Ms. Mikki's News- Dec. 15

News from Ms. Mikki December 15, 2017
December Learning targets: I can place 3 objects in order based on one characteristic (tall to short) I use my senses to investigate and make comparisons I notice changes in matter (melting, absorption, dissolving) I can sing my ABC’s	Literacy: Gingerbread Boy We read multiple version of The Gingerbread Boy story such as The Gingerbread Boy, The Gingerbread Baby and The Gingerbread Cowboy. We compared the stories by identifying the different characters and the different outcomes of each story.   5 Senses:  We finished up our 5 senses unit.  Along the way we shared our ideas of things we could see, hear, smell, taste and touch.
Math: My 5 Senses poem- counting and color recognition. 5 Little Gingerbread Men, jumping on the bed.  1 ran away, he was RED. 4 little Gingerbread Men, eating Jell-O.  1 ran away.  He was YELLOW 3 Little Gingerbread Men, acting mean.  1 ran away.  He was GREEN. 2 Little Gingerbread Men, falling down.  1 ran away.  He was BROWN. 1 Little Gingerbread Man, looking at you.  1 ran away.  He was BLUE.   We practiced ordering items by size (smallest to biggest) with our Gingerbread Men.  Most of us were successful with identifying small, medium, and large.  We all need a little more practice with putting them in order.  You can use different household objects to practice at home such as:  blocks, straws (cut them to various sizes), yarn or string, cardboard tubes (toilet paper, paper towel, wrapping paper), baby dolls and action figures, etc.	Science: We made gingerbread playdough!  We used all of our 5 senses to experiment with the ingredients.  Some of the BEST teaching moments are the ones they come up with on their own!  They turned the playdough center into a bakery.  As they played with their playdough, they made “gingerbread cookies”, cleared the art shelf off to use as the oven, and even asked to use the timer to keep track of “baking” time.   Next week we will watch what will happen if we leave a Gingerbread Man in a cup of water.  We’ll share our predictions and compare them to the outcome.
IMPORTANT INFO FOR PRE-K NEXT YEAR… If you are planning on attending preschool next year, you will need to fill out another application. Inclement Weather Policy:  If the district calls for a “Late Start” preschool will be cancelled for the day.	Dates to remember: December 18th & 19th: Class Christmas parties from 10:00-10:45.   December 20th-Jan. 3rd - No school for Winter Break Reminders: Please make sure your December tuition payment is made before we leave for Christmas Break!

News from Ms. Mikki December 1, 2017
Welcome back!  Everyone seemed to be excited to return to school.  They picked right back up where they left off which can often be hard to re-adjust after a break from school.     Speaking of excitement…...Ms. Jessie has some exciting news!  She and her husband Cory are expecting a little bundle of joy in June!  Let the countdown begin.   December is a very short, but busy month!  I‘ll be wrapping up several assessments over the next couple of weeks.  Make sure you are checking your child’s SeeSaw online portfolio.  I dont’ put every assessment on there, but I will put some of them on there.  You will receive your child’s progress report before we leave for Christmas Break.
December Learning targets: I can place 3 objects in order based on one characteristic (tall to short) I use my senses to investigate and make comparisons I notice changes in matter (melting, absorption, dissolving) I can sing my ABC’s	Literacy: My 5 Senses This week we read  My 5 Senses and Touch. We made a chart of things we could see and things we could touch. We shared words to describe different textures-  soft, scratchy, smooth, bumpy, fluffy, etc. We also discussed that there are some things that we can see, but we cant touch.  For example:  clouds, rainbows, the moon and stars.
Math: We set up a dice game in our math center.  The children rolled the dice with numbers on it and a dice with just the dots on it.  They were able to practice identifying the number on the dice and matching it to the posted number on the board, tag counting, and matching the number with the card that had the corresponding items on the card.   Baking cookies:  Remember that exciting news about Ms. Jessie?  Well, she is easily talked into making cookies in class.  So we measured, mixed and scooped out our dough and popped them in the oven.  And most importantly….we ate them.  They sure were delicious!	Science: I asked the students,” If you could touch a cloud, how do you think it would feel?”   They each were given a “cloud” (bath foam) to explore in their hands.   Feely bags-  They also explored different objects of various textures by reaching into a bag and feeling what was inside.  Ask them if they can remember what was in the bags (cotton balls, rock, Easter grass, balloon, pine cone, small plastic ball).
The Christmas Giving Tree-  We are collecting pudding and Jello-O cups to place under our Care To Learn Christmas tree.  You can send in your donations, or you can drop them off at the tree by the office.   IMPORTANT INFO FOR PRE-K NEXT YEAR… Applications for preschool enrollment will be available at Santa Bash.  If you are planning on attending preschool next year, you will need to fill out an application. Inclement Weather Policy:  If the district calls for a “Late Start” preschool will be cancelled for the day.	Dates to remember: December 6-7th - KidSight Vision Screening December 7th:  PAT/PreK Santa Bash 5:00-7:00-  FEMA shelter Monday, December 11th - Cox Care Mobile - contact the nurse for an appointment December 18th & 19th: Class Christmas parties from 10:00-10:45.   December 20th-Jan. 3rd - No school for Winter Break

