Christmas time is here!

What a fun time we all had at our sing-a-long and potluck on the 9th.  Thank you to all of you who came and supported us.  I am amazed every year how the potluck works out and how there always seems to be the right amount of every kind of food.  I really think we need to put together a Preschool cookbook one year for a Christmas gift because we had some awesome treats on Thursday. 

Looking ahead to the rest of the month there are some dates we need to be aware of:
Thursday the 16th the Fish class is going on a field trip to Marshall High School's Child Development class.  We need to LEAVE the preschool no later than 8 am so please have the children there by 7:50 to load up and get car seats strapped in.  You may leave your carseat in the entry way by their coats.

Friday the 17th we will again sing some Christmas songs at Senior Dining.  We will be there @ 11:15 and leave about 11:30 in order to get back to school for lunch.

Tuesday the 21st and Wednesday the 22nd will be the class parties and Pajama Day!  Children can come in their pajama's, bring their gift for a class friend and then we will play some games and eat treats.  Also, please send a gallon ice cream bucket with your child (cleaned out of course) that week.  We are going to decorate Christmas trees and need to be able to get them home safely with the children.  We may even have a "special" visitor for the parties too!  Regular class times for both of these days.

There will be no school from the 23rd of December until the 3rd of January. 

Here is an FYI for the month of May (I know it's hard to imagine May right now)-Our Muffins for Mom's will be Thursday the 5th of May and Friday the 6th of May.  We traditionally do a fun activity that the children and Moms can do together.  This year we are having the children and Moms put together their child's preschool photo album.  We are providing the 12x12 pages marked with the appropriate months of the school year and pictures from through out the year.  Also in the albums will be all of the hanprint quilt squares that the children have made during the year.  So Moms...if you come across cute scrapbook stickers, stamps or what ever you like to scrapbook with, you may want to pick it up for this fun morning in May.

May 19th will be preschool graduation night for the Frog class. 
Have a wonderful, joyous and safe Holiday Season!
Shelly

Busy November....

Frog class at the park

I thought October was busy, but November has been crazy.  We have had two students from SMSU come in and help out, finish up on assessments of the children and been getting ready for Thanksgiving.

We have had a few children out with the flu and colds.  Please remember when your child has a fever of 100*, colored discharge from their nose or cannot fully participate in daily activities at school, please keep them home.  They would much rather be at home than at school.  However, we deal with runny noses and coughs at school.  We have been practicing covering our coughs with our elbow and we are really practicing washing hands.  On Monday the 8th the science lesson was on germs and how they travel with a sneeze.  The kid's thought it was amazing how far the germs would go.  We also use hand sanitizer after blowing noses and such. 

Parent/Teacher Conferences are this week the 17th and 18th.  If you haven't signed up, there are a few slots left.  You can call and get in on one if needed.  I'm looking forward to seeing all of you!

The November/December Book order is due on the 23rd of November.  I have listed the link and Class Activation Code on the right side of this home page.  There are some great books in the Holiday Book Order form.   Both the Fish and Frog Class' will have their Christmas Party on the last day of class in December.  It will also be Pajama Day!  We have alot of fun on that day when we get to come in our jammies!  We traditionally have a gift exchange and have the children give gifts to each other.  We again would like the children to give a book as their present with the cost being $5 or less.  We play a fun game with the presents so no one ends up with their own book.

For parents in the Frog class- I am truly sorry that our lunch program didn't work out.  I wanted it to but there were many factors working against that possibility that didn't pop up before school started.  On that note- Sheila and I have seen some wonderful and creative ideas brought for lunch from home!  I thought I would share some ideas that might help out other parents.

