Week Two!

We survived our first full week of prekindergarten!  The students seem to be settling into the routine of school.  Unfortunately the rainy weather kept us inside most the week.  However, we were lucky enough to go to the library, the gym, as well as have music class with Mrs. Stanksi this week!  

You can click here to see more pictures from music!

This past week we continued to work on developing our school routines.  Our Monday afternoon class experienced their first school wide emergency evacuation practice.  I was so proud of how patient our students were.  They had to stand in line for a long time until the drill was over.  

We are Crazy About Pete!

This week we experimented with strawberries, blueberries, and mud - just like Pete!  Earlier in the week we painted with berries and mud.  We also painted using shoes, as well as painted shoes using red (strawberry), blue (blueberry), and brown (mud) paint.  The students were delighted on Wednesday and Thursday when they were finally allowed to taste test those juicy berries.  It was all squeals during Pete's sensory walk.  The students had the opportunity to walk through bins of strawberries, blueberries, mud, and water during center time.  

You can click here to see more pictures from our Pete fun.

In the Gym

Last week in the gym we began to learn about the gym rules.  We also learned a new fun game called cat tag.  Next week we will continue to work on being the safe in the gym, and we will also be learning a new game called airport.

Scholastic Book Order

Next week your child will be bringing home a Scholastic Book order form.  Purchasing books from Scholastic is completed optional.  You are by no means obligated to buy books from the Scholastic Book order.  Scholastic Book orders give parents the opportunity to buy high quality children's books for a reasonable price.  When you make a purchase from Scholastic, our classroom earns points that can be used to purchase new books and materials for our prekindergarten classroom.  You can pay online or with a cheque.  Our first Scholastic Book Order is due on Thursday, October 5th.

Click here to see more pictures from week two!

Lost and Found

Please let me know if this sweater belongs to your child!  It was left behind one day during the first week of school.  

Coming Up

Next week prekindergarten will be all about apples!  We will also be having our own little Terry Fox Walk/Run around the school yard on both Wednesday and Thursday. 

• September 27th - picture day for the full time and M/W students
• September 28th - picture day for the T/Th students 
• October 4th and 5th - early dismissal days
• the morning class will dismiss at 10:30 am
• the afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm
• October 5th - Scholastic Book orders due 

Happy First Days!

Prekindergarten has gotten off to a great start.  I am so proud of how brave each and every one of our students has been!  We have had a fun couple of days and I think we are going to have an amazing year.

You can click here to see more pictures from our first day of school!

Routines, Routines, Routines!

We have spent a significant amount of time these last couple of days trying to begin to establish some PreK routines.  Children are more relaxed in their environment when they have a predictable routine set in place.  We will continue to work on establishing our PreK routines over the next month.

Safety

We started talking about Emergency Evacuations this week.  We even began practicing emergency evacuation drills within our classroom.  We are getting ready for a real emergency evacuation practice that will be happening soon with all of the other boys and girls from our school!  I have been talking to your children about the importance of staying together with their PreK teachers and class during an emergency evacuation drill.  I have also been warning them about how loud the emergency evacuation bell is - but that it's okay, it is just loud, not scary.

Pick Up

As we work to find our end of the day and pick up routine, I am asking parents to please make sure a PreK staff member knows you have picked up your child before you leave.  Especially with our afternoon classes when there are kids from other grades going in and out of the school at the same time.

I am working with the students that they need to get their outside shoes or boots on, then line up on the black line and wait until a staff member can help them find their parents.  Thank you for helping us with this process!

Umbrella Breathing

This week I began to teach the students about "umbrella breathing."  Umbrella breathing (deep breathing) is a self regulation tool that can be used for calming yourself when you are upset.  We will be practicing umbrella breathing every day in our classroom using our "breathing bell."  Once the students understand how to umbrella breathe we will work with them to use umbrella breathing as a tool to help calm themselves down if they are upset.

You can click here to see more pictures from our first week of school.

Pete the Cat

Our theme right now is Pete the Cat.  We have been reading "Pete the Cat: I Love My White Shoes" by Eric Litwin.  I strongly recommend this book if you are looking for a story to enjoy with your child.  Next week we will have Pete themed art and sensory play.

Coming Up

Next week we will continue to enjoy our Pete theme.  We plan to get messy squishing berries and mud just like Pete does in the book!  We will also be working on how to play together, how to clean up after ourselves, as well as emergency evacuation practices.  We will begin going to the gym and library next week as well, although we will not be bringing library books home at this time (maybe the following week).  We will also begin having music classes with Mrs. Stanski.

Important upcoming dates:

• September 27th - Picture day for PreK students (except T/Th kids)
• September 28th - Picture day for the T/Th PreK students
• October 4th and 5th - Early Dismissal Days
• the morning class will dismiss at 10:30 am
• the afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm

Welcome to PreK!

