Today the students are collaging using clips from garden magazines the parents donated. A fun way to strengthen their little hands and to properly learn how to use the scissors. This project also builds their composition skills. I also love seeing them light up when they recognize a plant or flowers from their gardens at home. -Mrs. Monica
Month: April 2019
Room 1 Holy Week Festivities!
Room 1 has had a very busy and exciting week in preparation for Easter! Each day we had a special activity to help our kiddos remember the true meaning of Easter: Jesus’ death and resurrection!
Monday we watercolor painted wooden crosses and wrote our name in the middle to remind us that Jesus died for us! We are so thankful for Jesus’ sacrifice for us that we made a big Thank You card for Jesus and took turns signing our names. We even played Resurrection Bingo!
Tuesday we had worship with Ms. Sarah and her guitar, with special guest Ms. Joy helping with hand motions. We sang our favorite Jana Alayra songs to worship our king Jesus!
Wednesday we went to an all-school Easter chapel and then had a Resurrection Egg hunt on the big field. We had a great class discussion as we retold the story opening up the eggs one at a time.
Thursday we ended our Holy Week celebrations by watching The Beginner’s Bible: The Story of Easter movie!
We hope you have a blessed Easter weekend and take time to thank Jesus and worship Him… just like we did all week long!
“And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to death— even death on a cross! Therefore God exalted him to the highest place and gave him the name that is above every name, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue acknowledge that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
Philippians 2:8-11
Insect Inventions
Hi all!
We have been studying, exploring, experimenting, observing and documenting all things, insectely speaking. Your blessings now know everything there is to know about Praying Mantises, spiders, Honey Bees, ants, caterpillar-chrysalis-butterflies, ladybugs and metamorphosis! Whew! I’m tired thinking about all those facts! A few days ago we brainstormed wondering if God allowed us to create for a day, what new type of insect we would bring to life. We discussed color, size, shape, number of legs, feet, antenna, eyes, mouths and what they would eat. This pow-wow led us to our very own creation (cue drum roll), the amazing Goo-Goo Chomperbug!! He eats big, big, giant sandwiches and bubblegum. He sometimes lives in a huge log in a river and other time in an undisclosed location 😉. He can fly but don’t make him angry because he will turn into a giant LOL doll! Oh my!! Below are some rare up close pics (drawings actually) of Mr. Chomperbug. Check him out! Please save the date of April 26th, Open House, when you can come and see all our bug explorations and hard work up close. Come one, come all, bring a friend!
April 2019 Preschool News and Calendar of Events
I know there are two more months of school, but I wanted to extend a SINCERE thank you to all of you SPECTACULAR parents! This year has been such a pleasure working with each and every one of you. Your courtesy, respect, love and passion for your children, support of the school, and engagement in our classrooms has been more than notable…it has been OUTSTANDING! Your “Littles” are lucky to have you…and so are we!
Spring is such a fun time of year in the preschool. April and May will be filled with so many adventures, including watching the life cycle of various insects, gardening, learning about Easter, and for our pre-k students, practicing for our big promotion ceremony!
NEWS, NOTES & MORE
Summer Registration – If you haven’t already, please remember to submit your child’s summer registration forms. Registration is space-available and some classes are close to capacity.
Summer Tuition – I want to pay, but can’t find the charges! Fear not my diligent parents….if you submitted your summer registration forms, please log into Smart Tuition and click into the 2019-2020 school year to view your summer tuition charges. Please review carefully and let us know if there are any concerns or adjustments.
Summer Camp General Information – Be on the lookout for informational summer emails. These will be sent out in May and will contain supply lists, placement rosters, etc.
Kinder Camp Orientation Night – Wednesday, May 15 @ 6:15 pm – Location: PCS KINDERGARTEN CLASSROOMS (1492 N. Garfield)
Save the date! If your child will be attending Kinder Camp this summer, please plan to attend our Kinder Camp Orientation Night! This is an important evening as you will get to meet some of the teachers and learn what Kinder Camp is all about. From curriculum and schedules to drop-offs and ordering hot lunch (and everything in between!), this evening will help you acclimate to the “BIG” school environment! CHILDCARE WILL BE PROVIDED & PIZZA WILL BE SERVED!
PRESCHOOL PROMOTION CEREMONY (Rooms 1 & 2) – Wednesday, May 29th @ 6:00
Parents of Rooms 1 & 2 students are asked to mark their calendars for May 29th as this is a VERY special evening for your students! During this evening, you will enjoy a slideshow of preschool memories, a selection of songs performed by the students, and a presentation of certificates. Bring the family and some tissues…you will need them! Invitations to follow.
BIG EVENTS: (Scroll to bottom for full calendar and upcoming holidays)
Week of the Young Child – April 8 – 12
We will be celebrating the Week of the Young Child with a week of literacy-based activities. See posted flyers for details. We encourage everyone to participate each day!
Open House – Friday, April 26th @ 6:30 pm
Please plan to attend our annual PCS Open House. This is a drop-in event where each classroom showcases the work the students did over the past year. You can enjoy visiting your child’s classroom as well as visiting their future classrooms! We also encourage you to visit the PCS campus as there are always treasures to see up there, including the art fair, baby chicks in kindergarten, and more!
