NewsletterNewsletterhttp://www.cpwn.org/newsletter/2008-04-07T17:08:05ZSquarespaceApril 7, 2008http://www.cpwn.org/newsletter/2008/4/7/april-7-2008.htmlCPWN2008-04-07T17:07:32Z2008-04-07T17:07:32ZDear Families,

Welcome back and happy spring to you all! The children have enjoyed sharing conversation this week about their “Family Time.” They also seem happy to be back in their school routines. The family time pages are coming together nicely – please take a moment to notice them on the wall above the attendance chart. Also, this week’s thought question can be found above the easels, due to the length of the children’s responses. Lots of language growth is evident!

In the morning, we have observed conversation, play and art work about animals. Sharks, tigers, orca whales, manatees, little paper birds taped to the wall and a photograph of a goat are a few examples. To support and extend this interest we will begin an animals theme next week, bringing animal materials into the different areas of the classroom.

Tomorrow we begin our outings to the park. We will go to the park on Tuesdays and Thursdays, except in rainy weather. Our practice walks have been very successful, and the children can probably recite to you the safety rules when we walk together. We will leave directly after morning meeting on these days; a timely arrival will be important. Also, appropriate clothing is necessary. Please send the children to school wearing good play clothes – shoes for running, pants and shirts that can get dirty, and a sweater or jacket when the weather is cool. Shoes with heels or that slip off easily should not be worn.

Following up on conversations the Long Day children had before the vacation, we have begun a unit on “Workers who help.” The children brainstormed to create a list of people who do jobs that help people. There was a particular interest in construction workers and machines. They looked through our bookshelves to find books about these different professions and sorted the books they found into job categories. Next week, we will take advantage of the extra boxes we have in the classroom to construct a building and to play at being construction workers. We will also take a walk to observe a neighborhood construction site.

Thursday at 6pm is our last parent meeting for this school year. We would love to have full attendance! The topics will be: Early Intervention services, ongoing schools, ERB, Stanford-Binet, and OLSAT testing. We will also hear from the auction committee. Please send an RSVP email to Emily.

Warmly,

Caitlin, Kendra and Amy

]]>January 16th, 2008http://www.cpwn.org/newsletter/2008/1/16/january-16th-2008.htmlCPWN2008-01-16T22:57:48Z2008-01-16T22:57:48ZDear Families,

Happy New Year and welcome back! We hope the vacation was a time of rest and enjoyable family time for everyone. As we have often seen in past years, the children have returned from the vacation seeming not 2 weeks, but 2 months older. The time away really seems to help them process (all of)  the many activities, routines and social experiences they worked on so diligently during the fall.

Curriculum:
During our morning meeting, we have begun a new routine. Each day, we go through the letters of the alphabet to see who has the next turn to count the children. First we checked to see if we had a child whose name begins with “A,” then “B” etc. Now when a child asks, “When is it going to be my turn to count?” they are satisfied with the answer, “When we get to the letter ‘M,’” for example. There has been an interest in letters and their sounds in particular recently, so this activity is very exciting for many of the children.
They are practicing the order of the alphabet and the concept of organizing words by alphabetical order. They are developing their auditory perception of initial sounds and letters. And they are augmenting their recognition of their own and each other’s written names with an understanding of how the letters translate into sounds. They are also each reassured that they will get a turn.

We have placed some winter-theme books on display. Last week, we read the story Paperwhite by Nancy Elizabeth Wallace. This week, we will re-read the story and plant a paperwhite bulb for the classroom.

On Wednesday the children will cook the celery root and rutabagas that Kaliope Kostas brought in. Deb Grant is working on a couple of recipes and will come in to cook with the class.

Special Activities:
We continue our small group activities from 11:00-12:00 each day. We have some new materials in our little room for tumbling, rolling, jumping etc. This gives children an opportunity to do some active indoor play and to get some wonderful sensory input in their bodies. This week, the children are working with their hands with another wonderful sensory material, Oobleck. Oobleck is made from corn starch and water and has the unusual property of being both liquid and solid at the same time.

We continue to have one of the following special activities each day: Movement, Music, Yoga, Reading and re-enacting a story, or Dancing with Judy Lasko.

