PreK Press
September 21st - October 11th
COUNTRY SCHOOL FALL FESTIVAL: The PTA is happy to announce that the Country School Fall Festival is almost here. Please join us right after school Friday, October 12 from 3:15-5:00 for games, crafts, face painting, inflatable fun, popcorn, cider, prizes and lots of fun! The event will be outside on the ellipse - so dress for the weather. We are so excited for this event and hope to see you all there! The TACO truck will also be there for all to enjoy. All children attending need to have permission slips so if you haven’t done so already, please fill out and return the permission slips that were sent home last week.
CONFERENCE SIGN-UP: Thank you for signing up for parent conferences! Please be sure to double check the time you selected and let me know if you discover any scheduling conflicts. I look forward to meeting with all of you in the near future! Please remember that there is No School next Friday, October 19th on Parent Conference Day but Owl’s Nest care is available with advance registration.
BUSY DAYS IN PreK: We have been having so much fun and learning so many new things in PreK! The children have now progressed enough so that each day we have one child read our daily Helpers Chart and we have another child read our Daily Schedule. They are happy to recognize many of the names of their friends, identify the jobs on the Helper’s Chart, understand the schedule for each day, and read this information to the class. Being able to stand up in front of their classmates and share these experiences is wonderful to watch. We have also been learning about calendar concepts and patterns. We have been focusing on the basic AB pattern. The children are excited to be able to name, create and extend their own patterns now when using pegs, mosaic buttons, cuisenaire rods, etc.
HANDWRITING WITHOUT TEARS: If you have been hearing from your child that they are spending time working in their Handwriting Without Tears book, they are absolutely right! (FYI - we refer to them as our HWT books.) Helping them develop and/or refine a correct pencil grip is an important aspect of our PreK program and we are pleased with the growth and progress we are seeing in many of the children already. Frequent reminders to “pinch and flip” (please ask if you are unsure about what this means) whether drawing, writing or painting, help keep the children focused on finding the grip that will make their work easier and feel more comfortable. In addition, the HWT book also exposes them to a variety of concepts including following directions, coloring patterns, directionality, individual letter formation, and beginning number concepts.
LEADERSHIP: The Country School, through its Elmore Leadership Initiative, is committed to providing opportunities for all students, regardless of age, to participate in leadership roles. In PreK we start with the basics. The children all have the chance to be the daily news reporter, snack helpers, the line leader, and the flag holder - to name just a few. In addition we ask for volunteers daily to help in a variety of capacities, and encourage (but don’t require) children to be a PreK class spokesperson at our Lower School Radio Show on Wednesdays.
LEADERSHIP: The Country School, through its Elmore Leadership Initiative, is committed to providing opportunities for all students, regardless of age, to participate in leadership roles. In PreK we start with the basics. The children all have the chance to be the daily news reporter, snack helpers, the line leader, and the flag holder - to name just a few. In addition we ask for volunteers daily to help in a variety of capacities, and encourage (but don’t require) children to be a PreK class spokesperson at our Lower School Radio Show on Wednesdays.
PLAYGROUND UPDATE: The PreKers are very excited about their time on the playground and thoroughly enjoy playing on it and exploring all the components. As a class, we have talked about ways to stay safe while outdoors and also what parts of the climbers are available to PreKers. There has been an exciting update since September and we want parents to know about it! Both climbing walls are now open to PreKers!!! The only components that remain off limits to the PreKers are the series of high suspended rings and the high horizontal steering wheels. There continue to be school-wide rules that all children are expected to follow while on the playground, both during and after school. We need constant vigilance and cooperation from all parents to ensure the safety of all children. Please ask teachers or refer to the TCS handbook for clarification.
