January 21, 2024

Dear PreK Families, 

We have been working hard on writing the numbers 1-10 and are finishing with our number books. You should see them come home in your child’s backpack soon. We have begun writing uppercase letters this week. We will work on about 2-3 a week and we will finish by April. 

We began the month learning about the season of winter and snow. We did many hands-on activities, craft projects, open art time, and science experiments about snow. We read many books, including: The Little Snowflake by Steve Metzger, The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats, White Snow, Bright Snow by Alvin Tressalt, Ten on the Sled by Kim Norman, Snowman’s Big Job by Janet Kusmierski, Snow by Cynthia Rylant. Next, we will be studying animals in winter. 

Today, we read All Are Welcome by Aexandra Penfold in remembrance of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Then the students reflected on their dreams for the future. 

Your child will have received a Passport to Winter Fun  booklet by the Upper Valley Trails Alliance. If you would like to participate in the program, you can fill in the booklet with the winter activities that your child does and then return it to school.  If you have an older child at WRS, the older child got the booklet and you can fill it out as a family. 

Next month, we will celebrate Valentine’s Day in our class on February 14th. We will have a card exchange and a special snack. Please prepare cards at home for your child to pass out to classmates. There are 12 students and 3 teachers. You can just have your child sign their name if they know how to do so, or an adult can write for them. You do not need to label them with each person’s name. 

Thank you, 

Amy 

IMPORTANT DATES

1/24 NO SCHOOL - Teacher In-Service

2/4 NO PreK - ECP In-Service

2/14 Valentine’s Day - Card Party

2/17-2/21 Winter Break- NO SCHOOL

December News

 December 15, 2024

Dear PreK Families, 

It was a very special day to have the annual WRS School Feast on Tuesday, November 26th. Thank you for all of the applesauce donations. 

Last week, we started working on projects related to gingerbread. We have already read several versions of the gingerbread man and we will be making a graph about which story is our favorite this week, including The Gingerbread Man by Jim Aylesowrth, The Gingerbread Man by Karen Schmidt, The Gingerbread Mouse by Katy Braun, The Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett, Gingerbread Friends by Jan Brett, The Gingerbread Girl by Lisa Campbell Ernst, and The Gingerbread Kid Goes to School by Joan Holub. We have played many gingerbread games and done gingerbread crafts. During the first week of December, we built a gingerbread house as a class and donated it to The Family Place for their annual fundraiser. This week, we cooked a gingerbread man in class and he ran away. We had to go and find him in the office. We will make a class book to tell us about our adventure. 

We are almost finished with our introduction to uppercase letter names, keywords, and sounds. Next, we will begin writing uppercase letters, and writing numbers 1-10. 

On December 20th, we will have a special snack and pajama day. Your child may wear their pajamas to school if they choose to do so. They can also wear regular clothes if they are more comfortable in that. Please make sure to dress in pajamas that will fit under snow gear, because we will still go outside for recess. Thanks for your help!

You will receive your child’s TS Gold progress report before the break.  

Thank you, 

Amy 

IMPORTANT DATES

12/17 - NO PREK - ECP In-Service

12/20 - Pajama Day 

12/21-1/5 - School Break 

November News

 November 18, 2025

Dear PreK Families, 

It was so nice to see you all at the PTC earlier this month. Last month we wrapped October by tapping and carving a pumpkin to see the inside.

 This month, we are working on a science unit on balance, building and balls and ramps. In the classroom we are building structures with different types of blocks and using ramps. We’re taking pictures of what we made. This week, we will have a lesson from Vermont Institute of Natural Science (VINS), on the topic of Balls and Ramps. We will have one more visit this year. 

In our class we practice yoga each day after nap time. We have been learning poses with the Little Flower Yoga for Kids cards. Last week, we also visited the Cosmic Kids Yoga  website. There is also an app available to download. This is a great indoor activity for students to get some movement when the weather is bad. 

Currently in math, we are working with shapes to make designs, pictures, and larger shapes. Students will count, sort, pattern, and graph shapes. 

This month, we will be celebrating the Thanksgiving holiday with a school wide Feast. The whole school will all eat a Thanksgiving lunch on Tuesday, November 26th. Each child is welcome to eat the Feast lunch, but if your child would rather eat their home lunch, they can bring that with them as well. Each class is responsible for contributing to the Feast in some way. PreK brings in applesauce for the meal. Please send in a jar of applesauce with your child by Monday, November 25th. 

The Haven will be giving out free turkeys and sides at the Hartford High School (and flu shots, too) on a "while supplies last" basis on 11/23/24 from 9AM-12PM. Folks do not need to sign up in advance and no paperwork or documents are needed to receive a turkey. Any questions can be directed to the Haven: 802-295-6500. 

