Here are a few pictures from our exciting trip to the Berkshire Museum on Tuesday. Preschool took part in the Math In Motion program with Curtis Asch. We also visited the Aquarium, the Dinosaur Room and the Berkshire Backyard Room.
It was a great day!
Hi Everyone,
Thank you so much for joining me to sit down and talk about your child’s experience in the Pre-Kindergarten Program. As I observe them at work and play, it is a marvel to see how much they have grown and matured since the very beginning of the school year.
We had a wonderful time of celebrating Read Across America and Dr. Seuss’ Birthday this week. In addition to talking about our favorite books and story topics, we also enjoyed reading many Dr. Seuss books. The children were very interested to learn that Dr. Seuss was a real person, as opposed to the character, the Cat in the Hat, that he created. On Tuesday, the children helped to make Cat in the Hat pins to wear for his Birthday. To make these, we dipped puzzle pieces in black glitter. Once dried, we added a piece of red yarn for his tie and a Cat in the Hat sticker for his hat. We also designed our own hats to celebrate the day.
One of the stories we read was There’s a Wocket in my Pocket, by Dr. Seuss. We decided to make our own rhyming book in Dr. Seuss’ style. We started by selecting a piece of furniture. The children then made up the name of a creature that rhymed with their furniture. They also selected a piece of clothing and the name of another creature that rhymed with the clothing. We will continue working on our illustrations next week. We are looking forward to sharing our book with you when it is complete.
We also had a number of guest readers this week. On Tuesday, Ms. Fishman read us Knufflebunny, by Mo Willems and McDuff Comes Home, by Rosemary Wells and Susan Jeffers. On Wednesday, Madame Whalen read Stand Tall Molly Lou Mellon, by Patty Lovell and David Catrow. On Thursday, Mr. Frantz read George the Gentle Giant. The children loved listening to members of our community read. We would like to continue this practice and invite all of you to schedule a surprise visit to read us a story.
On Thursday, we celebrated Daniel’s Star Day. Daniel turned 5 last week. Joining us for our Morning Meeting were his mom, Lisa and his dad, Alex. We learned that he has a very large family and a pet named “Cokie.” When he was a baby, he liked to go for walks in his stroller. Now that he is five, he likes to have afternoon playdates at the Stockbridge Playground. His favorite food is cereal and when he goes to Arizona on vacation, he likes to swim with his Pa to the waterfall, everyday! He also shared a beautiful Lego castle he made with his mom, a Bakagong, his baby book and a giant Star Board decorated with photos of Daniel as a brand new baby and lots of pictures of his family. One of the class’ favorite pictures was of Daniel at about two years old with a diaper on his head as he was toting a flashlight! Lisa read us two of Daniel’s favorite books. One book was an Easy Reader, about Star Wars, and the other was The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry and the Big Hungry Bear, by Don Wood. For an after lunch snack we enjoyed fresh watermelon and peeled carrots with the tops still on! Yummy! Thank you Alex and Lisa! Happy Star Day, Daniel!
This Tuesday, we will join the B3s and Kindergarten on a trip to the Berkshire Museum. We will have an early snack at school and board the bus by 9:30am. Our program, Math in Motion, will begin at 10:00am. At 10:45, we will be able to explore the dinosaur dig site and the aquarium. At 11:30am, we will have lunch in the museum’s lunch room. We expect to be back at BCD between 12:30pm and 12:45pm. Please be sure to include proper utensils and napkins in your child’s lunch.
More Books we Read:
By Dr. Seuss:
Other Books:
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Have a Nice Weekend!
Ellie
Hello Families! The B3’s had a very busy week. We had lots of outside time time, did some painting and celebrated a new month and two birthdays. It was also international Read Across America Week, so there was lots of reading and special readers.
Devan's Birthday Celebration.
We started our week with the changing of our calendar; saying goodbye to February and hello to March. The children are excited to see the months change and how quickly this school year has been going. We have also been learning more about colors and painted with green water colors on two different types of paper. They had fun and worked for a long time on each paper, creating monsters, walls and designs.
