.

Week 1 of our Family Unit

We are off to a great start, learning a lot and making great friends! The routines are still a work in progress, mostly because we flipped our morning routine with outside recess going first, then snack and circle time, in order to get outside before the intense heat kept us inside for the rest of the day! The students adjusting well with the slight change in schedule. Hopefully, we will be able to switch back our normal schedule when the weather cools down. The students are becoming familiar with the building and their teachers. They love seeing their siblings in the hallway, at assemblies and waiting for carpool dismissal. This past week we were reading books and talking about families. Next week we will finish our unit on Family and begin a two week unit on Pets. If you have a pet, please electronically send in a picture and we will try to guess who the pet belongs to. Then the pets will join the family wall.

Monday - We worked on painting our "bubble" names with Q-tips. We made our own families with stick people, and we counted how many were in our family (including our pets). We also worked on cutting numbers, matching the numerals to objects on a paper and gluing them in the correct place.

Tuesday - Worked on an All About Me project. Ms. Levise assessed shapes recognition with the students. I worked on Name Writing assessment to check grip, left/right handedness, letter knowledge and formation. Also assessed color recognition. We had our first Music class with Ms. Li who comes over from the LECC. The class involved a lot of movement and singing that the students really enjoyed.

Wednesday - Worked on turtles for our bulletin board. First, painted the turtles green with water colors. Then, used the technique, "A Dot is Not a lot" to glue colored paper squares on the back of a paper plate to create the shell. Next, used a stapler with the help of a teacher to staple on the pre-cut body parts. Finally, added google eyes. Worked again on one-on-one assessment with Ms. Davenport and Ms. Levise. The students worked in the hallway with Ms. Levise on rote counting from memory as high as each student could count. Ms. D. assessed the students on letter recognition and had the students draw self portraits for their portfolios.

Thursday - We met our Westminster Senior, Tim, who will work with us from 9:00 - 11:00 every Thurs. from Sept. - March. Spoede collaborates with Westminster to support their Seniors to complete a Service Project. Tim will help the Pre-K teachers, read to the students, help the kids with projects or activities, and join us outside during recess. We finished out painted paper plate turtle project for our bulletin board. We also used glue and glitter to decorate a fall leaf. Great fine motor strengthening tasks using glue to trace the leaf and shaking on the glitter. Worked on assessment with Ms. D., counting objects using one to one correspondence.

Friday - We enjoyed wearing pajamas and bringing a toy to share with the class. We colored a "We Will Miss You" coloring page for Ms. Levise, whose last day at Spoede was Friday. Ms. Levise brought a special Popsicle treat for her own goodbye party. She will now be working as a Special School District Para at Reed Elementary. We wish her well and will miss her at Spoede Pre-K. We enjoyed Art with Ms.Tara. Last week we made different types of lines across our paper. This week in Art we painted our lines with watercolor paints. After Art, we had a special circle time and went around the circle on the carpet and shared what each student brought from home. We are working on everyone gaining confidence and feeling comfortable sharing their ideas in front of the class. We will provide many opportunities for speaking in front of the group throughout the year, including Monday Share of what we did over the weekend or any important events.

Upcoming Events and Reminders

(I will update and modify, in necessary, with my weekly blog)

Sept. 8 - Resume School: Please return rest time bedding and stuffy after Labor Day Weekend

Sept. 15 - Picture Day (See flyer below)

Sept. 20 - Back to School Luau 10:00 - 12:00. (See information below)

Sept. 21 - Dance-a-thon Kickoff (SSA Fundraiser - More information to come)

Sept. 22 - Curriculum Night -

5:00 - 5:30pm - Pre-K, Kindergarten, & 1st Grade Classroom Presentations
5:45 - 6:15pm - 2nd, 3rd, and 4th Grade Classroom Presentations

Sept. 26 - 'Due Run 4 Education (See information below)

Sept. 28 - Oct. 2. Dance-a-thon Spirit Week

____________________________________________________________________________

Picture Day is Tuesday, September 15

Picture Day is almost here! This is your opportunity to capture a special school memory of your child and receive high-quality portraits you’ll treasure for years to come.

Spoede Elementary School Picture Day: Tuesday, September 15

Pre-Order Online: www.WagnerPortraitGroup.com

Pre-Order Password: 3C9T9X8S

When families participate in Picture Day, your purchase directly helps provide our school with safety and security tools, student recognition programs, and other valuable photography services.

To ensure your child is photographed and included in these school resources:

Pre-order online using the link and password above

Send your child ready for photos on Picture Day

Thank you for supporting our school and helping us make Picture Day a success.

____________________________________________________________________________

SAVE THE DATE: Spoede Back to School Luau

Sunday, September 20

10:00 AM - 12:00 Noon

Spoede Backyard

All Spoede Turtles and Families are invited to the Back to School Luau community event hosted by the SSA!

Join all the FREE fun we have planned, including a bubble bus, inflatable slide and obstacle course, crafts, book-mobile, and airbrush tattoos, and more!

Kona Ice and Joe's Coffee trucks will be there with treats and drinks for purchase!

____________________________________________________________________________

Save the Date: The 'Due Run is Back!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, September 26, for the 14th Annual 'Due Run 4 Education! Join your neighbors and friends at the LHWHS stadium for a morning of fitness and community fun.

Starting at 8:00 AM, enjoy a live DJ and refreshments before heading to the track for the 8:30 AM shotgun start. Keep an eye out for your favorite teachers and administrators, who will be joining us on McKenna Plaza to celebrate our wonderful Ladue community! Participants of all ages can choose between the 5K or the 1-mile fun run/walk. This event is a vital "friendraiser" for our district, with proceeds directly benefiting classroom grants and student success.

Register now at LadueFoundation.org/Due-Run to take advantage of early-bird pricing and ensure you get your race T-shirt!

Strollers are welcome; no pets, please.

____________________________________________________________________________

We hope you enjoy the photographs from this week!

Monday

Morning Recess

Circle Time

Centers: Painting our Names with Q-tips

Working on our Stick Figure Families

Cutting out numerals, counting objects on the paper, and gluing the numerals next to the correct number of objects.

Tuesday

Morning work

Morning Recess

Circle Time : Calendar

Centers

Practicing tracing our Names

Building Houses with blocks cooperatively

Building Puzzles Cooperatively

Working on All About Me project

Afternoon Indoor Recess

Music with Ms. Li

Waiting for Carpool

Wednesday

Morning Recess

Working on turtles for our bulletin board. First, painted the turtles green with water colors. (Some students originally added squares first; then we decided it made more sense to paint the plate first.) Then, used the technique, "A Dot is Not a lot" to glue colored squares on the back of a paper plate to create the shell. Next, assisted students in using a stapler to staple on the pre-cut body parts. Finally, added google eyes.