Change is in the air! As we've slipped into fall, we've been noticing some changes in the world around us. The leaves are changing color, the weather is cooler, and it's staying dark longer. We are already so interested in the holiday that comes during this season that we now have a pumpkin-themed science center!
Thank you for sending the baby pictures! Related to our study of change, we make observations about how we've changed in the past three or four years. We talked about physical differences like height and size and abilities such as running and eating food. Then we compared our "now" selves to the self-portraits we drew last week. All of this will be documented and displayed on the wall outside our classroom! Our fine motor skills are coming along as we practice the correct grip of a crayon and scissors. We will be sending out some information about Handwriting Without Tears soon so you can help your child practice at home. Kristin Myers is our new Sign Language teacher who Ms. Julie hired to take on some of her classes, and she has been consulting with Ms. Julie. This week we reviewed the letter A and learned the letter B. Ms. Myers read us a B book and taught us bear, ball, bug, bird, big, and boy! I've been trying to incorporate more signs as I'm reading out loud, so encourage your child to sign as you're reading with them. Señora Zoe sang and read with us as we practiced our colors. "Brown Bear, Brown Bear" was familiar and fun as we connected the English words to the Spanish words. Have a great weekend! from Senora Zoe: In Spanish this week we learned LOS COLORES! We did a related sorting activity (2's, 3's, and 4's), and read the book "Oso Pardo" (Brown Bear) by Eric Carle in Spanish. This was a good chance to show off our animal sounds as well! The 1's and 2's focused on rojo, amarillo, azul, and verde, while 3's and 4's also learned anaranjado, morado, rosa, café, blanco and negro. :) Our photos are here.
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No newsletter this week - Mrs. Fastenau had a wonderful vacation and is excited to be back in the classroom this coming week. We do have some photos from the week though. They are here.
It was a short week, but we managed to pack a lot into it! We celebrated Jeffrey's fifth birthday with cupcakes - happy birthday, Jeffrey!
Our first service project trip to the Helena House was Tuesday, and I was very pleased with how the children interacted with our grandfriends. We brought an art activity to do with them, and lots of people participated. Using chalk dipped in water, we "painted" vivid pictures on black construction paper. Then we traced and cut out hand shapes for a wreath we made for our grandfriends. We will be making our visits on the second Friday of each month now- feel free to join us! Back at school we are working on our "ME" puppets. Using a mirror to identify our facial features, we are decorating paper bags in our likeness. We discussed the concept of symmetry and how our faces are symmetrical when divided down the middle. Studio provided a variety of items for us to use! We will build on this activity next week when we do our self-portraits. Next week I (Mrs. Fastenau) will be on vacation. Ms. Edith Parker, a retired BCSD teacher, will be subbing. She has spent some time with us this week, and Mrs. Cook will also be with them in the mornings. Have a great weekend! Our photos are here. We've been rearranging our room this week to make space for new activities. When the children saw a puppet show theater in the studio, they were thrilled and requested it for our classroom. One of the kids had a great suggestion to make the puppets! We spent some time brainstorming what we would need to make them and what CHARACTERS (new vocabulary words are capitalized) we could play. Then we talked about what our PERFORMANCE would be for our AUDIENCE. Stay tuned for our upcoming production!
We began our Handwriting Without Tears workbooks this week! Mrs. Cook is helping us learn the proper grip of a crayon and how to follow specific instructions. You are always welcome to flip through your child's workbook in the classroom. Next week we will be visiting the Helena House as a class (Tuesday at 10:30am) to start our year-long service project and with the whole school Friday at 9:10am in recognition of Grandparents' Day. You are invited to walk with us either/both days if you're available. We are closed Monday September 7 in observance of Labor Day. Have a great weekend! Our photos are here. |
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Class of 2016
Researchers TeachersMolly Fastenau Archives
June 2016
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