December 10, 2018

Dear PreK Families,

Thank you so much for being flexible and sending your child in for the day of the WRS Thanksgiving Feast. All of the PreK students had a wonderful time and had good manners. We also have some very good eaters in PreK!

We have finished our unit about gingerbread. We did several art and craft projects.  We read The Gingerbread Baby and The Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett, The Gingerbread House by Scholastic, The Gingerbread Mouse by Katy Bratun, and The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesworth. We compared how the stories were alike and different and also voted on our favorite. We retold the story with character dolls and made our own gingerbread man. He was so naughty that he ran away from us! Our PreK classes also decorated 2 gingerbread houses that were donated to the Family Place for their annual Gingerbread Fundraiser.

Currently, we are working on a unit about the five senses. We will be reading books on the topic, such as: The Five Senses by Nuria Roca, My Five Senses by Margaret Miller, My Five Senses by Alliki, and Me and My Senses by Joan Sweeney. In adddition, we will be doing some hands on science experiments and writing our our own mini books.

Next week, we will have a special activity on Thursday, December 20th. PreK will be having pajama day! Students may wear their pajamas to school if they would like. We will have a special snack of popcorn and hot chocolate. We will still go outside for recess so please make sure to send in snow clothes to go over pajamas.

IMPORTANT DATES

12/20 Class Party & PAJAMA DAY

12/21 NO PREK- EEE In-Service

12/21-1/1 NO SCHOOL Winter Vacation

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs. Paronto

Winter Weather!

November 15, 2018

Dear PreK Families,

Winter weather is here! We go outside each day for recess unless it is raining or below 10 degrees F, or a windchill below 10 degrees F. Your child needs snow gear to play outside. Please send in snowpants, boots, a jacket, hat and mittens. Mittens are much easier for preschoolers to put on independently. Please label your child’s snow gear. We have snow gear that children can borrow if they forget their items at home, but most children prefer to wear their own.

You may leave a pair of indoor shoes at school in your child’s cubby, so that there is one less thing to pack.  Also, please check your child’s change of clothes to make sure that it is weather appropriate.

If there is bad weather, school may be delayed or cancelled. If there is a delay in school, there will be no AM PreK. The superintendent’s office will send out an automatic call early in the morning. Delays and cancellations are also posted on WCAX.

If your child will need a utensil for their snack, please send one in their snack bag.

REMINDER: The Thanksgiving feast is on Tuesday and there is a time change so that all PreK students may eat lunch together.

AM: 10:15 to 1:00

PM: 11:45 to 2:30

Picture retake day has been rescheduled to November 30th.

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs Paronto

November News

November 6, 2018

Dear PreK Families,

Thank you to all of the families who were able to attend conferences.  It is so nice to have the time to
meet with all of you. We really enjoy having your children in the PreK classroom.

We finished our integrated unit on weather. The students kept track of the daily weather in a journal
and we recorded our daily weather on the calendar. We also read many nonfiction and fiction books
about weather, including Who Likes Rain? By Wong Herbert Yee, Rain by Marion Dane Bauer, and
Clouds by Marion Dane Bauer. We also read, It Looked Like Spilt Milk by Charles G. Shaw, and then
we made our own class book based on the story. We discussed what type of clothes we should wear
in different types of weather. We did science experiments on how to make a cloud rain and how to
create a mini cloud. The links to the experiments can be found here.

Rain Cloud Cloud in a Jar

The students really enjoyed our study of the season of fall and pumpkins.  We read books by Lois
Ehlert, Leaf Man and Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf. We did a nature walk outside and collected items from
nature. We also did a class science project on why leaves change color.

At the end of last month, we read Pumpkin, Pumpkin by Jean Titherington and Go Away, Big Green

Green Monster by Ed Emberly. The children really loved learning the The Five Little Pumpkins Song
and making their mini book too.  Thank you to Elliott O’Hara in the AM Class and her family who
donated two pumpkins that they grew in their garden. Pumpkin tapping was a big hit. The children
took turns to tap wooden pegs into the pumpkin with small hammers. Many children helped to carve
our class pumpkin and scoop out the seeds. Mrs. Paronto baked some seeds at home and brought
them in for a taste test at snack.

Currently, we are working on lessons about transportation. After the Thanksgiving break we will be
doing work around gingerbread.

We are moving along in our letter work and the students have been introduced to all of the letters
from A to K. You can reinforce this work at home by noticing letters when you are out and talking
about the letters in your child’s name.

