Georgia's Pre-K Program teacher newsletter, 2007 May

May 2007

Tell me and I'll forget, show me and I may remember, involve me and I'll understand--Chinese Proverb

Georgia's Pre-K Program Teacher Newsletter
www.decal.state.ga.us

May brings many exciting days to discuss with the children in your classes.
Get Caught Reading Month
Bicycle Safety Month National Book Month

May 5th -- Cinco De Mayo
May 6 -- 12--Teacher Appreciation Week
May 12th -- Kite Day
May 13th -- Mother's Day and National Apple Pie Day
May 13--21st -- National Police Week

With May comes the end of the school year for many of our counties in Georgia. This will be our last newsletter until our back to school issue in August. Bright from the Start hopes everyone has a safe and enjoyable summer. See you in the Fall!

An Inside Look....
2 Summer Safety Tips 2 Parent Involvement
2 Yummy Treats 3 Changing Your Environ-
ment 4 An End of the Year Cele-
bration
4 FAQ regarding WSS

Important Days May 1st -- May Day May 3rd -- Lumpy Rug Day

May 19th -- Circus Day
May 23rd -- National Turtle Day
May 27th -- International Jazz Day

If you have any ideas or activities you would like to share, please contact one of the newsletter staff.

Have fun with these by planning your own celebration or finding activities in your community!!!

Classroom Tip of the Month

Packing up your room at the end of the year....
Many teachers are anxious about organizing their room and packing supplies and equipment up for the summer. Bright from the Start recommends waiting to pack up your room until the end of the school year.
According to our guide-

lines, all materials and learning areas must be accessible for the full 180 days of instruction, including the last day of school. It is also important to be sure instruction continues for the full 180 days of your program.
Once school is over, you should have some days

that are designated for Post Planning for Pre-K. This is the time to organize, pack up, and store materials in preparation for the summer break.
Please work with your Director or Principal to see how the post planning time will work for your site.

Contact information:
Pre-K Consultant of the Day 404-656-5957 888-4GA-PREK RC Program Lori Smith 478-471-5311
Lori.Smith@decal.state.ga.us
Newsletter Staff Nicole Cook
nicole.cook@decal.state.ga.us
Diane Griffin
diane.griffin@decal.state.ga.us
Meghan McNail
meghan.mcnail@decal.state.ga.us
Pam Bojo
Pam.bojo@decal.state.ga.us
Pam.bojo@decal.state.ga.us

TIPS FOR SUMMER SAFETY

With the end of the school year comes the time when children are spending the majority of their time outdoors. Forty percent of all unintentional injury-related deaths occur from May to August.
The greatest summertime risks for everyone include drowning, bike crashes, falls, pedestrian accidents and motor vehicle crashes. Young schoolage children are also at high risk, because they lack the judgment necessary to bike, walk, swim, and play safely without adult supervision.
Talk to your children and families about some of the following topics. Play the "what if" game with if this happened, what would you do?"
Discuss bicycle safety, like wearing your helmet, and riding in areas where

there is an adult present and where there is little traffic.
Discuss water safety, like wearing a life jacket and not playing by water without an adult.
Discuss sun safety, like wearing sunscreen when outside, why it is important, and what it does for you. The sun's rays are the strongest between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Below are five common mistakes that adults make related to sunscreen during the Spring and Summer. 1) Not using sun block in the Spring or
on cloudy days. Adults incorrectly assume it is not hot enough to get a sunburn. 2) Not using enough sun block -- you need to apply a thick layer on children.

3) Missing an area of the body. Children often fight adults when applying sunscreen, and parts of the body are often missed, making them vulnerable.
4) Waiting too long to put sunscreen on. To be effective, sunscreen should be applied at least 30 minutes prior to being outside.
We hope you have a safe and healthy summer!!!

PARENT INVOLVEMENT

Bug Collecting Now is a great time to get your children interested in the Science Area. Bring some of the creepy, crawly creatures from the outdoors right into the science area in your classroom. Encourage parents to help their children find bugs to bring to school. Talk with your class about how the bugs are similar and different.

Create some charts that compare and contrast the bugs your class has collected. Provide the children with stickie notes and let each child
"The beginning is the most important part of the work."
-Plato
give their opinion. The children will

have a great time voting on which bug is the longest, heaviest, darkest, and their favorite category-- the ugliest. Take plenty of pictures, so you can make a class book for the children to enjoy.
You can encourage families to explore the outdoors with their children and look at bugs, nature, plants, and flowers during the warm weather.

Fruit Pizza 1 package frozen sugar cookie mix 1 8 oz package of cream cheese-
softened 1/3 cup of sugar Strawberries, blueberries, bananas,
mandarin oranges Round cookie sheet, bowl, spoon, knife
Roll out sugar cookie mix on round cookie sheet, and bake before class. Mix cream cheese and sugar together.

YUMMY TREATS

Spread on top of cooled sugar cookie. Cut up the fruit, and place it around the cookie in a pattern.
Cut, Eat and Enjoy!!!
Lions and Tigers and Bears 1/2 cup of oatmeal 2 tsp Honey 1/4 tsp salt 3/4 cup flour 1/4 tsp of baking soda 1/4 cup softened butter

4 tbsp butter milk
Grind 1/2 cup of oatmeal in a blender until fine. Mix into bowl with honey, salt, flour, and soda. Cut in butter. Add buttermilk. Roll out very thin. Cut into circus animal shapes with cookie cutters. Bake at 400 degrees for 10--12 minutes.

