Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about  Kindness and Giving Back
 
Books we read:

• The Yak Who Yelled Yuck,  by Carol Pugliano-Martin
• One, by Kathryn Otoshi
• One Rainy Day, Tami Salsano (read by Aaran)

 
Classroom Activities aka THEATER WEEK UPDATE:

• Had our Letter of the Week “Y”
• This week the children really focused on kindness and what it means to make others feel good
• After we read One, the children picked names out of a hat and wrote each other letters about why that person makes them feel happy. This took a full hour to complete but the children worked VERY HARD!!
• This year we are not doing ALSF but we are working closely with an organization called No Limits which caters to deaf children. We are busy learning some sign language in the Panda Room and look forward to working with No Limits this year in a very special way!
• As the weather is FINALLY starting to shift the pandas worked hard making popsicles for our bulletin board. They came out super cute and they almost look good enough to eat!

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about  Kindness and Giving back
• Next week we will be continuing this theme

 
Reminders:

• 5/31- victorian gardens trip- every child must have an adult and bring a brown bagged lunch!
• Class End of Year Party-- More info to come but it will be the last day of school!

Have a great weekend,

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about  Kindness and Giving Back
 
Books we read:

• A Xylephone for X-Ray Fish,  by Liza Charlesworth
• How Full Is Your Bucket for Kids, by Tom Rath and Mary Reckmeyer
• The Berenstain Bears Think of Those in Need, by Stan and Jan Berenstain

 
Classroom Activities aka THEATER WEEK UPDATE:

• Had our Letter of the Week “X”
• Well Theater week came and went!!! We had an amazing time preparing and performing for you all. I must say, the kids worked HARD for the past month getting ready for this show. Every single thing that you saw was made by the children and the pride they had performing was very special to watch. Super proud!!!
• Once we finished performing, we moved onto kindness and giving back. This year we are not doing ALSF but we are working closely with an organization called No Limits which caters to children who are deaf and hearing impaired. We are enjoying learning some sign language in the Panda Room and look forward to working with No Limits this year in a very special way!
• We read The Berenstain Bears Help those in Need and then came up with our own ways that we can help people. Our answers were wide ranged from simply saying "please and thank you" to donating old toys and clothes that no longer fit. 

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about  Kindness and Giving back
• Next week we will be continuing this theme

 
Reminders:

• 5/31- victorian gardens trip- every child must have an adult 

Have a wonderful weekend,

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about  Theater and "Grown Ups Day" (our version of Mother's and Father's Day combined).
 
Books we read:

• Worm's Wagon,  by Samantha Berger
• Orion and the Dark, by Emma Yarlett
• Peter Pan and Wendy

 
Classroom Activities aka THEATER WEEK UPDATE:

• Had our Letter of the Week “W”
• We continued work on our scenery this week, adding more details to our pirate ship.
• This week the Panda children made tickets for admission to our play as well as a beautiful sign to be hung up outside the gym
• Our fine motor is not to be out done by our gross motor! Standing, dancing and singing is exhausting!! But luckily rehearsals are fun and we ALWAYS have free play afterwards.
• Lastly, we work on our cognitive development- our working memory is on overdrive right now. Remembering our lines, when to stand and sit, the song and dance moves is all a big part of our cognitive growth.
• We also made our very own shadows which will be hung in the gym to add some more decoration

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about  Theater and Grown-Ups Day
• Next week we will be moving on to our kindness theme

 
Reminders:

• 5/31- Victorian Gardens trip- every child must have an adult 

Have a great weekend!

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about  Theater and "Grown Ups Day" (our version of Mother's and Father's Day combined).
 
Books we read:

• The Nicest Newt,  by Heather Feldman
• 5 Minutes Peace, by Jill Murphy
• Peter Pan and Wendy

 
Classroom Activities aka THEATER WEEK UPDATE:

• Had our Letter of the Week “N”
• We continued work on our scenery this week, adding more details to our pirate ship.
• Every Panda was responsible for their own props and costumes! The children made swords, vests, wings, mermaid tails, dolls/teddy bears, eye patches, and Native American headdresses.. just to name a few. All of this works on fine motor development as well as social emotional growth. Allowing he kids to take ownership of their own belongings.
• Our fine motor is not to be out done by our gross motor! Standing, dancing and singing is exhausting!! But luckily rehearsals are fun and we ALWAYS have free play afterwards.
• Lastly, we work on our cognitive development- our working memory is on overdrive right now. Remembering our lines, when to stand and sit, the song and dance moves is all a big part of our cognitive growth.
• We may be also working on a special project for our grown ups

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about  Theater and Grown Ups Day
• Next week we will continue this theme 

 
Reminders:

• 4/24- Costumes Due-- if you have not brought your costume please do so
• 5/13- PETER PAN PLAY 9 AM, cast party to follow

 
Have a wonderful weekend,

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about  Theater
 
Books we read:

• Monkeys Miserable Monday, by Valerie Garfield
• The Twelve Dancing Princesses, by Mary Hoffman
• Peter Pan and Wendy

 
Classroom Activities aka THEATER WEEK UPDATE:

• Had our Letter of the Week “M”
• We started work on our scenery this week, beginning the pirate ship, ocean and big window from the Darling Nursery. The children split into groups and worked together to create these pieces that will become a part of our play
• We practiced our fine motor skills making Pixie Dust! This was a multi step project that required first painting yellow paper with shimmer paint, then cutting strips and then using paper cutters to cut out cool little shapes
• We dove into character development which focuses on our social emotional development. We explored how each character in our play might feel, what they like and dislike. It's about learning to walk a mile in someone else's shoes. Empathy is very important.
• We have of course been rehearsing. Keeping our bodies strong and our minds focused
• Lastly, we worked on sequencing. The children used sequence cards to tell our version of Peter Pan. 

