Shape: heart
Color: red
Topics: What Fits Inside
Instruments / Music
Jingle Bells
Winter Break: Dec. 22 thru Jan 2nd. School resumes Jan. 3, 2012.
Thank you’s!!!
Thank you for taking part in selling advent calendars. You helped raise $390 for our school.
Thank you to Dawn Roach. She donated $20 to the school from our fall picture orders.
Holiday Gift Exchange
We will be having a holiday gift exchange on Dec. 20th. Girls will exchange with girls and boys will exchange with boys. Please send a $5.00 wrapped gift with your child on or before Dec. 20th.
Address and Telephone Numbers
Your child will be working on learning his/her address and telephone number. Please work on this with your child at home.
January Calendar and Newsletter
You will receive your January newsletter and calendar after Winter Break. Please note: there will be show and tell on January 3rd!
School Closings:
Listen to KCHK 1350 Am or WCCO 830 or watch channels 4, 5 or 11 for school closings. If New Prague Schools are 1 or 2 hours late, Small Wonders am class will be cancelled. If New Prague Schools are closed, Small Wonders is closed.
Carnival/Raffle ~ Friday Feb. 10, 2012
The largest fundraiser of the year is our carnival. This year’s carnival will be held on February 10, 2012 at the New Prague Middle School. This event will consist of a performance by the children, food, games, a raffle and a silent auction. All Small Wonders families are asked to sell raffle tickets for prizes awarded at the carnival (need not be present to win). We are also asking for parent volunteers to help the night of the carnival and help in asking businesses for donations for the carnival. If you, or your employer, have something to donate to the raffle, please see Carol or Mary. Mark your calendars now and invite your family and friends to join you at this event!
Reading:
Success in school starts with reading. When children become good readers in the early grades, they are more likely to become better learners throughout their school years and beyond. Learning to read is hard work for children. Research now can suggest to us how to give a child a good start in reading. Parents set the stage for their child to learn to read. It takes much practice, more practice than a child can get at daycare or preschool. Below are ideas to start your child on the road to successful reading.
Ideas for Home:
*Be a reader and a writer. Children learn habits from the people around them.
*Read together everyday. Spend time talking about stories, pictures and words.
*Share conversations with your child over mealtimes and other times you are together. Children learn words more easily when they hear them spoken often. Introduce new and interesting words at every opportunity.
*Visit the library often. Give your child the gift of a library card.
Information from “Putting Reading First”
NIFL Publications
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November 2011
Color: Brown
Shape: Square
Topics: Night Creatures
Community Helpers
Camouflaged/Hibernate
Position Words/Thanksgiving
Friends Around the World
Days Off: November 24 & 25
Happy Thanksgiving!
Upcoming Events
*Walk to Lau’s Bakery – Nov. 10
Halloween Dress-Up
Our Halloween Dress up date will be Nov. 1. The children should wear their costumes to school. Please do not bring weapons that may come with your child’s costume. Children may bring in treats to share with their classmates.
Walk to Lau’s Bakery
On November 10, we will be walking to Lau’s Bakery. We will see how all of the yummy treats are made! Please send your child in good walking shoes and dress accordingly. Thank you!
Pizza Fundraiser
Thanks for taking part in the fall fundraiser! It was a great success. We raised $960 for our preschool!!!
Lock Box
There is a lock box on the west side of the front door. This box may be used for tuition, fundraiser payments, etc. There is also a payment box located inside the building – look for the wooden box on the left, just inside the door.
Advent Calendars
We will be selling advent calendars. We are excited to offer this as the calendars are a fun item for people of “ALL AGES”!!!
Progress Reports
The first progress reports and Booklets of Experiences will be sent home in your child’s bag on November 17th. If you have any questions or concerns, please call the preschool (758-3760) and we will set up a conference. Please remember to return the booklets to school. We will have scheduled conferences in March for every student.
Carnival/Raffle ~ Friday February 10, 2012
New Prague Middle School
The biggest fundraiser of the year is our carnival. This year the carnival will be held on February 10, 2012. This event will consist of games, prizes, food and a performance by the children. All Small Wonders families are asked to sell raffle tickets for prizes awarded at the carnival (need not be present to win). We are also asking for parent volunteers to help the night of the carnival and help in asking businesses for donations for the carnival. If you, or your employer, have something to donate to the raffle please see Mary or Carol. Mark your calendars now and invited your family and friends to join you at this event!
Successful Readers Need to Talk, Talk, Talk
Learning to read begins with talking. Remember the old saying, “children should be seen and not heard”? Research tells us that for children to become readers, they should listen and talk a lot. During the preschool years children need to learn to use language. They need to know how to carry on a good conversation with adults and their friends. Preschoolers need to learn how to attend and listen on purpose. By having conversations with children, they are developing meanings for words, grammar rules and learning the social uses of language. With the help of parents and through their everyday experiences children learn the listening and talking skills needed to become strong readers and writers.
Information from: A Child Becomes a Reader, Oral Language and Early Literacy in Preschool
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October 2011
- Color: orange
- Shape: circle
- Topics: Fire Safety, Pumpkins and Gardens, & Halloween Safety.
