This week we discussed how to make friends and keep them. We also made a digital book about friendships called "A Circle of Friends". After we wrote the story, the children took photos and we incorporated them into our book. On the computer, the children watched as I typed each child's part of the story. Young children's concept of print is a good predictor of later reading, writing, and spelling ability.

YOU'VE GOT MAIL

What did the letter say to the stamp? "Stick with me and you'll go places".

 Since we are learning about friendships, I had the children make postcards for their classmates in our new Post Office. We discussed why we give cards to others and how it feels to receive a card. Using markers, colors, and stickers the boys and girls decorated their postcards. When they were done we discussed how the postal system works, from the mailbox to the sorting office to the letter which arrives at their mailbox. After sorting our mail by names, the children delivered postcards to the student's cubby. We also sent real postcards through our school mailbox so friends could receive them at home. Having a post office dramatic play area in our classroom offers a variety of opportunities for working together, writing and sending notes and learning how mail is delivered. While our students are sorting, transporting, and sending packages, they are building language skills while working and playing together.

We had a special visit from the Fire Department and they taught the children about fire safety. Preston had a race with one of the Firefighters to see who could get ready first. It was wonderful to hear the children cheer him on. What a Great visit!

September is Hunger Awareness month and we wanted to help. Each child decorated a box to collect food. We placed the 21 boxes around campus to encourage people to donate. I’m proud to say we filled all 21 boxes. This is twice the amount from last year.

One of our focus questions was, “When do things happen at school?”  We used our visual schedule to see what happens during the day and even took some time to plan activities together.  Routines are very important at this age and their inquiring minds enjoy discussing what we are doing next. One of the activities we planned was to to read Peeny Butter Fudge.  In this book when Mama leaves the kids with Nana, she also leaves a set of instructions for the day. But, when the door closes, all sorts of fun breaks loose. Then, Mom comes home, sees the house is a big mess and is temporarily annoyed until she sees that they've made peanut butter fudge. The peanut butter fudge fondly reminds her of her childhood.

We had our schedule planned for the day and who do you think showed up? Our very own Nana!

Nana is my son’s grandmother and there is no one like Nana in the whole wide world. She is the best. Nana knows how to take an ordinary day and make it extra special!  

She brought the recipe and all the ingredients to make peanut butter fudge.  We read the recipe and discussed how important it was to follow the directions. If we missed a step, our fudge wouldn’t taste good.  Knowledge of print and its uses includes understanding that print carries a message and that print is organized and read in particular ways.  Each child was given a step from the recipe and couldn’t wait to help. 

One of America’s fondest legends is that of Johnny Appleseed, a folk hero and pioneer apple farmer in the 1800’s. His dream was to produce so many apples that no one would ever go hungry. This was a great story to read since September is Hunger Awareness Month. Every year the Primary classes collect food to donate to Harvest Food Bank. To help our community we put on our Johnny Appleseed hats and passed out apples reminding everyone about our food drive. This was also a great way to meet faculty and other students for our other focus question “Who works at our school?”

During the first week, we focus on “What names we need to know at school?” It's important that we get to know each other and begin building trust and relationships so we can feel safe and happy. To help them feel comfortable at school, we took a tour of the campus and met the Administrative Staff. Being able to establish caring relationships and to enter successfully into ongoing social interactions are essential skills for school and for success in life. We also discussed expectations as well as building a strong classroom family.

The boys and girls loved learning the nursery rhymes: Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Kittens. These nursery rhymes teach them phonological awareness, or phonological sensitivity, which is the ability to discern the sounds and patterns of spoken language. Phonological awareness is an important skill in learning to read. Children become phonologically aware through experiences such as reciting poems and nursery rhymes, singing, and clapping the syllables of chanted words. They hear the words "wall" and "fall" have the same end sound, just like "ball" and "tall." Then we say these words: "call," "hall," "wall," and "fall." We are learning that these words rhyme because they all end with the "-all" sound.

We also discussed what we could learn from Humpty Dumpty and The Three Little Kittens. Humpty Dumpty is an egg and can be easily broken when mishandled. Once cracked, an egg shell can't be put back together. I asked the students, "Where is Humpty Dumpty, and is it a safe place for him to be?" This led to an entire discussion about safety and making good choices so we stay safe. When asked, “Why did the kittens lose their mittens?” The children said “they lost them because they didn’t take care of them.” This led to a discussion about taking care of our things in the classroom and at home. We talked about where things go in our classroom so we don’t lose them(backpack, folder, lunch box, toys).

While we are doing all these fun things, a lot is taking place. Following instructions, learning to socialize with others, working on gross motor skills, and spatial awareness are some of the skills we are learning without even realizing it.

Although it is a hectic time of year, it is the time when I most realize how blessed we all are to be a part of this school and community,. It has been a year full of learning, growing and sharing.  It is hard to believe how quickly the school year has come and gone.

Our Spring Program was this week and each child received a certificate for completing the class.  I’m confident that their year at St. James Day School has taught them both academically and spiritually.  Congratulations to the Class of 2019!

We are ending the school year with our annual Fun Fair.  The festivities include painting, potting flowers, crawling through tunnels, bubbles, and ice cream.  The boys and girls are excited for the event.

I would like to thank you for your faith, trust, and commitment to St. James Day School.  We realize the sacrifice each family makes to send their child/children to our school. We share in your commitment and want to continue to be your partner in molding faith driven leaders with a spirit of service.  I can’t wait to see everyone next school year. Have a happy, safe, and fun summer. Enjoy your family and friends.

We started our new study about reduce, reuse, and recycle.  The boys and girls are excited! This study offers opportunities for children to explore a topic that not only interests them but allows them to gather information, become more aware of the world around them, and solve problems.  Our class is observing, gathering data, exploring our community, learning new information, and proposing solutions to problems. One of the ways the children decided to help, was to make a recycling center in our classroom. They enjoy sorting  and reusing the trash collected.

A wonderful book that we’ve been reading is The Paper Bag Princess.  Princess Elizabeth is excited to marry dreamy Prince Ronald, but then a dragon attacks the castle, kidnaps her prince, and burns all her clothes. In resourceful and humorous fashion, Elizabeth uses a paper bag, finds and outsmarts the dragon, and rescues Ronald—who is less than pleased at her unprincess like appearance. What’s a modern-day princess to do?    Using shipping paper and paper bags the children made their own clothing to re-enact the story.  We compared the story to others where the hero outsmarts the villain, for example Three Little Pigs.  This story also teaches us conflict and resolution, what makes a good friend, and practice for our public speaking skills.

During our discussion about Earth Day and how to reduce, reuse, and recycle we decided to make a collage.  We used old newspapers to paint a picture of earth and recyclable items we collected. Preschoolers need three separate skills in order to make a collage: ripping, cutting, and gluing. These skills are "process oriented" art skills and the child’s final product is often just the part of that process.  Children should be encouraged and praised not only for the final product but also for their progress in handling scissors, coordination in ripping, and the ability to use glue.