SCHOOL 2024-2025

CALENDAR:

Big Chief will be CLOSED Thursday October 3rd and Friday October 4^th for Rosh Hashanah.

We will also be CLOSED on Monday October 14^th for Columbus Day.  

MAKE-UP DAYS:  Remember there are no make-up days or credit for any absences.  

PICTURE DAY: MONDAY 11/18 AND TUESDAY 11/19.

PIZZA FRIDAYS: WILL START FRIDAY 10/11. IF YOU PURCHASE THE LUNCH PLAN YOU DO NOT PAY THE $3.70 YOU ONLY PAY IF YOU ARE NOT ON OUR LUNCH PLAN. YOU WILL SEND IN $ FOR EACH FRIDAY OF THE MONTH, SO FOR THE MONTH OF OCTOBER YOU WILL SEND IN $ 11.00 TO COVER THE FULL MONTH. PLEASE PUT THE MONEY IN AN ENVELOPE WITH YOUR CHILD’S NAME ON IT ALONG WITH THE TEACHERS NAME. YOUR CHILD WILL RECEIVE PIZZA, GARLIC KNOTS, FRIUT AND MILK.

LABELING:

Parents, you must label all the clothing, sheets & blankets you send to school with your child! BABIES:  Babies must have everything they will be consuming here labeled.  Bottles (the top and bottom), spoons, pacifier etc..

2025 CAMP EARLYBIRD REGISTRATION IS DUE BY 11/1/2024 FOR ALL SCHOOL FAMILIES.

If you would like more information on our Summer Camp program, please call the office at 781-3900.

TUITION:

All tuitions are due and payable on the first of each month!  By now you should have made two payments,  your first payment (which is security) and your second payment due September 1st. Your third payment is due by 10/1.  If you are not up to date, please send in your payment now!  Please note that there will be a $25.00 late charge for tuition that is received after the tenth of the month.

PERSONAL ITEMS: (BLANKETS,SHEETS & CLOTHES)

Remember there are no personal items allowed to come into Big Chief. During the week, only when you pick up your child on his/her last day of their week should you be dropping off the supplies for the next week.

A NOTE ABOUT YOUR CHILD’S ARTWORK:

During the school year, your child will bring home examples of things we do in class.  You will be able to see your child’s progress both physically and cognitively.  You can help in many ways.  Talk with your child about what is going on in class.  Praise him/her for the work he/she brings home.  Try to find a place to display your child’s work so that he/she knows that you respect and are proud of what he/she does.

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES:

ALLERGIES:   WE ARE A PEANUT FREE AND TREE NUT FREE SCHOOL, PLEASE CHECK ALL LABELS AND MAKE SURE THE FOOD DOES NOT COME FROM A FACTORY THAT PROCESSES ANY TYPE OF NUT PRODUCTS. EXCEPT FOR THE INFANTS, NO POUCHES ARE ALLOWED.

*IF YOU HAVE NOT PURCHASED A BIG CHIEF BAG ($15) OR SWEATSHIRT ($25) PLEASE DO SO NOW. 

ABSENT:

If your child is going to be absent from school, please call 781-3900, before 8:50 AM. 

BIRTHDAY TREATS:

WE ARE A PEANUT FREE SCHOOL. You may send in a peanut and tree nut free treat for your child to celebrate their birthday here at Big Chief.

SHOE ALERT:  Please send your child to school wearing shoes or sneakers. NO SANDELS, CROCS OR FLIP FLOPS.

HALLOWEEN PARTY:

Since Halloween falls on a Thursday this year, we will be celebrating Thursday 10/31. The children will be carving a pumpkin, enjoying hay rides and other special activities. If you would like to send in special cupcakes, please let us know. There will be no switching of days that week.

PLEASE REMEMBER THAT WE ARE A PEANUT FREE SCHOOL AND ANY HOME BAKED ITEMS CANNOT BE USED AND WILL BE SENT HOME WITH THE CHILD AT THE END OF THE DAY. YOU MAY SEND IN MINI-BAGELS, ICE CREAM CUPS OR STORE-BOUGHT MINI CUPCAKES PEANUT FREE. 

NO GOODY BAGS PLEASE, NO CANDY OR TOYS!! IT WILL ONLY BE SENT HOME!!!

PUMPKIN PATCH:

Big Chief’s pumpkin patch will be set up for pumpkin picking on Thursday October 17th and Friday October 18^th. Each group will have a separate time to go out and pick a pumpkin, read stories, have a snack, and paint a pumpkin patch picture.

