I. CURRICULUM & INSTRUCTION Doyle School Pre K Age 4 Full Day Inclusion- Mrs. Rightmyer/ Ms. Molta The month of May has flown by in our preschool classroom! We cannot believe it is already over! This month the students enjoyed spending time in our ‘Summer Theme.’ Our classroom transformed into all different summer activities. The children loved playing in the sand at the beach! They had a great time camping at the campground. They were able to bird watch with our binoculars, roast marshmallows, and go on a hike. They also loved working at the Beach Shop and selling all summer related items. Rita’s was also a lot of fun. They were able to buy and sell Italian ice with real Rita’s cups! Their favorite was the boardwalk. While there, they were able to take turns working at the boardwalk and playing the boardwalk games. Because the boardwalk was in the blocks center, they especially loved designing and building different roller coasters! The first week of May we spent a lot of time working on Mother’s Day gifts. The children got to plant sunflower seeds in little pots for their moms. Each plant was theirs to care for. We helped them water them every day, as well as draw and color pictures of the sunflower’s growing process. We also discovered a new way to practice our letters and words - LEGO LETTERS! The children absolutely loved using the Legos to build their letters. Western Day was a ton of fun! We all dressed up like cowboys and cowgirls. We did a lot of dancing to the Cotton Eyed Joe which was a challenging dance for the children to learn. However, they did a fabulous job! As the year is coming to an end we began to reflect on our year here in preschool. The children are equally as excited to go to kindergarten as they are sad to leave preschool. We went around and talked about some things they would say to the upcoming preschool class; maybe a piece of advice or something to look forward to. Here is what they had to offer to the preschool students coming in next year: Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 1 ● Anne - If you are shy, it’s okay. Just find someone that you already know; and if you don’t know anyone, just go say hi. ● Makayla - Introduce yourself to someone new. ● Jojoba - These are our centers: blocks, literacy, table toys, art, science, dramatic play. ● Ariana - When you can’t sit next to your friend, make a new friend and sit next to them. ● Christopher - We have lunch in the cafeteria with the bigger kids. ● Frankie - It’s okay to lose in games. ● Brian - There’s lots of toys to play with in the classroom. ● Bobby - Our classroom changes into different themes. My favorite was community helpers. ● Brielle - You’ll make a pillow in art class with Mrs. Merman. ● Rocco - We have specials - gym, art and music. ● Bradley - If a friend is playing by themselves you can switch your center to go play with them so they aren’t alone. ● Matthew - It’s okay to be nervous because you are safe in preschool. ● Edam - You don’t always get your first choice, but there is always another center to go to. ● Joseph - You will learn to make new friends. ● Joey - You are going to learn your colors. ● Aiden - You will love going on the trip to the farm. ● Liam - Don’t be afraid, your teachers will keep you safe. Pre K Full Day Self Contained- Ms. Albonico This month and last month, we learned about the life cycle of a butterfly: egg, caterpillar, chrysalis, and butterfly. The students patiently waited for the caterpillars to turn into butterflies. This month, we released our butterflies. The students were very excited to see the butterflies fly away. Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 2 Each month, we learn different letters. We learned the letters U, V, and W. We made crafts for each letter and learned songs to go along with each letter. The students had a great time making a walrus for the letter W. The students also enjoy playing outside. They love running around, climbing on different toys, writing with chalk, and blowing bubbles. Climbing and running helps strengthen their gross motor skills. Writing with chalk and blowing bubbles helps strengthen their fine motor skills and oral motor development. Pre K Age 4 Full Day- Ms. Pollaro May was a great month! We did a travel theme. We had our own preschool airport, where the students could dress up like pilots or check their bags. We had a travel agent center with lots of travel magazines and passports. There was also a camping center, beach center, New York center, and even a Disney World center! It was so much fun pretending to be traveling all over! Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 3 To build up our camping theme, we told stories by “lantern” and made s’mores. They were delicious! We also watched a video about camping safety. This whole theme was great for making props and crafts! The pre-k really showed their school spirit by celebrating Western Day and Doyle Day. We finished our alphabet and have moved onto opposites and rhyming. Pre K Age 3 PM Session- Ms. Nolan During the month of May, students reviewed the letters X, Y, and Z. The students completed activities that incorporated these letters, such as a xylophone, yoyo, and a zoo animal book. Students are working hard to get ready for the moving up ceremony in June. The three year old class is ready for Pre-K next year. Our class was able to take part in the earth day celebration with the entire school. The boys and girls were very excited to be involved in an activity with the entire school. Students were able to observe the older grades singing, and recycling their trash at the end of the event. In May, we also changed our centers for the last time of this school year. Our center themes revolve around summer fun. The centers include camping, fishing, games, movie theatre, and the beach. The children have improved dramatically in taking on roles that are new to them. All the centers throughout the year have aided in the development of every child socially and emotionally. Kindergarten- Mrs. DePalma Our kindergarten journey is coming to an end. We had some great adventures through our Jack and Annie stories. The children have been really writing and creating books. I hope this Superintendent’s Monthly Report May 2016 4 inspiration lasts a lifetime. Their reading reflects their writing. It’s great to look back and see the progress that has been made. We had many exciting activities during the Month of May. We had a wonderful Mother’s Day tea. It was delightful to see our mothers’ share the afternoon with their children. We also went on a great trip to Green Meadows Farm. We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect day. Then we had a wonderful and restful long Memorial Day weekend followed by Field Day. We have completed most of our math activities. The next two weeks will be review and practice. It has been a wonderful journey through kindergarten. I know the children, with your support, will do well in first grade. Please set some time aside each day in the summer to have your child read and practice math. It is so important to reinforce all that we have learned. Mrs. Whittaker and I had a great year with your children. We thank you for the time we have spent with them. Our wish is for your families to have a happy, healthy, and safe summer. Enjoy, relax, and unwind! Kindergarten- Ms. Goodlin In reading and writing class, we have been reading, writing, and acting out Magic Tree House stories for Lions at Lunchtime. We have learned a lot of background knowledge on these topics through Power Points provided from the Tools of the Mind program and have created cute crafts such as lion and zebra headbands our math topics have been identifying 3-D figures and using common directions to identify objects placement. Our science topics have been identifying characteristics of herbivores and carnivores and discussing how plants in an African Savannah use camouflage and adaptation to survive. In social studies, we have been using community and world maps to show direction. Finally we have had a few lessons on the projector, using Rosetta Stone learning Spanish. Kindergarten- Mrs. Pagliocca/Mrs. Nass We had a very busy month in kindergarten. The children were very excited for our Mother’s Day Tea. It was a beautiful afternoon for all. The children put on a spectacular performance by singing songs about their moms which were about how much they loved them. What better way to celebrate such a special person in our lives. They prepared All About My Mom books and painted a frame to put their picture in. What a beautiful keepsake to remember our special day. Our field trip to the farm was absolutely awesome. What a terrific time the children had learning about the animals and being able to have this wonderful hands on experience with them. The parents that attended were such a huge help at the farm. We can’t thank you enough for all you do. It is hard to believe that June is here. We have enjoyed watching and helping our kindergarten class grow socially, emotionally and academically for first grade.