We have seen is boiled eggs, celery with peanut butter, crackers and peanut butter in a small Ziploc bowl, carrots and ranch dip, corn/peas/green beans in the same type of Ziploc bowls, slices of cold pizza, etc.  We have been reheating many of these items in the microwave.  The Ziploc containers and other containers are the perfect serving sizes for these little ones.  Peanut Butter and boiled eggs are a GREAT way to get the needed amount of daily protein into your child with out using meat.  Egg salad sandwiches are also a good protein source.  Today we had one child bring Campbell's Soup at Hand.  It was the perfect serving for a preschooler.  We warmed it up and she had brought a bowl from home and it was great with her other items.  We do have bowls to use if needed.  We have seen alot of string cheese which is always a hit and lots of fruit cups.  Leftovers from meatloaf to hot dish are great for lunch!  A child brought a sandwich bag with some Cheerios in it and a thermos of milk with some cut up strawberries for lunch one day.  That was perfect!  On cereal though, you have to make sure it is a whole grain cereal and not a sugary cereal.  Coco Krispies and Capn' Crunch don't count.  Sorry.  I have to say we have been impressed with the amount that the kid's are eating now.  They are more satisfied and resting better.  Keep up the good work!

I have added some great links to the home page on the right hand column that are games and parenting interests.  I have and always will love PBS!  I have been to several classes that local PBS stations have put on and I believe the childrens programming is BY FAR superior to Disney or Nickelodeon.  If your child goes to a home daycare provider, please ask what they are allowing the children to watch.  I was a home provider for many years in Idaho and I know how hectic a day can be.  Request that your children (if they watch TV during the day) watch PBS.

A couple of the links are for games that work on number and letter recognition.  Sit down with your child and show them how to work a mouse if they can't already.  Then work the game with them.  While doing the assessments over the last month, I have found that we really need to work on letter and number recognition with many of the children.  We want them to be successful in school and this is just one little tool to help get them where they need to be.

One last thing....please allow your children to play with Playdoh at home.  I know it is messy and a pain to clean up.  Trust me, we do it daily.  But the benefits from playing with it far out way what has to be cleaned up.  We have seen many children this year that need to increase their muscle strength in their hands and arms for coloring and writing.  These are fine motor skills that are learned and without the necessary muscle control, it is very hard to control a writing utensil.  We have been using crayons, pencils and colored pencils in class now for two months and I keep getting asked when I am going to let the kid's use markers.  We don't use markers because they don't build the muscles like pencils and crayons can.

These are just some of the things we have been working on in our classes.  We are so excited to sing at Senior Dining on the 22nd and at the bank on the 9th of December.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!

Shelly

The days of fall!

Can you believe that October is almost over?  I surely can't!  We have been so busy in preschool that the time is flying by.  We have been learning about the letters D, E & F....We have learned letters 4, 5, & 6 and the colors Orange and Black.  We also learned what colors make orange!  That was a really fun art project.

Frog Fire Hall trip

Fish Fire Hall Trip

I would first like to thank my parent volunteers who have graciously come in on a morning or two and helped with sorting papers, stapling, or were just the extra set of hands that we have needed.  This month I am doing assessments to get ready for our Parent/Teacher Conferences that will be held in November, and Sheila has needed that extra pair of hands to help out when I am working one on one with a child.  So a great, BIG THANK YOU!  To all of you that have helped!  We now have two students from SMSU that are coming in on Monday's and Friday's  for their class lab experience.

Pumpkin Patch with the punkins!

We had the best time at the Pumpkin Patch in October!  We couldn't have asked for better weather and there was so much to do!  If you ever have a Saturday to take your family out to Poppe's Pumpkin Patch, do it!  It will be a great afternoon of fun.  We did a wagon ride to pick pumpkins, played miniature golf, played on the play ground...it was just alot of fun.  Thanks to the drivers and chaperones that came as well.


We have some dates and fun activities planned in November too.  First off we will have Parent/ Teacher Conferences on 17th and 18th.  These will start after-school both days and run until late Wednesday night and mid evening on Thursday night, so we should be able to accommodate everyone's schedules.  I will have the sign up sheet at the sign in desk the first of November.  If you can't come in and sign up, just give me a call and we can pick a time.


