December 2012

November came and went.  We had a great trip to the library and look forward to the fieldtrips planned for 2013. 

I would like to take this opportunity to thank everyone for contributing and attending the BriarPatch Bake Walk.  It was a success and I hope enjoyed by all.  I met many grandparents and thank you for sharing this event with your friends and family.  Thank you to all the volunteers who ensured the tables were always filled with a good assortment of treats.

This month, we are learning the letters D and R.  I have been impressed with the children remembering the majority of the sounds and recognizing some of these sounds in our day to day words. 

The "Take Home Teddy Bears" continue to be a hit with the children.  I think I am going to do another round of family visits as the children really seem to enjoy their time with the classroom bear and being able to share a bit of school with their family and friends.

The kids drew names last week and will be purchasing a small gift ($5 under) that will be accompanied with a home made card.  Gift exchanges will be held at the Christmas parties December 19-20th - please remember to have the children wear pjs.  If you are attending the parties, please wear your pjs too as Chynna and I will be wearing our best flannel those days :)  (Just another day in our building...one day the preschool teacher is wandering around in a ladybug costime and the next she's wearing pjs)  Also, we have a little less than a week to collect socks for the Mustard Seed.  Please include your children in both of these purchases and have a discussion about how it feels good to give to others and there are some people that need a little help.

The Christmas party will consist of regular circle time, some play with the opportunity to make a card, decorate an ornament and tree.  We will then have our special snack, exchange gifts and finish the day with one last story.  This is a busy time of the year and so I have made the day look a little different but have kept it somewhat low-key.

I hope you have a wonderful holiday season with lots of visiting with friends and family.  I also wish you some down time with your loved ones.  Catch up on that sleep!  (Can you guess what I have planned for the two weeks haha).  We will see everyone back in class the week of January 7th.

Merry Christmas!! All the best in 2013!

~Meghan

November message from Meghan

Hello!
 

Time has flown by! It is already the middle of November and I am very pleased with where the kids are now. I have seen some of my shy kids making friends and starting to feel comfortable away from Mom and Dad. The routine of our day-to-day activities has set in and there is a ton of learning taking place. Thank you for being patient and trusting with how I handled the first day/month jitters.

 

We have been busy learning our numbers through an activity where we "air-write" them using rhymes and then reviewing them every day with calendar. We have also covered the letters M,P, T and B and will be learning V and N by months end.

 

Last month, we had a very successful trip to the Fire Hall. I was very proud of how the children behaved. The firemen and EMT were great with your children and we appreciate them sharing their time and knowledge with us. I know for a couple little guys in our program, firemen are right up there with Batman and Spiderman and I know that short visit meant so much to them.

 

This month, we will be heading to the library to participate in a little program run by the librarians. If you haven't figured me out yet, I love books and especially children's books so I look forward to this trip. I don't think I need to stress the importance of reading to you but please know how important it is. Phonemic awareness, tone, sequencing and being imaginative are just a couple of the reasons reading to a child is important, not to mention the fact that it provides an opportunity for you and your child to be together in a "non-plugged in" situation. I invite any parent helpers to share a beloved book with the kids at the last circle time as I really believe it is important for children to not only hear stories told in another voice but also to see as many adults reading as they can.
 

Mark December 8th on your calendars with pen! The children have been helping me make posters and will be helping decorate jars in the upcoming weeks in preparation of our "BriarPatch BakeWalk". We are asking that families donate 4 dozen festive/ethnic nut free and home-made cookies to this event. My hope for this event is that it will have families coming together to bake the goods, and then come out with your friends, family and community to purchase your holiday baking in the preschool. The BriarPatch Preschool is part of the BriarPatch Family Education Centre, and as such we want to do a community type activity. There will be ornaments for kids to decorate while their families purchase their baking and hot chocolate on hand. Please share with us your home made baking and bring people out to see our centre and get some yummy treats. Sign-up sheets are up and Alicia and Cori (two parents from the Board) have been working hard getting this planned.

 

Thank you for all of your time and contributions thus far. Educating children is a team effort and I really appreciate knowing that I have your support.

 

Thanks for sharing your little ones with me too. I enjoy the stories, the art, the play and the laughter.
 

Have a great November!!
 

Meghan

Gearing up for the new year!

The BriarPatch Community Preschool is in a bit of a shambles right now. We've torn apart the classroom, created piles of items that need to be sorted, organized, donated or tossed. We've got lists of tasks to complete over the summer and calendars laid out to fill up for the year. We're contemplating painting the walls and the wood furniture, growing new plants and making new tags for the coat hooks. We're planning our field trips, checking our fire extinguishers and making sure the ads are posted for our programs. It's a busy time at the 'Patch!

If you happen to pop by over the summer, please know we are working away and everything will soon be back in it's place. We can't wait to have all our new families start in just 8 short weeks. And looking forward to seeing many families faces who are returning for their second year at our preschool.

Enjoy these hot summer days and check back often for our updated news and events!