Dear Parents,
Happy fall! Happy autumn! It was great meeting so many of you at orientation! The school year has begun and the children are adjusting beautifully. They are making new friends and are enjoying getting to know each other. We have been concentrating on establishing a routine that will enhance the learning process so that they will feel comfortable and happy in their new school environment.
We “adopted” a tree near the tree house that we can also observe from our classroom window. We stood under our tree and noticed that the leaves were still green. We returned to our room and started working on our summer tree. The children will be documenting the changes as we begin making a book, a “Tree for all Seasons”. The book will be completed next spring.
We are working on writing, learning how to hold a pencil, and how to write different types of lines. Straight lines, slanted lines, horizontal lines, and curved lines make up the letters of the alphabet. We have also been practicing writing their first names using upper and lower case letters. Many of the children, who write their own names write using mostly upper case letters. Please encourage your child to write his/her name the way I have written it on his/her homework sheet. Only the first letter in their name should be an upper case letter, followed by lower case letters. They are all very diligent and doing a terrific job!
We have almost completed letter Aa and will begin letter Bb next week. We will be reinforcing and reviewing one letter per week (except weeks that are short due to holidays). The letter Bb will be covered over two weeks due to the fact that school will be closed on Monday October 3rd and Tuesday October 4th, and the following week school will be closed on Monday October 10th and Wednesday October 12th. We are making a puppet for each letter of the alphabet. These projects help with fine motor skills through tracing, cutting and gluing. The parts to each puppet start out the same but it is amazing how different each puppet turns out.
We have been discussing class rules and manners. I have always taught the children in my class to treat their classmates the way they like to be treated. We will be striving to fill the world with kindness as “kids of character.”
Some of our topics for October are Christopher Columbus, Fire Safety, Halloween Safety, and Photosynthesis. We will travel to Hicks Nursery on Wednesday, October 19th to visit Otto the Ghost Halloween display and to look for signs of autumn. It is always a fun trip! Permission forms will be sent home soon.
Our Halloween Costume Party will be on Monday, October 31st, please make sure all the parts to your child’s costume have his/her name on them. If your child’s costume is too cumbersome to travel to school in, then send it in a bag and we will help them put it on. Also, please make sure your child has clothes to change into at lunchtime so he/she can eat lunch without worrying about getting their costumes dirty. There will be more information to follow regarding Halloween.
I am pleased to inform you that Mr. Joe will be working with our class this school year! Welcome Mr. Joe!
As you can see, we have a busy month ahead and we know the children are as excited about school as we are! I am looking forward to a fantastic year with your child! If you have any concerns or questions, don’t hesitate to contact me!
Sincerely,
Miss Anne
DATES TO REMEMBER:
October 3rd & 4th School Closed/Rosh Hashana
October 10th School Closed/Columbus Day
October 12th School Closed/Yom Kippur
October 19th Class Trip to Hicks Nursery
October 31st Halloween Costume Party
November 8th Election Day/School Closed; Parent Teacher Conferences
