St. Luke’s Preschool Newsletter September 2014

The first month of preschool is a magical time of new beginnings, new discoveries, new experiences, making new friends, and learning new things. It is also a time of growing, rekindling friendships, building on developing skills, and deepening understandings of concepts and ideas. We will offer the children a variety of materials and enriching opportunities throughout the year to maintain their excitement and curiosity and expand their learning. Our focus during these first weeks has been on getting to know each other, making the children feel welcome and comfortable, building community, and establishing daily routines. Our first study has been an exploration of life “Under the Ground”. We have some critters in our room to help us – 3 salamanders in a terrarium and a jar full of Red Wiggler worms. We also have some Sweet Potato Vines growing in water so that we can see the roots growing. The children looked for ants outside and discussed how ants work together to care for their community in their tunnels under ground. They printed ants with 3 body parts and 6 legs each as they practiced their counting to make their pictures more scientific.

Worm Observations

Jocelyn- “He’s playing in the water. He wants a swimming pool.” Cameron- “He’s getting longer.” Jocelyn- “He’s going home.” Ella- “It’s slimy.” Owen- “The worms smell. He’s turning around.”

Recipe for dirt cups: 1. First crush cookies in baggie with hands. 2. Pour cold milk into bowl with chocolate pudding mix. 3. Beat with a whisk for 2 minutes. 4. Let stand for 5 minutes. 5. Gently stir in whipped topping. 6. Place 1 tablespoon of crushed cookies into bottom of cup. 7. Fill cups with pudding mixture, top with crushed cookies and gummy worm. 8. Eat and enjoy.

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Dirt Discoveries “We’re planting seeds. I’m putting a sign up next to my plant to tell me what I planted. Look what’s growing now? I planted a flower and it’s called a daisy.” -Elizabeth “Look at all the soil I found! Before you put a seed in the ground you put a hole in the ground. Rake, rake, rake. Flowers, flowers, flowers.” -Ella “It can be like a garden. I’m going to measure the dirt.” -Elle “I know how to grow a flower. You need a seed, cover it with dirt, give it water and sun.” -Priya “I’m making cupcakes.” -Ellie “We’re scooping.” -Molloy “We’re moving the dirt out of the way to make a road.” -Marco “This truck is plowing out everything.” -Henry

Religion Lessons The preschool students took our SLS Theme for the year “Growing with Grit and Grace” a bit literally as we opened our Religion Lessons with dirt and God’s underground creatures. While studying ants and worms the children learned that no matter how small or plain a creature is God made each with it's own special purpose in our world. They also learned what Grace is and how it can grow by sharing our gifts, love and kindness with others. The children learned to say the Grace at Meals and about the Sign of the Cross. The Circle Time prayer has been a moment of thanking God for the day and this past week we began a prayer in sign language. God made the sun, God made the tree, God made the mountain, and God made me.

The 8th Grade Buddy program is underway with all preschool students. Buddies have begun coming to the preschool first thing each morning one or two at a time to get to know their assigned preschool buddy and experience how the preschool works. This month the 8th grade students will learn a lesson to teach their buddies as well as take them to their first SLS Mass on October 17. Our preschool students and 8th graders delight in working together through this year-long association. THERE WILL BE A BUDDY PICNIC FOR 4 YEAR OLDS ON FRIDAY, OCTOBER 17 FROM 11:30-12:00 IN THE SLS CAFETERIA. PLEASE HAVE YOUR CHILD BRING A BOXED LUNCH AND TOWEL. IF YOUR CHILD DOES NOT STAY ALL DAY ON FRIDAYS PLEASE PLAN TO PICK YOUR CHILD UP AT NOON INSTEAD OF 11:15. THANK YOU!

Our first ever Parent Circle Gathering was held on the SLS Meet the Teachers Night, September 25. Several parents attended to hear about our preschool curriculum, ask questions about our program and discuss ideas for future Parent Circle Gatherings. If you have any thoughts on future topics please drop the teachers a note with your suggestions. We hope to have a gathering each quarter. The second one is tentatively set for Tuesday, November 18 at 6:30.

“The teacher’s aim is to empower children to explore the world and create meaning. The teacher’s motive is to validate the children’s curiosity, challenge their thinking, and facilitate their pleasure in connecting with the world and constructing understandings.” -Karen Haigh, from We Are All Explorers

The overhead and light table are big attractions in the preschool for the exploration of light. Elizabeth, with Cyanna- “ Do you like our building? It’s Providence PPAC where Sesame Street Live is.”

Euan- “I’m making a laser building. The wheels go around and you pull on the sticks to make it go.” Cole- “We’re fixing beds for the animals.” -pointing to the slabs of wood Marco- “These are tents for the animals for when it rains.”

Persistence

BOOKS READ IN SEPTEMBER: Timothy Goes to School, Rosemary Wells Preschool Day Hooray!, Linda Strauss The Hello, Goodbye Window, Norton Juster I’ll Always Come Back, Steve Metzger Kisses, Nanda Roep Sharing, How Kindness Grows, Fran Shaw Owen, Kevin Henkes The Very Clumsy Click Beetle, Eric Carle Worms, Ann Heinrichs Wiggly Worm, Wendy Lewison Wonderful Worms, Linda Glaser Wiggling Worms at Work, Wendy Pfeller “Walter the Waltzing Worm”, Hap Palmer Salamander’s Room, Anne Mazer Mole’s Hill, Lois Ehlert Where’s Little Mole?, Inez Greene Homes in the Ground, Mary Reid Under the Ground, Anna Milbourne & Serena Riglietti Underground, Denise Fleming The Ants Go Marching One By One, Richard Bernal Hey, Little Ant, Phillip Hoose Two Bad Ants, Chris Van Allsburg Dig A Tunnel, Ryan Hunter The Enormous Potato, Aubrey Davis The Enormous Carrot, Vladimir Vagin Cecil’s Garden, Holly Keller Rah, Rah, Radishes! April Sayre The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Eric Carle (& Spanish) The Very Busy Spider, Eric Carle (& Spanish) Mud Puddle, Robert Munsch Max Cleans Up, Rosemary Wells Dig, Dig, Digging, Margot Mayo

SAVE THE DATES: No School Monday, October 13.

Sign up sheets for October 30 & 31 Fall Parent Conferences will be available in the preschool beginning Tuesday, October 14.

All SLS Book Fair will be October 29-31 at the Main Building. A Wish List will be up in the Pre-K Cubby Room with books we have requested at the fair.

Preschool Family Night Open House is Thursday, October 16. We ask families of three year olds to attend from 5:30 to 6:15. Families of four year olds are encouraged to attend from 6:15 to 7:00. Times are staggered to avoid crowding and make your child more comfortable while showing you around his/her school. This is the time to bring guests, grandparents and siblings to the preschool with your child.

No School Tuesday, November 4 and 11. School ends for the Thanksgiving Holidays at 11:30 on Wednesday, November 26.