Next, the children get a great experience to go over to Senior Dining and sing some Thanksgiving songs and eat lunch with the folks there on the 22nd @ 11:15.  This is something we started last year and the patrons of Senior Dining really look forward to it.  The cost of the lunch will be the same $2.75.  I believe the lunch that day is Tator Tot Hot dish.  If you think your child won't eat it you may send a lunch for them and we will take it over with us.  If you would like to come over and watch and eat lunch with us, please feel free to.  Lunch for an adult is $4.75 I think.  I will check to make sure.


Also on the 22nd and 23rd we are adding an event Wee World has never had.  From 8 am to 9 am we would like the Dad's to come and have juice and donuts with their children.  This will be our Donuts for Dad's!  Since we get out of school much before Father's Day and we have our wonderful Muffin's for Mom's we thought it was time to honor our Dad's.  BUT....we have to wait for harvest to be over!  Luckily, with the weather cooperating the way it has, harvest should be close or at least over by the 22nd  & 23rd so we hope you can make it.  This will be really informal so just come when you can between those hours and sit and have a donut.  Sometimes it is such a small thing we do as parents that our children remember the most.  We hope this is one of those great memories that are created.


There will be No School on the 24th, 25th, 26th of November.... have a wonderful Thanksgiving Break!




Lastly to just put down on your calendar for upcoming events is our Christmas Social.  On the 9th of December we will be at the MinnWest Bank in Tracy singing @ 11:00 am.  This is an activity for BOTH classes.  It is on a Thursday and we will have a regular class time for the Fish class.  They may come in nice clothes if you wish to send them, we don't do alot of art that day.  For the Frog's; you may meet us at the bank @ 10:55 in order to get accessories on the kids and get them handed out.  After we perform, we will then head over to the Fire Hall to have  a potluck and socialize.  If you would like to drop off your food before the performance, please feel free too.  More details will come as it gets closer.


Whew!  Another busy month ahead and this one isn't over yet.  I look forward to seeing all of you at conferences and getting to know you a little better at our Social.  I am enjoying all of your children and I love watching them learn.  If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to call or e-mail me.


With gratitude,
Shelly

First month of fun!

This has been a month of fun!  From our first field trip with the Frogs to our first art projects and walk with the Fish.  We have seen such growth and change in both of the classes it is amazing!  You all have such wonderful children and should be so proud.


This last week we have done some beautiful art and worked on our alphabet letters.  We have also finished up our Apple and Back to School units and will be starting our Safety and Fall/Pumpkin units.  The whole month of October is busy and we have many things jam packed in it.  Next week will be our safety week.  We will start having fire drills this next month also.  The state requires that we have 1 drill a month.  Our "Safe Zone" for our school will be across the street.  Ask your children next week about our drill and talk to them about your home and where your Safe Zone should be.  We will be taking our field trips to the Fire hall next Wednesday and Thursday.  This is always a fun trip and the firemen do a fabulous job of explaining to the children the need to be safe.  We will also talk about water safety, and home safety.  


By now you are probably hearing some songs we sing at school.  Mainly our Thank You song.  This is a song we sing daily in sign language before we eat snack.  Our snack helper helps set up snack, then we seat the children and ask them to keep their hands in their laps until everyone is sitting down together.  We then lead the children in the Thank You song.  One of the lesson's this teaches the children is to be considerate of the other children and also to be grateful.  Often times we hear "I want a white one" or "I don't like that."  We understand if someone has a real dislike for chocolate or can't eat a specific food, but sometimes we have to say "You get what you get and you don't throw a fit" or  "Take a bite to be polite".  Children understand when someone says they don't like the snack they have brought to school and feelings can be hurt.  I make rhymes often so they can remember rules and by December other children will remind another..."You get what you get and you don't throw a fit."  Being grateful for things we have is a learned thing that too often children go with out learning.  Sheila and I work hard to talk to them about treating our toys, pencils and all of the friends at Wee World with respect. 


Our "Scoop on Reading" ice cream cone grew this week with the addition of all the book titles we have read in a month!  It is awesome!  I love to see just how much literacy time we spend during the month when we add our scoops to the wall.  My goal every year is to have it go out into the hall way.  Also in our classroom, Corny the Caterpillar grew!  He is our alphabet caterpillar and he grows each month with the new letters we are learning.  


