Pre-K’s Week of Perseverance and Exploration!

Dear families,

We hope this blog finds you well! This week in the Pre K class, we have been excitedly continuing ongoing projects, discussing exciting topics, moving our bodies in gymnastics and so much more. Read on to hear about our delightful times!

Large Group

This week in our large group session, we had an exciting time reviewing four new letters: M, N, O, and P. The students explored different vocabulary words that begin with these letters, helping them strengthen their letter-sound recognition. We engaged in fun activities where they practiced identifying these letters in words and shared words they already knew that started with them.

In math, we focused on the octagon—a shape with eight sides. We compared it with the previous shapes we’ve covered, discussing how it differs from and is similar to other shapes like the square, triangle, and hexagon. The students enjoyed counting the sides and noticing how the octagon stands out with its extra edges.

For our rhyming words, we worked on words ending in -ox or X, such as fox and box. The students practiced identifying rhyming words and coming up with new ones, reinforcing their understanding that only the first sound changes when words rhyme.

During our morning message and activities, we focused on blending sounds, where the children practiced putting two sounds together to form simple words. They also had the chance to identify and create more rhyming words with fox and box, building their phonemic awareness. Through these activities, they deepened their understanding of how words can change by altering just the beginning sound while keeping the ending sound the same.

"O" Nai

" It's February" Hala

"Hexagon" Ahmed

"Ox" Leul

Literacy

In our literacy sessions, we have been practicing different categories of letters, blending, and CVC (consonant-vowel-consonant) words, which we began a few weeks ago. As mentioned before, we have divided the class into three groups and are working in various ways.

This week, the first group practiced and reviewed the letters from "a" to "n", and we have seen significant progress. For the second group, the focus was on blending with the vowel letter "o." The class practiced words that start with the vowel "o" by adding another consonant letter, using flashcards for blending exercises. For the third group, since they have mastered blending two letters, we are challenging them with three-letter CVC words, and they are doing great!

In the second literacy section, the class applies what they have learned in the earlier sessions on paper. They practice writing independently, starting with the vowel letter "o" and adding another consonant letter to create their own two-letter combinations. They also practice reading these words. For the other group, we provided CVC tracing activities, along with reading and matching exercises to pictures, which helped them practice reading words.

Science

This week in science, the class has been continuing a project we started a few weeks ago, which has been fun and engaging! As we have shared, our children are very interested in the planets and are excited about the topic. Each week, their understanding and knowledge of the planets improve, which is wonderful. We truly appreciate their eagerness to learn more.

In this session, we finalized the paintings of the planets Uranus and Earth, classifying them as a group. For our next science session, we will display the final artwork in the classroom and discuss it in detail, incorporating their science projects.

We have never been prouder of our children and their amazing projects, as well as their consistent patience and unlimited eagerness to learn about the planets!

Math

This week in math, the class continued learning about the concept of measurement. In the previous class, we explored weight scales, and this week we measured their heights. The students were excited from the beginning to find out how tall they were.

First, we brought the measuring tape to class and explained how it works. Then, by calling each student one by one, we measured them and recorded their heights on the board. Everyone was thrilled to see their measurements.

In the second session of math, each student received a piece of paper with their picture on it, labeled "Height" and "Weight." They wrote their own height and weight next to their pictures as a form of ID. Then, they decorated the papers with stickers and colored them with different crayons. After that, the teacher laminated the papers. We returned them to the students, and once they chose the color of the ribbon, we helped them tie it and hang it around their necks. Everyone was very happy to see their pictures with their height and weight displayed. This activity really helped them gain a better understanding of themselves.

Art

This week, the art project continued from the previous session. The class decided to create a house using popsicle sticks, incorporating various color patterns.

 In last week’s session, most of the project was completed, and this week the children worked on the roof and fence. For the roof, they chose a solid blue color, while for the fence, the class decided to use white popsicle sticks and add some designs.

This project was completed in this session, and the children were excited to see their own group art project. We are very proud of our little ones!

Library

During our library session this week, the Pre-K class read the book “A Man on the Moon”, which beautifully connected to our science topic. The students were captivated by the story and followed along with Bob’s daily routine as he traveled from Earth to the moon.

Throughout the session, the children eagerly shared their thoughts and ideas about Bob’s journey. They made connections to their own daily routines and imagined what it would be like to visit the moon themselves. It was a fun and interactive experience that sparked curiosity and excitement about space!

"By six O'clock" Leul

"Jupiter" Ismael

"Earth is our home" Leo

"The rocket ship is making fire" Alya

Gymnastics

This week’s gymnastics session was full of energy, creativity, and lots of fun! We began with a warm-up, where the students took the lead. Different leaders stood in front, guiding their classmates through stretches, jogging, jumping, jumping jacks, and push-ups. The children were incredibly creative in coming up with different movements, and their friends from the other class eagerly followed along. It was a joyful moment of leadership and teamwork!

After warming up, we focused on stretching our hand and arm muscles. The students practiced moving using only their hands while the teachers lifted their feet off the floor. This was both challenging and engaging, and they showed great determination in trying something new.

Next, we moved on to the bouncing ball activity, which brought a wave of excitement! This time, we used a smaller bouncing ball, and the students practiced sitting on it while bouncing forward and then back again. They worked on balancing and controlling their bodies, developing both coordination and confidence.

To wrap up the session, the class decided to play the “Mr. Wolf” game. Everyone had the chance to take turns being the wolf, and the room was filled with giggles and excitement as they played together. It was a fantastic session full of movement, teamwork, and lots of fun!

Clay

Our clay session this week was an exciting continuation of the students’ clay journey! Last week, they had the opportunity to witness an important part of the clay-making process—burning the clay in the kiln. They watched as the art teacher placed their clay projects in the fire, and this sparked their curiosity. The students asked great questions like, “Why does the clay need to go through fire?” and were excited to learn that the fire makes their clay stronger and more durable.

This week, they finally got to paint their clay projects, starting with the boat—a project they had built two weeks ago. After watching it get burned last week, they were thrilled to see it again, now ready for painting. Each student got to pick different colors, and together, they decided to turn it into a rainbow boat! They carefully painted with bright and beautiful colors, bringing their project to life.

The session was filled with creativity, teamwork, and joy as the students saw their clay project transform step by step. It was a great hands-on experience that helped them understand the process of making clay art from start to finish!

"We can paint white" Hala

"I want blue" Alen

"I want pink" Shishani

Small group

Monday: - Science

Tuesday: - Math

Thursday: - Literacy

Our Special

Monday: - Ethiopian center

Tuesday:- Library

Wednesday: - Art

Reminder

• Every Tuesday is our library day, so we will be sending a book that your child picked from our library, which will be returned after a week on library day.

• Every Wednesday is our art day so please send your child with art-appropriate clothing.

Thank you for your time!