PCS Gala – Saturday, April 27th – University Club
The PCS Gala is an evening of dining, dancing, bidding on fabulous items such as student-made treasures, jewelry, art, themed baskets, and more. Please see the invitation for RSVP information.
Preschool Year End Picnic – Saturday, May 18th – 11:00 – 1:00
Save the date for our last “hurrah” of the school year! Families will enjoy water play, crafts, face painting, snow cones, and a picnic lunch.
PARENT TEACHER FELLOWSHIP (PTF):
WHAT IS THAT $150 charge on my Smart Tuition!?!? Each preschool family is responsible for completing 10 hours of MVP service. If you have not submitted your MVP booklet, your account reflects a $150 charge. THIS CHARGE WILL BE REMOVED PROVIDED YOUR BOOKLET IS TURNED IN BY MAY 31, 2019 (PHEW!).
Volunteer opportunities are available! Check back regularly as events are added as the year progresses. Please follow this link: https://signup.com/group/1186271400029
CLASSROOM TEACHER TREATS:
Friday, April 12 – Parents of Room 3
Friday, May 17 – Parents of Rooms 4 & 5
HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEACHERS!!!
April 3 – Mrs. Joy (Office)
April 7 – Mrs. Monica (Art), Ms. Melissa (Rm 4), Ms. Teresa (Substitute)
April 23 – Ms. Nellie (Rm 1)
CALENDAR OF EVENTS:
April 8 – 12 – Week of the Young Child Celebration (see flyers)
April 18 – Accreditation Work Day – Minimum Day
(dismiss at 12:00)
April 19 & 22 – Easter Holiday – School Closed
April 26 – Open House – 6:30 pm – Minimum Day
(dismiss at 12:00)
April 27 – PCS Gala – Save the date and join the fun! This is a BIG event!
May 18 (Saturday) – Preschool Family Picnic
May 27 – Memorial Day, School Closed
May 29 – Minimum Day (dismiss at 12:00)
May 29 – Preschool Promotion Ceremony – Rooms 1 & 2
May 30 – Last Day of School – Minimum Day (dismiss at 12:00)
May 31 – Faculty Check Out – No Students
June 3 – 7 – Summer Prep Week – No Students
June 10 – July 5 – Summer Session 1
July 8 – August 2 – Summer Session 2
Winter Village
The students had such a fun time with this art project…painting “snow” onto the village to create a winter wonderland. We also shared stories about playing in the snow and going to the mountains. Some of our friends haven’t experienced the snow. I encourage you to take a day trip to go see some snow. We are blessed to live near the mountains…. 😉
-Mrs. Monica
APPLES
Dear Parents,
Thank you for bringing all the delicious apples, your generous contribution made this apple galore an exciting successful apple-venture filled with many different activities to do with your children. We have done apple tasting, made apple dumplings, and most recently made apple sauce.
On September 27th and 28th, the children participated in apple tasting and charting. On October 3rd and 4th, we made apple dumplings and they were able to follow direction such as spreading the dough, placing the apple in the center, shaking the cinnamon and sugar, wrapping the apple with the dough, and enjoying a delicious dessert after lunch. On October 10th and 11th, we made apple sauce and the children were chopping the apples into small piece with butter knives. We are looking forward to a lot more fun activities this school year.
Dot Painting
I read the inspiring story, “The Dot,” by Peter Reynolds. It’s an inspiring story about art, not giving up, and seeing where art takes you. The students then painted their very own dot painting and expressed themselves based on the story. Enjoy!
-Mrs. Monica
WINTER FUN
In January we had lots of fun discussing and exploring the different kinds of weather. We had “WINTER” this year, days that were really cold, days that were rainy and other days that were sunny. We read books about arctic animals, snow and rain. The children played with ice and animals that live in Antarctica, built some snowmen with different size boxes, dressed it up with scarves, hats and with their imagination they requested features to be added such as a face, buttons and arms. We really got to enjoy our outside play making mud piles and making lots of different molded shapes with the wet sand. As we engage in outside play, the children enjoyed a fun and messy experience with cornstarch as they discovered texture, cause and effect, and measuring. With all these experiences the children were exposed to social-emotional, cognitive, math and language skills.
“SHENANIGANS”
The shamrock is used as a spiritual symbol; each leaf demonstrates a feature of the Christian trinity. God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. Glory be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit. As it was in the Beginning is now, and ever shall be, world without end. Amen
“PATTERNING and SORTING“
“SCIENCE WITH SKITTLES” Taste the rainbow.
“HAPPY ST. PATTY’S DAY”
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We read “Little Blue and Little Yellow.” What happens when you mix blue and yellow? We see GREEN
“DEVELOPING Fine Motor SKILLS While Learning Colors”
“OUTDOOR FUN“
Observational Drawing
The children sculpted a character using Play-Doh and used many different plastic parts such as arms, eyes, legs, nose, hat, mouth to add features to their creation. They then used their fun character to do an observational drawing. Such a fun and silly activity that teaches children to observe and draw their subject. It also builds imagination!
-Mrs. Monica