REPURPOSING AND ELIMINATING PLASTIC ON CAMPUS: As part of the TCS school wide initiative to repurpose and eliminate plastic on campus the PreKers participated in collecting, sorting, comparing, and discussing daily waste from their own snacks and lunches. Through conversation and observation we divided that waste into 3 categories - reuse, recycle and trash, and then created our own examples chart. Now when the children have a question about what to do with their yogurt container, cheese stick wrapper, ziplock bag, etc. they can check on the chart for the answer. We appreciate how many of you have taken a closer look at what you are sending for snack and lunch options and how many reusable containers we are seeing. Thank you! Not only are we helping children understand the importance of doing their part, we are also helping them gain additional independence and self-sufficiency with their eating. This is especially true since so many pre-packaged items are difficult - if not impossible - for children to open by themselves. Together we can make a difference…
For additional information please click on the following link:
MAGIC MARKER RECYCLING: Speaking of making a difference...The Country School 2nd graders are spearheading a school wide magic marker recycling project. In support of their efforts, the PreKers are trying to fill a shoe box with old markers that the 2nd graders made for us. If you have any markers at home that are no longer in good working condition, please bring them to the classroom so we can add them to our collection. All types of markers (permanent, whiteboard, Crayola, etc.) are acceptable. Thanks for your help.
PINK DAY: In addition... On Thursday, October 18th The Country School will be participating in a fundraiser for breast cancer research. If you would like to contribute please consider donating $1.00 and have your children dress down in any pink clothing they have including jeans, T shirts, socks, etc. Thank you in advance for your support of this important cause.
BOX TOPS FOR EDUCATION: TCS is also continuing to collect Box Tops for Education. Please put them in the container on the table right outside the classroom. Thank You!
TCS OPEN HOUSE: On Sunday, October 28th TCS is holding an Open House from 1:00 – 3:30 P.M. If you know of anyone who might be interested in learning more about The Country School, please be sure to let them know of this event and tell them to stop by.
SHOES, SNEAKERS & RAIN BOOTS: Sneakers or soft-soled shoes are the safest and preferred choice for PreKers. Please remember that all children need sneakers every Tuesday for gym. In addition, on rainy days (and snowy days this coming winter) when your child wears boots to school they must also have a pair of sneakers or shoes to change into. Sitting on the floor with any kind of boots is both uncomfortable and challenging for them. Thank You.
LUNCH BOXES ON FRIDAY: PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE send in a lunchbox with some type of snack, dessert, fruit, etc. every Friday - even if your child is signed up for pizza. Children don’t always eat all of their pizza and sometimes need or want something else to supplement their lunch. In addition, the children are responsible for getting their own lunch boxes and water bottles from the hallway at lunch time and it is very confusing to them when they don’t have one.
SPECIAL SNACK ON HALLOWEEN: The PreKers share a special low-key Halloween snack together on Halloween. There will be a sign-up sheet posted outside the classroom door next week. Please sign up if you are able to help. Thank You!
PLANNING AHEAD FOR HALLOWEEN: Halloween is fast approaching and so is our annual TCS Halloween Parade and celebration! The last page of this newsletter has important information that will hopefully answer all of your questions concerning Wednesday, October 31st. Please let us know if you have additional questions or need clarification! Be sure to mark your calendar and we will look forward to seeing you at 8:30 for the parade.
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HALLOWEEN INFORMATION
It will be on Wednesday, October 31st at 8:30 AM.
- All children should be dressed in costume and in class by 8:15 so we have time to prepare and get organized as a class.
- Parents are expected to wait outside the building along the parade route for the parade to begin. (The route will begin right outside the Clark House, head up to the flagpole and then take them clockwise around the new ellipse until they reach the courtyard where they will then continue directly into the gym.)
- Parents and siblings are all invited to attend our Lower School Radio Show - Halloween edition - in the gym immediately following the parade.
- Please have your child’s change of clothes in a LABELED bag in or with their backpack, as we will be helping them change immediately following our special Halloween edition of our Lower School Radio Show.
- If you signed up to bring food, drinks or paper goods for our special snack, please bring them directly to the classroom Friday morning at arrival time.
- PLEASE DO NOT SEND IN THEIR REGULAR SNACK.
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