Today we reviewed how to write the letter Uu in upper and lower case, the Uu sound, and the "sign" for Uu.  Our focus today was Uu is for UP.  We had a great discussion on things that go up: planes, butterflies, birds, helicopters, bubbles, balloons, and more.  Everyone was excited to give their answer and own ideas.  I love our group discussions.  Our Circle Time story was Great Day for Up by Dr. Seuss.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*Number Pegs
*Coloring Page
*Magnetic Clix  Blocks
*Mr. Potato Head
*Name Cards

In the Art Center today we made a hot air balloon.  Our little ones were very excited to use markers to decorate their balloon.
In Small Group we practiced our scissor skills.

**Important Notes:
*Thank you for sending in candy for our Easter Egg Hunt.  If you have not yet done so, please do so ASAP.
*A Big THANK YOU to Mrs. Peterson for being our Guest Reader today.  Preschool really enjoyed your dinosaur story and Matthew's birthday treat.
*Mark your calendar.  Our Easter Egg Hunt is less than a month away.  Our Hunt is on Tuesday April 16th.  We ask that a parent accompany their child to help them look for their eggs.  More information will come home soon with more details about the day.

​**A book is like a garden carried in your pocket. -Chinese Proverb

This week we will be learning about the letter Uu.  Today we learned how to write Uu correctly in upper/lower case, we learned the soft Uu sound, and learned the "sign" for Uu.  Our Board Story was about Uncle Upton being under his umbrella that was upside down. Our Board Words this week are umpire, uniforms, underwear, and umbrella.  We had a hard time thinking of Uu words but we added the word  UP. We will be doing activities and focusing on the words UNDER and UP this week.  Today we did a paper that helped us to learn positions - under and over.  We also had fun in Science.  We planted seeds "under" the soil and learned that seeds need water, soil, sun, and air to grow.  It will fun to take care of our little seeds and watch them grow over the next few weeks. Our Circle Time story was Umbrella Bird's Umbrella by Heather Feldman.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*Sticker fun
*Coloring Page
*Puzzles
*Lacing Cards
*Science - Planting seeds "under" the soil

In the Art Center today we painted a water scene and put put fish under the water.
In Small Group we words on position words

*Special Notes:
*The Preschool Pajama Party is tomorrow.  If you signed your child up for this special event, please bring them to school in comfy jammies and with a special stuffed bear.  You can drop your child off at the front entrance of the school. Mrs. Neesom and I will be there to greet everyone. The party runs from 6:00 - 7:00.  Plan on picking your child up from the same spot -Main Entrance of the school by the office.  We will be there by 7:00 and will bring your child to you.  
*A BIG THANK YOU to those of you who sent in your bag(s) of Easter candy for our Preschool Easter Egg Hunt.  If you have not yet sent in a bag, please do so ASAP.  Mrs. J and I will begin filling plastic Easter Eggs next week.  
*Today Mrs. Shumaker came in to read a story to our class.  Thank You so much for being our guest reader.  We all enjoyed your story. 

**A book is a dream that you hold in your hand. -unknown
​

What a fun and special day today.  We did a quick review on letter Tt at Circle Time.  We then had a visit from Monsignor who posed for some pictures with us.  Soon after that we had a visit from our buddies.  We painted, read stories, played, and had a special snack with our buddies.  what a fun morning.  Thank you to all of our visitors for making our day so special. 

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Pegs
*Lacing Cards
*Coloring Page
*St Patrick's Day craft

In the Art Center today we painted clay pots with our buddies.  Each painted pot will be used at our volunteer luncheon.  

In Religion we talked about Lent and St. Patrick today.  We learned that St. Patrick wasn't even Irish. He is credited, however, for bringing Christianity to the Irish people.  He spent much of his life teaching people about Jesus. Legend tells us that he used the shamrock to explain the Holy Trinity to the Irish people during his teachings.  We wear green because it is the national color of Ireland.  We also learned that you don't need to be Irish to celebrate and enjoy this special day.  St. Patrick's Day is filled with stories of leprechauns, magic, shamrocks, and more.  We also spent some time talking about Lent and doing good deeds.  Here are some ideas our Preschoolers had on how to be more like Jesus: *Don't be mean to anyone. Just love every people on earth. *Help your mom even if you don't want to *Don't hit or bite or kick anyone *Clean your room up *You could make dinner for mom 'cuz she's always cooking for everybody else *You could say nice words *You could give some of  your toys away *Hug your family *Keep your toys picked up from the floor... Great ideas Preschool!!