Remember to check out the tabs for the newsletter, snack calendars, and lunch menu's for the month. October's newsletter will be the last hard copy I send out.  We have a big group and to save on paper, I will add it to the blog monthly.  It will always be out on the first.  Snack calendars and lunch menu's will come home also unless you would like to print them off of the blog.  Sorry if there was confusion about he first extended day of preschool for the Frog class.  I just thought it would be less confusing having it start on a Monday rather than a Friday.  The blog will be updated weekly and monthly with all the new items under the appropriate tabs for you to download and print off.  You can sign up to get notifications on the right side under Followers.  Every time it is updated you will get a notification in you e-mail.


Have a great weekend and enjoy our beautiful fall weather.  


Shelly

Field trips and fun!

What a great time we have had this week! We have made our letter A art and school buses and the Frog class went to Holmberg Orchard on our first field trip of the year.

I am so proud of the Fish class. They are learning so much and for our first couple of art activities they have really worked hard to cut, color and glue. We had a sheet last week that went home we entitled "Sticker Art". I know it probably didn't look like real art, but the purpose of that one activity was to teach the children how to peel and place stickers. There were some really small stickers that we worked with and that fine motor skill is one of many that we tackle during the year for the Fish class. We also played counting games with Apples and Apple seeds. Every activity has a purpose...we play with purpose.

So the Frog have been hangin' out playing and getting to know our routine and each other. The highlight of the week was the field trip to Holmberg Orchard. We were able to pick apples off of the trees and sample a great tasting apple. Walking out in the orchard you could hear many birds....no, that was the speaker system scaring away birds so they won't eat the apples. We a bunch of fun playing in the corn and straw. Ms. Shelly became the victim of several piles of straw! It was great! Thanks my friends for picking straw out of my hair.

On another note for the Frog class: Our first full day of extended day preschool will be Monday, October 4th. That is the first day we will offer lunch also. Please send in your money for lunches, the calendar that I sent with the menu with the days selected that your child will eat hot lunch in by the end of next week. I need to get the count to Senior Dining.

Picture Days are Tuesday September 21st and Wednesday the 22nd. If you did not receive an e-mail with the clarification about ordering different packages for pictures, call and we can help you out.

Have a great weekend!

First week success!

What a great first week of preschool we had! There were very few tears and many giggles and smiles. This week we have been sending home a bunch of information and sheets for you to sign and return. Next week there will be a few more...sorry for all the paper work. There are state mandates that we have to follow for licensing but some of the sheets are for fun.

Next week will be a busy one as we start on our alphabet letters and a field trip at the end of the week for the Frogs. I have sent home permission slips and driver slips. If you can help drive, we need one more! Please send the $4.00 by Wednesday for that fun trip. We will start out our week by taste testing different apple items and graphing which ones we like the best. We will make apple prints and find out just what is inside of an apple.

Fish and Frogs will be getting pictures taken on the 21st and 22nd. You may send your photo envelope that we sent home back the day of pictures or earlier if you would like. Being Mom's ourselves, Sheila and I are always on the look out for the stray hair standing up or a barrette falling out before pictures. We try and make sure your little ones are smiling big and bright. Nothing is sweeter than preschool pictures.

Menus for our lunch program will also go out next week. Watch for more information on the blog about that and your options if you choose to send home lunch.

I have to say I am soo excited for this year! Our two classes have wonderful personalities and are full of great children. Thanks for trusting us to educate your children and spend their preschool years at Wee World. Have a great weekend.

New year full of changes and growth!

Next Tuesday and Wednesday as you are getting your child ready for school, you will probably think of how much they have grown over the summer or how much their vocabulary has improved in the last year. Or if you are a parent like me, you will remember when they were really little and needed so much of your help and were very dependent on you for everything. That memory can make a parent sad and long for those days when their child was still little.

