Week #2 - The Letter "A"

Dear Caregivers,

I would like to thank all of you for reading the newsletter last week and for your responses! Many of you liked hearing about your child’s activities throughout the week, and requested information on a variety of topics.  In an effort to avoid overwhelming you with paperwork, I will be posting extra material on the website.  If anyone would appreciate having hard copies of the material as well, please let me know and I will be happy to print them.  If anyone did not have an opportunity to answer the questionnaire, please feel free to contact me at any time with your suggestions! 

Next week we will be starting on the letter "B," and we have more fun activities planned, including a trip to Madison Park on Wednesday from 2-3 p.m.  We are hoping to find bugs, birds, and bring back some branches for an art project.  We will also have books on butterflies and we will be painting our own butterfly wings!  Parents are welcome to come to the park with us.  Please meet us at the classroom at 2, or near the playground at the park between 2 and 3.  If it’s raining, we’ll postpone until Thursday.  If you would like to participate but cannot make it at 2, please feel free to drop by the classroom at any time and join us in our “B” activities!

Finally, I wanted send a request out to parents for extra “B” materials, such as bottles, beads, and any baking supplies.  If you have any old t-shirts handing around, we could also use those as smocks during our painting projects!

I will be taking pictures of the students throughout the year.  They will be available in our classroom, on the website, and at our parent-teacher conferences.  Thanks again for your time! -Ashley

Classroom News – Week #2: The Letter “A"

Our class had a busy week!  We began learning about the alphabet, and focused on the letter "A."  We read about apples and orchards, and had apple slices for snack.  We learned to make an A out of clay, and made "A" books full of pictures of images starting with the letter "A."  We acted like our favorite "A" animals (apes, ants, and alligators), and danced to "The Ants Go Marching." 

We read books on apples and apple orchards, and the children found it very interesting, so I would like to plan a field trip to an orchard later this fall.  We will need parent volunteers for that, so please keep that in mind. 

Books we read this week (these are also on a book list to the right)

·         Apple Farmer Annie - by Monica Wellington

·         Apples, Apples, Apples - by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace

·         There's an Alligator Under My Bed - by Mercer Mayer

·         Arthur's Birthday - by Marc Brown

·         I Want to Be an Astronaut - by Byron Barton

·         An Alphabet Book of Cats and Dogs - by Sheila Moxley

·         Alphabears - by Kathleen Hague  

Songs this week (a link to the lyrics is on the right):
"The Ants Go Marching"
"If You're Happy and You Know It"