a,t,b… It’s easy as 1,2,3!🎶
Upcoming Dates and Announcements
Sunday, September 15th – Pasta Dinner for a Cause!
Friday, September 20th – Early Dismissal 11:30am
– Aftercare available until 3:00. Please provide a lunch for your child if they intend to stay.
Saturday, September 21st – Boots for Buses
– Purchase your event tickets here: Boots for Buses
– Purchase a Meat Raffle ticket here: Meat Raffle
(Jacob & Son’s gift card: 1st prize $500, 2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100)
Tuesday, September 24th – Student/Class Pictures
– Students are invited to wear whatever they’d like!
Thursday, September 26th – Coffee Conversations @ 2:00pm
– Join us on main campus, 8 Park Road, to chat with the Head of School, faculty, other families to discuss parenting, education, and current trends. A short article will be shared beforehand via Talking Points, if interested.
Friday, September 27th – FREEDOM FRIDAY
– Casual dress and pizza lunch! Be sure to purchase your lunch on veracross
Thursday, October 3rd – Grandparents’ Day
What an action packed week we’ve shared together. We continue to fill our days with fun activities and new skills. We kicked off the week by reviewing all the letters we’ve been practicing to write. The “magic c curve” has taught us how to properly write c,o, a, d, and g! The students are becoming quite skilled writers and we can’t wait to see their writing continue to improve as we learn how to form more letters. In phonics, we’ve become very acquainted with the /a/, /t/, and /b/ sounds. While adding these sounds to our toolboxes, we completed our first sound review. These kiddos blew us away with their ability to recall, recite, and even blend these sounds! We cannot wait to see how their sound and spelling skills continue to grow throughout our days.
In math we had our first round of math centers! The students were challenged in a multitude of ways with all things involving numbers. The “garage” center had cars with numbers on them and parking places with dots that corresponded to the numbers on the cars. The kiddos had to find the correct parking spot for each vehicle and they did not disappoint! The “block” center was challenged to pick a playing card, numbered 1-12, and create something grand with that amount of blocks. Every one of the structures they came up with were amazing! We love how effortlessly they make learning fun!!
We know that scissors can be tricky to use and can be dangerous if we don’t use them properly, therefore, before we used them for a special activity we thought it’d be worth it to make a class “scissor salad”! We’re sure you’ve heard of a caesar salad, but it’s cheese and croutons got nothing on ours! The students worked on their cutting skills to “chop up” green lettuce, purple onions, red tomatoes, yellow cheese, and brown croutons. We loved seeing the kiddos use their cooking and cutting skills all at once.
We finished up our week by completing a very important beginning of the year project… Using finger paint, paper, and Crayola Colors of the World, the students’ self portraits made their first appearance. Inspired by abstract art, the students cut up their fingerpainted paper and redesigned it to create a new backdrop for their faces. We are completely OBSESSED with the way their pieces turned out and can’t wait for you all to see the finished products.
We can hardly believe that we’re already into the middle of September. Time really does fly when you’re having fun. Please remember to sign up for a parent partnership meeting with us! These can be held on zoom or in-person. This is a great way to set the tone for the remainder of the year, ask any questions, address any concerns, and just remind you all how extremely fortunate we are to spend our days with your fabulous kiddos!
We hope you have a great weekend!
Miss Tylar & Miss Gina
Blue Skies, Boats, & Burgers
6th grade had another amazing week downtown. Thanks to Mrs. Ochap and Mr. Jividen for arranging these opportunities for us! The WW2 ship provided a fascinating look into what it would have been like in the 1940s in the Navy. One look at the sleeping quarters and all agreed…it wasn’t the sailor’s life for us! We also loved our trip to the Waterfront Hall. We even got several compliments on how well-mannered the kids were. Then we stayed on for English class and enjoyed the beautiful day at the waterfront.
Upcoming Dates:
- This Sunday, September 15th, support a WCDS family:
- September 21st, Boots for Buses 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
WCDS families get to know one another and our WCDS faculty!
