Mrs. Barabara Graham

PreK-2
stbrendanschoolbronx@gmail.com
(when sending emails please include child's name and grade in subject line)

June 2021

Hi Everyone,

It's hard to believe we are almost finished with this school year.  It has been a little difficult but we made it.  During the remainder of this school year, we will focus on "Transformations".  This is part of the reason why we ordered caterpillars.  Caterpillars transform into butterflies through a process called metamorphosis.  It was very exciting in our classroom to watch this process.  This past Friday, we released the butterflies, named Harry and Gary, in the alley where the children are picked up from school.  The children loved it.  
The other reason we are focusing on Transformation/Transitions is because your children are going to be transitioning into Kindergarten this fall.  Therefore, it is very fitting to discuss change and moving on.

Important Dates:  Monday, June 14th - report card sent home.  
                               Wednesday, June 16th  - I will answer any questions you have about the                                                                                    report cards, just let me know.                                                                        Thursday, June 17th - Last Day of in school classes for all in-person students.
                               Friday, June 18th at 9:45am - Final ZOOM meeting for all Pre-K 2 students.
                             

Please send water into school with your children.  We are going to be outside twice daily and this would be very helpful.

May 24th through June 2nd

Our classroom received the caterpillars last week and we will be watching and recording the metamorphasis to a butterfly.  In addition, we also received our ants and set them up in our ant farm.  The children will be watching and monitoring their movements.  Very educational.

May 17th through May 21

Hi everyone,
This week we will continue our study of baby animals and their habitats.  We have a lot of fun activities plan this week.  

The virtual tour with the zoo was very educational and fun for the children.  The zoo is opened now and iit would be a fun idea to visit, if you can.  

May 10th through May 14th

Hi Everyone,
This week we are going to be discussing "baby animals".  How are baby animals similar and different from human babies?  We will also start looking at different habitats, such as, desert, rain forest, ocean and farm.   We will be very busy.

We were lucky enough to book/get a virtual tour of The Bronx Zoo for Friday, May 14th.  

Vocabulary:
calf*, duck*, duckling*, egg, elephant*, frog*, habitat,hatch, tadpole*, veterinarian, zoologist


May 3rd through May 7th

Hi Everyone,

After our study on plants, the children have learned how to take care of plants for them to thrive.  This is great because our next study is on "Babies" and it will also involve taking care of something/someone.   
 

VOCABULARY:

adopted, appointment, baby, calf*, duck*, duckling*, egg, bassinet, bib, bottle, born, buggy, care, car seat, clothing, cradle, crib, cry, cuddle, diaper, gentle, glide, hospital, infant, lullaby, newborn, nursery, nurture, parent, pediatrician, premature, rattle, sleep, sling, snuggle, stroller, swaddle

April 26th through April 30th

Hi Everyone,
Our class is continuing to work with plants this week and we will ask the questions: What are some different kinds of plants? and Why are plants important?

Vocabulary:
bush, cactus, evergreen, grass, herbs, seaweed, seed, succulent, tree, vegetables, weeds, water lily
bite, compost, crunch, eat, edible, fabric, habitat, harvest, medicine, shade, shelter, vegetarian, wood

Books:
Rah, Rah, Radishes: A Vegetable Chant by April Pulley Sayre
If You Plant a Seed by Kadir Nelson

April 19th through April 23rd

Hi Everyone,
This week, during school, we will discuss "What do plants need and where do we find them?"  We went over the parts of a plant last week where the children created a beautiful flower by cutting, labeling and glueing. 
On Tuesday, April 20th, we will have a virtual tour of the Botanical Gardens that will be wonderful.  In addition, we will be planting our own individual plants in class and then watch howw they grow through-out the remaindr of the school year.  It should be a great learning experience.  

Vocabuary:
blossom, botanist, bouquet, courtyalrd, dew, environment, farm, farmer, field, forester, floral arrangement, florist, greenhouse, ground, landscape, lawn, nature, nursery, park,



April 12 through April 16th
Hi Everyone,

We will focus on "Plants" during the month of April.  The overall question is "How do plants grow and why are they important?"   We will draw parts of a plant, discuss how plants grow, what is needed for plants to grow and what would happen if there were no plants?  There are many directions this topic can go and I am excited to see what the class will discover.