Devan turned 4 on Thursday and we celebrated by having his mom, Sue, come and share a photo album and some story books with us. Devan was dressed in his traditional birthday outfit and looked very handsome. We learned that when Devan was younger, he used to live in Chicago,he liked to hide under tables and had a very special naming ceremony when he was a month old. His mom also brought in a fruit and veggie platter, along with cookies and cupcakes to share. Thank you Sue and Happy Birthday, Devan!!
The children’s homework this month is to decorate a paper square blue. The children love to see the many unique ways that their classmate complete their homework. These are due on Tuesday the 9th and thank you for participating.
A HUGE thank you to all the families who ordered from this past round of book orders. The Preschool classroom earned 24 books, a puzzle and a math game, along with 1990 bonus points!! Mrs. Atwater and I love the support and the dedication you display to us and our classrooms. We also feel like ‘kids in a candy store’ when we get to order new books to share with the children. Thank You!
This Tuesday, we will join PreK and Kindergarten on a trip to the Berkshire Museum. We will have an early snack at school and board the bus or cars by 9:30a.m. Our program, Math in Motion, will begin at 10:00a.m. At 10:45, we will be able to explore the dinosaur dig site and the aquarium. At 11:30a.m, we will have lunch in the museum’s lunch room. We expect to be back at BCD between 12:30p.m. and 12:45p.m. Please be sure to include proper utensils and napkins in your child’s lunch.
Some of the many books we read during Read Across America Week were:
Dr. Seuss’s ABC
And To Think That I Saw It On Mulberry Street
Oh the Thinks You can Think
My Many Colored Days
The Cat in the Hat
One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
There’s a Wocket in my Pocket!
The Shape of Me and Other Stuff
Gerald McBoing Boing, all by Dr. Suess
Looking for Leprechauns, by Sheila Keenan
Ms. Fishman reads to us!
Reminders:
IMPORTANT DATES:
Busy Builders in the B3 room!
Enjoy your weekend, Joni
Dear Families, I just wanted to share a quick note to fill you in on what has been going on in our room. We had a very short week with lots of playing and exploring. There are new toys and activities in the Preschool rooms and the children have really enjoyed having time to play with them. Over the next few weeks we will continue to learn about colors and shapes. We will also celebrate Dr. Seuss’ Birthday on Tuesday March 2nd. If you have any of his books or just a favorite book you would like to share with the class, please bring it in, with your name in it. Thank you for signing up for a conference, I am looking forward to speaking with you. There are 3 containers in the cubbie room from one of our celebrations, please check to see if they belong to you family.
Dates to Note:
Making Lanterns for the Chinese New Year
Happy March! Joni
Hi Everyone!
Pre K has expanded their exploration of tools this week. We have talked about the fact that tools help us get jobs done more easily and quickly. In the Science Corner, we have left some of the science tools and displayed some kitchen tools, such as tongs; an ice cream scoop; measuring spoons, mixing spoons and a spatula. We also have some over-sized plastic nuts and bolts, tools puzzles and tool sewing cards in the puzzles and game area. Next week, we will explore tools for cleaning and tools we use in the bathroom. We will also try out some real hardware tools.
On Tuesday, Doria Pollinger joined the class to help us create something very beautiful for the Class Auction, which will be held in April. We will give you a little hint as to what Doria is helping us create. Each of the children selected a different color fabric ink. After painting his or her hand with the ink, Doria helped them make a hand print on black velvet cloth. We cannot wait to see what she will do with the finished product. Keep your eyes out for this special auction which will include creations from all of the classes at BCD.
Tuesday was also the 100th day of school! All morning long, the children were counting various sets of one hundred. They also used the Cuisinière Rods to explore one hundred. We counted 100 animals; 100 pegs; 100 playing cards and 100 wooden shapes! We also learned the song “We Can Count by 10’s Up to 100.”
