FRIDAY NEWSLETTER

We had such a busy week in preschool! We finished up our unit on apples by learning about Johnny Appleseed. We continued to discuss the different colors of apples and used our imaginations to do as Johnny Appleseed did, and planted our seeds in soil, water them and shine down on them as the sun would. We even created our own apple orchard by using an apple shaped sponge and paint. We practiced counting as we stamped our apples and sang our song (to the tune of 10 Little Indians), about our "10 Little Apples." Speaking of stamping, it was neat to match colors while stamping apple prints with real apples! We even had an apple taste test. Everyone enjoyed this activity! After tasting red, green and yellow apples, we each chose our favorite apple, colored a paper apple the same color of our favorite apple and graphed it. The winner in preschool was the yellow apple and our least favorite was the green. We continued to explore big and small, and more or less.

In your child's folder you will find a fun activity that will help you to reinforce what we were learning in class with your child. This sheet does not need to be sent back but if you would like to send it in with your child, I will be sure to place a star sticker on his/her sheet, to show that I am aware of his/her efforts! Also, because the weather is changing, please send in a change of clothing that is better suited for Fall weather. I will send home what I have in class as the change of clothing comes in. Last week, a few of the PTA Entertainment books were sent home with your child. If you do not plan to purchase the book, and have not already done so, please return it with your child.

I can't believe it is that time again, but yes, it is time to purchase your "Pumpkin for your Pumpkin." For those of you that are not familiar with this, if you send in a dollar to your child's homeroom by October 14th, then on October 31st, the K-Kids will deliver a pumpkin to your little pumpkin, in class. You can send one to a friend or purchase more than one. Be sure to place payments in a labeled envelope.

Thank you again to all who have sent in wipes and sanitizers. I promise you that we make good use of it all! I hope that everyone enjoys their weekend!

Mrs. Gilberti

An Apple A Day Keeps The Dr. Away!!

I hope that everyone enjoyed their week. The children have really done a great job getting familiar with our routines. On deck, this week, was the letter "A". We practiced our "A" sounds and used our pre-writing skills that we were working on last week, to write the letter "A". The kids used Dot-A-Dot Art stampers and practiced top to bottom strokes, as well as, side to side strokes.

Being that the word apples begins with the letter "A", we chose to use our snipping skills, gluing skills and color recognition of red/yellow/green, to create apples for our apple tree board. We even used these three colors to help us pattern paper cut out apples. All of us enjoyed exploring big and small through stories, pictures and worksheets. Making our bodies tall and short was fun too!

Thank you to all who donated wipes to our classroom. Please remember that on Tuesday, September 27th, it will be picture day. If you have not already done so, please return your picture order forms with payment, with your child. Have a great weekend!

Mrs. Gilberti

HAPPY CONSTITUTION DAY!

Today is Constitution Day, and in our preschool room we wrote up our own Classroom Constitution, to remind us of how we can keep our room a friendly, safe and kind environment. Our preschoolers did a great job letting me know what they thought was important to post on our constitution board, and then we all signed it! This all tied in nicely to our week topic of kindeness and emotions. We also had vistors, Mr. Magnuson and Miss Dachisen, who came in and talked to us about bullying. We really enjoyed the book they shared with us.

This week, we introduced the calendar, months and days of the week. I am so impressed at how quickly they have all picked up each song. We also began practicing our pre-writing skills, remembering to use our pinch fingers when holding our writing utensils. We even worked on AB patterns and everyone did wonderful.

Next week, we will start our unit on apples. We will focus on the colors red, yellow and green, counting, patterning and the letter A. We will also be having an apple taste test to see which colored apple we like best and of course, we will be graphing our results.

Thank you again to all who came to Back to School Night. Our book fair was a success and the children enjoyed the selection of age appropriate books to choose from. Please remember to send in all forms to Mrs. Miller by Monday. Also, a few parents have asked what we could use in the preschool room. As always, wipes, both hand and table, would be a wonderful donation. We do our best to keep germs away so we can all stay healthy. If you haven't already done so, please consider joining the PTA, as a volunteer or any capacity. Extra hands are always welcomed and the PTA is a wonderful way to give back to our children's school, for the sake of all our students. If you would like a membership form, please let me know and I will gladly place one in your child's folder. Enjoy your weekend and stay warm!

