Back to school on January 2nd ...

Hope you and the kids are enjoying time off from school. Looking forward to seeing you Wednesday, January 2nd. A gentle reminder to please use the door under the covered walkway, even on Wednesdays. Many thanks.

Sincerely, Mrs. Bridgman

Indoor Recess

Thought you might be curious as to what your kids do when we stay inside on extra cold and rainy days ...


We have a nice collection of old Legos in a big sack, that keeps kids busy. We read books in our literacy center. Today Mrs. Peavey helped us make tiny thumbprint reindeer that will be made into a keepsake gift for each of our first grade buddies. 

More pretend play in our restaurant centers ...

A mini holiday celebration for us today... We decorated pumpkin spice muffins with reindeer faces and enjoyed eating them as well.

Family Newsletter

Dear Pre-K Families,                                        December 12, 2012

This is turning out to be our Reindeer Week in pre-k. We have visiting reindeer (pretend, but almost life size) in our playground. We’re reading Jan Brett’s wonderfully illustrated The Wild Christmas Reindeer book. Our learning facts topic is reindeer, and we’ll be putting reindeer decorations on healthy muffins at snack time on Thursday. Oooo la la. (Did you know that reindeer hooves change from sponge-like in the summer for walking on the tundra, to the pads shrinking and tightening to expose the rims for dealing with icy winter conditions?)

Your kids handled shopping for holiday gifts at the famous Dike Newell Holiday Fair with ease on Tuesday. Brace yourselves for fabulous treasures, that were proudly and thoughtfully picked out for you by your little ones.

Sincerely, Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

Holidays

As the first day of Hanukkah approaches (this Saturday), we have been talking about the history and traditions associated with this holiday. The kids explored spinning tops/driedels and putting Hanukkah candles in several menorahs. They peeled potatoes yesterday, made homemade applesauce today and at snack time, a surprising number of us tried potato latkes and applesauce. Next week, we'll devote some discussion time and creative art to Christmas.The following week, we'll learn about Kwanzaa traditions. If we are missing a holiday that your family celebrates, please let us know.

Pretend play in our restaurant centers

I am getting the hang of embedding slideshows ...   Can you recognize the different "restaurants?"

Pre-K Family Newsletter   November 28, 2012

                                      

Today, during our play centers, your children were really fun to watch as they embraced the roles and props that accompany our restaurant theme. They were busy cooking spaghetti, baking donuts (I don’t think you actually “bake” donuts, but we do in our pretend roles), washing dishes, planting and picking Indian corn for customers at the Farmer’s Market, scooping ice cream and assembling sandwiches. Here are a few pictures ...

  

                    

                                                                                

   

Going outside is a great part of our morning. It was cold today. We will, of course, observe the school guidelines regarding temperature and wind chill factors, but we will also try to go out every day possible. The running and climbing and jumping and loud voices all need to come out somewhere, and outside is certainly the place for it to happen happily. So, please send warm outdoor clothing for your child. Here’s our song for the order we get dressed in here at school … We have a song for everything, I believe!

Getting Dressed in Winter

First you put your snowpants on,

Then you do your boots.

Then you put your jacket on,

Zip it ‘cause it’s loose.

Then you put your hat on,

Last you do your mittens.

Then we go outside to play,

Cause we are tired of sittin’.

 December 11^th is the Holiday Fair here at Dike Newell School. Please read the recent info sent home about it and fill in that form before then. I understand the kids simply love buying gifts for their families at the fair.  Please consider volunteering and donating items in good condition to help make this event a success. Thank you very much!

Sincerely, Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

Hi Families,                                               

This week before our Thanksgiving break will be busy! On Wednesday, we have been invited to attend the school book fair. We'll get to pick out a book for free, and an opportunity to buy a book if we bring the funds. Here's the blurb from the school newsletter:

"Books will be paperback selections priced $5.99 and lower supplied by local bookstore, Bath Book Shop.  If you send a check in with your child, please make the check out to Bath Book Shop.  The Bath Elementary PTA and the Literacy Support Fund provide funds for every student to choose a free book at the Book Fair.  Parents are invited to shop the Book Fair on Thursday evening, November 15th, from 6:00 p.m. - 7:30 p.m..  Local author Wendy Ulmer will be reading from her book A Isn't For Fox beginning at 6:45 p.m."

Also on Wednesday, we'll be reading and assembling ingredients for Stone Soup, to be offered at snack time on Thursday. Seasonal creative art projects are on this week's schedule, as well.

Please remember to sign up for parent conferences (November 20th) if you have not already done so. Timing is flexible, so speak with Mrs. Bridgman if you need a time that is not on the list. No pre-k classes  the week of November 20, 21, and 22, just the conferences on Tuesday, the 20th.

Closing with a song we'll be singing this week (not every item required to be totally embraced ...)

"I love the turkey,
I love the stuffin',
I love the gravy,
I love corn muffins,
I love my family,
We're all together,
I'm glad Thanksgiving time is here."

Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

Pre-K Family Newsletter             November 8, 2012

Dear Families,

We have begun our change into the Restaurant theme (lasting for the next 6 weeks or so.) Our science center is transforming into Subway, blocks center into the Farmer’s Market, math into Dot’s Ice Cream Shop, dramatic play into The Cabin Pizza, literacy into Applebee’s and the art center into Dunkin’ Donuts. If you have props that would support play in these centers (un-used pizza boxes, coffee cups, paper bags with these logos), we would welcome contributions. The kids (and adults) are quite excited about this new theme!

Wednesday, November 14^th, pre-k is scheduled to attend our school book fair. Through the generosity of Dike Newell’s PTA, each student will get a free book, and they have an opportunity to buy a book as well.