Page 2

CHANGING YOUR ENVIRONMENT (Summer Safety and Circus Day)

DRAMATIC PLAY: Add items to turn dramatic play into
a circus like different kinds of masks, dress up clothes, paper bags for popcorn and peanuts. Let the children make the tickets and sell them to others to enter the circus. Add dress up clothes for children to be the ring master.
Add items to create a beach which could include beach towels, umbrellas, sun visors, empty sun screen bottles, empty water bottles, sunglasses, and beach balls Have the focus be on safety at the beach or pool. SCIENCE:
Add plastic bears, lions, tigers, and elephants to your sand table.
Add popcorn kernels to the sensory table along with different types of containers.
Pop popcorn kernels in an air popper, so children can observe what happens when kernels are heated. ART:
Make cotton candy using a paper cone and colored cotton balls to glue on. They can then be used in the circus in dramatic play.
Create clown, lion, elephant and pony faces with paper plates, craft sticks, paint, and yarn. MATH/MANIPULATIVES:
Cut out a clown head and draw different faces on them (happy, sad, surprised, etc), and have the kids play a matching game. WRITNG CENTER:
Add stencils and stamps that reflect the circus theme. Make vocabulary cards with the word and corresponding picture. These can be words for summer safety as well as the circus. GROSS MOTOR:
Use a jump rope on the ground for the children to practice walking on the tight rope. Work on juggling with two bean bags. Jump in and out of hula hoops on the ground. Have a ring of fire-- attach red streamers to a hula hoop and have children jump through it. Attach a rope to two coffee cans, and have the

children practice walking on them.

GAMES AND SONGS I Am Walking Through The Circus ( tune "I've Been Working on the Railroad")

I am walking through the circus Happy as can be. I am walking through the circus. Just to see what I can see. I can see the clown laughing. I can see the elephant too. I can see the lion sleeping. Look out! He sees you too!

Play Lion, Lion, Bear - like Duck, Duck, Goose

Play Bean Bag Toss--Supply the children with animal bean bags and a laundry basket (Beanie Babies are good for this). Place a piece of masking tape on the floor for a throw line. The distance from the basket to the line should vary with abilities. Have the children throw the bean bags into the basket. You could also have small prizes available for the children to pick from.

BOOKS Chicken Chuck by Bill Martin, Jr. and Bernard Martin Circus! By Spiers The Happy Hippopotami by Bill Martin, Jr. Safety on the Playground by Lucia Raatma Safety on the School Bus by Lucia Raatma Safety on Your Bicycle by Lucia Raatma Safety Around Strangers by Lucia Raatma

NEW WRITING CENTER WORDS

Ring Master

Sunscreen

Acrobat

Life Jacket

Trapeze

Umbrella

Tight Rope Walker

Helmet

Animal Trainer

Swimming Pool

Big Top Circus

Bicycle

Juggler

Life Guard

Stilts

Bug Spray

B E C R E A T I V E
"The only real mistake is the one from which
we learn nothing." -John Powell

Page 3

AN END OF THE YEAR CELEBRATION!

This activity is from Debora Hunt, a mentor Pre-K teacher, from Discovery Point #24 in Forsyth County.
As part of her end of the year celebration, Debora's Pre-K class takes a "trip" to Hawaii. This is something that Debora has been doing for years in which the children and parents participate. Debora does this activity about a week before the end of the school year.
After the children arrive at school, they go through airport security, check their luggage (that they actually bring from home), and board the plane. The plane is simulated by lining up chairs in rows, and having a pilot (a parent) and flight attendants present on the plane. The children also watch an in-flight movie, while enjoying snacks on their way to Hawaii.
When they arrive in Hawaii, the children debark from the plane and are

greeted with Lei's. They claim their luggage and check into their hotel. The children then change into their bathing suits and grass skirts, and meet outside by the island . Then they learn to dance the hula and perform a Hawaiian rhythm stick song and dance.
After learning the hula they are free to visit a variety of stations (octopus ring toss, pineapple bowling, beach volleyball, limbo, sponge toss, and fish squirt guns.)
The children and parents also snack on fresh pineapple, papayas, mangos, and coconut. A lunch of BBQ pork is served luau style. Children return to their hotel for a brief rest before rechecking their luggage and boarding the plane back to Georgia.
When the plane lands in Georgia, the children are given a picture of themselves taken in Hawaii, which is in a special frame for them

to remember their "trip." They claim their luggage and depart for home.
Parents are invited to join the class all or part of the day. This celebration event has been tremendously successful and enjoyed by all.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS ABOUT WSS
Work Sampling System (WSS) is the new assessment process that Georgia's Pre-K Program implemented statewide this school year. All teachers have been trained this year and are expected to be implementing WSS after the lead teacher attends training. We are answering questions each month related to WSS.
It is close to the end of the school year, can I go ahead and send everything home to the families from the portfolios?
Yes. At the end of the school year, you can send home all of the work samples from the Fall and Spring, once parent conferences are completed -- as long as your Pre-K consultant has come to review your portfolios for the PQA. No parent conferences should be scheduled prior to the last 4 weeks of the end of the school year. Assessment should continue throughout your instructional year. It will take you approximately two weeks to prepare your Pre-K Progress Reports and another two weeks to host Family Conferences.
You need to keep the WSS checklist, Georgia Pre-K Progress Report (white copy), and, if you choose, a copy of each individual child's observational notes on site. Be sure you don't send home any notes for children that you feel might need to be referenced in making referrals for the Kindergarten year. These notes will be helpful as we continue the referral process during Kindergarten. The WSS Checklist and Georgia Pre-K Progress Report need to be kept on site for three years. They can be given to the Director/Principal to store if there is not space in your room.