News from Ms. Mikki November 13th, 2017
Thank to everyone who attended Stone Soup!  This has been an annual tradition for many years and is probably one of my most favorite.  After watching the video, I’m not sure how many have a future in stage performances, but they sure did look cute standing up there.  LOL!   Ms. Jessie and I would like to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!  Safe travels if you’re traveling.  If you are still around Thursday morning, we hope to see you all at the Clever Turkey Trot.  Meet us at the Middle school at 8:00!  A donation of diapers is appreciated, but not required!   IMPORTANT INFO FOR PRE-K NEXT YEAR… Applications for preschool enrollment will be available at Santa Bash.  If you are planning on attending preschool next year, you will need to fill out an application. Inclement Weather Policy:  If the district calls for a “Late Start” preschool will be cancelled for the day.   TUITION DUE FOR NOVEMBER:  $90 or $150 if you want to pay for Nov/Dec together.
November Learning Targets: I can describe the action in a picture. I can respond appropriately to questions about the location of an object I can put on my jacket, shoes and backpack myself without help except for zippers, buttons and tying	Literacy: This week we read  Run Turkey, Run!, 10 Fat Turkeys and  Stone Soup.   Reading strategy to use at home: Picture Walk Before we read a story, I pick out a couple of pages to look at.  We look at the pictures on the page and make predictions of what we think might happen on that page.  When we get to that page we determine if our predictions were right.
Math: Counting and Number identification-  We practiced counting 1-10, matching numbers on our turkey feathers to the numbers on our turkey.    We also started making our Class Family book.  We shared our “family” page and counted each of the members in our family.  T	Science Center: Roll with it!  We set up some ramps and experimented with different objects to see which ones roll and which ones don’t.
	Dates: November 20-24th:  Thanksgiving Break-  NO SCHOOL November 30th:  Skating Party 6:00-8:00 at Skateland November 30th:  Picture Retakes- 9:00 in the Y gym December 1st:  Forms due for the KidSight Vision Screening.  You only need to send the form back if you DO NOT want them to be screened.   Dec. 6-7th:  KidSight Vision Screening December 7th:  PAT Santa Bash 5:00-7:00-  FEMA shelter December 20th-Jan. 3rd-  No School- Winter Break

Ms. Mikki’s News Nov. 10

News from Ms. Mikki
November 10th, 2017
STONE SOUP IS THURSDAY!!

Please send in your Stone Soup RSVP and your assigned canned veggies.  We also would like for everyone to send in a new PLAIN square pot holder.  Any color besides black will be fine.  We are also asking everyone to bring a dessert or bread item to share that evening.

HOMEWORK:  Please check your child’s backpack for this weekend’s parent child activity.  They each need to complete their “Family” page and return it to school on Monday or Tuesday.  Please let this be a child driven activity.  They can cut out pictures of people in their family, or they can draw pictures of people in their family.  THey will be laminated so please don’t decorate them with anything other than photos or drawings.

Thanksgiving Vacation-  November 20th-24th.   NO SCHOOL

TUITION DUE FOR NOVEMBER:  $90 or $150 if you want to pay for Nov/Dec together.
November Learning Targets:
I can describe the action in a picture.
I can respond appropriately to questions about the location of an object
I can put on my jacket, shoes and backpack myself without help except for zippers, buttons and tying

Literacy:

 This week we read Growing Vegetable Soup and Mean Soup.  We shared our favorite and not so favorite vegetables.

Silly Soup-  We created a bowl of Silly soup too.  Ask them what we put in it.  (dinosaur, dog, boots, cat, monster, elephant, etc)
Math:

Shapes and sorting:  We used our canned vegetables to put a twist on sorting.  We sorted by color and by vegetable.
Science:

Sensory bags-  We used our sense of touch to play with various things in sensory bags in the science center.  We also observed leaves and pine cones in the sensory table.  They compared colors, shapes and sizes.

Dates:

November 11th:  PAT/PreK Mommy and Me Spa Day  9:00-10:00 a.m. in Ms. Mikki’s room
November 16th:  Preschool Stone Soup-  6:00 in the FEMA shelter.
November 17th:  Clever Wear orders are due.  https://cleverchristmas2017.itemorder.com/
November 20-24th:  Thanksgiving Break-  NO SCHOOL
November 30th:  Skating Party 6:00-8:00 at Skateland
December 7th:  PAT Santa Bash 5:00-7:00-  FEMA shelter

