Wednesday, November 30, 2011

December Newsletter 2011


Our AM Class In Action


Our PM Class In Action

November Reflection
We have had a wonderfully busy and connected month!  Each of our classes have bonded and established safety in expressing new phases of development together.  

Thank you parents for such great November conferences!  Many of you brought up questions and requested suggestions about establishing healthy family boundaries as your child shows signs for deeper levels of independence which can lead to tantrums (or other forms of frustrations), fears and tears.  

Below is a picture of our class (and home) calm-down area.  This area is where the children in both AM & PM classes are offered space to process emotions safely for self and class community.  Many times children seek this area out on his/her own accord when needing quiet.  Favorite books and soft calming toys as well as puppets are available in this area.  Beside this space we have a play-dough station set up where children can choose between the two meditative spaces to process.


 Klahanie Calming/Quiet Area

Our AM & PM class art projects have been very exciting and enjoyable to witness.  Below is an example of "parts of turkey" posters and the many variations of the project!
Turkey Interpretations

As requested by some parents: some helpful books from our school library that offer some great additional support and ideas.

December Topics/Themes
  • Winter Solstice: moon, stars, earth and sun
  • Evergreen Trees/Bushes & Forest Community (we will continue this theme into January and February): mammal hibernation, winter birds (chickadee, oregon junco, woodpecker), winter seeds and berries the birds eat
  • Holidays (Festivals of Light & Community): Hannukah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Diwali
We will continue singing many songs to introduce these themes and using our felt board as storytelling/song guide.  

Reminders
  • Please check the school calendar for dates on holiday/school breaks
  • Saturday December 17th is our all school Holiday Party!!  Look to your emails for an invitation with details :)