Dr. Strange I Owe It To You!

I must say that when I first thought about adding a computer to my classroom I had many doubts and fears and now I wouldn't have it any other way. At the University of South Alabama I had the pleasure of meeting what I would call a technological hero to me. He introduced me to so many new and exciting aspects of technology. Several of my friends have questioned me about EDM 310 and how hard the class was. Going into the class I was frightened and you should be. I say this because if you take this class lightly you will never get through it. I must back that up by saying you learn so much in EDM 310 that when you are finally finished you want more. I would love to have another level to the class and learn even more. Look at me now blogging away in my preschool class. I owe this is to Dr. Strange... Thank you so much Dr. Strange for being so excited about technology and teaching us students about it in a way that will stay with us forever. My 4k class now has a desktop in our class and we have access to four laptops. We are taking donations of more computers as we would love to one day have an entire computer lab to offer. Above you can see some of my very own students learning... Making learning exciting is so important and with technology and of course Dr. Strange we can do that. Dr. Strange taught me that you should never pass up a teaching moment!

School Days, School Days

School Days, School Days

We are going into our fourth  week of 4-K and I am so very proud of each one of my student's. They have already surprised me with their learning. I learned a huge lesson last week with two of my student's. Sometimes we seem to underestimate things and I definitely did with these two, but believe me they proved me wrong. One even brought me to tears as he jumped up and ran to the board and recited an entire poem on our word wall. It wasn't that I thought he couldn't do it but he was just having a hard time settling in and getting adjusted to the change. I learned that every moment is a teaching moment. I had no idea that he was even paying attention to me and he was. What a great lesson learned. The past few weeks we have been learning about ourselves (All About Me) and our school and our school workers. We've been learning the letter P and T, new songs, colors, numbers, finger plays, and so much more. Friday our class had a brownie party as a reward for learning our word wall poem of the week.  We added new pets to our classroom. We now have 2 turtles and a hamster named Candy. The children voted and named her themselves. Last week we had an awesome computer donated and we are very excited to start using it. Thanks Mark and Terri Zirlott! We now need more learning cd roms if anyone has any that they would like to donate. Once again a huge thanks to the parents for being involved. We have had so many supplies brought it and I appreciate that so much. If you want to be a part of our classroom activities you are so very welcome to do so. Just contact me and we can schedule something. I am open for all new ideas. I would also like to thank Ms. Bambi for all of her hard work in our classroom. She is always right there when we need her and the children just love her already. Keep checking on here for upcoming news. 

Open House

Welcome To 4-K I am super excited to share this year with you and your precious child.

Our crafts table at Open House. Check out our art wall outside of our class for your childs portrait that he/she colored.

News around the school is that our kids rocked the house! Yes!

Our Classroom! Come on in and find your seat! 

Thank you so much to everyone who came out and shared a very special evening with us at open house. It was great meeting so many new students and parents and other family. It was awesome watching each child interact with their new classmates. After weeks of practicing with Kyle and myself I must say that our class rocked the stage. Below I am adding some of the pictures that I took at Open house. Once again thanks for coming out and being a part of the beginning of your child's education. This is such a huge stepping stone into the rest of their future!

Ten Commitments For Parents
Just something to share with my parents!
1. I will always love and respect my child for who he is and not who I want him to be.
   
   
2. I will give my child space - to grow, to dream, to succeed and even sometimes to fail.
   
   
3. I will create a loving home environment and show my child that she is loved, whenever and however I can.
   
   
4. I will, when discipline is necessary, let my child know that I disapprove of what he does, not who he is.
   
   
5. I will set limits for my child and help her find security in the knowledge of what is expected of her.
   
   
6. I will make time for my child and cherish our moments together, realizing how important - and fleeting - they are.
   
   
7. I will not burden my child with emotions and problems he is not equipped to deal with, remembering that I am the parent and he is the child.
   
   
8. I will encourage my child to experience the world and all its possibilities, guiding her in its ways and taking pains to leave her careful but not fearful.
   
   
9. I will take care of myself physically and emotionally, so that I can be there for my child when he needs me.
   
   
10. I will try to be the kind of person I want my child to grow up to be - loving, fair-minded, moral, giving and hopeful.

