We had a fun and busy day in Preschool today.  We reviewed how to write Ll the correct way in upper/lower case and reviewed the Ll sound.  We added several Ll words to our Board list: library laugh, like, lemur, and lights.  Great job Preschool. Everyone enjoyed the story Llama, Llama and the Lucky Pajamas by Anna Dewdney.  
Fun was had by all when we took time to make lemonade.  We squeezed the lemons, added water and sugar, stirred it all up and Yummy, it was good.  We also enjoyed lemon cookies for our snack today.

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Lincoln Log Blocks
*Making letters
*Ladybug Dot counting

In the Art Center today we made an adorable lamb.  We used glue, cotton balls, glue sticks and more to create our cute little lambs.  The glue was still wet, so these will come home next week.
In Small Group we had fun writing our names with shaving cream writing boards.  We also continue to work on scissor skills.


*Special Notes:
​*Norovirus or also known as the vomiting bug is in Michigan. It is the most common cause of gastroenteritis. Symptoms include vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain, fever, dehydration due to the vomiting and diarrhea.  Please, if your child seems to not be feeling well keep them home. In our class, the most common cause of transmission will be the oral route - coughing, sneezing, putting fingers in mouths and touching toys, etc.... Mrs J and I will be cleaning tables and chairs with bleach water at the end of each day.  We will wipe off as many toys as we can, and will open windows to air out the room.  We will do our best to keep the germs away.  Remember, if your child has a fever, he/she must be fever free for 24 hours before sending them back to school.  
*Brrrr. It's cold outside.  We will go outside during the winter. Remember to pack hats and mittens for your child to help keep them warm. Also, please send in mittens and not gloves. Mittens help keep your child's hands warmer because the fingers inside are touching and it's a time management issue in class.  We had 18 students with two hands and 10 fingers on each hand.  Our little ones have a hard time getting their fingers into the proper glove finger spot and we spend a lot of time helping them.  Please help us out by sending in those mittens.  

**A knock knock joke from one of our Preschoolers:  Knock knock. Who's there? Sour Lemon. Sour Lemon who? So sour I squirted you in the eye. 

Welcome back to Preschool.  I hope that everyone enjoyed their break.  It's always nice to settle back, spend time with family and friends, and not live by the clock or routine. Many blessings to each of you for a happy and healthy 2019.

This week we are learning all about the letter Ll.  Our Board story is about Leo the Lion licking a lollipop.   Our Board Words are lion, ladybug, lemon, and lamb.  We added the words love and lullaby.  During Circle Time we started to learn a little ladybug poem.  Our Circle Time story today was Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Letter Ll coloring page
*Lacing Cards
*Lego Blocks
*Sand Table

In the Art Center today we had fun painting with Lego blocks.  It was a bit messy, but lots of fun.  I'll send these home on Thursday.  The paint was too wet to go home today.
In Small Group we worked on name writing and are starting to really work on our scissor skills.  This week and next week we will focus on paper tearing. Many of the pre-cutting skills that we'll be doing help us to strengthen and develop the hand muscles we need to cut with scissors. We also continue to work on proper pencil grip.

Special Notes:
**I know that we just celebrated Christmas, but Valentine's Day is only 5 weeks away.  I've already had some parents ask about a party,  We do NOT have a Valentine's Day party.  We will do some seasonal crafts in school.  On Valentine's Day, Mrs. J and I will bring in a special treat and do a special craft with the class.  We will also pass out Valentine's.  If your child would like to bring in a treat to pass that would be fine.  More information about this will come home soon.

**A big THANK YOU to Mrs. Shumaker and Mrs. Crandall for coming in today to do our Preschool Auction craft with us.  If your child has paint on their feet, this is why. The craft is looking adorable.  Thank you so much for spending the morning with us.  Also, Thank You to our room mom's for coming up with the craft and getting all of the supplies needed.  All that you do is so appreciated.  

*No one can go back in time and change what has happened.  So work on your present you to make your life full of love, laughter, and happiness.  God's blessings for a wonderful 2019.

Our morning started with a quick Circle Time.  We lit our third candle on the Advent Wreath - Joy - and talked about how we are joyful and rejoice in the coming of Jesus.  This past Sunday was Gaudete Sunday: meaning Rejoice in the Lord always.  We had fun singing "I've this Joy, Joy, Joy down in my heart".  We then read the story J is for Jesus by Crystal Bowman,  After that we practiced our songs for our Christmas party.  Our little ones are singing beautifully! Hopefully, they will do great at our party and will not be too shy to sing.  We spent the rest of our morning with our Buddies.  We went upstairs to the fifth grade room to watch a Christmas movie and have milk and cookies.  Everyone had a great time.  We had a few extra minutes before dismissal so we went outside to enjoy the beautiful day that God blessed us with. 