Starting the week of October 14th, we will be setting up our own fields with holiday decorations, corn stalks, and hay bales and, of course, pumpkins. All week the children will have time to listen to stories and have snack time in the pumpkin patch.

*Let us get together this year on Sunday October 20th at Hanks pumpkin patch out in Watermill. Great place for all ages. They open at 9:30am. Get there early! Email me if you are interested. Thank you.

RECIPE FOR PLAYDOUGH

1 CUP OF FLOUR

½ CUP OF SALT

SLOWLY ADD WATER UNTIL DESIRED CONSISTENCY.

THE PAINTING

By Helen E. Buckley

Once a little boy was going to paint a picture

He put the paper on the easel

And he looked at all the colors in front of him.

“What are you going to paint?” asked the teacher.

“The sky,” said the little boy, “I’m going to paint the sky

“Good” said the teacher, “Do you have enough blue paint?”

And he took up the blue brush

And made a wide band across the top of the paper.

“There,” he said, “There is the blue sky,” and he looked around for the

Teacher, but she was gone.

Then the little boy looked out the window

To see if his sky looked like the real one, and it did.

But was the sky always blue?

The little boy put down the blue brush and thought about the sky.

“Sometimes,” he thought, just before night,

The sky is pink and a little purple

So, he took up the pink brush and then the purple, and pretty soon there

Was a sunset on his paper?

The little boy remembered winter, and how the sky looks when the

Snow comes down.

So, he took up the white brush and made soft snowflakes over all the blue

And pink sky.

And some of the snowflakes melted to make more colors.

And the little boy felt happy like he always did

When the snow came down in the wintertime.

And just as he was about to put down his brush and be finished, he

Remembered a day in summer when the sky grew dark.

And he remembered that he had been a little scared and he had to run to

Tell his mother about it.

So now he took up the black brush and painted great storm clouds

With flashes of red and orange streaking through them

“It’s thundering, too,” said the little boy softly to himself.

“Boom! Boom! Boom! And the wind is blowing!”

And he made the rain come down – hard rain_

In long green lines across the sky,

And all the colors ran together in rainbows at the bottom of the page.

“Now I will make the sun shine,” said the little boy to himself;

And he made a big, round sun in the middle of the paper.

But the painting was wet, and there were so many colors in it,

That the yellow sun turned brown in the sky.

But the little boy didn’t care – his picture was finished and it was

Just the way he wanted it.

He looked around for the teacher, and pretty soon she was there

Standing by the easel and looking at all the colors:

All the blue and pink and the purple:

All the white and the black

All the red and the green;

And the yellow that had turned brown.

The teacher looked at all the wet and dripping colors which had run

Together, in the snow and the wind and rain of the boy’s painting.

And she said “My goodness!”

“I thought you were going to make the sky”

“I did” said the little boy, “I made all the skies I know about”

And he took his picture of the easel and put it carefully away to dry.

Music

There are many reasons why music should be included in early childhood programs.  Through music, children experience pleasure, joy and creative expression.  Music is one of the acceptable avenues for release and expressions of feelings, moods and emotions.  Music allows for the development of desirable feelings and moods and for the dissolving of undesirable feelings and moods.  It can quiet or calm children, create listening moods or soothe hurt and troubled feelings.  As explained, music has therapeutic value and therefore, can enhance the child’s feelings of self-worth.  Therefore, emphasis should be on the child, not the teacher.  The enjoyment –  not the skill, the process –  not the product.

Through the music program in early childhood, the child should acquire the following benefits:

1. Successes, joy and pleasure through participation.
2. Opportunities to experience music through a variety of activities, materials and instruments.
3. Acquaintance with a variety of all types of music.
4. Awareness of contrasts in music, such as: fast/slow, high/low, loud/soft.
5. Responsiveness to simple rhythms through locomotion movements & body movements such as clapping or the use of rhythm instruments.
6. Opportunity to sing a variety of songs.
7. Ability to express the mood or feelings of a musical selection through body movements.

ART

Children enjoy experiences with art materials and media.  The young child who has not been exposed to the rigid structures of dittos and coloring books or the structured expectations of adult or older children enjoys the freedom of expression unstructured art activities offer.  Only when art activities are unstructured and utilize “raw material” does the child have opportunity for creative expression.  If approached in the right way, every art project offers possibilities for encouraging creativity.  Unfortunately, when activities are structured (coloring, painting or collaging dittoed patterns), art is then a powerful force that works against the child’s creativity.  Art is an avenue of fostering creativity in the young child.

