Friday, November 22, 2019

November 18-22, 2019

Sometimes, we give the students a whole group lesson on a material we will be using in the classroom. This week, it was time to introduce the Metal Insets - Miss Webb's favorite! The Metal Insets are one of the Montessori Language materials. They are designed as a direct preparation for handwriting and are used as an introduction to holding a pencil and making controlled marks on paper.


The students gathered with Miss Webb so she could demonstrate for them how to properly use the material. The boys and girls listened and watched intently to Miss Webb's directions!



The Pre-K students learned that the Metal Insets are a work that is used to practice writing, not coloring. They will trace the shape and then practice writing horizontal (left to right lines) as close together as possible. Eventually, students will use multiple shapes, draw horizontal and vertical lines, and create patterns. The Metal Insets are always a big hit in Pre-K so get ready to see lots of "shape papers" coming home!


As you know, Pre-K and Kindergarten did an amazing job leading the Camp Out for Hunger food drive. On Thursday, we all gathered together to sort the items that were collected. We broke down the items into various categories and the children did a spectacular job sorting them.







When we were finished, the students counted the totals for each section and determined what items we collected the most/least of. It was a wonderful math lesson and a great way to remind the students how much they gave to help others.






Looking ahead:

  • Show and tell will be on Friday, December 6. The topic will be something to do with Christmas. This will be our last show and tell before the new year due to our Christmas show rehearsal schedule.

Important dates:
  • Next week will be a very short week at HCA! Monday's schedule is normal, but we will have a half day on Tuesday with dismissal at 12:00 noon. Our Thanksgiving prayer service will be at 10:30 am if you are available to join us! 
  • There will be no school from Wednesday, November 27 - Sunday, December 1. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2.
  • On Friday, December 6, we will be having a Bake Sale and Tag Day to support the American Cancer Society. Bake sale items will range from $0.50-1.00. Students may pay $1.00 and wear pink/white. 
  • Sunday, December 8, is the Family Christmas liturgy at 10:00 am.
  • The Christmas Show will take place on Wednesday, December 18, at 6:00 pm. More information will be sent home after Thanksgiving break.
  • Grandparents' Day is on Thursday, December 19. This is a special event for the students and their grandparents only. Invitations are in the mail!
  • The last day of school before Christmas break is Friday, December 20. Classes resume on Tuesday, January 7, 2020.

Have you heard what the funniest word is for a Pre-K student?
It's "underwear!" We have shared so many laughs reading
Underwear, One Big Pair of Underwear, and
Underpants Wonderpants!

Have a great weekend! Happy Thanksgiving!

Friday, November 15, 2019

November 11-15, 2019

Big news this week! We welcomed a new classmate! We are thrilled to have Archie as the newest member of our class! He fit right in and the boys and girls are so happy he's here!





Montessori work period is our favorite time of day! The boys and girls are making great progress with their lessons. They are able to choose lessons independently and are working for a full 90 minutes in the morning!


Lucas is carefully placing each peg on the
board to strengthen his fine motor skills.

Harper is counting out apples to show quantities 1-9.

Panos is sorting picture cards by their
initial sounds of /h/, /j/, /u/, and /l/.

Chase is working with the Geometric Solids
to sort pictures by sphere, cone, cube,
and cylinder.

Asai is working with the Knobbed Cylinders
to grade by height and width.

CJ is working to complete patterns.

Kaleo is tweezing beads and placing them
on mats as fine motor skill practice.

Braden is working on the Teen Board to order numbers from
11-19 and show their quantities as combinations of
tens and units.

Grace is spooning pasta to strengthen her
fine motor skills.

Sydney is sorting picture cards by their
initial sounds of /c/, /r/, /i/, and /p/.

Mason is working with the Small Bead
Frame to show quantities from 1-9 and
practice one-to-one correspondence.

Georgie is working with the Insta-Learn Board to match
numerals to the correct quantities.

Jennah is pouring to develop her
fine motor skills.

Maya is sorting picture cards by their
initial sounds of /b/, /f/, /o/, and /g/.

Caroline is working on her visual discrimination skills by
matching different wood grains.

Peyton is is sorting picture cards by their
initial sounds of /s/, /m/, /a/, and /t/.

Archie is practicing spooning to work on
his pincer grasp and fine motor skills.

More big news - we started snack table this week!


