Thank you Lieutenant Fricke

Today Lieutenant Fricke (Emma's Dad) came into our school.  He showed up the equipment fire fighters use  during medical and fire emergencies.  We talked about when to call 911 and how we should talk to our families about having a safe spot outside of our house in case of a fire.  He let us try on his coat and oxygen tank too.  Then we sang our favorite fire truck song to say thank you. 

FYI - There is a video above that can be viewed via computer instead of via phone.

Community Unit -March3-7

Reminder--Picture Day is March 5
Books This Week:
Wilfrid Gordon McDonald Partridge
Doctor DeSoto
Harry and the Bucketful of Dinosaurs

Small Groups For This Week:
1. Circle Attributes- We will discuss what a circle is. (ie. not corners, round,) We will objects then take about how they are circles. Then we will take clipboards and go on a circle hunt in the preschool.

2. Math- Counting teeth book. We will count the number of teeth in each smile, then write the number on each toothbrush.
3.Language- Using socks (inspired by Corduroy) we will match uppercase letter socks to the pair that has the sock with a picture of the sound for that letter.
Letter knowledge- We will match uppercase letters to their lowercase letters. Each mailbox will have an uppercase letter. Then they will cut and glue the correct lowercase letter envelope to go next to the correct mailbox.

well.

Let's Talk About It
Care for older people (elderly)
Tooth Anatomy
Pulley and simple machine exploration (from the science center)

Centers
Art Table: circle art 
Block Area: Blocks and community people
Sensory Table: Shooting water on the fire (paper firesthat has numbers on them)
Book Area: books about community
Easel: open ended painting
Writing Table: markers
Dramatic Play: Eye Doctor
Puzzles and Manipulatives: simple machines(ramps, pulleys)

Handwriting
We will continuing a program called Handwriting Without Tears. It's focus is on letter formation and letter awareness. This program reinforces proper grasp and trying to strenghten fine motor muscles.
-We are working on letters with diagonal lines such as K, M, W, V, X, and A.

Songs, Word Play, and Language
-Hello Neighbor Song
-Firetruck Truck
-Diagonal Line Song (HWT)

Preschool Manners
We are continuing on this skill.
-When someone is in your way or has something you want, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you, then you say"May I____________?" to get what you want.

Digital Innovator Video of our Class

I created a video to showcase how technology is used in our classroom as part of the WGBH's Digital Innovator contest.  This video is featured on Patrick Larkin's Sharing Learning Every Day in Burlington Blog (Day 103). 
Click on the link below to see the post along with the video that features our students.

http://burlingtonblogs.blogspot.com/2014/02/day-102-how-bps-preschoolers-use.html

Community Unit Feb. 24-28

***Have a wonderful vacation!! See you on Feb. 24

Books This Week:
A Pocket for Corduroy
Doctor DeSoto

Small Groups For This Week:
1. Language- We will be sequencing pictures to retell the story of Corduroy
2. Math- Sorting Junk Mail- We will be sorting "teacher junk mail".  The children will help get our mail from our school mailbox.  We will bring it back to our classroom and sort it in different ways. By color, size, and shape.  They will be a great help!
3. Math-Weighing- We will be using scales to weigh different packages. We will compare their weight first by estimating which is heavier by feeling it then we will use a scale to see which package is heavier and lighter.  We will then put them in size order from the lightest to the heaviest.

1. Circle Attributes- We will discuss what a circle is. (ie. not corners, round,) We will objects then take about how they are circles. Then we will take clipboards and go on a circle hunt in the preschool.
2. Math- Counting teeth book.  We will count the number of teeth in each smile, then write the number on each toothbrush.
3.Letter knowledge- We will match uppercase letters to their lowercase letters.  Each mailbox will have an uppercase letter. Then they will cut and glue the correct lowercase letter envelope to go next to the correct mailbox. 

We will begin the process of making our houses out of cereal boxes.  This will continue into next week as well.

Let's Talk About It 
Community Workers that help us
Going to the Dentist
Pulley and simple machine exploration

Centers
Art Table: Painting our houses
Block Area: Blocks and community people (taking pictures to make a class book too)
Sensory Table: Brushing Teeth (bottom of soda bottles to look teeth and toothbrushes)
Book Area: books about community
Easel: open ended painting
Writing Table: markers
Dramatic Play: Pizza Shop
Puzzles and Manipulatives: simple machines(ramps, pulleys)

Handwriting
We will continuing a program called Handwriting Without Tears. It's focus is on letter formation and letter awareness. This program reinforces proper grasp and trying to strenghten fine motor muscles.
-We are working on letters with diagonal lines such as K, M, W, V, X, and A.

