Another week has flown by! We have been very busy learning and enjoying each other.
Please take some time to visit our room to see the Matisse drawings the children have done. They are gorgeous! Every single day our kids impress us with their talent and ability to transfer knowledge. You can check them out on the bulletin board in our classroom. We were pleased that the artwork made an impression and not just the Oglethorpe cafeteria!
The History Museum was wonderful. Our guide was very knowledgeable and friendly. The children got to see many authentic tools and weapons. They also got to touch different game equipment and fur. The discussion about the many purposes these things had was meaningful and rich. They were so impressed with the Muskogee legend The Great Ball Game that we ordered a class copy. You may want to check it out from your local library to read together.
On Wednesday Jami Vance, our intern, was here all day. We really lucked out getting her. She worked with many children one-on-one learning math and literacy. Her warm demeanor and competence has allowed us to lower the teacher/student ratio and be able to spend more time on individual instruction. She has agreed to substitute in the future after she fulfills her required master’s hours for Oglethorpe!
The trip to Spivey Hall was fantastic. The musician was unbelievably talented and introduced the children to many different instruments. Almost every child in our class had a chance to perform on stage! Please check your email for a photo Joy sent from her phone.
We have decided to cancel the trip to Fernbank Museum on March 31. Instead, we are going to go to Little Shop of Stories in Decatur. They are going to give us a tour of the shop and explain how the various genres of books are arranged. After that they will be doing a read aloud. If you have already paid for the Fernbank trip, we will apply your $7.00 to these new ones. We have also added another trip for that week to The Wren’s Nest. More information about that trip will follow as we get closer to the date. Suzanne is looking for parent volunteers to drive and chaperone for both trips. A special thanks to Chad, Sabrina’s dad, and Ted, Alek’s dad, for agreeing to accompany us to Sensations. Also, if you are able to volunteer in the classroom during the weeks of March 22-26 and March 29-April 2, Suzanne would really appreciate it. Please let her know your availability as soon as possible.
March dates to look forward to:
March 10 – TELLUS Museum – $8March 24 – Sensations – $10March  30 – The Wren’s Nest – $6March 31 – Little Shop of Stories – $10 (This will include a book for each child!)
Have a terrific weekend. Warmly, Suzanne and Joy

We are deep into the Deepening stage of our unit.  As we explore with our senses we discover things about ourselves along the way.  Some of the Pre-K are enticed by the opportunity to get gooey and others prefer to keep clean hands!  You will see photos of us from last week and this week.  Remember to show your children these pictures to help them discuss with you ways that they have connected to color and shape through our explorations.

IJ and TG were amazed when they discovered that they matched their beds!

TG made gray and IJ made the color of his shirt.

CK, SD and CK explored color hues and shades.

AG and JC explored color hues and shades.

MM and DJ had mixed emotions about the goop!

IJ read to CK and DJ.

TG and CK drew their plan for building.

The magnet blocks pulled the Pre-K together! This group of children worked together to make a home for the animals.

AM and KC made bear families.

SD sorted noodles by two attributes, color and shape.

Using our senses of taste and touch, we combined white(powdered milk) with brown(peanut butter) to make edible play dough.

AH made a play dough flower.

JF and CG worked with Goop. We focused on what happens to a color when you add white.

Monday – Symmetry (Mirror prints)  Writer’s Workshop  Art  Math Workshop (Geoboards)  Movement
Tuesday – Puzzle Construction Zone (Use attributes of shape to solve two dimensional puzzles)   Spanish   Math Workshop (Geoboards: Re-present “geo shapes”)   Music
Wednesday – Fernbank Museum Field Trip (Please send $10 to school with your child.) 10:00 AM- 1:00 PM We will eat lunch at the museum, weather permitting. Please send a completely disposable lunch (no heat ups). P.E. Science (Indoor Rainbow)
Thursday – Symmetrical Movements    Spanish    P.E.    Science (Magic Batik Paintings)
Friday – Kaleidoscope Making       Community Meeting

Friday, February 26, 2010 in the community room.

Dinner begins at 6:00p.

Good Moves will perform at 7:00p

Menu:  Soup, Salad, Bread and Dessert.  Proceeds go to CARE.

Tickets are $10.00 for Adults and $5.00 for children.

Please make your reservation by calling 404.688.9550 or you may email us.

Tickets will be available for purchase on the playground this Wednesday, Thursday and Friday between 8:00a and 8:30a.

Part of our Earth History Timeline

Drawing Fossils at Fernbank

The 7/8 Science class visited Fernbank as part of their studies of fossil formations and Earth history.  We learned about the various fossils etched into Fernbank’s floor tiles and drew our favorites.  We also found examples of trace fossils, molds, and casts.  There was a ton of information about the different animals and plants that lived during earth’s past; each student chose two new and interesting facts to present to the class and also chose an animal from the Jurassic or Triassic period to report on later.

Happy Valentine’s Day! This week we will begin the Deepening step of our project Cityscape (Color, Shape, and Classification). Children will be challenged to use problem solving and abstract representations to apply their learning in new and varied ways.
Monday – Where Does It Belong? (Classification of city related objects using multiple characteristics)Tuesday – Cityscape Comparisons / Making play doughWednesday – What Does Not Belong? (Distinguish which items in a set do not belong based on multiple criteria)Thursday – NO SCHOOL Parent/Teacher ConferencesFriday – NO SCHOOL Parent/Teacher Conferences
See you all tomorrow!Wendy