Pre K Parent News, December 18, 2009
Greetings Everyone,
The children have been very busy working on special surprises for you this week! They are very proud of their work. We know you will love them. They have also been making cards and special works of art at the Writing Center, as well as at the Art Table. Many of the children are interested in copying seasonal words that have been posted. We also encourage children to “write what they hear.” This is also known as invented spelling. We tell the children that when using “invented spelling,” there is no wrong answer or way to do it.
On Wednesday, we celebrated Miss Guerette’s Star Day. She will turn ?? later in December! Her mom, Wilma, and her sons, Cameron and Trevor, joined the B3s and Pre K for Morning Meeting. She shared a photo album her mom had made for her. It was filled with pictures of Miss G. growing up. We all know that her favorite color is pink. What we didn’t know was just how much she loves it. She was wearing pink in nearly all of her photos. She was very pleased and surprised to see so many of the children wearing bits of pink. In the morning, she was also surprised by the children who presented her with a beautiful plant arrangement, a photo of her and her class and a pink birthday balloon. Cameron read us her favorite story, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and for snack she shared pretzels. The party continued after lunch when she passed out ice cream sandwiches. What a yummy day! We all hope you have a very special birthday, Miss Guerette.
The Preschool children have welcomed winter with open arms! On Thursday, we had our Winter Solstice Party. We talked about the fact that the first day of winter, or Winter Solstice, will happen on Monday, December 21st. We talked about the fact that it is the shortest day of the year and how many of the trees, flowers and other plants have all gone to sleep for the winter; many of the animals have been gathering buds, seeds and nuts to hide in their burrows and dens; the temperature is growing colder and it usually snows more frequently. In the morning, we made birdseed necklaces by stringing Cheerios onto yarn, spreading it with Crisco and then rolling them in birdseed. Once our gifts to the birds were complete, we went outdoors and hung our birdseed necklaces on the lilac trees near the playground, so that we will be able to watch the birds. During French, the children had great fun watching the popcorn pop in the air popcorn maker. Thank you to everyone who sent in refreshments. After lunch, we enjoyed hot chocolate, popcorn and chocolate cupcakes.
On Friday, we finally met Kicking King, who is a keen football player (better known as soccer, here in the states.) He has kittens, a kangaroo and a koala for pets. Can you guess why he likes to play football? He loves to kick! When we return to school, we will talk more about Kicking King and meet Lucy Lamplight.
Also, on Friday, we learned how to cut out snowflakes and, since it was too cold to go outdoors again, we went to the gym with Kindergarten and played with balls! We also had blueberries and strawberries for an extra special treat. In the afternoon, we were treated to some traveling carolers!
All rest items have been sent home to be laundered over the break. Please remember to return them on Tuesday, January 5th.
Books We Read:
- The Story of Kwanzaa, by Donna L. Washington and Stephen Taylor
- Winter Wonderland, by Dick Smith and Jacqueline Rogers, Music by Felix Bernard
- Miss Spider: A Christmas Wish, by David Kirk
- When the Root Children Wake Up, by Helen Dean Fish and Sibylle v. Olfers
- Mouse’s First Christmas, by Lauren Thompson and Buket Erdogan
- Angelina Ice Skates, by Katharine Holabird and Helen Craig
- McDuff’s New Friend, by Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers
Dates to Note:
December 18th, last day of classes before Winter Break
Tuesday, January 5th, classes resume
Friday, January 8th, first Ski-Friday, early dismissal at 12:45pm. Let us know your plans!
I wish for all a safe and happy Winter Break. Children are invited to bring in photographs or tokens from trips or activities they participate in during the break . I can’t wait to hear about everyone’s adventures when we return.
Happy Holidays!
Ellie