The PreK teachers will have In-service on 11/16, the date that is scheduled for school picture
retakes.  PreK parents may come into school that day with their child and have their picture taken
between 8:30 and 11:30.  Please bring in your child’s pictures if you are having a retake done. Or,
just bring in your form if your child missed picture day. You may also register and pay on-line.

11/20 AM Class 10:15 to 1:00 pick up from the gym

         PM Class 11:45 to 2:30 pick up outside

This month there is also a special all school activity, the WRS Thanksgiving Feast. All of the students
and staff eat a turkey dinner in the gym on Nov. 20th. Our schedule is different that day so that all of
the PreK students can eat together with their teachers. The AM class will come to school late that day
and stay late.  The PM class will come a little bit early and will be picked up a little bit early. The meal
consists of turkey, mashed potatoes, corn, applesauce, squash, stuffing, cornbread, cranberry sauce,
and gravy. Your child may have milk or water to drink. Please send a home lunch if your child will not
eat the Thanksgiving lunch. Also, our PreK class is responsible for donating applesauce to the feast.
Please send in a jar of applesauce with your child. Thanks you for your help!

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs. Paronto

IMPORTANT DATES

11/12 No School Veteran’s Day

11/16 No PreK EEE InService

11/16 Picture Retake Day

11/20 Thanksgiving Feast

11/21-23 No School Thanksgiving Holiday

September News

September 10, 2018

Hello PreK Parents,

We have had a great start to the school year and are having a lot of fun in the classroom. All of our returning
students remembered the school routines after the summer break. Our new students are adjusting well to our
classroom learning environment and making new friends.  

If your child will be absent from school, please call the office to let us know, the number is 295-8650. Otherwise,
the school secretary will give you a call to see why your child is not at school.

The whole school Open House and Hot Dog Dinner will be on Thursday, Sept. 20th. It is a great way to see the
whole school.

We have started the year with an All About Me Unit. We are having discussions at circle time, reading books in
the classroom, and making special memory books.  As part of this project, we need some help from home. Please
send in a baby picture of your child for the memory book. If you do not have a printed photo, feel free to send
one to me by e-mail at: zayasa@hartfordschoosl.net.  We also have another project for you to do with your child
at home.

As we mentioned at Open House, the PreK team has professional development days on the third Friday of each
month.  The dates are as follows: 10/19, 11/16, 12/21, 1/18, 2/15, 3/15, and 5/17.

School picture day is coming up on Sept. 21st. Order forms were just distributed. Please fill out the form and
send in a check or purchase your order online.   You may purchase individual pictures of your child. Everyone
will receive a class photo. If your child is absent that day, he or she can have a retake picture done on Oct. 26th.

Family Collage Homework Project

    

Here is your first PreK homework assignment. Enclosed is a piece of heavy stock paper. Please write “_______’s
Family” (ex. Sally’s Family) on the top. Then, you can cut out pictures of members of your family (or others that
are close to your child) and arrange them as you like on the paper - using glue, two-sided tape, etc. to adhere them.
Make sure to write each person’s name next to their picture so that we can tell who they are. You can also cut
pictures out from magazines of things that are your child’s favorites.  We will laminate them and hang them up to
view.

    

Usually the preschool “homework” will not be so involved, but these collages become a very important part of our
classroom environment and the preschoolers love to share their family collages with their friends at school. Please
try to have these done as soon as you can so we can have everybody’s family “join us” in class every day.

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs. Paronto

October News

October 8, 2018

Dear PreK Families,

We finished our integrated unit on apples.  The students did language, math, science, social studies, art, and
cooking projects around the topic of apples. We will be reading fiction and nonfiction books about apples.
Some of those titles are: Ten Apple up on Top, My Apple, Welcome Fall: Apples, Apple Grows, Ned’s New Home,
and Ten Red Apples.  The children enjoyed learning about the stages of the apple life cycle and singing a class
favorite, “Way Up High in the Apple Tree.”

This month we will be learning about weather, the fall season, and of course Halloween.

Last week, we began an introduction to the alphabet. We use the literacy program Fundations, the same
program that is used by K-3 in our building. We begin be learning the letter names, the keywords, and the
letter sounds. It is a multi-sensory approach to learning the alphabet. In the second half of the year, we
will work on letter formation.

The nurse, Mrs. Hutchins will be doing hearing and vision screenings with PreK students this month. She
will alert families if there are any concerns.

Check your child's bag to ensure that extra clothes are seasonal and the right size.

Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up on Nov. 1st and 2nd. There will be no PreK on those days
so that we can meet with families. The sign-up sheet for conferences will be posted the week of 10/15.