Purchase your event tickets here: https://www.betterunite.com/
Purchase a Meat Raffle ticket here: https://www.betterunite.com/
(Jacob & Son’s gift card: 1st prize $500, 2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100)
- September 23rd – September 25th: WCDS Student Fall Pictures! Students may wear what they’d like.
Sept. 23rd, 1st – 5th
Sept. 24th, PS, JK, SK
Sept. 25th, Middle School
- September 26th: Join us on main campus for Coffee Conversations @ 2:00 pm! (This is a time to chat with the Head of School, faculty, other families, and discuss parenting, education, and current trends. A short article will be shared before hand via Talking Points, if interested.)
- October 3rd, Save the Date for Grandparents’ Day!
6th Grade Happenings:
English w/ Mrs. McFadden –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- none
- finished our Aimsweb testing
- continued reading “Walk Two Moons”
Math w/ Mrs. McFadden –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – We did not get to Chapter 2 checkpoint this week. It will now be Tuesday or Wednesday of next week.
- Completed Aimsweb testing
- Began multiplying decimals
Science w/ Mrs. Farris –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – We have our first “science survey.” This is a no pressure tool I use to see if students have gained an understanding of science terms before we move forward. They can review the new terms by using their science journals and there are digital flashcards in google classrooms.
- Each lab group presented their findings and identified their variables from last week’s mini-labs.
- Students began an independent germination experiment allowing each student to control their independent variables. (“I” change it!)
- We reviewed the scientific method and each made a hypothesis about their seed.
4th Grade Fun!
Important Dates
- Friday, September 20th – 11:30am Dismissal (Aftercare available until 3:00)
- Saturday, September 21st – Boots for Buses Bash! (see information below)
- Monday, September 23rd-25th – School Pictures (see information below)
- Wednesday, September 25 – 4th Grade Field Trip – Wheeling Symphony (see details below)
- Thursday, September 26 – Coffee Conversations, 2:00 PM
- Friday, September 27 – Freedom Friday
- Monday, September 30th – “Book in a Bag” is due!
- Thursday, October 3rd – Grandparents Day (more information to come)
- Friday, October 4th – 11:30am Dismissal for Fall Long Weekend
- Monday, October 7 – NO SCHOOL
- Tuesday, October 8 – Classes Resume – 10:00 AM Start
Thank you for coming to Parent Night! We appreciate you taking the time out of your busy schedule to learn more about 4th grade. The students loved their surprise notes from you! They didn’t want to erase them!
Remember to sign up for parent partnership meetings if you still need to do so using the link below.
https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1UVtu8jTYcE90bEXnf3L60Po7hpaEVVWBeKjuLyBhr9c/edit?usp=sharing
In ELA we:
- Continued to work through prewrite steps in the writing process and started our stories! Ask your student what moment they are writing their first memoir about!
- Were introduced to “Book in a Bag” reports. These are due September 30th and will involve an oral presentation to the class. Students may work on them at any time and bring them in at their convenience. We will also be allowing class time to help complete these as well.
- Continued learning more rules with plural nouns. Students now know 4 different spelling rules for this topic! There will be a comprehensive assignment for all these rules that will serve as a knowledge check. Please continue to check here and the students’ agendas for those dates.
In Math we:
- Continued with place value using large numbers
- Started rounding numbers
- Took their Aimsweb Math – for those that were absent, we’ll get them on Aimsweb next week
- Got the students logged into their Prodigy account for math
In Brainology we:
- Talked about what the left and right parts of our brains are responsible for and the children took a little quiz to see if they were more right brain or left brain focused.
- Discussed the importance of “Positive Self-Talk” especially when challenged with something difficult or uncomfortable.
- Practiced using positive sefl-talk when given a difficult scenario.
In Social-Emotional Learning we:
- Continued to talk about how happiness affects our bodies
- Made our very own “recipe for happiness!” These are being displayed in our classroom and will come home shortly after we show them off.
Important Reminders:
- September 23rd – September 25th: WCDS Student Fall Pictures! Students may wear what they’d like.