Madame Siegel returned to school this week. As a special treat, the children sang her “Frère Jacques.” They were very excited and asked her where her bébé, George, was!
On Thursday, Laura Gratz and Jenney Smith joined Miss Guerette and the class, as I had an early morning appointment. Miss Guerette reports that the children had the opportunity to explore more of the new blocks and materials, which was greatly appreciated by all.
On Friday, the children made rainbows out of all sorts of materials and toys. Earlier in the week they met Red Robot, from Letterland. Red Robot gets around on red roller skates and he robs people of their belongings! He is quite the rascal. Next week we will meet Sammy Snake. I wonder what Sammy likes to eat for snack?
Thank you for signing up for Parent/Teacher Conferences, I look forward to meeting with you on Thursday and Friday of next week.
Books we Read:
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Happy March!
Ellie
Hello Families! We had a sweet short week filled with fun! Wednesday was Alaska Day and Thursday we had a chance to play inside and outside and do some painting. Our French and Music class was held as a large group which was very fun. Thank you to everyone who contributed snacks to our hungry preschoolers over the past two weeks, we all enjoy our ‘buffet snacks’. Our block area has been transformed, we have big red blocks now! These are great for castle building. The children enjoy using these big blocks much more than the smaller wooden blocks. The dinosaurs have been put away and over the next few weeks we will exploring colors, shapes and our names.
We hope that you enjoyed our Mid-Winter Break. Mother Nature was kind enough to provide us with some fresh snow to make our Alaska Day adventures even more special. First thing in the morning, we joined Lower School for a slide show about Alaska, which was presented by Mr. Frantz. The show included photographs of the frozen tundra in the winter and in the warmer months. We also saw many animals that live in the air, on the land and in the water in Alaska. We also saw pictures of the people who live in Alaska participating in traditional activities, such as playing games, fishing, making totem poles and working together. After the slide show, the children did a quick walk-about to see the scavenger hunt that included information about Alaskan facts that were introduced during the slide show. After a yummy fruit, cheese and cracker snack, we bundled up and headed outdoors where it was festively flurrying. We played an Alaskan game of kicking a ball that is attached to a string; we visited the bonfire and watched as I roasted marshmallows for the children; we went sledding on air tubes down the hill by the pond and we made snow angels and painted them with colored water in spray containers. We also did “Sled Dog Races,” by pulling one another by a rope tied to a snow tube. Just before we came in, we went to the First Grade classroom and we used Sharpies to make wooden totem poles. It was great fun!
Since we were not here on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, we painted tubes with the three colors of Mardi Gras: green, gold, and purple. We talked about recycling and these cool projects are on display in the block area. Preschool all joined together for French class to watch two short videos; Three Billy Goats Gruff and Town Mouse, City Mouse. We will be joining the rest of the BCD community to watch the 5th grade act these out on Friday morning. The videos we watched can be viewed at home by visiting Maria Whalen’s blog and clicking on 5th Grade( on the left); then on the right hand side the last two entries: La Rate de Ville et la Rate de Champs, once this one is open, click the butterfly to turn the pages and the mouse to have him read it to you. Les Trois Boucs Bourrus, click the snail to turn the page and the deer to read it to you. If you click the little goat it will animate the page. Enjoy! We finished learning about Mardi Gras and handed out beads. Starting next week, Madame Siegel will return to teach French for the rest of the year. It has been a pleasure for me to teach French to your children for the past few months. Au revoir mes amis!
Today, we talked about The Chinese New Year, which officially began on Sunday, February 14th. We read the story, “My First Chinese New Year,” by Karen Katz. From the story, we learned that people wear the color red for good luck and happiness, clean their houses to sweep out the old bad luck and get their houses clean for the good luck being brought by the new year. They also give children red envelopes filled with money, for good luck. They also join together with family to prepare and eat a big meal and some attend parades. After Library, where Mr. Uhas also talked about the Chinese New Year, the children made traditional red paper lanterns, decorated with gold paper.