Our class will be practicing a brief lockdown drill within the next week. We’ll have a pretend announcement and proceed to our corner center. Our goal is to sit quietly, out of view of doors and windows, for 5 minutes, with a brief discussion of the procedure.

Tuesday, November 20^th, is our day scheduled for pre-k parent conferences. A sign-up sheet is in class now. We can make other time accommodations, if necessary.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

pre-k Family Newsletter October 31, 2012

 Pre-K Family Newsletter       October 31, 2012    

    

This is the last week of our Family Theme in class. The kids have done a nice job taking on roles and for the most part, staying in them, during our center time.  Here's a group working on the car engine in "the garage"....

I hope you have enjoyed discussing the “play plans” that come home with your student once a week. The kids should be able to tell you about the picture they drew, which center they went to, and “who” they were. Look for details beyond the stick figures, beginning to emerge in their work. Many are working on their messages, so re-reading that part together, would be much appreciated. In our pre-k world we draw a line for every word in our messages, so you can also anticipate kids “reading” their lines to you. Mrs. Peavey and I write the words in, but eventually you will see your kids start to write initial sounds and more on the lines. A very exciting time!

Our centers will begin to transform into Restaurants next week, and we will start pretending to be cooks, dishwashers, customers, etc. The kids will help decide which restaurants will be in our centers – usually local favorites are chosen. After that, we may request to borrow props from home that support these cuisines, so stand by!

Some important November dates to keep in mind:

Tuesday, November 6^th – no school. It’s a professional development day for RSU1 teachers.

November 20, 21, 22 – no pre-k this week for the Thanksgiving holiday. However, November 20^th is when we will hold Parent Conferences for our class. Sign up times will be posted soon.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

P.S. Halloween Day with your kids was wonderful - thanks for sharing them with us!

November Dates to Remember

Please be aware of the following dates for November:

NOVEMBER 6TH-NO SCHOOL FOR PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT DAY

NOVEMBER 20TH- NO SCHOOL FOR PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES

NOVEMBER 21ST & 22ND -NO SCHOOL FOR THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY

October 23, 2012

This week, we will be doing a required baseline assessment test with all the pre-k kids. It's called the CPAA, which stands for Children's Progress Academic Assessment. It's done on our school computers and takes about 15 minutes. We'll be having a sub on Wednesday to help out in the class with Mrs. Peavey, while I take students, about 3 at a time, to the computer lab in Dike-Newell. From observing past years' kids, I predict they will think it's fun. We'll be reviewing the results of this snapshot of your child at our parent teacher conferences, which are on November 20th.

Mrs. Bridgman

Family Newsletter 10-15-12

                                                                                                 

                                                                                October 15, 2012

Pre-K Family Newsletter

We are continuing to play in our Family-themed centers (the living room, the laundry room, the bathroom, the bedroom, the garage and the kitchen.) Your kids will most likely be able to tell you which center they played in that day, and who they pretended to be. It would be great if you could ask your child more about that part of their day. Something like, “And what does the grandmother do?” (if they said they were the grandmother), or “What does a little brother say when he is in the kitchen?” There may be a decipherable connection between the play plans your child brings home, and what he or she tells you about … Well, okay, some of us are just starting to draw recognizable stick figures and details, so the connections may not be overly apparent yet!

Thanks to Mrs. Peavey’s technical expertise, our Pre-K blog is up and running. You may find it by going to the Dike-Newell website, clicking on “Classroom Links”, then “Pre-K”, then “Mrs. Bridgman”. I hope to post classroom news, and an occasional picture of the kids doing fun stuff (no names will be used.) My list from the office shows that no one has denied permission to use their child’s picture on this school site. If I am in error about this, kindly let me know, and we will happily follow your wishes.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

Thanks!

We will be doing a leaf rubbing project this week. 

First Grade Buddies

Today, we had our first visit from Mrs. Kennedy's first grade class. They will visit us each Thursday around 11:30 and do special activities with us. The kids have been paired with a buddy and are working on learning each other's names and becoming friends.

Family Newsletter 10-2-12

Pre-K Family Newsletter                                                              October 2, 2012

Last week, the kids started choosing the centers/"rooms of the house" that they want to play in. They chose a colored clothespin and then went to that color center. The basic goal is to have them self-regulate enough to stay in that center, playing, for twenty minutes or so.  (For example, they clip the blue clothespin to their clothing to remind them (and the adults) they should be playing in the blue center/literacy center/living room.) The higher goal is to have them play a legitimate role in that center, like the mom or the dad or the cousin, etc., and have some pretend actions that would dovetail with that role. A bit of angst appears at this stage, because there are only four pins per center, so depending on where one's name is on the rotating list of who goes first, one may or may not get one's first choice. 

Stand by to hear, "I didn't get to go to the _________ (room of the house) today!" But know the list will rotate predictably, and this is actually another deliberate part of the curriculum. Kids will be bringing “play plans” home on a regular basis soon. This will be a picture, eventually some writing, done in colored marker that represents your child doing something at a center. Please ask them about the plan, what they are doing in the picture and who they are pretending to be.

We’ll be doing some leaf rubbings soon. If you and your child could collect 5-6 leaves to send in for this activity, that would be great.

Thanks for signing your kids out as requested at noon time.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Bridgman and Mrs. Peavey

 

 

 

October Calendar

October 9 – Bath Fire Department Assembly – 9:00-9:15 in the gym

October 9 – PTA @ F/M – 6:30 p.m.

October 19 – Last Collection Day for Box Tops Challenge #1!

October 23 – Picture Day