newsletter

april 2012

Tater Tots
April showers bring May flowers, or so weve all been told. But take a peek into our Tator Tot classroom and youll see that weve grown some big, bright, blossoms of our own. Its amazing to see how much the children have learned this year, from writing our full names clearly, to counting to 100, from reading simple sentences, to making rhymes of our own. And the year isnt over yet. Here is a closer look at some of our lessons for this month:

ere splashing into April with sudden Springtime Showers. There are bright blue skies, green grass growing, and pretty tulips popping up to color our world. The excitement of spring is contagious and we have all caught the bug. April 9th through the 13th is this years Spring Break. We hope you are able to take advantage of the warmer weather and make some great memories with your loved ones. Start planning now for lots of summer fun, too, with our Summer in the Village camps. Register by May 15th and receive a discount on summer camp pricing. Classes are filling quickly, so be sure to register as soon as possible to guarantee a spot for your child. A copy of our summer flier is available online at www.kidsvillage.com, or you can come in and pick up a copy at the front desk. Your children are going to love what we have planned for them! Friends for Sight volunteers will be conducting free vision screenings during school hours on April 2nd and 3rd. Watch for information to come home regarding your childs screening. We would like all of our Sweet Pea, Tator Tot, and Kindercarrot classes to receive this wonderful service. Please make sure your child attends school on April 2nd and 3rd to take advantage of this opportunity. Get ready for our Graduation Photos coming up on April 4th and 5th. Astle Photography will be here on April 4th and 5th during school hours for individual and class photos, with retakes available on May 9th. We provide red caps and gowns for the children to wear during their individual pictures, and red gowns for all of the children to wear during their class pictures. If you choose not to purchase individual photos, your child will only participate in a class photo. You should have received a picture packet in your childs school bag during the last week of March. All picture packets are prepay, so if you have any questions or need a new packet please come in and pick one up before picture day. These always turn out to be some of our favorite photos of the year. Pleas take note of our final parent teacher conference for this school year held on May 3rd and 4th. We are anxious to share your childs achievements with you as well as some of the wonderful experiences we have had with them. Our conferences will again be open house style with an opportunity for you to come in during the evening on May 3rd from 1:00pm 7:00pm or during the day on May 4th from 9:003:00. All of our teachers will be available during these times, so stop by when its convenient for you, no appointment necessary. And finally, we wanted to take a moment to thank all of you for being so dedicated to our Kids Village R.E.A.D.S. program. The children are always so thrilled to bring their reading calendars in and share their success with us. It has taken a lot of effort on your part and we want you to know it has not gone unnoticed. We hope you feel, as we do, that the time spent reading with your child is priceless. So, THANK YOU from the bottom of our hearts for partnering with us to help each child gain a life-long love of reading!

Week #1 - April 2nd - 6th

Learn to identify upper and lowercase X, spell and read 3-letter words, produce words that start with the same sound, separate words in compound words, introduce the sight word love, compare sets of objects, write numbers 1-10, combine sets, and create a real graph.

Week #2 - April 9th-13th - SPRING BREAK Week #3 - April 16th - 20th

Learn to identify upper and lowercase W, match words to pictures, identify beginning sounds in words, introduce the sight word was, introduce the comma and review quotation marks, find the missing number, identify some and some more, weigh objects using nonstandard units, order objects from lightest to heaviest.

Week #4 - April 23rd - 27th

Learn to identify upper and lowercase Q, use combination qu, identify the ending sound in words, identify accents on syllables within words, practice alphabetizing, introduce the sight word what, combine some and some more, identify the capacity of a container using nonstandard units.

Week #5 - April 30th - May 4th

Review the letters we have learned, match upper and lowercase letters, review the sight words we have learned, use Independent Readers, practice simple addition with numbers less than 5, and writing numbers 1-11.

Kids Village Task Card

tater tots
april 2012

Name: Academic Skills

I Can Draw People Using Details (Arms, Legs, Eyes, Ears, Etc.)

I Can Count By 1s to 100

I Can Sound Out Words

April Values: Hard Work & Determination

We will spend this month talking about the importance of giving our best effort and sticking with a job until it is done. Each child will make a goal for themselves and we will track our progress toward reaching that goal. You can help by celebrating the contributions your child makes and helping them feel the satisfaction of doing their best.

I Can Make Predictions About a Story I Can Complete Activities and Work Independently

Workshop Skills
I Can Measure Ingredients
I Can Recite The Crooked Man and Identify Mozart

I Can Name 3 Articles of Clothing in Spanish I Can Identify 3 Insects and Their 4 Body Parts I Can Describe My Original Artwork

Value Skills
I Can Work Hard and Never Give Up
Kids Village R.E.A.D.S.

newsletter continued..
april 2012

Kitchen
A recipe is more fun to make when everyone takes part. The children will take turns measuring ingredients, pouring, and stirring for our recipes this month. Here are a few of the things we will be cooking in the kitchen: Week #1 - Chex Mix, Week #2 - No School, Week #3 - Waffles, Week #4 - Queen of Hearts Tarts, and Week #5 - Pepperoni Muffin Bites.

Music
Did you know that Mozart began playing music at the age of 3? This incredible composer is the subject of our focus this month. We will also talk about the way music makes us feel and the stories that are told through music.

Social Studies
This month we will study children from all around the world. We may have different cultures and traditions but we are all important. The children are also learning more Spanish Vocabulary with items of clothing like zapatos, camisa, and pantalones.

Science
Creepy crawlies, bugs, and insects, this month is full of fun! We will learn about a bugs life cycle, compare different types of bugs, and even spend some time observing the little creatures.

Art
We have some amazing artists at our school! The children have become much more confident in their ability to create art and it is wonderful to see. This month we will work on describing our artwork and giving it a title as well. We will spend some time discussing feelings and actions within artwork too.

Dates to Remember
April 1st Begin April calendar for Kids Village R.E.A.D.S. April 2nd-3rd Friends for Sight Vision Screenings April 4th - 5th Graduation Pictures April 9th - 13th Spring Break - NO SCHOOL April 20th School Spirit Day - Wear your KV T-Shirt May 3rd
Parent Teacher Conferences 1:00pm-7:00pm - NO SCHOOL

Birthday Kids
Jack A., Anna B., Larsen B., Ava D., Amelia G., Hannah G., Noah G., Analina G., Kaita H., Gracie L., Macie M., Ariana M., Sasha M., Lucy P., Max R., Keira S., Daynen S., Norah T., Peyton W., Daphne Y.

May 4th
Parent Teacher Conferences 9:00am-3:00pm - NO SCHOOL