 

Important Dates:
Tuesday, April 20th at 10am our class will have a virtual tour (field trip) of the Botanical Gardens.  This is a tour that was scheduled, which had limited availability, thankfully we were able to reserve.

Books:
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin, Jr.
If You Plant a Seed by Lois Ehlert
Planting a Rainbow by Kadir Nelson

Vocabulary:
botany, branch, bud, bulb, dirt, flower, food, fruit, garden, gardener, grow, leaves, nutrients, petals, plant, pollen, potting soil, rain, roots, seedling, soil, sprinkler, sprout

April 1st through April 11th : School Closed - Easter Recess : Resume school Monday, April 12th

March 29th, 30th and 31st

Hi everyone,

During this short week, we will focus on their fine motor skills, such as writing and drawing.  In addition, we will practice saying and recognizing numbers 1 through 20.

I will post some activities on Seesaw to keep your children engaged over the Easter break.  This is not required but, if you would like to complete them I will review them.

 

March 22nd through March 26th

Hi Everyone,
This week we will be discussing "How does water help us?"  Therefore, we will ask, "What would happen if we didn't have water?"  It should be an interesting discussion!  Of course, we will have activities and many learning opportunities.

The children this past month have been very busy with art projects, science experiments, letters and phonics, mathematics and increasing their gross and fine motor skills.  They are doing fantastic!

Books:
Little Birds Take A Bah by Marisabina Russo
A Cool Drink of Water by Barbara Kelley
Water by Daniel Nunn 
Water is Water by Miranda Paul
Swimmy by Leo Lionni

Home Involvement:
It is very important that you continue helping your children succeed by having them write the alphabet and numbers 1 - 20 (at least) and higher if possible, as often as possible. 

Please feel free to contact me if you want by putting a note in your child's folder (I will call you as soon as possible) or by email.

 

March 15th through March 19th

Hi Everyone,
We are continuing to study "Water" this week. and our focus question this week is "What happens when we put things in water?"  During this week we will explore things that sink and things that float.  

Vocabulary:
absorb, boat, captain, dissolve, diver, drenched, ferry, float, gurgle, island, repel, sailor, saturate, sink, slosh, soak, splash, sponge, swim, temperature, umbrella, waterproof

Books:
Float by Daniel Miyares: A boy’s small paper boatand his large imagination- fill the pages of this wordless picture book.
Boats Float! by George Ella Lyon and Benn Lyon: Set sail into the world of boats.
Little Bird Takes a Bath by Marisabina Russo: A little bird in the big city searches for the perfect puddle.


March 8th through March 12th

Hi Everyone,
This week we will focus on the question: What happens to water when it changes temperature?  We will try and do a number of experiements involving water and how in changes from solid to liquid, from liquid to solid and what happens when it evaporates.  It should be fun!

Vocabulary:
boil, conclude, condensation, evaporate, form, freeze, frost, gas, ice, liquid, melt, meteorologist, observe, precipitation, predict, solid, state, thaw

Books:
Rain by Robert Kalan: Take a trip through the countryside, where rain falls on the green grass, the black road, the red car and the purple flowers.
*Change It!: Solids, Liquids, Gases and You (Primary Physical Science) by Adrienne Mason: Explore the physics of matter.
*The Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats: The adventures of a little boy in the city on a very snowy day.


March 1st through March 5th

Hi Everyone,
During the month of March, we will explore the topic "Water".  The questions we will ask and discuss are:  Where can we find water? What happens to water when it changes temperature?  What happens when we put things in water? and finally, How does water help us?  

Vocabulary:
beach, cloud, environment, faucet, fog, fountain, hail, lake, marsh, mist, ocean, pond, puddle, rain, river, sea, shore, sleet, snow, storm, stream, swamp, vapor, water, water cycle, weather

Books:
All The Water In The World by George Ella Lyon: Where does water come from? Where does it go?
Rain, Rain, Everywhere by Christine Leeson
The Rainbow Fish by Marcus Pfister

Seesaw Activities:

Math:
AB Patterns
Number 13 practice
Measuring hieght with cubes

Science:
Landforms vs. Bodies of Water
Water or Land?

