Mrs. Stortini's Preschool Class News

Welcome to Preschool!

Thank you so much for joining Ms. Alawadi and I at our first classroom parent meeting. It was wonderful to see everyone and watch parents and children interacting with each other in the classroom!

Delay in Opening of Room 111

As we mentioned at the parent meeting, due to unforeseen circumstances children will not be able to stay by themselves tomorrow (Tuesday, September 21) as we originally planned. Our classroom has never been used as a preschool room before and must be inspected to ensure that the environment is safe for children, staff, and families. The inspections are complete and our classroom is safe, but we must wait for the report to be signed by the head of the licensing department before we can officially begin. We are hopeful this delay will be short, and we appreciate your understanding and patience with this situation which is frustrating for everyone.

In the meantime Ms. Alawadi and I will be offering two 90 minute “playdate” opportunities per day for children to come to school while we wait for the paperwork to be signed. During these playdates children MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT. Legally, we are not allowed to have children stay by themselves with a teacher until the licensing is complete.

Classroom “Playdate” Opportunities

Beginning Tuesday, September 21st Children may come with a parent to our classroom for 90 minutes each day to experience small and whole group lessons until our classroom can officially begin. Choose the time below that best works for your family, and we look forward to seeing you in our classroom!

Our two meetings times will be:

• 8:30-10:00am
• 10:15-11:40am

• Come to Henry Ford Elementary Door #3 at 8:35-10:05am  OR   10:15-11:40am (please choose one time)
• Children MUST BE ACCOMPANIED BY A PARENT, siblings cannot come.
• Adult and child must wear mask while in the school classroom.

Thank you so much for your patience in this matter, and we are looking forward to a fantastic school year!

~Mrs. Stortini and Ms. Alawadi

Hello Families!

LIVE Morning Message

Beginning Monday Nov. 16th attendance will be taken every morning during Morning Messages at 9:00am. Please make sure your child is in the waiting room at 8:55am so I can let everyone in right on time at 9am.

LIVE Writing Time/Large Group

Beginning Monday, Nov. 16th Writing Time will be LIVE at 12:08pm on Zoom. Once our writing for the day in complete we will do our large Group activities for the day.

Our website has a new look!

Click the link below to watch Mrs. Stortini do a walk through of the new assignment format. 

Student Portal | Dearborn Public Schools – Watch Video

Take Home Material Pick-Up

Take home materials will be available for pick up in the Cotter Circle Drive Tuesday, November 17th from 11-12:15pm. 

Parent/Teacher Conferences

The last day of ZOOM Fall Parent/Teacher conferences will be Tuesday, November 17th. The conference schedule is listed below. If your child’s conference is scheduled for Tuesday I will send the zoom link out to parent emails Monday afternoon.

Week of November 16th

Week of November 16th

Have a great weekend, and we are looking forward to seeing all children Monday morning at 9am for LIVE Morning Messages!

~Mrs. Stortini and Ms. Thabet

Hello Families!

Attendance

If your child is ill and unable to attend Zoom meetings or complete Schoology assignments, please call the Cotter office at (313)827-6150 so they can be marked excused for the day.

LIVE Morning Message and Large Group

Beginning Monday we will have LIVE Zoom Morning Message at 9:00am and LIVE Zoom Large Group Time at 12:08pm for all children! The links for these meetings can be found on the Zoom folder on our Schoology Site. This is a great opportunity for children to see and interact with ALL of their classmates even though we cannot be in the classroom at this time.

Student Zoom Lesson Schedule

Our Zoom schedule will be slightly different next week due to the fact that Tuesday, November 3rd is Election Day, and Thursday November 5th will begin Parent Teacher Conferences. I am including the weekly schedule below. I will update the zoom schedule on our schoology page for Thursday. If you have any questions please email me to let me know!

Parent Teacher Conferences

Parent Teacher Conferences begin the afternoon of Thursday, November 5th. I have included the Parent Teacher Conference Schedule below. Please look for your child’s name to find your appointment. I did my best to keep the appointments as close as possible to your child’s regular Zoom time.