Our classroom is all set and we are ready for prekindergarten to start tomorrow!  Thank you to all of the families for attending the meet and greets over the past week.  We enjoyed getting to know you and your child on a more personal level.

Allergies

Please be aware that our classroom has a peanut and rice allergy this year.  I would appreciate if all of our prekindergarten families could help out by avoiding these foods when packing school snacks.

I am looking forward to a fun year of prekindergarten.  See you soon!

Summer has Officially Arrived!

Well, I can hardly believe that our year of prekindergarten has come to an end!  I would personally like to thank each and every one of you for making my first year in PreK a wonderful experience.  It has been such a joy getting know your children and I will genuinely miss each and every one of them as they move on to the next chapter of their lives.

Fun in the Sun!

We had a fun last week of school.  The students were so well behaved during our two field trips to Centennial Park.  We lucked out with the weather both days as well!  Click here to see more pictures of our spray park adventures.

Picnic

Thank you to the families who attended our end of the year picnic.  Even though the weather not cooperative, we still managed to have a good time.  It was a nice way to wrap up a successful school year.

Thank you Riverview School

As we pack up and get ready to move our program back to Robina Baker School it is a time to remember how wonderful Riverview School has been to PreK!  We have felt so welcomed and appreciated being here - so thank you Riverview School for housing our program for the past two years!  The students presented the office with a little departing gift to say thanks this week.

Balloon Horns

If you are wondering about that interesting contraption your child brought home that is made from a piece of PVC pipe with a balloon attached to it, it is actually a balloon horn.  To work it your child needs to blow through the tubing while slightly stretching the balloon and holding the PVC pipe upright in front their face (the balloon needs to be bent at a 90 degree angle to the pipe).  The sound comes from the vibrating balloon.  Some of the students were quite successful at making their horns work, others needed help.  They are pretty fun once you get the knack of them!

Have a Great Summer

I hope everyone has a wonderful summer full of sunshine and quality family time.  I will see most of you in September at Robina Baker School!

Happy Father's Day!

I would like to wish all of our prekindergarten Dad's a very happy Father's Day this weekend.  I hope you enjoy some quality family time this Sunday.

Under The Sea!

We had a fun week under the sea in PreK!  We made soapy sea foam in our sensory bin - the students loved exploring with this foamy, soapy mixture.  You can click here to see more pictures of our sensory play.  

Fine Motor Skills

This week in art we worked on cutting, pincer grasp, and hand-eye coordination.  We made paper bag jellyfish, stamped with celery, and made on our 'top secret' Father's Day Gifts - we hope you enjoy them.  The students worked hard and were proud of their final product!

Click here to see more pictures of our ocean artwork.

Five Little Fish Swimming in the Sea

We learned a new finger play this week, "Five Little Fish."  

This simple little finger play is a fun counting song that works on so many important developmental skills.  We had fun singing it with both our fingers, as well as while using puppets.  Our afternoon class had fun singing this song with Mrs. Tewitz Wednesday while Mrs. Watt and I attended a professional development session on developmental delays.  Click here to see more pictures of this finger play.

FOPs Picnic

Thank you to the families who braved the cold weather to attend the FOPs wind up BBQ last week.  Even though it was a little cold and wet, I think the students all had a great time!   

Coming Up

I cannot believe we are coming up on our LAST week of PreK.  It will be an exciting week for sure.  

• June 19th and 20th - field trips to the Centennial Spray Park
• You are required to sign an online consent form through your PowerSchool account before your child can participate in this field trip
• Please send your children to school with a swim suit, sunscreen, and a towel
• Drop your children off at Riverview School at their normal drop off time 
• Morning class drop off - 8:25am
• Afternoon class drop off - 12:15 pm
• Pick your children up from the Centennial Spray Park at their normal pick up time 
• Morning class pick up - 11:25 am
• Afternoon class pick up - 3:15 pm

• June 22nd - last day of PreK
• PreK Family Picnic 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Riverview School
• Bring a picnic lunch for your family and a blanket for sitting on

Last Day Snacks

We will be having fun activities during our regular classroom time to celebrate our last day of school on June 22nd.  

Parents are welcome to send special party snacks if they would like for the students to enjoy during their class time.  Please let me know if you plan on sending a snack for our party.  

Ocean Exploration

This week we had fun with our Ocean theme.  We mixed up a couple of batches of beach play dough to strengthen our fine motor skills!  We also worked on our hand-eye coordination and pincer grasp by gluing Cheerio "suckers" onto octopus legs.

You can click here to see more pictures of our fine motor beach activities.  

Will They Float?

The big excitement this week was the building and testing of our pool noodle boats.  After we worked to build the boats, the students each made a scientific prediction - do you think the boats will float or sink?  The room was full of cheers and giggles when we tested the boats out.  The students were absolutely delighted that their boats were floating!  You can click here to see more pictures of our boats project.

