Preschool-Ms. Kathleen/Ms. Rocio

End of the Year!

It is hard to believe that summer is just a few days away!  It has been wonderful seeing all of the preschool students grow academically and socially throughout the past school year.  The students have really formed a strong bond with each other that will continue to grow during their time at SJB.

We have so many great memories of the past year and are looking forward to a great last week ahead!

Wednesday, June 3rd: School Picnic from 11:00am-12:00pm in the school courtyard. Students are permitted to bring one stuffed animal to join them for lunch! Don't forget that parents are invited :)

Thursday, June 4th: End of the year Celebration at 9:00a.m in the small hall below the church.  We will sing the prayer "God Made the Earth" and dance to "Cinderella."  Girls may wear dresses and princess tiaras.  Boys will be making Prince Charming crowns in school and may wear casual clothes.

Following the performance, juice and snacks will be served and portfolio's will be distributed.  Student  items will not be stored at the school over the summer, so please be sure to take home all school work and personal belongings at this time.  

Have a Blessed Summer!

Ms. Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio

Scholastic Book Orders

Hello Parents!  Our last Scholastic book order of the year will be due on Wednesday, May 13th.  It is super important to continue good reading habits over the Summer break. There are two catalogs to choose from (May and June), so please take advantage of these great deals!  

www.scholastic.com/parentordering

user name: Kathleen

password: Preschool

Happy Reading!

Mrs. K and Mrs. R

WOYC

Welcome Back!  We hope that everyone had a fun and restful Spring Break. This week we are celebrating the Week of the Young Child (WOYC) and also learning about fairy tales. We hope you have hung up your child's watercolor painting at your place of work to promote Early Childhood Education.  Building a solid foundation in a child's early years will have a tremendous impact on his or her learning in the future.    

Reminders:

• Tomorrow (April 21st) is our field trip to see Cinderella at St. Patrick High School. Please note that lunch will be served as normal on this day (hot and cold lunch), but we will eat at a later time.  Half day students will not be served lunch.  The students are very excited to see this live theater production!
•  It was  great to see everyone at conferences on April 8th to discuss the progress your child has made throughout the year.  Remember that the final "progress report" will be sent home on the last day of school (Thursday, June 4th) 

God Bless.

Ms. Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio   

Spring is here!

Despite the snow, wind, and frigid temperatures, spring is officially here... and Easter is right around the corner.  Over the next week and 1/2 we will focus on this special holiday.  We will decorate and eat Easter eggs, make crosses out of clay, search for eggs hidden in green grass and sing lots of Easter songs.  We will also see a "Passion Play" presented by the 5th graders.  Most importantly,  we will talk about Jesus and the very first Easter!

Important Reminders:

• All toys and jewelry must be left at home.
• Wednesday, April 8th is our last day of school before Spring Break (April 9th-19th).  There is a 2:00pm dismissal on this day. 
  
• Conferences begin at 3:00pm on Wednesday, April 8th.  Please note that report cards will not be sent home on this day, but will go home in June.  Conferences will be held in 10 minutes increments.
  
• Tuesday, April 21st- Cinderella performance at St. Patrick High school.  Be sure to send in your permission slip and $12.00 to school!
  
• Thursday, May 7th- Strack and Van Til healthy foods walking field trip.  This trip is free but a permission slip (coming soon!) must be signed.

Feel free to contact us with any questions or concerns. (kbasil@stjohnberchmans.org or rvaldivia@stjohnberchmans.org)

God Bless.
Ms. Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio

Preschool Update

We've been busy in Preschool!

Little Red Hen

Our two week unit was a blast!  The preschoolers loved reading several different versions of this classic tale.  Here were some of our favorites:

Other favorite activities included making cinnamon bread in a bread machine-yummy! The students enjoyed the smell of the bread baking throughout the day.  Near the end of our unit we had a visit from Storybus!  The entire bus was filled with everything related to "The Little Red Hen."  There were vegetables for picking, a mill for grinding flour and a kitchen for baking bread.  The students loved this hands on experience. Thank you Storybus!

Mardi Gras/Ash Wednesday

Last week the students learned about this festive New Orleans celebration. The students decorated brightly colored masks and noise makers to use during our preschool Mardi Gras parade.  We marched up and down the school hallways cheering and shaking our noisemakers (wearing purple, green and gold beads of course!)  As a extra special treat, we baked cinnamon rolls in Mardi Gras "King Cake" fashion.  

On Wednesday, the students received ashes from Fr. Wayne.  He told each preschooler to "turn away from sin and be a good kid." We have spent time in class discussing kind acts we can do for our parents, teachers and fellow classmates during the season of Lent.  Don't forget to ask your child about his or her "Lenten Promise." 

Nursery Rhymes

For the next two weeks the preschoolers will dive into Nursery Rhymes.  Believe it or not, these silly rhymes (that don't seem to make much sense) are actually very beneficial for young children.  They help with literacy skills such as oral language, phonics, fluency, comprehension, sequencing, prediction and vocabulary.  This week our focus is on Humpty Dumpty and Hickory Dickory Dock.  Next week we will learn Jack be Nimble and Twinkle Twinkle Little Star and others.  Remember to bring out the Mother Goose stories at bedtime this week :)

Reminders:

• It seems to be that time of the year (again)!  Many students lately have caught bad colds, fevers and the flu. At school we discuss the importance of keeping ourselves germ free by using tissues, washing our hands frequently and using the "elbow cough."  We also remind students to keep fingers out of their mouths, noses and eyes to prevent spreading illnesses.  Please reinforce these "clean behaviors" at home with your child.  
• A Family Mass will be held this Sunday, March 8th at 9:45a.m.  We look forward to seeing you there! 
• The annual Glimmer Auction will be held on Saturday, March 21st.  With the help of several parents, our classroom created a beautiful quilt including each student's name and hand print.  We can't wait for you to see it!
• No School on Friday, March 13th-staff retreat.  