Thursday, November 5th

Tuesday, November 10th

Tuesday, November 17th

I know this a lot of information. As always, thank you so much for your patience and flexibility as we navigate this new normal.

Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Stortini & Ms. Thabet–

Welcome to the first day of school!

Morning Message

Welcome to the first day of school! Click the link below to watch Mrs. Stortini read the messages for the day.

1. Good Morning!

2. Self-Portrait Assignment

3. Using the microphone to turn in work

4. Zoom meeting

مرحبًا بكم في اليوم الأول من المدرسة! انقر على الرابط أدناه لمشاهدة السيدة ستورتيني وهي تقرأ الرسائل لهذا اليوم.

 1. صباح الخير!

2. التنازل عن صورة شخصية

3. استخدام الميكروفون لتشغيل العمل

Itsy Bitsy Spider

Click the link below to sing along to the Itsy Bitsy Spider with Mrs. Stortini and Ms. Thabet.

نقر على الرابط أدناه للغناء مع أغنية Itsy Bitsy Spider مع السيدة ستورتيني والسيدة ثابت.

Read Aloud

Self Portrait

You will be using the journal and the crayons to make your self portrait! Click the video link to watch Mrs. Stortini explain the lesson.

سوف تستخدم المجلة وأقلام التلوين لرسم صورتك الذاتية! انقر فوق ارتباط الفيديو لمشاهدة السيدة ستورتيني وهي تشرح الدرس.

Directions:

1. Get out your journal and crayons.   

 2. Turn to the first page of the Journal, and draw a line to divide the paper in half.

3. Draw a picture of yourself on the top of the page.

4. Try to write your name or draw your letter link on the bottom.

5. When you’re finished, click the microphone picture below to take a video or record your voice telling us about your picture! Family note:The picture may be scribbles, lines, shapes, or look like a person. It is ok if your child’s picture is not perfect, we want to see what they can do on their own!)

Let’s Get Moving!

Get outside; go for a walk or play in the backyard! If you can’t, dance and sing along with Koo Koo Kangaroo. 

إذهب الى الخارج؛ الذهاب للنزهة أو اللعب في الفناء الخلفي! إذا لم تستطع الرقص والغناء مع Koo Koo Kangaroo.

Zoom Appointments

Today Ms. Thabet and I have zoom appoitmnets with the following children. Zoom links and meeting ID/passwords have been sent to parent emails.

Questions/Technology Issues

If you’re haveing trouble DON’T PANIC! Email me at stortij@dearbornschools.org to let me know what the issue is. Ms. Thabet and I can call you over the phone and help try and resolve it.

Have a great day!

Mrs. Stortini and Ms. Thabet

Orientations

Ms. Thabet and I have been enjoying getting to meet families during our classroom orientations these past two weeks! If you have not had your orientation yet please make sure to call the office (313)827-6150 when you arrive at the school so they can direct you to the correct door to enter. Both children and adults must be fever free (without medicine) and wearing a mask during orientation. Please no older/younger siblings at this time.

Virtual Home Visits/Practice Zoom Meetings

This week began our virtual home visits/practice zoom meetings. I will send the link, meeting ID, and passcode to the parnet email address the day before your appointment. If you are having difficulties signing into zoom please email me at stortij@dearbornschools.org. Myself or Ms. Thabet can call you and help over the phone.

Student Logins and Email Addresses

I have not yet recieved the student login and email addresses. As soon as I do I will email them to you so children can practice logging in.

Have a great day!

Mrs. Stortini and Ms. Thabet

Hello families, it has been a pleasure being your child’s teacher this school year! While we have missed seeing everyone in person it has been amazing watching all of the hard work you and your families have been doing at home during this difficult time. Your pictures and videos make me smile, I am so glad you are my students! ❤❤❤

Homeschool Heroes

It was lovely getting to see this smiling faces at certificate pick up!

