{"id":14647,"date":"2025-12-15T16:15:02","date_gmt":"2025-12-15T21:15:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/?p=14647"},"modified":"2025-12-15T16:15:34","modified_gmt":"2025-12-15T21:15:34","slug":"pre-k-students-and-families-enjoy-some-learning-fun-in-winter-wonderland","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/pre-k-students-and-families-enjoy-some-learning-fun-in-winter-wonderland\/","title":{"rendered":"Pre-K students and families enjoy some learning fun in Winter Wonderland"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"\"<\/a>
Birdneck Elementary pre-K teacher Donna Higgins volunteered at the Dec. 9 Winter Wonderland. Pre-K students Naiya Marie Magno, left, and Osiris Moore were proud of their artistic creations.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

By Cindy Butler Focke<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Trantwood Elementay pre-K student Lily-Ann Kelly, right, was excited to attend the Winter Wonderland event Dec. 9 at Birdneck Elementary with her mother and little sister Tori.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Lily-Ann Kelly was wide-eyed as she entered the pajama-themed Winter Wonderland Dec. 9 at Birdneck Elementary School.<\/p>\n

Dressed in \u201cBluey\u201d nightwear, the Trantwood Elementary pre-kindergarten student headed toward a variety of fun activities spread out between the cafeteria, gymnasium and library.<\/p>\n

Her mother A\u2019Lexus Kelly and little sister followed behind.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe couldn\u2019t wait to come,\u201d said Kelly.<\/p>\n

Several hundred pre-K students from 56 classes within 36 elementary schools and their families attended one of four Winter Wonderlands held in December. Birdneck, Parkway, Diamond Springs and Kempsville elementary schools hosted the events.<\/p>\n

VBCPS Title I\/Pre-K Coordinator Becca Carter said the annual evening celebration brings the school community together for an evening of learning, playing and making lasting memories.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe value family engagement,\u201d she said. \u201cThat\u2019s where the games come into play.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Pre-K resource teacher Elvia Vazquez handed out water and snacks to pre-K students and families. They played games in the cafeteria while the Corporate Landing Middle School choir sang holiday tunes as part of the Winter Wonderland festivities.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The activities aligned with curriculum core skills, focusing on reading, math and fine\/gross motor play,\u00a0 explained director of Title I Programs Laura Silverman. Inquiry and communication are encouraged in pre-K, Silverman said.<\/p>\n

The Corporate Landing Middle School choir sang holiday tunes in the cafeteria while students played games.<\/p>\n

Cooke Elementary pre-kindergarteners Noah Troutman and Natalia Ortiz rushed to get as many cotton balls into a bowl as possible within a minute. They practiced their fine motor skills using plastic tweezers in the \u201cSnowball Minute to Win It\u201d game.<\/p>\n

The gym was abuzz with a variety of fun challenges.<\/p>\n

Birdneck Elementary pre-K student Olivia Morales and her brother did some jumping jacks and lunges.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Trantwood Elementary pre-K teachers Jennifer DeLashmutt, left, and Dare Wallace helped students toss fuzzy snowballs in the air with a parachute during Winter Wonderland.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Nearby, Trantwood Elementary pre-K teachers Jennifer DeLashmutt and Dare Wallace helped students toss fuzzy snowballs into the air with a parachute.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe love to see the kids and all the holiday joy,\u201d Wallace said. DeLashmutt said it was fun engaging with students and their families after school hours.<\/p>\n

The photo station was busy as families took selfies in front of a winter backdrop or had their photos taken by First Colonial High freshman Chloe Duncan and Olivia Kelley, a sophomore at the Entrepreneurial & Business Academy at Kempsville High.<\/p>\n

Salem High sophomore Gabrielle Clarke also volunteered.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s heartwarming to see everyone enjoying themselves,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Fishing for snowflakes was a popular activity in the Birdneck Elementary library during the Winter Wonderland event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Birdneck Elementary pre-K teacher Donna Higgins chatted with families in the library as students counted and placed stickers onto paper snow globes and penguins, fished for snowflakes in a plastic pool, and more.<\/p>\n

Higgins said parent communication is a key part of student success.\u00a0 \u201cWe want them to view us as partners in their child\u2019s education.\u201d<\/p>\n

Naiya Marie Magno, a Birdneck Elementary pre-K student, was proud of her snow globe artwork. Her mother, Lalea Magno, said she plans to incorporate some of the fun activities at home, especially during the holiday break.<\/p>\n

Vilmarys Pichardo followed behind her daughter Livvy Mohanram as the Ocean Lakes pre-kindergartener raced down the hall toward one final activity before heading home.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis is really special,\u201d Mohanram said. \u201cThere is a big sense of community here.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a>
Ocean Lakes Elementary Pre-K teacher assistant Gella McConomy,left, and special education teacher Helen Quartarone supervised the \u201cSnowball Minute to Win It\u201d game during Winter Wonderland at Birdneck Elementary.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
High school volunteers Chloe Duncan, left, and Olivia Kelley, took photos of Pre-K students and families during the Dec. 9 Winter Wonderland event.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
Pre-k students, including Josephine Hawkins who attends Birdneck Elementary, received two free board games during the Winter Wonderland event. From left, Birdneck Elementary teacher assistant Marilyn Duncan, Pre-K office associate Kimberly Schakel, Brookwood Elementary Pre-K teacher Tiffany Whitney and Pre-K resource teacher Amanda Kelly.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n
\"\"<\/a>
The Birdneck Elementary gym was filled with fun games during the Winter Wonderland event. Pre-kindergartener Olivia Morales, right, and her brother Kai did some jumping jacks.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By Cindy Butler Focke Lily-Ann Kelly was wide-eyed as she entered the pajama-themed Winter Wonderland Dec. 9 at Birdneck Elementary School. Dressed in \u201cBluey\u201d nightwear, the Trantwood Elementary pre-kindergarten student […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":14654,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-14647","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-featured"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14647","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=14647"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14647\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":14662,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14647\/revisions\/14662"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/14654"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=14647"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=14647"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.vbcpsblogs.com\/core\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=14647"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}