Physical Activity:
Cosmic Yoga

Literature:
Letter Writing K
Letter Sort: What letters are in my name?


February 24th through February 26th

Hi Everyone,
This will be our final week discussing Light.  The main question this week will be "How does light help us?"   During this week, we will discuss how light helps us on a daily basis.  We will talk about shadows and what causes them.  One of our expriments will show how sunlight changes the color of paper.  It should be fun to hear their thoughts.

Vocabulary:
batteries, day, eyes, eyesight, flashlight, grow, heat, night, melt, mirror, reflection, see, sight, solar power, spiral

BOOKS:
Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan
Rocket Says Look Up! by Nathan Bryon
Glow: Animals with Their Own Night-Lights by W. H. Beck

February 8th through February 12th

Important Dates:  School Closed - Monday, February 15 and Tuesday, February 16th due to Presidents Day Holiday.

Hi Everyone,
The main question this week is "What is darkness?"  The answer is a lack of light.  We will discuss and discover the benifits to darkness, as well as, the non-benefits.  It should be an interesting week of discussion.  
Last week we were alerted that Punxsutawney Phil, the groundhog, predicted six more weeks of winter after seeing his shadow on February 2nd.  We are seeing that he may be right!

Vocabulary:
blackout, clouds, dark, night, nocturnal, opaque, shade, sunglasses, transparent, translucent

Books:
Blackout by John Rocco : One hot summer night in the city, all the power goes out. What’s a family to do?
In the Darkness of the Night by Emily Rand: Listen to the neighborhood sounds that a young child hears while curled up, waiting to fall asleep.
Little Owl’s Night by Divya Srinivasan: It is evening in the forest and Little Owl wakes up from his daylong sleep to watch his friends enjoying the night.
The Night is Yours by Abdul-Razak Zachariah: Amani plays an evening game of hide-and-seek with friends at her apartment complex. The moon’s glow helps Amani find the last hidden child.



February 1st to February 5th

As all of you know by now, our school is closed today (February 1st) due to the storm.

Hi everyone,
This month we will discuss and experiment with light, darkness and shadows.  This also involves understanding the difference between natural and man-made sources of light.  In our first week, we will ask the question, "What kinds of light are around us?"  We have a number of fun activities and games the children will participate in during the week.  

Vocabulary:
candle, curve, electricity, fire, firefly, flame, flashlight, lamp lantern, light, light bulb, lightning, lines, moon, rainbow, stars, straight, street light, sun, traffic light

Please look on Seesaw for enhancing activities throughout the month.

Books: 
All About Light by Lisa Trumbauer: Where does light come from? How does it travel?
What is Light? By Markette Sheppard: Light can be so many things! The twinkle of a faraway star, a firefly captured in a jar, a mother’s love…
Goodnight Moon by Margaret Wise Moon

January 25th through January 29th
 

Hi Everyone,

This will be our final week of the Transportation unit.  We will focus on safety and the meaning of different street signs.  

Vocabulary:
accident, emergency, safety, seatbelt, speed, speed limit, stop, traffic, traffic jam, traffic light, traffic signs, yield

January 19th through January 22nd

Hi Everyone,

This week we will focus on the drivers of the vehicles in our community.  We will discuss many community helpers and how important they are in our daily lives.

Vocabulary:
airplane, airport, ambulance, barge, cement mixer, conductor, crossing guard, driver, EMT, engineer, fire engine, firefighter, harbor, helicopter, locomotive, mail carrier, mail truck, operator, pilot, police car, police officer, school bus, tanker, tugboat, train tracks

Books:
Harbor by Donald Crews
Flying by Donald Crews
Truck by Donald Crews
School Bus by Donald Crews
Transportation in my Neighborhood by Shelly Lyons:
Firefighters to the Rescue! by Kersten Hamilton

January 11th through January 15th

Important Dates:
No School on Monday, January 18 in observance of Martin Luther King Jr.

Hi Everyone,
We will continue our study on "Transpotation" this week.  Our question of the week is "How are various modes of transportation similar and different?"  We have a number of fun activities and crafts that will been done throughout the week on this topic.  

