Pre-K 4    Week of January 3, 2022

Please Read All The Reminders

*UPDATE* Doors close at 8:15AM as we return back to following our Safety Plan from the previous year. No one will be permitted into the building as the doors will be closed after 8:15AM. There will be no early pick-up permitted. Students are to remain home if they need to see the dentist, or make an appointment, etc.

Under New York State and City Health codes all Pre-K and Kindergarten students are required to have an annual Flu shot by December 31st. Students will be required to remain at home until proof is provided that your child has received the Flu vaccine. 

If you or your child is experiencing fever, fatigue, congestion, headache, or any other covid like symptoms, please remain home and obtain a negative result before coming to the school building. Remote work is always available for students at any time.

Please remember to bring sleeping mats to school.

As always, please make sure to read the OLQM school blog for additional updates and information located HERE!

Contact info:

MrTaraza@olqmnyc.org (I usually try to reply within the same day).

 If there are any questions regarding the 3-K/Pre-K for all program that can not be answered by the office or classroom teacher, please feel free to contact the

Help Line at 888-227-8175

Mr. Taraza

            Dear Families,

            I am so excited to be your child's teacher this year!  My name is Mr. Taraza and I am a graduate student at The City College of New York. I have dedicated my entire professional career to serving children and families in my community for over 6 years! It is my mission as well as my passion to educate, engage, and empower children of all backgrounds and varying abilities in order to successfully prepare for a smooth transition into Kindergarten and to instill a life long love for learning.

Throughout the school year, children will be learning various concepts such as quantitative reasoning, measurement, problem solving, verbal reasoning, identifying letters/letter sound relationships, and identifying shapes and colors. We will also be planning/conducting various science experiments throughout the year which may require contributions from parents if needed. 

Our learning centers are designed to allow children to explore and construct their own knowledge with teacher guidance, through active exploration, fostering independence and social emotional skills through collaboration with peers and their play. Children will also practice skills learned from circle time discussions/read alouds and demonstrate their knowledge and express their creative aesthetic through their imaginary play and physical representations in each learning center.

Unit Topic:

Transportation

Essential Question:

How does my community use various modes of transportation?

Focus Question for The Week:

What kinds of transportation do I use and why?

Foundational Text for The Week:

The Lost Property Office by Emily Rand

 

Focused Learning Activity for The Week

Tire Tracks

Teacher will encourage children to dip vehicle wheels into paint and then drive the vehicles on paper. Before children drive the vehicles on paper, teacher will encourage them to predict what they think will happen and why.

Vehicle Shapes

Supply an assortment of shape cutouts and small vehicles or pictures of vehicles. Invite children to reference the vehicles and/or pictures of vehicles to create their own vehicles. Before children begin working, encourage them to look critically at the vehicles provided and to think about what shapes they will need in order to make their own. 

Pre-K Common Core Learning Standard(s) Addressed

PK.PDH.5. Demonstrates eye-hand coordination and fine motor skills

PK.MATH.13. [NY-PK.G.2.] Names shapes regardless of size

Lessons and Activities for The Week

Blocks

Provide students with long wooden planks and ask students how they think they can create a ramp. Teacher will then ask how we can make the ramp more or less steep. Students will then be able to predict which ramp will make the car go down the fastest and why.

Art

Provide children with popsicle sticks and glue to craft planes and cars.

Science

STEM

Provide children with simple directions for folding a paper airplane and invite children to try to fold their own. Encourage children to explore how they might make the planes fly. Before planes take off for their flight, ask children to predict how far it will go. With a tape measure record the distance the planes traveled. Encourage children to manipulate the plane toss to see if they can change the flight path or make it go even further.

Math

 Provide children with sorting cards to sort different modes of transportation into groups. Children will learn to sort land, air, and water transport methods. After sorting encourage children to count how many objects they've sorted.

Library

Students are encouraged to look at two non-fiction books about transportation and compare and contrast what they see.

Writing

Provide children with crayons, markers, and pencils to draw a picture of their favorite mode of transportation.

Sensory

Students will be able to play with their individual containers of play-doh.

For more information on the Lesson Plan, click HERE!

To view this weeks' foundational text, please click HERE!

If you have any questions or concerns, you can email me at MrTaraza@olqmnyc.org or email Mrs. Zogka at MrsZogka@olqmnyc.org. 

If there are any questions regarding the Pre-K for All program that cannot be answered by the office or classroom teacher, please feel free to contact the Help Line at 888-227-8175