The students were interested in the explorations of movement and pursued their study groups throughout the week. Some children were working with "light paintings" while others studied the movement of balls. At the end of each day we shared our learning with each other.
Students worked to make letters and shapes by capturing the movement of their light in a photograph.
Sharing their work at end-of-day meeting.
Exploring different ways to make balls move.
Here are some more photos from our week together:
Campfire for animals.
Dramatic re-telling of "The Grinch" at pretend play "cinema."
The "cinema" became a "band" with student-made instruments.
Creating a festive house with magnetic building materials.
Snowman-inspired dough.
In the dramatic play center, our santa game was enriched with wrapping paper, tape, and ribbons. Students utilized fine motor skills in meaningful ways while engaging their natural sense of compassion, wrapping up classroom toys for each other to role-play the upcoming holiday that everyone has been talking about for weeks.
We met with our buddies, created a fun winter craft and then shared popcorn and a story.
Cinnamon dough was a sensory experience in more ways than one!
Next Week
In our upcoming week we will continue our small group work with movement. We will explore the letter H. We are finishing up our math unit working with numbers through ten and will have some time to talk about holiday activities, which the students are very actively processing!
When we return from winter break, we will review school routines and continue our study of balls. We will be beginning a new math unit of measurement.
Circle Solutions
In our upcoming week, we will continue to review our core values of respect, responsibility, and compassion. There will be a focus on compassion as the students have been excited to participate in the "Pass the Parcel" charity drive. We have been counting their donations each day and the children are enthusiastic about sharing toys or clothes they no longer use with someone who might need it more.
Reminders
Warm Clothing & Toy Drive
Winter Celebration Community Service (Pass the Parcel the Parcel). Due date for collecting the donations has been extended till Wednesday, December 20th, 2017.
Pass the parcel is a 'child to child' service learning initiative, founded by CAC elementary students, that seeks to empower children through giving. The initiative hopes to introduce our children to the immense joys of giving. Along the way, we also hope to help the children develop important social, interpersonal, as well as logistical skills.
Upcoming Events
We have a special day on Thursday, December 21st. In the morning, we will have a house event- working with the middle school. We will have the opportunity to engage in some community service related to the pass the parcel project, creating wrapping paper and cards for the children we are giving our gifts to. We will have a special lunch provided by the PTO, consisting of pizza, popcorn, juice, and a small cupcake. Then, we will have our classroom party! We would love to have parents volunteering to support our planned activities (contact our room parent to coordinate if you haven't already!), and all parents are welcome at the party from 12:00-1:00. Please remember that while at school we expect parents and students to be following the expectations of the classroom, even during party time (example, walking in the classroom, sitting on chairs not tables, talking voices not shouting, cleaning up our own trash)- thank you!
On December 21st, we have an all-school assembly at 2:00-3:00 pm. This is during our students' after-care time so children who are dismissed after the core program (at 1:00) are welcome to return and join the class. PreK will sing a brief song as a part of the assembly. Santa has even been invited to make an appearance!
We will have our winter break beginning December 22nd. We will meet again for school on January 14th, 2018. Wishing you all a happy, healthy, and safe winter break. Happy birthday to Haleema and Baylyn who will have their birthdays over the holiday!
Parents' Corner
This is a very exciting time of year for children, especially young children who haven't established their routines and expectations for the holidays! In the classroom, we are helping the students to stay calm and grounded by talking about what to expect, discussing our feelings, and giving lots of sensory opportunities each day. We are focusing on positive aspects of the holiday season, that children feel they have some control over, such as expressing gratitude daily through words and actions, and being festive in our classroom. How can you help your child manage this busy (and sometimes overwhelming) time of year at home? Read here for some tips on helping your child self-regulate during the holidays.
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