preschool
news!
FEBRUARY 2013
MARYWOODPALM VALLEY
AFTER-SCHOOL
BUDDIES
Yo u r c h i l d r e n h a v e
probably mentioned that
there are some big kids
who come to play with
them. They are three
High school students who
h a ve vo l u n t e e r e d t o
spend an hour eac h
Wednesday afternoon.
Emily Neiderman,
Suzannah Schmidt, and
C o l i n We s s m a n a r e
doing an awesome job,
playing with the children
and making them feel
s p e c i a l . We r e a l l y
appreciate them sharing
their time with us.
LETTER FROM MRS. LEANY
Dear Parents,
I wanted to start this le2er thanking all the parents who have given so generously of their :me to help with the hearing screening and theme days, and in the classroom as story readers. You fill our buckets with your dedicated support. Our semester progress reports will be sent home February 8th. Please note the word progress. I believe it is important for you to know how your child is developing the skills appropriate for his/her age. Please check the bo2om of the progress report so you know what each mark means. Remember that this report is just a way for you to see where your child is at. Everyone develops at his/her own pace. Think about skills that you have learned or are learning-­‐ are you doing it at the same pace as everyone else? Some people never develop proficiency in a skill. I have poor handwri:ng, yet I am a very good reader. It is the joy of learning and having a great journey that is important. We do not have formal conferences again this school year, but if you have any ques:ons or concerns, please set up a :me to meet with your child's teacher or with me.
We have several ac:vi:es happening this month, be sure to check the calendar, your child's MY Day IN… and the Phoenix Newsle2er so you don't miss anything.
We have developed a "Lock Down Policy" and have prac:ced it with both Pre-­‐K classes.. We will prac:ce with the Preschool the first week in February. Each classroom has been supplied an emergency "lock down bag" that contains the things we might need to keep us calm and happy. If you would like to see the wri2en policy, you may speak to me. I do not post it for obvious reasons. Please make sure you follow the direc:ons to enter the buildings. All the doors are locked the majority of the day. I wanted you to know that if you are ever locked out of your building, please go to the other preschool/pre-­‐k building and someone will help you.
As always, if you have any comments, ques:ons, or sugges:ons, I would encourage you to contact me either in person, phone, or by e-­‐mail at [email protected]. I teach in the Coyote classroom each day, but I do check my messages throughout the day. If it is an emergency, please call the school office (760) 328-­‐0861 and let them know you must speak with me and to put you through to the Coyote Classroom. FYI: I am a Mentor teacher for the State of California working with the Early Childhood program at College of the Desert. I will have three (3) student teachers this semester. I wanted to remind you that these students will never be leb alone with the children and must follow all of the guidelines of fully qualified teachers. It is really an exci:ng opportunity for the student teachers and for the children. If you have any ques:ons or concerns, please let me know. IMPORTANT
FEBRUARY
DATES
1. Free Dress/Pizza Day
Morning Assembly
9. Family Picnic,
11:30-2:30
(Saturday)
TONS OF FUN
14. Valentine’s Day
--Free Dress: Wear
something you LOVE
15. Free Dress/Pizza
Day Morning
Assembly
18-22. NO SCHOOL
Mid-Winter Break
28. Space Day
(in classrooms)
QUOTE
"The most beautiful things
in the world cannot be
seen or even touched.
They must be felt with the
heart." --Helen Keller
COYOTE NEWS
It is very impressive how many letters
your child can recognize and say the
sound for. Please keep practicing.
Some of the children are already
blending sounds to "read " words. We
introduced "sight words" (words that have to be recognized
by looking at them instead of sounding them out) and, the,
said, yes, no. Your child was given a ring with some sight
words on it. Throughout the year, more sight words will be
coming home. Put them on the word ring and practice them
regularly.
We learned so much about the jungle. The children had a
great time turning our classroom into a selva (jungle). I hope
you have enjoyed watching it grow. Ending our month with
the jungle cruise was so exciting. It was hard to tell which
activity the children enjoyed the most.
We will move from the jungle to Outer Space. Be prepared
to learn about our galaxy, more letter names and sounds
along with some counting and money recognition.
JACKRABBIT NEWS
The Jackrabbits enjoyed learning
about animals from the rain
forests, jungles and savannas. We
had so much fun transforming our
classroom into a jungle with all
the animals, plants, and trees that
we made, but the best part of the
whole month was going on a “Jungle Cruise.” We saw lots of
animals using the binoculars that we made, played fun
games, got jungle tattoos, listened to stories, and ate a
picnic snack. What a great day!
Along with all that jungle knowledge we also learned the
letters b, j, and g and the numbers 6, 7 and 8. We learned
our first sight words which were the, said, and, yes and no.