- Sept. 23rd, 1st – 5th
- Sept. 24th, PS, JK, SK
- Sept. 25th, Middle School
- Symphony Field Trip – We are excited to announce a Musical Field Trip for the 4th grade to watch a rehearsal of the Wheeling Symphony Orchestra on Wednesday, September 25th. This is a great opportunity for our students to see and hear live music in our local area. We will be using a school bus from Ohio County Schools for transportation, and depart WCDS at 9:15am and return at approximately 11:30am. If you have any questions or concerns, please let us know.
- Reading for 20 minutes and practicing multiplication facts for 10 minutes are daily homework assignments. Thank you for helping your child develop good reading and math fluency.
- “Book in a Bag” reports may be turned in at any time of the book but the presentation will not occur until September 30th. Please review the packet sent home for guidance on what to complete and how to do so.
- This Sunday, September 15th, support a WCDS family:
- September 21st, Boots for Buses 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
WCDS families get to know one another and our WCDS faculty!
Purchase your event tickets here: https://www.betterunite.com/
Purchase a Meat Raffle ticket here: https://www.betterunite.com/
(Jacob & Son’s gift card: 1st prize $500, 2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100)
https://www.betterunite.com/WheelingCountryDaySchool-countryroadsbootsforbuses
Have a fun-filled weekend!
Grace and Stella
Some not so serious 4th grade moments:
The kids LOVED their notes from Mom and Dad!
Roll and Squish
Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
⭐️Friday, September 20– This will be a combined session with the Little Explorers students. We will play together from 10-11:15 am at the Branch classroom at West Virginia Northern Community College.
⭐️September 21st, Boots for Buses, 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
-Raffle tickets for the boots will be available on Friday during our time together. $1 each or 5 for $6. I hope you will consider buying some so that you can try and win our fabulous birdhouses!
-WCDS families enjoy BBQ, beverages, s’mores, games, and most importantly – meeting other WCDS families! Buy your ticket and meat raffle tickets here(see meat raffle flyer below): https://www.betterunite.com/WheelingCountryDaySchool-countryroadsbootsforbuses
What a beautiful feeling it was this session to have these little learners come in one by one with smiles on their faces and a determination to get right down to exploring. We marked on mirrors with our Stabilo pencils, mixed colors with our hands and brushes on tin foil, created interesting shadows on the wall with blocks and other loose parts, created elaborate animal scenes with our figures and blocks, and rolled and squished the play dough into interesting shapes. Our Boots for Buses birdhouse boots were given a snazzy layer of silver paint and silver glitter, next comes the roof. We finished up our time together shaking our sillies out and stomping like dinosaurs. We have some fabulous dancers on our hands!
I look forward to our combined session next week! Have a lovely weekend!
Miss Claire
Shaky, Shake, Shake
Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
⭐️Friday, September 20– This will be a combined session with the We Two students. We will play together from 10-11:15 am at the Branch classroom at West Virginia Northern Community College.
⭐️September 21st, Boots for Buses, 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
-Raffle tickets for the boots will be available on Friday during our time together. $1 each or 5 for $6. I hope you will consider buying some so that you can try and win our fabulous birdhouses!
-WCDS families enjoy BBQ, beverages, s’mores, games, and most importantly – meeting other WCDS families! Buy your ticket and meat raffle tickets here(see meat raffle flyer below): https://www.betterunite.com/WheelingCountryDaySchool-countryroadsbootsforbuses
Even though we have only been together for two sessions, it seems like we have known each other for much longer. It always amazes me how quickly the kiddos become comfortable with the space, the materials, and each other. This week we mixed colors of paint on aluminum foil with our hands and brushes, marked on mirrors with our Stabilo pencils, built animal homes with our scrap wood pieces, and used shells, glass gems, and guitar pics to make lots of imprints and sculptures in the play dough. Our Boots for Buses birdhouse boots were given a snazzy layer of silver paint and silver glitter, next comes the roof. Don’t forget the big black boxes that helped us prop ourselves higher to the windows so we could see the all of the cars, buses, and motorcycles zipping by. We finished off with a fabulous groove of “Shake Your Sillies Out” using our shaky eggs. We have some excellent shakers on our hands!