**Special Notes:
*Please send in a bag or 2 of Easter candy for our Preschool Easter Egg Hunt. See the Preschool Press for more details
*The Preschool PJ party is next week Wednesday, March 20th, from 6:00-7:00 p.m.  If you signed up for this fun event, plan on dropping your child off at the Main Entrance of the school. Mrs. Neesom and I will be there to greet your child and take them to our classroom. Send your child in their favorite pajamas and a teddy bear.  We look forward to having a "beary" good time together.  Plan on picking your child  up from the Main School entrance by the office.  We will meet you there at 7:00 and bring your child to your car. 

Today we started learning all about the letter Tt.  We practiced the Tt sound, how to write Tt in upper and lower case, and practiced the "sign" for Tt.  Our Board Story was about triplets getting tickled on the tips of their toes.  Our Board Words this week are: tomato, tiger, tools, and turtle.  We added tired, T-Rex, tea, teeth, tongue, touch, toffee, Tuesday, today, tomorrow, Topolinski, trick, treat, and triceratop.  Awesome job Preschool!!!  Our Circle Time story today was Tony Baloney by Pam Munoz & Edwin Fothringham.  We had a great discussion during Circle Time about Lent.  We learned that Lent is the waiting time before Easter.  It is during these 40 days that we are to try to be more like Jesus - to forgive others, to help others, to do "good deeds", to pray - to change.  I will be using the butterfly as our Lenten symbol.  Just as the caterpillar changes into a beautiful butterfly, we too can change. We will continue to discuss Lent, the butterfly, and good deeds.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Lacing Beads
*Blocks
*Sand Table

In the Art Center today we had fun painting a tucan bird.  These were still quite wet with paint, so they will come home on Thursday.
In Small Group we practiced writing our names.  Please work with your child at home.  I would like them to be able to write their own name by the end of the school year.  We also practiced our scissor skills.  

**Special Notes:
*Please be sure to send in one to two bags of candy for our Easter Egg Hunt.  Mrs. J and I will be filling a lot of plastic eggs for our little ones to find.  We cannot make this fun event happen without your help.
*There are still a lot of bugs going around.  We are still seeing the flu, but are also seeing upper respiratory infections, sinus infections, and a lot of strep throat.  If your child is not feeling well, PLEASE KEEP HIM/HER HOME and let them rest.  Rest and plenty of fluids are the best thing.  Pushing them through a school day is not necessary at this age.  Help us stop the spread of germs.
*I am still looking for guest readers for Reading Month.   I need someone for March 26 and 28.  If you are interested, please send me an email or talk to me before/after class. 

**You can find magic wherever you look. Sit back and relax, all you need is a book. -Dr. Seuss

We started our day off with reviewing what we've learned about the letter Rr and ended it with a fun celebration of Dr. Seuss' birthday.
During Circle Time we added the words round and rectangle to our letter Rr Board Words. We also reviewed the correct way to write letter Rr and reviewed the "sign" and sound of letter Rr.  Everyone enjoyed reading the story The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister.  We also had lots of giggles when we read the poem Rainbow Hair.  A lot of our little ones apparently wish they could have rainbow hair.  After we talked about the letter Rr, we had fun talking about Dr. Seuss and all of the wonderful Dr. Seuss books we have read or could read.  Today we read It's Not Easy Being a Bunny and Green Eggs and Ham.  We ended our morning with a fun snack: We made green eggs and ham to see if would like them.  I am so proud of our Preschoolers.  I think I only 3 students that wouldn't try it.  Great job!

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Lacing Cards
*Pegs
*Blocks

In the Art Center we made a Rainbow Fish craft to go along with our story.  Tearing paper, using glue, and pouring glitter are all great small motor skills and good for hand/eye coordination.

In Small Group we read a short Happy Birthday poem about Dr. Seuss, colored the birthday cake, and added glitter for the candles.

Our Dr. Seuss fun will continue next week.  

**Special Notes:
*Reminder: I will not be in class next week.  My aide from last year and Mrs. Nesom's aide for this year, Ms. Nault, will be in for me.  She knows my routine well and knows most of my students.  Thank you Ms. Nault for taking care of and loving my sweet babies!
*Please read over the Preschool Press note.  There is information on my note about the upcoming Preschool Easter Egg Hunt.  More detailed information will follow.  Please write the date on your calendar so that you can be here with your child for this fun event. 

