Seeds and Flowers

This week our theme was "Seeds and Flowers".  We painted large flowers and learned about the life cycle of plants.  We also talked about spring and the changes we see between winter and spring.  Our letter of the week was Uu and we reviewed the number 9. This week we had a visit by Mrs. Weiler, she spoke to us about good and bad touches. 

We enjoyed our field trip to Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum this week! If you haven't visited it as a family, please do. There is a lot to see and do there with the kids!!

Thanks to everyone who was able to join us for the beach party that was rescheduled for this week after missing it due to a snow/ice day.  Even though snow is in the forecast soon, I hope winter is behind us. :-)

Next week our theme will be "Farms". We will be focusing on the letter Xx and the number 10.

Reminders
--The notes for the Final Families Being Involved event have been sent home. May 10th we will be going to Rainbow Gymnastics! If you plan to attend please return the participation waver and the sign up slip.
--Next week the Pre-K teachers will be completing a literacy screener on their classes, the results from this will be shared with the final report card.

Easter

This week is the start of the two-week theme "Easter and Spring".  We are learning about the letter Ee and reviewing the number 8.  This week we started decorations for the spring season and ended the week with two snow/ice days.  

Next week we have two extra fun activities happening: Hairy and Company comes to entertain us on Tues/Wed. and we have a Pre-K movie time for Easter with a special treat. 

Our Beach Day Party Potluck has been rescheduled for Wednesday, April 24th from 5:00-6:00. We are sending out a new sign up page so we can get an accurate count of who can attend on that Wednesday. Hope to see you all there!!

Reminders:
--Saturday, April 13th: Celebrate the Young Child with a movie at The Broadway Theatre. Wonderpark will be showing at 10:00 for $5 admission and half off popcorn and soda. 
--Spring picture day is Wednesday, April 17th. Please send back the slip indicating the background/pose you would like your child to do. If your child is a T/Th student, you will need to bring them to school for their picture to be taken on the 17th.
--No school Friday, April 19th
--Field trip: Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum April 24th and 25th

Oceans

I hope everyone had an enjoyable spring break.  We are getting back into the swing of school by having two weeks of "Oceans".  So far we have started a hermit crab project, made starfish, and jellyfish.  We focused on the letter Oo and reviewed the number 6.

Next week we will be making sharks, an octopus scene, and scuba divers. We will focus on the letter Bb and review the number 7.

Report cards went home this week, if you have any questions please contact me. Only 9 more weeks to go! Summer will be here soon. There was a summer school flier that went out yesterday and the link is active for accessing the booklet online at www.medford.k12.wi.us (click on the summer school box). I have attached the flier for the Mon/Wed class it won't be in the folders until Monday and registration begins Monday at 6:00 am.

Reminders:
-Thursday, April 11th: FBI event- Beach Party Potluck and Dance 5-6:00 p.m. Please bring a  towel/blanket to sit on and a dish to pass.
-No School Friday, April 19th

Zoo

Our theme this week was "Zoo Animals".  We made all sorts of crafts! We also focused on the letter Zz and reviewed the number 4.

Next week our theme is "St. Patrick's Day".

Reminders:
--Parent/Teacher conferences are Thursday the 14th from 3:45-6:30 for those requested by the teacher or parent.
-- Our FBI for March has been cancelled due to work being done on the pool deck.
--No School March 18-22 for Spring Break.
--March 15th and April 18th are now full days to make up snow days.
--No school April 19th for Easter.

Nursery Rhymes

This week our theme was "Nursery Rhymes and Rhyming".  We talked about what it means to rhyme and we made rhyming pairs with real and non-sense words. We also focused on the letter Nn and reviewed the number 2.

Next week, we will continue with rhyming in our theme of "Dr. Seuss".  To help celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday and the wonderful stories he wrote we are having school wide dress up days. Mon: Crazy Hair (Whoville), Tues: Wacky Socks (Fox in Socks), Wed: Crazy Hat Day (Cat in the Hat), Thurs: Wear red or blue (One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish), Fri: College Shirt Day (Oh, The Places You'll Go!)

For those wondering what will be happening with our make up snow days, a discussion will be taking place at the school board meeting on Monday...stay tuned for the decision.

Reminders:
-Mon and Tues the Smencil fundraiser for the Taylor County Humane Society will take place for PK right away in the  morning, if you want your child to purchase a smelly pencil, please indicate the scent on the form and send $1 per pencil with your child.
-Wed and Thurs we will have a visit from Dr. Ben and Dr. Sally to talk with us about dental health.
-March's FBI event will be Friday, March 15th from 9:00-10:00, swimming at the MASH pool. A note is coming home next week.
-Spring Break: March 18th-22nd.
-Pre-K Beach Party and Pot Luck Dinner and Dance: Thursday, April 11th from 5:00-6:00 in the MAES commons.

Valentine's

This was another short week for students due to weather. We were able to do our Valentine's celebration with the Thursday group, we will have our other celebration for the Monday group in the afternoon. With the time that we were in class, we focused on the letter V and reviewed the number 2. I am going to extend the book order due date until the 21st due to the missing school days. 

It was great to see so many families able to join us at Huey's for February's FBI event!
Next week our theme will be "Nursery Rhymes and Rhyming". The ability to make up or find rhyming words is a beginning reading skill, please practice this with real or nonsense words with your children.