I look forward to our combined class next week! Have a great weekend!
Miss Claire
WCDS Middle Goes… Navy?
Here are next week’s middle school adventures:
- We have sent home the Meat Raffle tickets for our Boots for Buses event with your child. They are in their agendas in the front pocket, along with a flyer for the event.
Week of September 9th – 13th:
Upcoming Dates!
- This Sunday, September 15th, support a WCDS family:
- September 21st, Boots for Buses 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
WCDS families get to know one another and our WCDS faculty!
Purchase your event tickets here: https://www.betterunite.com/
Purchase a Meat Raffle ticket here: https://www.betterunite.com/
(Jacob & Son’s gift card: 1st prize $500, 2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100)
- September 25th: WCDS Student Fall Pictures! Students may wear what they’d like.
Sept. 25th, Middle School
- September 26th: Join us on the main campus for Coffee Conversations at 2:00 p.m.! (This is a time to chat with the Head of School, faculty, and other families and discuss parenting, education, and current trends. If interested, a short article will be shared beforehand via Talking Points.)
- October 3rd: Save the Date for Grandparents’ Day!
Touring the battleship at the waterfront on Monday was the perfect way to kick off the week. I think I was as captivated as the students as we toured the various rooms, operated the machinery, and got brief history lessons on what was truly a timeless relic. The fun didn’t stop with the tour- we also hit up Wood Fired Pizza and Avenue Eats for lunch. I think the students are enjoying Northern!
English w/ Mr. Rouse –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes- Aimsweb on Wednesday.
- Students continued their reading of I Must Betray You.
- Students wrapped up their general essay.
- We covered various essayettes different from the standard persuasive essay.
Deep Dive w/ Mrs. Ochap and Mr. Jividen –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – No Tests or Quiz Scheduled
- This week, we took our first rides of the deep dive. On Tuesday, we rode on the Heritage Trail towards Warwood and made it 6 miles. Then, on Thursday, we rode towards Benwood and did a total of 4.5 miles. The kids had a great time and enjoyed the scenery along the way. Be on the lookout in the next few weeks for information on our next big ride.
Math w/ Mrs. Boldrick –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – Quiz – Wednesday, September 18
- The students continued to learn and practice using real numbers.
- There will be a quiz on Wednesday, which will cover concepts using real numbers. I encourage the students to review and even rewrite their notes. This is a great way to study for the quiz.
- We will take a practice quiz on Monday, then review and go over how they did on Tuesday.
Math w/ Mrs. Howells
- No Upcoming Tests or Quizzes
- Following Tuesday’s quiz on integers we began the last section of Chapter 1.
- Its topics include: Properties, Powers and Laws of Exponents, Order of Operations, and The Coordinate Plane.
- We looked at the Properties of Multiplication and Addition and students completed practice activities to identify and use them.
- Please ensure that your student has headphones for math class.
- Homework assignments and helpful links will be posted on our Google Classroom and our class Weebly site
Social Studies w/ Mr. Jividen –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – No Tests or Quizzes Scheduled
- Students spent time sharing their current events.
- We also discussed the upcoming presidential debate at length.
- Students watched footage from the first televised debate from 1960(only one student asked how old I was in 1960.)
Science w/ Mrs. Farris –
- Upcoming Tests/Quizzes – no test or quiz scheduled
- Monday afternoon we got our steps in by climbing 3 flights of stairs several times to take our body’s vitals. (heart rate, respiration, and blood pressure)
- Students compare their resting rate to their active rate. We tracked over the next several minutes to see how our bodies worked to maintain homeostasis.
- Cytology is our next topic! We began with cellular division – mitosis and meiosis.
