Dear Parents,
Thanksgiving is probably my favorite day of the year! It is a time for gathering all those closest to our hearts, and your children are no exceptions! In preparing we have been talking about the main concepts related to Thanksgiving such as the season, our nation’s history and most importantly, gratitude. In language arts this past week, we read The Very First Thanksgiving by Rhonda Greene. This wonderfully age-appropriate book introduced the children to a national tradition, which began with a shared feast between the Pilgrims and the Native Americans. We also read stories that stressed the underlying message of giving and being thankful. The Giving Tree, an uplifting tale by Shel Silverstein, told of a tree that selflessly gives of itself to a small boy. Give Thanks for Each Day by Steve Metzger was a sweet book about being thankful for all the little things in our lives like a hug, a parade, a bath or a new toy. It also reminded us to be thankful for each other. After reading the book, we asked each child what they’re thankful for this Thanksgiving. Here are their answers:
Vihaan “Christmas!”
Maya “Ice Cream!”
Donovan “Chocolate Milk!”
Cydni “My friend Stella and my brother!”
Dora “Mommy”
Jackson “The stars in the sky!”
Markela “Hershey kisses!”
Josef “My little Elmo!”
Hunter “Goldfish”
Fiona “My new pink and white dress!”
Stella “Vanilla ice cream!”
Max “Lollipops!”
Breilan “Walking through the Jungle….song!”
Erica “My cousins Morgan & Kyle!”
Anmay “My bear!”
Sarah “Mommy & Daddy and my puppy Sarah!”
Anaisa “Apples!”
Marco “Broccoli & carrots!”
Our food drive was yet another way we demonstrated selfless giving and respect for others. We extend a genuine thanks to all of our parents who donated so generously to our canned food drive. We will deliver them to the “Westbury Neighborhood House” whose role within the community is to help the poor and needy. They rely solely on donations, so thank you for making a difference! Your kind contributions will further help the children to appreciate this critical life lesson.
On Wednesday, we introduced the letter “Ff”. We reinforced the sound with words such as fox, fish, firetruck, flag and Fiona! Since our stories this past week centered on FISH, it was a perfect time to take out the flannel board and giggle our way through “Five Little Fishies, Teasing Mr. Shark.” The children had a lot of fun anticipating the “SNAP of the shark’s jaws! We also read Rainbow Fish and Rainbow Fish Discovers the Deep Sea by Marcus Pfister, and then water-colored our own! Both books were stories of friendship and sharing.
In music we’ve been learning a fun “Turkey” song. Ask your children to sing “Just Like That” for you. In case they forgot the words, they are written on their adorable take-home gobblers!!! We also sang “Five Green and Speckled Frogs”, and then took out our big, laminated flip chart and sang the letter song. As always, when it was over, the children shouted, “Let’s sing it again!” It went like this…
Ff (to the tune of Alouette)
Five fast fishes
swimming down the river.
Five fast fishes
swimming down the stream.
Swimming past five floating logs.
Swimming past five croaking frogs.
Floating logs. Croaking frogs.
Five fast fishes.
For obvious reasons we will not be introducing a new letter this week. We will continue to reinforce the letter “Ff” and the color “green”. Our math focus will remain on the “rectangle” shape and the number “four”.
On Monday 11/21, we will have our annual Thanksgiving tasting party! This will be a re-enactment of the First Thanksgiving. Each child will be adorned at school as either a Native American or Pilgrim. The class will enjoy the feast, together with music to match the setting. We cannot wait to enjoy our bounty with all our friends!
In closing we would just like to mention that we are thankful for all of you and the many magical moments we share with your children. They help us daily to see the world in bright new ways. Have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Warmly,
Miss Joanne and Miss Sam
