Group Meeting:  As the children arrived today, they found a card on the table that was programed with their name and put it into the mailbox.  This will be a way for us to work on name identification, for those who don't know their names in print yet, and it will be a way to take attendance.  Later on, the children will be signing in as they arrive at school.

Small Groups:  We have three activities for small groups this week.  Your child did one activity today.  Tomorrow and Thursday, we will rotate so that they can do all three activities.  These are the activities that we will do this week.

Activity #1  The children printed their names using flip crayons and Handwriting Without Tears paper.  This activity will help me determine who can already print their name, and who is just starting in the process.
Activity #2  The children helped the teacher print their names on birthday cakes that we will display around the snack tables.  This will help us when we celebrate the birthdays for the month. 
Activity #3  The children listened to the story Wash Your Hands, and learned how to wash their hands at preschool.

Story:  Our story today was Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes.  Wemberly is a little girl who worries about everything.  Her biggest worry is about starting school.  She has many questions.  Will the children be nice to her?  Will the teacher be nice?  Will the school smell funny?  When she arrives at school, the teacher directs her to a little girl who is looking for a friend just like Wemberly.  Will they be friends?  Ask your child to tell you how the story ends.

Large Group:  The children learned the song "Tap, Tap" which is part of the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum.  We used big lines to tap to the beat of the song.  When we start to learn letters, we will use big lines to help us make them.  Following the song, we had just enough time to go outside for a few minutes.

Snacks:  The snack person in the morning class was Ben.  He brought cheese sticks, grapes, and juice.  The snack person in the afternoon was Aiden.  He brought cheese sticks and juice.  Thank you!