Creativity appears to involve intuition, fluency, flexibility, originality and divergent thinking.  Most researchers believe that creativity is a capacity or potential possessed, at least in some degree, by all human beings.

Through children’s art, help them develop positive views of themselves.  Let them know that you have faith in their efforts.  Tell them often, “You can”.  Discourage the use of models and patterns, and particularly, praise their own unique efforts.  Help the children to know that what they create is their own, and they should strive to please themselves – not you, not other children and no other adults.

Give affirmation and praise of the child’s work.  Let children know that you value uniqueness, diversity and difference.  As you praise and talk to the children about their work, do not force or pressure them into telling you what it is – it may not be anything at all, but rather an exploration of materials.  This is particularly true with younger children.  In visiting with them about their work, you can comment on design, shape, color, and invite them to tell you about their picture.  You will also show interest, appreciation, and affirmation for their work by putting their names on pictures (if they are unable to write their names themselves), and also by displaying their pictures.

Do not do the children’s artwork for them, do not edit their work, and do not provide models for them to follow.  You may want to show them how to use the materials provided, but then allow them to explore, experience, try out, and manipulate the media themselves.  As you observe the child working, there may be time for needed assistance, especially if the materials are being presented and used for the first time.

Art offers opportunity for self-expression and individualism.  For some children, art media experiences may be one of the few means of self-expression.  There are children who do not communicate feelings well through verbal language, music, physical activities, writing or other areas; however, they are able to express themselves through art media.  For every child, art materials should offer the opportunity for self-expression.

*FOR ALL CLASSROOMS*

Dear Parents:  During the month of October please send in apples of various colors for your child’s daily fruit.  This will allow the children to experience the different flavors of a variety of apples. (PLEASE SEND IN THE WHOLE APPLE DO NOT CUT)

**HOW TO GET INVOLVED IN YOUR CHILD’S LEARNING**

One of our Fall books is “Fall Leaves Fall” by Zoe Hall.

There is a way you can extend school learning.  Children learn best through their senses.  (see, hear, touch and taste).  The 1^st season is Fall.  Leaves falling, turning from green to red & yellow etc.  Go for a ride to see the leaves, collect them, gather acorns, rake leaves, and jump in them.  Look for squirrels gathering acorns.  Go apple picking, eat red, yellow, and green apples.  Send them in for school.  Enjoy family time, get out and get some fresh air.  Bake cookies.

PROGRAM:

MISS TAMMIE’S CLASS

Theme: Getting to know the children, fall and Halloween.

Language Arts: Nursery Rhyme- “Old McDonald Had a Farm.” Stories: “Going on a leaf hunt,” “Oink and moo” and “Leaves.”

Art: Making animals for our barn, painting red apples, yellow apples, green apples for our tree. Using different art experiences such as, feather painting, sponge painting, and acorn, pumpkin and sunflower painting.

Science: Observing the leaves, and collecting acorns. Looking for signs of fall on our nature walks.

Music: Singing our good morning song, clean-up song and snack and lunch time song. Dancing with instruments, exercise, and movement, scarf dancing and introduce the parachute.

Physical: Going for walks, running around in the field with balls. Using our ride on toys.

Cooking: Tasting red, green, and yellow apples.

Self-Help: Learning to wash our hands. Sitting and eating at the table.

Social: Learning each other’s names and playing in the different centers.

MISS ALEXANDRIA’S CLASS

Theme:  Fall and Halloween

Social Studies:  Learning about our classroom and where things belong.  Getting to know each other through play. Learning rules for indoors and outdoors to keep us safe.  Learning to wash hands with soap and rubbing them under running water and drying our hands with a paper towel. Learning to line up and wait for their friends when we go outside. Learning to sit down for snack and lunch.  Learning how to use a spoon and feeding themselves.  Introducing open cup to Ms. Alex’s class. (please follow up at home).

Language Arts:  Reading stories such as: “Three Friends Go to School,” “I Am an Apple,” “The Apple Tree,” “Red Ripe Strawberry,” “Five Little Pumpkins,” “Go Away Scary Monster,” “Spot Goes to School,”

Art:  Easel painting red, yellow, green, and blue.  Acorn rolling.  We will paint at the easel under our apple and oak trees.  Collect acorns and leaves.  Finger-paint a pumpkin with red and yellow finger-paint to make an orange pumpkin and paint a squirrel.