Music w/ Mrs. Chelsey –
- This week we did a listening exercise, where four different songs were played and students came up to the board to write what they heard and felt. These were things like memories, tempo, instruments,etc. They enjoyed it!!
- We continued working on our basketball rhythms and started the first part of our actual “routine” that will become a performance at the winter evening of music and sound.
- Our journal prompt this week was “How has your taste in music changed over the years?”
HalfWay Through September!
Important dates/notes:
BOOTS FOR BUSES EVENT INFO:
- September 21st: September 21st, Boots for Buses 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard: WCDS families enjoy BBQ, beverages, s’mores, games and most importantly – meeting other WCDS families!
Buy your ticket here and meat raffle tickets(see meat raffle flier below) here: https://www.betterunite.com/WheelingCountryDaySchool-countryroadsbootsforbuses
- Friday, September 20th- 11:30 dismissal. Aftercare until 3:00PM NO lunch provided
- Thursday, September 26th- Field trip to Northern (Details to come)
Happy Friday… the 13th!
While others may believe in superstitions, we here in 3rd grade faced today with the same enthusiasm as any other. We filled our week to the brim with new and exciting experiences and also found the time to breathe while saying, “namaste.” Read on to find out more about our wonderful week!
During math we spent time expanding our rounding skills by adding more digits, but still rounding to the nearest ten. By the end of the week, we were rounding six-digit numbers without breaking a sweat. Yeah! Reading/Phonics required us to use our know-how, literally, as we focused on the OW sound! Students practiced spelling with the OW sound through sound banking, word/sentence dictation, shared reading passages, syllabication, and sound isolation. Third Grade Angels reached full potential with a final activity: Cereal Box Writing! Ask your kiddo what they named their cereal?! Deep dives were steeped in culture and amazing facts about mammals! Students learned a good bit about different types of music, arts & crafts, and of course food that helped shape the culture of West Virginia. Our Zoology deep dive focused on mammals this week. We even got a visit from a cute, small mammal – courtesy of our very own Lily W. Thank you! Students also got to go with the flow in Yoga this week which helped us find our calm center. As we officially approach the half-way point of September, we look forward to sharing even more wonderful learning experiences!
Hanna and Paula
Please contact us BOTH if you have any questions or concerns this school year:
hwillliams@wcdsedu.com & pbuck@wcdsedu.com
Or Talking Points (select both names if you can)
Have a great weekend!
Hanna and Paula
5th Grade goes North!
Upcoming Dates and Important Information:
- Sunday, September 15 – support a WCDS family:
- September 20 – Early Dismissal at 11:30 am – Aftercare available until 3:00 pm.
- September 21 – Boots for Buses 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
WCDS families get to know one another and our WCDS faculty!
Purchase your event tickets here: https://www.betterunite.com/
Purchase a Meat Raffle ticket here: https://www.betterunite.com/
(Jacob & Son’s gift card: 1st prize $500, 2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100)
https://www.betterunite.com/WheelingCountryDaySchool-countryroadsbootsforbuses
- September 23rd – 1st -5th Grade School Pictures! Students may wear what they’d like.
- September 26th – Join us on main campus for Coffee Conversations @ 2:00 pm! (This is a time to chat with the Head of School, faculty, other families, and discuss parenting, education, and current trends. A short article will be shared beforehand via Talking Points, if interested.)
- September 27th – Freedom Friday for SK – 5th grade (Casual dress and pizza for lunch!)
- October 3rd – Save the Date for Grandparents’ Day!
Parent Partnership Meetings: If you did not sign up for a Parent Partnership meeting yet, please do so using this link: https://docs.google.com/document/d/18kHTQfavbTOim8vzDI_tC9T7aTvqaFf6841azha7eDc/edit?usp=sharing
CAR DUTY: Fifth graders are our WCDS ambassadors that help young children get in and out of the car in the morning. Students were asked if they want this duty and those that did were assigned a Car Duty day. This does not mean they have to get to school any earlier, but when they do arrive, they can go straight to the gym door to help open doors. They will report to class at 8:45. Their schedule is as follows.
