January 2012

January 2012

It’s hard to believe that it’s the New Year already!   I hope everyone had a wonderful and relaxing holiday break!  We will keep our fingers crossed for some good snow this winter.   Once we get enough snow the children will be able to slide down the hill. This is something they REALLY enjoy!  And hopefully we’ll be able to build some snow people and snow forts.

As the weather continues to get colder it’s important that your child comes prepared for the weather.  Hats, mittens, boots and snow pants are a must!  We will be working very hard to help the children learn to get how to dress themselves.

Just a reminder that we follow the Trumansburg school schedule for snow days – if T-burg is closed then TCNS is closed. Any delay at T-burg will translate into a one hour delay for TCNS.  Also, please remember that school starts at 9 a.m.  If you need to drop off early on occasion, just let us know. But we prefer to get all our work done before the children arrive so we can give them our full attention!

Thank you so much for everyone’s hard work on Fun with Santa!  We made almost $3000 for TCNS which will go into our general fund to help keep tuition low for all our families.  We’ll start preliminary plans for Mrs. McPuppet show in March which will finish our fundraising for the year. 

Remember there’s no school on Monday, January 2^nd and Monday, January 16^th for Martin Luther King Day.  We won’t be having a parent meeting until February or March, so please let me know if anything comes up or if you have any questions about anything.  We will also be sending out our parent survey sometime this month.  We appreciate any feedback you have to share J

January Activities:  This month we’ll be talking about winter, snowmen, and pets.  Our first week back we’ll be reading the classic book A Snowy Day by Ezra Jack Keats.  We will be making a snowy day collage, mittens for the tree and snowflakes.  Our next book will be Snow on Snow on Snow by Cheryl Chapman.  In our dramatic play area this month we’ll have a pet shop and veterinarian supplies.  We’ll be reading I Want a Dog by Helga Bansch.  During this week we’ll chart our family pets and make our own dog puppet, and peanut butter dog biscuits.  

Terrific Two’s: This month the Terrific Two’s will be enjoying winter projects and building snowmen. The children enjoy circle time, stories, and art projects.  We’ll experiment with some new sensory projects this month and continue to enjoy getting outside.

I’m a little snowman, short and fat

Here is my broomstick and here is my hat!

When the sun comes out, I melt away!

Down, down, down – oops I’m a puddle today!

December 2011

December 2011

I can believe we’re almost at the end of 2011!  Everything is moving right along and we’ve been busy in all of our classes at TCNS.  We’ve enjoyed some really warm weather this past month, but be prepared for it to change at any time.   It’s a good idea to start sending mittens and hats, and even snowpants on those cold days.  We try to get outside for as long as possible, and even unseasonably warm weather can be uncomfortable after 15-20 minutes.

Fun with Santa:  Remember our big fundraiser is the first weekend of December – Saturday the 3^rd.  Each family should get their donations in as soon as possible!  We’re also asking each family to bake two items for the cake wheel and sign up for a shift on that Saturday.  Baked goods can be dropped off at TCNS on Thursday or Friday.  Please let me know if you have any questions.

Jackie is planning to start back slowly after Thanksgiving.  Once she’s back on her regular schedule in the twos class, Deva will join the TTh class downstairs.  We’re hoping Amy Dawson will continue to help us out as a sub – she’s been a great addition to the classroom!  If you haven’t heard, Amy Pruyear has been joining our preschool classes every other week to do a special music program.  The children are really enjoying the songs and are very excited when she comes.   I’m hoping soon to get some of the lyrics to share and we’re looking forward to adding a session for the twos class after the New Year.

Holiday community service:  During the month of December we’ll be collecting new and gently used socks for Catholic Charities.  We’ve collected about 100 pairs each year and the children enjoy counting and sorting the socks.  This is a good chance to go through your children’s socks and bring in those they’ve outgrown – or the ones with the uncomfortable stitching, wrong colors, etc.   Our children will also be making cards and ornaments for the Ulysses Christmas Bureau.  These will be included in the fruit and food baskets that are delivered to shut-ins during the holidays.

Remember, there will be no school from December 23 through January 2 for the holiday break.   I hope everyone enjoys their time together.

December Activities:   the week following Thanksgiving we’ll be reading Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming.  This book about hibernation has great illustrations.  We’ll be talking about how animals prepare for the winter, make a collage and sculpture about hibernation and work with pastels.  We’ll also make birdseed feeders.  Our next book will be We Are All Alike, We Are All Different.  This is a wonderful book by the Cheltenham Elementary School and we will begin to look at our own similarities and differences and make a self-portrait and puppet.  Then we’ll read Something Special by David McPhail and work on a family portrait.  We’ll graph how many people are in our families and work on holiday gifts and cards.  The last week before the holidays, we’ll be reading Light the Lights by Margaret Moorman.  This book describes a family that celebrates both Hanukkah and Christmas.  We’ll try making latkes this week and continue to work on holiday gifts and cards. 

