Families, let’s make this a year of sharing and collaboration, with the kiddos and the adults at Millbrae Nursery School as well as our community partners. Let’s start the year with a positive energy and continue with it all year. Get set!

I look forward to our 2010-2011 school year together! Let’s get going!

Sincerely,
Teacher Liselle

A large number of parents have approached me this year, telling me that their kiddo is having a tough day because they lack sleep.  Although attending class is very important, children have such a tough time concentrating or even getting along with anyone when their bodies are craving rest.  The unfortunate thing is that children don’t know why they are feeling so emotional, they just know they want to be left alone.  Sometimes, all we need is a little more rest.

Sleep helps our body and brain develop and grow.

Check out http://www.sleepforkids.org for more tips on sleep.  Also, for recommended hours of sleep by age check out http://www.webmd.com/parenting/guide/sleep-children.

Theme/Focus: Farm, Pumpkins, & Real vs. Pretend

Parent Activities: Prepare Family Tree and present it in class on your workday. LITERACY ART Scarecrow

Pumpkin Pumpkin

Farm Counting Book

The Perfect Sheep

The Perfect Nest

Ten Little Rabbits

Where The Wild Things Are

Tracing Names

Taking Care of Books

Sounding out a,e,i,o,u

Where the Wild Things Are I can do it (VPK)

Family Tree (VPK)

Cut and paste jack-o-lantern

Treasure box (torn art)

Writing names (upper & lower case letters)

Tracing Calendar

Scarecrow

Cotton ball sheep Changes to the Environment:

Themed books in quiet and reading areas: Where The Wild Things Are, Farmer’s Market, Barnyard Hullabaloo, The Cow Who Clucked, Away Went The Farmer’s Hat, Down on the Farm, When The Leaf Blew In, The Scarebunny, Apples and Pumpkins, Picking Apples and Pumpkins, From Seed to Pumpkin, The Lonely Scarecrow, The Treasure

Introducing the County Office of Education Virtual Pre-k to MNS.  Building a home-school connection

Special Skills:  Recognizing skills and accomplishments at school and at home, building positive relationships with peers and teachers, understanding and applying personal safety rules.
MUSIC & MOVEMENT	MATH & SCIENCE	HEALTH & SAFETY
SONGS: Old MacDonald Had a Farm Days of the Week Months of the Year Come and Join Us Where is (name of kiddo) Where is Thumbkin 5 Little Monkeys Sitting on a Tree	How does a pumpkin feel? (cool, cold, slimy, slippery, gooey, smooth, bumpy, wet, dry, heavy, light, etc.) Carving pumpkin Counting Friends Recognizing Colors/Shapes Recognizing Shapes October calendar Apple Tasting (Red, Yellow, Green) Apple Chart	School Rules: Role Play STRONG WORDS: Please, Thank you, Stop your body, Help me please Hi-5 for good helpers Fieldtrip (Who, What, Where, When) Costume Parade (Road safety) Obstacle Course
Observations/Notes:  Look at Desired Results Measures DRDP 2010 2 Recognition of own skills and accomplishments 4 Impulse Control 5, 7, 8, 10, 11, 12 Building cooperative relationships with peers/adults & developing friendships 17, 18, 19 Interest in literacy, comprehension of text presented by adults, concepts of print 23, 24, 25 Comprehension of English, Self-expression in Engl, Understanding and response to Engl lit activities 27 & 30 Cause and effect, curiosity and initiative 32 & 34 Number sense of quantity & counting and classification 38 & 39 Gross motor movement & balance 40 Fine Motor Skills 41 & 43 Personal care routines & personal safety

]]> http://www.millbraenurserycoop.org/2010/10/04/pre-k-october-curriculum/feed/ 0 http://www.millbraenurserycoop.org/2010/06/01/with-gratitude/ http://www.millbraenurserycoop.org/2010/06/01/with-gratitude/#comments Wed, 02 Jun 2010 05:23:40 +0000 MNS Parent http://www.millbraenurserycoop.org/?p=1656 Dear Families,

As I think of this journey we have all been a part of, this school year, I become overwhelmed with the feeling of pride and joy for our kiddos and the families here in Millbrae Nursery School. Together, we have learned about so many matters and subjects, (way too much to list.) Just think of the potential for each kiddos’ future! My thoughts of our days together inspire me daily. What are your favorite memories of this year? Thank you so much for everyone’s participation. I can’t wait for our train field trip, end of the year celebration and I hope to see you all during the Posey Parade to represent our school!

With gratitude,

Teacher Liselle

Parent Activities: Provide a sign that says your kiddos’s whole name. Incorporate games to your family time together.

Special Skills: Writing names with upper and lower case letters. Using full sentences in conversation. Participating in activities from the beginning to the end.

