Judi's Monthly Letter

October 10, 2007

 

Dear Parents,

The year has gotten off to a great start in room 3. Everyone seems to have settled in nicely, relationships among staff and children are being built, children are taking ownership of the classroom and materials and separation routines are going smoothly. All of the teachers have settled in to writing your daily notes in order to communicate about your child's day. If there is anything that we are not including in the note that you would like us to, please let us know and we will make sure that it is in the daily report.

Curriculum:
The children have been curious and asking questions about the big bump in Judi's belly. So last week during circle time we talked about the baby. We said that the baby is a boy and is growing in a part of Judi's body called her uterus. Some children said that they were growing a baby in their belly and they wondered how and when the baby would come out. We told them that when the baby gets big enough, Judi will go to the hospital, and the doctors will help the baby come out. The children also had ideas for what Judi should name the baby. This list is posted in room 3, If you have not already read it, come and take a look. It is very funny.

Last week we started reading books about apples and cooking with apples. Some of the children have talked about going apple picking and have brought  in the extra apples to share with us. So far we have made applesauce and apple muffins. Next we will taste red and green apples and then graph which children like red and which like the green. We will let you know what the outcome is. If you have any extra apples to share with us, that would be great.

This week we have also begun to talk about pumpkins. We will be taking trips to the flower store this week to buy pumpkins, talk about what we think is inside, cut them open and pull out the seeds to roast, and bake pumpkin pie and pumpkin muffins. These are among some of the activities that we will be doing.

We have also been going to the pet store to look at some of the animals to give children some ideas about animals that would make good pets for our classroom. We have seen birds, snakes, gerbils, rabbits, fish, lizards and guinea pigs. We will be continuing these pet store trips this week and next week.

Pizza Day:
Some parents have been asking us about whether or not we will be having a pizza day this year. In order to make it so that everyone can participate, we would have to have it once a week on alternating days, for example, one week on a Tuesday and the following week on a Wednesday. If anyone does not want to participate in pizza day, let the teachers know and we will try and adjust it accordingly.

Music and Library:
Here is a list of the days we have scheduled with Betsy and Lisa-

Wednesday-Music 10:30-11:00
Thursday-Library 10:30-11:00
Friday-Music 9:45-10:15

FYI:
Ryan's student teaching will be coming to an end on November 2nd. We have not yet started talking to the children about saying goodbye yet, but will be doing so in the next few weeks. Ryan will make a goodbye book for the classroom and we will be counting down the days on our calendar. If you have any questions about how we say goodbye, please feel free to speak with us about it.

Reminders:
Please check the snack calendar for your snack day. If you do not have time to buy snack you can send in $5 with your child and we will take your child and some friends to the grocery store to buy snack for that day.

Please check your extra clothes bins to make sure that they are full and that the clothing is appropriate for the changing weather.

As always if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak to one of the teachers. We are committed to keeping our communication open.

Thanks,
Judi, Gabby, Sarah, Ryan, Meredith, Lisa and Vanessa