Five Senses

This week our theme was "Our Five Senses". We were able to take a nature walk on the Kuse trail where we heard crickets, birds, machinery, and leaves falling. We saw leaves blowing in the wind, deer trails, a corn cob that an animal left behind, and tree sap. We felt the breeze, soft moss, crunchy leaves and bumpy rocks under our feet. Thankfully we did not smell any skunks! ☺ In class we made a fun smelling book and a touch/feel book. We also focused on the letter Yy. 

We have been having fun in the computer lab and being very creative with our blocks this week!

Next week our theme will be "Leaves and fall". 

Reminders:
--No school for Pre-K on Wednesday, Oct. 11th
--No school for all grades on Thursday, Oct. 12th and Friday, Oct. 13th
--Our first Families Being Involved (FBI) event will be Friday, Oct. 20th. More information is coming soon!

Apples

This week had a lot of events! We had our picture day Tuesday and Wednesday. As soon as pictures come back to us I will be sending them home. Lots of great smiles!! 


We also made our applesauce on Wednesday and Thursday. The Wed. group had the chance to see theirs turn pink after being cooked and strained because of the types of apples used. Most of us liked the taste test and we had complements of making the hallway smell delicious. With our apple theme we also focused on the letter Aa. 


We had the chance to review school expectations with Mr. Miller (our principal) and Mrs. Woller (our behavioral support member). Now that we have reviewed rules and expectations for the hallways, bathrooms, bus lines, lunch room, and classrooms we will be working to earn shields. The students will earn shields from staff members throughout the school when they are seen doing something extra helpful, respectful, safe, responsible. When they get a shield, they are placed on the LARGE shield in the lunchroom. When that one is filled we have a school-wide celebration of some sort. 

Next week our theme will be "Our Five Senses". Weather permitting, we will be taking a nature walk on the Kuse Trail Monday and Tuesday. Rain/mud boots or old shoes are welcome as the trail might be a little muddy. 




School Spirit week is also being celebrated next week. Mon/Tues will be Raider gear (or red and white shirts). Wed/Thurs will be Packer Day. 





Reminders:
--No Pre-K Oct. 11th due to Child Development Day
--No school all grades Oct. 12th and 13th due to Parent/Teacher Conferences

Shapes

We are off to a great start this year! This week we focused on shapes and colors. As you noticed we jump right in with cutting, gluing, and writing our names. These skills will continue to strengthen as the year goes by. We encourage you to have your child practice these fine motor skills at home too. 

If you have not done so, please send a change of clothes labeled with your child's name. We will keep these at school until Christmas break to ensure there are clothes suitable for winter as well as growth spurts that occur. 

Next week our theme is "Apples". We will also start our letter of the week, "Aa". We will be making a special applesauce snack, so please be sure to send a baking apple (Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, Braeburn, or McIntosh) with your child by next Wed/Thurs. 

Reminders:
--Picture day will be the 19th and 20th. We will be taking our pictures right away in the morning starting at 8:15. Feel free to send something for your child to change into if you do not want their good clothes on all day. 
--We had a mix up on our dates for School Spirit Week. The 25th and 26th will be Raider (red and white) clothes day and the 27th and 28th will be Packer shirt or jersey day.
--Early Release is Wednesday, Sept. 20th. Dismissal will be at 1:52. If your child will be going home differently than usual, please send a note or call the school office. 
--There will be no school for Pre-K on Oct. 11th due to Child Development Day and no school for all grades on Oct. 12th due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. If you have not signed up for a time yet, please let me know what works for you so we can get you into a time slot. 
--No School Oct. 13th

Welcome!

Dear Pre-K Families, 

I would like to welcome you to the Medford Elementary School and to my pre-kindergarten class!  I am really looking forward to meeting all of you at our upcoming open house!  The open house will be on Tuesday, August 29^th at 4:00-4:45 for the Mon./Wed. group and 4:45-5:30 for the Tues./Thurs. group. Upon arriving please join me in our classroom where I will have a short checklist of items for you to take care of before leaving.  You will be asked to fill out your child’s emergency contact information, make a deposit into your family's lunch/snack/milk account, confirm bus information, view the classroom and ask any questions you might have.  (Please come prepared to take care these items).  If you can’t make it you are welcome to come in on Thursday, September 5th at 10:00 AM or 1:00 PM to complete the necessary paperwork before school begins.