Science:  Mixing red and yellow to make the color orange. Nature walks, visiting our animals, collecting acorns & leaves, and watching the leaves turn colors. Exploring the insides of a pumpkin. Talking about apples: the different color of the skin. Planting spring bulbs.

Music: Learning the Good Morning, snack, and lunch time songs. Singing Nursery Rhymes and Fingerplays; “Itsy Bitsy Spider,” “Gray Squirrel,” “Five Little Pumpkins” and “Apples are Falling.”  “If You are Happy and You Know it” and” Wheels on the Bus.”

Math:  Introducing sizes big and little.  Matching the colors red and yellow.

Physical:  Making and playing with playdough to strengthen our small motor skills.  Emphasize on outdoor play and safety.  Climbing up and down, in and out. Running and kicking balls in the field.

MS. JENNA’S CLASS

Theme:  Fall and Halloween

Social Studies:  Learning about our classroom and where things belong.  Getting to know each other through play. Learning rules for indoors and outdoors to keep us safe.  Learning to wash hands with soap and rubbing them under running water and drying our hands with a paper towel. Learning to line up and wait for their friends when we go outside. Learning to sit down for snack and lunch.  Learning how to use a spoon and feeding themselves. In November Ms. Jenna’s class will be introduced to drinking out of an open cup. (please follow up at home).

Language Arts:  Reading stories about starting school, the weather and Halloween: “Three Friends Go to School,” “Spot goes to School,” “Follow the leader,” “Clifford’s first Halloween.”

Art:  Feather paining our gray squirrels, corn rolling with fall colors such as red, orange, yellow and brown. Collaging an orange pumpkin and easel painting. We will also be starting our Itsy-Bitsy spider project.

Science:  Watching the leaves on the trees change colors, discussing weather changes. Going on nature walks and collecting leaves and pine cones.

Music: Learning our Nursery Rhymes and focusing on Itsy-Bitsy spider. Introducing fall and Halloween finger plays such as “Gray Squirrel,” Old Mrs. Witch” and “5 Little Pumpkins”.

Math:  Introducing sizes big and little.  Matching the colors red and yellow.

Physical:  Making and playing with playdough to strengthen our small motor skills.  Emphasize on outdoor play and safety.  Climbing up and down, in and out. Running and kicking balls in the field.

MISS PATRICIA’S CLASS

Theme:   Back to School, Fall and Halloween

Social: Working on our listening skills and following directions. Classroom safety rules. Learning our friends’ names, exploring the learning centers, and sitting for circle time.

Art:  Painting with a variety of sponges, brushes, and texture brushes. The children will be painting outside as much as possible. We will also work on our fall bulletin board- apples, leaves and pumpkins.

Music: Dancing with scarves; Songs will include “Grey Squirrel,” “Leaves are falling,” “Old Ms. Witch.” We will also be doing instruments and parachute.

Physical large motor skills: Going on walks, running in the field with balls, blowing bubbles and using scarves on a windy day. Going up the ladder holding on with two hands, sitting to go down the slide. Using all the different ride on toys.

Physical small motor skills: Using manipulative time to strengthen our muscles, pegs, sewing cards, ripping paper and puzzles. Making playdough to squeeze, pound etc.

Language Arts:   These are the following book we will be reading:

• “Bear Hunt”,
• “Fall Leaves Fall”
• “Big Pumpkin”,
• “When the leaf blew in”
• “Five little Pumpkins”

Science: Going on nature walks to plant bulbs and collect leaves, acorns, sticks and pinecones. Looking for sign of fall; carving a jack-o-lantern and making playdough.

Self Help skills: Taking off and putting on our sneakers. Washing our hands, sitting at the table eating our fruit and lunch, taking our shoes off for rest time and knowing whose cot is who’s.

MISS ANDREA’S CLASS

Theme: I’m Me; I’m Special, Body Awareness, Fall and Halloween

Social Studies Familiarizing ourselves with classroom routines.  Learning rules for indoor and outdoor to keep us safe. Learning to play together, sharing, taking turns and verbalizing.  Explaining and identifying all areas of the classroom.  Discussing our feelings.

