LITTLE GORILLAS PRESCHOOL

Contact: 620-235-4461 kcronister@pittstate.edu

Dear Parents or Guardians,

My name is Andria Starr; I am one of the four student teachers in the Little Gorillas Preschool. I am an
Early Childhood Unified major and my intended graduation is in December of this year. ECU focuses on
teaching children from birth to third grade with some emphasis on special education. My Goal once I
graduate is to become a general education teacher in a first-grade classroom. I love children of all ages but
I felt truly connected to first graders. I come from a small town and was drawn to Pittsburg state by their
education program and hands on learning. In the next three weeks, I will be leading the preschool through
a theme I call Our Five Senses.

With this theme, I will take the children through a hands-on adventure where they
can discover and use all five of their senses. Hearing, Seeing, Touching, Smelling,
and even Tasting! They will use their senses to squish around cooked spaghetti,
guess what objects they are holding, and even to find objects by using animal-like
heightened senses. The children will learn what the meaning of sour, tart, and sweet
are and get to taste along the way. Through hands on play in centers your child will
get to explore the slippery fun of water beads and use their imaginations throughout
the rest of the classroom. I am excited to explore the five senses we all have with the
preschool class in the next coming weeks.

Throughout the morning we have free play, clean up, snack time, large and small groups, and then center
time. During snack children practice their counting, work on their manners, social skills, and self-serving
abilities. At large group I read a book aloud and a lesson will follow. It is a time for all the children to come
together and learn. After large group the children split into three smaller groups and do different learning
activities. Center time is a period of the day when the children can choose a center to play at. These
centers can range from a sensory table, painting, reading center, block center, and dramatic play center.
This is a great opportunity for the children to learn and explore through play and hands-on interaction.

As the semester rolls on we will send out newsletters to constantly update you on the activities we are
doing in the classroom. Please look at these, for we often post important dates or requests in them
specifically for you. If you ever have a question or comment, feel free to call the number at the top of this
letter. It will direct you to the lead teacher of the preschool, Kari Cronister.
Now lets bite into the next fun weeks of preschool!

Andria Starr