The open house will be a great opportunity for me to meet you and your child.  Upon arriving please pick up your child’s folder and checklist.  Feel free to explore the room, however, please let your children know that they WON’T be able to play with any of the toys as our time together is limited.  We will get to play with all of the fun toys on the very first day of school!  You are also welcome to walk around the school to help familiarize yourself and your child with its layout.

Your child will not need to bring his/her backpack during the night of open house but can bring his/her rest items.  (Remember that if the rest  items do not easily fit into the cubby space you will be asked to take them home and replace them with something smaller.  A beach towel and small travel sized pillow are recommended.)

At Open House you will have the opportunity to sign up for fall Parent/Teacher Conferences.  Please know beforehand, that there will be two days you may sign up.  Thursday, October 12th and Friday, October 20th.

I look forward to meeting all of you!

Bugs & Frogs

This week our theme was Bugs and Frogs. We learned about the life cycle of a frog and all about different types of bugs. We went to the school forest and were able to see tadpoles, frogs, turtles, birds, bugs (thankfully not too many mosquitoes yet!), and even little fish. If you haven't checked your child over for ticks, please be sure to.  We heard the story of the wide mouth frog and painted bugs by doing paint blotting. 

Next week our theme is Goodbye Friends and Father's Day. It will be a short week for the Monday/Wednesday group as there is no school on Monday for Memorial Day. 

Please be sure to still send your child with a backpack on their last day of school. We will have belongings and Father's Day goodies going home. Also, we will be walking to and from the city park on Wed/Thurs so please send your child with tennis shoes. If you would like to have your child wearing sunscreen, please apply this prior to sending them to school. We will be outdoors from around 10:00 until a little after 12:00. We will be having a picnic lunch at the park, if you choose to send your child with a lunch from home-please be sure it is completely disposable (including the bag) as we will not be carrying things back to the school. 

Enjoy the long weekend, remember Medford's last day of school is Friday, June 2nd and it will be an early release at 1:22 that day for those with older siblings. 

Butterflies and Caterpillars

This week has been a rainy one but we managed to go out for a nature walk to see what bugs, animals, flowers, and tracks we could find. During our theme of Caterpillars and Butterflies we talked about their life cycle, the differences between moths and butterflies, and made colorful butterflies. 

As we finish up the year, please send back any library books that you may still have at home. If you have reading logs you can continue to send those back until the last day, I still have Subway coupons to give to those with full logs. :-) Please take the time to fill out the end of year survey if you haven't yet. The information I receive is used to help tailor our Pre-K program. 

Next week our theme will be Bugs and Frogs. We will be going to the school forest on the 24th and 25th. Please feel free to spray your child with bug spray before they come to school that day. Rain boots or old shoes are recommended. 

Looking ahead: Pre-K's last day will be the 31st and 1st. Please send your child with a backpack this day as they will be taking home belongings. Also, this is the day of our city park trip-we will be walking there and back so please send your child in tennis shoes. We will be having a picnic lunch of a ham, turkey, and cheese sandwich, chips, fruit, carrots, and milk or water. If you know your child will not eat this-please let me know by the 24th or 25th that you will be packing a lunch. If you do, please be sure that everything (including the bag) is disposable as we will not be bringing anything back to school. 

Mother's Day and Transportation

This week was a combined week of Mother's Day and Transportation themes. We had fun making lip gloss and projects for the mother figures in our lives. We also went on our field trip to the county highway shop to see various vehicles used on our roads. 

Reminder: Today at 9:30 is our Families Being Involved event at the Frances L. Simek Library for those that signed up for Paw Patrol Story Time. 

Next week our theme will be Caterpillars and Butterflies. 

Reminders:
--Early Release on Wednesday, May 17th-dismissal at 1:52
--No school Monday, May 29th-Memorial Day
--School Forest Trip-May 24th and 25th. Please dress your child for the woods and feel free to spray them with bug spray before they come to school. Rain boots or old shoes are recommended. 
--Park Trip- May 31st and June 1st. Please send your child with tennis shoes as we will be walking to and from the park as well as playing outside there. 
--Last day for PreK will be May 31st and June 1st. Please send your child with their backpack these days!