- Days off: October 17-21
- Picture day October 4th!
- On October 6th a New Prague Fireman will be visiting our class and bringing in some of the equpment that firefighters wear when fighting fires.
- Pizza pic-up will be Oct 13th
Halloween Dress-Up:
- Our dress-up date will be Nov 1st. The children should wear their costumes to school. Please do not bring weapons that may come with your child's costume. Children may bring in treats to share with their classmates.
Lock Box:
- There is a lock box on the west side of the frong door which may be used for tuition, fundraiser payments, etc. There is also a payment box located inside the building - look for the wooden box on the left,just inside the door.
Picture Wall:
- The children's pictures have been put on the balloons painted on the wall in the entryway. Please talk to your child about his/her new friends!
Reminders:
- Tuition is due on the 25th of the preceding month (Ex: Sept tuition is due Aug 25th)
- Please bring your child only 5 minutes before school starts.
- Please feel free to request a conference with the teachers at anytime of just give us a call if you have questions. 758-3760
Save the Date!!
- Our concert/carnival date has been set for February 10th, 2012!
Helpful Hint:
- To prevent any problems misplacing hats, mittens, etc. please put them in your child's bag or coat sleeve.
Road to Reading
Reading together is more than just saying the words. Reading the best of children’s books to your child will teach them that books feature characters, a setting (time and place), and have a problem to solve. Your child will learn that the actions in the story solve a problem. They become aware that the words in the story can create feelings of sadness, surprise, suspense, fear and happiness. When reading to your child include questions that encourage your child to think and talk about the book.
*Is this a real story or a made up story? How can you tell?
*What do you think will happen next?
*How do you think that made (a character) feel?
*What would you do if that happened to you?
Questions that ask your child to retell the story, make predictions, and relate the story to their life are important. Reading together is helping your child understand the story.
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September 2011
- School Supplies - please bring rolls of paper towels, napkins, 5 oz drink cups, and a $5.00 donation to cover the cost of materials such as paper, glue, crayons, paints, etc.
- Please check your calendar each month to ensure you know which days we have school, field trips, etc.
- On stormy days, watch the local news channels 4, 5 or 11 for the New Prague Public School closings. There won't be a separate announcement regarding Small Wonders - if New Prague Schools are 1-2 hours late, Small Wonders is closed. If NP schools are closed, we are closed also.
- Drop off - please only arrive 5 minutes before school starts.
- Daily arrival: When children arrive they can hang their coat and place boots in the coat room by their name tag (change into comfortable shoes when applicable). They can then hang their school bags up by their name tag in the block area.
- Separation Anxiety: For some children separating from their primary caregiver is traumatic. It is a feeling similar to fear and frustration in adults. It is not abnormal but it does have to be addressed so it does not become unmanageable. If all the adults involved act in a positive nurturing manner, the behavior (crying, clinging, etc) will diminish, then disappear. The child will learn they are not bad, just sad. This is a feeling and they will be OK. 1) Tell your child "it is okay to miss me and you will be okay!" 2) Send a picture of the family, or a favorite toy or blanket, so they can have a connection to home. 3) Help your child hang up their coat, bring them to the yellow gate, give them a loving hug and kiss, (have a teacher help your child to stay), say good-bye and leave. 4) Your child will be fine, but if you feel you need to call, please do 952-758-3760. Please remember it is normal for this to take awhile and there may be setbacks. We just keep working at it - calmly and positively!
- Daily pickup: The routine for being excused at the end of the day: 1) After the children are excused to get their school bags and coats, they will bring their belongings back into the classroom to get ready to go home. 2) The teachers will excuse each child by calling their names when their parent/carpool person arrives. We excuse the children this way because we need to know which child is leaving and to ensure each child is leaving with the correct person. 3) If a child jumps up and runs out, we will ask them to come back into the classroom and wait until their name is called. 4) The children need to learn how to get their coats and boots on by themselves. Please be patient, they will get it done!
- You may bring an extra set of clothes to be kept at school.
- Show and Tell - We usually have show and tell on Tuesdays, check your monthly calendar!
- We prefer to by called by Carol and Mary, or Ms. Carol and Ms. Mary (rather than Mrs. Frykman or Mrs. Laban)
- Please put your child's name on all of their belongings!
- School pictures will be taken on October 4th during class! Details will be sent home in backpack!
- Sharing Balloon helps keep Small Wonders floating! - In the classroom, we will place post-it notes on the Sharing Balloon describing items we need for the school. If you are interested in purchasing an item, simply take the post-it home with you and then return the product to the school - thanks so much!!
- Topics this Month: "I'm special", "Homes to Live in", "Apples Everywhere", "Leaves and Trees".
- Color this month: Yellow
- Shape this month: Triangle
- Progress reports: We send home two progress reports throughout the year, one in November and one in March.
- Conferences: Please feel free to request a conference with the teachers anytime, or just give us a call if you have any questions! We will have scheduled conferences in March. Please put our phone number in a safe place: SMALL WONDERS PRESCHOOL 952-758-3760
- We are looking forward to a great year!