Picture Retakes

CLEVER ELEMIDDLE RETAKE PICTURE DAY 11/30/17

Ms. Mikki's News Nov. 3rd, 2017

News from Ms. Mikki November 3rd, 2017
A huge THANK YOU to our homeroom moms for organizing such awesome Halloween parties! I sent home book orders this week.  Those orders will be due on Friday, November 10th.  I will not be sending home a December book order, so here’s your chance to stock up on books for Christmas.  You can order online using our class code:  QC78V. Please send in your Stone Soup RSVP and your assigned canned veggies.  An invitation was sent home last week.   We also would like for everyone to send in a new PLAIN square pot holder.  Any color besides black will be fine. Favor Please:  Please make sure your child is finishing their breakfast before they enter the classroom in the mornings.  We have specific health codes that we must follow when it comes to serving foods.  This also goes for outside drinks.  They may bring their own water bottles  to keep in their cubbies, but they need to be clearly labeled with their name. Thank you for your cooperation.  .   TUITION DUE FOR NOVEMBER:  $90 or $150 if you want to pay for Nov/Dec together.
November Learning Targets: I can describe the action in a picture. I can respond appropriately to questions about the location of an object I can put on my jacket, shoes and backpack myself without help except for zippers, buttons and tying	Literacy: This week we read some Halloween themed books.  Our favorite was Go Away Green Monster. We shared what each of us was going to dress up as for Halloween.  We’ll be turning our list into a class book.
Math: Shapes and sorting:  We continue to practice naming shapes and sorting by one attribute (square, circle, triangle, rectangle).  Eventually we will move to sorting by two attributes (all of the yellow triangles, blue squares, etc).	Science: Sink or float:  We had fun choosing objects in the room and predicting if they would sink or float.  Ask them if they can remember what the pumpkin did in the water.
	Dates: November 11th:  PAT/PreK Mommy and Me Spa Day  9:00-10:00 a.m. in Ms. Mikki’s room November 16th:  Preschool Stone Soup-  6:00 in the FEMA shelter.   November 17th:  Clever Wear orders are due.  https://cleverchristmas2017.itemorder.com/ November 20-24th:  Thanksgiving Break-  NO SCHOOL November 30th:  Skating Party 6:00-8:00 at Skateland December 7th:  PAT Santa Bash 5:00-7:00-  FEMA shelter

The Cox Care Mobile is scheduled to be at Clever Schools on Monday, November 13, 2017. The Care Mobile is a medical office on wheels that provides FREE services to children ages birth to 18 years. This service is provided whether you have insurance or not. You may call the school nurse to inquire about the services provided, to schedule an appointment, and to receive the necessary paperwork. Thank you!

Ms. Mikki's Weekly Newsletter Oct. 20

Ms. Mikki’s Classroom News

October 20, 2017

This week week:

Literacy:  We read It’s Pumpkin Time which helped us understand  the life cycle of a pumpkin.  We also talked about the features of pumpkins (color, how does it grow, what’s inside, how does it feel, size, texture).  We compared apples to pumpkins.  How are they the same?  How are they different.  They generated a list of characteristics of each.  Here are some of their responses.

Apple: Pumpkin:

Red, yellow, green Orange, white, green

They grow on trees They grow on a vine

They have a stem They have a stem

We can eat them We can eat them

They are yummy

They have seeds They have seeds

They are smooth They have ridges

They are small They are big and small

Math:  Sorting-  We practiced sorting by one attribute (ex: by color, or size).

Science:  Did you hear about the pumpkin volcano?  They had a blast opening up the pumpkin, exploring the inside of the pumpkin and creating a volcano with baking soda and vinegar.  

Reminders:

TUITION FOR NOVEMBER IS DUE ON FRIDAY-  $90.00

Late arrivals/early departures:  If your child arrives at school after 8:00 and the circle drive is already clear, you will need to walk your child into the classroom.  You will also need to stop by the office first and sign them in.  If you need to pick them up early, you will also need to sign them out at the office.

Group Connection requirement:  Don’t forget that each family is required to attend at least 2 PAT group connections per semester to secure their enrollment in the preschool program.  We have several opportunities coming up that will help you meet that requirement.  Check out the dates below.

Change of clothes:  Please make sure your child has a complete set of clothing in a ziplock bag.  The weather will be changing to cooler temperatures (maybe), so please make sure there are season appropriate clothing in the bag.  

Recess:  We will attempt to go outside for recess even on chilly days.  Please make sure to send a jacket with your child daily.  Please put their initials on the inside tag as well.  

THANK YOU!  THANK YOU!!!  Thank you to everyone who attended the Book Fair last week, AND for donating books to our classroom library!  We greatly appreciate it!  

Upcoming Events

This week is Red Ribbon Week: I posted the daily dress up days on my Facebook page and SeeSaw.  Please visit one of those sites to see what’s happening this week!

Halloween parties will be on October 30th and 31st from 10:00-10:45.  Parents may arrive at 9:45.  We will participate in a costume parade at 10:00.  Children may wear their costumes to school, or you can pack them in their backpacks and we will get them changed for the parade.  No weapons are allowed with the costume.

November 2nd:  Fundraiser pick up in the FEMA (cafeteria) shelter.  Times TBA

November 3rd:  PAT  Playgroup 10:00-11:00 in my classroom

November 11th:  PAT Mommy and Me Spa Day  10:00-11:00

November 16th:  Preschool Stone Soup-  6:00 in the FEMA shelter.  

November 17th:  Clever Wear orders are due.  https://cleverchristmas2017.itemorder.com/

November 20-24th:  Thanksgiving Break-  NO SCHOOL

November 30th:  Skating Party 6:00-8:00 at Skateland

December 7th:  PAT Santa Bash 5:00-7:00-  FEMA shelter