A big addition to the Pre-K classroom is the Montessori snack table. During our Montessori work period in the morning, the students are permitted to go to the snack table whenever they wish. They begin by cleaning their hands and saying their prayers. Then, they are able to prepare their own snack - open up a napkin, select the proper amount of snack for the day (one banana, one scoop of pretzels, etc.), and pour half a cup of water. They eat their snack with one other friend at the table. When they are finished, they clean up their space and go back to work. The boys and girls have done a phenomenal job with the snack table this week. They love the independence and freedom it gives them in the classroom and it really helps to improve the flow of the work period.




Looking ahead:
  • Picture re-takes are on Monday, November 18. If you would like your child's picture re-taken, please send in the original package with your child on Monday.
  • Show and tell will be on Friday, November 22. The topic will be something that begins with /c/. 
    • If possible, we would prefer items with the hard /c/ sound like in carrot, cake, or cat. That is how the children are learning /c/ right now. We want to try to avoid items with the soft /c/ sound like Cinderella, celery, or cereal. The boys and girls associate that sound with s at this point and we don't want to confuse them.
    • When prepping for show and tell at home, please make sure your child understands what object they are sharing and that the clues relate to the name of the object.
  • For the Thanksgiving food drive, Pre-K students are asked to bring in 2 large boxes/bags of stuffing and three cans/jars of gravy. All items are due by Friday, November 22. It has been Holy Child tradition for many years to help needy families in our community. Thanks in advance for taking the time to share your blessings!
  • Tuesday, November 26, is the last day of school before Thanksgiving break. We will have a prayer service at 10:30 am. Dismissal will be at 12:00 noon. 
  • There will be no school from Wednesday, November 27 - Sunday, December 1 for Thanksgiving break. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2. 

Have a great weekend!


Friday, November 8, 2019

November 4-8, 2019

Last week, the early childhood students filled snack bags to donate to Nutritional Development Services. The children were able to fill over 100 bags to be given to children in families who are homeless. We are so proud of our youngest students for giving back in such a big way!









A huge thank you to all those who contributed to our "Camp Out for Hunger" drive! Because of your generosity, HCA was able to collect 731 items including non-perishable and pet foods! The Pre-K and Kindergarten students are so proud of themselves for all their hard work. Soon, we will be sorting the items in preparation to donate them. Stay tuned!


Looking ahead:

  • On Monday, we will be having a tag day to support Pets for Vets. Bring in $1 and wear red, white, and blue to support the cause!
  • Show and Tell will be on Wednesday, November 13. The topic will be something that begins with /p/.
  • Parent/teacher conferences will be next Thursday, November 14, and Friday, November 15. Each conference will last approximately 15 minutes. Please be on time and be considerate of those after you.  Thanks so much! I am looking forward to meeting with you to discuss your child's progress. 
  • There is NO SCHOOL on Friday, November 15, due to conferences.
  • Picture re-takes will be on Monday, November 18, if you are interested.
  • Dismissal on Tuesday, November 26, will be at 12:00 noon. There will be no lunch and no HCA Plus. 
  • There is no school from Wednesday, November 27 through Sunday, December 1, for Thanksgiving break. Classes will resume on Monday, December 2.
  • SAVE THE DATE - Wednesday, December 18, at 6:00 pm, will be our annual Christmas show. The Pre-K students will be starring as the angels! More information will be sent home over the next few weeks.

How great is our class picture! ❤

Have a great weekend!

Friday, November 1, 2019

October 28 - November 1, 2019

We had such a fun week getting ready for Halloween!


We started the week with a fabulous picnic lunch outside with the whole school. 



We completed our first directed drawing activity. Directed drawings are ways for students to create their own artwork by following step-by-step instructions. They help to strengthen students' confidence and listening skills while encouraging students to pay close attention to details. Check out our Franken-Buddies for Halloween!


In STEAM, we worked together to create skeletons!








We made Halloween necklaces - great fine motor skill practice!







In physical education class, we ran like ghosts! We had to run really fast to keep our scarves on our bodies!




Then, we walked like black cats to get in line.



We had a "spook-tacular" time at the Halloween Mission Party!













Hope you all had a wonderful Halloween!


Looking ahead:
  • Show and Tell will be on Tuesday, November 5. The topic will be something that begins with /r/.
  • Please help support the 8th grade's trip to Washington. Yankee Candle catalogs were sent home. All orders are due by Friday, November 8.

We also had a great time celebrating
Caroline's birthday!  Thank you for the apples,
caramel dip, and apple cider!


Have a great weekend!