Special Notes:
*Our party is this Thursday, December 20th at 8:15 a.m. Please park and walk your child to class.  We will start our party with a couple of special songs.  Afterwards we will enjoy some delicious food followed by arts and crafts.  Once our party is complete, plan on your child leaving with you.  There will be NO LAKERS on Thursday.

**When they saw the star, they rejoiced exceedingly with joy. -Matthew 2:10

What a busy day we had in Preschool today.  We reviewed what we learned about the letter Kk and added the words koala and key to our board words.  We read the story T'was the Night of Jesus' Birth by Felicia Mollohan,  Once our story was finished we practiced our songs that we will perform at our Christmas party.  Everyone is doing a nice job and I have almost everyone singing.  We also spent some time talking about Advent and reviewed what we learned about the Advent Wreath and the second candle (peace).  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Christmas lacing cards
*Linking blocks
*Puzzles

In the Art Center we painted a picture of the Three Kings and made a glittery star.
In Small Group we did a letter Kk search and find.  We put a sticker on all of the letter K's we found on our paper.  Our little ones did a great job.
In Religion we colored a picture of the Peace Candle. 

**Special Notes:
*Please remember to send in a small wrapped, labeled gift for your child by next week Tuesday, Dec. 18th.  I still do not know if Santa will make it to our room, but if not, everyone will love getting a special present from him anyway.  I'm hoping to hear something by Monday. For those of you that sent your gift in already, Thank You!!
*Our party is next week Thursday, Dec. 20th at 8:15 a.m. All are welcome to attend.  Our morning will begin with singing followed by some delicious breakfast foods and arts/crafts. Once our party is finished, your child will leave with you for the day.  No Lakers.

**The magic of Christmas is not in the presents, but in His presence. -unknown

Today we started learning about the letter Kk.  We learned the sound for Kk and "sign" for Kk.  Our Board story was about Kim the Kangaroo who kicks in karate class.  Our Boards words this week are: king, kangaroo, kite, and kiwi.  We added the words kind and key to our list.  Our Circle Time story was Twas the Very First Christmas. Our Preschoolers really enjoyed this sweet Nativity story.  Our focus this morning was preparing and practicing our songs for next week.  Everyone is doing a great job!!  We can't wait to share our story and songs with you on the 20th at the our Christmas party.

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh with Christmas cookie cutters
*Coloring page
*blocks
*lacing cards
*Christmas craft

In the Art Center today we finished our surprise Christmas gift for mom and dad.  
We practiced our names in Small Group. 

**Special Notes:
**Please, please remember to send in a small wrapped and labeled gift for your child by next week Tuesday, the 18th (no more than $5.00) I am still waiting to hear from our Santa to see if he can make it to our party.  If he does, he will give each child their gift.  If he can't make it, we will pass them out during the party.  It may be better for you to hand your gift to me, Mrs. J. or one of the safety people.  One little girl found her gift in her backpack and unwrapped it right at her locker.  She was very excited to see a special present in there with her name on it.  Too cute!
*Make your calendars.  Our party is next week Thursday, Dec. 20th at 8:15 a.m.  Please walk your child to class and plan on joining us for a story, songs, and lots of yummy food and treats.  We will also have arts and crafts.  All are invited to attend. Once our party is done, your child will leave with you.   

This week we are learning all about the letter Jj.  We learned the correct way to write Jj in upper/lower case and learned the Jj sound.  We also learned the "sign" for Jj.  Jj is an easy sign to learn and our Preschoolers did a great job with it today.  Our Board Story is about a jaguar who jumps in the river with jelly beans in his pack.  His name is Jumping Jack.  Our Board Words are: juice, jewelry, jelly beans and jacks.  We added the words jump, jumbo,  Jell-O, and Jesus.  Our Circle Time story today was Jump by Scott M. Fischer.  Our little ones were excited to shout the word JUMP on each page. It's a very sweet story.  We also learned the finger play "Five Little Monkeys Jumping on the Bed".  We ended Circle Time with a special Christmas visitor.  Our Elf on a Shelf arrived today.  Her name is Tina and she is excited to share our classroom happenings with Santa.  Our Preschoolers learned not to touch her.  We don't want to ruin her special Christmas magic.  So much fun and so much Christmas magic.
In Religion today we talked about Advent.  We learned that Advent means "arrival" or "coming". We also learned that the circle of the evergreens  in the wreath symbolize everlasting life in the midst of winter.  The circular shape reminds us of God's unending love and his promise of eternal life. We lit the first candle today in class.  This first candle is the candle of Hope.  We will continue with our Advent lessons in the coming weeks.

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh with Christmas cookie cutters
*Coloring Page
*Blocks
*Puzzles
*Peg Boards

In the Art Center today we painted red stripes on our white letter Jj to make it look like a candy cane.  On Thursday we will lean about Jj is the Jesus.

In Small Group we practiced proper pencil grip and worked on writing our names. 

Special Notes:  
*Secret Santa Shop started today.  We got about half of our class done.  If you would like your child to participate in this fun event, please send in money and the shopping list with your child on Thursday.  
*I am still looking for a little people nativity set for our little ones to play with.  We have a nativity set on our Prayer Table but it is for looking at only.  It is very beneficial for our 3-Year Old's to activity touch and play with things.  This is a great way for them to learn and retell the story of Jesus' birth.  If you would like to donate one to our class, it would be very much appreciated. 
*Our Christmas party is our Thursday, Dec. 20th at 8:15-8:20 a.m.  Please plan on joining us for this fun event.  All are welcome to attend.  Our party should end around 10:30.  At that time, you may leave with your child and begin Christmas Break. 

**Each of us is an innkeeper who decided if there is room for Jesus.  - Neal A. Maxwell

Today our focus was on Ii is for ice-cream.  We had fun talking about our favorite ice-cream flavors.  Mint chocolate chip and superman seemed to be likable flavors.  I agree. You can never go wrong with mint chocolate chip.  We also had a great discussion about how we can help those around us.  Please see The Preschool Press to read about what our little ones came up with.  
Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Pegs and Peg Boards
*Sand Table
*Blocks

In the Art Center today we painted the picture of an ice-cream cone and added glitter to the top.  These will come home next week.

In Small Group we worked on small motor skills

**Special Notes:
*The on-line auction starts tomorrow and ends on Dec. 9th.  Be sure to check out all of the wonderful gifts you can purchase while supporting our school.
*Secret Santa Shop begins on Tuesday, Dec. 4th and ends on Friday, Dec. 7th.  If you would like your child to participate in this fun event, please be sure to send in the shopping budget envelop.
*Mark your calendars.  Our Christmas party will be on Thursday, Dec. 20th at 8:15 a.m.  Please plan on joining us for our biggest party of the year.  I am working on a visit from Santa.  Let's hope that works out.  
*Dec. 20th.  Last day of school for 3-Year old Preschool before Christmas Break Begins
*Dec. 21st. Pancake Breakfast in the cafeteria.  Noon Dismissal.  Christmas Break Begins for K-grade 8.
*Dec. 7th. School Resumes for grades K-8.  Dec. 8th.  3-Year Old Preschool resumes.

Welcome back. I hope everyone enjoyed their time off.  It is always nice to take a break away from routine and enjoy some time with family and friends.  I know that I was thankful for my friends, friends, good food, restful days, and lazy mornings.  
This week we are learning about the letter Ii.  We learned the correct way to write Ii in upper and lower case.  We learned the Ii sounds and the sign for Ii.  Our Board Story was about Izzy the Iguana.  Our Board Words this week are: ice cream, igloo, invitation, and iguana.  We added the words in, ice, and icicle.  During Circle Time we learned the finger play "Inch worm, Inch worm" and sang letter Ii songs.  
In Religion this week we started talking about the Nativity Story.  This will be our focus for the next few weeks.  As exciting as the traditions of Christmas are, true joy can be found in the quiet, peaceful moments of Advent. The stories we will hear, the songs we will sing, and the lessons we will learn will hopefully put the true spirit of Christmas within our hearts and lives.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Blocks
*Magnetic Letters
*Puzzles

In the Art Center today we made an icicle craft.  We learned how icicles form and saw pictures of how big some icicles can get.  These will come home on Thursday.  Our glue and glitter was still too wet to come home today.
In Small Group we worked on name writing.  I have a few that are writing their own name now.  Great job!!  We will continue to practice this along with proper pencil grip.

