Thursday, September 22, 2016

September Newsletter

September 22, 2016


Hello Pre-K Families,

We have started a classroom blog to communicate news about the classroom. We are printing this first newsletter and will be adding it to the blog. You can subscribe to the blog by adding your email address to the blog on the top right area of the webpage. Please visit our site at http://www.wrsprek.blogspot.com/.  There is also a link on the WRS website under the Pre-K Classroom tab.

We have had a wonderful start to the new school year. It has been so much fun getting to know all of our new students and seeing our returning students again. We began the year with a unit of “All About Me.”  The children love looking at their family photo collages. If you are still working on yours at home you can send it in any time. Please let us know if you need more construction paper or supplies.

We are continuing to establish routines in the classroom. The students are showing improvement everyday. We have also started to phase in the related arts schedule. Each week, we will visit Library, PE, Music, and Art. 

Next week, we are starting a new unit in the classroom about the Five Senses. The Five Senses is part of the Vermont Early Learning Standards in the Life Science area around  learning about the parts of the body and how people use their senses. The class will also explore topics about Physical Science standards around sound.  This unit will also integrate other learning standards in Language and Literacy. 

The class will be participating in activities around the Five Senses and exploring materials through inquiry activities. Your child will learn about their five senses and the organs that perform the functions of sight, hearing, smell, taste, and touch. They will understand how each sense helps them to navigate the world in their everyday lives. Students will also learn how their five senses help to keep them safe.  Students will participate in a variety of learning activities including literature, songs, hands on science activities, group discussions, and videos. Children will make projects, compose illustrations, learn new vocabulary, practice oral communication skills as they listen, observe and share ideas with their peers and teachers in conversations.

Some of the books that we will be reading together are:
My Five Senses by Aliki
Five Senses by A. Ciboul
Farley Follows His Nose by L. Johnson
Too Much Noise by A. McGovern
My Five Senses by M. Miller
The Listening Walk by P. Showers
You Can’t Taste a Pickle With Your Ear by H. Zeifert


We would like your assistance with our senses unit. Please send in an apple for your child to share with the class. We will use our senses to compare the apples, by looking at them, feeling them, smelling them, and listening to them getted chopped. Afterwards, we will be making applesauce to smell and taste! Yum!  Later, in our study we will be asking for empty paper towel rolls to make sound sticks later in the unit.  Please start setting some aside for your child to bring in for our collection.


 There are many other ways that you can help your child learn about their senses at home. As you take a walk in your yard or neighborhood, pay attention to your senses and talk about what you see, hear, smell, and touch. When your child is playing, ask him or her what senses he or she is using to play. For example, when digging in the sandbox, your child sees the sand toys, hears the shovel digging, smells the sand, and feels the sand in his or her hands. But, your child doesn’t taste the sand, because sand isn’t food!


During inside time, ask your child about how our senses help us to know the things that we like and we don’t like.  Your child could make a picture, collage, or journal about his or her favorite things.  Your child could pick something to represent each of the senses: favorite color, favorite song, favorite spice, favorite food, and favorite texture.


Please feel free to contact us with any questions you have about our unit of study.  


Thank you,

The Pre-K Team

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