Ms. Missy's Messenger
What's up in the Community Classroom?
January 19 - January 28, 2016
Winter Fun!
For the next two weeks, we will be learning about winter! During this time, we will touch on different aspects of winter...the weather, winter activities, winter clothes, and snowmen. We will compare summer and winter and talk about how they are the same and different. We will practice sorting objects and pictures that go with both seasons. We will work on 3-step sequencing, using snowmen as our main focus. As always, we will continue to work on spatial and quantity concepts, social interaction skills, language skills, self-help skills, and fine motor skills.
Related Theme Books
Here are some great books related to winter. Check out your local library for more great books!
- Froggy Gets Dressed, by Jonathan London
- All You Need for a Snowman, by Alice Schertle
- Clifford's First Snow Day, by Norman Bridwell
- Snowballs, by Lois Ehlert
- The Mitten, by Jan Brett
- Snowmen at Night, by Caralyn Buehner
- The Jacket I Wear in the Snow, by Shirley Neitzel
- The Snowy Day, by Ezra Jack Keats
Ms. Stephie's Speech Spot
Happy Winter Speech Families! These next two weeks in Early Childhood we will be talking about Winter, including clothing, activities, and snowmen. We will be reading books associated with Winter, including Froggy Gets Dressed, by Jonathon London, The Mitten, by Jan Brett and What Snowmen Do At Night, by Caralyn Buehner. Activities will include matching, sorting, associating, and inferencing, as well as following directions, vocabulary and concept development, speech sound practice, and language expansion. We will match body parts to the appropriate winter clothes and talk about why we wear each item of clothing, help Froggy get dressed for winter weather, sort and categorize clothing by season, sort and categorize activities by season, work on phonemic awareness with beginning sounds, complete art projects, and possibly pin the nose on Olaf the Snowman. Some activities to complete together at home include making hot chocolate together (sequencing and action words), sorting clothes by season, matching winter clothes to appropriate body parts, completing snowman art projects, and sharing books. Have fun and stay warm!
Winter Clothes
Please be sure to dress your child according to the weather. We do go outside when the weather permits, even for a brief time. It is important to make sure your child has a winter coat, hat, and gloves/mittens. Just a note...if there is snow on our playground, we will not go outside. Therefore, it is not necessary to send your child to school in snow boots. Also, some children still have warm weather clothes at school for their spare clothing. Please send in a seasonally appropriate change of clothing, and we will send home the clothes that we currently have. If you have any questions, please let me know.
2-Hour Delay Schedule
In the event that Hamilton Souteastern Schools have a 2-hour delay, we will follow a modified schedule for the AM class. The AM students will attend school from 10:15 to 11:45. The PM class will attend at the regular time. Should we have a 2-hour delay or school closure, you will receive an automated phone call to the phone number(s) you provided when you enrolled your child. You can also find this information on the HSE Twitter page, as well as local news channels. If you have any questions, please let me know.
Looking Ahead...
On Thursday, February 11, we will have a valentine exchange in each class. Below are the class lists. Whether you choose to make valentines or buy valentines, this is a perfect opportunity for your child to practice writing or tracing his/her name. If your child is younger, please address the valentines to his/her friends. If your child is older, encourage your child to address the valentines himself/herself. Because children's hands tire easily, you can do this over the course of a few days to make it more manageable. Have your child bring his/her valentines to school on Thursday, February 11. We will take time in our day to pass out the valentines to all our friends. If you have any questions, please let me know.
AM Valentine List
Boys--Adrian, Andrew, Colton, Horlando, Isaac, Jude, Lucas
Girls--Anvi, Bella, Jaelynne, Karlie, Klarabelle, Teju, Zoe
Staff--Ms. Missy, Ms. Tonia, Ms. Stephie
PM Valentine List
Boys--Ayden, Braxton, Eli, Evan, Griffin, Jaxon, Kaimon, Kingston, Parker, Ryder
Girls--Aaleyah, Caroline, Emily, Lillyana, Talley, Zenab, Zoe
Staff--Ms. Missy, Ms. Tonia, Ms. Stephie
Kindergarten Round-Up
If your child will be entering kindergarten next year, you will need to register him/her at the elementary school he/she will be attending. Kindergarten Round-Up is scheduled for all elementary schools on Thursday, April 14, from 5:00pm to 7:00pm. At that time, you will be able to register your child for school and take a tour of the school. To register, you will need to have your child's birth certificate, updated immunization records, and proof of residency. You can find the requirement for proof of residency on the HSE website under "Parent Resources," then "General Enrollment Procedures," and then "Proof of Residency." Even if your child is enrolled in the Early Childhood Program, he/she is not automatically enrolled for kindergarten. You must enroll your child. If you have any questions, please let me know.
HSE Illness Policy
If your child has had a fever, has vomited, or has had diarrhea, he/she must be symptom free for 24 hours before returning to school. With a fever, your child must be fever free without the use of fever-reducing medication for 24 hours before returning to school. I know this is sometimes frustrating, because you do not want your child to miss school. We don't want your child to miss school, either. However, we do not want to spread illness throughout the class. Thanks so much for your understanding.
Reminders
- If your child will not be riding the bus, please contact transportation prior to school to let them know at 594-4117.
- Please check your child's notebook daily for important information and/or artwork that is being sent home.
- If you have not already sent in an extra change of clothes for your child, please do so as soon as possible.