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Hold on tight!
Alaska Day Fun
Coloring our Totem Poles
Hi Everyone!
We have managed to fit a wonderful amount of learning and fun into a very short week. We hope that you enjoyed our Mid-Winter Break. Mother Nature was kind enough to provide us with some fresh snow to make our Alaska Day on Wednesday even more special. First thing in the morning, we joined Lower School for a slide show about Alaska, which was presented by Mr. Frantz. The show included photographs of the frozen tundra in the winter and in the warmer months. We also saw many animals that live in the air, on the land and in the water in Alaska. In addition, there were pictures of the people who live in Alaska participating in traditional activities, such as playing games, fishing, making totem poles and working together. Next the children did a quick walk-about to see the scavenger hunt that included information about Alaskan facts that were introduced during the slide show. After a yummy fruit, cheese and cracker snack, we bundled up and headed outdoors. We played an Alaskan game of kicking a ball that is attached to a string; we visited the bonfire and watched Miss Guerette roast marshmallows for us; we went sledding on air tubes down the hill by the pond and we made snow angels and painted them with colored water in spray containers. We also did “Sled Dog Races,” by pulling one another by a rope tied to a snow tube. Just before we came in, we visited First Grade, where we used Sharpies to make wooden totem poles. It was great fun!
Since we were not here on Mardi Gras, or Fat Tuesday, we made Mardi Gras masks on Thursday. Preschool all joined together for French class to watch two short French videos; Three Billy Goats Gruff and Town Mouse, City Mouse. We joined the rest of the BCD community to watch the 5th grade French Class act them out on Friday morning. The videos we watched can be viewed at home by visiting Maria Whalen’s blog and clicking on 5th Grade (on the left); then on the right hand side the last two entries: La Rate de Ville et La Rate de Champs. Once this is open, click the butterfly to turn the pages and the mouse to have him read it to you. Les Trois Boucs Bourrus, click the snail to turn the page and the deer to read it to you. If you click the little goat it will animate the page. Enjoy! The children finished learning about Mardi Gras and we handed out beads. Starting next week, Madame Siegel will return to teach French for the rest of the year. Joni reports that it has been a pleasure for her to teach French to your children for the past few months. She says “Au revoir mes amis!”
Also on Thursday, we introduced the large wooden hollow blocks. We talked about how we can play in a safe way with them so that we lessen the chances of anyone getting hurt. We also discussed how we will store them when they are not in use and what we can make with them. Another very exciting new activity is the Marble Track Game. In the Math Corner, we introduced a game involving small pegs and small Legos.
Thursday afternoon, the children helped me as we packed up the dinosaurs and dinosaur games and we made them all extinct! We reviewed some of the theories scientists have made concerning why the dinosaurs went extinct. Our Pretend Area will go back to being a house, but it will include some hardware tools, like hammers, screw drivers, paint brushes and buckets.
Today, we talked about The Chinese New Year, which officially began on Sunday, February 14th. We read the story, “My First Chinese New Year,” by Karen Katz. From the story, we learned that people wear the color red for good luck and happiness, clean their houses to sweep out the old bad luck and get their houses clean for the good luck being brought by the new year. They also give children red envelopes filled with money, for good luck. Things, such as oranges and apples in pairs. After Library, where Mr. Uhas also talked about the Chinese New Year, the children made traditional red paper lanterns, decorated with gold paper.
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Have a Great Weekend!
Ellie
Our week was all about love, friendship and preparing for our Valentine’s Day Party. We talked about being friends and how we can show one another that we are friends. Our art project was decorating our bags that would hold our Valentines. The children had a great time with the heart stickers and we will include stickers in future art projects.
