From The Director
Dear Parents,
Our first month of the school year went by super-fast. I hope everyone enjoyed the information shared at the Back-to-School Program.
In October, we will celebrate the Harvest Festival. We do not celebrate Halloween at the preschool. There are lot of scary things associated with Halloween and it really has a negative effect on some children. The children will make costumes with their teachers in class. The teacher will choose a costume about the harvest to make with the children. On October 31, we will have a class party at 9:15am. I need two parents of older children in the preschool to pass out those goodies. Please let me know if you could be that volunteer.
Teachers will post a party sign up. Please do not bring in treats for the children or candy. We will provide all the goodies for the treat bags. Then the children will treat at some of the doors in Daum hall. If you have a few minutes to see the costumes, stay awhile that morning. We always take pictures of the class in their costumes.
I am looking forward to teaching chapel this month. I am working with Ms. Kathy on the music portion. There has been a delay in Chapel, since I temporarily assumed Ms. Elaine’s position. Ms. Tesa is back and she will be taking care of all the billing going forward. We are so happy to have her join our team.
I just want to share the importance of children learning Early Childhood Education program. In college, we learn the way to teach effective reading and writing skills which are followed in a specific order: Listening, Speaking, Reading and then Writing. As children use their listening skills, they begin to understand how to make sounds which later becomes language. That is why we place a lot of emphasis on listening. Tools that we use include; reading books, finger plays, songs and stories, children listening to sounds inside and outside and identifying them. Speaking comes next: we model language for your children. Using many open-ended questions to promote speaking. Nursery rhymes, songs and finger plays, reading and telling stories also help promote speaking skills. As your children get older their stories get more detailed and longer and longer. Many times, in the Dolphin class we can see this, because they practice storytelling and book writing later in the year. There have been many times throughout the years, that parents say to me, when are they going to learn their numbers, letters, etc. I always tell them that they will get there, but they really need a good foundation. When a child goes to kindergarten and the teacher gives the child multistep directions and the child can listen and follow, then he/she is prepared to learn.
This month we are working on community helpers. If you have time this month, please sign up to share about your career with the children. Usually, a visit is about 15 to 30 minutes. Please see me or Ms. Kim if you would like to participate. We have scheduled police and forestry visits for this month.
Happy Harvest,
Ms. Marie
From the Assistant Director
Dear Parents,
Happy fall! This is my favorite time of year. I love the colors of autumn and the smells of pumpkin spice. It is such a fun season to teach the children about. There are plenty of science activities at your fingertips such as leaves changing colors and falling to the ground, the change in the weather, pumpkins to feel and carve, animal behaviors and daylight savings time just to name a few.
Do we have any parents who are doctors or nurses? We would love for you to come talk to the children about being a health care worker. It would be great if you could show them some of the tools you have to use in your job such as a stethoscope or blood pressure gage. Let me know and I will set it up.
On Tuesday, October 10th we will have a visit from the Arcadia Police Department. They will show us their patrol car and talk about how the police are here to keep us safe.
On Thursday, October 19th we will be having a visit from Smokey the Bear. Smokey the Bear is an American campaign and advertising icon of the U.S. Forest Service in the Wildfire Prevention Campaign, it is the longest-running public service announcement campaign in United States history. He will come to our school from 10:30 to 11:15 to talk about how we can help prevent forest fires. There will be a short video and then Smokey will take some photos with the children.
This month the children will have their annual harvest party in their classrooms and trick or treat at Parish Hall. There will be party sign-up sheets in your child’s classroom a week before Halloween. The children will start making their Harvest costumes this month. For our new parents, we make our costumes in class and each class is a different theme which goes along with the theme of harvest. Please do not send your child to school in a costume on Halloween. Also please remember we have a no candy policy at school.
Our scholastic book order forms are a little different this year. I sent a note along with the book flyer letting you know that scholastic has all orders online only now. We will still get our school points whenever you order and that helps us to continue to get new books for the school. There are also many titles online that are not in the flyer. Please go to the site and have a look. Reading with your child forms such a special bond for you and your children. I remember when my daughter was little and we would spend a lot of time at the library, the bookstore and looking at the scholastic book club flyers. We would pick out books together and have so much fun reading them and looking at the pictures together. She still loves going to the library and the bookstore as an adult. Each story opens a new adventure for your child. The exposure to books and story time at an early age can help with pre reading skills and the joy that stories will bring to them for the rest of their lives.
