This week, our Patrick Henry Post has been taken over by our amazing Preschool department! Take a look below for a glimpse into each of our Early Childhood classrooms to see what they are up to with our youngest students, and then explore some of the parent resources for those of you with young children at home.

PreK has been getting back into routine after winter break! We are refreshing our letter and sound knowledge, remembering how to be a good friend, and opening boxes from two of our Donors Choose projects-these projects include snacks for our class, flexible seating for our busy friends, and a floor piano! This quarter we will be learning about community helpers, we will be learning our last names, and we will be learning how to set boundaries. PreK is busy and we are learning so much!

Our Pre-K students have really been so busy learning and growing together as a class. Each day is filled with mastering school routines, learning about letters and their sounds, colors and shapes, name recognition, reading and the love of books, numbers and counting, our bodies and our relationships with our classmates and our teachers and creative learning through sensory play, art and music. From mastering new skills to the art of making new friends we have had a jam-packed school year so far.

I’m also so grateful for our classroom aides – Ms. Qiarra Blue and Mr. Malik Easley. They both show up every day and give their very best to assist these students in all areas of learning and their day. They love working and playing with the children as much as I do.

I’m so grateful to work with these kiddos every day and love to see them working so hard and learning so much. I look forward to a wonderful 2023 with all of them.

Our days in Pre-K have been filled with learning new things! Over the last two weeks, we have been studying community helpers and their roles and responsibilities. The students have been really excited to talk about what they want to be when they grow up! Next, we will study animals and their habitats. During literacy circle, we focus on letter identification, letter sounds, rhyming words, and syllables. The students are becoming Letter Experts! During math circle, the students have been working on identifying and writing numbers 1-10. Next, we will explore geometry and investigate the characteristics of shapes. The students are hard workers and I am proud of their determination and progress!

Why do schools and businesses celebrate January 16th as MLK Day? MLK Day is a federal holiday that marks Martin Luther King, Jr.'s birthday, which is officially January 15th, 1929, but every year it is celebrated on the third Monday of January. Dr. King, Jr. was one of the most influential people of his generation, and one of the most recognizable faces of the Civil Rights Movement in the United States. Dr. King, Jr. preached nonviolent resistance to the ugly injustices of our society, and he continues to influence millions of people even today through his legacy.

At Patrick Henry Elementary in St. Louis Public Schools, MLK Day is an important day to honor the life and legacy of a hero who impacted the lives of our staff and students. 98.5% of our student population is black at Patrick Henry, and the civil rights and liberties that Dr. King, Jr. fought for impact our students every day.

On Monday, February 20th, all SLPS schools and offices will be closed in honor of Presidents' Day.