Welcome back everyone! What a great week we've had with our returning friends and new friends! We are getting to know one another and some really great friendships are already starting to form.
Here's what we were up to:
Once the children were settled in the classroom and they kissed their families goodbye, each child, new and seasoned, began to explore/re-explore the classroom. The children quickly noticed that some furniture was moved around and some learning areas where in new places. This is always exciting for the children as it always feels like a brand new classroom. Moving learning centers to new places in the classroom always brings a fresh start and a new perspective the the children's play. We have already noticed the baby dolls being played with so much more now that they are near the kitchen and "home" area. And the children are loving the corn meal in the sensory table. Every year it's a hit!
As the next few weeks progress and the children learn the classroom routines, we will begin to introduce the children to lots of new classroom materials, different types of art experiences, group games and small group activities (aka curriculum time). There is so much to look forward to and we are so excited to share our classroom with so many new friends!
What's up next:
We are very excited to bring out the portfolios once again! Every year in September, we interview each child. This is a great way for us to get to know each child better, begin to build rapport and keep track of developmental milestones. The portfolios are always presented in a fun, easy going manner. Each child is asked a few questions (including what they want to be when they grow up and a few of their favorite things), asked to identify colors, basic drawing skills and basic cutting skills. The teachers praise all work! For our new students, this initial portfolio presentation serves as a baseline for monitoring each child's developmental milestones. For our Pre-K students, it shows, on average, 3 years of growth and development. It is such a wonderful tool for the classroom and the best part is, families are presented with their child's portfolio right before their Kindergarten transition as a keepsake of their preschool years. It's a beautiful way to save such great memories from such an important period of growth in your child's life.
Quick Note:
As the school year progresses, the blog with be filled with more details on our curriculum topics, classroom activities, home extension suggestions and, most importantly, all of the fun we have! Don't forget to "like" us on Facebook to know exactly when the blog is posted each Friday. I will send out the occasional email reminder but Facebook is the best way to keep track of it all!
Important Dates and Reminders:
September 7: SEE will be closed for Labor Day
October 1: October tuition is due
October 12: SEE will be closed for Columbus Day
October 28: Curriculum Night @ SEE 6-7:30pm - more info
coming soon!
November 2: November tuition is due
November 11: SEE will be closed for Veteran's Day
November 25: SEE will close at 3:00pm
November 26-27: SEE will be closed for Thanksgiving
Check out a few of the pics from this week:
(As a reminder, I do not share pictures of the children's faces on our public blog. All classroom pictures can be viewed on a private Shutterfly account - coming soon!)
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| Exploring with shapes and paint |
And a few sneak peeks at our first day of school picture board:
I hope everyone had a great first week at preschool! We sure did! Have a great long weekend and we'll see you on Tuesday!
Joanna
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