Theme 3 ~ Our Community

Dear Families,

Next week our class is beginning a new theme on “Our Community.” We will be exploring ideas about places in the community, people in the community, transportation, and taking care of the environment!

The goal of this theme is to have children develop responsibility in their daily lives while learning good citizenship.  Here are some ways you can show community involvement and teach responsibility at home.

• Take your child to community places and events, such as story hour at the public library or a high school sporting event.

• Talk about community workers, such as crossing guards and store clerks, and how to be respectful of them.

• Point out community resources that are part of your daily life, such as trash collection, mail delivery, bus service, and so on.

• Teach your child how to “Reduce, Reuse, and Recycle!”

• Give your child the responsibility of a daily job. This theme strives to make children responsible for their actions, now and in the future.

The concepts and life skills they learn will be invaluable. Make “going green” a family activity!

Our Community Literacy Tip

Reading signs in and around the community is an important part of developing literacy. Help your child read community and street signs, store signs, signs outside and inside buildings, and signs posted in store windows.

School/Home Connection

Connecting School to Home In science, we will learn that objects can be made from paper, metal, and glass. Help your child identify the materials to help you sort items for recycling.

Hello families!

I wanted to send along a few photos of what the children have been doing over the last 6 weeks!

Enjoy!

Dear Families,

Our class is beginning the theme, “My Family.” During the next few weeks, we will be exploring the different members of families, family roles, and unique qualities of families. This theme is all about you, so here are some ways you can support what your child will be learning at home.

• Look at family photos with your child and talk about family members and their special qualities

 • Share special family traditions and how they began.

 • Enjoy a family activity with your child, such as cooking, reading together, or playing a game.

 • Talk about family roles and responsibilities and choose one or two ways in which your child can help other family members.

Throughout the My Family theme, I will be teaching children about kindness and what they can do to express kindness to others. You can help by identifying examples of kind acts at home and when you go places.

Enjoy talking and spending family time with your child!

Dear Families,

Over the last few weeks, children have learned all about their new school and making new friends. We focused on cooperation and getting along with others as well as establishing and solidifying the routines and expectations of school. Here are a few special ways you can reinforce at home what children have been learning.

• Establish routines that will help your child to be attentive in school, such as getting plenty of sleep, eating a healthy breakfast, and being ready on time. 
• Ask the names of your child’s teachers and classmates. (We practice this daily at circle time!)
• Talk about the school schedule and sequence of activities during the school day. (Ask specific questions about their day...did you play on the playground?  did you have motor room? did you build blocks? etc.)
• Practice safety rules to use when going to school and returning home every day. (holding hands in parking lots, look both way when crossing a street or parking lot, staying near your safe adult)

Most of all, promote cooperation at home every day, which will help your child make a smooth and positive transition to school.  Cooperation at home can include age appropriate chores such as:

• Pick up/ put away toys
• Dust  large furniture items with a feather duster or microfiber rag
• Put clothes in the dirty clothes hamper
• Collect dirty clothes
• Help get clothes from washer to dryer
• Help sort out recycling
• Help set table
•  Help clear table
• Wash plastic dishes (with supervision)
• Match socks
• Fold dish towels
• Help weed the garden

This week at school we are continuing to learn....

School is a special place for us to learn and discover

We have rules in school that help keep us happy and safe

When I am in school, I am part of a group who is learning to be responsible

I help take care of my classroom

Some of our vocabulary included:

together

share

friends

turns

help

cooperate

We are learning that being together makes us happy and is fun!  Taking turns is sometimes hard, but when we do, everyone gets along!

Here are a few photos of how we are together, sharing, taking turns and cooperating!

Things to try at home:

Children love being outside, exploring, playing, creating, and most definitely learning. Take your child outside for some learning!  Go on a nature walk scavenger hunt. Your scavenger hunt can have  a math focus…count how many acorns you find, or how  many red leaves…you are working on counting and one to one correspondence!

Hi Everyone!

I found this visual from the Fred Rogers Center and thought it was pretty powerful!  

I love the suggestions! As busy parents (myself included!) this is a great reminder!

We have had a wonderful first week of school that included taking a tour of our school, learning about the name of our school (ECDC), and meeting important people like Nurse Mary and our Principal Miss Kelty!

Next week we will continue solidifying our school routines and begin learning about making friends!  We will focus on the expectations, routines, and behaviors of school and practice COOPERATION! Children will learn that by cooperating we are helping each other!  This is especially important at clean up time:)  One of my favorite sayings is "Many hands make light work"...if we all work together to get the job done it goes by fast!

Reminder:  There is no school next Monday, September 10 in observance of Rosh Hashanah. 

Have a wonderful weekend!

Miss Chris

Hello Everyone!

It was so great to meet you all at Orientation!  During the next few weeks, children will learn all about their new school and making new friends. We will focus on cooperation and getting along with others as the class is introduced to the routines and expectations of school.

Try this at home:

Work with your child to develop routines that will help him or her be ready for school each day.  You could try: 

1. Get dressed

2. Eat breakfast

3. Brush Teeth

4. Time to go!

Laura and I are looking forward to seeing you all next week!  Have a wonderful Labor Day Weekend!

Welcome to Ms Chris' Blog and to the new school year!  Miss Laura and I are excited to begin this new adventure with you!  The first day of school can be full of excitement, along with some nervousness for students, parents, AND teachers.  Reading a book or two with your preschooler can help alleviate some of the anxiousness for both of you and also open up the conversation about what to expect.  Story time is also a great time to discuss some of the emotions you and your preschooler may be having about starting a new school year.

Here are a few books on the topic!

  Chu’s First Day of School by Neil Gaiman

  Ming Goes to School by Deirdre Sullivan

  Wemberly Worried by Kevin Henkes

I Love School by Philemon Sturges

I Love You All Day Long by Francesca Rusackas

  Maisy Goes to Preschool by Lucy Cousins

My Preschool by Anne Rockwell

 Preschool Day Hooray by Linda Leopold Strauss

  The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn