Farm

This was a busy week! Our theme was "Farm". We learned about the various animals that might be found on a farm, what things we can get from a farm, the job of farmers and the equipment they use to help keep the farm running. We made some really fun projects too-muddy pigs, fuzzy sheep, painted cows, and colorful chickens! Our letter of the week was Uu. This week we also completed our PreK literacy screener. More information about results will be shared at the end of the year with report cards. 

We had a great time at the MASH barn. The high school students did a great job handling the animals and sharing fun facts. 

Next week our theme will be "Mother's Day". We also have a field trip next week to Huey's Hideaway Children's Museum the 9th and 10th in the morning. 

Reminders:
--Tonight 4-6 pm! Barns and Books at the Simek Recreation Center- a free family event with science, technology, reading, engineering, art, and math activities as well as visiting the barn. Following this event is the drama department's production of Charlotte's Web.
--Family Science Night being hosted at the Simek Library Thursday, May 10th 6-7:30pm
--May's Families Being Involved event will be May 18th at 9:30. The Simek Library is hosting Paw Patrol Story Time. Slips are due back this Wed and Thurs. 
--Early Release-May 16th, dismissal at 1:52
--Field Trip to the School Forest May, 23rd and 24th in the morning-returning before lunch. PLEASE spray your child with bug spray before they come to school as the woods are very full of mosquitoes. Also, a great day for mud boots or old tennis shoes! 
--No school Monday, May 28th for Memorial Day
--Field Trip to the City Park June, 4th and 5th in the morning. We will be walking there and back so please send your child in tennis shoes. We will be having a picnic lunch this day at the park. 
--Last Day for PreK June 6th and 7th. Your child will still need to bring their backpacks on these days. 
--Early Release for all grades on June 7th, dismissal at 1:22.

Seeds and Flowers

Last week our theme was "Seeds and Flowers". We learned about the life cycle of plants, the parts of plants, and looked at how different seeds can look from one another. We also focused on the number 10. 

We had a lot of fun with the Week of the Young Child events. Lots of students participated in the dress up days, we had a lot of laughs with the Harry and Company Puppet Show, and enjoyed a fun fruit pizza snack. Thank you to all of the families who were able to join us for our Families Being Involved Beach Party and Dance. We had a very good turn out with families registering their incoming PreK students that night as well. 

This week our theme is "Pets". 

Reminders:
--We are having our plastic bag collection/competition. Please send any you would like to recycle to school with your child.
--MAES is hosting a STEM Fair to showcase technology and science exploration and highlight the summer opportunities in our community April 26th 4:00-6:00. A light supper will be provided. 
--PreK is completing a literacy screener the week of April 30th. My class will be testing on Wed/Thurs of next week. 
--We will be walking to the MASH Barn May 2nd and 3rd in the morning.
--We will be going to Huey's Hideaway on May 9th and 10th in the morning.

Oceans

The last two weeks we have been learning all about oceans and the animals that live in and near them. We have made rainbow fish, crabs, starfish, jellyfish, sharks, and scuba divers.We also focused on the letter Oo and reviewed the numbers 8 and 9. 

We have been working hard on letter recognition by playing ABC bingo. This skill will be graded for 4th quarter and is a big portion of our literacy screener that will take place during the week of April 30 for PreK. Please continue to focus on the letters in your child's name but then continue on with the remaining upper and lowercase letters as they master those. Thanks for all you do to help your child be successful in school!

We will be collecting any donations through the end of the month in honor of Autism Awareness Month. The funds collected will be split between Taylor County Autism Support Group, The Village Inclusive Playground, and Project Lifesaver. 

We will also be collecting any used plastic bags from April 20-27th that you do not need at home. The recycling project is done in collaboration with County Market/Medford Cooperative.  Last year 39,949 bags were collected at our school! 

Reminders:
--Spring Picture Day is Wednesday, April 18th. Please note, if your child is a T/Th student you will need to provide transportation to and from school for that day.
--Early Release, Thursday April 19th-dismissal at 1:52. 
--Next week is Week of the Young Child. We will have various activities and dress up days for the week to help celebrate. 

--April's Families Being Involved Event is Thursday, the 19th from 5-6 pm for those that have signed up. You can arrive a little before 5 with your dish to pass so we can set up the food to begin serving at 5:00. The dance portion will begin roughly 5:30. 

