Room 8
Tuesday-Thursday
2009-2010 Archive
MayApril
March
February
January
December
November
October
Orientation
May
Dear Parents,
Another month racing to its completion! Thanks again for the wonderful Teacher Appreciation gifts!
Congratulations to Audrey and her family on the addition of her little sister!
We have 5 birthdays in May: Erin and Hannah on Wednesday, May 5, Lillie’s May 8, Nina on May 21 and Conall on May 25.
I suggest the following schedule for birthday treats:
Tuesday, May 4-Erin
Thursday, May 6- Hannah
Tuesday May 11- Lillie
Thursday, May 20-Nina
Tuesday, May 25-Conall/also chapel
Let us know if these dates work for you! Happy birthday!
On May 6 at 11:30 you are all invited to join us upstairs (in the room across from the upstairs office) for our annual Spring Fling. The students will be showing you a sample of Creative Movement with Mrs. Wilcox. Then, all are welcome to join us downstairs in Room 8 with dismissal at12:00. (Right after school, I’ll be heading to Harrisonburg for my daughter’s JMU Master’s graduation.) Siblings are welcome! Watch for your invitations soon!
As you know, June 3 marks the end of the Tu/Th school year. I will be writing a brief evaluation for each student. If you wish to have a conference please let me know by May 3rd and we will schedule a time to get together.
We enjoyed “raising” 5 healthy Painted Lady Butterflies this month which were released April 22. During May, we will learn more about insects, plants, and seeds. I would also like to check whether the children know either their street address or home phone number (or both). Please work at home on the easier of the two over the next couple of weeks. Thanks!
Mrs. Lewis and I are proud of your children and the progress they have made this year! Thanks for sharing!
April
April showers, especially at the tail end of March, bring May flowers with spring, planting, daffodils, tulips, growing, vegetables, observing the blossom of colors!! Enjoy Easter! We will be back at preschool on April 6.
Please have your child enjoy the outdoors and they may bring any nature “finds” in to share with the class. Lillie found rocks with shiny specks. Thanks, Lillie!
Happy Birthday to Gabriel on April 1 and to Zain on April 9. Then there are many May birthdays. We make crowns for each child and sing the birthday song to them at group singing on or near their special day!! You may bring in a snack treat for the 10 classmates to share. Congratulations all on becoming 4 year olds! (Audrey, let’s remember to celebrate for you before school ends on June 4.)
We will be talking about the circus and all its animals and zany fun when we return in April, a postponement from the March calendar listing.
Book orders are due April 15. Online ordering available at www.scholastic.com/bookclubs
User name: NancyJonesLOL and password: Scholastic
Please double check the set of extra clothing being carried in the tote bags. With the change of weather you may wish to add lighter weight items. We also have the occasional wet sleeves from the sink/water tables which warrant a switch to something dry.
As always, thanks for sharing your children with us!
March
Our four weeks in March will be busy. We start off with hat day and a visit from the fire department on March 2. We will watch a puppet show about not touching/ playing with matches. If the crew is available, one fireman will put on his gear for us. The emphasis is though he might look big and sound funny in his gear, a fireman is our friend. We also hope to go outside to see a fire truck. We have had fire drills in preschool and the children have learned to exit the building in a “quick and quiet” manner. Homework: As a family please designate a place a safe distance from your house as a “meeting zone” in case of an emergency.
The rest of the month will be St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, and Circus themes. (As you may know, Ringling Bros. and Barnum and Bailey are coming to the Verizon Center March 18-21 and the Patriot Center March 25- April 4.)
We haven’t been on the playground in a long time, but hope recess can resume soon! It’s likely that we will get some sunny days but we will need boots. Please label your child’s boots and carry them in the tote bag or a plastic bag. We will try to use them!!
Book orders are due March 25.
Thank you for the wonderful Valentines! The children did a great job making and delivering them!
Remember that Easter break begins March 29.
We are enjoying your children! Personalities are blossoming!
February
Thank you so much for making time to hold a Parent-Teacher conference with us. The meetings/phone calls could just as easily be called "Partners conferences" because it helps us feel even more connected as we partner with you on behalf of the children!! Please feel free to contact the preschool for any new concerns should they arise.
There is a correction on the Feb. calendar: Michelle's birthday is in March, not February. (Happy un-birthday Michelle)
Secret though: Mrs. Lewis's birthday IS in February, on the 26th.
ADDITION to the Feb. calendar: Please add HAT DAY Feb. 9.
Your child may wear any comfortable, silly, elaborate, dress-up, favorite, or serious hat to school that Tuesday.
Book orders are due on Feb. 25. Online ordering will be available on Feb.1 at www.scholasticbooks.com with username NancyJonesLOL and password Scholastic.
You may also submit paper forms with checks to Room 8.
