March came in like a lamb (and then snowed a LOT the next day but nevermind that!)!! Spring is upon us! We will move through this month fast!
We will be finishing up our unit on the Solar System. The children have enjoyed everything they have learned (and I am sure you have learned some random Space Facts or jokes). Our buddies from Apollo 13 will be leaving us shortly :( The children worked hard on their Solar System, so I think we are going to leave that up.
We will be working on learning the letters W and I. We have also started looking at words that rhyme.
Fieldtrip to Sobeys: (NO siblings and limited parent volunteers as requested by Sobeys)
TTH AM class - Tuesday, March 12 930-11
MW AM class - Wednesday, March 13 930-11
TTH PM class - Tuesday, March 19 1-230
MW PM class - Wednesday, March 20 1-230
Easter/Spring Parties:
We will be having a small, low-key celebration to welcome Spring.
**MW PM class - Monday, March 18
MW AM class - Wednesday, March 20
TTH AM class - Thursday, March 21
TTH PM class - Thursday, March 21
Spring Break - March 23-April 1. Enjoy your time with your family!
Thanks to....Terri Parker/Ted Ryan (Bottle Drive), Pregitzer families (Family Dance) and Vertz Family (Family Dance). The Art Show and the Family Dance were successes! Thank you for being so involved in your children's education and community.
All the best!
~Meg
Tuesday, March 5, 2013
Monday, February 18, 2013
Family Dance - Saturday, February 23rd
Hello
A quick note to say thank you for all of your help on ensuring our parties went well and the Strathcona Capital Care residents received Valentine cards. I received an email from them thanking families for their wonderful cards.
Our annual "BriarPatch Family Dance" is this Saturday at Whitecroft Hall! Our parent volunteers have been working hard and it is sure to be an evening of laughter and lots of visiting. Tickets are on sale now!! Please ask Chynna or myself as we are selling them this week. $5/person or $15/family of four.
I hope you had a restful long weekend!
~Meghan
A quick note to say thank you for all of your help on ensuring our parties went well and the Strathcona Capital Care residents received Valentine cards. I received an email from them thanking families for their wonderful cards.
Our annual "BriarPatch Family Dance" is this Saturday at Whitecroft Hall! Our parent volunteers have been working hard and it is sure to be an evening of laughter and lots of visiting. Tickets are on sale now!! Please ask Chynna or myself as we are selling them this week. $5/person or $15/family of four.
I hope you had a restful long weekend!
~Meghan
Wednesday, February 6, 2013
Valentine's Day
I cannot believe it is almost Valentine's Day. Time is flying!
A couple things:
1) The deadline for the Valentine's cards for the residents at Capital Care is Friday, February 8th. I was missing a couple kids today, so I am okay if they come in Monday, February 11th. I would like to ensure that every resident will receive a card for their Valentine's Tea, so I will be doing the final count Monday. If we are short cards, I will ask a couple kids to make some cards at school.
2) Valentine's Day Parties - February 13/14th. Please wear red/white/purple and bring in cards for classmates. We will have a low-key party with some special little activities and a special snack.
3) Due to me being absent the past couple of days, we are behind in our Random Acts of Kindness project. We will work on completing our bookmarks and then getting them laminated. Please remember that this is to be done as a family. Talk about who your child could give their bookmark to and then approach that person together (or leave it for them). Some suggestions include - the newspaper carrier, the elderly widow/er down the street, the checkout person etc. My goal with this is to remind families that we are part of a community and we need to take the opportunity to reach out to people as we never know what they are dealing with - sometimes all it takes is a smile or a simple drawing by a child to lift spirits.
4) Field trip consent forms due next week (please return even if you are not planning on attending). Please get these in ASAP as we need to let WEM Sea Life Caverns know our numbers. Please have children at meeting spot 15 minutes before our scheduled time and ensure they have had an opportunity to use the washroom before hand. Please wear closed toed shoes. No snack is required. Thank you for your understanding on the no siblings and limited parent helpers. We will let everyone know once names have been drawn next week who will be assisting us.