Monday: Bo, Greyson, and Kaya
Tuesday: Braelynn and Jackson
Wednesday: Carter, Helena, and Levi
Thursday: Chad, Isabelle, and Preston
Friday: Gavin, Justine, and Sero
Weekly Recap
Language Arts:
- Completed Aimsweb testing on Tuesday and Wednesday
- We finished our No Talking class novel this week.
- During our wonderful library trip, the students each picked a free choice novel to begin on Monday. We will be reading each day for the next couple weeks with a book report to follow.
- We hope you enjoyed the I am From poetry. We will continue working on our memoirs next week.
Math:
- Amidst Aimsweb testing, we reviewed our understanding of decimals and their place value
- We continue to practice rounding whole numbers and decimals as this seems to be a skill worthy of a more in depth review for the class
- You may see students on a website called Boddle. It was introduced following Aimsweb testing and is a math gaming program students can play on their own time to practice and hone their skills.
Water Science:
- The class divided in half to review macroinvertebrates and to begin collecting samples from our creek.
- The kick net crew used nets to gather samples and identified several macroinvertebrates. (Those that did not use kick nets this week will use them next week)
- During their visit to Northern, we discussed watersheds and how the water from our tributary flows into Big Wheeling Creek, then the Ohio River. We made models to help us “see” watersheds.
D.A.R.E:
- Students discussed age appropriate drug information and responsible decision making
- Children learned the negative effects of alcohol and tobacco
This week, Levi, Gavin, and Sero made an announcement to the school community at our Monday Morning meeting. They discussed ways in which the students can help keep our campus clean while practicing their public speaking skills. Nice job, boys! We also had a Show & Tell visitor this week, Gavin’s cat, Boo! It was also an eventful week in Spanish, as Mrs. MacAteer brought in paw paws for us to try.
Our day at the Downtown branch campus was incredibly special. The Ohio County Public Library put on a “book tasting” for our fifth graders, giving them the opportunity to explore various books from different genres. Mrs. Kramer took one for the team and rented each student a book on her library card! We will keep them in the classroom for our Independent Reading work the next few weeks. However, the students couldn’t be stopped! We allowed for a few moments of quiet reading time so they could get a jump start on their library books. We took a class walk to the playground and spent our lunch time with the middle schoolers on the quad of West Virginia Northern. We had gym class in the college gym and finished our day with Science with Mrs. Farris. How incredible is it that we get to still have a school day while immersing ourselves in all the Downtown Wheeling has to offer?
We hope you have a wonderful week – see you Monday!
Katie and Kristina
Super JK!
Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
- This Sunday, September 15th, support a WCDS family:
- September 21st, Boots for Buses 6-9pm @ WCDS Main Campus Courtyard
WCDS families get to know one another and our WCDS faculty!
Purchase your event tickets here: https://www.betterunite.com/
Purchase a Meat Raffle ticket here: https://www.betterunite.com/
(Jacob & Son’s gift card: 1st prize $500, 2nd prize $250, 3rd prize $100)
- September 24th : Picture Day!! Break out the hair gel, bows and bowties and bring your best smile!
- September 26th: Join us on main campus for Coffee Conversations @ 2:00 pm! (This is a time to chat with the Head of School, faculty, other families, and discuss parenting, education, and current trends. A short article will be shared beforehand via Talking Points, if interested.)
- October 3rd, Save the Date for Grandparents’ Day!