Valentine's Day: Please have your child work with you in some capacity on their Valentines. If they are willing to paint, glue, sticker, draw, or cut-all the better!! If you purchase packaged valentines please have your child make their "mark/sign their name/scribble their name's first letter" on the back of the card. You may address the front of the card for them but as you do, talk about that friend and the letters that start their name. If you don't try to do them all in one sitting, but do a few at a time that will help. Good luck! It's fun to be "mail deliverer" on Valentine's Day!
As always, lots of counting, rhyming, singing plus The Three Little Pigs too! Thanks for sharing your children with us!!
January Update
Thank you for coming to the Sing-A-Long! The children did a great job!
During January we will plan our projects around the weather, taking advantage of the snow theme when we can. We'll also talk about seasons, the five senses and be reading Fairy Tales.
With registration for next fall beginning in February, we will offer conference times in January. Please make notes for yourselves on talking points you would like to address with me and Mrs. Lewis.
To make the most of our 20 minute conference, please find a babysitter or sign up as "teams" to supervise children for each other. The conferences are more productive without children in the room.
January 12th is a school-wide PJ Day. Yes, students may wear pajamas to school, but please have them wear shoes/sneakers for the playground.
December 7, 2009 Tu/Th Room 8
Thanks for your help and cooperation with car seats/boosters and chaperoning to Tiny Tots!
FYI-
The Shell Gas Station at the corner of Rolling Road and Old Keene Mill Road puts on a Christmas Lights and Music Show (after dark). All you do is drive there, find a safe place to park, and set your radio dial to FM 100.7.
Our Sing- Along is set for Tuesday, Dec. 15 at 11:40. We will be sending home an invitation soon.
Merry Christmas!!
December
I think I'll just rubberstamp "My, How Time Flies!" and start EACH month's newsletter with that truism!!
Our Tu/Th sessions for December tally a total of 6 preschool days with Dec. 1 being the field trip to Tiny Tots at West Springfield High School on Rolling Road.
General information on the field trip has gone home from the office.
Using the bathroom immediately before leaving the house should help streamline the morning. (There is a restroom at West Springfield if needed.) Please park in front of Lord of Life and find your child's "carpool" vehicle and transfer any needed car seats. We will leave the preschool at 9:15 for the 10:00 performance and will be returning at approximately 11:15. Please calculate in a few extra minutes and leave your house a bit earlier. It's a fun performance and we will have snack when we return to LOL.
There are so many fun projects to do in December, but for the sake of streamlining and truly enjoying the projects we do, I am concentrating on 3 categories this year: gingerbread, reindeer, and manager scenes.
Chapel this month is Dec. 15 at 9:30 and you are welcome to join us. Lord of Life classes will hold a sing-along that day also. Details to follow. Other than those 2 activities on the same day, we are trying to leave your adult preschool hours to you. I know that it is sometimes the time you allot to running errands without your 3 year old!
Because December 18 is the last day before the Christmas break and sometimes book orders get crazy PLUS the preschool is holding a Book Fair this year, we will not distribute Scholastic order forms. IF, however you do want order forms, please let us know and we will make sure you get a set, but be alert to the truth that you then become dependent on a timely postal schedule.
Remembering the Reason for the Season! Merry Christmas! School resumes Tuesday, January 5.
November
Thank you to those attending Open House and the Halloween Parade! And welcome to Sebastian, our newest student, bringing T/Th classroom enrollment to 10!
During November we will be making turkeys, talking about Pilgrims and Indians and thinking about "thankfulness."
Book orders are due on Thursday the 12th. You may submit order forms with checks to Scholastic or use the online order system. Log onto scholastic.com, click on Class HomePage Builder and use classroom username: NancyJonesLOL
And classroom password: Scholastic
Nov. 17 Chapel is at 9:30. You are always welcome to join us upstairs during chapel time.
Nov. 19 we will bake cornbread to celebrate Thanksgiving.
There is school on Tuesday, Nov. 24, but no school on Thursday the 26th. Happy Thanksgiving to all our Lord of Life families and safe travels.
Tuesday, Dec.1, is our field trip to West Springfield High School for the Tiny Tots concert. We will listen to the band play holiday music and watch the dressed-up characters dance up and down the aisles.
Drivers/chaperones are needed. There is a sign up sheet outside the classroom door. The program starts at 10:00 am and lasts about 40-minutes. We will have snack upon returning to Lord of Life. Drivers will need to have copies made of their license and insurance card. The preschool office will be glad to copy for you. Car seats and booster seats will need to be arranged, so a planning sheet will be distributed to all. Please park in front of the building and find your child's "carpool" vehicle, the car seats can then be moved efficiently as needed. Students should come to classroom for attendance. We will leave the preschool at 9:20. Thanks for your help!
Notice from the office with days and times that class and individual photos are ready to be viewed will be during November also.
Please remember that we use the playground everyday it is not raining, so please dress your child with layers. Mittens are preferable to gloves, Hats and hoods are encouraged. Label, label, label items! Thank you.
If you need a copy of play dough recipes let us know.