Art: Finger painting to promote body awareness. We will sponge paint, use rollers and big brushes to make grass, a sky and a tree for our bulletin board. Creating an apple by paper plate lacing with red, green, and yellow. We will also roll trucks in black paint to make a road.

Math:  Starting to learn our shapes, reinforcing our colors.

Science– Learning how to take care of our two fish. We will plant bulbs in the Big Chief gardens.  Picking our vegetables. Watering the plants in our window boxes and watching our sunflowers grow. Visiting the animals such as Lily the goat, Tilly the turkey and our chicken and ducks. Taking nature walks to observe the changes of the season.  Streamers for a windy day. Carving pumpkins.

Language Arts: “Ollie’s school day,” “School is where ever I am,” “Fall mixed up, signs of Autum,” “Picking Apples and Pumpkins” by Amy & Richard Hutchings, “Pumpkin Time,” “I Like Me” by Nancy Carlson, “From Head to Toe” by Eric Carle.

Physical:  Using outdoor equipment to strengthen our large motor skills (climbing, running, jumping, throwing and kicking balls etc.).  Pretending we are; Squirrels gathering nuts for the winter.  Leaves falling from the tree to the ground.  We will use our Big Chief rakes to gather leaves and then jump in the big leaf pile.

Flannel Board: Nursery rhymes, such as Farmer Brown had 5 Red Apples hanging on a tree, The Tiny Little Apple Seed, “Autumn Leaves are Falling Down”, Did You Ever See a Pumpkin? The Ghost Says Boo…

Music and Movement:  Bear Hunt, parachute, bean bags, scarves.  Head Shoulders Knees and Toes, Sammy, A Walking we will go, Hokey Pokey.

Cooking: Sauteed cinnamon apples, tomato soup and brown sugar oatmeal.

Self Help Skills:  Learning how to use a tissue, bathroom etiquette.  Using a fork and drinking from an open cup. Practice putting on and taking off our jackets.

MISS PATTI’S CLASS

Theme:  All About Me and School.  Fall and Halloween.

Social Studies: Learning about ourselves (ex: Our body parts).  Also learning about our friends, how are we alike and how are we different.  Familiarizing ourselves with classroom routines.  Learning rules for indoor and outdoor play to keep us safe.  Learning to play together, sharing, taking turns and verbalizing.  Using all areas of the classroom . 

Language Arts:   Reading books that relate to the children’s self-esteem and books about our theme:  “It’s an apple tree,” “It’s Pumpkin Time,”  “5 Little Pumpkins,” “The Busy Little Squirrel,”  “Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf,”  “Clifford’s First Autumn,” “ Squirrel’s fall search”, “The busy little Squirrel”, “How do apples grow”, “The Block Mess Monster”, “We love school”, “Late for School” and “Mouses first day of school”.  Nursery Rhymes and Finger Plays:  Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater,  If You’re Happy and You Know it, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Halloween crafts.

Music and Movement:  Hokey Pokey, Gray Squirrel, Have You Ever Seen a Pumpkin, Leaves are Falling and way up high in the apple tree.

Science:  Mixing colors, red and yellow to make orange.  Nature walks while noticing the changes in the environment due to fall.  Collecting acorns, leaves, pinecones and twigs.  Carving a pumpkin, taking out the seeds.  Cutting open apples and observing the core and seeds.  Planting bulbs in our Big Chief Garden. Tasting different apples.

Art:  Fall collages and mural.  Easel and Finger Painting.  Making a classroom Tree and cutting out apples for it. Working with scissors everyday cutting magazines. Focusing on red, green, and yellow paintings. Acorn rolling, Painting outside by the oak tree and apple tree.

Math:  Sorting small, medium and large objects in the classroom.  Fall matching game.  Charting our favorite type of apples.

Physical:  Using outdoor equipment to strengthen our large motor skills (climbing, jumping in leaves, learning to pump our legs on the swing.)  Learning to cut with scissors, lacing cards to strengthen our small motor skills.

*If you have not already, please send in a printed picture of your child in front of the house, and a separate picture of your child in front of the family car*.

MR. ANDREY’S CLASS

Theme:  All About Me and School.  Fall and Halloween.

Social Studies: Learning about ourselves (ex: Our body parts).  Also learning about our friends, how are we alike and how are we different.  Familiarizing ourselves with classroom routines.  Learning rules for indoor and outdoor play to keep us safe.  Learning to play together, sharing, taking turns and verbalizing.  Using all areas of the classroom . 