Hello JK families,
“Freeze! Unfreeze! Freeze! Unfreeze! FREEZE!” Could there be anything better than freezing and unfreezing your teachers? The kids have LOVED dramatic play in our outdoor space. It often begins with the children donning capes and zooming outside to play. We’ve observed them use their powers for good, by freezing bad guys (often zombies!). Their love of saving the day inspired us to explore the idea of superheroes. After reading the book Ten Rules of Being a Superhero by Deb Plutti and Super You! by Anne Kennedy Brady the children were asked to think of themselves as superheroes and share their superpower. They drew themselves in action and then explained their illustrations to us. Here’s what they had to say:
“I have a lot of powers, I’m strong. I’m supergirl. I have a blue cape and blue hair because I like blue. The rocks help me turn into a T-Rex and get the zombies away and out of this town. The balloon helps me turn into a little ball.” -Emma
“I’m a princess like Elsa, my power is ice. I make ice balls.” -Ollie
“I have two things, strongness, and I think of things to create to stop bad guys. Ice balls, growing giant and turn into a small balloon.” – Lucas
“Stretchy, and I can shoot ice and I can grow big. Lime that has extra juice.” -Rory
“I can transform into anything.” -Forrest
“Ummm I’m a princess with heels and I’m big like Mom and Dad.” -Hailey
“I have a fire power and I’m shooting out fire. I’m shooting fire out of the way.” -Scarlett
“Umm I’m strong and I know what to do, and I can lift stuff at my house, like a basketball hoop.” -Bodhi
“My super power is tic tac toe.” -Hunter
“Umm I’m Captain America, I have a shield, he hits somebody with the shield, and he kicks somebody with the shield.” -Henry
“This is me, a butterfly one. My superpower is fire.” -Noah
“I would save dogs if there was a flood.“- Heidi
“I want to save the cats if there is a tornado.” -Kipton
“I can make a water ball.” -Bria
“I catch thunderstorms and make rainbows because people don’t like rain.” -Sophia
“Scribble Lag is my name. I have powers. It is a scribbling rope that catches the bad guys when they try to jump and it can go anywhere that the bad guys go. I don’t have an outfit. I have teeny tiny legs so I can run very fast with those. He is a good guy. That is the cape right there, see it?” -Wendell
“I have this. It is my super mask right here. I have a mask and blonde hair. I have legs, scary legs and scary feet. I have food in my tummy, like cookies.” -Stylee
“I fight the bad guy at night under the moon. I can save the day at night.” -Bradford
“I am Spiderman. My superpower is webs.” -Izaak
“I am the Hulk. That is wind by me. He doesn’t really have an outfit in the movie. My superpower is super strength like the Hulk.”- Dax
“He is Bin and he is putting webs out to the guys. He is black and red” -Leonardo
We have big plans to bring these ideas to life next week- stay tuned! Since the children love to “freeze” bad guys we had to let them freeze dance and play red light green light! The idea of moving and stopping immediately was thrilling to the children. While dancing to kids songs the children busted out some very impressive dance moves, and even some break dancing. Red light green light turned into a race from the starting line to the finish line.
This week we began exploring letters beginning with the letter Aa! The class learned that all letters are made up of either big lines, little lines, big curves, or little curves. Before forming upper and lowercase Aa, they were invited to practice making lines and curves to help their little hands become familiar with the motions. They then practiced writing Aa in sand and building it with wooden lines and curves. We believe in a multisensory approach to language instruction. This means that as the children are learning, their eyes, ears, and bodies should be involved. They also learned the sound letter Aa makes and worked together to create a word web of words that begin with that sound. Apple, astronaut, and alligator were just a few of the words they came up with. Keep the letter Aa fun going this weekend and see how many words you can find!
Lastly, the JK kiddos set to work to create their boots for the upcoming Boots for Buses fundraiser that’s happening next Saturday! Using the mixed paint colors from last week, the children poured them into pallets and let the globs dry. They then had the fun job of peeling up the dried paint and arranging them into the shape of a flower. The flowers will be added to our candlestick cowboy boots! Please come and support Junior Kindergarten and meet other parents. You will be able to vote for your favorite pair of boots and the class with the most votes will win a cookout!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Miss Liz and Miss Claire
Changing the world one mark at a time!
UPCOMING DATES & ANNOUNCEMENTS:
- Please send in a picture of your family to be displayed in the classroom
- September 23rd – September 25th: WCDS Student Fall Pictures! Students may wear what they’d like.
