Dear Parents,
I am so excited to have the opportunity to work with your child this year. I am looking forward to all the fun we will have while learning!
This is the first of your monthly newsletters that will come home throughout the school year. At the start of each month, I will hang a calendar and newsletter on your hooks to keep you updated about what we will be doing in the classroom that month, any special days, field trips, etc. I may also check the web at chewelahcatholic, and click on the “Preschool” tab. This is newly up and running so there might be a few gaps and glitches at first so please bear with me. J
We will be learning our “Pirate Code”, or Class Rules at carpet time this month. We will strive to be polite pirates. The basic rules are: 1. Be kind 2. Keep your hands to yourself. 3. Follow directions the first time.
Please refer to the “classroom discipline” policy in your Open House paperwork for info about consequences and rewards for behavior!
If you haven’t done so already, please remember to turn in your Photo Permission Form and Volunteer Form if interested in volunteering (last two sheets of your Open House packet).
Attached is the outline of skills for this month by subject area. If you have any questions, please feel free to call me at home any time.

Sincerely,

Rebecca Dulaney-Schatz





Our Theme this month: Pirates
At carpet time: We will be doing the usual; but also pirate fingerplays (If you are a pirate and you know it, One-Eyed Jake, and Ten Little Pirates), Pin the Patch on the Pirate, Pirate/Parrot echo game focusing on colors, shapes, numbers, and letters, and reading lots of pirate books.
In Art: We will be decorating a treasure chest picture frame, making pirate maps including staining the paper they will be made on, painting wooden treasure chests, and making spy scopes.
In Math: We will be working on money skills by sorting and matching booty (pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters), counting and matching set with numerals using “clip cards”, sorting necklaces and pirate gold from a treasure chest, comparing sets (greater than/less than), and making pirate patterns.
In Language/Writing: We will start learning about beginning sounds and matching pictures with the beginning sounds, finding and writing (or tracing as needed) ar words, “read” a book called “My Name” and write the first letter of names, sort rhyming words by recognizing visually likenesses in written words, and practice letter writing on a missing words sheet.
Our “Special Interest” this month: Student’s will work on their own activity book with items relate to Chicka Chicka Boom Boom. We will listen to the book on tape, act out the falling letters, watch the dvd version of the story, and work in our lapbooks. The skills in the lapbook include: recognizing colors, identifying the letters in your name, matching and recognizing upper and lower case letters, and recognizing and naming shapes. These books will come home at the end of the month once completed. Father Jeff will be coming in this month on September 12 and 19 for half hour visits. He will be talking to the kids about the 10 commandments and working on a poster project to go with each commandment for the next several weeks. He will also be talking about prayer with the kids- What is it? How do we do it? When can we pray? Etc.
Treasure Hunt/Dress Like a Pirate Day: September 26: Please allow your child to come to school dressed as a pirate today-striped shirt, rolled pants, sash or belt, pirate hat, whatever you can think of, or a costume if you have one. No need to buy anything new. We are going on a treasure hunt around the school area to find a treasure chest with a little something in it for each child today, so it would be fun to dress the part in celebration of the end of our pirate theme!

Much of the work we do is in class in reusable form, where the kids write with a dry erase marker, on white boards, or use reusable charts, etc. Other work the kids will collect in class folders that will come home every couple of weeks. So, if you are ever curious, I will be glad to show you the activity and/or your child’s folder if you get curious in the in between time. Just let me know. J

Show And Tell: You may have noticed on your calendar that Show and Tell officially starts September 24. Any Tuesday your child would like to bring Show and Tell he/she may. Show and Tell will take place at the end of the day carpet time on Tuesdays. Most items are ok to bring, just make sure your child is prepared to tell us two things about the item he/she chose to bring.
September 10: Please help your child choose a natural treasure to bring and share as we talk about “real” treasures. It might be a rock, leaf, gem, turtle shell, bird nest, flower, etc. Whatever is special to your child from nature.
September 17: Please help your child choose something that is a special “treasure” to him/her to bring and share with the class on this day. Anything that holds special meaning .