Summer Activity Calendar

Here are some ideas to keep the learning going and stay active over the break. I love you all and have an amazing summer vacation!🤩😎☀️

Last Days of School

This will be the last week of school for GSRP for new material, we will use next week to ccelebrate and catch up on missing work!

Preschool Registration for Next Year

Dearborn schools GSRP will be handing out applications at Cotter Early Childhood Center today, June 3 and Thursday, June 4 from 12 to 2 PM. We are located at 13020 Osborn. Please come in off of Osborn and wait in line as you come through the bus loop. You do not need to exit your car a staff member will be out there to assist you.If you currently have an application and all your information that is needed with the application continue to look on our website and other social media for upcoming registration dates.

End of Year Certificates

Last day to pick up End of Year items will be today, June 4th from 12-2pm at Cotter. Ms Thabet and I will be there and we can’t wait to see you! When you come please bring Daily 5 bags and library books to turn in. Thank you!

Parent/Teacher Phone Calls

Ms. Thabet and I will be calling families this week to check in and answer any questions you might have before the end of the school year. If you see a blocked number it might be us! 😁 We hope you are having a good week and are looking forward to talking to you!

At Home Resources

PBS Kids

Click on the link below to explore PBS Kids Learning Resources; virtual field trips, educational shows, learning prompts, and writing activities.

https://www.pbslearningmedia.org/student/

The Dad Lab: Science Experiments

DadLab has some great at home experiments for kids!

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCc_-hy0u9-oKlNdMKHBudcQ

Cosmic Kids: Yoga, Meditation and Storytelling with Movement

We have used Cosmic Kids throughout our virtual journey, if your children loved a video go ahead and revisit it, or explore something new!

https://www.youtube.com/user/CosmicKidsYoga

Super Simple Songs

Here is the channel Super Simple Songs, the more nursery rhymes and songs your child learns before Kindergarten the better they will do with reading!

https://www.youtube.com/user/SuperSimpleSongs

Homeschool Heroes

Letter of the Week

Work Time

Turn off those screens and play with some toys, color, paint… anything you can think of!

Planning Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s ability to organize their time by having them make a “plan” with you about what they would like to play with.  Children do this everyday with us at school. It helps children learn to organize their thoughts. Adults make plans all the time to organize their thoughts (shopping lists are made before going to the grocery store, to do lists are made to help plan your day etc..).  

Work Time (45-60 minutes): During work time kids play WITHOUT ELECTRONICS.  Kids can use toys to pretend play, build, and create.

Clean Up (about 15 minutes):  Kids clean up the mess they have made while playing.

Recall Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s memory of events by having your child tell you what they did while they played (ask “tell me how you did that” or “what did you do next?”)

Assignment

Two more days until we are done for the summer!

1.Today we’re going to listen to a story called “Kangaroo Kazoo.” As you listen, say the K sound “kah” and make tally marks on your whiteboard for the words you hear that begin with the letter Kk.

2. Count your tally marks and write that number on your whiteboards.

3.Read together for 20 minutes.

4. Get outside, go for a walk or play in your backyard! If you can’t sing and dance along with Looby Loo Kangaroo!

Have a great day!

Last Days of School

This will be the last week of school for GSRP for new material, we will use next week to ccelebrate and catch up on missing work!

Preschool Registration for Next Year

Dearborn schools GSRP will be handing out applications at Cotter Early Childhood Center today, June 3 and Thursday, June 4 from 12 to 2 PM. We are located at 13020 Osborn. Please come in off of Osborn and wait in line as you come through the bus loop. You do not need to exit your car a staff member will be out there to assist you.If you currently have an application and all your information that is needed with the application continue to look on our website and other social media for upcoming registration dates.

End of Year Certificates

Cotter will be having a drive through today, June 3rd (My birthday!🎂🥳) and Thursday, June 4th from 12-2pm for parents to come pick up End of Year certificates, any materials your child may have left at school, as well as a small gift from Ms. Thabet and I. When you come please bring daily 5 bags and library books to turn in. I will be at Cotter on Thursday, but you can turn in materials on Wednesday as well. Thank you!