Our Preschool Valentine’s Day Party was fantastic! The children were thrilled to reach in and pull out each new Valentine. Mrs. Atwater and I were very busy running about and helping the children read their cards. We can tell that everyone put a lot of work and time into their Valentines. The wonderful Valentine treats were incredibly beautiful on the table and yummy to eat! Thank you to everyone for your contributions. The children had so much fun selecting snacks from the ‘buffet’! We would also like to thank all of the Preschool Families for our teacher gifts, cards and the beautiful plants.
The children are almost ready to preform their French song! I am so proud of them and how well they are memorizing the song and movements. Our Thursday class was all about reviewing the vocabulary that I have introduced over the past 3 months. The children can all count to 10, know family members, colors and many other words and concepts. Next week we will focus on Mardi Gras!
The Mardi Gras French Plays have been rescheduled for next Friday the 19th at 8:30a.m. Please arrive at school by 8:10a.m. so that we can arrive for the performance on time.
Due to our “Snow Day,” Alaska Day has been rescheduled for Wednesday, February 17th. Please try to arrive at school by 8:10a.m. so that we may join the rest of the school in Furey Hall for a slide show about Alaska at 8:20a.m. Don’t forget to be sure your child dresses warm and has all of their outdoor gear.
We would like to thank Patrick and his dad, Paul, for their thoughtful donation of two books, “Dino-Hockey” and “Dino-Soccer,” to our classroom collection of dinosaur books. Patrick visited us last week and was pleasantly surprised to see that we were studying dinosaurs. He and his dad thought we might enjoy reading these fun stories. Thank you Patrick and Paul!
Scholastic Book orders are due Thursday, February 18th. There are 4 different sheets to chose from, and if you have any questions, please contact Miss Guerette. We will send these orders out by Friday the 19th so that they are delivered before our March Break. Thank you so much for these orders. Our Bonus Points are growing thanks to you!
Some of the books we read:
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Have a great long weekend! Joni
Warm Greetings Everyone!
Throughout the week, the preparation for and anticipation of Valentine’s Day has filled our days with warm thoughts of our friends and families. We have learned a number of Valentine songs and fingerplays. We also had a Valentine scavenger hunt. Art projects included tracing hearts and painting them with red and purple sparkle paint; making Love Bugs from pre-cut hearts; Valentine bookmarks for our Second Grade Peer Readers and decorating white paper bags to keep our Valentines in.
Keep your eyes on your mailboxes for a very special delivery this week. We hope you enjoy the surprise! Ask your child to sing you the song that goes along with your surprise!
Our Valentine’s Day Party with the B3s was sweeter than sweet. The children were thrilled to reach in and pull out each new Valentine. Miss Guerette and I were very busy running about and helping the children read their cards. We can tell that everyone put a lot of work and time into their Valentines. The wonderful Valentine treats were incredibly beautiful on the table and yummy to eat! Thank you to everyone for your contributions. We would also like to thank all of the Preschool Families for our teacher gifts, cards and the beautiful plants.
This week, the children met the Queen of Letterland, Quarrelsome Queen. First, we talked about what it means to be quarrelsome. Then we went on to imagine why she felt that way. Quarrelsome Queen likes to work on her quizes (or crossword puzzles) in her “Quiet Room,” with her quill pen. She always has her royal umbrella close by. She also likes to eat quince and snuggle with her quilt. Next week we will meet Red Robot.
The Mardi Gras French Plays have been rescheduled for next Friday at 8:30am. Please arrive at school by 8:10am so that we can arrive for their performance on time.
Due to our “Snow Day,” Alaska Day has been rescheduled for this Wednesday, February 17th. Please try to arrive at school by 8:10am so that we may join the rest of the school in Furey Hall for a slide show about Alaska at 8:20am. Don’t forget to be sure your child dresses warm and has all of their outdoor gear.
We would like to thank Patrick and his dad, Paul, for their thoughtful donation of two books, “Dino-Hockey” and “Dino-Soccer,” to our classroom collection of dinosaur books. Patrick visited us last week and was pleasantly surprised to see that we were studying dinosaurs. He and his dad thought we might enjoy reading these fun stories. Thank-you Patrick and Paul!