Slippery Fish

I taught the students an ocean song this week called "Slippery Fish."  We had fun acting this song out using puppets.  I also taught the students the actions for this song.  I have attached the song lyrics, maybe if you are lucky your child will sing it with you at home as well! 

 You can click here to see more pictures of our slippery fish song.

Bye Bye Grass

It was time to say good bye to the grass we grew in our sensory bin.  The students enjoyed "excavating" the grass so that we could empty the bin and turn it into a lake for floating our boats.

Spray Park 

PreKindergarten will be taking two field trips to the Centennial Spray Park on June 19th and June 20th.

Please make sure you sign the electronic permission slip through your PowerSchool account so that your child can participate.

A PreK Picnic!

We will be having a PreK picnic here at Riverview School on the last day of prekindergarten (June 22nd).  PreK families are welcome to join their child for a picnic in our school yard from 11:15 am - 12:15 pm.

• Each family will be responsible for bringing their own picnic lunch and blanket to sit on
• The morning students will still come for their regular morning class (from 8:25 - 11:25 am) and then are welcome to stay for the picnic with their family
• The afternoon students will come for the picnic with their family, and then stay for their regular afternoon class after the picnic is over (from 12:15 - 3:15 pm)
• Our Monday/Wednesday students are more than welcome to join us for both the picnic, as well as their scheduled class time for that day
• If you are unable to attend the picnic it is not a problem - I will be looking for someone to picnic with!  If you cannot attend the picnic, please pack your child a picnic lunch and they are welcome to eat with the PreK staff on our picnic blanket.

Last Day Snacks

We will be having fun activities during our regular classroom time to celebrate our last day of school on June 22nd.  

Parents are welcome to send special party snacks if they would like for the students to enjoy during their class time.  Please let me know if you plan on sending a snack for our party.  

Coming Up

This week we will continue with our ocean theme.

• June 19th and 20th - field trips to the Centennial Spray Park
• Drop your children off at Riverview School at their normal drop off time 
• Morning class drop off - 8:25am
• Afternoon class drop off - 12:15 pm
• Pick your children up from the Centennial Spray Park at their normal pick up time 
• Morning class pick up - 11:25 am
• Afternoon class pick up - 3:15 pm
• June 22nd - last day of PreK
• PreK Family Picnic 11:15 am - 12:15 pm at Riverview School
• Bring a picnic lunch for your family and a blanket for sitting on

Marshmallows, Marshmallows, Marshmallows!

What would a camping unit be without marshmallows?!  We had fun with marshmallows this week.  We strengthened our fine motor skills by painting with marshmallows and by making marshmallow poppers.  Then after a week of using marshmallows for art projects, I finally let the students eat them!  The students were thrilled to make s'mores on a stick, and they were a yummy treat too.  You can click here to see more pictures of our s'more making.

Camping Lanterns

Everyone needs a lantern when they go camping.  The students had fun making their own special camping lanterns this past week.  When the lanterns were all made we had a special campfire sing along with our lanterns in the dark!

What's Your Trigger?

This week during our Zones of Regulation lessons we talked about triggers.  Triggers are something that can move you from zone to zone.  We began to touch on the concept that sometimes you can be happy and in the green zone, and then something happens (for instance, it is time to clean up your toys) and it frustrates you and puts you into the red zone.  We brainstormed the different triggers that we have in our prekindergarten world.  We also talked about different 'tools' we can use (deep breathing, counting, squishing a stress ball) to help keep ourselves calm if we know a trigger is coming up.

I also introduced the concept of big problems versus little problems.  We talked through several PreK problems we have and tried to hash out if they were big problems or little problems.  We concluded that big problems (when someone is hurt or is in danger) require big reactions, and that little problems need small reactions.  We will be using this wording as we help the students work through their issues during their PreK day.

A Camping Scavenger Hunt

We went for a little camping hike around the school yard to see how many bugs we could find.  The students were determined to find all of the bugs on their list.  Too bad there were no grasshoppers or slugs to be found!

Click here to see more pictures from our scavenger hunt.  

Field Trip!

We will be taking two walking field trips to Centennial Park this month on June 19th and June 20th.  Please check your email and your child's mail bag for more information.  

Each child will need a signed consent form to participate.  Consent forms are signed online by logging into your parent PowerSchool account.  

A Special Morning Visitor!

We had an exciting visitor during show and tell this week!  Our morning class was thrilled to meet "Spike" the bearded dragon.  Thank you Michelle for bringing him in to show the class.  

Click here to see more pictures of Spikes visit to PreK.

Coming Up!

It's hard to believe it is June already.  This week will begin our Ocean unit.

• June 7th and June 8th - early dismissal days
• The morning class will dismiss at 10:25 am
• The afternoon class will dismiss at 2:15 pm  
• June 19th and 20th - field trips to Centennial Park
• Please sign the online consent form through PowerSchool
• June 22nd - Last day of PreK