This school year will inevitably bring about changes in yours and your child's life. Preschool is their first big step in to their educational career's and being away from you. They are going to have good days and bad days, just like everyone else. They are going to make friends, learn to share, create and have amazing "firsts" that they will want to show you when you two are together at the end of the day. Learning to zip their coat, tie a shoe, write their name and so many other "firsts" are about to take place. Make sure you treasure these moments that are about to come along. Take the time to sit and listen to their stories...however long it may last and watch them write their name. Those moments only happen once and trust me, they are precious.

It is our job at Wee World to make sure that Preschool is the most positive experience it can be for you and your child. I believe that every child is a unique individual that learns at their own pace and in their own time. Together we are growing life long learners. Please feel free to call or come in a talk if you need to.

Have a great Labor Day weekend and I will see all of you next week!

Get ready, get set....GO!

Well, it's that time of year again. The time of year that makes Mom's and Dad's both happy and sad. The time of year that makes teachers say, "Summer's over? Really?"

I personally have lived my life around the academic calendar. Both of my parents were school teachers so life revolved around the school year, football season, wrestling season, Christmas concerts and graduation. My Mom taught 4th/5th/6th for 30 yrs. and my Dad taught high school History for 30 yrs. plus coached. When school starts every school year I kind of pay homage to them for giving me the love of educating.

This blog is going to keep you up to date, have forms on it that you may need along with newsletters and snack calendars. I think I have figured out enough over the summer to get this up and running and keep it updated. Periodically I will add some photos of parties and field trips for those parents that can't attend. It is always fun to get to see the things that we do in school.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact me or Sheila at the school @ 629-4802.

Upcoming Dates to know:

• Saturday August 21st is Tracy Night Out! Go and enjoy a fun community event. We will have a booth there from 3-6 pm to do face painting and tattoos. Stop by and say hi!
• August 26th- Fish Class orientation @ 6:30
• August 27th- Frog Class orientation @ 6:30
• Tuesday September 7th- Fish Class first day 8:30-11:00
• Wednesday September 8th- Frog Class first day 8:30-11:00

I am excited for this year and we have some fun things planned! See you all soon!

Ms. Shelly

What a great year!

The Bears Class had their graduation last night and it was wonderful! We had so many smiling faces and a full audience. The children worked so hard to do a great job and we did have a few mom's get teary. So did Linda and I. We have loved all of these children with all of our hearts and can now say they are ready for Kindergarten in the fall. Some we have had for two years, some just for this year. But they have all worked hard at everything they have learned.

Ms. Linda will be moving up north next week, so we must say good-bye to her. It was hard to keep the tears back when I gave her a small photo album of pictures from last year and this year from Wee World. We wish her all the best in the new adventure that she and her husband Connie are going on.

To all of the families that support our endeavors; this year could not have been possible with out your support. Thank you for supporting the Reading Buddies program. It was truly a blessing to see the children interact with the residents of O'Brien Court. Thank you to the drivers of the field trips and the carpools. It seems like only yesterday that the school year began! Have a great summer and we will see all of our new and upcoming families in August for Orientation.

Love is in the air!

Isn't love grand?  Especially when you have grandparents and special people to share your Valentine party with!  On Thursday and Friday last week, we had fun with grandparents and special visitors making a handprint flower and frosting sugar cookies.  Each class sang a couple of songs then we had the kid's sit with their visitors.  We handed out the paper to trace the children's handprints on and told everyone they could either use the "safety scissors" or have the child do it.  One of the funnest things was seeing some grandpa's using tiny scissors cutting out little hands!  It was great and they were great sports.  

We then passed out cookies and let the frosting commence.  My one rule was to let the children frost their own cookies...sometimes it happened sometimes it didn't.  But all in all it was a great two days where we as teachers get to see some new and familiar faces that we don't get to see that often.  I treasured my grandparents when they were here and I know what a wonderful influence they are on the lives of their grandchildren.  It was an honor for us to host this very fun event.  

Well, with the weather kicking up again, who knows what this week will bring.  We would like to be done making up snow days.  From looking at the calendar, we should be back to alternating Friday's beginning in March.  Which is only a couple of weeks away!  Wow has this year flown by!  

I hope this blog will be a fun addition to our preschool and one that you will feel comfortable sharing with others.  We love your children!