Changes to the Environment:

Themed books in quiet and reading areas

Whales Passing, I Wonder Why Fish Don’t Drown, I’m the Biggest Thing in the Ocean, The Shark Who Was Afraid Of everything, A House For Hermit Crab, Ellen And The Goldfish, Baby Whale’s Journey, Swimmy, The Rainbow Fish, Under the Sea

Observations/Notes: Look at Desired Results Measures

1 & 2 Identity of Self & Recognition of own skills and accomplishments

7 & 8 Conflict Negotiation & Awareness in self and others

16 & 17 Curiosity and initiative & Engagement and Persistence

19 & 20 Cause and Effect & Engages in Problem Solving

22 & 23 Number sense: quantity, counting and math operations

30-33 Letter & word knowledge, concept of print, phonological awareness

35 Fine Motor Skills

I looked in my car’s trunk, where I kept two kites, (just cause.) And I was determined to show the kiddos that we do not have to be afraid of or mad at the wind. My small kite flipped around and crashed so much that it broke, plus my big butterfly’s long tail got tangled as Teacher Megan and I tried to make it fly. The kiddos were curious to see a kite, and that diverted their attention from being scared, but crashing kites was not what I had in mind! Across the street, I saw a piece of paper fly off the ground and my determination was set. I thought, “something is going to be airborne today!”

Later on in the day, I tied a plastic bag with yarn with the pre-k kiddos and crossed my fingers that it would work, and tah-dah! It flew… Bag Kites were born! The look on the kiddos faces when they were able to fly their own kites was priceless. The sound of their giggles still rings in my ear today. For weeks, the kiddos asked if we could fly our Bag Kites!

Luckily, Amy Maschio-Baksheeff was able to capture some pictures on her phone, click here for more. It was so simple and environmentally friendly! Oh, and free! Try it sometime!

Teacher Liselle

Thank you to everyone who participated in the Valentine’s Day celebration. Special thank you to Jay Harvey’s family for sponsoring the Chinese New Year celebrations, and to Evan Louie’s mom who shared their Chinese New Year traditions from home. Our class
enjoyed the festivities greatly!

The Pre-k class is hosting the Spring Party this March 27th. Please share any ideas with the teachers ASAP, so we can discuss incorporating your ideas for the celebration.

Sincerely,
Teacher Liselle

Parent Activities: Please help the kiddos practice speaking in full sentences.

The curriculum for our class is based on the school’s monthly calendar, the interest of the children, and the DRDP-R requirements.  Flexibility is always exercised, based on skill level as well as interest of the kiddos in class.

Themed books in quiet and reading areas

• Rain, I don’t want to go to bed!
• Tiger Can’t sleep
• Dig Dig Digging
• The Three Little Pigs
• The Three Little Wolves and the Big Bad Pig
• The Three Billy Goats Gruff
• Bambi
• Bringing the Rain to Kapiti Plain
• Amason Alphabet
• Muncha! Muncha! Muncha!
• Puddles
• The Diggers, Blaze A Trail
• Round the Garden, Rocks
• Round the Garden

Observations/Notes:  Look at Desired Results Measures

• 1 & 2 Identity of Self & Recognition of own skills and accomplishments
• 4 & 6 Building cooperative play with others
• 7 & 8 Conflict Negotiation & Awareness in self and others
• 16 & 17 Curiosity and initiative & Engagement and Persistence
• 19 & 20 Cause and Effect & Engages in Problem Solving
• 22 & 23 Number sense: quantity, counting and math operations
• 30-33 Letter & word knowledge, concept of print, phonological awareness
• 34 Gross motor skills
• 35 Fine Motor Skills

I have recently been approached by many family members regarding improvements/growth in the kiddo’s in such a short time. It is because of our unconditional effort and patience that we have been so successful! Thank you to everyone for all of your help!

Let us take the opportunity, this January, to reflect on our experiences, and make goals for the future. The Pre-kindergarten kiddos are preparing for a big leap into kindergarten next school year, and this can be exciting and scary at the same time. Let us begin preparing now. Being prepared for this transition can be helpful for everyone in the family, specially our little ones!

This month, we will focus our attention on improving communication skills, plus listening and following instructions. In 2010, let’s focus on what we can do AND what we can do even better!

Looking forward to the future,

Teacher Liselle

I would like to say thank you to the families who have scheduled a Parent Teacher Conference.  We have so much to share with each other about our kiddos.

During the month of December, we will be talking about family traditions and togetherness.  We will share our Family Favorites in class on each parents’ workday.  We have begun to learn our letter sounds a, n, and t.  When our kiddos are ready, we will continue on to learn the letter sounds of  s, o, f, m, and i. (Please help our kiddos by practicing letter sounds, not names.) 

Let’s continue encouraging our children’s curiosity through literature. Our book fair in the beginning of November was a success!  How do you like our Raising a Reader book bags? 

Sincerely,
Teacher Liselle