**Sometimes you will never know the value of a moment, until it becomes a memory.
-Dr. Seuss

This week we are learning about all things "Rr".  We learned the correct way to write Rr in upper/lower case and learned the Rr sound.  We also learned the "sign" for Rr.  Everyone did a great job with this.  Our Board Story was about Rachel riding her racehorse round and round the rodeo.  Our Board Words this week are rabbits, rose, rings, and rug.  We ended Circle Time with the story Ruby in Her Own Time by Jonathan Emmett and Rebecca Harry.  

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Blocks
*PomPom Rainbows
*Puzzles

In the Art Center today we painted a rainbow.  These are display in our classroom.
In Small Group we sorted colored cereal (Fruit Loops).

We ended our day with a birthday treat.  Happy Birthday Ella.  May all your birthday wishes come true.

**Special Notes:

*Next week, March 5th and 7th, Mrs. J and I will out of the classroom.  Ms. Nault, my aide from last year and Mrs. Nesom's aide this year, will take my place.  She knows my routine very well and knows a lot of our Preschoolers.  Grandma Joan from daycare will be here to help her.  A BIG thank you to both of them.  They spent today with us and will return again on Thursday so that our little ones will get to know them a bit more before next week. 
*There are still a lot of cold, flu, and sore throats going around.  I know that the cough and runny noses are lingering, but if your child does not sleep well the night before school, wakes up with droopy eyes, has a wet, raspy cough, or has green nasal drainage KEEP him/her home.  I am working overtime trying to keep the germs from spreading but I can't do it alone.
*I hope everyone enjoyed mid-winter break.  It was nice to relax and stay indoors due to the cold/snowy weather.  I know many of you traveled and I am glad to see that you made it home safe and rested.
*This Thursday and next week we will do some fun Dr. Seuss crafts and read Dr. Seuss books to celebrate his birthday. 
*Next week is reading month.  If you would like to come in and read a story to the class, please let me know.

​**The more that you read the more things you will know, the more that you learn the more places you'll go. -Dr.Seuss

Today we learned about the letter Qq.  We spent a bit more time than usual at Circle Time learning about the letter Qq due to a short week (snow day).  Our Board Story was about the Queen and her quadruplets sleeping quietly under their quilt.  Our Board Words this week are quail, queen,  quarter, and quilt.  We added quack, quick, and question.  We talked about what a question was and then I asked each student "What would be a good question to ask?"  I still got some statements, but here are some of the questions that our Preschoolers asked: When will it get warm out? *Why is the sky sometimes grey and sometimes blue? *Why does my little sister bite me? *Why does my mom make me eat yucky vegetables? *Why do I get a runny nose so much? I loved the questions and we had fun giving answers and ideas to each question.  Our Circle Time stories stories today were The Quangle Wangle Hat by Edward Lear and There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Rose by Lucille Colandro. 
In Religion we learned a little bit about St. Valentine.  There are 2 different stories about St. Valentine.  Since one story has to do with St. Valentine being executed... I chose the other one:  Today we learned that St. Valentine was a real person that lived a long time ago.  He was loved by many people, but the children of his town loved him the most.  It is said that the children of the town would write him notes about how much they loved him, hence the origin of exchanging Valentine's. 

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh with Heart cookie cutters
*Coloring Page
*Valentine heart color sorting
*Valentine small motor tweezer activity

In the Art Center today we made a Qq is for Queen of Hearts craft.  These are still wet with glue so they are drying and on display in our classroom.

In Small Group we had fun icing and decorating a Valentine Cookie.  So messy and so fun.
We also had fun passing out our Valentine's to our classmates.  Everyone was very excited to share with each other. 

*Next week is mid-winter break.  There is no school from 2/18-2/22.  School will resume for the 3-Year Old Preschoolers on 2/26.  Enjoy your time off. 
*Wednesday, March 6th is Ash Wednesday.  We will be doing many activities during this time of Lent relating to good deeds and praying. 

**Love is like the wind.  You can't see it, but you can feel it. -Nicholas Sparks

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!

We had a good review of letter Pp today.  We added more words to our Board Word list and learned a fun Penguin song.  Our Circle Time story today was There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie by Alison Jackson.  We ended our study of letter Pp with a pizza and purple punch pizza party. Yummy!!

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Mr. Potato Head
*Sand Table
*Valentine Bag Decorating 

In the Art Center today we played pizza parlor and had fun making our own paper plate pizza.  Our little ones really enjoyed creating their own pizza.

In Small Group we did "fringe cutting" to help us work on our scissor skills.

