Pre-School

Ms. Renfrew

Mrs. Dion

Mrs. Thibeault

It is hard to believe, but we are entering the last month of school! This year has flown by! As this year comes to a close, we will be reviewing the concepts we have been learning about all year, and we have some fun learning ahead about the beach!

Some of the concepts we will be reviewing include: writing our first and last names, identifying and drawing shapes, counting out loud, counting objects, naming letters and numbers, and answering questions after reading a story.

We will discuss and talk about things we see at the beach: sand, water, people, fish, shells, etc. Some of the fun activities we will be participating in include: sandpaper rubbings, sand table play, digging and pouring, and matching shells. We will also read Rainbow Fish and make our own rainbow fish!

We have some exciting activities to enjoy this month! On Friday, June 5^th, you and your child can join the school for a BBQ! Morning friends can stay after school and afternoon friends can come before their day starts.

We will also be having another Family Day! If your child is in the morning class, please join us on Wednesday, June 17^th @ 11:30 for some singing! We will share the songs that we have been working on since the winter. If your child is in the afternoon class, please join us on Friday, June 19^th @ 2:30. We will be putting on a play based on one of our favorite books!

I hope everyone enjoyed their preschool experience this year! It was a pleasure working with all of you!

Early Reading Basics for Pre-Schoolers!

There is no more important activity for preparing your child to succeed as a reader than reading aloud together. Fill your story times with a variety of books. Be consistent, be patient, and watch the magic work.

Between the ages of 4 and 7, many children begin to recognize words on a page. In our society this may begin with recognition of a logo for a fast food chain or the brand name of a favorite cereal. But, before long, that special moment when a child holds a book and starts to decode the mystery of written words is likely to occur.

You can help remove part of the mystery without worrying about a lot of theory. Just read the stories and poems and let them work their wonders. There is no better way to prepare your child for that moment when reading starts to "click," even if it's years down the road.

It will help, however, if we open our eyes to some things adult readers tend to take for granted. It's easier to be patient when we remember how much children do not know. Here are a few concepts we adults know so well we forget sometimes we ever learned them.

There's a difference between words and pictures. Point to the print as you read aloud.
Words on a page have meaning, and that is what we learn to read.
Words go across the page from left to right. Follow with your finger as you read.
Words on a page are made up of letters and are separated by a space.
Each letter has at least two forms: one for capital letters and and one for small letters.