Letter Uu

The groundhog emerged this morning with the prediction of six weeks more winter, as he definitely saw his shadow. This is sure to be a surprise to many of the preschoolers in our school, as most in both classes were certain that he would not, voting that it would be an early spring. With no snow in sight, a vote for warmer weather makes perfect sense, especially for a 4 year old. I hope your child was anxious to see the news. We had a great time talking and celebrating the little critter. Avery referred to him as a guinea pig. Trig referenced him as a warthog. Even a preschool mom, seeing her child enter the car with the marshmallow groundhog in tow said, “Oh! You talked about the hedgehog!” When I laughed and corrected her, she said, “Yah! One of those hogs that we never talk a lot about!” Too funny! Thanks for the chuckles! I hope you got the story before each took advantage of their groundhog snack. Ha!

I told the children we were going to watch a movie to see a real groundhog. Sienna got excited, “With popcorn?” No, sorry. Then, we only watched a small piece of the movie, adding even more disappointment, but we moved on to have some great letter games. The teams chose their team names. The Dragons beat the Supers, 9-8 and in the afternoon, the Shark Tanks beat the Skulls, 10-9! During recess, Que was still reveling in his victory, “Mrs. McClure! Can you believe the Dragons won?” I busted up! That boy has an infectious enthusiasm I simply adore! Jaxson’s enthusiasm was just as adorable while putting away one of the ride-in cars after recess, “Did you see that big car I carried over? I was carrying it and it was so cool!” Jaxson, recognizing his ability, must have felt like Superman, “You are so strong!” I love when these children come into their own awareness. It feels me to the brim.

We made an umbrella and created and played a reading game to send home. Many of the children were able to sound-blend letters together to form the words. With games such as these, and practice at home, your child can get better and better and begin to feel the joy of reading words. Once that happens, the fun begins. I was just talking to my daughter, whose son was tested after completing our preschool.

He had a 3.8 reading level entering kindergarten and has continued to read. Now, in third grade, she reported that he begged for books for Christmas and finished the first 300 page book before the day’s end. His love for reading will bless him all his life. I have such a strong conviction of what is possible for these children. They are putty in our hands. We can do this!!!

We have been sending home reading folders to those children we believe are ready to begin. If you feel like your child is ready, please let us know and we will be sure to fit them with a folder. We have many series of readers that I have rewritten to accommodate our purposes. They have no double ee’s or long vowels, or silent e’s in them until possibly the hundredth books, allowing time to establish firm foundations. If you feel like your child can read more than one book at a time, we will send as many as you wish. I announced to the children a forthcoming prize for the highest reader in the school and smaller prizes for any readers of significant totals. Let the games begin!!! I love it! I love it! Spending time quizzing the children and reviewing Rhett and The Alphabet will help greatly. Flip through the pages, quizzing them. Ask them to tell you the letter name and it’s sound. We have learned letters A, B, C, D, F, G, H, I, M, O, P, R, S, T, U, and W.

Next week is V week. Please have your child prepare 24 valentines for our valentine party on the 14^th. Please have your child write ONLY his or her name on them. This will make deliveries much easier. It is also great practice. Name writing! We can never do enough of that! Ha!

Have a great weekend! Much, much love!

All my devotion!

Mrs. McClure

Mrs. Walters