Mrs. Lloyd's Blog

What fun we had showing off our disguised turkeys! Thank you to everyone who helped! They were so very creative!!

These last two weeks before Thanksgiving break are filled with all kinds of new ways to learn. We have been super hands on, out of our seats, even in the DARK!! There are so many different ways for your child to learn and we are starting to explore them. Sitting in a seat gets boring FAST, so we are shaking it up a bit! Here are some of the fun things we have done so far!

We are in centers with a friend playing on the iPad (ABC Mouse) , reading books, sorting elephants, matching shapes, playing Boggle Jr, working puzzles and many other things. We are always adding and switching out the centers, ask your child which one is his/her favorite!!

We worked on clipboards out of our seat. Tummy time is the best! This way they also had to copy what was projected on the SmartBoard, that is a skill they will always use!

Math can be made fun with dominoes. We practiced counting the dots and matching while learning all about taking turns.

What could make learning the ABC’s more interesting? Flashlight spy search!! We turned off all the lights, partnered up and grabbed a flashlight to find and sneak up on all the letters we could find around the room. What fun this was!!

Don’t forget your child’s turkey needs to be disguised by Monday, November 14th. We will be taking a class picture with our special turkeys so please make sure to send it. You can send it early if you want! Here are some examples if you need some inspiration! Turkeys in disguise

This is for fun, please don’t feel obligated to spend money, you can use whatever you find around the house or outside! Or you can just color it in disguise!! Also, please make sure your child is included in the project, I know its easier to just do it for them 🙂 but this way they can tell the class how much fun they had hiding their turkey!

The work I sent home in the folder is NOT mandatory. It is just for your child’s benefit and a way for you to help them at home. Three hours a day is not very long, especially when you add in breakfast/lunch, recess and potty breaks!! With it not being mandatory I will be rewarding those who do finish the work, with 10 minutes of extra recess on Friday! Please remember the work will come home every Monday and your child has all week to complete it. I am so glad we get to work together in this PreK journey! Your littles are learning so much every day!

We have had an amazing first 9 weeks together in PreK! We sent home report cards last week, these help you see where your child is. If your child had several U’s or N’s please remember this is their first time being in school. This will help you see how they are progressing over the next 9 weeks! Expect some HUGE changes as we dive in even deeper! PreK is a head-start for Kindergarten and our goal is to get them as ready as possible! If you feel you need to meet with me about your child please feel free to call or email me and schedule a conference.

Here are just some things we have learned so far:

Every day we work on our days of the week, months of the year and special holidays that are going to happen during that month.

We count to 10 every day, forwards and backwards. We also play skip around with our numbers so we really learn what they look like, and where they go on the number line.

We say our ABC’s and have so far learned how to write Aa-Gg. We also work on the sounds they make as we learn the letter. (These are great things to work on at home, especially since Kindergarten begins reading during the first 9 weeks of school.)

We have learned how to make, copy and continue AB and ABC patterns.

We have learned how to identify our name in the classroom and are working on being able to write and spell it.

We have learned how to take care of our personal needs in the cafeteria and in the classroom and have learned the rules for each setting. We have also learned playground safety and lots of fun new games!

We have learned how to work well with each other since most of our centers have two kids at each.

Most importantly we have had fun learning!!

Our morning class was able to explore the fire truck and sit in the back. The afternoon class got to practice listening for the fire alarm and learning what to do in case of a fire at home or school. They also got to practice “stop, drop and roll.” We also learned about the number 911 and learned a fun song to sing to help us remember. Here is the link for the song and video 911 song

Many of you have asked what the calendar in your child’s folder is for. It is a way for me to show you your child’s behavior during the day. It is important that you look and initial it each night because I keep it as a reference for the progress and report cards. The chart is visible in the classroom for you child to see at all times. Each child has a clip with his/her name on it, and when told to pull it they know to move it down to the next color. Every day each child starts out on GREEN, which is a normal smiley face in the folder. After given several warnings and chances if the child doesn’t correct his/her behavior they will be told to move to YELLOW, which is a straight faced smiley. If the behavior is repeated again the clip will be moved to RED, which is a sad face in the folder. An appropriate time-out during recess is given once the child has pulled a clip.  A BLUE happy face has to be earned. This is done by following all the rules perfectly or doing something extra special, like helping a friend without being asked etc… BLUE is also given every Friday if the child has earned all Blues or Greens for the week.  If your child has earned a BLUE at any time they will get to pick a toy out of the treasure box (I am also always open to treasure box donations as it empties fast). I try hard to write in the folder why a yellow or red has been earned but sometimes the day gets away from me, if at any time you have a question please feel free to contact me in some way.

PreK is all about learning how school works. We cover the rules of the school and classroom first, your child will learn all about Champ behavior. They learn how to walk in the halls, sit in the classroom, listen to instructions and treat friends and teachers with respect. Not only will they learn the basics such as ABC’s, 123’s, shapes and colors they will have a jump-start to Kindergarten. I am so excited about this year and working with you to give your child the best head start possible. I am always available to meet or speak with you about your child’s behavior and/or needs in the classroom. Please make sure you are looking at and signing the behavior chart that comes home each day in your child’s folder. This allows you to see how he/she acted during the day. By signing this I know that you have seen and acknowledged it. Please do not remove the calendar from the folder as I have to keep these in your child’s folder for future reference such as reporting at the nine weeks. Please make sure you have read the student handbook, there we have rules for things like birthday invites, parties, eating with your child, pickup and dress-code. I am looking forward to a wonderful year with you and your child. Please do not hesitate to contact me if you feel the need.

Shelley Lloyd