Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
Click the link to find out what’s happening at WCDS https://here.wcdsedu.com/events/
Special Person’s Day, October 10t,h 8:45-10:15- Please return the RSVP form on Tuesday
Snack Helper this week: Destry
Dear Families,
This week in Junior Kindergarten, the children naturally led us in the direction of celebrating family, a perfect theme as we prepare for Special Person’s Day next week!
Thank you for sending in family photos. Each child had the opportunity to talk about their picture and tell us about their home life, highlighting what makes their family unique. Here is what each told a beautiful story about their family.
Isla- “This is Daddy, Mommy, Sissy, and me. Um, we’re at the beach. The beach was so fun! I love Daddy, my Mom, and my sister.”
Zuri- “I love my family so much, Mommy, Daddy, me, and my dog Elsa. I’m at my house by the trees by my home.”
Maverick- “Ya know, we were in our old house when Grandpa was there. Mommy was there, and Daddy was there, and Easton was there. We lived next to a farm in South Carolina. Ya know our grandpa built our house. We have really old windows.”
Audrey- “Mommy, Daddy, and me! Cinderella’s castle! Moana! My Mommy went on the carousel with me!”
Lincoln- “Uhhh, Daddy, Me, Mommy.”
Ben- “This is Mommy, this is Daddy, and this is Me. We were going to the beach. This is my brother Braden.”
Clara- “Umm, Someone took a picture of us at church. This is me and Willa and Mommy and Daddy. We were in Wheeling, and then we were driving, and then we were at the church, and then we left, and then we had lunch.”
Destry- “This is PawPaw, MiMaw, Mom and Me, and also Aunt Denver. When I was at the beach, when everyone took the picture, Miss Liz. I’ve been at the beach with Denver and Mom. My family be loving me.”
Nala- “My family is like this (holds up picture) this is my baby and this is my Mom and this is my brother, he’s like this (smiles big) and this is Grandma.”
Leland, “It’s Aiden, Daddy, Miss Mia. We eat the cake, and Daddy eats the whole cake, and that’s all.”
Atticus, “Dada ” is Andrew, Cora, Apollo, and this is Kathy. We’re going apple picking. We were on a tractor ride, and we went through the hay.”
Archie “That is me, this is Hazle, Mommy, and Daddy. We were going to the pumpkin fest. We just went on some rides and stuff. We were trying to get an elephant ear, but Dad said no, she’s not gonna want it.”
Kemper “This is my Dad, my Momma, and my brother. This is brother, this is my brother, and this is my brother.” Would you like to tell us something about your family? “I don’t know.”
Levi “This is my sister, this is my Dad. We seeing fish. Trying to catch a fish, but it was too long.”
Sebastian “We went to the beach and we got a picture. Me, Jordan, my brother Zan, and Casey Momma.”
Lennon “It’s a birthday party.”
Abigail “Me with two braids, Momma and Daddy, we were going on a boat in the waterfall. Gammy and Grandpie’s house. That’s a big building.”
Ripley “This is my brother, this is me. We were at Oglebay at a big zoo. His name is Lukie. It was my birthday at Mommies. I got my face paint. I was at Grandma’s big park. I’m with my Daddy.”
Gemma “Me and my mom and Daddy were taking a picture. We were happy on the way home! Because I like my school. I was cuddling my dog on his birthday. That’s when I had my gymnastics on stage.”
Avery “So this is me at volleyball at Linsly, see! This is me at Country Day right next to the paint. My Dad and me both match each other. This is Levi and me taking pictures and doing all these things. I walked with him.”
After each child shared a beautiful story about their family, they were invited to look at their family photo and draw each family member. Due to their love of rocks, we also invited the class to build their families out of rocks!
We read the story “A Stone Sat Still” by Brendan Wenzel. The story explored different perspectives and how a rock can appear big to one creature and small to another. Then the children we invited to explore rocks by simply using water and paintbrushes.
The children began to notice the different shapes of the rocks. Some were circles, while others were triangles, and they realized that these shapes could be transformed into clothing, such as dresses and shirts. This wonderful observation naturally led us into our math lesson for the week, where we explored shapes in the world around us.
We read the story “Tangled” by Anne Miranda, which discussed shapes, friendships, and how to rescue each other from a tangled playground mess. After reading the story, the class was given two opportunities to explore shapes. They were presented with shapes on mirrors and asked to replicate the lines and curves using loose parts. Then, together, we worked on a beautiful collaborative shape project. Using cut-out shapes placed on large black paper, the children traced around each shape and added their own lines and details using oil pastels.
In character development, we went a little deeper in our conversations about respect. We asked the children, “What does respect look like in our classroom?”
Some children shared that respect means being kind to one another, using gentle words, taking turns, and being a good friend. Others reminded us that respect also means caring for the classroom itself, the space we all share each day. The class also learned about “mindful bodies” from our friends Munchy and Jumpy. The children practiced being mindful of their bodies and the space around them.
Have a wonderful Fall Break. We will see you on Tuesday!
Miss Gina and Miss Liz