Marking the Start

Picture Day! : Tuesday, September 23 – for Preschool – 1st grade

This week’s snack helper: Isla

Library Books are due back Monday!

Hello JK families,

Well here we are at the very beginning. The starting line. It’s a special time for our classroom family to get to know each other, and to begin filling the space with marks of who they are. Our classroom walls finally hold a collage of each child’s puzzle portrait, self-portrait print, and their name. Each day they “sign-in” by tracing the letters in their name, but this week they were invited to glue cut papers to the lines and curves that make up their name. Their identity collages are the first addition to the classroom! They made their mark on our outdoor space as well with the addition of the flower pots you decorated for them at orientation. We read the sweet messages you wrote them and they beamed with joy to hear a note from Mommy/Daddy. Each child scooped soil, sprinkled seeds and watered their plant. The next day many of them went looking for their blooming flowers! While they patiently wait for buds to sprout, we had them create their own beginning of the year paper flower and placed it in their pot. Just like their flowers, we can’t wait for all the growth that is to come. With that in mind, we decided to mark the start of the year in their height as well. Using markers linked together the children measured each other and counted “how many markers tall” they were. With the goal of making a more permanent height chart that will document the start of the year and the end, we measured each child again using pretty ribbons. We know the tangible and intangible growth that is about to take place and we are honored to be the ones helping to shape it.

In language and literacy, we worked on letter Aa and Tt. They practiced sky writing these letters, tracing them in rice, and writing them on our lined handwriting boards. We also create a word web of words that start with the letter Tt. Together the class came up with 26 words! Treasure, tortoise, time, tent, tiger, and toothpaste too! Take some time this weekend to look for words that start with Aa and Tt in the world around you! We continued our practice of studying different types of lines. This understanding helps with handwriting skills. They created diagonal, horizontal, and vertical lines and curves by moving scarves through the air.

In math, the class practiced identifying the numbers 1 to 10 using our number card pack. We worked on the formation of 1, 2, and 3 and even made the numbers using our fingers.

In social emotional learning, we read the book How Can We Be Kind? by Janet Halfmann and asked the children to tell us ways they can be kind to each other. They listed: sharing, playing together, helping hurt friends, and showing love. For only the third week of school they have a good understanding of the second family they’d like to create. We are watching with hope and admiration for all they will experience. This is just the beginning…

Wishing you a wonderful weekend,

Miss Liz and Miss Gina

Planting flowers