Language Arts:   Reading books that relate to the children’s self-esteem and books about our theme: “It’s an apple tree,” “It’s Pumpkin Time,” “5 Little Pumpkins,” “Red Leaf, Yellow Leaf,” “Clifford’s First Autumn,” “Squirrel’s fall search”, “The busy little Squirrel”, “How do apples grow”. “We love school”, “Late for School” and “Mouses first day of school”.  Nursery Rhymes and Finger Plays:  If You’re Happy and You Know it, Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Halloween crafts.

Music and Movement:  Marching Band, scarf dancing, parachute time and singing and acting out our favorite songs.  

Science: Nature walks while noticing the changes in the environment due to fall.  Collecting acorns, leaves, pinecones and twigs.  Carving a pumpkin, taking out the seeds.  Cutting open apples and observing the core and seeds.  Planting bulbs in our Big Chief Garden. Tasting different color apples.

Art: Easel and Finger Painting.  Making a classroom Tree and cutting out apples for it. Working with scissors everyday cutting magazines. Focusing on red, green, and yellow paintings. Acorn rolling, Painting outside by the oak tree and apple tree. Making playdough.

Physical:  Using outdoor equipment to strengthen our large motor skills (climbing, jumping in leaves, learning to pump our legs on the swing.)  Learning to cut with scissors, lacing cards to strengthen our small motor skills. Learning how to catch and throw a ball and how to balance on a beam.

Self-Help: We will be teaching the children how to use the potty, identify their own shoes, how to put on and take off their sweatshirt and how to express themselves.

*Please send in a printed picture of your child in front of the house, and a separate picture of your child in front of the family car*.

Pre-Kindergarten Program:

MISS KATYA’S CLASS

Theme:  Working on I Am Special and Fall. Halloween

Language Arts:  Reading stories on “I am Special”, “We Are Alike”, “We Are All Different”, “How Are We the Same, How Are We Different”, “Rainbow Fish”, “Today I Feel Silly” “I’m Gonna Like Me”.  Fall Books, “When Autumn Comes”, “In the Fall”, “Apples and Pumpkins”, “The Biggest Pumpkin Ever”. Vocabulary words we are working on:  tallest, shortest, same, even, more, less, wrist, elbow, eyelashes, eyebrows, knuckles, shoulders, fingers, toes, heavy and light. Halloween books.

Blocks and Woodworking:  In September we worked on measuring ourselves with blocks. We compared who used more blocks and who used less blocks. In October we started to trace our bodies with the blocks and labeled the body parts. We introducing hammering, and going over safety gear such as hard hats and goggles. The children are going to be pounding on tree stumps and leaf pounding. Building a haunted house in the block area using spider webs and other spooky decorations, they will add their own drawings to the haunted house and playing Halloween music.

Family Living Center: Weigh each other using scales. Measure each other using yard sticks, a measuring tape and carpenter rulers. Self-help skills such as buttoning, snapping, zipping, and putting on our own shoes. Putting on our coats and fixing our sleeves. We will be making “Me Toast” and “Apple Fritters.”

Art:  What do we look like: Comparing how are we the same and how are we different. Recognizing hair color, eye color and skin tone. Making hand prints and foot prints for our fall tree. We will be doing various art activities for the fall such as eye dropper leaf templates, leaf prints and making bodies and faces. Halloween spider webs.

Science:  Compare ourselves to our animals, how are we the same and different. Take nature walks and look for signs of fall, what changes do we see in the weather? And in the trees. Why do the leaves change colors? Label the trees around the school and nature rubbing. Making a graph of apples and taking about Chlorophyll.

Writing: We introduced writing. We are working on writing their names, remembering the first letter is a capital letter and the rest is lowercase.

Math: In September we started with our 2-step pattern. In October we will be working on the 3-step pattern. A pattern will be introduced and the children will have to identify the pattern and continue it. This is practiced for an entire week before it is recorded on the math cards.  

PLEASE SEND IN APPLES OF ALL COLORS.  PLEASE SEND IT IN WHOLE DO NOT CUT.

If you go pumpkin/apple picking please spend a couple of minutes at the end of the day writing down their experience.  Let them dictate the experiences to you using their words.  Have them also draw a picture of their experience.

Please introduce your child to the library.  Maybe you can take out a book that we are reading in class, read it with them and then discuss it.

Finger Plays & Songs

The children are singing and acting out.