Parent/Teacher Phone Calls

Ms. Thabet and I will be calling families this week to check in and answer any questions you might have before the end of the school year. If you see a blocked number it might be us! 😁 We hope you are having a good start to the week and are looking forward to talking to you!

Transitioning to Next Year

Resources for Families

Highlights @ Home

Highlights shares weekly posts of activities you can do during the summer with your children.

• Puzzles to Solve
• Stories to Read
• Active Play Ideas
• Crafts to Make
• Ideas for Community
• Writing, Drawing and Conversation Prompts

To navigate and find more lesson, check their website each week or you can use the arrow at the top of their webpage.

https://blog.highlights.com/highlights-at-home?page=1&utm_campaign=email_school_20200528_hathome_na_0_v1_am_teacher&utm_source=school&utm_content=10Banner&j=493283&e=ABDELLA@DEARBORNSCHOOLS.ORG&l=131_HTML&u=30318195&mid=7231811&jb=992&utm_medium=email&esid=105180333&j=493283&smtrctid=105180333

Homeschool Heroes

Letter of the Week

Work Time

Turn off those screens and play with some toys, color, paint… anything you can think of!

Planning Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s ability to organize their time by having them make a “plan” with you about what they would like to play with.  Children do this everyday with us at school. It helps children learn to organize their thoughts. Adults make plans all the time to organize their thoughts (shopping lists are made before going to the grocery store, to do lists are made to help plan your day etc..).  

Work Time (45-60 minutes): During work time kids play WITHOUT ELECTRONICS.  Kids can use toys to pretend play, build, and create.

Clean Up (about 15 minutes):  Kids clean up the mess they have made while playing.

Recall Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s memory of events by having your child tell you what they did while they played (ask “tell me how you did that” or “what did you do next?”)

Assignment

Only three more days until we say goodbye to this school year. Today we’re going to read a story called, “Look out Kindergarten, Here I come!” It might look familiar, this is the story I read when we had our class google hangout a few weeks ago!

1. Today I want you to think about what you want to be when you grow up. A doctor, a lawyer, a florist, a teacher, a ballerina, a business owner? You can be anything you set your mind to! In your journal today draw a write about what you want to be when you grow up. I can’t wait to see the pictures!

2. It’s my birthday today! Draw a birthday cake, guess how old I am and draw that number of candles on it. When you’re done write that number and send me a picture. I can’t wait to see your guesses! 😁🎂

• Ex. If you think I’m 7, draw 7 candles and write the number 7.
• Ex. If you think I’m 100, draw 100 candles ans write the number 100.

3. Read together for 20 minutes.

4. Get outside, go for a walk or play in your backyard! If you can’t, shake your sillies out with the Learning Station!

Have a great day!

Last Days of School

This will be the last week of school for GSRP for new material, we will use next week to ccelebrate and catch up on missing work!

End of Year Certificates

Cotter will be having a drive through on Wednesday, June 3rd (My birthday!) and Thursday, June 4th from 12-2pm for parents to come pick up End of Year certificates, any materials your child may have left at school, as well as a small gift from Ms. Thabet and I.

Parent/Teacher Phone Calls

Ms. Thabet and I will be calling families this week to check in and answer any questions you might have before the end of the school year. If you see a blocked number it might be us! 😁 We hope you are having a good start to the week and are looking forward to talking to you!

Talking to Your Children about Germs, Wearing a Mask and Covid-19

I have included some links and topics to discuss with your children going into the fall school year. If we are in the buildings in the fall it is likely your children will have to wear masks as well as the teachers and staff. Please prepare your children for this, otherwise it can be a bit scary/overwhelming if they do not know what to expect.

