February 2013

We started 2013 off learning about the solar system.  The children have amazed me with their knowledge and retention of the material.  All four classes helped create our solar system and rocket.

We also had an enjoyable visit from "Yoga in My School".  The children enjoyed escaping from our cold snap for a brief time to find ourselves on a beach or meeting animals from the story "The Mitten".

This month, we will celebrate Valentine's Day and remind ourselves what it means to be a kind and responsible person.  Children will be making a Valentine's Day card for the Capital Care residents at home (due February 8th).  The children are encouraged to bring in Valentine cards for all their friends on their party day.  We will be working on our Random Acts of Kindness bookmarks as well, they will be sent home with the kids to give to someone.  We will also continue with our Solar System unit.

Reminder that February 25/26th is our field trip to the West Edmonton Mall Sea Life Caverns.  Permission slips will be going home the first week of February.  We will be meeting at the mall.  We will only require one to two parent volunteers per class depending on how many students we have.  Siblings will not be allowed on this one as space is limited.  We will be drawing the names of parents who will be helping on the field trip February 12th.  If your name was not drawn for parent helper and you would still like to come, you are welcome to but will have to pay the entrance fee.
Heads up for March - we will have a field trip to Sobeys.  Spring Break is March 23-April 1.

Thanks.
~Meghan

Yoga at the end of the month

Hi

I would like to apologize for the change of plans regarding the field trip to Family Fitness World.  Unfortunately, the original agreement has changed and the Board and I decided to cancel our bookings with them.

I have booked a yoga instructor to come in for 30 minutes on the last class of the month.    I took a professional development session with the instructor and really enjoyed the class and took a lot away from it.  She focuses on making yoga fun for children by incorporating stories and songs.  The sessions will take place at the preschool, so classes will go on as usual (regular start time and pick up time).

The yoga instructor will be in:

Wednesday,  January 30th

AM class will be at 10:30-11

PM class will be at 1-1:30

Thursday, January 31st

AM class will be at 10:30-11

PM class will be at 1-1:30

Please ensure children are wearing clothes that they can easily move around in.

*Afternoon classes:  We will be doing our first circle time at 12:45.  Please ensure you are in the class at that time so that the children can get a heads up as to the plan for the day since our day will look a little different.

Thank you for your understanding.  I really appreciate it and look forward to this in-class field trip.

~Meghan

January 2013

Happy New Year!


I trust everyone had a lovely break. Welcome back! Thank you for being such great team players in everything we did last month. The Bake-Walk, Sock Drive, gift exchange and parties were successful and we thank you for everything!

We will spend the first week of class getting reacquainted with our daily routine. Two weeks doesn’t seem like a lot of time for us over 4, but for the children it is. We are also welcoming some new friends in some of our classes, so a little refresher will benefit all.

My letter in the January newsletter will be more detailed about what is happening in the classroom, so please stay tuned.

This month in the classroom:

We will be learning the letters S, A and K. We will also be starting our unit on the Solar System towards the middle of the month.

I have decided to learn about the Solar System after listening and watching the children during their play. I have some activities planned but am waiting to see what the children want to learn about.  An element of the Reggio teaching philosophy is that children direct their learning.  I am excited to see where our learning goes with this theme.


Fieldtrips:

We will be going to the West Edmonton Mall Sea Caverns at the end of February. Information will be sent out about this next month. Please note that we will be letting you know how many parent volunteers we need. Extra supervisors over this number are welcome but at a cost of ten dollars to you. Also, unfortunately due to the size of venue, we are not allowed siblings and/or strollers on this fieldtrip.

Feb 25th @ 9:30-11.00 am Mon/Wed AM

Feb 25th @ 1–2.30 pm Mon/Wed PM

Feb 26th @ 9.30-11.00 am Tue/Thur AM

Feb 26th @ 1-2.30 pm Tue/Thur PM

Reminders:

We are NUT-FREE. We have a little guy with a severe nut allergy.

Ensure you are still reading the easel outside of the class and signing children in and out for the day.

Please take a look at your children’s shoes to ensure they still fit and they have a change of clothes in their bag. Also, take a look at the “Lost and Found” box located just under the easel.
We are still in the wet winter months; please ensure boots are taken off outside the class to ensure safety for the children and longevity of the floor.

I have updated our materials "Wish List", please take a quick look on the website to see if you have any of these things at home.  I appreciate it!

Thanks! Here is to a great 2013!


~Meghan

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!

New Open House Date:

The BriarPatch Community Preschool has a few spaces left in a couple of our classes. To fill them up, we're having an Open House & Registration Night on Wednesday, August 17th, 2011 from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Come out & tour the centre, meet our wonderful teacher & register for this upcoming school year or put your child on our wait list for upcoming years.

If you are unable to attend this Open House but would be interested in checking out our program, please leave a voice mail on our phone (780.464.3217) or send an email to briarpatchkids@shaw.ca. We look forward to hearing from you!