Hello Everyone,
We have had a really busy week in Pre K! Our little group of Pre K students are doing a fine job of getting to know one another and learning all about our classroom and our school. On Monday, the children visited the Library with Dr. L. for the first time. After sharing what happens in Library, Dr. L. read them a story and they selected a book to bring home for the week. Please be sure to have your child bring his or her Library books back each Monday.
“Look! Blue, yellow, red, green! A repeated pattern!”
A bed for baby.
We share everything, even chairs!
Busy at work.
Working on fine motor skills.
Symmetry in action!
Another special time on Monday was our visit to Mr. Lindenmaier’s office. The children had many questions for him, such as, “Do you sleep here?” “Do you sleep on that couch?” He assured them that no one sleeps here over night and that he went home to his house to sleep. He also showed them some pictures of himself with his father and grandfather when he was a little boy. One child commented that he was very cute. Next, Mr. Lindenmaier showed them a very old looking book. It was Curious George Gets a Job, by Margret and H.A. Rey. Coincidently, many of the children borrowed Curious George books from the Library earlier in the day. This was a special book that Mr. Lindenmaier’s father use to read to him. He even showed them that he had written his name in the front of the book.
This week, we also took our first pretend trip to Letterland! Letterland is the language arts program we follow in Pre K. The children made “magic carpets” on which they will ride to Letterland each week. Primarily, each letter of the alphabet is represented by a character from Letterland. This week we met “Annie Apple.” You can hear the sound that “a” makes at the beginning of Annie’s name. She lives in the apple orchard in Letterland. She has a friend who is an acrobat and one who is an astronaut. She also has antelope, alligators and even an anteater who live in the orchard. “Apron Man” takes care of all the talking apples and he tends to them on the apple stand which is in the shape of “A.” Next week we will meet Bouncy Ben!
On Thursday, Ms. Rossie came in to read us two stories, Crictor, by Tomi Ungerer and A Chair for my Mother, by Vera B. Williams. She really enjoyed her visit, as the children performed “A-Tootie-Ta” for her. This is a fun chant that the children have been learning this week. We will continue to have people in our BCD community in as Guest Readers throughout the year.
Thank you for reading to us, Ms. Rossie!
On Friday we started the day by making beach collages with glue, real sand and real shells. This was our first experience using individual glue squeeze bottles. The children were very excited to see them when they are dry, at which time we will add more details. After making our beach collages, we took a trek up to our pond, where we had some fun filling buckets with sand and water. Some children worked together to make sand castles and others worked together just to fill and empty their buckets. We will be sure to make this trip a few more times while the weather is still nice.
If your child was in Beginner Threes last year, he or she received an apron with his or her name on it. If you can, please bring it in so that it can be used again this year. I have new aprons for our new friends. Please let me know if you cannot find your child’s apron.
Hopefully, you received my email regarding our trip to Windy Hill Orchard in Great Barrington. On Thursday, September 19th, we will be joining B3s, Kindergarten and First Grade on the BCD bus to begin our trip. We should have great fun picking apples for our classrooms. If you are able to join us, please let me know as soon as you can. The bus leaves at 9:30am and we will return no later than 11:30am. The versatility of apples enables us to use them to cook, make art, explore different math concepts, learn about nature and we learn some apple poems. Children should wear long pants and sneakers or sturdy shoes. The grass may still be wet upon our arrival. In addition, children should also be wearing long sleaves and sweatshirts, as the weather may be chilly in the morning.
Important Reminders:
- Preschool goes outdoors each day. Please be sure children have sweaters or coats as the mornings are often chilly.
- 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.
- It is a good idea for children who wear dresses to also wear shorts or leggings.
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.
- Children are welcome to leave an extra pair of sneakers or other shoes in school.
- Please send Library books back to school on Mondays.
Dates to remember:
Monday, September 16th, Back-to-School-Night, 6:15pm, parents only, no childcare is provided.
Thursday, September 19th, 9:30am~11:30am, trip to Windy Hill Orchard, to pick apples!
Friday, October 11th, Grandparent and Grandfriend’s Day, dismissal at 1 pm, details coming soon!
Monday, October 14th, No School, Columbus Day
Thursday, October 31st, Pre K Halloween Parade and Party!
Have a Wonderful Weekend!
Ellie
