Dear Parents,
We have blasted off into outer space! Your scientists are bravely exploring our solar system! I’m sure you are learning lots of new college words…ask your child about prominences, orbits, and poor Pluto. I am amazed by the class’ ability to understand our planet’s movement
around the sun while we are spinning and the moon is orbiting around us…very complex for my mind, but not for them!
Donuts for Dads was a delightful event! Such sweet daddies of such sweet kiddos! We had a wonderful morning and the children were 
beaming! We were very surprised to learn that our
daddies range in age from 18-70 yrs old and that some of our daddies have been on major diets…weighing in at under 50lbs. 
It was great fun to hear the children’s responses to questions about their dads! 
Our letter this week is Pp as in Pluto! We will have a visit with Barker and Baby Dog in the morning. Keep those letter collages coming! Also, we have been so proud of the responsibility and maturity that has come from our Sight Word Book Challenge! Thank you for your help in 
developing a love of reading in your children!
We have started our work on our class book for La Noche and you are going to love it!!! We would like your help with one portion of this special keepsake. I invite each of you to write a brief (3-4 sentences) bio on your angel. Bios may include special interests, hobbies or talents, unique characteristics or 
qualities, likes/dislikes, goals, pastimes, etc…Be creative and have fun with this…it is meant to capture a snapshot of their precious spirits at age 4 and 5. I need to have these in my hands by the end of this week. You can scribble them down on any paper, or e-mail them to me, as I will be re-typing and formatting them to fit into our template. Thanks in advance for this special contribution to our project!
We are scheduled to be Chapel Helpers on Wednesday, February 8th. Please meet us in the sanctuary at 8:55 or 9:00 on Wednesday morning. We will need to put on 
costumes and choose our roles prior to Chapel starting. If you arrive late, we will be on the floor in the front. Parents may sit in our usual rows to watch our stage debut! 
We are usually in rows 7-8 on the right side of the Sanctuary as you walk in towards the altar…please join us if you can!
Unfortunately, I have had a death in my family today. Arrangements are still being made, but I will definitely be out one day this week. I will keep you posted on my absence and substitute plans as soon I know details. I’m hopeful that I can be at school for our acting engagement!
I think that is all for now…see you tomorrow!
Thanks,
Page
Roar! The dinosaurs have taken over and we are loving it! Ask your child about all of the dino facts they have learned…so many great “college” vocabulary words (herbivore, carnivore, cold-blooded, reptile, etc.). Also, please come in and look around our room and the hallway at the dinosaurs and eggs that your creative artists have 
made…from toilet paper tubes to pasta we’ve made all kinds of dinosaur art! This week we will segue into volcanos, rocks and fossils. In preparation for our rock and fossil show, please help your child collect specimens. I will send specific details about our show later in the week.
Our class field trip to the museum is scheduled for Wednesday, January 25th. This is always the children’s favorite trip of the year and I was able to book the best docent, and real paleontologist, for our tour! However, unless we get at least three more parent 
volunteers, we will not be able to go on this field trip. Please sign up ASAP if you are able to go with us, as I will need to cancel our reservation this week if we do not have enough parent volunteers to make the trip. Our tour is set to start at 11:00 and typically lasts about 30-45 minutes. We will return to school and eat lunch afterwards…
EXCITING NEWS! We are becoming such wonderful readers and pre-readers, that our class is ready to begin a sight word book challenge! Your child will have the opportunity to work at his/her own pace to read sight word books to the class. Here is how it works…your child will bring home a sight word reader in a ziploc bag labeled with his/her name. Your child may keep that book at home for as long they need to practice in order to be able to read the title and book to the class all by his/herself. (Yes, many children will be memorizing these readers instead of actually reading them, but that is a crucial pre-reading skill) I have a poster in the room with all 25 book titles and each student’s name. When they are able to read their book independently to the class, they get to record their success by putting a star on the chart. The children know that if they complete the challenge of reading all 25, they will earn a special reward. Additionally, I will providing little “incentive” treats along the way. If your child does not show an interest in this challenge, no worries! This is meant to be a fun exercise that meets each child at his/her own level, boosts esteem and builds responsibility/accountability. I do not want this to be frustrating or stressful for the children or for you:) There is no time limit on keeping a book, all I ask is that you assist your child in keeping track of the books. They are little readers that could be easily misplaced I’m sure. One suggestion is to keep the books in the ziploc in your child’s book bag when they are not in use…Your children already know about this new opportunity, but please talk it over with them again. We will be introducing it this week in class, so be on the lookout for those first readers to come home!
It’s hard to believe that we are already beginning our Spring semester. Since we have arrived at the mid-way point of our pre-k year together, it is a great time to check in and reflect on your child’s progress and goals for the remainder of the year. Our official conferences aren’t until much later in the Spring, but I am always more than happy to meet. If I contact you for a meeting, DON’T PANIC:) Just want to review progress and set goals for the rest of the year. 
I’ll stop here for today, since there is a lot to digest in this letter. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask!
Thanks,
Page
Wow! We travelled around the world to celebrate Christmas, worked like busy little elves, went on a field trip, partied, presented a fabulous pageant all in the month of December…and now here we are in 2012!!! We are going to have a super Spring semester!
Our letter this week is Ss. I’m sure Barker and Baby Dog will have a lot to share with us about their holiday on the farm. I hear they had a safe trip back from Tennessee.
Can you feel the rumble? Dinosaurs have taken over our classroom. We will have fun this month being paleontologists and geologists as we explore dinosaurs, rocks, fossils and volcanos.