Long Day Curriculum:
Based on conversations the Long Day children had before the break, we have decided to do a COLOR study. The children came up with a long list of possible activities: mixing colors, making a large rainbow, collage, drawing different colored animals, making crayons, making cookies, making different colors of water, making color patterns with cubes, finding leaves and seeing what color they are in winter and sorting colorful fabrics to make different shapes. As we get into these activities, we will see how their ideas deepen and change.

Professional Development:
Emily will be attending a workshop on strategic planning on Wednesday afternoon.

Business:
The building management has requested that we remind you not to use the laundry room bathroom, to keep your voices down in the hallway, and not to make a mess in the hallway.

Dates:
January 17: Parent Meeting, 6pm. Please email Emily to let her know that you are coming.
January 21: Martin Luther King Jr. Day, School Closed


Warmly,

Caitlin and Amy

]]>September 20, 2006http://www.cpwn.org/newsletter/2006/9/20/september-20-2006.htmlCPWN2006-09-20T15:25:58Z2006-09-20T15:25:58ZDear Families,

This year’s transition into school has been a record year! The children are already comfortable with the routine, even transitioning outside with jackets! We are so pleased.

Curriculum: We will begin our cooking curriculum with weekly trips to the Farmer’s Market this Friday. A small group of 2-3 children will go each week to pick out items for the following week’s menu. We will tell you when it is your child’s turn to go.

Yoga and Music specials began this week. The children are divided into groups by color (red, green, purple, orange). Half of the children go outside to play and half stay inside for the special class. Then the groups switch.

Materials and Classroom: We need a pair of men’s shoes for our pretend area. Does anyone have a pair in reasonably good condition they could donate?

Many, many thanks for your help in getting the classroom ready. We’d especially like to thank George Kostas for his help putting up shelves and hooks.

Snack & Lunch: Please remember to refer to our SNACK and LUNCH guidelines. If you need another copy of either of these, let us know. This week, wildly popular snack foods have been sunflower seeds!, cucumbers, green beans and cashews.

Rest time: Rest time begins next Wednesday for the long day children. On this day, your child can bring a cozy blanket and a small, soft toy to keep at school for the naptime. It is better to keep your child’s most beloved snuggle items at home, but perhaps bring his or her “second best” ones.

Long Day Curriculum: As we think about moving into a longer day and preparing children for kindergarten, there are certain skills that we would like to focus on. In the context of looking at jobs within the family home, and using materials such as clay, paint, books and manipulatives, the children will strengthen their ability to listen, follow directions, sequence numerically and narratively, and attend to beginning reading and writing activities. We will also create rich, expressive arts experiences, and opportunities to strengthen fine and gross motor skills.

Afterschool Opportunity: Several parents in our community have recommended Jason Shela of the British Soccer Academy in New York. He is offering a free soccer class on our play deck on Wednesday, October 4, from 2:30-3:00. You may then enroll your child for soccer class, which will take place each Wednesday in the fall on our play deck. Attached is a flyer with more details.

Business: If you have not handed in your child’s Health form or Emergency Contact form, please do so. The Department of Health has contacted the school and will make a site visit very soon. We must have all the forms before they come. Also, Capital Fund Loan checks are due Sept. 30.

We are making several efforts to “green” the school. We are using recycled paper products when possible, chemical-free, biodegradable cleaners, and we have ordered biodegradable garbage bags. We will continue to make efforts to lighten the school’s environmental impact.

Professional Development: In October, Caitlin will attend a workshop called “Getting In Sync,” based on the work of Carol Stock Kranowitz, author of The Out-of-Sync Child. Emily and Amy will participate in a year-long series of workshops at Bank Street with a focus on Science. The three of us will lead a workshop at the National Association for the Education of Young Children Annual Conference in November. Because we will travel to Atlanta for this conference, the school will be closed on Friday, November 10. This will serve as our fall professional development day. Our spring professional development date will be Monday, May 7.

Dates: Attached is an updated calendar. Please note the additions of Nov. 10 and May 7. Upcoming dates:

September 27: First 2:30 dismissal.

September 30: Capital Fund Loan due.

October 2: School closed for Yom Kippur.

October 9: School closed for Columbus Day.

October 12: RSVP for the 10/19 Parent Meeting.

Warmly,

Emily, Amy and Caitlin

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