Pre-K's themes this month are first, From Farm to Table and then later in the month we are learning about Transportation. We are learning how our food gets from the farm to our very own tables and even the types of transportation involved in that process. During our literacy time we are learning the letters Rr, Qq, and Uu. We are learning how much of something can fit within another space as well as collecting data, making graphs, and also creating patterns as well as continuing to count to at least 30. We are continuously working on furthering our phonetic abilities such as blending onset and rime and breaking apart sentences into individual words. We are concentrating on writing our own names with each letter written in the correct order. We are exploring how to observe and describe common objects which expands our already extensive vocabularies and helps us learn to notice details that we may have not noticed before around us.

February is National Dental Health Awareness Month. Taking care of your teeth is very important to how you look and feel, but it also affects your general health, as dental problems can lead to other health problems. The American Dental Association (ADA) recommends the following for both children and adults:

• Brush your teeth twice a day with an ADA-accepted fluoride toothpaste. Replace your toothbrush every 3-4 months, or sooner if the bristles are frayed.

• Clean between teeth daily with floss. This helps remove plaque, harmful bacteria, and food particles from between the teeth and under the gum line.

• Eat a balanced diet and limit between-meal snacks, especially high-sugar snacks.

• Visit your dentist every 6 months for professional cleanings and oral exams.

Let’s work together to keep our kids’ smiles bright!

We are continuing to Choose Love at HES! Choose Love for Schools emphasizes the simple, universal teachings of courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion in action. During the month of February, we will participate in Choose Love Awareness Month. This is a special month dedicated to all four components of the Choose Love Formula. Students will take part in discussions and activities at school that help them review the skills and tools needed to Choose Love in all situations using courage, gratitude, forgiveness, and compassion in action. The February Choose Love calendar will be provided to you so that you will have specific action steps to help practice each component of the Choose Love Formula at home as well.

To kick off Choose Love Awareness Month, we will have Choose Love Dress Days from Feb. 3rd-6th. A flyer was sent home detailing each day’s theme. We hope everyone will choose to participate!

**Please mark your calendars for Choose Love Family Night on February 18th at 5:30PM at the Hillsboro Intermediate School campus. Scarlett Lewis, founder of the Choose Love Movement, will be our special guest presenter, and we will have activity booths for school-aged students. This will be a great way to celebrate HES and HIS being designated as Certified Choose Love Schools. It will be a LOTof fun, so make plans to join us!!

Finally, we want parents to be part of Choose Love Awareness Month as well! You should have received a heart in your child’s folder. We hope you all have a chance to use this heart to write a message about why you love your child. Then, send it back to school so that we can display the hearts in our hallways to fill our halls with your loving words!

“You can’t always choose what happens to you, but you can always choose how you respond, and you can always respond in love.” - Scarlett Lewis, Founder of the Choose Love Movement