--MAES is hosting a STEM Fair Wednesday, April 18th from 4-6 pm. This event will highlight students' exploration into science, technology, engineering, and math. It will also be a time to preview some of the opportunities that will be available this summer. A light walking tacos luncheon will be provided during this time as well. If you have not returned the sign up sheet please do so-only 1 from each family is needed if you have multiple students at MAES.

  

Easter and spring

This week and next our theme is "Easter and spring". This week we made chicks in eggs, bunny/ducks, and our Easter bags. We had a visit from a class of 1st graders who shared their skateboard stories they have been writing. Wednesday and Thursday we enjoyed a special trail mix while watching the movie "Hop" with Ms. Marsha's and Ms. Brittany's friends. We focused on the letter Ee and reviewed the number 7. 

Next week we will focus on the letter Bb. 

Reminders:
--No School: Thursday, March 29th due to teacher inservice
--No School: Friday, March 30th due to Easter break
--There will be school on Monday, April 2nd as this will be used to make up our 3rd snow day. 
--Spring Picture Day: Wednesday, April 18th. More info will be coming-if your child is a T/Th and you want pictures, you will need to bring them to and from school that day for their photo as they only come to our school 1 day. 
--Week of the Young Child is coming up in April. There will be events at school and in the community to celebrate.
--April's FBI event: Thursday, April 19th 5:00-6:00 p.m. Potluck dinner and dance!

St. Patrick's Day

This week our theme was "St. Patrick's Day" and we were visited by a leprechaun named Larry! We didn't see him but he left us a piece of gold because we tricked him without even knowing it. He saw all of the rainbow projects and pots of gold and leprechauns hanging in the hall. He sure did leave our room in a mess though while searching for real gold. You might hear the other grades talking about setting traps in their classrooms...lots of excitement this week!

We also focused on the letter Qq and reviewed the number 6.

The next two weeks our theme will be "Easter".

Reminders:
--No school on Thurs. March 29th due to teacher inservice
--No school on Fri. March 30th due to Easter break
--THERE WILL BE SCHOOL ON MONDAY APRIL 2nd--the school board has announced it will be used as a make up day for the 3rd snow day that we had this year.
--

Zoo

This week was FILLED with zoo animals!! We made zebras by rolling marbles, giraffes with patterns and finger paint, playful monkeys, alligators that helped us count to 10, and fierce tigers. We focused on the letter Zz and reviewed the number 5. 

We also had our school wide PBIS celebration-Beach Day...even with snow outside everyone seemed to enjoy the thoughts of warm beaches inside. Thanks to all of the parents who were able to join us!

Mr. Joe came to read us one of his favorite Dr. Seuss books, Cat in the Hat. The kids loved his silly voices for the fish and Cat. The Literacy Council also provided us with a book this week, If You Give a Moose a Muffin. I hope you enjoy sharing that story with your family! 

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

Reminders:
--Our next FBI event will be March 16th from 1:45-2:45 at the high school pool for those that signed up. Slips are due back next Mon/Tues-please be sure to include how many people will be swimming so we can have enough life guards. 
--Quarter 3 ends  March 28th-report cards will go home April 3rd and 4th. Please continue to work on name printing, identifying letters and shapes with your child. 
--NO SCHOOL- Thursday, March 29th due to teacher inservice
--NO SCHOOL- Friday, March 30th-Monday, April 2nd due to Easter Break-classes resume Tuesday, April 3rd
--Week of the Young Child is coming up the week of April 16th, more information of fun events at school and the community will be coming soon!

Dr. Seuss

This week was all about "Dr. Seuss". We read and heard several of his silly stories with all sorts of made up words. We reviewed what it takes to make rhyming words and practiced real and nonsense rhyming pairs. We had a visit from Dr. Sally and Dr. Ben from Gelhaus Dental. They talked about making healthy food choices and how to take care of our teeth. We also focused on the letter "r" and reviewed the number 4. 

Reminders:
--The cultural fair is tomorrow from 10:00-3:00 at the High School--it is free to visit!!!
--Beach Day Lunch PBIS school wide celebration will be Monday and Tuesday of next week for PreK, all others will be Tuesday. Please feel free to send your child with "beach" clothes to change into and a towel to sit on for lunch. 
--Our next Families Being Involved event (swimming at the new High School pool) will be March 16th, more info coming soon!
--Our April's FBI will be April 19th 5-6:00 pm at MAES. Potluck dinner and dance-more info coming soon!