Reading Logs (30 books in 30 days page) can be turned in at any time when you get them filled, if you still have some floating around from the past few months, fill them out so I can send a Subway coupon home with your child. Share the love of reading nightly!! Point out things in the pictures, find letters on the page, ask them what do they think will happen, was their guess right, ask how the story could have changed. There is more to reading a story than just the words on the page, extend this quality time with your kids.

Reminders:
-We will have dentists Dr. Sally and Dr. Ben visit us on the 27th and 28th to talk about dental health.
-Spring Parent/Teacher conferences will be March 14th from 3:45-6:30. More info will come home soon-these are only for those requested by the teacher or parent.
-Spring Break: March 18-22

Games

This week our theme was Games. We were unable to play games with the 4th graders as we had planned due to the snow days and trying to fit our field trip from last week in there somewhere. After many rescheduled attempts, we were able to get both groups to the Broadway Theatre to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs! They had a great time and enjoyed their popcorn and drink snack too. :-)

On the theme of games, we talked about being a good sport, taking turns, and waiting patiently. We encourage you to play games with your families frequently. There are many out there to help with our school skills and cooperative play skills.

We also focused on the letter Gg and reviewed the number 1.

Reminders:
--Valentine's celebrations: Feb 13th and 14th in the afternoon. If you choose to send a treat, we have 15 students in each group. Treats do not need to be edible!
--Early Release: Thursday, Feb. 14th. Dismissal is at 1:57.
--Feb. Families Being Involved event: Friday, Feb. 15th 9:00-11:00 at Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum. Slips went home this week and will be due next Mon/Tues.
--Parent/ Teacher conferences are coming up. March 14th, 3:45-6:30-these are only held for those requested by the teacher or parent, a note will be coming home soon.
--Spring Break: March 18th-22nd.

Dinosaurs Cont.

Well it ended up being a short week for the students due to the windchill school cancellations.  We continued our theme of dinosaurs and focused on the letter Mm and the number 10.
Our field trip has been rescheduled for Mon (4th) and Tues (5th) of next week.

Next week our theme will be "Games".  We will be practicing taking turns, waiting, and being a good sport. We encourage you to play games at home to help with these skills too. There are a lot of games out there that focus on colors, shapes, letters, and rhyming.

Reminders:
--If you have not sent in $4 to cover the drink and popcorn at the theater, please do so Mon/Tues.
--Valentine's celebrations will be the 13th and 14th. You are not required to send a treat but if you do please help your child address them "To my friend" to help the giving process go a little smoother. Treats do not have to be edible!!
--Early Release: Feb. 14th Dismissal at 1:57.
--Feb. FBI event: Feb. 15th from 9-11 at Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum-more info will be in folders next week!
--Spring Parent/Teacher Conferences are coming up March 14th 3:45-6:30. These are only conducted for those requested by the parent or teacher. More info will be coming soon.
--Spring Break: March 18-22nd

Dinosaurs

This week we began our two week unit all about "Dinosaurs". We talked about how these animals were all different sizes, some with two legs, some with four, some that could fly, and some that could swim. We also focused on the letter Dd and the number 9.

We will continue next week with our dinosaur theme and end the week with our first field trip. We will be going to see Ice Age: Dawn of the Dinosaurs. Please be sure to send your child's $4 for their drink and popcorn by Wed./Thurs. if you haven't already! Next week we will be focusing on the letter Mm and the number 10.

Our classroom Zipper Club is getting fuller!!! Thank you for helping your child be independent in getting their jacket on and latched all by themselves.

Reminders:
--Next Mon./Tues. we will be having our brush-on varnish days for those that signed up at the start of the year.
--Our Valentine's Celebration will be February 13th and 14th in the afternoon. More info will be coming next week.
--Early Release: Thursday, Feb. 14th-dismissal at 1:57.
--February's FBI event will be the 15th from 9-11:00 at the Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum. More information coming soon.
--Spring Break: March 18-22nd.

Arctic Animals

This week our theme was "Arctic Animals" and we learned about polar bears and penguins and how they never would really meet in the wild.  We made a few animal crafts and practiced our cutting, gluing, and direction following skills.  We also focused on the letter Pp and the number 8.

Next next two weeks, our theme will be "Dinosaurs".

Reminders:
--The January FBI event is tomorrow for those who signed up.
--No school Monday, Jan. 21st due to teacher inservice.
--Our first field trip is coming up, the notes went home this week!
--Pre-K Valentine's celebrations will be Feb. 13th and 14th, more info to come soon.
--Early Release Thursday, Feb. 14th for all grades

Snow & Snowmen

These last two weeks we have been talking about snowmen, snow, things we wear to stay warm in the snow, and what happens to snow and ice when it gets warm.  We have been focused on the letter Ww and the number 7 as well.  

This week our theme is "Arctic Animals".  

Reminders:
--Report cards will be coming home this week, if you have any questions about them please ask. Remember, the goal is to have "B's" by the end of the school year. 
--Our Families Being Involved event will be this Friday for those who signed up for ice skating at the Simek Center.
--No school on Monday, Jan. 21st due to teacher inservice.
--Our first field trip will be on the 30th and 31st, we will be going to the movie theater! More info coming home soon.