Something Special FEBRUARY

COLLABORATIVE UNITS for December:

Feb 4-22: Q&U Wedding/Hearts/Valentines             

Feb 25-March 1: Dr Seuss (I Love To Read) 

ART:  Ms Gilpin

A HUGE “Thank You” to those that donated shaving cream to the Art room.  My cabinet has now been refilled so we can enjoy shaving cream creativity near the end of the year!  In Art, during the month of February, we will be talking about symmetry as we create symmetrical hearts for Valentine’s and possibly symmetrical irises for a Monet Iris Garden.  We will also explore texture as we create a “Wild Thing” in the style of Maurice Sendak’s story during “I love to read” week.  For Dr Seuss’ birthday (March 2) we will read one of his stories that is not widely known, “My Many Colored Days” and discover how different colors can create different feelings within us.  The Music Program is approaching quickly, so in Art we will be creating “AlphaBop” letters to decorate our music program, the hallways and for props during the program.

Stay warm, well and happy!  Don’t forget to create at home or wherever the feeling hits ya ;)

 

GYM:  Ms Rhoads

I want to start off with a HUGE THANK YOU for all the marshmallows that were donated!  I so appreciate it.  The kiddos had a blast with our Snowmen at Night Unit.  For the month of February we will be talking about fitness and heart healthy activities.  The main focus will be on how we can keep our heart healthy.  We will also discuss the concept of intensity in terms of the FITT principle.  Talk with your little ones about keeping your heart healthy and what activities make their heart beat fast.  This month is also a lot of fun because we will be learning a variety of dances.  With the clod months upon us, putting on music and having a dance party is great way to exercise indoors!  We will end out the month with a unit dedicated to Dr. Seuss with our “I love to read” week.

MUSIC:  Ms Jespersen

We are starting to learn our songs for our upcoming concert!  Though it is still many months away it will take us all this time to put memorize our music and put together an amazing concert!  I am always so excited when this time of year comes around again because the concert is one of my (and most of the students and parents) favorite parts of music class!  I hope you will join us for our concert day in May.  You will not be disappointed!  The students are already thrilled to perform!

LIBRARY: Ms Stevens, Ms Kulaga (long term sub) & Ms Keely

We all know how important reading is to your children.  Here are some great tips to keep your children having fun with reading:

1     ~ Keep up the beat by reading with your children at least 15 minutes every day.

Read even more if you can!

2     ~ Expose your children to different kinds of reading materials like magazines,

newspapers, comic books and more.

       ~ Get together with family members to read to each other and give up     

watching television for a night a week.

4    ~ Keep a reading log of the books you read.

5    ~ Drum up excitement with your child by encouraging him or her to tell others about the books they love.

LOVE  books this month and visit the public library with your child.  It is free and

full of possibilities!

GUIDANCE:  Ms Newsome & Ms Dodgen

In Guidance, during the month of February, we will be starting a new unit on personal safety. Topics we will cover include car safety, traffic safety, fire safety, and gun safety. We will discuss why we need safety rules, the importance of taking care of ourselves, saying “no” to unsafe activities and telling a grown-up when someone breaks a safety rule.  By the end of the unit, children will be able to demonstrate safety skills including seatbelts, following traffic signs and crossing the street safely,  the fire safety rule (never play with fire), and the gun safety rule (never  touch a gun).

You can help your child practice these skills at home! Some suggestions-

1.)  Model wearing your seatbelt at all times and teach your child to buckle and unbuckle their own seatbelt.

2.)  Point out traffic signs when you are out and about, and talk to your child about what the signs direct you to do.

3.)  Remind your children to look both ways before crossing the street and to always hold hands with a grown-up.

4.)  Review your fire escape plan at home.

5.)  Make sure all guns in your home are locked and not accessible to your child. Talk with your child about what to do if another child wants them to play with a gun.

Every year, children are accidently shot while playing with or handling guns. In Guidance, we will stress that guns are not toys and that specific safety rules need to be followed if children find a gun. We are aware that some families collect guns, or use them for hunting and some children may be familiar with seeing guns around the house. In any case, we will stress that guns should never be played with like toys and that children should always have adult supervision when they are around guns. This is an important topic to discuss! Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions or concerns!