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about  Theater
• Next week we will continue this theme 

 
Reminders:

• 4/25 and 26- Conferences 
• 4/24- Costumes Due
• 5/13- PETER PAN PLAY

Have a great weekend,

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Familes,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about theater and spring!
 
Books we read:

• Vera Viper's Valentine, by Maxwell Higgins
• The Cloud Spinner, by  Michael Catchpool
• Peter Pan and Wendy

 
Classroom Activities:

• Had our Letter of the Week “V”
• This week we talked about spring and peter pan
• We made beautiful spring patterns
• We also added characters to Neverland by practicing recognizing numbers and counting 1:1
• The Pandas are very busy at work on Peter Pan. We started making pixie dust this week and next week will be working on scenery
• Lastly, we got messy and practiced fine motor by making spring splatter paints

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about spring and peter pan

 
Reminders:

• May 13th- Theater Week!!!! mark your calendars because this can't be changed and you don't want to miss it!!! 9 AM start time
• By now you and your children should know their parts. Costumes due 4/24
• Parent-Teacher Conferences 4/25 & 4/26 (no classes)
• End of Year Trip to Victorian Gardens-- a save-the-date was sent out/ Please let me know if this wasn't received.

Have a great weekend!

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great first week back in the Panda Room learning all about Spring and Theater

Books we read:

• The Adventures of Abby Alligator,  by Maria Fleming
• A Fly Went By, by Mike McClintock
• It Looked Like Spilt Milk, by Charles G. Shaw
• Peter Pan and Wendy

 
Classroom Activities:

• Had our Letter of the Week “A”
• We read It Looked Like Spilt Milk and then made them ourselves. Our brilliant ideas are hanging outside the classroom
• We learned that everyone has a different Neverland. The Pandas used their imagination and drew beautiful versions of their own Neverland!!
• We learned that Spring is in the air and it rains... A LOT!!! So we made beautiful Rainy Days which will be displayed on the bulletin board!
• We Started working on our Peter Pan Songs!!!! Sorry in advance and they get VERY stuck in your head :) 

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about Spring and Theater
• Next week we will continue these themes

 
Reminders:

• 4/25 and 26- Conferences 
• 4/24- Costumes Due
• 5/13- PETER PAN

Have a great weekend!

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about music and theater
 
Books we read:

• Kangaroo Kazoo, by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
• Panarella, by  Charlotte Guillain
• Peter Pan, J.M Barrie, adapted by Anne Rooney

 
Classroom Activities:

• Had our Letter of the Week “K”
• This week we talked about music and instruments
• We learned all about musical instrument families like string, woodwind, brass and percussion 
• Then we made our own banjos with a rubber band and talked about how the sound is making waves through the air from the rubber band like our experiment from last week!!
• We also revisited Mat Man (or mat girl)
• Lastly, each panda made their own TRICKY patterns using musical instruments

Theme this week:

• We talked about music and theater
• After break we will talk about Spring and Theater-- we started our very first chapter book this week!! I hope you are all hearing a little bit about the adventurous life of Peter Pan!

 
Reminders:

• May 13th- Theater Week!!!! More info to come but mark your calendars because this can't be changed and you don't want to miss it!!!
• Parts for Peter Pan will be given out when we return from break. The kids are all excited about all the parts which will be picked out of a hat!!!!
• End of Year Trip to Victorian Gardens-- a save the date was sent out by admin- please let me know if this wasn't received

Enjoy Spring Break!

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about our 5 Senses
 
Books we read:

• Rosie Rabbit's Radish,  by Wendy Cheyette Lewison
• Sounds All Around,  by  Wendy Pfeffer
• A Little Golden Book, Peter Pan

 
Classroom Activities:

• Had our Letter of the Week “R”
• This week we focused on our sense of hearing, touch and smell
• We learned all about how sound starts in our throat and we even felt our vocal chords vibrate.
• Then we conducted an experiment. We took a rubber band and put it over a bin. When we flicked it we saw it vibrate and talked about sound waves. Then we video taped it in slow motion so we could really watch the rubber band move and create sound.
• We then played sound bingo with partners. We had to listen and take turns!!!
• Lastly, each panda made their own 5 senses books! They are pretty spectacular :) 

 
Theme this week:

• We talked about 5 senses 
• Next week we will talk about music-- we started our very first chapter book this week!! I hope you are all hearing a little bit about the adventurous life of Peter Pan!

 
Reminders:

• May 13th- Theater Week!!!! More info to come but mark your calendars because this can't be changed and you don't want to miss it!!!
• End of Year Trip to Victorian Gardens-- a save the date was sent out by admin- please let me know if this wasn't received

Have a great weekend!

The Panda Room Teachers

Dear Panda Room Parents,


 
We had a great week in the Panda Room learning all about our 5 Senses
 
Books we read:

• Bubble Bear, Maxwell Higgins
• Sense Suspense,  by Bruce McMillan
• Let's Talk About Tongues, by Allan Fowler

 
 
Classroom Activities:

• Had our letter of the week B
• We read Panda Bear Panda Bear, What Do You See? and used our sense of sight to draw something in the classroom. 
• The Panda's also did a taste test. We all tried something sweet, sour, salty and bitter. We then decided which food belonged to which flavor. Once that was established we took it to a vote. Turns out this classroom has a lot of sweet toothed kids!
  
• In classroom art we made eye collages for our sense of sight

Theme this week:

• We talked about 5 Senses 
• Next week we will continue our 5 senses unit

 
Reminders:
Have a good weekend :)

The Panda Room Teachers