We will have one more book order before the holiday break. Please have orders in by November 22nd.  Go to Scholasitic Book Clubs.

• With a $25 order, you can pick a FREE $5 Book (use code: READS). 

• Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/K3677

• Shop Digital Flyers for Our Grade with Your Child: https://clubs.scholastic.com/prek

• Class Code: K3677

Colder weather will be here soon. When we have snow, please send in your child with full snow gear: hat, mittens, jacket, snow pants, and boots. You may send in a pair of indoor shoes for your child to keep in their cubby in the classroom. If there is a delay of school or cancellation, you will get a phone call from the district. Or, you can check WCAX.

Thanks so much for your support!

Thank you, 

Ms. Zayas

IMPORTANT DATES

11/19 No PreK ECP In-Service

11/26 Thanksgiving Feast

11/27 11/29 NO SCHOOL - Thanksgiving

 12/5  Picture Retake Day

12/17 No PreK ECP In-Service

12/23-1/3 NO SCHOOL Winter Break

October News

 October 2024

Dear PreK Families, 

We have started reviewing/learning the uppercase letters using the Fundations Literacy Program. We will review about 3 letters per week and should finish the introduction of the uppercase letter by the holiday break. Then we will learn how to write the uppercase letters. We learn the letters in the order of how they are written. Some letters have straight lines, some have curves, and some have a start and a jump to them.  

In Math, pumpkins and leaves provide many opportunities on counting, sorting, patterning, graphing, and measuring. Your child can bring in a small pumpkin to share with the class this month.

Last month, we had a visit from a science teacher from VINS. We have 3 lessons a year from the Small Wonders Program. Our lesson was about animal homes. We enjoyed a puppet show, some free play time and several songs about forest animals. Our next visit will be in November.

Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up in early November, on 11/4 and 11/5. There will be an early release day on Monday and no school on Tuesday. Please sign-up  and choose a time  to meet and discuss your child’s progress during Parent Teacher Conference time. All of the early childhood PreK Programs in our district use a program called Teaching Strategies Gold to rate individual student development and progress.  In the meeting we will review initial TS Gold social-emotional progress reports (for 3 and 4 year olds) for your child as well as, initial math and letter assessments (for students who are 4 or older). 

You should have received information about school picture day. Please fill out the form and return the envelope to us at school, or complete your order on-line. We will have our pictures done early in the day on Wednesday, October 16th. If your child is absent that day, there will be a picture retake day later in the fall. 

At our school, the students do not wear costumes on Halloween. We will have a special snack that day.

Your child can still send in their All About Me collage for our school collection.

Thank you, 

Amy 

IMPORTANT DATES

10/11 NO SCHOOL - Teacher In-Service

10/14 NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples’ Day 

10/15 NO PreK - ECP Teacher In-Service

10/16 - Picture Day

10/18 Farm Day

11/4 Early Release- pick up at 12:30- PTC

11/5 NO SCHOOL - PTC

September News

 September 23, 2024

Dear Families,

 

To coordinate with our All About Me Books, we are asking families to do a project at home. You will find a piece of construction paper and a glue stick in your child’s bag. Please make a collage about your child. You may include photos of your child and family members, and or pictures of your child’s favorite things. Images can be photographs, drawings, or cut out from magazines and glued onto the paper. We will laminate them and hang them up at school. Feel free to email me a few pictures that you’d like to put in the collage if you do not have a printer. 

We have begun lessons from the Bridges PreK Math Program. Bridges is the same math program that is used by the other grades in our school. In the first unit during September, students have been focusing on sorting, counting, patterning, graphing, and comparing. We have made calendar markers, participated in counting games, and started exploring the math manipulatives we’ll be using this year. 

This month we have been learning about the lifecycle of an apple. We have been reading many books including fiction and nonfiction titles, including: Ten Red Apples by Pat Hutchins, Ten Apples Up on Top by Dr. Seuss, and My Apple by Kaye Davies and Wendy Oldfield. We made a graph comparing our favorite color apples and we have been  playing counting and sorting games about apples. At the end of this week we will be comparing apples in math and doing a class cooking project and making a book about it. Please send in an apple by Friday, 9/27 for your child to contribute. 

This year, our class is reading with Scholastic Book Clubs! You’ll have access to expertly curated, affordable books that help boost your child’s reading skills, build your home library, and maybe even create moments of quality time you can share together. The first order is due Sep 27, 2024.

 

Plus place an order of $25 or more and you can pick a FREE $5 book (use code READS at checkout).

Shop Our Class Page: https://orders.scholastic.com/K3677

Shop Flyers: https://clubs.scholastic.com/all-flyers

 

Invite relatives and friends to help your child discover the joy of reading when you share our class page link. Every order benefits our classroom, helping us earn FREE books and resources that every child can enjoy.

 

Thanks so much for your support!

