Kindergarten Archives - Page 6 of 46 - Berkshire Country Day School

A Message from the Art Studio…

“The arts are an essential element of education, just like reading, writing, and arithmetic…music, dance, painting, and theater are all keys that unlock profound human understanding and accomplishment.”
– William Bennett, Former US Secretary of Education

As our Lower and Middle School students shift studios for the trimester and our Upper School students settle into new Arts Block electives, we all look forward to the creative challenges, opportunities, and discoveries that lie ahead!

**SPECIAL REQUEST**
Mr. Katz is seeking old skis for a project with students in the Wood Shop. If you have questions or are able to contribute, please contact Mr. Katz directly: jkatz@berkshirecountryday.org.

By BCD Blog|2016-12-09T04:50:48-05:00December 9th, 2016|

Join us on Dec.1st for ARTS NIGHT!

The BCD Arts Team is pleased to present the school’s first Arts Night on Thursday, December 1st from 3:30-530PM! Featuring artwork by Kindergarten through 9th Grade students, musical performances, and poetry readings, this festive evening will showcase our bright young artists while providing a community venue to share the creative accomplishments of our students during the fall trimester. All families and friends welcome! Refreshments will be served and the live performance set will begin at 4:00PM.

P.S. Parents – If you would like to volunteer by helping to provide refreshments for this event, please contact Ms. Sicurella at ssicurella@berkshirecountryday.org. Thank you!

By BCD Blog|2016-11-23T16:42:11-05:00November 23rd, 2016|

Gratitude Presentation

Thanks to all of our BCD Musicians for an excellent Fall term. Special thanks to Vocal Ensemble and our Thanksgiving Soup instrumentalists. Happy Thanksgiving, and looking forward to Arts Night (12/1/16) and Winter Music Concert (12/9/16)!

If anyone missed Soup today, or wants to revisit the memory, here is the text from our Gratitude Presentation. As read by our fabulous 9th grade narrators:

We are blessed with many gifts, and we take this time to acknowledge and appreciate them all. As a community, we value and cherish each other. We also know that not all things in this world are fair, and there is yet much work to be done to create a better place. Perhaps, at some future point, we will have that better world. Perhaps we will achieve a peaceful society. “When true simplicity is gained, we won’t be ashamed to bow or to bend,” the Shaker hymn suggests. We asked several BCD students to share which inhibitions they might cast off in order to move closer to that ideal world.

When true simplicity is gained, we won’t be ashamed to:
“Speak up for ourself and what we believe in.”
“Do the right thing, even if everyone does something else.”
“Support a friend that needs help.”
“Believe in yourself.”
“To asks questions and take time to be unsure.”
“Play with a new friend.”
“Believe in magic.”
“Help to others that are in need.”

“We won’t be ashamed to show others we care.”
“To give to the young and old alike.”
“Work together to solve problems without fighting.”
“Enjoy God’s creations.”
“To sing together in harmony.”
“Communicate using our words instead of violence.”
“To share jokes and laugh together out loud.”
“To have peaceful and democratic resolutions of world conflicts.”
“To act differently from the norm.”
“Express our true and authentic self.”

By BCD Blog|2016-11-22T17:51:57-05:00November 22nd, 2016|

November Happenings in K!

This month is flying by!

We had an All-School Assembly last Friday on the topic of Kindness. To prepare, we first read and then discussed A Sick Day for Amos McGee, as well as Dr. Seuss’ fabulous Horton Hears A Who. The class brainstormed ideas on what kindness looked like, and we role-played different scenarios, using different sorts of words. A recurring theme was that you should be kind and considerate. I tried to explore with them the idea that kindness is not the same as helpfulness (for example, carrying dishes from the table to the kitchen is helpful but not necessarily kind), but am afraid this distinction went over their heads. At least all agreed that, when asked, carrying dishes was a good thing! 😉

Friendship Lunch was a lovely experience for both the PreK and the K. The table was beautifully set with a cloth tablecloth and their own individual placemats. Corn muffins and homemade butter had been prepared the day before. All enjoyed spaghetti, with their preferred toppings. Carrots and cucumbers provided a healthy crunch, and apple slices dipped in honey rounded out the meal. Many, many thanks to Temple, Jennifer, and Chris, who were able to help set up, serve, or clean. Thanks also to the PreK parents who were there!

On Election Day, we practiced democracy in our classroom, holding a mock election, chasing between 15 minutes of extra INDOOR recess vs. 15 minutes of extra OUTDOOR recess. We discussed why “one person=one vote” matters. The children voted, 5-2, in favor of outdoor recess over indoor. Here in our classroom, the majority rules. ‘Nuff said.

Here are photos from Halloween (how long ago that already seems!) as well as Friendship Lunch.

Have a wonderful Thanksgiving holiday!

Andrea

PS It was great to see everyone at Parent-Teacher conferences a few weeks ago. I love talking about your children (could you tell??) Everyone is off to such a solid start this year!

By BCD Blog|2016-11-21T22:50:54-05:00November 21st, 2016|