Coat Drive 2010

As the cooler weather sets in, it is time to think of new winter wear for your family. Have the kids outgrown their coats from last year? Is your coat out of style? Please bring them in to St. Aemilian Preschool where we will be donating them to Meta House. Meta House, Inc. is a nationally recognized substance abuse treatment program dedicated to helping women through the progression of recovery. It is a safe place for mothers and their children. We will be collecting coats, hats, mittens, snow pants and children's boots. Please be sture they are in good shape and washed. Look for the drop off location in the front hallway. We will be collecting from October 25th- Novemember 5th. Thank You!

Wee Start Update

It has been a great start to the school year. We have been busy exploring our room and interacting with our friends.

Our first unit of the school year was "Nursery Rhymes." We learned about the Itsy Bitsy Spider and made our very own paper spiders. All of us counted out eight legs! Come see our huge web in the classroom.

A New School Year

It's hard to believe but our summer is coming to a close. As the weather reminds , fall will soon be here. Here at St. As we love this time of new beginnings. We are excited to welcome our returning families and greet our new families as well. Our classrooms are extra busy as we learn new names, faces, and routines.

What a great time for our children! They are making new friends and renewing old friendships, excited to learn what the school year has in store for them and eager to try on the new indepedance that comes with a new school year.

Just a few reminders about St. As:

We will try to get outside each and every day both in the morning and the afternoon to allow children to run, play and explore our natural surroundings. Please dress your child appropriately.

We work very hard to develop a developmentally appropraiate curriculum in all of our classrooms. This involves a great deal of "play." We are firm believers that children learn through play and keep play as a valuable part of our school day. If you have any more specific questions about what your child is learning through play please check with your classroom teacher.

We are striving for a happy, healthy school year by encouraging healthy habits. This includes providing healthy snacks for your child, requesting healthy lunches from our families, and frequent hand washing. Please take a moment when you arrive each morning to help your child wash his or her hands. This helps us prevent as many germs as possible. Thanks!

Finally, we just want to extend a heartfelt thank you to all of our families. Your willingness to help, open communication and generosity makes what we do not only possible but a ton of fun too! Thank you so much for all you do! We are looking forward to a phenomonal school year together!

4-K Update: Wonderful Wiggly Worms!

As a part of our earth day celebration we got worms in 4-K! We read Diary of a Worm by Doreen Cronin and Wiggling Worms at Work by Wendy Pfeffer. We learned so many facts about worms. Did you know that worms use the strong muscles in their bodies to move through the soil? Worms help make soil that grows all the plants we need for food and air. Worms leave behind trails called castings.

We got our very own worms and spent time observing them as they crawled on trays in our classroom. We watched the worms squish short and fat then stretch out long and skinny to move their bodies. We even got to feel the little hairs on their skin. After observing the worms we made a home for them out of an old 2 liter bottle and some potting soil. The worms crawled in making tunnels in the mud. We kept them in our science center for a few days then let them go in our playground garden. We can’t wait to see what our worms help grow!


Coming Soon: Morning at the Museum!

Wee Learners 1 Update: Out of this world April!

April was a busy month in Wee Learners #1. We celebrated the first warm day by having lunch outside on the playground. We had great fun then got to play before we went in for nap.

Also in April we learned about the Sun, Moon, and planets. We made out own astronaut helmets and loved to act out out mission around earth. When we went through the atmosphere we floated in space. There is no gravity in Space. We learned that the sun is a very big star. We talked about the planets. Did you know Jupiter is the biggest planet and Venus is the hottest? We are glad we live on Earth, it's just right!

4-K Update: All About Mo!

In 4-K this spring we’ve been doing a series of author studies. You’ve already read about our Dr. Seuss celebration. The net author we chose to feature was a class favorite: Mo Willems.

Mo Willems is the author of the Pigeon books, the Elephant and Piggy series, and Knuffle Bunny. Throughout the school year we have been reading these favorites again and again in our classroom. We just love how much the children enjoy these stories! I know many of you have started your own Mo Willems collections at home as well. What a great way to inspire your children to love reading!

During our author study of Mo Willems we re-read many of our favorites and even a brand new book. Big Frog Can’t Fit In, a pop out story with a frog that can’t fit inside the book until she gets a little help from her friends.

We drew pictures of the pigeon and wrote a note to the author, suggesting new ideas for future Pigeon adventures. We shared our own stuffed animals just like Trixie in Knuffle Bunny Too. Luckily, we all went home with the right ones.

We even had a hot dog party just like the pigeon dreams about in Don’t Let the Pigeon Stay Up Late. We all wore our Pajamas and had a special lunch of hot dogs, chips, and rainbow punch. What a fun time!

Looking for more Mo Willems books to add to your personal collection, more information on the author, or fun games for your child? Check out Mo Willems Website: Pigeon Presents




Coming Up: Wonderful Wiggly Worms!

Museum Trip

On Thursday April 29th we will be taking a field trip to the Milwaukee Public Museum. The cost is $7.00 per child to assist with paying for the bus and the field trip costs. There is a permission slip in student mailboxes. If you misplaced your copy please stop in to get one. The bus will leave at 9;00am. Please try to have your child here by 8:45 at the latest. The bus will return to St. Aemilian at 11:30. Lunch and nap time will be as normal.