Thank you, 

Ms. Zayas

IMPORTANT DATES

10/11 NO SCHOOL - HSD In-Service

10/14 NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples’ Day 

10/15 NO PreK - ECP In-Service

10/16 School Picture Day

10/18 Farm Day

11/4 Early Release @12:30 PTC

11/5 NO SCHOOL - PTC

11/11 NO SCHOOL - Veterans Day 

September News

 September 4, 2024

Hello PreK Families, 

We are settling into our school routines and making new friends in PreK. All of the students have already made great strides and are happy at school. Next week, we are starting our classroom jobs as well. Students love having a task to do in the classroom. Each week on Monday we change jobs. 

The students are really enjoying their related arts classes each day. The schedule is as follows: 

Monday- PE with Mr. Ballou

Tuesday - Library with Ms. Grady 

Wednesday - PE and Art of Life with Ms. Blair 

Thursday - Performing Arts with Ms. Frost 

Friday - Art of Life with Ms. Blair. 

The students are getting to know these new teachers and trying out new activities.

Each month we usually cover two units of study that are related to the season or holidays in that month. Sometimes we also study topics because we have a high interest in a topic. In September, we will be making All ABout Me books and learning about the lifecycle of an apple.  During each unit we read many books, do projects, have discussions, sing songs, and participate in other learning activities to build connections on a topic.

In our class, we use direct instruction to teach students to make good choices about their behavior. Social development is an integral part of PreK and school and affects all areas of learning. One of our main goals for students is to be happy, confident learners who can solve problems and work collaboratively with others. Being able to make good choices when they are alone and interacting with others is a BIG part of that.  In our classroom we have started learning about good choices to support their social-emotional behavior. We review the expected behaviors in all settings (school, home, community) and across the day. Clear, consistent expectations are paired with visual supports, and expectations are almost always stated positively. We also teach lessons from Second Step. This is a social emotional learning program that teaches concepts with puppets, story cards, songs, and role playing activities. Each week, we cover a new idea. 

Once a month on the third Tuesday of the month, the district elementary schools have an early release day. PreK students DO NOT HAVE SCHOOL on those days. The Early Childhood Program has In-Service for the PreK teams on those days. 

PreK Will not be participating in the WRS Open House on Thursday 9/5. We will have some artwork in the hallway, but the classrooms will not be open if you are visiting with your older children. 

Our school picture day is Wednesday, October 16th. You should receive an order form from Lifetouch. You can read the order form and pay by check or order the pictures online from their website. 

Thank you, 

Ms. Zayas

IMPORTANT DATES

9/17 NO PreK  - ECP In Service

10/11 NO SCHOOL - HSD In-Service

10/14 NO SCHOOL - Indigenous Peoples’ Day 

10/15 NO PreK - ECP In-Service

10/18 Farm Day

June News

 June 7, 2024

Dear PreK Families, 

We have had a wonderful year in PreK. The students have all had so much growth and development it is amazing to see. 

In May we learned about the lifecycle of the honeybee and the Painted Lady Butterfly. Ms. Cody from VINS came to teach us about bees.  We read many books on the topic including Honeybee the Busy Life of Apis Mellifera by Candace Fleming and Eric  Rohmann, Bumblebee, Bumblebee, Do You Know Me? By Anne Rockwell, buzz, buzz, buzz by Byron Barton, and The Happy Bee by Ian Beck. 

We raised Painted Lady caterpillars in the classroom and then set them free in the garden when they hatched from their cocoons. The students were very interested in the process of metamorphosis. We kept journals on their development and did many arts and crafts projects. We read many books including The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Butterflies by Melvin and Gilda Berger, Farfallina and Marcel by Holly Keller, The Butterfly by Anna Milbourne and Cathy Shimmen, The Caterpillar and the Polliwog by Jack Kent, and Percival the Plain Little Caterpillar by Helen Brawley. 

In May, we worked on an insect unit in Math to explore symmetry; sequence events; order numbers; compare sets; create different combinations of 4, 5, and 6; and practice addition doubles. In June, we conducted sink and float experiments, made and tested load bearing boats, modeled and solved story problems, explored the idea of counting on, and learned two new board games.

Field Day will be the last week of school on Wednesday, June, 12th. We will play indoor and outdoor games that day. We will still have lunch and rest time in the classroom. Please send your children in clothing that can get wet and apply sunscreen before school. 

The last day of PreK will be June 13th. This will be an early release day for PreK at 12:30. 

Please fill out this google survey  on WRS’ PreK program. 

I hope that you all have fun and relaxing summer breaks. I will see many of you back in the fall for another year of PreK. Other students are ready for the challenges of Kindergarten in the fall. 

Thank you, 

Amy 

IMPORTANT DATES 

6/12 Field Day

6/13 LAST DAY for PreK