Beaumont/Alameda Pre-K

January 17-20, 2012

This was an exciting week in Pre-K. We did not have school on Monday, in observation of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. When we got back to school on Tuesday we talked to the children briefly about the holiday and what a wonderful impact MLK Jr. had on society. Then we switched gears to Pet Week! We made a list of pets that our class had at home and different responsibilities that go along with having a pet. If students did not have pets at home, we asked them what kind of pet they would like to have, if any. On Thursday, we had three very special guests come into our classroom… Anna and her two pet pygmy goats! As you may imagine, the children were very excited to meet our new friends. Anna brought some kale and pine needles and we all got an opportunity to feed and pet the goats. It was such a nice, unique experience! We also began our Penny Program this week. We explained to the students about how the Penny Program works in coordination with our “Ping Pong” system at school. We hope this will encourage good behavior and keep things consistent between school and home! On Friday, we wrapped up Pet week by making our own “pets” out of various materials and toilet paper rolls. The children were able to put a “leash” on their new friends and show them off in our very own Pre-K Pet Show! It was great week!

This week Lola Anderson was our Person of the Week. From Lola’s book, we learned that she is five years old, weighs 40 pounds, and is 3’ 10” tall. Her eyes are brown and her hair is brown and gold. Some of Lola’s favorite foods are pancakes, waffles, blueberries and cake. When Lola grows up she wants to be a princess. Her favorite colors are pink and black. Lola likes to read books, watch T.V. and to play dolls with her dad. If Lola had three wishes, she would wish to have pets when she is five, to make her mom not be mad at her, and to make a hole in her bedroom that will fall into her garage!

Thanks and Reminders

*Thank you to Kate’s family for providing snack this week!
*Thank you to Deacon’s family for making Play-Doh this week.
*Thank you to Anna for bringing in her two pet goats!
*We will begin new sign in sheets next week. The students will each receive a laminated sheet with their name on it. Each day, they will practice writing the letters of their name. If your child already knows how to write their name, they may practice their first and last name. We will repeat this every day until the end of the year.  On Friday, we explained this new procedure to the students.  
*Please remember to bring your sheets back on Monday
*Our  second potluck of the school year will be Friday Jan. 27th from 5:30-6:45PM, and will be held in our classroom.  There’s sign-up sheet for food, clean up, organization, etc.  We hope you can make it!
*Please make sure to bring a pair of shoes that are appropriate for school play on rainy days when your child comes to  school in rain boots. Thanks!
*Next week we will be studying Arctic Animals. The letter of the week will be ‘Nn.’
*We talked to the students this week about the new Penny Program we are starting.  The basic idea is to have your child at home work on a few specific areas that you will set; for example, getting ready for bed quickly or sharing with siblings.  Anytime your student earns a penny, you may give him or her one to bring into school for the penny jar. When we reach a certain point, we will do some kind of special activity.  Please help make sure your student does not take their money from their own piggy bank. We have explained that they must earn it from their parents instead. If you would rather do a token, or a button, or any other small item, that is fine as well.  The penny or other item is a symbol to make the reward for having done well concrete to the children. Of course, participation in this activity is optional, and all the students will benefit from the special activity we earn. We would like to make sure this does not become a competitive activity. We hope children will enjoy contributing to the group reward, but they should not be concerned about whether they are contributing more or less than other children. We are trying out this activity in response to parents who have asked us about ways the program could reinforce good behavior at home.

The Week in Review
Monday: NO SCHOOL

Tuesday: Today we started our day off by discussing why we had yesterday off because it was Martin Luther King Day.  We discussed who Martin Luther King, Jr, was and how he was a great person who believed that everyone deserved to be equal.  
Students listed pets that they have at their home and if they didn’t have a pet then what they would chose for one. Most students came up with fish, cats and dogs. We also mentioned our class pet butterfly the spider. The teachers explained to the students how our penny program works. We discussed what we were going to do with all the pennies when the jar became full. We talked about donating the pennies to our school or some form of charity.  
Lola was chosen for person of the week. Our project was making her person of the week pages. We learned how to sign the letter Mn and its sound pronunciation.  
Students who shared today were: Lola shared a stuffed animal monkey. Kate shared the word “me”.  Leo shared a stuffed animal chick. Daphne shared a mask. Henry shared a moose with a mustache. Coco shared a stuffed animal hamster that talks and her name is Sophia. Ella shared a magnifying glass and a moose. Margaret shared her name and money.

Wednesday: Today was an usual day in Pre-K! Due to winter weather, we had a two hour late start today. When we arrived at school everyone was very excited about the “storm” we had, so we talked a little bit about what our friends did during their morning. A lot of the students had snowball fights with their siblings, neighbors, etc. Some of us attempted to make snowmen, while others cuddled inside with hot cocoa. It’s nice that we all had a chance to have some winter play time!
Today in circle we talked about the responsibilities that go along with having a pet. The teachers asked the children what duties went along with owning a pet. They decided that pets need to be fed, pet, given water, and walked! Then they added “unless you have a guinea pig, you don’t walk guinea pigs.” All so true! Our special project today was making aquariums out of paper plates and Saran wrap. They came out really cool! We only had one friend share today and that was Deacon, who shared a Marble. This afternoon we played animal four corners and “bump the balloon.” It was a fun day!

Thursday: Today was a very special day at Pre K.  This morning and this afternoon our friend Anna came into the classroom with her pet Pygmy goats!  We had a lot of fun asking questions and learning about her little animal friends.  We discussed what they ate, where they live, and why they don’t mind going to the bathroom wherever they are.  We were able to pet them, feed them pine needles (which we learned give them Vitamin C), and some kale, too.  
This afternoon we learned a little about exotic and strange pets that live around the world, including a famous giraffe, a hippopotamus, a squirrel, and a llama!  Despite the rain, we were able to get some outside time today – we played and colored with chalk on our school’s sidewalk area, and then went for a fun walk/jog around the field.  Let ‘Mm’ sharing today was fun.  Chase brought in a picture of a Millipede and a Mosquito, and a Math bingo game.  Gus brought in his stuffed Monkey named Pinky, Tess showed us two Music books, Dominick shared a Marker, Vince brought in a toy Monkey, and Dani shared some very cool magnet toys.  

Friday: Today we started off our day by reading Ducks Don’t Wear Socks? The middle school students taught us a new game in the gym called “Open House.” As a class, the students came up with words that begin with the letter ‘Mm’ such as: me, moon, monkey, mac, meat, muffin, Mir, Mercury, maker and map. During group time we read Lola’s person of the week book. We also did an estimation jar with pet animals. We counted as a class and came up with 30 animals in the jar, and one of our students guessed correctly. Our special project was creating our very own pet using fabrics, googly eyes, string and markers. Students then put on a pet show describing facts about their pet. Throughout the day students were able to play with their pet in the classroom.  We made a thank you card for Anna for bringing her goats into our classroom yesterday!!! Students who shared today were: Charles shared magazines of animals. Maggie shared a puzzle of her name. Lucy shared marbles. Hudson shared a picture of monkeys in the jungle he drew. Beckett shared a magnet. Davis shared a picture of a pet fish named Marcy. Gilbert shared a magnet. Quincy shared her mom Melissa.


The Prek Team