 Terrific Twos:  Wow, do the Twos love to sing! We’ve had lots of fun raising our voices in song, especially if it gets us moving. Not only do we sing during circle time, but when we’re cleaning up, coming into the circle, going potty, and getting ready to go outside. Our classroom sometimes feels like the set of a broadway musical! The children really know our routine by now and look forward to what comes next each day, from projects, to snack, to free play. In December, we’ll talk about colors, feelings, caring and sharing, and winter. We’ll read Mouse Paint by Ellen Stoll Wash, Mouse Was Mad by Linda Urban, A Snowy Surprise by Amy Hest, and a surprise book about winter during our last week together in 2011. Our projects will include finger painting and paper tearing, as well as making felt mice, popsicle feeling puppets, winter trees, and a special gift for our parents. And, of course, we’ll sing some “old” favorites and learn new songs, too! As the weather gets colder, don’t forget a hat and mittens for the playground. Snow pants also help to keep the children warm, even before the snow falls, so feel free to send those along, too.

November 2011

November 2011

We’re coming into the holiday season and we have some pretty active classes at TCNS. I’ve attached an article about superhero play and am thinking it would be a great discussion topic. While this can be challenging for adults, it is an important and rich developmental arena for young children and an amazing amount of social learning occurs during these interactions.

So far we’ve been very lucky with the weather and have gotten outside almost every day. As the temperature turns chilly, please be sure to send your child with warm outdoor clothing. Lightweight mittens are also a good idea since the chains on the swings can be very cold!

Thank you to everyone who helped sell bulbs for TCNS. We raised about $450 for the school! The bulbs should arrive soon and can be planted any time before the ground freezes. T-shirt orders are due soon, and tote bags are available anytime for $5. Both make great gifts for grandparents!
Remember, that the week following Halloween we’ll be collecting candy to send to the troops. Please bring your extra candy to school by Friday November 4th. We have started a special music program once a week with Amy Pruyear. Amy will be alternating between Wednesdays and Thursdays and teaching the children new songs and movement games. The first lesson was very well-received by the children – we had requests for the new songs right away!

We’ve had a lot happening with our teachers this year. Jackie is recovering from her back surgery and Deva Maas has been filling in and helping Liz with the Terrific Two’s. Tammy was sad to leave us, but excited about her long-term sub job at the middle school, and we now have Amy Dawson filling in the Tuesday/Thursday class until Jackie is back at work. The children have been very adaptable and are wonderfully accepting of all the new faces in the classroom.

This month we will start Friend of the Week in the preschool classes. Each week one or two children will be scheduled to bring in photographs to share at circle time. We usually get photos of grandparents, pets, vacations, whatever your child wants to share. Please check the calendar for your child’s turn.

Fundraising: Fun with Santa is fast approaching! Watch for the list of possible silent auction donors and sign up. We’re asking each family to get 2 donations – a donation of your own talents is also welcome. The silent auction committee would appreciate having all donations in before Thanksgiving. That will give the group plenty of time to organize!

Make sure to look closely at the November calendar. There is no school on Friday, November 11th and 18th and there are no classes November 23rd to 25th for Thanksgiving holiday. Our next parent meeting is Tuesday, November 8th at 6:30 pm. Remember children are welcome!

I will be available on November 15th, 16th & 17th from 11:30-12:00 for anyone who would like to check in about their child’s progress. We will schedule more in-depth conferences in March, but this gives a chance to bring up any questions or concerns. We are also happy to meet with you any day after school or you can always email me (austicloz@hotmail.com).

November Activities: Our themes this month will be nighttime & nocturnal animals, health, family & thanksgiving, and hibernation to end the month. We’ll start the week after Halloween by reading Night in the Country by Cynthia Rylant. We will talk more about seasonal changes, the time change, and nocturnal animals. We’ll make an animal collage and habitats from salt dough. The following week we’ll read Bear Feels Sick by Karma Wilson and begin to talk about hygiene and healthy food choices. We’ll make toothpaste silly putty, paint with toothbrushes, a food collage and paper bag puppets. The week before Thanksgiving we’ll read Thanksgiving Treat by Catherine Stock and talk about being thankful. We’ll make pasta necklaces, handprint turkeys, paint with feathers and cornhusks, and bake pumpkin pie! The last week of the month we’ll read Time to Sleep by Denise Fleming and talk about hibernation, make birdseed feeders and paint with pastels.

Terrific Twos: The Twos have settled in nicely during October. We’re all getting used to our classroom routine and working on sharing, taking turns, and helping with clean up. The children already know all their friends’ names and look forward to seeing each other at school. In November, we’ll focus on nature, family, and Thanksgiving. We plan to read The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle, Owl Babies by Martin Waddell, The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins, and Thanksgiving is for Giving Thanks by Margaret Sutherland. We’ll make egg carton caterpillars, family portraits, and handprint turkeys, among other projects, and do some yummy themed baking, too. So far, snack time and outside play seem to be our favorite times of day. We’ll keep going outside as much as we can, so please dress warmly!

Jack Frost tapped at the windowpane
He knocked at the door with his icicle cane
Excuse me I said, but the door’s shut tight
I’d rather you not come in tonight
So he wrote his name all over the glass
And the children sneezed “Achooo!”
As they heard him pass.