Dear Parents~ This week has been so busy. The children are delving more deeply into the holiday of Purim, developing an initial language and understanding of the story and values that drive this holiday. As repetition and revisiting is so very important to the work we do, we continued the learning from last week, being sure to highlight the characters and themes of the holiday. This allows the children to connect more deeply with these concepts that are so new to them. In exploring the characters of Purim, the children tried on some elements, as they dressed as kings and queens. They joyfully shook groggers and listened to the story. We created beautiful artwork with festive bright colors of Purim... pink and purple and silver and gold with sparkles. The children LOVE to dive into the paint and have the full sensory experience with their hands. The highlight of our week however, was walking to Temple for Shabbat services for the very first time. All of our friends were so excited to join the service. We sat nicely and followed along with the singing and story time. Parent Teacher conferences will be on March 18th and 19th. We look forward to sitting down with each of you. This is a time for us to sit individually with parents and to discuss your child's growth and development since we began in January. Please sign up if you have not done so yet. Shabbat Shalom, Elena, Shahla and Genene REMINDERS: *3/8 10:30-3:30pm... Purim Carnival THIS Sunday!! Don't miss the fun! *3/9...Crazy Hair Day Monday *3/18 and 3/19... Parent/Teacher Conferences *3/23 11am....Passover Seder in our classroom. Parents invited. Dear Parents~
We began our celebration of Purim! We are keeping it very simple as we introduce the symbols and characters of the story. We added lots of fun, new materials and have talked a little about some of the characters from the Purim story. Dressing up with fancy jewels, crowns, capes and robes has been a favorite! We have been shaking groggers (noise makers) and talking about the different sounds they make. We are singing new songs, as well as hearing new stories at circle time. We painted and glued with YELLOW, as well as discussed some different “lellow” (yellow) toys that we saw around the room… lemons, school bus, ducks, bananas and corn. The children notice different colors and enjoy identifying them and learning new color names to label some of the familiar things in their world. We encourage you to continue the fun and learning at home! Shabbat Shalom! Elena, Shahla and Genene Reminders: *Picture Day is Monday, March 2 from 9-10am. *Wise Purim Carnival is March 8th... don't miss the fun! *Parent Teacher Conferences - March 18(afternoon) & 19(all day). Hello Room D Parents, We have had a short and sweet week with your children. We continue to observe beautiful growth in each of them, every day. They are beginning to playing more independently, to separate with a bit more ease, and they are building the foundation upon which they will establish strong relationships with peers and teachers alike. When your children enter the classroom each day, they find various provocations, depending on what it is we are focused on, and how they are building knowledge in that subject area. This week, we set up various experiences for your children to explore with the color red. We were curious as to how they would approach the materials, and we observed connection, concentration and wonder around the various elements that pulled the children in. In the art area, the children had various experiences throughout the week. They painted with red paint, and they used red tape and tissue paper together. On our rug area, we set up various red objects the children might see and interact with out in the world. Fire trucks and stop signs rounded out this area. In our kitchen, all the food set out was red--red apples, strawberries, and of course, we poured red ketchup on our hotdogs. We even ate red watermelon and red apples for snack. Early identification of color helps your children with visual clues and language. Outside, the children love playing in our sandbox making birthday cakes, playing with Mr. Potato Head and learning to label the body parts, and of course sliding with a friend on the slide. We practiced walking on the rope in preparation for going to Shabbat services in early March. Shabbat Shalom, Genene, Shahla, and Elena Dear Parents~
