Week of May 9, 2022
This week we will make a book about some American Symbols (Statue of Liberty, Bald Eagle, American Flag and the Liberty Bell), continue to read stories about mothers and fathers and the season of Summer. We will practice songs for our closing program, go on a scavenger hunt, play musical instruments and tag games. In Religion, the children will walk to church and look for symbols of Jesus, continue praying the Hail Mary Prayer and learn the letters in Jesus and Mary’s name. We will match upper and lower case letters and talk about things they wish to do this summer. We will finish our “Season’s Book”. We will review the months of the year, learn about seahorses and different fish that can live with them in an aquarium.
Week of May 2, 2022
This week we will play name games using the letters of the alphabet, share stories about mothers and fathers and what special things they do for us, celebrate Jesus’ mother, Mary with our May Celebration and learn about the season of Summer. We will celebrate Cinco de Mayo. In Religion, the children will recognize the people who care for them and ways they show care. We will recognize Jesus as the Good Shepherd and that a shepherd is an image of God’s care. In Math we will count to 10 in Spanish, practice reading our phone numbers and practice cutting. We will read about the season of summer, brush paint water pictures, assemble sequence cards, puzzles and cardboard dress ups.
Week of April 25, 2022
This week we continue to review out letters, numbers to 10, colors and shapes. We will practice for our May Gathering, sing songs about Mary, pray for families, friends and all those who helped us during this school year. We will continue to celebrate Easter and Jesus’ New Life, identify how Jesus’ friends recognized him and identify people we share meals with. We will learn that insects have 3 body parts and 6 legs. We will read stories about trees, bugs, bees, Mary and mothers. We will practice saying our telephone numbers, color a picture for May Day and Arbor Day. We will read “Rainbow Fish to the Rescue”, “Rainbow Fish and the Big Whale”, “The Grouchy Ladybug”, “I Love Bugs” and “Because a Bug Went Ka-choo”. We will play games outside, use the bikeroom and play Simon Says.
Week of April 19, 2022
This week we are celebrating Earth Week. We will make a banner, an Earth Day Hat and go on a walk to “help keep the earth clean” by cleaning our yard and making it safe for us to play and for the animals too! We will identify safe friends and safe adults and learn how to respond to an unsafe situation. We will read, “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “Play It Safe”, “Recycling is Fun”, “I Need Water”, “It’s Earth Day” and “Earth Day Birthday”. We will learn about the parts of a tree and things that come from trees (Fruit, paper, chocolate and wood). We will look at all of the favorite books the children bring in for Show and Tell. In Religion, we will sing, our ALLELUIA song and Signs of New Life while reviewing what happens at Easter (Jesus Comes to Life Again). In Math, we will count by two’s, review the colors of a rainbow and read and make a “Rainbow Fish”. We will play in the playground, do our Yoga Exercises and play hopscotch.
Week of April 11, 2022
Happy Holy Week. This week the children will read and see the Story of the First Easter from the Beginners Bible series. In Religion we will be reminded of the gifts of love and peace that Jesus brings on Easter Sunday. The children will learn that “Alleluia” means “Praise God” and sing an Easter Song and the Garden Song. We will review our numbers, letters, colors and shapes. We will read, “Lola Plants a Garden”, “Kids for the Earth”, “We’re Going on a Nature Hunt”, “Easter Parade” and “Jesus Is Risen”
Week of April 4, 2022
Happy Week of the Young Child. This week we are highlighting the importance of early learning through the children’s artwork, family involvement, music, working together and tasting bread.
We will sponge paint the letter Z, trace the letter and number of the week, dye Easter Eggs, make a Caterpillar and participate in a Stations of the Cross Prayer Service in the Chapel. We will use our yoga mats, ride bikes and go on an egg hunt. We will celebrate a classmate’s birthday with his dad coming to read a special story. In Religion, the Children will learn an Easter prayer, identify ways to welcome people and learn how people welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday. We will celebrate a simple snack of bread with our friends like Jesus did with his disciples. In Math we will review shapes, patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers and review the steps in planting seeds. We will read “Splish, Splash Spring”, “Baby Duck’s New Friend”, “Rain”, “Zack the Lazy Zebra”, “Lola Plants a Garden”, “The Story of Easter” and “Bunny, My Honey”.
Week of March 28, 2022
We will sponge paint the letter Y, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor and make a yarn craft and get ready for Easter. We will use our yoga mats and do stretching exercises. In Religion, the children will continue to follow Jesus’ journey of the cross and recognize helpful ways to handle conflict. They will recognize that Jesus invites us to say I’m sorry and start over and they will learn a simple prayer to Jesus and learn that anoint means to bless a person with oil to show that he or she is special to God. At Baptism we become members of God’s family and we were anointed with a special oil. We will sing songs, play rhythm instruments and work on floor puzzles.
In Math we will review the seasons, count to 30 and review patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers, learn about rabbits how they communicate and what they eat. We will read “The Yak Who Yelled Yuk”, “30 Mice Are Very Nice”, “Brown Rabbit’s Day”, “Gray Rabbit’s Odd One Out”, “Seven Little Rabbits”, “Jonathan Rabbit A Story of Easter” and “The Big Bad Mood”.
Week of March 21, 2022
This week we will sing in our Spring Show. We will sponge paint the letter X, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor and play a xylophone. Weather permitting, we will walk to the park and fly our kites. In Religion, the children will continue following Jesus’ Journey of the Cross, they will learn about forgiving and sharing, identify that loving actions are right and unloving actions are wrong and know our neighbors are people who live near us. In Math we will review the colors of a rainbow, count to 24 and learn about patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers work on puzzles and follow directions. We will read “A Xylophone for X-ray Fish”, “Mouse’s First Spring”, “Wake Up, It’s Spring”, “People in Spring”, “The Tiny Seed” and “An Extraordinary Egg”.
Week of March 14, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Ww, dress up for “wacky Wednesday”, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and practice for the Spring Show. We will sponge paint the letter W, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a watermelon, flowers and a caterpillar. We will add blossoms to our Spring tree, wake up our winter bears and learn wind moves many things including windmills, sailboats, kites and windsocks. In Religion, the children will continue following Jesus’ Journey of the Cross, they will recognize that just as seeds grow into plants, they are growing as God’s children and that St. Joseph was Jesus’ father who was a carpenter and took care of Jesus when he was a boy. In Math, we will review the days of the week, colors of the rainbow and learn about the growth of butterflies and birds. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers and follow directions to make a rainbow. We will read “Worm’s Wagon”, “The Way Home for Wolf”, “Wow! Weather”, “The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day”, “Ten Lucky Leprechauns” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”.
Week of March 7, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Vv, celebrate Fr. Joe’s birthday, practice our songs for the Spring Show and play Handbells. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, finger paint the letter V, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a vacuum cleaner, flowers, a butterfly and St. Patrick’s Day symbols. We will add valentines to the letter “V”, learn about young alligators and make an alligator puppet. In Religion, the children will continue their Journey of the Cross with Jesus to New Life, they will learn that prayer is talking to God, make a prayer book, pray the Our Father Prayer and make a Lenten mobile. In Math, we will count and vote for our favorite and least favorite vegetables. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and follow directions to make a rainbow. We will read “Vera Viper’s Valentines”, “The Leprechaun’s Gold”, “Happy Pig Day” and “Can I Play Too”?”.
Week of February 28, 2022
This week we begin our new month of March. Will it come in like a “Lamb” or a “Lion”? We will learn about the letter Uu and review the numbers 2,3,4,5 and count to 21. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an umbrella, make a U of “umbrellas” and sing songs and play handbells. In Religion, the children begin their Journey with Jesus by reading a station of the cross each day, they will recognize that they make choices and learn the choices that Jesus made. On Ash Wednesday, the children will receive a symbol of God’s love during our school prayer gathering and recognize that Lent is a time to choose to grow closer to God. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will do puzzles, games and activities that promote sharing and helping one another. In preparation of Read Across America month, we will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and read “Umbrellabird’s Umbrella”, “Are You My Mother”, “The Cat in the Hat”, “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back”, “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Story of Saint Patrick’s Day”.
Week of February 21, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Tt and review the number10 and count to 20. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, finger paint the letter T with shaving cream, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a turtle, make a T filled with “toothpicks”, learn “T” songs and begin preparing for the Spring Show. In Religion, the children will recognize that everyone is special, that we can pray to the Holy Spirit when it is hard to make loving and kind choices and begin learning about Lent. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will sort and put together sequence cards in order. The children will learn about Benjamin Franklin and other inventors and make a hat to prepare for Dr. Seuss’ birthday and practice playing handbells. We will read “When Tilly Turtle Came to Tea”, “Two Bunny Slippers”, “Three Bouncing Balls”, “Four Fiddlers”, “Benjamin Franklin” and “Five Shiny Apples”.
Week of February 14, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Ss and review the numbers 8.9 and count to 19. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, finger paint with shaving cream, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a sun and make a book of the planets in our Solar System. In Religion, the children will recognize what it means to be kind, share and be fair. We will learn actions to the Our Father Prayer, thank God for our 5 senses and learn a song about Jesus friends, the disciples. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will sort, learn the steps to tie shoe laces, go on a scavenger hunt for shapes and put together sequence cards and puzzles in order. The children will learn about George Washington, make a tricorn hat and celebrate the last day of the Chinese New Year . We will read “George Washington and the General’s Dog”, “Sniff, Sniff”, “The Great Shape Hunt”, “Seals Silly Sandwich”, “It Looked Like Spilt Milk”, “” and a “Picture Book of George Washington”.
Week of February 7, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Rr and the number 18. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line to make a Chinese lantern, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a rainbow, make a collage of rectangles and glue rainbow colored rice to make the letter R. In Religion, the children will recognize what it means to show love, including bringing in a can of soup for the poor, share Valentines with our friends and being together at mass, learn a thank-you prayer, learn Jesus’ list of attitudes and actions that will help us show happiness (the Beatitudes) and learn the names of Jesus friends, the disciples. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will color and count 6 animals and 7 flowers, count up votes for the “Souper Bowl of Giving” and count up the USA Olympic medals. The children will learn about Abraham Lincoln, make a log cabin and a president’s placemat. We will run and play shadow tag, use our bubble wands and sidewalk chalk and play in our bikeroom and playground. We will read “Valentine Friends”, “Mouse’s First Valentine”, “Sweethearts”, “Lots of Love”, “The Tooth Fairy”, “Yankee Doodle” and a “Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln”.
Week of January 31, 2022
This week we will celebrate our school during Catholic Education Week. We will make cards for our friends, share our heritage, join our friends for a prayer celebration, listen to some parents as they share their profession and play inside skating games and racing games in preparation of the Winter Olympic Games. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, watercolor a ground hog, make a tiger to celebrate the Chinese New Year and learn about the different animals used during the Chinese Lunar celebrations each year. In Religion, we will learn that Jesus, Mary and Joseph make up the Holy Family and draw a picture of our own families to celebrate February, the month of the Holy Family. The children will recognize that Simon Peter and his friends follow Jesus and identify that Pope Francis is the leader of our Catholic Church. We will recognize that we can be followers of Jesus too. We will make cards for friends, find shadows of animals, play handbells, make a necklace to celebrate our week of special activities at St. Thomas and join in a zoom class with Dr. John Horchos, a local dentist who will talk about cleaning our teeth, healthy snacks and also gave the children a new toothbrush and magnet. In Math, we will review numbers 4 and 5 and count to 12 using dot-to-dot . In Language development, we will read “Let’s Find Out About Toothpaste”, “Whose Teeth Are These”, “Learning About Groundhogs” and “The Seven Chinese Sisters”.
Week of January 24, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Qq and the number 17. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a quarter, paint with a q-tip and trace a quarter. In Religion, the children will practice listening with their ears and their eyes, recognize that we listen to Jesus’ Good News when we go to Mass on Sundays, discover that “Worship” means having deep respect for God and learn 2 new words in sign language (Family and Friends). We will sing a song about many noises and play “The Quiet Game”. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will learn about sequencing the numbers 1,2,3, and 4. We will learn about ice, snow, frozen and melting and play “Freeze Tag”. This week we will continue learning our bike safety rules for our Trike-a-thon, We will read “Mice Squeak, We Speak” “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Tiptoe Joe” and “Brave Little Bear”.
Week of January 17, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Pp and the number 16. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a pumpkin and make Pinecone Bird Feeder and a Pig Puppet. In Religion, the children will recognize and share good news and recognize Jesus’ Good News that we are all members of God’s loving family. We will identify the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the Holy Trinity and learn to pray a thank-you prayer to God in sign-language. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will follow a path and match numbers 3,4,6,9. We will learn about artic animals (walrus, harp seal, Beluga whale) and play parachute games. This week we will begin to learn our bike safety rules in preparation of our annual St. Jude Trike-a-thon that will be held during Catholic Education Week. We will read “Little Polar Bear” and “A Pair of Socks” and sing songs that begin with the letter “P”.
Week of January 10, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Oo and the number 15. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an octopus and make an “O” collage. In Religion, the children will recognize that weddings are celebrations of family. The children will also recognize the importance of families spending time together, learn about St. Anthony and discuss appropriate manners at parties (e.g. sharing, accepting that gifts might not be for you, eating neatly, saying thank you, etc.) In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters and practice visual discrimination while matching lower case letters g,j,p,q,y and the numbers 2,5,7,8. We will learn about opposites, Martin Luther King and the Olympics. Weather permitting, we will use our bubble wands and sidewalk chalk outside. We will read stories about Oscar the Grouch, Olaf, Moon Bear’s Dream and owls.
Week of January 3, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Nn and the number 14. …. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week and watercolor a nail. In Religion, the children will share their Christmas Experiences and learn that they become members of God’s family through Baptism. The children will learn about the water, candle, oil and white garment used at Baptism and that the sign of the cross is a reminder of our Baptism. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 14, make a shape mobile of our names and play Shape BINGO. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match the numbers 7, 5 and 9, recognize size relationships and the colors blue, red and brown. We will make a necklace out of noodles and learn a new chime song. We will read “Teddy’s Snowy Day”, “Winter Rabbit” and “Bear Snores On”.
Week of December 20, 2021
Our Christmas Program is finally here. We will celebrate with our families and friends the story of the First Christmas, sing Christmas Carols, listen to and act out the story of Mary and Jesus’ Journey to Bethlehem and play chimes to the song, “Here We Come A-Caroling” We will mark the first day of Winter by reading the story, “Thank You, God, for Winter”. We will continue to hear that Jesus is the Reason for the Season and read the story, “They Followed the Star”. In preparation of the New Year we will finish our tambourines, learn a New Year’s Poem and make a megaphone to celebrate “2022”and play musical shapes.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Week of December 13, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Mm and the number 13. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week and watercolor a mouse. In Religion, the children will prepare for the fourth week of Advent, recognize the importance of Mary as Jesus’ mother, identify Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the Holy Family and learn 2 new words. Magi are the Wisemen and a Gospel is a book in the Bible that tells us the Good News about Jesus. We will practice for our Christmas Program and play bells and chimes. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 13, count how many days to the New Year 2022, play “Mitten Match” and look at different kinds of money. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match the letters L,C,P and O and practice eye-hand coordination by tracing a path through a maze and the lines on a map. We will learn about bears and other animals that hibernate and play “No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”. We will march, marble paint and read, “Itsy Bitsy Christmas”, “Little Lambs Christmas”, “Bears First Christmas” and “Look Who’s Coming to Our House”.
Week of December 6, 2021
Monday, December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. The children received a letter from St. Nick
This week we will learn about the letter Ll and the number 12. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a lion. In Religion, the children will prepare for the third week of Advent, read a story about what waiting for a baby entails, learn from John the Baptist how we can get ready for Jesus and learn that Mary is Jesus’ mother and our mother too. We will pray the Hail Mary and sing Mary, Said Yes to God. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 12, make a clock and review all the basic colors. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will review the colors green, orange, red and blue. They will review triangle, circles, rectangles and squares. We will go on a Leaf Walk, dance the Limbo, play leap frog and count everyone’s legs. We will play chimes, learn a simple “L” poem and “L” nursery rhymes and continue singing songs for our Christmas program. We will read, “The Mouse in the Manger”, “The Little Drummer Boy”, “The Story of Small Pine” and “The Donkey’s Christmas Song”.
Week of November 29, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Kk and the number 11. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a kite, sponge paint a manger. In Religion, the children will recognize how they prepare to celebrate Christmas and how all creation gets ready for Jesus, learn about the 3 Kings who brought gifts to baby Jesus and prepare for the second week of Advent. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 11 and review all the basic colors. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters and practice visual discrimination while observing letters of the alphabet, make a Kris Kringle, practice kicking a ball and practice eye hand coordination to make a path to Bethlehem. We will play chimes, learn a simple “k” poem and continue singing songs for our Christmas program. We will read, “This Is the Stable”, “Stories of Santa”, “ God Gave Us Christmas”, “Christmas in the Barn” “The Bear Santa Claus Forgot” and “The Littlest Elf”.
Week of November 22, 2021
This week we will Prepare for Thanksgiving and the first week of Advent. In Religion, the children will learn that the word Advent means “coming”. Advent is the time just before Christmas when we are waiting to celebrate Jesus’ coming to our world as a human baby. The children will be having their “Feast for Friends”, a Thanksgiving Prayer celebration in the Chapel and watch a special Thanksgiving Story. They will prepare their first candle in the Advent Wreath and begin practicing for our Christmas Program, we will listen to the story of “The First Christmas” and “Elf on the Shelf”. The children will get to meet “Mustafa” our classroom “Elf”.
Week of November 15, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Jj and the number 10. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a jar, sponge paint and learn about the Macy’s Day Parade. In Religion, the children will recognize the many reasons to be thankful everyday. They will recognize Jesus as the leader of many people and identify ways and things that they share. Also, the children will learn ways to follow Jesus and identify that “J” stands for Jesus when we begin preparing for Advent. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence and review all the basic colors. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters and practice visual discrimination while observing letters of the alphabet. We will play musical instruments, practice jumping rope, learn simple “j” poems and prepare for our Thanksgiving Feast of Friends. We will read, “Cranberry Thanksgiving”, “Over the River and Through the Woods”, “Berenstain Bears Count their Blessings”, and “Brown Brown , Brown Brown, What Do You See?”
Week of November 8, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Ii and the number 9. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an igloo, sponge paint and learn about Veterans Day. In Religion, the children will review how feelings make us feel and that it is OK to express good and bad feelings as long as we don’t make other people unhappy. We will learn that God loves us and is always with us and that saints are God’s friends that live in heaven. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence, review circles, triangles and squares and make patterns with blocks. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters, follow directions when matching shapes and colors, learn how the Native Americans and helped the Pilgrims. We will play musical instruments and read the books: “My First Thanksgiving”, “Thankful”, “One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims”, “This Is the Turkey” and “Thanksgiving Day Thanks”.
Week of November 1, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Hh and the number 8. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a heart, sponge paint and learn important touching Safety Rules. We will continue to water the grass seeds we planted and begin to learn how the pilgrims and Native Americans lived. In Religion, the children will explore what gifts mean and what gifts they can give to others. The children will be reminded how important it is to say “thank you”. The children will learn that the Holy Bible tells stories about Jesus’ life and Death, about the people he helped and about God’s love for us. In Math, we will count the letters in our names, count the days of the week and learn a turkey count-down poem. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace the backward circles and forward circles in the letters a,d,g,o,b and p. We will look for the color brown, and vote for our favorite fruit, dinner, pet and art tool. We will read the books: “Peter Pumpkin”, “Thanksgiving Is for Giving”, “Always Be Safe” and “The First Thanksgiving”.
Week of October 25, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Gg and the number 7. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor grapes, sponge paint and learn important Halloween safety rules. We will celebrate Halloween with a Parade, plant grass seed glue glitter, match pictures and learn about night time awake animals including owls, mice, raccoons, ferrets, kinkajous and the fennec fox. In Religion, the children will learn 2 important rules….Be thankful to God and respect others. We will also learn a Halloween Prayer to keep us safe. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace slanted lines left and name the letters and also practice writing our own names. We will review colors of the rainbow and look for the color black. We will read the books: “Little Ghost”, “We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt”, “Curious George Goes to a Costume Parade”, “Say Boo”, “Woo! The Not so Scary Ghost”, “Baby Owls” and “Good Night Owl”.
