Hi Everyone,

Our week began last week with having our last moments of fun playing with Neal, before his family departed for India.  Upon his request, we made sure to spend time playing with the Marble Tracks, in the Paleontology Lab and reading books about dinosaurs and snow.  Neal shared that one of his favorite foods was pizza.  For a special snack, on Tuesday, the children made mini pizzas from whole wheat bagels, sauce and cheese.  In addition, Duncan and his mom made delicious chocolate cupcakes with vanilla frosting for dessert after lunch.  As we said last week, we wish Neal and his family all the best upon their return to India.

 

 

Last  Monday the children painted their paper mache dinosaurs.  They each used many colors and designs.  We put them all together and surrounded them with soft colorful scarves to make a fluffy nest.  Later this week I will send them home to incubate.  When you and your child think they are ready, you may carefully crack or cut them open.  The children may be pleasantly surprised to discover what is inside!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Our trip to Letterland brought us to the Letterland castle where the Queen of Letterland resides.  She is better known as “Quarrelsome Queen.”  We talked about what quarrel means and what it means to be quarrelsome.  The children wondered why she always quarreled.  They suggested that she should use her words and talk about it when she was feeling angry.  She often likes to go to her Quiet Room to work on her quizzes, better known as crossword puzzles, here in the States.  She  has a beautiful quilt on her bed and she loves to munch on quinces.  Quarrelsome Queen always likes to have her friend “Uppy Umberella” nearby in case it rains.  This week we will meet Red Robot.

Our Art Shelf has turned into a Valentine Center.  It now features red, pink and purple paper, fancy scissors, doilies, heart stickers, heart hole punches and other materials for the children to create their own gifts and Valentines for friends and family.  We have also been figuring out how to form hearts with our hands and bodies.  In our exploration, we have begun to discover hearts in our rooms!

 

 

 

 

As I shared with you last week, we will celebrate Valentine’s Day on Thursday, February 14th.  Children are invited to bring Valentines for their classmates, which will include our Beginner Three friends.  If you will be sending Valentines, please be sure to include everyone.  Some children may wish to write their own names and the names of their friends on their Valentines.  This is a great time to practice emerging writing skills.  We will also share some Valentine snacks for snack time and lunch.  We have gotten a wonderful response from everyone.  As shared earlier, names should include:  Duncan, Neal P., Neal V., Sadie, Vincent, Mrs. Atwater, Beck, Aaron, Reese, Suleman, Stella, Zora and Mrs. Cooke.

Last Thursday we celebrated Sadie’s Star Day.  She actually turned five years old on Friday!  Her mom, Sam, and brothers, Ollie and Benjy joined us for Morning Meeting.  Sadie shared a very cool photo book, which included photos of Sadie from the very first day she was born.  It also included pictures of she and Ollie on the very first day he was born.  We also saw pictures of Sadie’s beautiful Samoyan, Husky, Eija.  We learned that Sadie loves to play on the beach and sail when she is on vacation in Nova Scotia.  There were pictures of her doing just that in her book.  Sadie’s favorite food is cake.  She and her mom baked some delicious chocolate cupcakes for us to share on her Star Day.  They were decorated with pink and yellow frosting with white floral sprinkles.  Yum!  When Sadie was a baby, she liked to bounce high and laugh!  Now that she is five, she also likes to swim, draw, dance, sing and she continues to enjoy swinging high and laughing!  Sam also read us a chapter from a collection of Winnie the Pooh stories, by A.A. Milne.  This one was about Eeyore trying to find his tail.  Later in the day, we read another about Eeyore, Rabbit, Piglet and Pooh trying to capture Roo, before they really knew Kanga and Roo.  Happy Star Day and Birthday, Sadie!  Thank you for such a lovely day!

 

 

As this newsletter is a bit out of sinc, I will be sure to send an abbreviated version at the end of the week.  Please let me know in an email if there is any area of our school day that you would like to hear more about.  I will be more than pleased to share it with you.

 

Important Reminders:

  • Preschool goes outdoors each day.  Please be sure to send boots, snow pants, mittens, hats and warm jackets.
  • Please replenish extra clothes when necessary.  Children should have a full set of clothing, including socks, undergarments, shirts and pants. 
  • Leaving a sweatshirt or sweater for days that may be chilly indoors may help your child feel more comfortable.
  • Please be sure to send in a refillable drink container for us to fill with water.  In our efforts to be green, we try to refrain from using plastic cups.
  • Please be sure to send appropriate flatware in your child’s lunch.
  • Including a variety of snack items is encouraged for young growing children.
  • If your child needs to have an item warmed up, please be sure it is in a microwave safe container.
  • Leaving an extra pair of sneakers or other shoes in school is a good idea.
  • Please return Library books on Wednesdays.

Dates to remember:

Thursday, February 14th, Pre-K Valentine’s Day Celebration

Friday, February 15th, Pizza Lunch, Ski-Friday, Pre-K dismissal at 12:45pm

Monday, February 18th, No School, Presidents’ Day

Tuesday, February 19th, No School, Mid-Winter Break

Wednesday, February 20th, Classes Resume

Friday, February 22nd, NO SKI-FRIDAY, regular dismissal

 

Warmest Regards,

Ellie