Hi Everyone,
Happy Peace Day! At the close of the day, the entire school gathered around the Peace Pole, located in the courtyard. Along with people from all over the world, children in each grade shared something they had discussed or learned about peace. At the end of the assembly, Kindergarten, Pre K and B3s sang “Peace is the World Smiling” and “We Shall Overcome” for everyone. All week these three groups have gathered to talk about peace and practice singing together. The B3s made Peace Flags and our Pre K students made Peace Crowns. We also read the books, “Talk Peace,” by Sam Williams and Mique Moriuchi and “The Peace Book,” by Todd Parr. Nearly everyone seems to understand how to keep our bodies peaceful. Now, we are working on how to solve problems with our classmates in a peaceful manner. We hope and expect that these lessons and practices of peace will be revisited throughout the school year.
Decorating our peace crowns with foil using glue sticks.
“I’m making a repeated pattern. Up and down.”
Peacefully walking to the Peace Pole.
A Peaceful Gathering
The Peace Pole!
Peaceful swinging with friends.
Another highlight of the week was our field trip to Windy Hill Orchard. Thank you to Mishal, Keith and Kim for joining us on our adventure. The weather was crisp and beautiful, as were the apples. Our tour guide, Eddie, showed us what very old apple trees look like, as well as what young apple trees look like. He shared that they often plant new apple trees to replace the old apple trees that stop making apples. It takes an apple tree five years to produce apples. Apparently, the bark of a young tree is very sweet and appealing to mice and other small rodents, so small cages are placed around the bottom of these trees. Once the tree is older, the cage can be removed, as the bark becomes to hard for them to bite. When picking apples, it is to be gently lifted and slightly twisted. Apples that easily fall off into one’s hand are ripe enough to eat. The children did a great job moving on to the next apple when they tested an apple and it did not easily fall off. We picked Honey Crisp, Pioneer Mac and Golden Supreme apples. After shining them up on our shirts, we all enjoyed some of the harvest. Pre K picked a whole bushel of apples! According to Eddie, a bushel weighs approximately 40 pounds. On our way back down the hill, we watched some people on a ladder in a tree. They showed us that they had special bags with hole in the bottom of it. To prevent the apples from getting bruised, the bags are placed in a box and the bottom of it is untied so the apples are gently released. Our last stop was the cider press. As we approached the barn, we saw wooden plates which are used in the cider press to actually press the apples and squeeze out the juice. Inside the barn, Eddie showed us the tools and machine that are used to make cider from the apples. The children really wanted to see it working, but, unfortunately, the water pump was not working. The water pump is used to wash the apples before they are pressed. While Eddie was talking about the apple press, two of our classmates watching from the back row discovered something else that they found very interesting, a spider! We would also like to thank Jon S. for sending us back to BCD with some of Windy Hill Farms delicious cider. It was a great trip. One of the other fun features of our trip was the bus ride! We talked a lot about safety rules on the bus during our Morning Meeting. The children did a fine job staying safe.
Delicate fall leaves feel soft.
Pre K’s first field trip picking apples!
Young trees need wire cages around the bases of their trunks.
This apple tree is only a few years old.
This is an older tree.
A giant box of apples!
Juicy apples are delicious!
Busy apple pickers.
Crunch!
Gently dropping the apples from the apple sack.
Down the trail with bushels of apples.
Wooden plates to press the apples for cider.
Someone collecting beautiful hydrangeas to dry.
Eddie and the cider press.
What is this?
A spindly spider!
On Tuesday, we celebrated Reese’s Star Day! It was also his birthday. Reese’s family includes his younger brother, Asher, his older sister, Leora, his mother, Rebecca and his father, Jesse. Reese’s grandmother, Nancy, better known as “Nana,” joined us for his very special Morning Meeting. We learned that when Reese was little, he liked to talk to penguins! Now that he is older, he likes to do lots of things! His favorite foods are all sorts of snacks and he really likes going on vacation to Boston. Perhaps this is where he talked to the penguins! His Star Board was decorated with photos of Reese and his family. One picture of Reese was when he was just a little baby and his “Tiger” was brand new! We also saw a picture of he and Asher as peppers and he, Asher and his older sister, Leora, dressed up for Halloween. Reese had great fun recalling when and where these pictures were taken and who was present. For snack, he shared a delicious fruit salad and yummy lemon cookies. They were so good, that we asked his parents for the recipe! Happy Star Day and Happy Birthday, Reese!
I would like to thank all of the parents who were able to join us for Back-to-School Night on Monday. I was nice to have a few moments to get to know you better and share information about our curriculum and program. If you were not able to come, please be sure to look over the materials provided to you in the blue folders. Let me know if you have more questions. During the Back-to-School Night, I shared that I am always happy to have parents or families share special talents and interests with the class. In addition, Guest Readers are always welcome. Send me an e mail if you have any thoughts or ideas. On Monday, the children drew their first Self-Portraits of their Pre K year. We talked about the fact that a self-portrait is a drawing of oneself. We also discussed what we should include if we were going to draw ourselves. The children suggested a head, legs and arms. They also thought of what they should put on their heads, eyes, nose, mouth, ears and hair. In time, as their representational skills grow, we will hear more and more details. We will make self-portaits approximately once every six weeks. I will send them home as a collection at the end of the school year. At Back-to-School Night, I asked that parents draw a picture of themselves. I also requested that they write their Hopes and Dreams for their child on the front of their drawings. If you were not here to complete this task, please do so at home and send it in with your child. I will be sharing them with the children during Morning Meetings as they come in.
Our trip to Letterland brought us to visit Bouncy Ben and his brothers. He is a very happy and bouncy bunny. His brothers like to ride in their blue boat and float in their hot air balloon. Often, he likes to balance his ball between his big brown ears. When he bounces, he makes the special sound of /b/ in words, just like at the beginning of his name. Next week we will meet Clever Cat!
As the Autumnal Equinox will take place this weekend, we will explore the gradual changes in our outdoor environment. We will also continue learning about the gifts of apples!
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:
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!
Happy Autumn!
Ellie