Week of October 18, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Ff and the number 6. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a fish, sponge paint, work on our “All About Me” books and learn important fire safety rules in the kitchen. This week the fire truck comes to our school for a fire safety assembly. We will review feelings, fingerpaint a fan and jump like frogs.
In Religion, the children will explore the sense of sight, listen to a story about a blind man named Bartimaeus and thank God for all of our senses, especially for giving us eyes to see all the beautiful things he has made. We will also learn about angels and saints. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace straight and slanted lines and name the letters. This week we will look for the color purple and read the books: “Franklin Forgives“, “Safety at Home”¸ “Corduroy’s Best Halloween Ever” and “Curious George and the Firefighters”.
Week of October 11, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Ee and the number 5. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an elephant, sponge paint, work on our “All About Me” books and learn important fire safety rules. Weather permitting, the children will take a class walk to Austin Park and look for signs of Fall. (Colorful leaves, acorns and squirrels). We will play in the playground, ride bikes, walk like elephants, make musical sounds with egg shakers. exercise and sing with an ELMO puppet.
In Religion, the children will learn that everyone is important, and by helping others we are following Jesus. When we speak politely, say please and thank you, we are showing respect for different kinds of people. We will learn that a priest is a man who leads us when we gather to pray. He is the leader of our Church family. That’s why we call him Father. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace straight and slanted lines. This week we will look for the color blue, work together on floor puzzles, building blocks and in the dramatic play area. We will read the books: “The Middle of Fall“, “Five Little Ghosts”¸ “Moo Moo and Cock-a-Doodle-Doo” and “We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt”.
Week of October 4, 2021
This week the children begin the new month of October. We will celebrate our grandparents and special friends during a prayer service with Fr. Joe on Wednesday. Thank you God, for giving us special people in our lives who help us learn about you. Also, this week the children will learn about the letter Dd and the number 4 and practice writing their name. The children will also practice cutting paper, tracing the letter and number of the week, watercolor a dog, sponge paint and continue working on their “All About Me” books.
In Religion, the children will learn about the good feelings of being helpers and sharing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will make squares and rectangles by tracing top to bottom and left to right. This week we will look for the color green, learn about pumpkins, work with our manipulative bags and boxes, floor puzzles and building blocks. We will read the books: “Five Little Pumpkins“, “The Leaves Are Falling One by One”¸ “Stop, Drop and Roll” and “If the Dinosaurs Came Back”. We will play musical shapes, search for pumpkins and continue practicing songs for our Halloween Parade.
Week of September 27th
This week the children will make cards for their grandparents in preparation of celebrating grandparents’ day next week. This week we will learn about the letter Cc and the number 3. The children will practice cutting paper, tracing the letter and number of the week, watercolor a caterpillar, sponge paint and create a Fall Season tree by tracing their hands and arm and gluing on colorful leaves. In Religion, the children will celebrate their uniqueness, listen to Jesus’ words of friendship and recognize that God loves every person and wants us to love one another too. The children will learn that we call the parish our church family and will take home a special prayer card to share with their family. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will have their right and left hands traced and begin to learn left from right. This week we will look for the color yellow, compare apples and bananas, work with their manipulative bags and boxes, floor puzzles and building blocks. We will read the books: “The Family Book”, “Caps for Sale”, “Grandmother and I“, “Grandfather and I”. In addition to spending time outside in the playground, the children will draw with chalk and use our bubble wands.
Week of September 20th
This week the children will have their opening of school prayer service in the Chapel with Fr. Bill and Fr. Michael. Our prayer theme is “friends”. We will listen to a story about friends and sing, “The More We Get Together”. The letter this week is Bb and our number is 2. The children will practice tracing the letter of the week, water color a butterfly and sponge paint. In Religion, the children will realize they belong to a church community (St. Thomas of Villanova Church). We will learn that Jesus is God’s Son, and color a “Thank You, God, for colors” booklet.
In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will practice tracing left to right lines and name each of the letters, find things that are the color orange, use their manipulative boxes to string chains, count and build. This week we will read, “If You’re Angry and You Know It”, “Thank You God, for Fall” and “Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere”.
Three Year Olds
Happy Week of the Young Child. This week we are highlighting the importance of early learning through the children’s artwork, family involvement, music, working together and tasting bread.
We will sponge paint the letter Z, trace the letter and number of the week, dye Easter Eggs, make a Caterpillar and participate in a Stations of the Cross Prayer Service in the Chapel. We will use our yoga mats, ride bikes and go on an egg hunt. We will celebrate a classmate’s birthday with his dad coming to read a special story. In Religion, the Children will learn an Easter prayer, identify ways to welcome people and learn how people welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday. We will celebrate a simple snack of bread with our friends like Jesus did with his disciples. In Math we will review shapes, patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers and review the steps in planting seeds. We will read “Splish, Splash Spring”, “Baby Duck’s New Friend”, “Rain”, “Zack the Lazy Zebra”, “Lola Plants a Garden”, “The Story of Easter” and “Bunny, My Honey”.
Afternoon Extension and Enrichment Activities
On Monday afternoon the children will create, cut, and glue. They will listen to a zoo story, and they will choose favorite animals to visit at the zoo. On Tuesday they will find out about rabbits; they will watch a video, participate in a dance break, and play a video game. On Wednesday the children will learn about the habitat of prairie dogs during animals’ enrichment class. On Thursday they will find out about dinosaurs during science enrichment class. They will review the letter of the week on Friday, and they will continue to practice simple conversations, colors, shapes, and numbers during Spanish enrichment.
This week we will make a book about some American Symbols (Statue of Liberty, Bald Eagle, American Flag and the Liberty Bell), continue to read stories about mothers and fathers and the season of Summer. We will practice songs for our closing program, go on a scavenger hunt, play musical instruments and tag games. In Religion, the children will walk to church and look for symbols of Jesus, continue praying the Hail Mary Prayer and learn the letters in Jesus and Mary’s name. We will match upper and lower case letters and talk about things they wish to do this summer. We will finish our “Season’s Book”. We will review the months of the year, learn about seahorses and different fish that can live with them in an aquarium.
Week of May 2, 2022
This week we will play name games using the letters of the alphabet, share stories about mothers and fathers and what special things they do for us, celebrate Jesus’ mother, Mary with our May Celebration and learn about the season of Summer. We will celebrate Cinco de Mayo. In Religion, the children will recognize the people who care for them and ways they show care. We will recognize Jesus as the Good Shepherd and that a shepherd is an image of God’s care. In Math we will count to 10 in Spanish, practice reading our phone numbers and practice cutting. We will read about the season of summer, brush paint water pictures, assemble sequence cards, puzzles and cardboard dress ups.