If your child is not on Seesaw at this time, please log on.  It may be fun for them.  I have assigned more activities this week and will be checking them regularly.    

January 4th through January 8th

Important Dates:
Thursday, December 24th through Friday, January 1st school is closed.  We will all be back in school on Monday, January 4th. 

We hope you had a wonderful Holiday vacation.  Thank you for your gifts, although not necessary, they are very much appreciatated. 

Hello Everyone,
     We are starting a new unit of study called "Transportantion" and this will be for the entire month of January.  In this unit, we will ask a number of questions, such as: What kinds of transportation do I use and why? How are various modes of transpotation similar and different?  Who operates the vehicles in my community?  and How do we stay safe when using transportantion?  The first question we will discuss this week.  

Vocabulary this week:
bicycle, bus, car, express, fare, feet, helmet, keys, license plate, local, MetroCard, parachute, scooter, skateboard, stroller, subway, swim, taxi, train, truck, van, vehicle and wagon.

Books:
School Bus by Donald Crews: What is large (or small), bright yellow, and filled with students? A school bus!
 The Bus for Us! by Michael Rosen: The bus is great because it is for everyone!
Subway by Christoph Niemann: A father, two children and more than 840 miles of track. What does it add up to? Something thrilling.
Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper: One day little green rolls into town and says his very first word, “Go!”

I'm glad to see so many of you on Seesaw.  I will continue to assign activities for enhancing your child's education.  Keep up the good work!

 

December 21st, 22nd and 23rd

Hi Everyone,

It's hard to believe 2020 in coming to an end.  We will finish our unit on Where We Live this week.  We will focus on some holiday activities as well as practicing our names and numbers in class.  

I am glad to see the majority of you all are on Seesaw and I have assigned many fun and educational activites your children will enjoy.  

 

December 14th through December 18th

Hi Everyone,

This week we will focus on the differences between land animals and sea animals.  It should be fun and educational.  We will ask questions such as, "Why can some animals live in water while others can not?", "Can fish survive out of the water?" and "Can you name some animals that live in water and some on land?"  Some song we will sing are "Baby Beluga", "Down by the Bay" and "Baby Shark".
 

December 7th through December 7th

Thank you all for attending our parent/teacher meetings on Friday.  I hope you were happy with the meeting.  If you have any questions let me know either with a letter in your child's backpack or by using email.  

We have been very busy in our classroom making a skyscraper out of boxes taped together.  All the children participated in cutting out windows and doors, however, we have more to do but it should be finished this week.  This week we will also discuss "Where do animals live?"  We will explore different habitates and the animals that live there.  

Please log on to Seesaw if you have not done so already.  It could be fun for the children.

The letter we are working on is "Dd".  Try to point out things in your home that start with the letter "d", such as,This w door. 

 


December 1st through December 4th

Hi Everyone,
We will start a new unit of study called "Where We Live" for the month of December.  This unit will discuss not only where we live but where animals live too.  This first week the focus question is "Where do I live?" and "Where do my family members live?"  We have a lot of fun activities planned for this month.
 

November 23rd through November 25th

Important Dates:  Thanksgiving Recess - School Closed from Thursday, November 26th through Monday, November 30th.  See you on Tuesday, December 1st.

Hi Everyone,
We are in our final week of the unit, All About Me.  We will discuss, "What makes our family important and unique"? these few days remaining in November.  We will ask specifically what are their favorite family foods, music and activities.

In addition, we are practicing writing and recognizing numbers 1 through 10.  We are also having the children write their names daily. 

November 16th through November 20th

Hi Everyone,

As we continue the All About Me unit, this week we will focus on the question "What makes my class important and unique?"  In our classroom, we have different jobs the children are assigned.  This week we will be asking the children "What jobs do family members have outside of school?"  and "What's your favorite job in school?".  

Math:  The children will start writing numbers 1 - 10 on a daily basis, please try to do this at home also.  We have also discussed tallest, biggest, middle, medium, shortest, and smallest with our height chart.  
 
Literature and Phonics:  Last week we focused on the letter "V v".  This week we will focus on the letter "T t ", for Thanksgiving.  