The weather is unpredictable and seems to have cooled down for fall. We may get more warm weather but in case we don’t could you please make sure your child brings in a sweater or sweatshirt to put on in the afternoons for our outside play time.
I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful month. Happy Autumn
Ms. Kim
From the Dolphins
Dear Parents,
Thank you everyone for attending Back-to-School Night. It was nice to have the meeting on site and to meet you all. I hope the details of our developmental program and goals for the children’s learning were informative for you. If you ever have any questions or concerns, please feel free to ask.
The Dolphins are adjusting well with our preschool routine. Every morning we start our day by saying a simple prayer to God. “Dear Jesus, fill this room and our hearts with Your love and kindness. Amen.” It is a great daily reminder for all of us to practice kindness to one another.
Last month the children learned about themselves, families, emotions, weekly letters, and autumn through music and movement, stories, discussions, artworks, games, and educational toys. At circle time, the children showed their family pictures and talked about their family members. On Tuesdays, they shared their weekly letter share item. It is a fun learning time for the children to practice turn taking, listening, and speaking skills. Everyone is doing a great job at participatingthis activity. Thank you everyone for your support for guiding your child at completing their weekly homework.
This month, the Dolphins will learn phonetic sounds and recognize letters D, E, Fand G, five senses, community helpers, and harvest. Also, they will be busy preparing a harvest costume project to make in class. Their costume project will be worn for our harvest parade and trick or treat at school. I will ask the children for costume ideas of what they want to be. Stay tuned for our decision soon.
Tray tasking activities are continued every month. The children seem to enjoy the activity and feel proud of their accomplishments. Some benefits of three-step tray tasks that the children learn are: sequencing of beginning, middle, and end, left-to-right eye tracking for future reading, processing critical thinking/logical skills, and strengthening arm, wrist, and finger muscles by holding a pencil and scissors. The children will continue practicing their listening skills and attention span time during circle time. I will use various music and movement to teach children fun ways to follow directions and body control. Problem solving skills will be introduced. When there is a conflict between peers, I will ask and acknowledge children’s feelings. I will help and guide them how to solve the problem. We will learn more about feelings by playing feelings lotto game in class.
We are looking forward to a spectacular month of October. Our Harvest party and parade will be on Tuesday, October 31. The party sign up will be posted and notified as it gets closer to the date.
Sincerely,
Ms. Frannie
From the Seahorses
Hello everyone,
Happy Autumn greetings to one and all. We kicked off the new school year with a wonderful Back to School Night. Thank you to all who came. It is always a great joy to see you and connect with our wonderful parents. One of our monthly goals is to understand our place in our family and the community. The children had a fantastic time sharing about themselves and their families and as we swing into October, the class will continue discussing families. The children will also participate in class discussions on who makes up our community. This also leads us to one of our monthly themes, Community Helpers. They will work on puzzles that depict families and community helpers fostering problem solving skills. We may have a visit from the fire department, if their schedule allows it and we will talk about how farmers help our community. Our other themes for October are Harvest and the Five Senses. As we discuss our fantastic farmers, the class will hear stories like Farm Sounds and Farm Feast by the Clever Factory. The children will work toward another monthly goal of describing objects and classifying them by characteristics. We will talk about farm life and other parts of our neighborhoods using our five senses. How do different foods look, smell, and taste? What sights and sounds do we experience from fire engines and ambulances? The class will explore their environment through sensory science experiments, math activities and tray tasking. Making discoveries through observation using our senses is another monthly goal that promotes critical thinking skills.
A healthy body is just as important as a strong mind, we will work toward our monthly physical goals. The class will strengthen their fine muscle development using watercolors, lacing beads, and found natural items to create awesome Autumn collages. The children will engage in music and movement activities and balancing games like steppingstones and beams to improve large muscle control. We will close out October with our annual Harvest parade and the children will make a class costume, parade to music, and take a walk through our campus in search of treats. If you would like to help, it is always wonderful to have you so please don’t hesitate to ask. We welcome joyful assistance at all times.
Just a note, now is the time to think about switching out summer clothes for fall layers. Time to say goodbye to shorts and hello to long pants for the extra clothes boxes.