Scholastic Book orders are due Thursday, February 18th. We will send these orders out by Friday so that they are delivered before our March Break. Thank you so much for these orders. Our Bonus Points are growing thanks to you!
Books We Read:
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Happy Valentine’s Day!
See you on Wednesday!
Ellie
Hi Everyone,
This week seems to have flown by! Punxsutawney Phil has proclaimed that he saw his shadow and therefore, there will be at least six more weeks of winter. (We knew that!) On Groundhog’s Day the children made pop-up groundhog puppets and we learned some silly groundhog finger plays and poems. Each child received a Groundhog Day book to take home. We also visited Phil’s website to see the actual announcement.
Also this week, we worked on a special project (TBA.) We also set up poster paint at the easel and we turned our Art Center into a Valentine Center. We have a special basket with Valentine rubber stamps and pads, words we may want to include in a special card for a friend or loved one and some special Valentine paper. I have found that providing the children with time and a variety of art materials to explore enables them to make their own special creations. As they work they talk of who this card or that picture will be for. They also make pictures and valentines for one another. It is a very sweet time in Pre K.
This week we met the Letterland character Peter Puppy. Peter loves playing in the Letterland park. He loves it when it rains, because then he can paddle in the puddles with the penguins. He also likes to pop into the pool with his puppy pals. He likes to eat peaches and pears with them and play “Pass the Parcel.” The children had fun trying to guess what was in Peter’s present. Next week we will meet Quarrelsome Queen and perhaps Red Robot.
On Thursday afternoon, in Miss Guerette’s absence, Viv Caputo, veteran music teacher and long time Music Department Head at BCD, joined us as a guest teacher. She taught us the song, “One Red Valentine.” Thank you for joining us, Mrs. Caputo.
In addition this week, our Peer Readers joined us on Wednesday and we joined Kindergarten in the gym on Friday. We love times that we have to integrate with other children on our campus.
In French class this week, the children have been learning about Mardi Gras. We learned about the three colors of Mardi Gras, purple, gold and green; about the King Cake with a hidden plastic baby; and about the beaded necklaces. We also read the tale Town Mouse, Country Mouse in preparation for the French play next week. We will be reading The Three Billy Goats Gruff next week to get ready for that play also. The Middle school French classes are putting these plays on the morning of Friday, February 12th at 8:30am, sharp, so please arrive at school by 8:15am.
BCD’s traditional Alaska Day will be held next Wednesday! This is a fun morning filled with traditional Alaskan activities, games and a slide show. We have indoor and outdoor activities, including s’mores at the bonfire by the pond! The children need all outdoor clothing, boots, hat, snow pants, gloves and a warm jacket to fully enjoy this fantastic day. We will be gathering with Lower School for a Morning Meeting and brief history of Alaska Day at 8:20 to kick off the morning, so please be at school by 8:10 a.m.
As stated in last week’s newsletter, we will have a Valentine’s Day party with the B3s on Thursday, February 11th. Children are invited to bring Valentines in for their classmates. If your child is going to bring in Valentines, please be sure that all of the B3s and Pre K students are included. Thank you for signing-up for party items. Everything is now accounted for. Please remember that if you are sending an edible valentine, do not send anything with peanuts or tree nuts. Thank you so much for your consideration to this matter. You may bring Valentines in beginning Wednesday, but we will not open them until our party on Thursday. Here is a list of the children’s names:
Beatrice Charles Daniel Gabriel Jolie
Olivia Petra Devan Gabrielle Jaidev
Lyle Margaret Max Ray Ruby
Miss Guerette has also sent home new book orders. There are two flyers from which to order books this month. Orders and payments should be in by Thursday, February 18th, so that the books will arrive before our March Break. Thank you so much for your orders. Our classroom collection of books has been nicely enriched because of the Bonus Points we earn each time.
Books we Read:
Reminders:
Dates to Note:
Have a Great Weekend!
Ellie
