December Newsletter

What’s Happening this month in Pre-K?

This past month we worked on reading a book called Turkey Trouble and Over the River: A Turkey’s Tale.  We were also working on the blocks study, so we read Road Builders.  In the writing center, we have been working to hold writing tools such as crayons and markers as well as dot markers.  We used fall colors with color writing sticks to move and make lines on paper.  In table toys, we have been focused on picking up items to use them for a purpose for puzzles, putting them in, and using single-shaped sorters.  In blocks, we have been focused on physical skills based on our individual needs to learn to move.  We used the light box with fall-colored leaves on the sensory table.  We also used leaves and acorns on the sensory table.  Throughout the school day, students are focused on making choices and using voice output devices to give a comment or request and work to use YES/NO to answer questions or use partner assisted scanning to indicate YES/NO.  In book nook center, students have been working to turn pages in a book and wait for an adult to stop reading before turning the next page.  Children continue to work to make choices for a book.  In art, we have painted with sponge jumpers, glued fall shapes on paper, made cards for families, painted pine cone turkeys and many other things, working to hold and use a tool to make marks on paper.  

 We have an FSP day coming up on 12/5/25.  We will be doing individual home visits to support students.  I have reached out to individual families.  

Our classroom has been cooler, so a small sweatshirt is helpful to keep in a bag or cubby.  Layers are helpful to keep them comfortable when the temperature varies in the classroom. If you have any questions, please always ask us! 

Important dates to remember:

• 12/5/25 Family School partnership day no preschool

Make sure to see your child’s daily note for individual information in their binder.

🌟 December Unit Spotlight: Winter Traditions 🌟

This month, students are exploring the theme of traditions through stories, discussions, reading, writing, and hands-on activities.
In the leveled reader “It’s Our Tradition”, students discover a variety of winter traditions families use to celebrate special holidays. After reading, students will talk about the traditions introduced in the book and share traditions they enjoy at home, with friends, or at school. Students will also think, read, and write about winter traditions throughout the unit.

On our Easy Read Book Traditions Day at School, students follow Mr. Diaz and his class as they celebrate Traditions Day together. Each character shares a special tradition from their family or community. Students will compare and contrast different ways people celebrate and survey/chart their favorite traditions. Students will continue practicing reading comprehension and writing skills connected to winter traditions. They will also read a movie-poster schedule to identify when winter movies are playing and solve math problems using items related to holiday traditions.

Later in the unit, students learn that Mr. Diaz bakes gingerbread cookies as part of his personal tradition. Students will follow directions to make their own gingerbread cookies and then observe how different liquids can change a gingerbread cookie during a simple science investigation. 

Throughout December, we encourage students to connect classroom activities with the traditions they celebrate at home. Talking about these experiences helps students appreciate their own traditions and learn about the diverse ways people celebrate throughout winter.

We hope you will be able to join us for our Quarter 2 Family Engagement — Building Gingerbread Houses on Thursday, December 18th, 2025 from 10:15-11:30. 

To sign-up for supplies and attendance, please click here

What We’re Learning 

Unit Topic Words: candle, celebrate, decorate, different,  family, friend,  holiday,  share,  special,  together, tradition, winter 

• HF List 1: my, and, eat, we, day, what
• HF List 2: with, after, says, our, every, play
• HF List 3: tell, family, sing, year, it's, together

Phonics Focus: 

• Letterland: digraphs and blends

ULS

• o, e, b, r, l, w, k, th
• Beginning and ending sounds, and rhymes. 
• Our ULS unit is focused on Earth and Space Science. Students are exploring the wonders of the Sun and its relationship with Earth. Through stories like Lily’s Special Star and Our Star the Sun, they are learning that the Sun is a very important star that provides heat and light to our planet. Students are applying their measurement skills to create “Smoothie Star Pops” and using night-sky stickers to solve number sense problems. As the unit continues, they are discovering how Earth moves around the Sun to create day and night, seasons, and changing lengths of daylight. Activities such as making Ice-Dyed Earth T-shirts, simulating Earth’s rotation, and collecting data on favorite seasons help bring these big science ideas to life in fun, hands-on ways.
• This unit aligns primarily with Earth’s Place in the Universe standards for grades 3 and 4, as students are learning that the Sun is a star, exploring Earth’s rotation and revolution, and modeling day/night and seasonal patterns. For older ECS students, the unit also supports the 5th grade weather and climate standards, as students connect Earth’s tilt and revolution to seasonal changes.

Math

• Students are building their understanding of operations and patterns. They are learning how addition, subtraction, multiplication, and division are connected and how to find a total or product in multiple ways. Students are exploring arithmetic patterns, using them to make predictions, and extending them to solve new problems. They are also practicing multiplication up to 5×5 and applying what they know to solve basic division problems.

ELA

• Students are focusing on understanding and interacting with texts in meaningful ways. They are learning to identify story elements, such as characters, setting, plot, and chapters, and to distinguish between fiction and non-fiction. Students are practicing skills like making inferences, identifying mood, and explaining how illustrations support the story. They are also developing their writing skills by creating narratives and using words like first, next, then, and last to show the order of events. In addition, students are building their vocabulary and grammar skills, including identifying nouns, using plural nouns, and writing complete sentences, while practicing respectful communication during reading and class activities.