We had a busy week of explorations as the students engaged with their new study unit, living things and growth. Many of the students worked playfully with the topic as they pretended to be animals, built homes, cages, or enclosures, or took on the role of "keeper," "parent," or "veterinarian." The careful observations of the teachers during this first week of exploration, along with the conversations during our meetings, will guide our small group work next week.
The students have been very focused on their "superpower" of writing, and they are so excited to learn new letters each week. The children showed their writing to their peers and teachers this week to ask "can you read this?" and were excited when others could read what they had written. It's amazing to see the journey of emergent literacy at this age, and how powerful writing can be when it is made meaningful; when writing is used as a tool for communication, for example.
The students were enthusiastic about our parent events this week and spent some time preparing for family math night. They created some posters for the "math party" and did their best to write and draw what they expected. Family math night was a blast and we all wanted to thank you for coming to play with us. Thanks also for your thoughtful feedback and in case you didn't have the opportunity to share a feedback form with the teachers, we'd appreciate if you can email us and comments or questions you have about the evening so we can continue to improve the event each year!
"Ready, Set, Count!"
We also wanted to thank all of the families for joining us for our family picnic on Thursday, and for your flexibility as our venue changed last minute. We had a wonderful picnic inside the classroom and really enjoyed the conversations and company! Looking forward to the next family picnic with you soon.
Here are some more photos from our week together:
Exploring gymnastics with Mr. Greene the PE teacher.
The class photographer gets another great candid shot!
A new arrival on Sunday prompted the students to wonder, "what will go in this box?" There is a large cage in the "vet's office/pet store" dramatic play center. Most of the students predict that hamsters will go inside. There will be a surprise for them, likely Monday, to support our unit! Can you guess what might live inside the wire cage?
In our upcoming week the students will work in small groups to pursue study group interests including: animals and where they live, pets and how to take care of them, and a planting group.
The children will continue their work on conceptual numeracy including first and last in groups of objects.
After-Care: This week the students will do some projects to focus on writing their names creatively. Fun!
Reminders:
Families, please remember that school begins at 7:55 am and our core program ends at 1:00. After-care dismissal is at 3:05. Your classroom teachers will open the door at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day. As parent drop-off is available in the PreK classroom, unlike other ES rooms, we will open the door for you and welcome the children inside to begin their day at 7:45- when the ES music begins playing. We understand how hard it can be to wait, but please help support your child in respectful behavior (not shouting or pounding on the glass). The playground is available from 7:30 am onward and is a great choice for children who are excited to be here and have lots of morning enthusiasm!
If you feel that we are late, please simply knock on the door to let us know. We are doing our best to be punctual, but the whistle is difficult to hear from the playground and sometimes the morning music doesn't begin promptly at 7:45. As you can see by all of the exciting games and provocations set up for your children each morning, we are quite busy before 7:45, but our goal is to be at the door to welcome your child with a smile and greeting. Please support us so that your child can have a warm welcome from his/her teachers to start the day. Thanks for your understanding!
Upcoming Events:
Student Intern joining PreK February 18
PreK is delighted to welcome Sanne Pfefferkorn to the classroom as a student intern from IETPS program, beginning next week. She is a fourth year student completing her bachelor's degree in international teaching. CAC will be her sixth teaching experience. Her previous schools have been in Thailand, Netherlands and Belgium. She has been a speaker at international conferences in Denmark and India. Sanne is proficient in German, English and Dutch with basic understanding of French. Sanne enjoys all types of sports and travel. She plays the guitar and enjoys cooking. Please be sure to say hello and help us make Sanne feel welcome in the PreK classroom beginning on February 18th!
We are excited to welcome family readers to the PreK classroom!
Are you interested in reading to your child's class? This week, we welcomed our first guest readers, Mr. Balasz (KGB teacher), Mrs. Balasz, and their baby Mina. The children are interested in babies and this supports our unit of study, living things and growth!
- Is it good having a baby? -Baylyn
- How does it (the baby) read? -Casey
- Why does changing diapers have to be so smelly? -Emily
- How does it feel changing a diaper? -Casey
- Why does a baby cry? -Nana
- Do all babies cry? -whole class
- Do babies like being in the belly? -Ines
- Does a baby cough? -Casey
- Why (do) babies kick their mom's tummy? -Youssef K.
We would like to keep the ball rolling with guest story readers, so if you would like to come and read to us, please click here to sign up for a date and time.
Guest readers are welcome to our story time on Wednesdays at 10:05. Please bring your own book- you can choose one with your child at home or at the CAC library. If you have any questions, ask Ms. Trillian! Please sign up once- we want to allow every family who is interested to have a chance to come in. If needed, we can add additional days to the calendar to accommodate interest!
Again, PreK Family Guest Reader Sign-Up Sheet.
Looking forward to reading with you soon!
Parents' Corner:
Click here to read more about continuing to create an atmosphere of love, respect, and listening in your family!
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