Week of April 25, 2022
This week we continue to review out letters, numbers to 10, colors and shapes. We will practice for our May Gathering, sing songs about Mary, pray for families, friends and all those who helped us during this school year. We will continue to celebrate Easter and Jesus’ New Life, identify how Jesus’ friends recognized him and identify people we share meals with. We will learn that insects have 3 body parts and 6 legs. We will read stories about trees, bugs, bees, Mary and mothers. We will practice saying our telephone numbers, color a picture for May Day and Arbor Day. We will read “Rainbow Fish to the Rescue”, “Rainbow Fish and the Big Whale”, “The Grouchy Ladybug”, “I Love Bugs” and “Because a Bug Went Ka-choo”. We will play games outside, use the bikeroom and play Simon Says.
Week of April 19, 2022
This week we are celebrating Earth Week. We will make a banner, an Earth Day Hat and go on a walk to “help keep the earth clean” by cleaning our yard and making it safe for us to play and for the animals too! We will identify safe friends and safe adults and learn how to respond to an unsafe situation. We will read, “Don’t Talk to Strangers”, “Play It Safe”, “Recycling is Fun”, “I Need Water”, “It’s Earth Day” and “Earth Day Birthday”. We will learn about the parts of a tree and things that come from trees (Fruit, paper, chocolate and wood). We will look at all of the favorite books the children bring in for Show and Tell. In Religion, we will sing, our ALLELUIA song and Signs of New Life while reviewing what happens at Easter (Jesus Comes to Life Again). In Math, we will count by two’s, review the colors of a rainbow and read and make a “Rainbow Fish”. We will play in the playground, do our Yoga Exercises and play hopscotch.
Week of April 11, 2022
Happy Holy Week. This week the children will read and see the Story of the First Easter from the Beginners Bible series. In Religion we will be reminded of the gifts of love and peace that Jesus brings on Easter Sunday. The children will learn that “Alleluia” means “Praise God” and sing an Easter Song and the Garden Song. We will review our numbers, letters, colors and shapes. We will read, “Lola Plants a Garden”, “Kids for the Earth”, “We’re Going on a Nature Hunt”, “Easter Parade” and “Jesus Is Risen”
Week of April 4, 2022
Happy Week of the Young Child. This week we are highlighting the importance of early learning through the children’s artwork, family involvement, music, working together and tasting bread.
We will sponge paint the letter Z, trace the letter and number of the week, dye Easter Eggs, make a Caterpillar and participate in a Stations of the Cross Prayer Service in the Chapel. We will use our yoga mats, ride bikes and go on an egg hunt. We will celebrate a classmate’s birthday with his dad coming to read a special story. In Religion, the Children will learn an Easter prayer, identify ways to welcome people and learn how people welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday. We will celebrate a simple snack of bread with our friends like Jesus did with his disciples. In Math we will review shapes, patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers and review the steps in planting seeds. We will read “Splish, Splash Spring”, “Baby Duck’s New Friend”, “Rain”, “Zack the Lazy Zebra”, “Lola Plants a Garden”, “The Story of Easter” and “Bunny, My Honey”.
Week of March 28, 2022
We will sponge paint the letter Y, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor and make a yarn craft and get ready for Easter. We will use our yoga mats and do stretching exercises. In Religion, the children will continue to follow Jesus’ journey of the cross and recognize helpful ways to handle conflict. They will recognize that Jesus invites us to say I’m sorry and start over and they will learn a simple prayer to Jesus and learn that anoint means to bless a person with oil to show that he or she is special to God. At Baptism we become members of God’s family and we were anointed with a special oil. We will sing songs, play rhythm instruments and work on floor puzzles.
In Math we will review the seasons, count to 30 and review patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers, learn about rabbits how they communicate and what they eat. We will read “The Yak Who Yelled Yuk”, “30 Mice Are Very Nice”, “Brown Rabbit’s Day”, “Gray Rabbit’s Odd One Out”, “Seven Little Rabbits”, “Jonathan Rabbit A Story of Easter” and “The Big Bad Mood”.
Week of March 21, 2022
This week we will sing in our Spring Show. We will sponge paint the letter X, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor and play a xylophone. Weather permitting, we will walk to the park and fly our kites. In Religion, the children will continue following Jesus’ Journey of the Cross, they will learn about forgiving and sharing, identify that loving actions are right and unloving actions are wrong and know our neighbors are people who live near us. In Math we will review the colors of a rainbow, count to 24 and learn about patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers work on puzzles and follow directions. We will read “A Xylophone for X-ray Fish”, “Mouse’s First Spring”, “Wake Up, It’s Spring”, “People in Spring”, “The Tiny Seed” and “An Extraordinary Egg”.
Week of March 14, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Ww, dress up for “wacky Wednesday”, celebrate St. Patrick’s Day and practice for the Spring Show. We will sponge paint the letter W, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a watermelon, flowers and a caterpillar. We will add blossoms to our Spring tree, wake up our winter bears and learn wind moves many things including windmills, sailboats, kites and windsocks. In Religion, the children will continue following Jesus’ Journey of the Cross, they will recognize that just as seeds grow into plants, they are growing as God’s children and that St. Joseph was Jesus’ father who was a carpenter and took care of Jesus when he was a boy. In Math, we will review the days of the week, colors of the rainbow and learn about the growth of butterflies and birds. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers and follow directions to make a rainbow. We will read “Worm’s Wagon”, “The Way Home for Wolf”, “Wow! Weather”, “The Night Before St. Patrick’s Day”, “Ten Lucky Leprechauns” and “The Very Hungry Caterpillar”.
Week of March 7, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Vv, celebrate Fr. Joe’s birthday, practice our songs for the Spring Show and play Handbells. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, finger paint the letter V, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a vacuum cleaner, flowers, a butterfly and St. Patrick’s Day symbols. We will add valentines to the letter “V”, learn about young alligators and make an alligator puppet. In Religion, the children will continue their Journey of the Cross with Jesus to New Life, they will learn that prayer is talking to God, make a prayer book, pray the Our Father Prayer and make a Lenten mobile. In Math, we will count and vote for our favorite and least favorite vegetables. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and follow directions to make a rainbow. We will read “Vera Viper’s Valentines”, “The Leprechaun’s Gold”, “Happy Pig Day” and “Can I Play Too”?”.
Week of February 28, 2022
This week we begin our new month of March. Will it come in like a “Lamb” or a “Lion”? We will learn about the letter Uu and review the numbers 2,3,4,5 and count to 21. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an umbrella, make a U of “umbrellas” and sing songs and play handbells. In Religion, the children begin their Journey with Jesus by reading a station of the cross each day, they will recognize that they make choices and learn the choices that Jesus made. On Ash Wednesday, the children will receive a symbol of God’s love during our school prayer gathering and recognize that Lent is a time to choose to grow closer to God. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will do puzzles, games and activities that promote sharing and helping one another. In preparation of Read Across America month, we will celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday and read “Umbrellabird’s Umbrella”, “Are You My Mother”, “The Cat in the Hat”, “The Cat in the Hat Comes Back”, “Green Eggs and Ham” and “The Story of Saint Patrick’s Day”.
Week of February 21, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Tt and review the number10 and count to 20. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, finger paint the letter T with shaving cream, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a turtle, make a T filled with “toothpicks”, learn “T” songs and begin preparing for the Spring Show. In Religion, the children will recognize that everyone is special, that we can pray to the Holy Spirit when it is hard to make loving and kind choices and begin learning about Lent. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will sort and put together sequence cards in order. The children will learn about Benjamin Franklin and other inventors and make a hat to prepare for Dr. Seuss’ birthday and practice playing handbells. We will read “When Tilly Turtle Came to Tea”, “Two Bunny Slippers”, “Three Bouncing Balls”, “Four Fiddlers”, “Benjamin Franklin” and “Five Shiny Apples”.
Week of February 14, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Ss and review the numbers 8.9 and count to 19. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, finger paint with shaving cream, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a sun and make a book of the planets in our Solar System. In Religion, the children will recognize what it means to be kind, share and be fair. We will learn actions to the Our Father Prayer, thank God for our 5 senses and learn a song about Jesus friends, the disciples. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will sort, learn the steps to tie shoe laces, go on a scavenger hunt for shapes and put together sequence cards and puzzles in order. The children will learn about George Washington, make a tricorn hat and celebrate the last day of the Chinese New Year . We will read “George Washington and the General’s Dog”, “Sniff, Sniff”, “The Great Shape Hunt”, “Seals Silly Sandwich”, “It Looked Like Spilt Milk”, “” and a “Picture Book of George Washington”.
Week of February 7, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Rr and the number 18. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line to make a Chinese lantern, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a rainbow, make a collage of rectangles and glue rainbow colored rice to make the letter R. In Religion, the children will recognize what it means to show love, including bringing in a can of soup for the poor, share Valentines with our friends and being together at mass, learn a thank-you prayer, learn Jesus’ list of attitudes and actions that will help us show happiness (the Beatitudes) and learn the names of Jesus friends, the disciples. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will color and count 6 animals and 7 flowers, count up votes for the “Souper Bowl of Giving” and count up the USA Olympic medals. The children will learn about Abraham Lincoln, make a log cabin and a president’s placemat. We will run and play shadow tag, use our bubble wands and sidewalk chalk and play in our bikeroom and playground. We will read “Valentine Friends”, “Mouse’s First Valentine”, “Sweethearts”, “Lots of Love”, “The Tooth Fairy”, “Yankee Doodle” and a “Picture Book of Abraham Lincoln”.
Week of January 31, 2022
This week we will celebrate our school during Catholic Education Week. We will make cards for our friends, share our heritage, join our friends for a prayer celebration, listen to some parents as they share their profession and play inside skating games and racing games in preparation of the Winter Olympic Games. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, watercolor a ground hog, make a tiger to celebrate the Chinese New Year and learn about the different animals used during the Chinese Lunar celebrations each year. In Religion, we will learn that Jesus, Mary and Joseph make up the Holy Family and draw a picture of our own families to celebrate February, the month of the Holy Family. The children will recognize that Simon Peter and his friends follow Jesus and identify that Pope Francis is the leader of our Catholic Church. We will recognize that we can be followers of Jesus too. We will make cards for friends, find shadows of animals, play handbells, make a necklace to celebrate our week of special activities at St. Thomas and join in a zoom class with Dr. John Horchos, a local dentist who will talk about cleaning our teeth, healthy snacks and also gave the children a new toothbrush and magnet. In Math, we will review numbers 4 and 5 and count to 12 using dot-to-dot . In Language development, we will read “Let’s Find Out About Toothpaste”, “Whose Teeth Are These”, “Learning About Groundhogs” and “The Seven Chinese Sisters”.
Week of January 24, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Qq and the number 17. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a quarter, paint with a q-tip and trace a quarter. In Religion, the children will practice listening with their ears and their eyes, recognize that we listen to Jesus’ Good News when we go to Mass on Sundays, discover that “Worship” means having deep respect for God and learn 2 new words in sign language (Family and Friends). We will sing a song about many noises and play “The Quiet Game”. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will learn about sequencing the numbers 1,2,3, and 4. We will learn about ice, snow, frozen and melting and play “Freeze Tag”. This week we will continue learning our bike safety rules for our Trike-a-thon, We will read “Mice Squeak, We Speak” “If You’re Happy and You Know It”, “Tiptoe Joe” and “Brave Little Bear”.
Week of January 17, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Pp and the number 16. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a pumpkin and make Pinecone Bird Feeder and a Pig Puppet. In Religion, the children will recognize and share good news and recognize Jesus’ Good News that we are all members of God’s loving family. We will identify the Father, Son and Holy Spirit as the Holy Trinity and learn to pray a thank-you prayer to God in sign-language. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will follow a path and match numbers 3,4,6,9. We will learn about artic animals (walrus, harp seal, Beluga whale) and play parachute games. This week we will begin to learn our bike safety rules in preparation of our annual St. Jude Trike-a-thon that will be held during Catholic Education Week. We will read “Little Polar Bear” and “A Pair of Socks” and sing songs that begin with the letter “P”.
Week of January 10, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Oo and the number 15. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an octopus and make an “O” collage. In Religion, the children will recognize that weddings are celebrations of family. The children will also recognize the importance of families spending time together, learn about St. Anthony and discuss appropriate manners at parties (e.g. sharing, accepting that gifts might not be for you, eating neatly, saying thank you, etc.) In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters and practice visual discrimination while matching lower case letters g,j,p,q,y and the numbers 2,5,7,8. We will learn about opposites, Martin Luther King and the Olympics. Weather permitting, we will use our bubble wands and sidewalk chalk outside. We will read stories about Oscar the Grouch, Olaf, Moon Bear’s Dream and owls.
Week of January 3, 2022
This week we will learn about the letter Nn and the number 14. …. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week and watercolor a nail. In Religion, the children will share their Christmas Experiences and learn that they become members of God’s family through Baptism. The children will learn about the water, candle, oil and white garment used at Baptism and that the sign of the cross is a reminder of our Baptism. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 14, make a shape mobile of our names and play Shape BINGO. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match the numbers 7, 5 and 9, recognize size relationships and the colors blue, red and brown. We will make a necklace out of noodles and learn a new chime song. We will read “Teddy’s Snowy Day”, “Winter Rabbit” and “Bear Snores On”.
Week of December 20, 2021
Our Christmas Program is finally here. We will celebrate with our families and friends the story of the First Christmas, sing Christmas Carols, listen to and act out the story of Mary and Jesus’ Journey to Bethlehem and play chimes to the song, “Here We Come A-Caroling” We will mark the first day of Winter by reading the story, “Thank You, God, for Winter”. We will continue to hear that Jesus is the Reason for the Season and read the story, “They Followed the Star”. In preparation of the New Year we will finish our tambourines, learn a New Year’s Poem and make a megaphone to celebrate “2022”and play musical shapes.
Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!