4K Open House

                Small Wonders Open House 

August 16, 2011, Tuesday 

6:00 p.m.

We will meet in the classroom and then move 

to the gym for a program to end the Summer program.

I can't wait to meet each new face and wonderful parents.

This is a fun filled night filled with everything you need to 

know about 4-K... 

** This is the final date. Sorry for any inconvenience***

4-K Supply List

4K Supply List

Walmart has a sale so I am adding the sale price below

24 count crayola crayons .40

1 pack crayola markers .99

1 pair fiskar round point scissors .99

1 coloring box .54

1 pack of watercolor paint .99

(the one that has several colors with a lid and brush)

1 pack pencils #2 

2 pocket folder with 3 prongs 

Elmers glue or glue sticks .99

***** Must have back pack..Full size backpack (No Wheels please):  labeled with child’s name &  

a change of clothes to be left at school.  Be sure it is full size as our projects 

will not fit in small backpacks! *********

Wish List Optional

Ziploc bags (all sizes)

Baby wipes 

buttons

Zipper 3 prong pocket for keeping money safe

 Coffee filters

 Paper plates (large or small)

Lysol disinfectant wipes

magazines

shoe boxes

dress up clothes

** Anything you can think of that we can learn from or we can use to help us learn***

The first week of school, I will send home a donation letter asking for a $20 donation

 per student to help cover the costs of cooking, special crafts, science activities,and photo developing.

Thank you so much for your involvement in our class. I look forward to working with you and your child this year!

Our 4K Classroom Progress

Welcome To PreSchool

If you are here on this page then you probably have a child in my jungle. I hope you find this blog informative and helpful in keeping up with what your child is doing and learning each day. I chose the jungle theme for our classroom because life in the jungle is wild and interesting. I want our class to be just that. I want it to get the children excited about learning. As you know as parents with children you never know what is coming next and in the jungle it is just that. We will learn how to walk on the wild side while learning in our class. By that I mean we will make learning fun. We will use the Scholastic Early Childhood Curriculum which incorporates play into learning. The research is clear. A high-quality, systematic preschool curriculum is critical to preparing all children for future success in school—especially those who are at risk.

The Scholastic Early Childhood Program is a comprehensive, year-long curriculum that..

• Provides explicit instruction in early language, reading, and math skills.
• Combines child-centered explorations with teacher-directed instruction.
• Has a flexible and easy-to-use format.
• Provides in-depth formal and informal assessment.
• Includes rich English and Spanish resources.
• Integrates Professional Development into each lesson plan.
• Features activities for families to extend the learning day.

The Scholastic Early Childhood Program immerses children in real-world themes that begin with what is familiar to children and connects to the world around them.  The wealth of instructional materials in the program ensures a comprehensive and engaging year long curriculum appropriate for preschool children of all learning abilities. I am so excited about the curriculum and I hope that you are too. 

 Parents, as your child gets ready to embark on this new adventure, you might be wondering, "Is my child ready?" or, "How can I help prepare my child for Pre-K?

While it is wonderful if they do, it is not necessary that your child enter either Pre-K or Kindergarten knowing all of their letters and numbers.  Kids develop at different paces and our curriculum works to help students succeed whether they are just learning their ABC's or are already beginning readers.  Most important is helping your child achieve important readiness skills that will help him or her become an eager learner and have fun at school. Below are some tips to a successful learner. 

• The number one key to Pre-K is parent teacher communication. I will be there at 7 a.m. each morning and leave at 2 p.m. Some of you will get there before me and after I leave and you may never see me. This makes it really hard to communicate so to help with this your child will have a folder that they need to bring home and return every day. In this folder you will find their behavior chart, announcements, field trip news, daily work etc. You can send me letters if you have concerns. If we communicate and work together as a team we can have a very successful year. My planning time is 1-2 every day so if you need to talk to me please try and contact me during those hours unless it just can't wait. You can also contact me through email at Larasclass@gmail.com  You can also comment on this page and I will get it in my email. 
• Work at home with your child and review things that he/she brings home with him. Show excitement in the work and they will be more excited about doing it and learning more.

Thanks for allowing me to spend each day with your precious child in the jungle as we explore and learn together. I am super excited about this year and all of the wonderful things that we have planned together.