Week of November 4th
- Mrs. Preskill
- Nov 8, 2024
- 4 min read
Happy Friday Pandas!
General Updates:
On Friday, November 1st Buddy the Bear visited the panda class after earning 20 panda pebbles in our jar for showing expected behavior
From the principal's message:
Willow Grove ~ Window to the World - Calling All Families!
On the evening of December 11th at 6pm, we’ll be having a fun family event, showcasing the many cultures and countries represented in our school community. We are excited to learn from and celebrate each other! We cannot do this without your support, and are looking for parents who would like to share artifacts and traditions from around the country and globe with our students and families. Parents who are interested can share about holidays, traditions, clothing, games/toys, geographical location and landmarks, music, art, food, etc. Children or families may do a short performance (dance, music, fashion show etc.). Things families choose to showcase are not limited to places outside of our own country. Families can share about areas right here in the USA and what makes their family unique to help us all learn about one another. We are so excited for this event! We hope that you’ll consider sharing with our school community. We would all love to learn from you! If you would be interested in participating, please click here to complete this survey. THANK YOU!
Note: You can partner up with others! You don’t have to do your booth alone. We will organize groups based on our volunteers and topics and individuals can feel free to work together, if you choose!
Click here https://youtu.be/qwTKcqHO_Dk to see a video from a previous cultural fair! This will give you a great idea what the event is all about!
Mark your calendars for the evening of December 11th. This will be fun for the whole family!
Please check out the specials classes update here!
I would love to extend open arms and welcome families into our classroom! This year we will be welcoming families in to be a "mystery guest"! This is a fifteen minute time slot that you are able to sign up for to either be a mystery reader or to teach us about your beautiful cultures! Please note, there are only two adults over the age of 18 allowed into the building for this volunteer opportunity at a time.
Some ideas of things you could share related to your culture (but are not limited to) are: photos (holidays, travels, clothing, etc), videos, music, games, stories, puppet show, art project, etc. You are also welcome to bring in any stories and read them to the class for enjoyment! If you are bringing in books, please bring 2-3 books to share during this time.
Cultural connections are totally up to you and what you are comfortable with. We can't wait to welcome you into our classroom this year! If your work schedules are tight and the time slots available do not work for you, please reach out and we are able to plan this over Zoom or you are able to send a video in that we can share with the class!
Please only sign up for one slot per family. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to reach out :)
Willow Grove is in the process of creating a MakerSpace library. MakerSpace is a place during play where students can explore, design, and create. Students have the freedom to build and construct during our play. We are so excited to bring MakerSpace to our classroom, but we need your help! In order to have a successful MakerSpace for students to use, we are in need of donations year round. If you are able, we would so appreciate any donation you are willing provide. Below is a list of different items we would love to add to Willow Grove's MakerSpace library.

This week in literacy...
Phonics: This week the pandas added 4 new letters to their collection: b, k, v, and e. The pandas also learned 3 new heart words: and, at, go. Using our new letter sound knowledge, the pandas are working very hard to decode (read) words by producing one sound at a time and then blending them together.
Sound Collection: /m/, /s/, /l/, /n/, /f/, /r/, /v/, /z/, /p/, /g/, /d/, /t/, /k/, /b/, /w/, /h/, /kw/, /j/, /y/, /ks/
Letter Collection: m, t, p, a, s, c, h, i, d, f, r, o, g, l, n, u, b, k, v, e
Heart Word Collection: the, in, my, a, is, for, I, am, here, and, at, go
Reading: This week we focused on vocabulary. The pandas learned the definition of synonyms and antonyms. Synonyms are words that mean the same thing, while antonyms are words that mean the opposite. The pandas worked to play a game with the friends at their table to identify synonyms and antonyms for different pictures/words.
Writing: This week in writing the pandas continued working on narrative writing. We wrote a narrative story together called, Pool Day. Ask your child to read you their book about Harry Potter going to the pool! Your child also created their very own narrative book. Narrative writing must include: character, setting, events, and reactions.
This week in math...
The pandas learned a brand new workplace, Butterfly Race. This game allows pandas to count how many dots there are on a card and identify the matching numeral on the board game. We also read two new stories to help us understand the idea of adding 1 and taking 1 away. When we add 1, it is always the next number. When we take away 1 it is always the number that comes before.
Reminders
Please label your child's snack daily and pack this separate from the lunchbox.
Water bottles stay in the classroom, if you want your child to have a drink for lunch, please send a separate drink.
If you would like your child to buy a drink at lunch, please make sure there is money in the account for the lunch card.
Extra clothes and PE shoes should be labeled and stored in your child's cubby.
Please see Mrs. Smith's Principal's Message for further information about Willow Grove: principal's message
Upcoming Dates
Friday, November 15th- Report Cards Issued
Tuesday, November 19th- Early Release
November 27-29- No School
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