We will have a special snack on Halloween, but we do not dress up in costumes. We will send a note about
snacks closer to the end of the month.

We have been alerted that Dancers' Corner does not want parents to park in their lot at drop off and pick up.
In the future, they will be towing vehicles that are parked there if they are not customers.

Also, please be on time for pick up at dismissal.

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs. Paronto

IMPORTANT DATES

10/19 No PreK: EEE In-Service

10/26 Picture Retake Day

10/31 Halloween Special Snack

Butterfly Release

May 29, 2018

Our Painted Lady Butterflies emerged from their cocoons on Thursday and Friday. It was so exciting.
The students were totally engrossed in the process and kept monitoring our butterfly tent.

Then, we released them onto the playground on Friday at recess. Here is a short video of one butterfly
landing on the lilac bush and drinking nectar from the flowers.

Painted Lady Butterfly Release

Thank you!

May News

May 21, 2018

Dear PreK Families,

Study of birds was very successful. The students were very engaged.  Many students brought in bird
nests, egg shells and feathers that they found at home. We watched many birds on the playground
and listened to birds chirping. A very fun activity was listening to bird calls and matching the picture
of the bird. We also played bird memory and matched baby birds and mother birds. The visit from
VINS was a great success!  Miss Hannah did a fun puppet show, brought in bird puzzles, showed
real bird wings, bird skulls, and bird claws. We also a fun game about bird beaks. Thank you for
being flexible with the schedule that day.

Last week, we had our last fire safety visit of the year. Firefighter Christian came to talk to us and
give us our last lesson and he also brought a fire engine. The students were able to get a close up
look at the engine. They sat in the back seat and in the front seat where the fire captain sits when
they are on their way to an emergency.

We are currently studying the life-cycle of the Painted Lady Butterfly. We have been patiently watching as the
tiny caterpillars changed into big, fat caterpillars, and now they are in their cocoons.

This year, we are trying something new. We are not having a PreK Graduation, since we have a mixed age
class and students that are moving up will just be going up to Kindergarten.  We are going to celebrate the
end of the year by hosting a PreK Art Show on June 8th. Similar to the Valentine card sale, parents are invited
to come see the art, visit with their child, and do a short activity together. We will have a small snack as well. The
morning class will be from 8:15 to 8:45, and the afternoon class will be from 12:15 to 12:45.

The WRS Field Day will be June 12th. The Prek team will wear stripes. Some games will be outside that day,
so please apply sunscreen to your child before school. This is a fun day for everyone.

June 13th is the last day of school for all students.  There is a school wide Step Up Day, where students visit
their new classrooms. PreK students who will be going to Kindergarten will visit the Kindergarten classrooms
and meet the teachers. We will also enjoy a special snack provided by the teachers.

TS Gold reports will go home with students on June 13th.

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs. Paronto

April News

April 11, 2018

Dear PreK Families,

The students have really been enjoying playing outside on the playground without all of their snow gear. You can
take the snow pants home. You do not need to send them in unless we have another snowstorm. Boots are
optional now. If you send boots, we will have your child change for recess.

The class really loved learning about dinosaurs. We do have several experts in our group and they proudly
shared their dino knowledge.

Recently, we have been learning about communities and community workers. We read many books on this
topic including Me on the Map, My Map Book, This is Our House, Where Are You Going Manyoni?, Guess Who?,
and Officer Buckle and Gloria. The students made individual maps in their journals and also wrote about what job
they wanted to do when they grew up. We did a project on who lives in our house, as well as surveys about how
we get to school. As a class, we had a discussion about what types of businesses and landforms are in our town.
Then, we did a collaborative project, and we built a mini village out of recyclables!

In the morning class, the students set up their whole town, including a fire station and police station,
two houses, a store, a school, and a skyscraper.

The afternoon class, built a village with the White River School, Dancer’s Corner, and a house. They
also wanted to include cars and trains on the road mat.

After the vacation, we will be doing a study on birds. If you have a nest or bird eggs that you have
found, you may send one in, the week after vacation. On May 1st, VINS is coming to do a
presentation and hands on activity about birds with the class. Both classes will come together for this
day. The am class will attend from 9-12, and the pm class will come from 11-2. Thank you ahead of
time for being flexible to make this work.

We are also working hard on uppercase letter formation. If and when your child is writing at home,
please remind him or her to make letters from the top down and to use the pincer grip.

Enjoy the week off and we will see you after the break.

Thank you,

Mrs. Zayas & Mrs. Paronto