THANK YOU to all who donated paper products and Valentine’s items over the past few weeks. We really appreciate it!

THIS PAST WEEK we have been talking about Valentine’s Day and what it means to be a good friend. We’ve spent lots of time passing out valentines, making artwork for our friends, dancing with our classmates, and working together to accomplish tasks (such as making sensory bottles and using a parachute). Next week, we plan to follow the children’s current interests in fire fighters and doctors as we delve into the theme of Community Helpers.

SMALL GROUPS have quickly become a beloved part of our classroom routine over the past few weeks! Small Groups are a time in which

groups of six or seven children meet with a teacher to take part in specific learning activities. These teacher-generated activities are planned based on the specific skill sets and developments of particular groups of children. Small Group activities can cover a wide range of skills and are very versatile. We can use this time to work on shape identification, sorting, fine motor control, patterning, counting, letter formation, phonemic awareness, letter sound identification, and much more. Because topics vary, it allows for each child to build their strengths and improve upon weaknesses. And because each child is a part of a teacher-lead group at least twice a week, it allow for lots of individualized attention to work on these strengths and weaknesses.

Small groups are a time for active, direct learning in a playful and supportive setting. Because of this, it is a wonderful time to introduce children to new materials and experiences that they may otherwise have missed. It is also a time to encourage new groups of peers that may not have naturally congregated on their own. Children are often in Small Groups according to their age, but are also sometime mixed depending on their social needs and specific skills. Small groups encourage working with peers, taking turns, active communication, and peer modeling. Overall, Small Groups have proven to be a wonderful time to work with each child, socially and academically, to get them to the next steps in their learning!

FINALLY, there will be no school this Monday, February 20th, in honor of Presidents’ Day. Thank you!