OLD MRS. WITCH

Old Missus Witch
Old Missus Witch
Tell me how you fly
Tell me how you fly
I fly on the broomstick up in the sky

Old Missus Witch
Old Missus Witch
Tell me what you see
Tell me what you see
I see a little jack o lantern looking at me

Old Missus Witch
Old Missus Witch
Tell me what you’ll do
Tell me what you’ll do
I’ll fly on my broomstick and I’ll scare you
BOO

PRE – MATH SKILLS

The goal of our program is to develop an understanding and insight of the patterns of mathematics with concrete materials.  The activities are designed to help young children see relationships and interconnections in mathematics and to enable them to deal flexibly with mathematical ideas.

A page of abstract symbols, no matter how carefully designed or simplified, because of its very nature, cannot involve the child’s senses the way real materials can.  Symbols are not the concept, they are only a representation of the concept, and as such, are abstractions describing something which is not visible to the child.  Real materials, on the other hand, can be manipulated to illustrate the concept concretely, and can be experienced visually by the child.

A variety of familiar materials gathered from the child’s world enable us to begin where the child is, in his or her world, and with them, to gradually build a bridge to the adult world of abstraction.  Because the materials are not real and physically present before the child, they engage the child’s senses and are in themselves, enjoyable and rewarding.  The materials provide motivation for learning at the same time that they provide the tools for exploration and problem solving.

During the beginning stages of concept development, abstract symbolization tends to interfere rather than enhance the understanding of a concept.  For this reason, a great deal of what we do develops concepts without the use of any written numerals.  Abstract symbolization is only used to label a concept, which the child already grasps, never as a  “material” from which the child is taught a concept.  The emphasis throughout our program is making concepts, rather than numerical symbols, meaningful.

Free Exploration: Children have an opportunity to explore new materials in their own way.  They may count particular objects, sort them, compare the sizes and shapes, or make designs.  No one evaluates their explorations or suggests they “should” be exploring other ideas; they are completely free to organize their exploration in their own way and spend whatever time they choose with each material.

Pattern One: Children are introduced to linear and geometric patterns.  Through a variety of activities, they learn how to arrange a design so that it repeats itself over and over in a predictable way.  This is the first awakening in the child of the concept that will, when fully developed, lead the child to see the beauty and structure of abstract mathematical problems.

Sorting & Classifying: Sorting and classifying helps children organize objects according to their properties or attributes.  These activities develop logical thinking and language skills, as children notice and describe small details in the materials they are sorting and classifying.  Logical thinking is the language of mathematics.

Counting:  Counting gives the children an opportunity to develop skill with the counting sequence.  Through these activities’ children acquire skill in counting forward and backward and reinforce the skill of invariance and counting on.  These skills prepare the children for other number concepts.                                                                                           

Comparing:  Comparing develops the concept of more, less and the same.  Through these activities, the children make comparisons of length, quantity, weight, volume and duration.  An understanding of these comparisons provides an important foundation, which helps children fully understand the relationship between one number and another at the concrete and abstract level.

Graphing: Through graphing the children extend their comparing skills and solve the problem of, “How many more?” through visual comparisons of objects in a variety of graphs.  These activities provide children with daily problem-solving situations.

Number at the Concept Level: The children explore each number from one to ten through a variety of activities, discovering the possible arrangements and combinations for each number.  These experiences help each child gain a real understanding of the quantities from one to ten.  Written symbols can interfere with the development of these concepts and, consequently, are not yet introduced.

Number at the Connecting Level: Introduces the children to the traditional mathematical symbolization, which they now are ready to use to label their work.  Children are not yet required to write the symbols, but rather, are merely gaining familiarity with the meaning of the symbols by decoding them as they match the symbols to familiar quantities and processes.

Number at the Symbolic Level: Requires children to write the traditional mathematical symbolization to record a variety of mathematical experiences.  The concept of the numbers from one to ten are now fully developed and symbolized abstractly.

PRE-SCHOOL READING READINESS SKILLS

These skills are based upon ten essential pre-reading skills.  With the exception of Letter Form Discrimination, these skills are all expressive and receptive oral language skills.  Their importance to children’s preparation for reading is as follows:

Auditory Discrimination

Distinguishing difference among the sounds of spoken words.  The ability to hear the fine differences that distinguish one word from another is basic to the language development of young children.  In order to speak and to understand a language, and later read it, children need to be able to hear the differences and similarities in spoken words.

