Dear Families,
During October, we will learn about Sunflowers; Spiders, Bats, and Black Cats; Bones, Skeletons and Ghosts; Pumpkins and Halloween. Some of our activities include watercolor flowers, pattern blocks, playdough with Halloween shapes, and exploration of Van Gough's sunflower art. We will read Sunflower Sal, From Seed to Sunflower, and Camille and the Sunflowers (a story about Vincent Van Gough), to name a few.
Coming up in November will be Owls; Squirrels and Nuts; Fall Harvest (Racoons, Corn, and Scarecrows); and Thanksgiving. Woven throughout these two months will be a recurring look at Nocturnal Animals. We will learn the song "Nocturnal Animals" by Nancy Stewart, with words rewritten by Teacher Kathy, to reflect the noctural animals on which we will actually focus.
Daily Schedule
8:45 – 9:00 Arrival Time
9:00 – 9:25 Outdoor Play and Activity Time
9:25 – 9:45 Circle Time
9:45 – 10:35 Activity Time
10:35 – 10:50 Clean-up and Snack Time
10:50 – 11:20 Bike Time
11:20 – 11:45 Directed Activity Time
11:45 – 12:00 Departure Time
Themes
In September, we will explore “Pirates and Princesses”, “Apples”, “The Wild West” and “The Construction Site.” Please refer to School Calendar for monthly themes.
Communication
Please feel free to contact Teacher Kathy with any questions or concerns you might have. I have a strong preference that you contact me at home, either by phone (650-854-5512) or by email (kathylconnell@aol.com). You can reach Ms. Thanh at Ms.Thanh.Montecito@gmail.com. The classroom voicemail and email are not checked.
Sharing
Our sharing day is usually on Monday. Your child may bring anything for sharing that would be interesting for their classmates, unless notified otherwise, but please no weapons. You do not need to put the sharing in a bag with clues, nor does it need to start with the letter of the week. Occasionally, I will make a special request for sharing, but you will be notified well in advance if that is the case. The purpose of sharing in my class is to help children improve their verbal communication skills and self-confidence. It is helpful if you sit down with your child in advance and go over several sentences (or words, if they are just learning English) that they might say. It is not important that they be able to repeat this word for word, it just helps them be prepared. Children should bring sharing most weeks, but should not be worried if they forget their sharing once in a while. If they are especially nervous and do not want to bring sharing, please talk to me so that we can work towards their participation. No student will be required to share if they are uncomfortable doing so.
Classroom Snacks
Because the pre-K birthdays are grouped so closely together, I do not permit birthday cupcakes or other sweet snacks. When we celebrate birthdays in the classroom, the birthday child may choose either popcorn or pretzels, which we will provide. If you have a special cultural food you wish to share with the class, please feel free to talk with Teacher Kathy about this. Please remember that any food brought to the classroom must be approved by
Teacher Kathy at least one week ahead of time. In keeping with Montecito’s snack policy, water is served for the children to drink, rather than juice. In addition to crackers, we will also offer fruit, vegetables or protein at every snack to the children.