5) We will be closed Monday, February 18th for Family Day.
6) Family Dance. Come out to Whitecroft Hall on Saturday, February 23rd. The BriarPatch will be having our annual dance from 5:30-9:30. Tickets will be on sale starting Monday, February 11th. Parent volunteers have been working hard on this event and it is sure to be a fun evening.
7) Field trip to Sobeys in March. Information about this will be out soon.
8) Reminder that Spring Break is March 23rd- April 1st. I will be out of the country for this break and will not be returning to class until April 9th. Jen Mills and/or Cheryl Roberts will be covering for me during that first week of April. If you have any questions or need to let us know anything during this time, please email/phone Cheryl. Jen Mills is a teacher (and parent of two BriarPatch kids) with a Zoology background and has offered to share her knowledge with our kids that week.
I would like to thank everyone for your support. As many of you know, I had a tough Fall for personal reasons and have been under the weather the last little while. I appreciate knowing that there are many kind and considerate people behind our work at the BriarPatch. Enjoy February! Mr. Groundhog believes Spring is almost here!
"May you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends that care!"
~Meghan Hetherington
A couple things:
1) The deadline for the Valentine's cards for the residents at Capital Care is Friday, February 8th. I was missing a couple kids today, so I am okay if they come in Monday, February 11th. I would like to ensure that every resident will receive a card for their Valentine's Tea, so I will be doing the final count Monday. If we are short cards, I will ask a couple kids to make some cards at school.
2) Valentine's Day Parties - February 13/14th. Please wear red/white/purple and bring in cards for classmates. We will have a low-key party with some special little activities and a special snack.
3) Due to me being absent the past couple of days, we are behind in our Random Acts of Kindness project. We will work on completing our bookmarks and then getting them laminated. Please remember that this is to be done as a family. Talk about who your child could give their bookmark to and then approach that person together (or leave it for them). Some suggestions include - the newspaper carrier, the elderly widow/er down the street, the checkout person etc. My goal with this is to remind families that we are part of a community and we need to take the opportunity to reach out to people as we never know what they are dealing with - sometimes all it takes is a smile or a simple drawing by a child to lift spirits.
4) Field trip consent forms due next week (please return even if you are not planning on attending). Please get these in ASAP as we need to let WEM Sea Life Caverns know our numbers. Please have children at meeting spot 15 minutes before our scheduled time and ensure they have had an opportunity to use the washroom before hand. Please wear closed toed shoes. No snack is required. Thank you for your understanding on the no siblings and limited parent helpers. We will let everyone know once names have been drawn next week who will be assisting us.
5) We will be closed Monday, February 18th for Family Day.
6) Family Dance. Come out to Whitecroft Hall on Saturday, February 23rd. The BriarPatch will be having our annual dance from 5:30-9:30. Tickets will be on sale starting Monday, February 11th. Parent volunteers have been working hard on this event and it is sure to be a fun evening.
7) Field trip to Sobeys in March. Information about this will be out soon.
8) Reminder that Spring Break is March 23rd- April 1st. I will be out of the country for this break and will not be returning to class until April 9th. Jen Mills and/or Cheryl Roberts will be covering for me during that first week of April. If you have any questions or need to let us know anything during this time, please email/phone Cheryl. Jen Mills is a teacher (and parent of two BriarPatch kids) with a Zoology background and has offered to share her knowledge with our kids that week.
I would like to thank everyone for your support. As many of you know, I had a tough Fall for personal reasons and have been under the weather the last little while. I appreciate knowing that there are many kind and considerate people behind our work at the BriarPatch. Enjoy February! Mr. Groundhog believes Spring is almost here!
"May you always have love to share, health to spare, and friends that care!"
~Meghan Hetherington
Thursday, January 31, 2013
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
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
Sunday, January 13, 2013
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
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
Thursday, January 3, 2013
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
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
Wednesday, December 12, 2012
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
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
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