Hi Everyone,

Please join me in welcoming Neal P. to our class.  Neal and his father, Poovanna, and his mother, Rithin, have temporarily moved to Pittsfield, from India.  In just his first day with us, we have learned that he enjoys playing with trains, cars, trucks and building with Lego’s and blocks.  We look forward to playing and learning with him in the coming weeks.

 

 

 

This week, we also introduced the new USDA’s “My Placemat,” which has taken the place of the food pyramid.  The placemat has a fork, a plate and a circle in the upper right hand corner.  The plate is sectioned into four color coded food groups, protein, vegetables, fruit and grains.  The circle is for dairy.  Initially, the children are learning which foods go in which food groups.  They colored a copy of the placemat using the appropriate colors.   If you would like to investigate the new My Placemat, you may go to ChooseMyPlate.gov.  Our Pretend Area is now a restaurant equipped with a cash register, play food, chef hats, aprons, receipt books and menus.  We also learned the song, “Aiken Drum,” which is about a man who lived in the moon and he was made of all kinds of food.  On Tuesday the children cut pictures of food from magazines.  On Wednesday, they glued the pictures onto cardboard figures to make their own Aiken Drums.  We have posted them on our bulletin board in the classroom.  As we talk about what foods belong to each food group, we also talk about why it is important to eat healthy foods.

“What’s for Dinner?”

This week we met Jumping Jim from Letterland.   Jumping Jim lives in a house that looks like a jigsaw puzzle.  He loves to jump and juggle.  He also likes to ride around Letterland in his jeep.  On Thursday we made strawberry Jello.  Not everyone liked the taste of it, but we all thought it was pretty funny to watch it jiggle as we stirred it around.  Next week we will meet Kicking King who loves to play football (soccer)!

With the light snowfall occurring earlier in the week, we had great fun playing outdoors.  Some of the children helped to make snow people and snow angels.  Please be sure that you send in snowpants, boots, hats and mittens each day.  On Wednesday we brought some of the snow in to observe in our Science Corner.  The children made predictions about what they thought would happen and we recorded their words in our Science Notebook.  We periodically checked the snow and recorded our observations.  Once the snow turned into water, the children wanted to put it back outdoors to see what might happen to it.  Once, again, we recorded their theories in the notebook.  Next week we will check it again and possibly bring it to another level; what will happen to it when we add heat?

 

 

 

You may have noticed that we now have cubbies in the Berkshire Room.  Children may store their extra clothes, lunch boxes and projects in these cubbies.  Having their own cubbies in the classroom will help to foster independence as their self-help skills continue to develop.

Holiday Gift Giving

If your family is participating in the holiday gift giving to The Elizabeth Freeman Center and The Department of Children and Family Services, please drop off your wrapped gift with the star attached in Albright one morning next week. All gifts must be received by December 7.  If you will not be participating, please return the star your child brought home, so that we can be sure to fulfill that wish by other means.

 

 

Snow Angels!

 

Let it Snow!

 

Some of the Books We’ve Read:

  • Eating, by Gwenyth Swain
  • Bread, Bread, Bread,by Ann Morris and Ken Heyman
  • The Little Red Hen Makes a Pizza,Retold by Philemon Sturges and Amy Walrod
  • Eating the Alphabet,by Lois Ehlert
  • Just Enough Carrots,by Stuart J. Murphy and Frank Remkiewicz
  • Chaat and Sweets, by Amy Wilson Sanger

 

Important Reminders:

  • Preschool goes outdoors each day.  Once the snow flies, 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:

Monday, December 3~Friday, December 7th, BCD Library Book Sale;  Pre K and B3 Parents bring children to sale to purchase books.  (Children will not go to sale with their class.)

Friday, December 14th, Pizza Lunch

Tuesday, December 18th, Preschool Winter Solstice Celebration

Wednesday, December 19th, Winter Break begins at 3:00pm, No Extended Day, No after school activities

Thursday, January 3rd, Classes Resume

Friday, January 4th, Ski- Friday, 12:45pm dismissal for full day Pre K students

Friday, January 11th, Pizza Lunch, Ski-Friday, 12:45pm dismissal for full day Pre K students

 

Warmest Regards,

Ellie