We are enjoying each and every one of our class! Thanks for sharing your children with us!
Again, Happy Thanksgiving!!
October
Dear Parents,
All have adjusted well to being in preschool. First-Routine items being attended to- We are encouraging each child to use the restroom before we go to the playground plus we remind them that they can use it whenever they need to. We are practicing knocking on the door and listening for a response and likewise being the "responder" if they are in the restroom. "Just a minute please" with a loud enough voice will afford them their privacy. The bathroom is shared from the other side with Room 7.
We are working on scrubbing and rubbing our hands when the soap is on them and to continue rubbing to help the water rinse them (rather than making the water do all the work). Drying more thoroughly is also on our practice list.
At snack time we ask the child to try to open their own bags, boxes and wrappings. If you could please practice with them at home and/or give the cheese stick wrappers a preliminary tug to start the process that will help.
October is gearing up to be a busy month. We will start with a daily show and tell. Please have your child bring an item from home that they are willing to let the others look at and hold. We help start them off with "this is my________." Some children are natural at this preschool level "public speaking" and others are very shy. We are pretty good judges at determining and helping each at their starting comfort level. Alphabetically with first name the schedule is:
Oct 1- Audrey, Oct 6- Conall, Oct 8- Erin, Oct 13-Gabriel, Oct 15-Hannah, Oct 20-Lillie, Oct 22-Michelle, Oct 27- Nina, Oct 29-Zain
Discovery Toys fundraiser is Oct. 1 and a second fundraiser at Chicken Out Restaurant is on Oct. 20. Two excellent opportunities!
On October 22, class and individual student pictures will be taken at preschool. We will not use paints on that day. Bring your smiles!!
Book orders are also due on Oct. 22.
On October 28 in the evening, you are invited as a family to Lord of Life's Open House. Between 6:30 and 7:30 you may come to Room 8 to view our artwork on display and to have an opportunity to chat with other parents and the teachers. Students and families are invited.
Playdough making recipe and schedule!! If you have a different recipe that you prefer feel free to use it.
Room 8 Playdough
2 cups white flour
2 cup water with food coloring added
4 teaspoons cream of tartar
1 cup salt
2 tablespoons cooking oil
Cook in a heavy pot, stirring constantly until thick.
Empty onto countertop or wax paper, cool enough to
knead and add flour if sticky.
Oct 6- Zain and Oct 20 Nina, playdough please. Thank you!
And what would October be without Halloween! On the 29th we will have a small party and parade. Costumes are encouraged, but we ask that those wearing costumes make sure that they are safe and easy to manage using the bathroom. No masks. No weapons. Please label any parts or accessories that might stray. Halloween songs we sing are in good spirited fun but be aware that skeletons, vampires and ghosts will be mentioned. If you feel that your child will be frightened please let us know, but again, we are careful and gentle with the entire Halloween concept. You are invited to bring your cameras near the end of the day. Time to be arranged with the other classes, but likely 11:30 or 11:45.
Thank you for sharing your children with us!
Orientation
Dear Parents,
Welcome! Thank you for coming to our Meet and Greet!
Please check and initial the master roster making any corrections that are needed. Also be alert to any paperwork that still may be required in the office.
The Daily Schedule is attached and is our "working model." If we need to make any major changes we will send the revisions.
Each Tuesday and Thursday, one child will be the Line Leader and the Show and Tell person. We anticipate that "line leading and following" will be a new concept for most, so rest assured that our major concern will always be safety, especially on the route to and from the playground.
Show and Tell will be held off until October however, giving us some wiggle room to get the rhythm of our school day practiced first. You will be given a monthly calendar beginning in October indicating which days are your child's Show and Tell/ Line Leader Days.
If your child is absent on their assigned day you may send the show and tell the following school day.
Snack each day is at 10:00. Please follow the guidelines in the Parents Manuel for snack suggestions. We will have an allergy notice from the office, but please also speak to us about any allergies your child may have.
The playground is used every day that weather allows. Please label your child's belongings. You may want to keep an extra sweater in the tote bag; along with a complete change of clothing should your child have a spill or bathroom accident.
Scholastic Book order forms will be sent home monthly. Purchasing books is optional. If you do wish to purchase books, please send one check for your total order made out to Scholastic.
Return the carefully cut order form with the check directly to the teachers.
Heads Up!! This age group particularly enjoys playdough. We ask that you and your child work together to make playdough for the class using a rotating schedule starting in October. Recipes, hints, and assignments will be sent home later in September.
Remember to establish your "goodbye routine" and feel free to call the office (703-323-5581) to ask for feedback on how your child is doing if he/she got off to a slow start that morning. Any time you have any concerns or questions please call the office number and leave a message for us and we will return your call.
The preschool website is: lordoflifepreschool.org. Check often for information and updates.
We're so glad that you have chosen to send your child to Lord of Life! Thanks for sharing your special ones with us!