We have already learned so much this week. A large part of the first few weeks pertain to learning rules and routines. The children are picking up quickly. One of the biggest things we are learning with the rules are to listen when someone else is talking and follow the directions that are given. Many students have already owed some of their recesses due to "moving their monkey down" on the behavior chart. This is totally normal. I am firm so they understand what the boundaries are. If your child is continually owing recess I will let you know.
A challenge for the children has been when to use the restroom. Of course I don't want any bathroom accidents, but as soon as one child asks to use the restroom, they all seem to need to use the restroom. Unfortunately, a lot of instruction is whole group and it is hard to catch everyone up or continue teaching when there is a steady stream of children heading to the restroom. I encourage children to go as soon as they get to the classroom in the morning, at recess, at lunch, and at center time (if I'm not giving directions to the class). Please encourage your child to do the same.
By the end of this week, the children will have been introduced to all of their Zoo Phonics character, signals, and sounds. It takes practice to perfect, but they are well on their way. In math we are working on concept words such as above, below, in front, behind, in between, left, right, etc. We are also working in math journals for problem solving. For handwriting we are working in our "Rainbow Writing Line Tracing Journals". I tell the kids that this book is exercise for our fingers. We are building up our hand muscles and making them strong. Basically we are tracing lines to learn how to control our strokes, which will help us when we write letters. I call it rainbow writing because the students trace the lines with a marker and then again with another marker, which makes the lines look like a rainbow. We are beginning to learn how to rotate through centers. This takes lots of practice. Right now it is a lot of play, but it will help them learn the routine before we involve the work part of it.
Thank you family members for remembering to pick up your walkers in Mrs. Marganelli's room after 2:25. This makes the wrap up at the end of the day go really smooth. Also, thank you for informing the office of any bus or walker changes. This helps the children feel safe when they know what to expect.
Have a great week!