Songs, Word Play, and Language
-Hello Neighbor Song
-Firetruck Truck
-Diagonal Line Song (HWT)

Preschool Manners
We are continuing on this skill.
-When someone is in your way or has something you want, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you, then you say"May I____________?" to get what you want.

Mailing Letters to YOU!!!!

 In our unit of Community, we are reading a book called Good-Bye Curtis.  It is about a mail carrier in a community that is retiring. Today we wrote real letters in our handwriting groups to our families.  Then we  addressed envelopes to mail them in.  We are learning our addresses so this reinforces this as well.  Then we each put them in our class mail box.  We carried our mailbox to the "post office" in the high school to be mailed for real.  We watched a special machine stamp our letters too. Please check your home mailboxes for these letters.  The children are very excited and it is fun for them to learn this process.

Community Feb. 10-14

Febuary 14- Valentines Day
We will be exchanging cards with one another. Please send them in on Thursday or Friday.

Books This Week:
Good-Bye Curtis
A Pocket for Corduroy

Small Groups For This Week:
1. Writing- We will be creating a new class book about places in our community.  We will be sending it home shortly.
2. Math-Weighing- We will be using scales to weigh different packages. We will compare their weight first by estimating which is heavier by feeling it then we will use a scale to see which package is heavier and lighter.  We will then put them in size order from the lightest to the heaviest.
3. Fine Motor- We will be creating stationary using hearts. Children will choose a pattern and continue the pattern about the frame of the stationary.
1. Language- We will be sequencing pictures to retell the story of Corduroy
2. Math- Sorting Junk Mail- We will be sorting "teacher junk mail".  The children will help get our mail from our school mailbox.  We will bring it back to our classroom and sort it in different ways. By color, size, and shape.  They will be a great help!
3. We will begin the process of making our houses out of cereal boxes.  This will continue into next week as well.

Let's Talk About It 
-My address
-What is a community
-Introducing the post office and mail carriers
-Different communities children belong to

Centers
Art Table: Designing pockets for Corduroy
Block Area: Building house for a community
Sensory Table: Water and bubbles
Book Area: books about community
Easel: open ended painting
Writing Table: homemade stamps
Dramatic Play: Post Office
Puzzles and Manipulatives: tangrams and puzzles

Handwriting
We will continuing a program called Handwriting Without Tears. It's focus is on letter formation and letter awareness. This program reinforces proper grasp and trying to strenghten fine motor muscles.
-We are working on letters with diagonal lines such as K, M, W, V, X, and A.

Songs, Word Play, and Language
-Hello Neighbor Song
-Firetruck Truck
-Diagonal Line Song (HWT)

Preschool Manners
We are continuing on this skill.
-When someone is in your way or has something you want, say, "Excuse me" to get them to look at you, then you say"May I____________?" to get what you want.

Cub Cadet Olympic Games Today Video Attached

To view our i movie below, please view this blog on your computer.  It is unable to be viewed via phone message updates

Today our class participated in the 2014 Cub Cadet Winter Olympic Games.  We had an opening ceremony which included going to ask Dr. Conti and Louise D'Amato to say "Let the Games Begin."
We then went back to our classroom and made passports.  We then played Fly Swatter Hockey, Snow Ball   Collection Race, and the Long Jump.  Every time we participated in an event, we added a sticker to our passport.  Everyone received a gold medal today as well. It was a fun day.

Early Childhood Series Thursday Night

The next session of the Burlington Public Schools Early Learner Series is Thursday, February 6. The session will take place from 6:30pm-7:30pm in the Room B3 of the Burlington Early Childhood Center (BECC). The topic for this month’s discussion is reading with your children at home. We will cover how to pick literature, ways to engage your children with books, as well as supplemental activities to compliment what literature you have read. As usual, we will leave ample time to answer questions, address concerns, and troubleshoot any existing challenges you may come across in this area. We look forward to seeing everyone Thursday night!

-Tiffany D’Abbraccio, M.S.Ed. and Naomi O’Brien, M.Ed, BCBA