LETTER OF THE WEEK: S
Welcome to the 3 – 4 Year Old Class. The boys and girls had a fantastic first day of preschool. They were very excited to see their old friends, make new friends, play with our toys, read books, put puzzles together, and interact with the teachers. On the first day, they learned how to put their pictures on the picture boards, sing two morning songs, count the kids, and look at the calendar and dress the Weather Bear. The children learned these letter S words: school, smile, September, snake, sun, and our friend, Stella. We read My New School by Harriet Hains. This book tells about some of the activities that children participate in while they are in school. The book shows children creating art projects, building with blocks, listening to a story, playing at the sandbox, and having fun outdoors. For our first art project, the boys and girls made Shabbat placemats that they will use every Friday while they are eating snack. They also enjoyed outdoor bike-riding on such a beautiful day. After lunch, we sang “Shalom Chavarim”, which means “Goodbye to My Friends”. What a fantastic way to start the new school year!
On Tuesday, at circle time, the children learned that “Boker Tov” means “Good Morning” in Hebrew. As we sang, “The More We Get Together”, the children in the circle smiled for the letter S. We made a letter S in the air for the word, snake, and said, “ssssssss”. We read Starting School by Franzeska Ewart and Leonie Shearing. This book tells about first week experiences in a new school. Every Tuesday, for our arts and crafts project, the boys and girls decorate the letter of the week. Today, they painted the letter S, added on glitter for sparkle, and placed a star, school, and a school bus on their letter. Letter of the week projects will be displayed on a classroom bulletin board. Please take a few moments to look at the children’s art work. We also played a game called, “Who Has Come to School Today?”
On Wednesday, in preparation for our yoga class, we read Little Yoga by Rebecca Whitford and Martina Selway. As we read about the yoga movements, the children tried to do the same poses. Our yoga instructor, Miss Jackie, only worked with one group today. She taught the children how to do some animal yoga poses. At the end of the class, the children say “Namaste”, which means, “I honor the light in you”. Next week, all of the children will have the opportunity to participate in the yoga class.
On Thursday, we read The Night Before Preschool by Natasha Wing. In this rhyming book, the children do so many exciting things when they attend preschool. At the end of the story, we read “Wow! The first day was done. I’ll be back, preschool is fun!” For our art project, the children sponge painted their journal covers with fall leaves. In the journals, they will illustrate drawings that will depict the seasons, holidays, letters of the week, and topics that we learn about in class. The boys and girls will make entries in their journals every other Wednesday before yoga.
On Friday, we read Sammy Spider’s First Shabbat by Sylvia A. Rouss. This book explains how Shabbat is celebrated in the home. For our project, the boys and girls made an illustration of a Shabbat table, with candles, Kiddush cups, and challah.
*Thank you to Stella, Lucy, Adam, Jeremy, and Harrison for being our super “kids of the day” this week. It has been a great first week and we are looking forward to many more weeks together.
* Please enroll your child in Afterschool Arts. The boys and girls have so much fun cooking, experimenting in science, creating art projects, using their body in movement, and learning and singing new and familiar songs. If you know of any children who are not enrolled in the Playschool, but would like to participate in our Afterschool Arts programming, please let me know.
* If you have not sent in all of your child’s forms and pictures, please send them in next week. We need to have everyone’s picture for the boards so that our “kid of the day” can count the kids.
* As a reminder, the Playschool will be closed on Tuesday, September 27, Wednesday, September 28, Thursday, September 29, and Friday, September 30.
* The Playschool will also be closed on Friday, October 7, Monday, October 10, Thursday, October 13, Friday, Octo-
ber 14, and Thursday, October 20. There will be no Pre-K PM or Afterschool Arts on Wednesday, October 19.
* In looking forward, on Friday, October 21, we will be celebrating Grandparent’s Day, the Playschool Art Exhibit, and our Fall Shabbat Dinner. Information about these family events will be sent home soon.
* Tuesday, October 25 is our first trip to the Philadelphia Museum of Art. A flyer and parent sign-up sheet will be available soon.
* Next week, we will learn about letter R and Rosh Hashanah and we will eat apples and honey.
Have a great weekend! Miss Gloria, Miss Michelle, Miss Mindy, Miss Polly, and Miss Rebecca
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