- Sept. 23rd, 1st – 5th
- Sept. 24th, PS, JK, SK
- Sept. 25th, Middle School
- September 26th: Join us on main campus for Coffee Conversations @ 2:00 pm! (This is a time to chat with the Head of School, faculty, other families, and discuss parenting, education, and current trends. A short article will be shared before hand via Talking Points, if interested.)
- September 27th: Freedom Friday for SK – 5th grade (Casual dress and pizza for lunch!)
- Don’t forget to sign up for Parent Partnership meetings using this link!
- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1zQfEU01uqoP4bmBS2vbBhhVglM4M4S7CA7negqPSbvM/edit?usp=sharing
- SAVE THE DATE: Grandparents Day, Thursday, October 3, 2024
- ⭐️Save the Date: Ya’ll are invited to a rootin’ tootin’ good time!
- Country Roads: Boots for Buses September 21, 2024, 6-9 pm WCDS Main Campus
- Buy your ticket here and meat raffle tickets(see meat raffle flyer below) here: https://www.betterunite.com/WheelingCountryDaySchool-countryroadsbootsforbuses
Hello Preschool Families!
This week we CIRCLED back around to our mark making, this time turning it into so much more than just a mark on paper! As you know, last week was all about lines, this week we took those lines and turned them into a circle! We learned that a circle is a round shape that has zero sides and zero corners and that every part of the circle is the same distance from the middle. They then looked around the room and identified objects in the shape of a circle, everything from a clock, a light or a letter was discovered! After the kiddos used their skywriting fingers to make circles in the air, they then took those same little fingers, dipped them into a childhood classic, finger paint, to create their very own circles! Some swirled their fingers, and hands, around and around to make one giant circle, others meticulously created various sized circles across their paper, while some daintily dotted the paper with their fingertips. No two circles were the same!
Inspired by the book “I Have an Idea” by Herve Tullet, which took us on the journey of not only mark making, but emotions, beginning with frustration over making a mark and struggling with an idea, to the excitement of turning that one mark into many marks that blossom into the grandest of ideas! The children set off on their own to create an idea! Keeping with our circle theme, the children chose a circle of their color of choice to create their idea on. They were given oil pastels, sharpies and a new medium, colored pencils! They got right to work. With every swish and swoosh of a color their ideas began to come to life! These were just a few of their ideas…
Sydney- “This is me, Tiki, he has super powers”
Clara – “My idea is mommy!”
Brody- “I’m making the sun”
Levi- “It’s Hot Dogs!”
Audrey -“A feather”
Avery- “I’m making happy”
Atticus- “It’s Momma and family”
Archie – “I am making all the planets! Oh wait, I forgot Uranus!” *draws another circle* “Ok! Now I’m done!”
Evelyn- “My Momma”
Lenni – “All the colorful lines”
Khy -“Lines”
Romeo – “It’s mom at work”
We wrapped up the week celebrating a special day, and Miss Airry’s favorite day, that involved our shape of study, DOT DAY! The children learned the Dot Song, and we sang it, ALOT, all week. Ask them to sing it for you. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r_I43cxDQ-o We read the story “The Dot” by Peter H. Reynolds. A story about a little girl who finds herself sitting in front of a blank piece of paper. With an encouraging word from her teacher “Make a mark and see where it takes you” and a simple dot on the paper by a frustrated little girl, quickly turns into so much more than just a dot. The dot turns into self discovery of confidence, bravery and creativity, thus creating a child who will one day change the world with these characteristics. The kiddos were provided contact paper, bingo dobbers, cellophane paper, various circles and paint, to … you guessed it, create their very own mark. Watching as they clamored with excitement as they set out to make their mark, squealing with delight as they created a collaborative masterpiece, we couldn’t help but think, these littlest learners will one day change the world themselves, and to think, it all started with the confidence to “make a mark”. We are excited to see where they take us next! Also, a special shout out to Miss Airry, who lined the walkway with dotted balloons to make it a little more magical!
Make a mark with your children this weekend, you’ll be amazed where they take you!
Miss Arden, Miss Meredith and Miss Airry.