Mrs. Gilberti

THANK YOU!

Thank you all for a wonderful Back to School Night! If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me at agilberti@oxfordcentral.org. Also, this is just a gentle reminder to return all forms that were sent home earlier in the week.

Thank you!

Mrs. Gilberti

What a great start to our new year! This week we focused on classroom rules and routines and I must comment on how well everyone adjusted to the new environment. Not one tear was shed, well, maybe by some Moms and Dads! Everyone did there very best to remember to follow all the rules that keep us safe in preschool! We practiced coloring, gluing, and snipping skills this week. Many of us already can recognize our names!

We also talked about our feelings towards the first day of school. It was nice to hear, from some of the children, that once they walked into the classroom, they weren't scared anymore. Others told me that they couldn't wait to get to preschool! That is music to my ears. We read, "The Kissing Hand", and created our own gifts to share with our families, in times when we are missed. I will be sending them home with the children the day after Back to School Night!

Speaking of Back to School Night, we will be holding a classroom visit for those of you who may not have had an opportunity to visit your child's classroom or for those who have seen our room and would simply like to pop in and leave a little note of encouragement for your child, in their cubby. I will be in the room from 6:15 to 7pm. I understand that many of you have more than one child at OCS, so feel free to pop in, even if only on your way to meet a different teacher, for one of your other children.

In your child's folder you will find important forms to be filled out and returned as soon as possible. If you have already done so, I thank you. Also, the PTA sponsored Scholastic Book Fair will be held during Back to School Night hours. Our class will be visiting the book fair on Friday, Sept. 16th. If you would like to have your child purchase a book, please send in money on the specified date, in a labeled envelope.

We were so happy to see the sun finally come out this afternoon. Let's hope that next week we will see some sunshine so we can enjoy the play ground! Have a great weekend and remember, if you have any questions and would like to contact me, please email me at agilberti@oxfordcentral.org.



Mrs. Gilberti

WELCOME BACK PRESCHOOLERS!!!!

September 6, 2011

Dear Preschool Families,
Welcome back!! I hope that everyone enjoyed their summer! I am so excited to start the new school year!
Today, in preschool, we spent our day getting to know new friends and reconnecting with old ones. We will spend the next few days learning routines and classroom rules. A folder is being sent home with your child today. Please be sure to look through it every evening to discover finished work, projects and important notes or forms. This will help to keep you informed of what is happening in the school and in our classroom. Also, please remember to return the folder every day with your child, for we use them as a means of communication. The folders are checked every morning, by an adult, for notes from home and forms that were asked to be returned.
We have some exciting news to share! This year, preschoolers will participate in specials, such as gym, and we have a new computer center! The computer center will help us to introduce and reinforce preschool skills that we will be working on throughout the school year.
I want to send a gentle reminder home to send in an extra change of clothing for your child, labeled and in a zip lock bag. The children will also enjoy a snack period to help develop socialization skills amongst their peers. Please send in a healthy snack and drink, in a lunch bag or lunch box. This makes it easier for the children to carry their snack to the table, from their cubby. Please keep in mind that if the weather permits, we will be spending time on the playground. Appropriate shoes, such as sneakers, are recommended in order to avoid injuries. Often, after outdoor play, we walk to the water fountains for a drink. If you do not want your child drinking from the water fountain, please send in a labeled bottle of water and we will keep it in your child’s cubby.
On Friday, in lieu of the 10th anniversary of 9/11, the school is having a Red, White and Blue day. If possible, we are asking that our students dress in these colors. I will be posting a Classroom Newsletter on my blog, every Friday, to communicate any other important events, dates, and to share what is happening in preschool. If for any reason you cannot access my blog and would like a paper copy sent home on Fridays, please let me know. We are off to a great start!

Thank you.

Mrs. Gilberti