We will go on our second field trip of the year in conjunction with this unit. On Wednesday, January 25th we will go the Texas Natural Science Center. If you are available to drive or chaperone, please sign up via our website. Just click on the driver sign-up tab and you should be able to fill in your info. 
Our class will be hosting a Rock & Fossil
show on Friday, January 27th as part of this unit. Your child will display their own rock collection and parents, teachers and all St. Matthew’s children will get to tour through our exhibit…More detailed instructions will follow, but I wanted to get everybody thinking about rocks and fossils so that you can help your child start collecting and/or fine-tuning their rock collections.
Donuts for Dads is another fun event coming right up in January. Our date is still a little fluid, but it will most likely occur during the week of January 23rd – 27th. I will let you know ASAP, so those sweet Daddies can get it on their calendars.
I think that is all for now. I can’t wait to see everybody and catch up! I have really missed your little angels!
Thanks,
Page 
Ho, Ho, Ho and Merry Christmas! ‘Tis the season for busy angels! 
Our class has had the most wonderful time exploring different Christmas traditions from all around the world! We have learned traditions from Germany, Sweden, Italy, England and Norway so far…The children have made stockings, Advent wreaths, Christmas Countdown calendars, snowflakes, cornucopia ornaments, Tanenbaums, Presipios, paper chains, ornaments and the list goes on and on…
Your angels have also been quite busy preparing for our Pageant! I must brag for a moment…this is the most amazing group of angels I have ever seen perform! Talk about a joyful noise! You all are in for a delightful treat! Be sure you have Friday, December 16th at 11:00 on your calendars! We will see you in the Sanctuary!
Our class party is Thursday, December 15th at noon. We would love for you all to join us in our classroom to celebrate!
Our letter this week is Gg. We will have one last visit with Barker and Baby Dog before they head back to the farm for Christmas!
Many thanks to all of you for all of your help during this busy season…I appreciate the drivers, chaperones, ironers, dressers, party parents, and smiling support! I know we are all feeling the Christmas crazies, but I hope each of you can have time to slow down and savor the magic of Christmas with pre-schoolers! It is such a gift to share their wonder and joy! Thanks for sharing them with us!
I think that is all for now…see you tomorrow!
Thanks,
Page
Hungry Bear here reporting that the Green Feather Tribe had a wonderful Pow Wow and Feast on Friday! Thank you to our party moms for a bountiful feast and thanks to all of the parents for joining in our tribal celebration! 
During this season of thanksgiving, I find myself especially grateful for the 17 angels that you all have entrusted in our care! We cherish each day and appreciate our time learning and growing together! I am also extremely grateful for each of you…the love and support you provide for your children is awesome! We also feel your love and support of us as we journey together through Pre-K…THANK YOU!
Reminder…Tuesday, November 22nd is noon release.
We will not have a letter lesson this week as Barker and Baby Dog are already enjoying their Thanksgiving holiday. We will review all of the letters we have learned thus far on Monday and Tuesday. When we return from break, we will study the letter Oo.
Well, I obviously missed a step when I created our field trip sign-up as a Google doc…it is no longer working…I will try to correct that issue tonight, but let me re-cap who has already volunteered…Laura Cox, Lorissa Burnside, Janet Teal, Cynthia Smith. Did I miss anybody? If not, I still need two more parent chaperones. Our field trip is Friday, December 2nd and we will leave about 9:15.
Be sure to mark your calendars with the following special events…
Friday, 12/2 Zach Scott Field Trip (your child needs a blue, St. Matt’s shirt)
Thursday, 12/15 Class Christmas Party
Friday, 12/16 Christmas Pageant
That is all for now. I hope all of you have a safe, relaxing and gratitude-filled holiday!
Thanks,
Page
Hello Parents-
What a whirlwind the past few weeks have been! Thank you all for your patience and support while I was out…Campbell is feeling better and we are hoping for a healthy week!
We have been on the run since Halloween! Thanks to our party moms for such an enjoyable Halloween celebration! The children loved coming to school in costume and celebrating together!
This week we will have more party moms to thank for our Thanksgiving Feast!
***Mark your calendars for our Pow Wow this Friday the 18th at 12:00 sharp! (I would arrive a few minutes early to ensure you don’t miss a minute:) We will Pow Wow with all the Pre-K and Kindergarten classes outside in the courtyard by the Sanctuary.*** You do not need to send a lunch on Friday, th party moms will provide our Feast.
Our tribe has been busy, busy, busy! Please be sure to notice the owls, turkeys, tunics, rattles, leaf animals, and necklaces your children have made. This week we will be busy making shields, headdresses, papooses, ankle bracelets and more!!! The children are learning so much about Native Americans…they even selected their very own Native American names last week!
Our first field trip is rapidly approaching. We will be going to Zach Scott on Friday, December 2nd. I will post the driver/chaperone sign-up this week. Please note that we are required to have two adults per car. Also, if you are planning to attend this or any other field trip throughout the year, please be sure you have completed the Safegaurding God’s Children course and that your current insurance is on file in the office. If you are unsure of your status, the office provided me with a list.
Our letter this week is Cc. This will be our last letter until after the Thanksgiving break.
Looking forward to a wonderful week ahead!
Page
package and eat their food in space! The children LOVED making their own astronaut helmets and I’m sure you have enjoyed watching them play in them…I have some very amusing photos! The class also had fun deciding what they would do if they got be an astronaut in space…look for those astronauts in the hallway this week. On Friday, we made a class robot. 
The children were hopeful it would actually be able to do a job for us, but surprisingly it can’t clean up our classroom toys:) This week we will focus our attention on rockets…get ready to blast off!
Our Valentine party was a smashing success! Love and laughter filled the air!
Thanks to our party moms for hosting such a great party!
