We had a great week together in the classroom working on a collaborative project to culminate our study of buildings and structures, talking about numbers through ten, and spending time with our buddies, too!
This week the children worked to combine their independently built structures into a "city" in the block area. This installation of student work has been added to for over a week, and now includes a school, a library, an airport, homes, roads, bridges, and more. The students are thoughtful in where they place their structures and what they build to add to the city.
The children had the chance to meet with their buddies to talk about gratitude and what they are thankful for. They worked together to create a drawing which includes some of the things they are grateful for in their lives, such as "family," "toys," "food."
The children have been engaged in a lot of emergent literacy in the classroom. Here are some examples of student writing from the dramatic play and block areas. These are great examples of how children learn these important literacy skills naturally through play. In the PreK class, writing is always meaningful and fun!
Block area writing.
"Record keeping" in the toy shop.
Signs in our small city including "STOP"
Letter blocks provide the opportunity to build words, literally!
Here are some more photos from our week together:
Happy birthday, girls!
Children used an illustration from a book as a "plan" for a block building.
The students who had our classroom job, "photographer," got some great candid pictures this week!
We have a short week next week. We will begin our new unit of inquiry, into balls and motion. The students will continue investigations into numbers up to ten, including counting objects in different configurations. The class is also really looking forward to Kids' Day on Wednesday!
Circle Solutions:
The children will continue to talk about character strengths this week.
After-Care:
This week we will talk about the idea of thankfulness, and work on some simple projects to focus on the idea of gratitude.
Reminders:
Toys from Home (repeat announcement)
So many children are eager to make connections with friends by sharing their toys from home. However, we are finding that these toys are increasingly becoming a distraction from the carefully chosen materials and activities in the PreK classroom, rather than a way for students to create relationships with each other. Toys from home are not encouraged as they interfere with students' abilities to engage with learning tasks throughout the day. We appreciate your help in this request that supports all student learning. If, for some reason, a toy must come to school, we ask that it be small enough to fit in your child's backpack. If it is challenging or distracting for your child to keep it there, a teacher will hold on to it for safekeeping until the end of the day. Please know that even when toys are in backpacks or with the teacher, most children at this age will be focused on their special toys from home and will have a hard time focusing on their peers and on our learning goals for the day.
Please note that any child who has a transitional object, such as a special stuffed animal, should not be discouraged from bringing this to school when needed. This is different from bringing a toy from home to play with or show friends as it supports the child's emotional wellness during transition times. Please let the teachers know about this need if you have not done so already.
Upcoming Events:
Kid's Day
This year's Kids' Day will be held on Wednesday, November 22nd, 2017 from 8:00am to 11:30am. Students will then be dismissed at 11:30am for a long Thanksgiving weekend. This is a half day for CAC and Pre K-5 will be participating at the same time. For new parents to the school, Kids’ Day is a fun-filled day in which they can show off their house spirit, participate in a wide variety of physical activities, and enjoy each other!
Thank you, Phil Greene pgreene@cacegypt.org & Mark Mayfield mmayfield@cacegypt.org
On Kids' Day, the students will participate all morning in fun outdoor activities. The PreK class will be in two groups, combined with KG students, and traveling with PreK and KG teachers and aides. We will have a delicious snack provided by the PTO. Any PreK student who gets tired early will have the option to come back to the classroom for some play or rest time.
For Kids' Day, please pack:
a LABELED water bottle
a LABELED change of clothes (there are some water games and your child may get wet)
a LABELED extra snack in a baggie (not tupperware, if possible)
The class will be traveling all morning, and it is very easy for students to misplace their things. Labeling EVERYTHING with your child's name and class code (PreK) helps!! We do our best to keep track of sweaters, water bottles, and snack containers, but if your child's name is not on it and he or she puts it down in an unexpected place while we are not looking, it is very hard for us to find it before the end of the day. Having lightweight items for snack and water helps as well, because adults will be carrying the students' containers in a basket all together from station to station. Thanks for your support in this.
Kids' Day is an early release day and the students will be dismissed at 11:30. We will not have lunch this day due to Kids' Day activities.
Thursday, November 23rd we will have no school in observation of the Thanksgiving Holiday.
Parent Teacher Conferences will be held on Monday, November 27th. There is no school for students on this day, although there will be childcare available for your child during his or her conference time (please note, the conferences are for parents and teachers only to discuss your child's growth and progress). Please sign up for a conference if you have not already done so!
Math Workshop for Parents
Interested in learning more about the math models used at school? November 20, 2:00 pm - 3:00 pm is a K-5 Workshop for parents where we will explore number bonds and the area model; math models we use to teach for understanding. We will all meet in the first floor common room, then K-2 parents will move next door.
We hope you can join us!
Student Council students will be be released from classes at 11:50 next Monday, Nov 20 for the general Services Lunch. The meeting point will be under the big tree on the ES lawn. Remind kids to wear their red shirts. Click here for list of students
PreK Community Meeting
Our next Community Meeting is Monday, November 20th at 5:00-5:30. Bring a pot-luck snack to share, and enjoy some conversation about your children's development both inside and outside of the classroom. Suggested main topics for this meeting include emotional development and how it is discussed in the classroom, so it will be a great conversation with a lot of opportunities for you to share your own experience and ideas. See you there!
Parents' Corner:
At CAC, one of our core values is integrity. Although we haven't focused on this value as part of our monthly topics yet, we discuss honesty and doing the right thing in the classroom regularly. Have you ever experienced your child bending the truth to avoid getting "in trouble" or to get something he or she wants? Please read this article for some tips on encouraging honesty and to learn more about What to do when you catch your child telling a lie.
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