**Special Notes:
*Please be sure to read The Preschool Press classroom note that came home today.  It has information about Valentine's Day.  If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me via email.
*Winter Break begins on Feb. 18th.  School resumes on Feb. 27th for the 3's Preschool.
*There will be a mother/daughter tea on Feb. 10th from 1-3 p.m. in the Canfield Center.  This special day is being hosted by our Parish Mom's. Please see the St. Paul Newsletter for details.
*Homeless Week at St. Paul begins on March 3rd.  See the Newsletter for needed items.  Get your child involved and help teach them the lesson of giving, caring, and love.
*St. Paul Parish Moms are hosting The Language of Love in Marriage on Wednesday, Feb. 13th from 9-11 in the Canfield Center. 

​**I like you as much as I like pizza and I really love pizza. -a quote from one of our preschoolers today. 
​

This week we will learn all about the letter Pp.  Today we learned the correct way to write Pp in upper/lower case, learned the Pp sound, and learned the "sign" for Pp.  Our Board Story was about Pedro the Pig eating pie and pudding.  Our Board Words are pickle, pig, plane, and panda.  We added the words Parker, Patee, Polk, police car, Page, peas, pizza, and more.  Our little ones did a great job adding words this week!!  We ended Circle Time with the story If You Give a Pig a Party by Laura Numeroff.  
Today we went to the St. Paul gym for a great science program called Wacky Science.  Our Preschoolers really enjoyed the program and did a job sitting, listening, and following directions.  It's always great to learn when you don't even know you're learning.  

Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Puzzles
*Pegs

In the Art Center we made a pink paper-plate pig.   

Special Notes:
*It was great to see some of you at Auction 2019.  If you weren't able to attend, but would like to donate an item from our Preschool Wish List please contact me.  I can send you a copy of the wish list. Thank you to those who did donate an item for our class!!  Your generosity is greatly appreciated. 
*Please, please if your child has a runny, stuffy nose, cough, scratchy throat, etc.... keep them home.  Many of our little ones don't know how to blow their nose or properly wipe their nose. Some use a Kleenex while others use their sleeve and smear it across their face or wipe it on a desk or chair. Coughs and sneezes are not covered and their germs are spread around the room.  I spoke with an area Pediatrician and was told that Influenza is still going around too.  He had 7 positive cases in his clinic today.  If your child has a fever, stomachache, diarrhea, chills, headache, etc... keep them home.  I know that most schools say fever free for 24 hours, but he is telling his patients 72 hours because they are finding that the fever is going away and returning again.  Your child will be fine missing a day or 2 (or 3) of Preschool. Help us STOP the spread of germs. 

**Be the reason someone smiles. -unknown

Today we started to learn all about the letter Oo.  We learned the correct way to write Oo in upper/lower case, we learned the Oo sounds, and we learned the "sign" for Oo.  Our Story Board was about Ollie the Ox and her friend Otter.  Our Board Words this week are overalls, ostrich, otter, and octopus.  Everyone loved our Circle Time Story: An Octopus Followed Me Home by Dan Yaccarino.  Today we celebrated our Veterans as part of Catholic Schools Week.  We learned that a veteran is a person that has served in the military or armed services.  They may have helped our country in times of war or peace.  We celebrate them and tell them Thank You for  protecting our freedom.  As a small way to say thank you we made cards that will be delivered to the VA hospital downtown.  We painted our little ones hands like a flag for the outside of our card and colored a THANK YOU picture to put on the inside of our cards. Many of our Preschoolers took great care to color their picture just so and were very proud of their coloring.  They did a great job!!

Our Free Choice Centers:
*PlayDoh
*Coloring Page
*Waffle Blocks
*Puzzles
*Pegs

In the Art Center we made an Octopus in the Ocean craft.  We painted, glued, and used Bingo daubers to help us with our craft.  

In Small Group we worked on our scissor skills.

**Special Notes:
*Auction 2019 is this Saturday, Feb. 2nd.  I look forward to seeing many of you there.
​A BIG Thank You to our mom's who worked on our class project for the auction.  It turned our adorable.  I may have to bid it. 
*The weather is cold, cold, cold. Your child many only be outside for a few minutes at drop off and pick up, but those few moments affect our skin. Please be sure to dress your child in appropriate clothing.  I'm seeing many hands without mittens and heads/ears with no hat.  
*We have a lot of coughing and sneezing, congested noses, and runny noses.  If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home and help us stop the spread of germs.  If your child has a nose that won't stop dripping, please keep them home.  I know that they may not be "sick" in a way that we think of sick, but our little ones tend to wipe those runny noses with their hands and then touch toys, tables, chairs, crayons, etc...

**Home of the free because of the brave.  We recognize you for your service and thank you the freedom and gift of liberty that you give to us all. -unknown