Week of December 13, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Mm and the number 13. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week and watercolor a mouse. In Religion, the children will prepare for the fourth week of Advent, recognize the importance of Mary as Jesus’ mother, identify Jesus, Mary and Joseph as the Holy Family and learn 2 new words. Magi are the Wisemen and a Gospel is a book in the Bible that tells us the Good News about Jesus. We will practice for our Christmas Program and play bells and chimes. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 13, count how many days to the New Year 2022, play “Mitten Match” and look at different kinds of money. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match the letters L,C,P and O and practice eye-hand coordination by tracing a path through a maze and the lines on a map. We will learn about bears and other animals that hibernate and play “No More Monkeys Jumping on the Bed”. We will march, marble paint and read, “Itsy Bitsy Christmas”, “Little Lambs Christmas”, “Bears First Christmas” and “Look Who’s Coming to Our House”.
Week of December 6, 2021
Monday, December 6th, St. Nicholas Day. The children received a letter from St. Nick
This week we will learn about the letter Ll and the number 12. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a lion. In Religion, the children will prepare for the third week of Advent, read a story about what waiting for a baby entails, learn from John the Baptist how we can get ready for Jesus and learn that Mary is Jesus’ mother and our mother too. We will pray the Hail Mary and sing Mary, Said Yes to God. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 12, make a clock and review all the basic colors. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will review the colors green, orange, red and blue. They will review triangle, circles, rectangles and squares. We will go on a Leaf Walk, dance the Limbo, play leap frog and count everyone’s legs. We will play chimes, learn a simple “L” poem and “L” nursery rhymes and continue singing songs for our Christmas program. We will read, “The Mouse in the Manger”, “The Little Drummer Boy”, “The Story of Small Pine” and “The Donkey’s Christmas Song”.
Week of November 29, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Kk and the number 11. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a kite, sponge paint a manger. In Religion, the children will recognize how they prepare to celebrate Christmas and how all creation gets ready for Jesus, learn about the 3 Kings who brought gifts to baby Jesus and prepare for the second week of Advent. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence to 11 and review all the basic colors. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters and practice visual discrimination while observing letters of the alphabet, make a Kris Kringle, practice kicking a ball and practice eye hand coordination to make a path to Bethlehem. We will play chimes, learn a simple “k” poem and continue singing songs for our Christmas program. We will read, “This Is the Stable”, “Stories of Santa”, “ God Gave Us Christmas”, “Christmas in the Barn” “The Bear Santa Claus Forgot” and “The Littlest Elf”.
Week of November 22, 2021
This week we will Prepare for Thanksgiving and the first week of Advent. In Religion, the children will learn that the word Advent means “coming”. Advent is the time just before Christmas when we are waiting to celebrate Jesus’ coming to our world as a human baby. The children will be having their “Feast for Friends”, a Thanksgiving Prayer celebration in the Chapel and watch a special Thanksgiving Story. They will prepare their first candle in the Advent Wreath and begin practicing for our Christmas Program, we will listen to the story of “The First Christmas” and “Elf on the Shelf”. The children will get to meet “Mustafa” our classroom “Elf”.
Week of November 15, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Jj and the number 10. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a jar, sponge paint and learn about the Macy’s Day Parade. In Religion, the children will recognize the many reasons to be thankful everyday. They will recognize Jesus as the leader of many people and identify ways and things that they share. Also, the children will learn ways to follow Jesus and identify that “J” stands for Jesus when we begin preparing for Advent. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence and review all the basic colors. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters and practice visual discrimination while observing letters of the alphabet. We will play musical instruments, practice jumping rope, learn simple “j” poems and prepare for our Thanksgiving Feast of Friends. We will read, “Cranberry Thanksgiving”, “Over the River and Through the Woods”, “Berenstain Bears Count their Blessings”, and “Brown Brown , Brown Brown, What Do You See?”
Week of November 8, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Ii and the number 9. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an igloo, sponge paint and learn about Veterans Day. In Religion, the children will review how feelings make us feel and that it is OK to express good and bad feelings as long as we don’t make other people unhappy. We will learn that God loves us and is always with us and that saints are God’s friends that live in heaven. In Math, we will practice counting in sequence, review circles, triangles and squares and make patterns with blocks. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will match letters, follow directions when matching shapes and colors, learn how the Native Americans and helped the Pilgrims. We will play musical instruments and read the books: “My First Thanksgiving”, “Thankful”, “One Little, Two Little, Three Little Pilgrims”, “This Is the Turkey” and “Thanksgiving Day Thanks”.
Week of November 1, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Hh and the number 8. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a heart, sponge paint and learn important touching Safety Rules. We will continue to water the grass seeds we planted and begin to learn how the pilgrims and Native Americans lived. In Religion, the children will explore what gifts mean and what gifts they can give to others. The children will be reminded how important it is to say “thank you”. The children will learn that the Holy Bible tells stories about Jesus’ life and Death, about the people he helped and about God’s love for us. In Math, we will count the letters in our names, count the days of the week and learn a turkey count-down poem. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace the backward circles and forward circles in the letters a,d,g,o,b and p. We will look for the color brown, and vote for our favorite fruit, dinner, pet and art tool. We will read the books: “Peter Pumpkin”, “Thanksgiving Is for Giving”, “Always Be Safe” and “The First Thanksgiving”.
Week of October 25, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Gg and the number 7. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor grapes, sponge paint and learn important Halloween safety rules. We will celebrate Halloween with a Parade, plant grass seed glue glitter, match pictures and learn about night time awake animals including owls, mice, raccoons, ferrets, kinkajous and the fennec fox. In Religion, the children will learn 2 important rules….Be thankful to God and respect others. We will also learn a Halloween Prayer to keep us safe. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace slanted lines left and name the letters and also practice writing our own names. We will review colors of the rainbow and look for the color black. We will read the books: “Little Ghost”, “We’re Going on a Ghost Hunt”, “Curious George Goes to a Costume Parade”, “Say Boo”, “Woo! The Not so Scary Ghost”, “Baby Owls” and “Good Night Owl”.
Week of October 18, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Ff and the number 6. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor a fish, sponge paint, work on our “All About Me” books and learn important fire safety rules in the kitchen. This week the fire truck comes to our school for a fire safety assembly. We will review feelings, fingerpaint a fan and jump like frogs.
In Religion, the children will explore the sense of sight, listen to a story about a blind man named Bartimaeus and thank God for all of our senses, especially for giving us eyes to see all the beautiful things he has made. We will also learn about angels and saints. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace straight and slanted lines and name the letters. This week we will look for the color purple and read the books: “Franklin Forgives“, “Safety at Home”¸ “Corduroy’s Best Halloween Ever” and “Curious George and the Firefighters”.
Week of October 11, 2021
This week we will learn about the letter Ee and the number 5. We will practice cutting paper on a straight line, trace the letter and number of the week, watercolor an elephant, sponge paint, work on our “All About Me” books and learn important fire safety rules. Weather permitting, the children will take a class walk to Austin Park and look for signs of Fall. (Colorful leaves, acorns and squirrels). We will play in the playground, ride bikes, walk like elephants, make musical sounds with egg shakers. exercise and sing with an ELMO puppet.