Tips for Teaching Children about Wearing a Mask

• Practice wearing a mask in your house before you go in public
• Talk with your children about how it feels around their ears and that it might be warm to wear. Let them know it is normal and they will still be able to breathe.
• Help your child get used to the idea that other people will also be wearing masks by making some for stuffed animals or dolls in your home to wear.
• Use a simple story to explain the importance of the masks. Use the story to remind your children that the other people wearing masks are doing their part to keep you safe, so we don’t need to be scared or anxious when we see people wearing masks in public.

Letter of the Week

Work Time

Turn off those screens and play with some toys, color, paint… anything you can think of!

Planning Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s ability to organize their time by having them make a “plan” with you about what they would like to play with.  Children do this everyday with us at school. It helps children learn to organize their thoughts. Adults make plans all the time to organize their thoughts (shopping lists are made before going to the grocery store, to do lists are made to help plan your day etc..).  

Work Time (45-60 minutes): During work time kids play WITHOUT ELECTRONICS.  Kids can use toys to pretend play, build, and create.

Clean Up (about 15 minutes):  Kids clean up the mess they have made while playing.

Recall Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s memory of events by having your child tell you what they did while they played (ask “tell me how you did that” or “what did you do next?”)

Assignment

We’re getting close to the end of the school year, only a few more days! Today we’re going to read a story called, “The Night Before Kindergarten.”

1. What are you looking forward to the most about next year? In your journal draw a picture and write about what you think you will do in your new classroom next year. When you’re done take a picture of your journal and send it to me!

2. Try your hand at Monster Mansiom Match!

https://www.abcya.com/games/monster_match

3.Read together for 20 minutes.

4.Get outside, go for a walk or play in your backyard! If you can’t get your body moving with the Body Boogie!

Have a great day!

Last Days of School

This will be the last week of school for GSRP for new material, we will use next week to ccelebrate and catch up on missing work!

End of Year Certificates

Cotter will be having a drive through on Wednesday, June 3rd (My birthday!) and Thursday, June 4th for parents to come pick up End of Year certificates, any materials your child may have left at school, as well as a small gift from Ms. Thabet and I.

Kindergarten Information

Your child is already registered for kindergarten. I will be moving all of the paperwork that you turned in for preschool to the school for kindergarten. IF you have moved at any point through the year, it is your duty to inform the school and meet district requirements. I do forward on correct addresses, so they will know and will be asking for the required paperwork. If you have not moved, then you are all set. Below is a short slide show about what to expect for K, ideas for the summer, and information from the school nurses about medical needs. If you have any questions about this information you can ask, Just let me know if you need anything! This is like our parent meeting, without the part where I have to stand and talk to you for 20 minutes. 🙂

Letter of the Week

Our letter of the week is Kk! K says “kah” like kite, Kansas, and Kindergarten!

Work Time

Turn off those screens and play with some toys, color, paint… anything you can think of!

Planning Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s ability to organize their time by having them make a “plan” with you about what they would like to play with.  Children do this everyday with us at school. It helps children learn to organize their thoughts. Adults make plans all the time to organize their thoughts (shopping lists are made before going to the grocery store, to do lists are made to help plan your day etc..).  

Work Time (45-60 minutes): During work time kids play WITHOUT ELECTRONICS.  Kids can use toys to pretend play, build, and create.

Clean Up (about 15 minutes):  Kids clean up the mess they have made while playing.

Recall Time (5 minutes): Build your child’s memory of events by having your child tell you what they did while they played (ask “tell me how you did that” or “what did you do next?”)

Assignment

Can you believe it’s almost time for Kindergarten?! It doesn’t seem thatlong ago we were just meeting eachother for the first time.

1. What did you enjoy about being in our classroom this year? In your journal draw a write about your favorite thing you did this ear in preschool! When you’re done send me a picture so I can see!
2. Count 5 things in your house/neighborhood that begin with the letter Kk.
3. Read together for 20 minutes.
4. Get outside, go for a walk or play in the backyard! If you can’t get your body moving by running the red carpet with McPufferson from GoNoodle because you are all superstars!

Have a great day!