Apple Week!

We continued to settle into the routines of prekindergarten while we had fun exploring apples this week. Unfortunately I am still waiting for the green light to post pictures on the weekly blog. But don't you worry, they are coming and I promise they will be worth the wait!

Apple Investigation

We opened an apple investigation station this week. Students had fun weighing, comparing, and examining apples with magnifying glasses.

Apple Painting

We used apples for painting! It was all smiles as the students strengthened their hand-eye coordination by rolling apples around in paint to create placemats that we will be using for snack time.

Apple Trouble!

The students enjoyed listening to Apple Trouble! this week. The cute story line of a hedgehog who gets an apple stuck to her back had them all wanting more.

Terry Fox Run

Being that the rest of our school had their Terry Fox Run on Friday, we decided to have our own little Terry Fox Run/Walk's on Wednesday and Thursday this week. After having a brief, pre-k style lesson on who Terry Fox was, and how he amazingly tried to run across Canada even though he was sick to raise money to help other sick people; we took the students for a quick run around the schoolyard in Terry Fox's memory.  

Orange Shirt Day

In pre-kindergarten we will be wearing orange shirts on Monday, September 30th as well as Tuesday, October 1st to recognize orange shirt day. (Even though orange shirt day is technically on September 30th, we will wear orange on October 1st as well so that our Tuesday/Thursday students can have the chance to participate). Orange shirt day was developed to raise awareness about the residential school system and its impact on Canada's Indigenous communities. Let's wear orange next week to show that every child matters!

Staffing Update

Our PK numbers have been growing, and so is our PK staff! We would like to welcome two new educational assistants to our team. Mrs. Amanda Moench who will be working with us full time, and Miss Geraldine Castellani who will be working with the morning class. 

We have also had a slight shuffle in Mrs. Kaluza's pre-kindergarten assignment. She will now be team teaching with Mrs. Porter in the afternoons instead of mornings.

Coming Up

Since fall is here, we might as well embrace it! Next week will be all about fall. Important upcoming dates:

• September 30th & October 1st - Orange Shirt Days
• Wear orange to show that every child matters 
• October 2nd & October 3rd - Early Dismissal Days
• the morning class will dismiss at 10:45 am
• the afternoon class will dismiss at 2:25 pm
• October 9th - Picture retakes
• If your child missed picture day, or if you would like retakes done, you are welcome to bring your child in for retakes, even if it is not their regularly scheduled school day.
• October 14th - Thanksgiving Day, no school
• October 21st - PD Day, no school

Strawberries, Blueberries, and Mud!

Messy Fun!

What a fantastic week, I was so proud of all of your children this week. Everyone was so brave and had a fun time making new friends at school. It was nice to have all of our students in attendance and to begin establishing our school routine.

I am still waiting for the green light from the office staff before I can begin posting pictures on the blog. Hopefully by the end of next week all of the FOIP forms will be sorted out and I can share the cuteness overload that has been happening in here!

This week was all about our good friend Pete the cat! We read two different Pete books and engaged in some fun Pete themed adventures.

Pete's School Tour

After reading about Pete discovering his new school in Pete the Cat: Rocking in My School Shoes by Eric Litwin, we enjoyed a school scavenger hunt of our school where we challenged our students to find the places within our school that will be familiar to us this year: the library, the office, and the gym.

We also spent time reading Eric Litwin's book, Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes. In this story Pete steps in strawberries, blueberries, mud, and water! This motivated us to explore with these materials at school as well. 

Pete's Pizzas

We used strawberries, blueberries, and mud to build our very own Pete Pizzas! Okay, maybe we switched out the mud for Nutella, but this was a delicious activity none-the-less! Check out our recipe:

• Rice Cake
• Nutella
• Strawberries
• Blueberries
• Cool Whip
• Enjoy!

Pete's Sensory Walk

You might have noticed some dirty toes coming home last week - sorry about that! We re-enacted Pete's story by stepping in strawberries, blueberries, mud, and water ourselves! This was the ultimate sensory experience. Some of your children absolutely loved it, some were NOT going to go in! I can't wait to share the rest of the pictures from this messy activity.

Welcome Mrs. Kaluza!

We are thrilled to announce that Mrs. Kristen Kaluza will be joining our morning class. Mrs. Kaluza will be team teaching with Mrs. Porter in the mornings. This will likely begin the week of September 30th. 

Pre-Kindergarten Pick Up

In Pre-K we often end our day at the park. I have created signs to hang on the front door of the school that will help parents know where to find us at pick up time. The signs will designate which park we are at and have an arrow to point you in the right direction. Please try to get in the habit of checking the front doors for a sign when you are picking up your child. If there is no sign, that means we are inside and will come upstairs at home time like usual.  

Picture Day!

Picture day is coming up! The photographer will be here on Wednesday, September 25th and Thursday, September 26th to take everyone's pictures. 

• The PUF and M/M funded students will have their pictures taken on Wednesday
• The Monday/Wednesday students will have their pictures taken on Wednesday
• The Tuesday/Thursday students will have their pictures taken on Thursday

Coming Up

Our next theme is going to be apples. Important upcoming dates:

• September 25th & 26th - Picture day
• September 30th & October 1st - Orange shirt day
• October 2nd & 3rd - Early dismissal days
• the morning class will dismiss at 10:45 am
• the afternoon class will dismiss at 2:25 pm
• October 14th - Thanksgiving Day, no school
• October 21st - PD Day, no school

Welcome to Pre-Kindergarten!

We had a wonderful first week with our funded students. We spent the week working on the routine of school and we are looking forward to the rest of our students joining us next week! 

Our week was fairly relaxed with a lot of time devoted to playing, exploring the classroom, and getting to know each other. Visiting the gym and playing in the ball pit were two highlights for our students this week.

Our theme to start off the school year is Pete the Cat. If you are unfamiliar with this cool cat, I strongly recommend all of this books! This week we focused on the book Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes by Eric Litwin.

After reading Pete's story we chose our favorite shoe from the book and had fun painting Pete's shoes either red, blue, or brown.

Park Play

In Pre-K we often end our day at the park. I have created signs to hang on the front door of the school that will help parents know where to find us at pick up time. The signs will designate which park we are at and have an arrow to point you in the right direction. Please try to get in the habit of checking the front doors for a sign when you are picking up your child. If there is no sign, that means we are inside and will come upstairs at home time like usual.  

Coming Up

This week we will continue with our theme of Pete the Cat. 

Important upcoming dates:

• September 16th - First day for Monday/Wednesday students
• September 17th - First day for Tuesday/Thursday students
• September 30th & October 1st - Orange shirt day
• October 2nd & 3rd - Early dismissal days
• the morning class will dismiss at 10:45 am
• the afternoon class will dismiss at 2:25 pm
• October 14th - Thanksgiving Day, no school
• October 21st - PD Day, no school