Have a great week!

God Bless,

Ms. Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio

Catholic School's Week

Catholic School's Week was a huge success!  We had lots of fun activities planned throughout the week.  Check out the photos below to see....our decorated door (for the contest), our trip to the gym to see the staff vs. 8th grade hockey game, and our visit with our 1st grade faith partners.  Other activities included making cards for the Bishop Conway residents and our families, watching the school spelling bee, and enjoying a special "popcorn and movie" afternoon with the Kindergarteners.  Great fun was had by all.  We are proud to belong to St. John Berchmans Catholic School :)

I would also like to thank all of the parents and students who attended our family activity night last Wednesday.  The students loved making those books!

Catholic School's Week Photos!

What's coming up?

• This week our theme is dental health.  Friday, a dental hygienist will visit the preschoolers to discuss the importance of maintaining healthy gums and teeth. 
• Next week we will begin a study on the famous folk-tale, The Little Red Hen.  On Thursday, February 19th, Storybus will be coming to our school to perform this story for the students :)  I know they will love this literacy experience.
• Next week will also be our Valentine's Day celebration.  Students are invited to bring Valentines for a card exchange on Thursday, February 12th.  Students who do not attend on Thursday will pass out cards on Friday.  There are 23 students in our class. 

Remember to e-mail me with any questions or concerns you may have:

kbasil@stjohnberchmans.org

Enjoy your week! 

God Bless,

Ms.Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio

 

Happy Inauguration Day!

To show our support for our new President, the preschoolers gathered together to watch as President Barack Obama was sworn in to office.  Many of the preschoolers were excited to see him on T.V., and understood that this was a special day for citizens of the United States.

We have officially completed our two week polar bear study. Yea!  The students loved learning all about these fury arctic creatures.  Ask your child if they can tell you facts about: how they keep warm, how many babies the Mom's  usually have, where they live, what they eat, the color of their skin, etc.  I'm sure your preschooler will surprise you with all they know!

This week will will focus on the winter season.  Today the students created some beautiful snowy scenes using chalk and blue construction paper.  This simple art idea can easily be done at home...give it a try!  Next week we will celebrate Catholic School's Week.  Don't forget that we will kick off the celebration with a Family Mass at 9:45am on Sunday, January 25th.  After the Mass, families are invited to attend the school wide science fair located in the church basement.  This is your chance to see some of the polar bear activities we have worked on over the past two weeks.

Click on the link below to see what we've been up to!

January photos

Reminders:

• Blankets are sent home every other week to be washed.  Please make sure you send the washed blanket back to school with your child the following week. 
• Please label all of your child's clothing (including boots, hats, mittens, scarves, coats and gym uniforms).  We have had several "lost and found" items with no names. :(
  
• Remember to work on the weekly Seeds packets with your child and complete the small assignment.  We ask that your child returns the "homework" the following week. 
  

Enjoy the rest of your week!

God Bless.
Ms. Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio

Scholastic Books

The January Scholastic book flyer is here!  Click on the link below to order books online at great prices:

Scholastic books!

user name: kathleen
password: preschool

***All book orders are due Monday, January 19th.  Happy reading!

2009

Happy New Year!! We hope you had a relaxing Christmas break and are ready for a great 2009.

The students have fallen deep into our "polar bear study."  Thank you to all the students who brought in fun facts as well as other polar bear items such as books, pictures, plastic bears and stuffed animal bears.  Remember that our study will last for 2 weeks, so feel free to bring in anything polar bear related during this time.

We have already learned several new things about this polar animal, so please ask your child what he or she knows.  *Hint:  ask if your child can name 5 things that polar bears eat. 

Today we went on a polar bear hunt in the classroom.  We collected and sorted the bears into groups according to size (small, medium, large) and made a graph.  As a class, the students counted each group of bears and found that the small group had the most number of bears and large had the least.  Sorting is a very simple activity that can be done at home using paper clips, rubber bands, blocks, etc.  The preschoolers love it!

Reminders/Announcements:

• Welcome Olivia!   The class has done a nice job making this new student feel at home in our preschool classroom.
• Continue to practice zipping and putting on winter gear with your preschooler.  We have noticed that several students can now get ready to go outside all by themselves.  Keep up the great work!
• Seeds packets are sent home weekly.  Please take the time to review the packet and complete the short assignment.  Students should bring the finished "homework" back to school in his or her backpack early the following week.
• As always, remember to read to your child for at least 20 minutes each day.  On your next trip to the library, check out some polar bear books to read!
  

Enjoy your week!

God Bless,
Ms. Kathleen and Mrs.Rocio

I hear jingle bells...

2008 is nearing an end and Christmas will be here before we know it!

During the next two weeks our students will celebrate the Christmas season, specifically focusing on the birth of Jesus.  We will also prepare for the upcoming Christmas show.  Our music teacher (Ms. Heather) is teaching us the classic Christmas song "Jingle Bells."  We'll be singing in church on Wednesday, December 17th at 7pm so be sure to practice this song with your child!

Reminders:

• Winter is here!  On snowy days, your child should wear boots to school and bring an extra pair of shoes to change into in the classroom.  Spend some time at home practicing putting on shoes :)
• Along with winter comes the cold and flu season.  If your child is sick, please keep him or her at home until they are well enough to attend school.  Also, practice the "elbow cough", use tissues to blow noses, and reinforce hand-washing with your child.  We look forward to working with happy and healthy students (and teachers!)
• Our last day of school before the 2 week holiday break is Friday, December 19th.  There is no after school on this day,  so please plan accordingly.  

Enjoy your week!

Ms. Kathleen and Mrs. Rocio