Vocabulary:
community, friends, kind, manors, peace, polite, respect, share, teamwork and together
 

November 9th through November 13th
 

Hi Everyone,

November 11th - School Closed - Veterans Day

This week we will work on our feelings and the question "What feelings do I have and why?".  We will introduce the children to our feelings chart and have them match how they are feeling on a daily basis.  Therefore, helping them to recognize the feelings of others as well as themselves.

In class, we will invite the children to refer to their name cards and count the number of letters in their name then pick and place the appropriate number card next to their name card. The name of the game is "Name Numers". 

On a daily basis, we excercise in class and count the number of repetitions at the same time.  This increases their knowledge of numbers and the order in which they happen, verbally.   

VOCABULARY:
afraid, angry, bored, brave, confused, creative, ecstatic, excited, feelings, frustrated, gloomy, grumpy, happy, hopeful, love, mad, playful,sad, scared, silly, and surprised

November 2nd through November 6th

Hi everyone,

This month, we are discussing the topic "All About Us".   We would like to have the children recognize himself/herself as a unique individual having his/her own abilities, characteristics, feelings and interests.  The overall question this month is, "Who am I and who are the people in my life?" 

We will measure the children's height and create a height chart introducing them to measuring tapes and other non-standard forms of measuring.  It should be alot of fun.  We will also have the children draw a self portrait and discuss their facial features.  In addition, we will fingerprint the children and have them examine the results using a magnifying glass.  

The letter of the week is Pp.  We will practice this in school and if you would to follow up at home that would be beneficial.  So far we have practiced, Ff, Aa, Ll  for Fall, Tt, Aa, Pe, Ee for tape as in tape measure.

You all received your Seesaw Code and I have responded to a number of you on the computer.  Could everyone please log onto this website so I know you are all set up.  Thank you.

Our classroom is now requesting donations for the children.  The following items would be very helpful:  paper towels, tissues, and ziplock baggies.  Thank you in advance.

If you would ever like to speak with me, just write a note and put it in their folder or email me and I will set up a time.

Sincerely,
Mrs. Graham and Miss Kristina

October 26th through October 30th

Hi Everyone,

We are entering our last week of the unit The Five Senses, and we will finish up with our Sense of Touch.  Last week we had a very fun experiment, it was called "Tell Me What You Smell".  This was where we had four different odors: vinegar, shaving cream, cinnamon, and coffee.  They covered their eyes and smelled each item than told me what they thought it was, it was a great deal of fum.  Many did it a few times.  

I would just like to mention, we are always focusing on them writing their names as well as numbers 1 through 10.

I would also like to mention, please label all of your childs belongings.  Also, if your child does not already have two folders please put them in their backpacks.

Vocabulary:
dry, feel, fingers, hard, rough, skin, smooth, soft, touch, wet

BOOKS:
Don't Touch My Hair!  By Sharee Miller
Touching by Helen Frost
Busy Fingers by C.W. Bowie

October 19th through October 23rd

Hi Everyone,

Last week we discussed our "Sense of Sight",  we created a chart of what the children saw on their way to school.  Each children was asked to share their observations and a list was created.  In addition, the childen made telescopes using glue, tape, paper towel holders, a cup, and their cutting skills (with a little help from the teachers) to make them very unique to their liking.  We also discussed the meaning of many words associated with our eyes and sight. 

This week we are focusng on our "Sense of Hearing" and will have many activities, words to learn, and crafts asociated wth this subject. 

Vocabulary
crunch, deaf, ears, hear, hearing aid, listen, loud, predictions, quiet, sign language, sound, and volume

Books:
WHO SAYS MOO? by Ruth Young
Polar Bear, Polar Bear, What do you hear? by Bill Martin Jr.
WHY SHOULD I LISTEN? by Clair Llewelyn

 

IMPORTANT INFORMATION:
- school hours are from 8:20am to 2:55pm.
- all regular size backpacks, folders, jackets, clothes, sheets, lunch boxes, blankets and other personal items should have your child's name on them.
- each child should wear a mask every day.
- each child should have 2 folders for their work and any letters we send home.