Speaking
Writing/drawing
Letter/Sound Recognition
Beginning Reading Skills
Today we explored:
Letter/Sound Recognition
Beginning Reading Skills
Writing/drawing
What is Letter Sound Recognition?
Letter recognition is the skill of seeing a letter and knowing it’s name.
Ex. Seeing the letter “A” and knowing it is an “A”
Sound Recognition is the skill of knowing the sound a letter makes.
Ex. A says “Ah”
How many letters should my child know by the end of preschool?
Research suggests that we should set a benchmark of children naming 18 upper case with letter sounds and 15 lowercase letters by the end of Preschool. This provides a strong foundation for knowledge growth in Kindergarten.
Beginning Reading Skills
All children can read no matter how young they are! Preschool children can read a story by…
Talking about the pictures
Retelling a familiar story (ex. The three bears)
Finding familiar letters/words
The most important thing you can do to help your child grow their reading skills is to read together every night!
Here are some ideas of things to talk about while you’re reading:
Concepts of Print (Cover, Title, Author, Pointing to the Words)
Talking about the Parts of Story (Characters, Setting, Plot)
New words
Finding Letters
Point out Rhymes
“What do you think might happen next?”
“Tell me what you remember about the story?”
Beginning Writing Skills
Children learn to write by having access to (and using) many different types of writing materials such as:
pencils
crayons
markers
paint
You are most likely familiar with pencils, markers, and crayons, but water color painting also helps children develop writing skills. Children strengthen their finger muscles while holding the brush, and the fluid motion of applying paint on the paper mimics the motion of making lines and curves in letters.
Did you know that playdoh, hot wheels cars, and Legos also help children develop writing skills?! Using small toys like cars to “drive” on letter roads helps children who like to move focus on the lines and curves in letters, as well as recognizing letter names. Using a sensory material like playdoh promotes finger/grip strength. Children squeeze and push to form shapes in the dough. These motions exercise the same muscles children use to hold a pencil and write.
Odds and Ends
DNR Outdoor Adventure Center Field Trip
Permission slips went home last Thursday for our next field trip to the DNR. Please return these permission slips to school no later than Tuesday, January 21st so we can get an accurate count for the bus. I can take two parent chaperones with me for this trip, if you are interested please let me know by the end of the day today, January 16th. I will be putting all interested parents’ names in a hat and choosing during the school day in front of the children. To be a chaperone you must have an ichat clearance on file with the office.
You can let me know you are interested in chaperoning by messaging me on the Remind101 app, or through email at stortij@dearbornschools.org.
Drop Off Time
Children should be hanging up jackets, backpacks, etc by themselves as well as turning in folders and library books independently. This is a skill that will be necessary for them in Kindergarten next year. Starting Tuesday, January 21st no more parents in the coat hooks or at the tables! Sign in, hug and kiss, bye Mom and Dad!
Upcoming Dates
No School- Monday, January 20th (MLK day)
Half Day- Tuesday, January 21st
Field Trip to DNR – Thursday, January 23rd (I can take two parent chaperones)
Field Trip to Michigan Science Center-Thursday, February 13th (I can take one parent chaperone)
Happy new year and welcome back to school! I hope everyone enjoyed their two weeks with your families. We are getting back into the swing of things at school .
iBlog Updates
I updated a few of the links on our classroom home page. Please take a minute to look through these. You can now find the district and program calendars for the current school year, as well as our classroom monthly calendar.
Daily 5 Bags
Daily 5 bags went home in children’s back packs. Please read these books together over the weekend and return to school on Monday. There is also a ring of the letters we have been working on. You and your child can practice these letters together over the weekend as well. Please make sure to put these rings back in their Daily 5 bags for Monday so I can add the new letter of the week.
Parent Meeting
Our next parent meeting will be Thursday, January 16th at 10:15am in our classroom. This is not a regular day of school. Children and parents will attend in our classroom together from 10:15-11:30am. When the meeting is over you and your child will go home together. This month’s topic is about literacy, looking forward to seeing you there!
DNR Outdoor Adventure Center Field Trip
Permission slips went home Thursday for our next field trip to the DNR. Please return these permission slips to school no later than Tuesday, January 21st so we can get an accurate count for the bus. I can take two parent chaperones with me for this trip, if you are interested please let me know. I will be putting all interested parents’ names in a hat and choosing during the school day in front of the children. To be a chaperone you must have an ichat clearance on file with the office.
During large group time the children “ice skated around the room during our pajama popcorn party!
Parent Fair
Thank you so much for joining us for the GSRP 2019 Parent Fair at Cotter. It was wonderful to see everyone and watch the children enjoying themselves at the activities in the classroom.
Thank you!
Thank you so much for your generous gifts and kind words, it has been a wonderful start to the school year. We wish you well over the break and hope you enjoy the time with your family at home. We’ll see you back at school on Monday, January 6th, 2020!
Thank you to everyone who joined us for our field trip to the Ann Arbor Hands on Museum yesterday!
Daily 5 Bags
I have added a letter/sight word ring to each child’s Daily 5 bag with the words and letters we are working on each week. Please review these rings with your children and then return them to school on Mondays in their Daily 5 bags.
Pajama Day
We will be having a pajama/movie day in our classroom in Wednesday, December 18th. Children may wear their pajamas to school if they wish.
Parent Fair
GSRP Parent Fair will be Thursday, December 19th at Cotter. This is a fun day of activities, our classes time is 8:45am.
Tomorrow is our first field trip of the school year! We will be going to the Hands on Museum in Ann Arbor. Here is some important information for tomorrow:
Please be in our classroom by 9:00am, bus will be leaving Cotter at 9:15am.
No backpacks please, we do not need them for the field trip.
No siblings allowed.
Lunch is provided by the school for each child, please pack your own DISPOSABLE lunch. There are no places to buy food at the museum.
We leave the museum at 1:00 to head back to school, we will arrive back at Cotter around 2:00pm.
Your child is your responsibility while we are on the field trip.
This is a wonderful bonding experience for you and your child. Please keep cell phone usage to a minimum to get the most out of our time together.
