THEME: OUTER SPACE
January 20th – 24th and January 27th – 31st

Zoom, zoom, zoom,
I’m going to the moon.
Would you like to take a trip? Climb aboard my rocket ship!
(crouch down) 10,9,8,7,6,5,4,3,2,1
(jump up) BLAST OFF!

We will blast off into space as we explore the outer space theme. We’ll learn about planets, stars, constellations, space travel and more!

Many of our astronomical creations will be on display at the Art Show! which will be held on Saturday, April 12th .
The letter of the week activities are O is for outer space and P is for planet.

*The week of January 27th – 31st is SHARING WEEK. The children may bring in an item related to the space theme on their scheduled sharing day.

REMINDERS, REQUESTS AND OTHER INFO:

*The Open House for new families was a success with new registrations coming in for the fall. Turn in your forms soon to receive your first-choice schedule!

*The Yellow Apple Group has started home visits with the class book buddy, Grumpy Monkey. All of the Yellow Apples will have a turn to keep the book buddy for 2 nights and write about their adventure. All are looking forward to their turn
with Grumpy Monkey!

*Barksdale studios has put together a small Valentine fundraiser for children who had their photos taken in the fall. There is a packet for you to view containing 36 Valentine cards with your child’s photo on them. The packets are $12, and the payment is made online to Barksdale. We’ll bring them out at arrival and dismissal time for families to see the packets. Participation is optional.

*Speaking of Valentines… in February the children may bring in Valentine cards for their classmates. Please send enough for your child’s entire group and we ask that no food items be sent in. There are 20 Yellow Apples and 7 Red Apples. For ease of distributing them, please leave the outside envelope blank and just sign inside the card. More information about Valentines will come in the next update.

*Preschool will not be held on Monday, January 20th for Martin Luther King, Jr. day.

Welcome back and best wishes for a happy, healthy 2025!

We have many fun learning experiences planned for our exploration of winter. Circle time activities will include reading books about snow, winter, and arctic animals. We will experiment painting with ice cubes and watercolors, explore the arctic animals and rice in the sensory table, cut out hats and mittens to decorate and make pinecone bird feeders.

Music time will find us moving like snowflakes, dancing the freeze dance, and singing winter songs.

The letter of the week activities are M is for mitten, N is for numbers.

REMINDERS, REQUESTS AND OTHER INFO:

– The February snack calendar will be available to sign at arrival time.

– Parent / Teacher phone conferences will be held in January. It’s not too late to sign up!

– Registration forms for the 2025 – 2026 school year will be sent home in January.
Registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

– Tell your friends! An Open House for new families will be held on Saturday, January 11 th from 9:30-10:30. New families may begin registering at that time.

– Snow pants can be worn on the playground for warm, snowy fun, and we’ll send them home at the end of the day. Please label all outerwear.

– When wearing snow boots, please send slippers or shoes in the backpack to change into once we’re inside.

– There is no class on Monday, 1/20, in honor of Martin Luther King, Jr. Day.

NACKS:
Thursday (2) Clementines – Brynleigh
Friday (3) yogurt – Brody
Monday (6) Veggie Stix – PPP will do
Tuesday (7) Pirate’s Booty – Brennan
Wednesday (8) pretzels – Julian
Thursday (9) Cheez-its – Natalie
Friday (10) animal crackers – Hallie
Monday (13) bananas – PPP will do
Tuesday (14) cheese & crackers – Oliver
Wednesday (15) Pirate’s Booty – Colin
Thursday (16) applesauce & graham crackers – Mabel
Friday (17) birthday celebration – Natalie & Holly

There is excitement in the air and in the classroom as we enter this festive season!

There are many holiday learning experiences planned for the upcoming weeks. Highlights of the activities include:

-creating holiday paintings and decorations,

-reading holiday books,

-playing the dreidel game,

-reading a holiday My Big World magazine and

-pajama days! Children may wear pajamas to school on Wednesday and Thursday (17th and 18th )

*Also, all the children will be busy working on a special gift for their families. The letter of the week activities are K is for kitten and L is for lights.

At music time we will sing Jingle Bells, We Wish You a Merry Christmas, Rudolph, Must Be Santa and other popular songs of the season. We will be singing several of these songs at the holiday party on December 19 th .

December 9 th – 13 th is a Sharing Week… the children may bring in a holiday treasure on
their scheduled sharing day.

REMINDERS, REQUESTS AND OTHER INFO:
*Progress reports will be sent home in December. These do not need to be signed or returned.

* Signup sheets will be posted at arrival time for those who would like to schedule a parent/teacher conference in January. The conferences will be held over the phone.

There are several dates available to accommodate everyone. Please email or call to request a conference time if you are unable to access the signup sheets.

*The January snack calendar is available to sign.
A favorite Santa song: (tune of Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes)
Hat, whiskers, belt and boots, belt and boots.
Hat, whiskers, belt and boots, belt and boots.
Twinkling eyes and a little cherry nose,
Hat, whiskers, belt and boots, belt and boots.