**Special Notes:
*Santa's Secret Shop begins next week, Dec. 4 - 7.  Last week a note came home with your child about this fun event.  If you want your child to shop, please fill out the Shopping Budget envelope and return it to school in the red school folder.  Volunteers will help your child pick out their special gifts.  
*Our Christmas party will be on Thursday, Dec. 20th.  This is our biggest party of the school year. All parents are encouraged to attend.  Please mark your calendar for this fun and festive event.  Our party will begin at 8:15 a.m. and end around 10:30-11:00 a.m.  More detailed information will be coming home soon. 
*We are still seeing lots of runny noses, coughs, complaints of sore throats, headaches, etc... Please, please if your child is not feeling well, keep him/her home.  Rest is really the best thing.  Help us to stop the spread of germs. 
* Children love the Nativity story.  If you would like to donate a Little People's Nativity to our classroom it would be greatly appreciated.  I have one mom that has offered to get one. However, another one would help cut down on the fighting.  As our little ones learn the Nativity story, they really enjoy acting it out with the little figurines.  Learning through play is what we do best in Preschool. 

**Play is often talked about as if were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning. Play is really the work of childhood. -Fred Rogers

What a busy day in Preschool.  We continued reviewing letter Hh today and added more words to our Hh list: helicopter, house, and happy.  Our focus today was "Happy Thanksgiving".  We talked about all of the things that make us happy and that we are thankful for.  Our list got very long.  A common word on our list was family.  God gave each of us our own special family.  Our family makes us feel safe, protected, loved, accepted; we compliment each other, we share emotions with each other, we create lifelong memories with each other.  Our family is our first community.  Other things may change us, but we start and end with the love of our family. Our family is a product of God's hand and of God's heart. Each member of our family is a gift from God.
Our Preschoolers enjoyed talking about their families.  We all had fun talking about our Thanksgiving traditions - what we ate, where we had dinner, if we went to a parade, if we watched football, etc...  It was a very sweet conversation and a nice morning.

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Lacing Cards
*Blocks
*Finishing Thanksgiving Wheels

In the Art Center and in Small Group we colored a Thanksgiving page.  These will come home with you at conferences.  

**Special Notes:
*I am looking forward to meeting with each of you at conferences.  Please be sure to come prepared with any questions or concerns you may have.  We only have 15 minutes and it goes by fast!
*It looks like Winter is here.  Please be sure to dress your child for the weather - mittens, hats, boots, snow pants, etc... Mittens work best in preschool.  We get 17 little ones dressed in their outdoor gear.  Most of them do not know how to work gloves and it takes a lot of time to help them get each little finger into the correct spot.  Imagine doing that 8, 10, 12 times/ two hands/ and playing beat the clock for pick-up.    
*There is a respiratory virus going around.  Runny noses, fevers, coughs, sore throat.  Please, if your child is not feeling well, if they have a runny nose that won't stop, or a cough, let them rest.  Missing a day of Preschool is not going to do any harm.  These germs spread quickly and even quicker in Preschool where we use our hands to wipe our nose, pick our nose, don't cover our mouth and then touch toys, desks, and more.  Let your sweet baby rest and receive some TLC.  
*I wish you all much happiness this Thanksgiving. May you and your family feel much love and be filled with grace.

Our morning was spent learning all about the letter Hh.  We learned the correct way to write capital and lower case Hh and learned the Hh sound,  We also learned the "sign" for Hh.  Our Board Story today was about Henry hopping higher on his bed.  Our Board Words this week are horse, hot dog, hat, and highchair. We added hello, hi, hand, and hippo.  Help your child think of more "Hh" words that we can add on Thursday.  Our Circle Time story was Never Babysit the Hippopotamuses! by Doug Johnson.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Sand Table
*Puzzles
*Blocks
*Thanksgiving Wheel

In the Art Center today we had fun making a hippo.  We used mini marshmallows for his big teeth.  
In Small Group I finished student assessments.

**Special Notes:
*Please be sure to send in a canned food item for our Thanksgiving Food Drive.  This note came home last week Thursday.  Preschool is to bring in canned soup or stew.  What better way to teach your child about the gift of giving.  We have spent a lot of time in class brainstorming things that we are thankful for.  Food is always brought up.  We've talked about how there are people in the world that do not get enough to eat and go to sleep with a hungry tummy.  Teach your child to help those in need and to be thankful for what they have.
*I look forward to seeing each of you at conferences.  
*I am looking for a plastic little people nativity set for my classroom.  If you have one or would like to donate one that would be wonderful.  Little ones love to rearrange the figures and tell each other the nativity story while playing with it.  It is very sweet to hear.
*The weather has quickly turned.  Please be sure to send in snow pants, boots, hats, gloves, etc... These items are necessary for us to go outdoors.
*We will not have a Thanksgiving party.  Mrs. J. and I will provide a special treat for this day.

**Start each day with a grateful heart. -unknown