In February we will be learning about space and the solar
system. Learning about what’s out there is always interesting
and so much fun! We can’t wait!
QUAIL NEWS
BIRTHDAYS
What a wonderful trip to the jungle
we all took!
We love to share birthdays
with your child. You are
welcome to bring in a small
cookie or cupcake to share
The animals were
creeping, flying, running really fast, or
moving in slow motion. They were
resting in nests, or on tree branches,
eating from trees, or feeding on other
creatures. The rainforest and jungle animals can be of many
different sizes, colors, and shapes. We can’t describe all the
other fantastic facts that we learned, it’s a magnificent
world!
We also worked on, and did a lot of activities, to learn the
letters t, j, and g, and the numbers 6, 7, and 8.
January was the first month of the year 2013, and full of fun
and excitement. We are wondering what it will be like to go
into outer space next month. We will be learning about our
galaxy, sun, moon, stars, and the beautiful planet Earth. We
can't
wait
to
Blast
Off!
with your child’s class.
Please make sure your
child’s teacher knows in
advance what you are
planning to serve. We have
several c hildren with
allergies and we want to
make sure to include them.
Children are invited to
donate a new book to the
classroom library. We try to
have the special treat at
2:15 before we go outside
for our last recess. If your
child attends school part
time, we will make
adjustments.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO:
HUMMINGBIRD NEWS
January was dedicated to life in the
jungle. We learned amazing things about
jungle animals and the jungle itself. The
Jungle Cruise in the big play yard was
the best way to finish our monthly theme. Our play yard was
decorated with children’s artwork and it gave us a feeling
that we were in a real jungle. It was fun to pretend we were
on a river with our little boats, listen to jungle stories, and play
jungle games while we were dressed in jungle clothes. In
February, we get to move on to the theme “We Can Blast
Off to Outer Space.” We are going to learn interesting facts
about our Galaxy, the Sun, the Moon, the stars, and all the
other planets.
Rio Ancheta-Johnson
2/3
Ava Bagheri
2/15
what we do
why we do
MANIPULATIVES
Manipulatives include: puzzles, lacing beads, peg boards,
Legos, using tweezers, pouring and scooping objects, and
colleting objects such as shells and buttons. In this area,
children develop problem-solving skills, practice, emerging
math skills such as sorting, classification, and matching.
Children’s physical development is enhanced as they develop
hand-eye coordination, and refine small muscle skills. These will
be the muscles that your child will use later for printing.
FEEDING HUNGRY CHILDREN
We now have $150.00 collected from recycling water bottles.
Thank you for teaching your children to recycle and to share!
mwpv sick policy
I am sure you are all aware that the flu has reached our valley and our school. Please
remember to follow our sick policy that is printed in our Parent Handbook:
To provide a safe and healthy environment, Marywood Palm Valley does not allow sick
children at school. If your child has a yellow or green discharge from his/her nose, any
discharge from his/her eyes, pink or red eyes, vomiting or diarrhea within the last 12 hours, or
a fever of 100 degrees or higher within the last 24 hours, then he/she must be kept home. (If
you have given them a fever reducer within the last 24 hours they should not be at school).
If your child has had any contagious or any infectious illness, Marywood Palm Valley requires
a note from the child’s physician saying he/she may return to school. When a student
contracts a contagious disease, the parent should inform the school, which will inform the
parents of the students exposed to the illness.
We want everyone to be able to be in a safe and healthy environment.
curriculum
MONTHLY THEME
We had a wonderful jungle theme day in January. It was
our first combined activity. The children were so excited
to see all of the animals they created in their classes
spread out in the jungle.
LITERATURE
CORNER
Our Space Day activities will be done in our own
classrooms.
For February, we will be exchanging Valentines (look for
SPANISH
Senora Marron will be focusing on words about espacio
like luna, estrella, sol, y tierra. We will also begin learning
our songs in Spanish that we will sing for you at the
Dance and Art Festival.
Lyn Wilson is the author
of our book for this
MUSIC AND MOVEMENT
month. It is titled What's
We have selected the dance songs for each class and will be
practicing them most weeks (except yoga week). We will
supply most of the costume but will need a little help from
you. The children need to wear WHITE TENNIS SHOES. You can
usually get them fairly cheap at Walmart, if you don't
already have some. Our program will be the first week in
May. In March, I will be sending home a complete list of the
costume your child will be wearing.
Out There? It is a great
"My Country" is the song we will be learning.
SPECIAL NOTE
We have a plethora (one of my favorite words) of jackets,
coats, sweaters, headbands, hair pretties, and bows left in
our building. They will be in Building E10 until February 15
and any that are not claimed will go to a homeless shelter.
book about space. Our
Nursery Rhyme will be
Twinkle Twinkle Little
Star (of course).