Following Oral Directions

Listening with understanding to a variety of one-, two- and three-step directions.  The ability to follow oral directions is one of the most important skills for young children.  Almost every activity within a classroom depends upon a child’s ability to perform tasks that a teacher request.  When formal learning begins, this skill becomes even more important, as children will be asked to follow more complex and specialized directions.

Instructional Language

Understanding instructional terms that are commonly used in formal pre-reading programs.  When children begin work in a formal pre-reading program, they will be asked to follow directions that require them to understand a specialized vocabulary of instructional terms.  Children’s understandings of instructional terms will be essential to their success in a beginning reading program.

General Vocabulary

Increasing vocabulary through the discussion of illustrations and by relating spoken works to objects that are commonly pictured in formal pre-reading programs.  Besides acting as an indicator of the general language experiences of children, the possession of a general basic vocabulary is essential to the process of learning to read.  In “Getting Ready to Read”, as in many other beginning reading programs, the ability to name pictures of common objects is essential to teaching letter-sound associations and to decoding printed words.

Oral Language Development

Developing the ability to use expressive language in a number of different contexts.  The expressive language of children is determined by a large number of abilities and language experiences.  Because oral language encompasses so many other language skills, the level of a child’s expressive language is one of the most important indicators of reading readiness.  Children who are not able to express themselves at an appropriate level are most likely in need of a wide variety of language experiences before they can be expected to perform successfully in a formal pre-reading program.

Listening Comprehension

Developing an understanding of the more highly structured language of print and learning to listen for specific purposes.  The development of children’s language skills is dependent upon their ability to comprehend the language they hear.  Consequently, listening comprehension is an important factor in children’s general language experiences and their readiness to begin reading.  In a formal pre-reading program, children must follow the directions they hear, understand the specific instructional language of reading, and learn to listen for specific purposes.  In order to do this successfully; children will have to be able to understand the more highly structured language of print, which differs significantly from conversational language.

Sequencing

Learning to recall a sequence of events in a story and learning to place in sequential order pictures that represent a series of events.  The ability to recognize and recall a sequence of events in a story is an important comprehension skill.  Most kindergarten and first grade children are intuitively aware of sequences in their daily lives.  In a classroom situation, children are often asked to recall and perform recurring sequences and to follow the sequence of directions for specific activities.  Although children have a functional understanding of these types of sequences, they may not be aware that events do take place in sequence.  Before children can be expected to recognize a sequence of events in a story, they must first understand that events do take place in a sequence.

Categorizing

Learning to sort and to classify things with common attributes.  The ability to categorize is an important readiness skill.  When children begin work in a formal pre-reading program, they will be asked to find letterforms that are the same and to group together pictures whose names begin with the same sounds.  The ability to use context also requires familiarity with the concept of categorizing.  To complete a sentence such as “Betty’s favorite food is _________,” children must have an understanding of food as a category.

Using Oral Context

Anticipating words that come next in oral sentences, and providing words that are left out of oral sentences.  Using oral context is one of the most important reading readiness skills.  Using context – oral or printed – is a matter of using the sense of the other words in a sentence either to anticipate the next word or to determine the meaning of an unfamiliar word.  When children begin to read, they will need to be able to use oral context together with the sound association for letters at the beginning of words to decode words that are unfamiliar.

Letter Form Discrimination

Learning that printed letters are constant in form and that they can be distinguished from one another.  The ability to see the minor differences that distinguish one letter from another is an important readiness skill.  Children will need to develop this skill before they can be expected to learn letter names and their sound associations in a beginning reading program.

Here are a few recipes for you to try at home with your family!

PUMPKIN DIP

This is a recipe that I make nearly every week. It’s the kind of recipe that you don’t have to print out for elaborate measurements and instructions. Just dump and stir the ingredients until you like the consistency. I’ve served this to toddlers, preschoolers, kindergarteners, tweens, teenagers and adults. This is also a great recipe for kids to make themselves. Add your own combination of fall seasonings for a memorable dip.

Ingredients:

          ½ cup nut butter or seed butter

            ½ cup plain yogurt

            2 tablespoons pumpkin puree

            2 tablespoons honey

            ½ teaspoon pure vanilla extract (Optional)

            ½ teaspoon cinnamon (Optional)

Instructions:

          Mix together with a spoon until creamy. If you’d like a whipped texture then use a food processor. Serve with any combination of sturdy fruits and veggies. We like jicama sticks, carrots, pea pods and apples.