Falling for Autumn,
Ms. Beth
Dear Seahorse 2 Parents,
Happy fall, the children are enjoying playing outside in the afternoons. I have been floating between Ms. Beth’s class and Ms. Frannie’s class in the afternoons. The Dolphin class enjoys music and movement, showing me how to build with legos and coloring pictures. We played alphabet bingo; I was surprised how many of the children named words that started with the letters I called. Ms. Beth’s class enjoys story time, music and movement, puzzles and playing the Diego matching game.
Looking forward to more fall fun this month!
Ms. Debbie
From the Seahorse 2 Class
Dear Parents,
I hope this message finds you well and ready to embrace the beauty of September as we welcome the fall season. It’s been a fantastic start to the school year. I am thrilled to see so many familiar faces returning to our preschool and extend a warm welcome to all of our new families. I am excited to share some wonderful news with you, our classroom family has grown as we welcome a new student to our class! It’s always a joy to have new faces join us, and we can’t wait to make Our new friends feel right at home.
Let’s recap what we have done In September, students embarked on self-discovery through the “All About Me” theme. The children shared their emotions during Circle Time. It’s a heartwarming experience that not only promotes emotional development but also strengthens the bonds of friendship within our classroom. Throughout the nature exploration, children discovered the beauty of the Fall season. Their favorite was getting involved in the exciting treasure hunts for acorns. As we step into the vibrant and colorful month of October, I am thrilled to share an exciting lineup of activities and learning adventures happening in our class. Our October theme is all about Five Senses, Harvest, and Community Helpers. Throughout October, I will be immersing the children in sensory exploration. I believe that nurturing the five senses – sight, sound, taste, touch, and smell – is essential to their cognitive development. We’ll have a variety of hands-on activities that encourage children to use their senses to explore the world around them. This is the season of bounty, and I want the children to understand the significance of the harvest. Our little ones will have the chance to carve pumpkins and create harvest-themed art while learning about the cycle of growth and the importance of stewarding our environment. Exploring Community Helpers: Part of being an engaged member of our community involves recognizing and appreciating the people who help us every day. Throughout October, I will introduce children to various community helpers, from firefighters and police officers to doctors and librarians. This theme will help instill a sense of responsibility and appreciation for those who keep our community safe and thriving. October promises to be a month full of sensory delights, exploration, and appreciation for the world around us. I look forward to sharing this exciting journey with your children.
your children.
Ms. Stacy
From the Turtle Class
Dear Turtle Parents,
Hi Turtles! It was a pleasure seeing most of you at Back to School Night this past month. For the few who could not make it we will have parent conferences in the new year. For the month of October all your children will be learning about how to use their 5 senses (sight, smell, taste, touch, and sound). I will take the children on nature walks to discuss what they see and feel. As we learn about Fall, we will collect acorns, pine cones, and leaves. In addition, when collecting these items students will use their sense of touch and will start learning and distinguishing what feels hard, bumpy, rough, and soft. The children will also have fun singing and dancing along to the following songs: 5 Little Pumpkins, put your Apple in the Air, Autumn Leaves are Falling Down, and Ten Little Leaves. For the sense of smell, I will bring an apple, orange, and lemon for the students to explore. We will also use these fruits to make stamp art. The days we have apples and oranges it will also be a day to use our sense of taste. Students will get to describe what they are eating. I will also add a banana so children can learn about using their sense of touch and enhance their fine motor skills by peeling the banana. Finally, going on walks around the playground is a great way to use the sense of sound. The kids will listen for birds, dogs, cars, local garbage trucks and sometimes sirens from an ambulance or fire truck.
October goals are about learning how to communicate effectively. Students will learn to respond to verbal and non-verbal commands. For example, students will begin to follow at least one direction when asked such as: clean up time, walk together, put the tray in the trashcan etc. I will put my hands up to signal for all students to stop, freeze, and listen. Students will also begin to answer simple questions when asked and start beginning to repeat finger plays and songs.
Harvest day is on Tuesday, October 31st. Children will work on making their own pumpkin costume and have a parade as they march around the playground. In the morning we will have a Harvest party. There will be a sign-up list on the Turtle door. Please note that if you do decide to bring something, it must be store bought. Unfortunately, no candy’s allowed at school. Thank you for understanding!
Have a great month!
Ms. Anjali