Each of our friends continues to make positive steps to healthy separations from Mommy and Daddy, Grandmas and Nannies, too. We see them beginning to engage with their peers, learning to take turns, and making independent choices in our classroom. Outdoors, our friends love to slide and ride bikes, color with chalk on the easel, and dig in the sandbox. "Mailing" letters in the mailbox and going to the market with our carts are some of the fun times happening. Blowing bubbles is definitely a favorite, too! Inside, we love the light table and different colors we see there, "cooking" in the kitchen and taking care of the babies, reading books, and building tracks on the carpet. Although February 28th is Generations Day in the EC, Stepping Stones classes will not be participating. We feel that it is still too soon for parents to spend time in the classroom as most of us have just transitioned, and are learning to be in class without Mom or Dad. Thank you for understanding. We will look forward to welcoming you in, in just a few short weeks, at our Passover seder! Shabbat Shalom & we will see you on Wednesday! Elena, Shahla and Genene Reminder: *No school Monday, 2/17 - President's Day CategoriesDear Parents~ We are SO lucky that we will get to start each week with Teacher Marcos and his guitar! We began by singing Good Morning to each of our friends, then continued with some familiar songs, as well as some Tu B'Shevat songs. Each week Marcos will bring different props or instruments. This week the children used colored scarves, tambourines, and fruit/vegetable shakers. Music is an amazing way to bring our friends together and help them to interact with each other. Music helps motor development, coordination, strengthens social skills, increases emotional awareness and is a great way to connect and have fun together. Planting seeds in little pots and painting with "fruit" colors (red and yellow for the apples and lemons) were some favorite activities while discussing Tu B'Shevat this week. We are looking forward to baking a cake on Monday, and singing "Happy Birthday to the trees!" In just one month, it is amazing to see our group sitting for a short story time, eating snack together, following a daily routine, washing hands, and learning each other's names. We even practiced walking to another yard on the rope this week... which we will utilize whenever we leave our classroom throughout the semester. (to other yards, to Shabbat at the temple, to fire drills, etc) WOW! So much exciting stuff happening. Shabbat Shalom, Elena, Shahla and Genene Dear Parents~ This week we introduced Tu B'Shevat (Birthday of the trees). We talked about fruits we eat, and how they grow on trees. We introduced a new sensory experience with soil, water spray bottles and measuring cups to scoop and pour. We tasted a variety of fruits... apples, bananas, oranges and limes! We talked about the colors, shapes, size and tastes of the them. We encouraged our friends to use words such as "crunchy" and "sweet" and "sour", as well as colors like "yellow" and "red" and "orange" while tasting the different fruits. We have seen so much growth in your children over these first few weeks. They are beginning to interact with each other more, and are becoming more aware of all the different activities available during our mornings together. Remember, each child is unique, and each will adjust in their own time. We are here to guide them, to comfort them, and to encourage them to be independent. Thank you for trusting us, and for sharing your gems with us. Shabbat Shalom! Elena, Shahla and Genene Dear Parents~
Welcome January Stepping Stones Families! This has been your child's very first week of school. As far as first's go, this is a special one! Their educational journey begins now, and they have a lot to look forward to. We are off to a smooth start with all of the children making promising steps towards a healthy, positive separation from you. They are warming up to us as their teachers, and have taken part in all kinds of classroom activities such as sensory exploration with play-dough, dramatic play in our kitchen area, and building with blocks on the carpet. They are learning to follow a simple classroom routine including cleaning up our classroom at transition times and washing hands before sitting down alongside their friends to enjoy snack and lunch together. They have also started to learn about what it means to take turns, follow simple directions and participate at circle time, like when listening to Brown Bear on the flannel board. Most importantly, they are learning that they belong in their classroom. Seeing their own photos, and their family photos gives them a positive feeling of ownership and security that they can do and try new things even away from Mom and Dad. Alex Yedidsion is with us to help children and parents with the separation/transition process. Next week you will be receiving a form to set up private one-on-one meetings with Alex if you would like. She is an incredible parenting resource, and we are lucky to have her assistance! Overall, it has been a wonderful start. We want you to feel comfortable in knowing that we understand and respect that each child will handle separation in their own way. Thank you for being so supportive of your children, and of our January Stepping Stones Program. We are so happy to have you and your children in Room D. Shabbat Shalom! See you on Wednesday! Best, Elena, Shahla and Genene Reminders: *No school 1/20 in observance of MLK day. |