In Religion, the children will learn that everyone is important, and by helping others we are following Jesus. When we speak politely, say please and thank you, we are showing respect for different kinds of people. We will learn that a priest is a man who leads us when we gather to pray. He is the leader of our Church family. That’s why we call him Father. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace straight and slanted lines. This week we will look for the color blue, work together on floor puzzles, building blocks and in the dramatic play area. We will read the books: “The Middle of Fall“, “Five Little Ghosts”¸ “Moo Moo and Cock-a-Doodle-Doo” and “We’re Going on a Pumpkin Hunt”.
Week of October 4, 2021
This week the children begin the new month of October. We will celebrate our grandparents and special friends during a prayer service with Fr. Joe on Wednesday. Thank you God, for giving us special people in our lives who help us learn about you. Also, this week the children will learn about the letter Dd and the number 4 and practice writing their name. The children will also practice cutting paper, tracing the letter and number of the week, watercolor a dog, sponge paint and continue working on their “All About Me” books.
In Religion, the children will learn about the good feelings of being helpers and sharing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will make squares and rectangles by tracing top to bottom and left to right. This week we will look for the color green, learn about pumpkins, work with our manipulative bags and boxes, floor puzzles and building blocks. We will read the books: “Five Little Pumpkins“, “The Leaves Are Falling One by One”¸ “Stop, Drop and Roll” and “If the Dinosaurs Came Back”. We will play musical shapes, search for pumpkins and continue practicing songs for our Halloween Parade.
Week of September 27th
This week the children will make cards for their grandparents in preparation of celebrating grandparents’ day next week. This week we will learn about the letter Cc and the number 3. The children will practice cutting paper, tracing the letter and number of the week, watercolor a caterpillar, sponge paint and create a Fall Season tree by tracing their hands and arm and gluing on colorful leaves. In Religion, the children will celebrate their uniqueness, listen to Jesus’ words of friendship and recognize that God loves every person and wants us to love one another too. The children will learn that we call the parish our church family and will take home a special prayer card to share with their family. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will have their right and left hands traced and begin to learn left from right. This week we will look for the color yellow, compare apples and bananas, work with their manipulative bags and boxes, floor puzzles and building blocks. We will read the books: “The Family Book”, “Caps for Sale”, “Grandmother and I“, “Grandfather and I”. In addition to spending time outside in the playground, the children will draw with chalk and use our bubble wands.
Week of September 20th
This week the children will have their opening of school prayer service in the Chapel with Fr. Bill and Fr. Michael. Our prayer theme is “friends”. We will listen to a story about friends and sing, “The More We Get Together”. The letter this week is Bb and our number is 2. The children will practice tracing the letter of the week, water color a butterfly and sponge paint. In Religion, the children will realize they belong to a church community (St. Thomas of Villanova Church). We will learn that Jesus is God’s Son, and color a “Thank You, God, for colors” booklet.
In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will practice tracing left to right lines and name each of the letters, find things that are the color orange, use their manipulative boxes to string chains, count and build. This week we will read, “If You’re Angry and You Know It”, “Thank You God, for Fall” and “Bubbles, Bubbles, Everywhere”.
Three Year Olds
Happy Week of the Young Child. This week we are highlighting the importance of early learning through the children’s artwork, family involvement, music, working together and tasting bread.
We will sponge paint the letter Z, trace the letter and number of the week, dye Easter Eggs, make a Caterpillar and participate in a Stations of the Cross Prayer Service in the Chapel. We will use our yoga mats, ride bikes and go on an egg hunt. We will celebrate a classmate’s birthday with his dad coming to read a special story. In Religion, the Children will learn an Easter prayer, identify ways to welcome people and learn how people welcomed Jesus on Palm Sunday. We will celebrate a simple snack of bread with our friends like Jesus did with his disciples. In Math we will review shapes, patterns and sequencing. In Reading and Writing Readiness, the children will trace letters and numbers and review the steps in planting seeds. We will read “Splish, Splash Spring”, “Baby Duck’s New Friend”, “Rain”, “Zack the Lazy Zebra”, “Lola Plants a Garden”, “The Story of Easter” and “Bunny, My Honey”.
Afternoon Extension and Enrichment Activities
On Monday afternoon the children will create, cut, and glue. They will listen to a zoo story, and they will choose favorite animals to visit at the zoo. On Tuesday they will find out about rabbits; they will watch a video, participate in a dance break, and play a video game. On Wednesday the children will learn about the habitat of prairie dogs during animals’ enrichment class. On Thursday they will find out about dinosaurs during science enrichment class. They will review the letter of the week on Friday, and they will continue to practice simple conversations, colors, shapes, and numbers during Spanish enrichment.
Week of September 13th
This week the children will learn that like their own family, they are members of God’s Family too. We will visit the chapel and prepare for our first prayer gathering next week as a school community. The children will begin their alphabet books and their number books. We will focus on the letter A and the number 1. The children will practice tracing the letter of the week, water color an apple and sponge paint. The children will learn about different kinds of feelings they have and learn how to share their feelings with others. We continue to learn the names of our new friends and ways to stay safe in school and in the playground. We continue to name the colors, the days of the week and weather for the day. This week we will read stories about apples, ants and aprons.
This week the children will learn that like their own family, they are members of God’s Family too. We will visit the chapel and prepare for our first prayer gathering next week as a school community. The children will begin their alphabet books and their number books. We will focus on the letter A and the number 1. The children will practice tracing the letter of the week, water color an apple and sponge paint. The children will learn about different kinds of feelings they have and learn how to share their feelings with others. We continue to learn the names of our new friends and ways to stay safe in school and in the playground. We continue to name the colors, the days of the week and weather for the day. This week we will read stories about apples, ants and aprons.
Week of September 6th
This week, the first week of school the children will meet their new friends, tour the school and begin to learn the daily routines. Each day the children will have a special job (Line leader, flag holder, weather forecaster, prayer leader, counter and caboose). As we move into our new school year and staying safe, the children will continue to wear masks, have their own art supplies, play manipulatives and separate cubbies for their belongings. Religion, Math, Language Arts, Creative art, library time will be a part of each day’s activities. In Religion this week, the children will hear a story about Mary, Jesus’ mother and sing a song to celebrate her birthday. We will read the stories, “Clifford’s First Day” and “Cookies Week”.
This week, the first week of school the children will meet their new friends, tour the school and begin to learn the daily routines. Each day the children will have a special job (Line leader, flag holder, weather forecaster, prayer leader, counter and caboose). As we move into our new school year and staying safe, the children will continue to wear masks, have their own art supplies, play manipulatives and separate cubbies for their belongings. Religion, Math, Language Arts, Creative art, library time will be a part of each day’s activities. In Religion this week, the children will hear a story about Mary, Jesus’ mother and sing a song to celebrate her birthday. We will read the stories, “Clifford’s First Day” and “Cookies Week”.