PS Dashing into December!
Upcoming Dates & Announcements:
- Mark your calendars! Early Childhood Family Night: December 12th at 6:00 p.m. More information to come!
- Thursday, December 12th 6:00 – Early Childhood Winter Family Night
- Children should come dressed in festive attire. Please drop them off in their classroom by 5:45. Families can then head to the gym and find a seat. The children will perform a special song and then enjoy a story read live by their teachers. The story, Share Some Kindness, Bring Some Light, will then be brought to life in each of the early childhood classrooms. Families will be invited to enjoy refreshments and travel freely around campus while participating in a variety of heartwarming activities sure to bring joy this holiday season!
- December 19th – ALL School Dismissal 11:30
- Winter Break – December 20th – January 1st
- Thursday, January 2nd – 10:00 a.m. Start
- Starting in the new year, our preschool class will begin having community snacks. This will be a fun way for the children to build independence, as they’ll help set the tables, prepare and distribute the snacks, and clean up afterward. We’re asking families to sign up to bring snacks for the class for one week. You will provide snacks for 20 students for Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday morning snack times. Monday and Friday snacks, as well as afternoon snacks, will remain individual, as usual. Click to sign up for your family’s week. Thanks!
- CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Dear Preschool families,
We hope everyone had a relaxing Thanksgiving with family and friends. It’s hard to believe that we are in the month of December. The children will be busy with various festive provocations, not to mention all of us getting ready for our Winter Family Night. It will be an evening of magical wonder, joy and creating memories together.
It’s that time of year that we settle on our cozy carpet and begin reading holiday stories. We read the cutest story titled We Disagree about this Tree by Ross Collins. Bear and Mouse are friends, however they each have different ideas about the Christmas tree decorations. But in the end they found a way to compromise and celebrate in the spirit of the holidays. Friendship is very important and we will be diving into some friendship provocations very soon.
You could hear all the sounds of excitement coming from the classroom when the children decorated their class Christmas tree. Making sure every ornament, ribbon, and strand of tinsel had a unique and special spot on the tree. Here is a question for you- What can you make with 5 boxes, green paint, and a variety of loose parts…? A one of a kind tree! Stay tuned as the children will be creating a beautiful tree masterpiece for the classroom to enjoy during the winter months.
We enjoyed the shimmering illustrations of the story Chicka Chicka Ho Ho Ho. A fun story of the alphabet and shapes working together to decorate a Christmas tree. It’s self-portrait time, Christmas edition.What better way to practice our shapes with none other than a triangle to make a Christmas tree, the children learned that a triangle has 3 sides! We started working on them this week and they will be completed for our family night so you can see how cute they turned out.
We wrapped up the week with a fun story, How Does Santa Go Down the Chimney? We had the best responses from the children. Enjoy!
Evelyn – “I think he has a slide to get down and a rope to get back up “
Atticus- “He uses a lawn mower and mows his way down!”
Sydney – “I know! Magic and the elves help him”
Isla – “He slides down the hill”
Avery- “The reindeer just pull him down and he just laughs and laughs”
Hunter- “I think Batman, Spiderman and the Joker help pull him down”
Lincoln – “I think he uses water to shoot down- or maybe a monster truck”
Lily – “He uses a slide”
Archie – “He just slides down the chimney”
Jackson – “He flys down!”
Brody – “He just goes through the front door!”
Ben – “He runs like Sonic the Hedgehog down the chimney- really fast!”
Clara- “He slides down, he gets small and then he gets big again, like a balloon!”
We also asked the question- What do you want Santa to bring you? They used color pencils to draw what they would like. We are putting the finishing touches on our Dear Santa Letter next week. Here were there Christmas wishes:
Jackson – “Gems”
Romeo -“I want Santa to bring me a Triceratops”
Avery -“I want a lot of people and doctor kits, and do you think he can make paper and pencils for me?”
Lennon -“I want Santa to bring me a big Barbie Dreamhouse”
Levi – “I want Santa to bring me a mail truck, I just don’t know how to draw it for him.”
Lincoln -“I know, I want Santa to bring me an Ice cream shop, a popcorn shop and a monster truck.”
Khy -“A Spiderman”
Lily – “I want a baby Jesus with a hat for Christmas.”
Audrey – “I want Santa to bring me a green basket for a picnic.”
Sydney – “I want a big giant robot to play with for Christmas and a play gun!”
Isla – “I want Santa to bring me a dinosaur.”
Ben – “I just want Santa to bring me a square toy.”
Atticus – ” I want Santa to bring me a cloud from the sky.”
Brody – ” I want a red monster truck.”
Clara -“I want me as a toy!”
Hunter -” I want him to bring me a Spiderman.”
Evelyn – “I want him to bring me a doctor kit.”
Roman -“I want Santa to bring me a dinosaur, real or toy.”
Emma – “I want hi to bring me toys.”
Archie -” I want Santa to bring me ABC’s!”
PS Have a warm and cozy weekend,
Miss Airry, Miss Meredith and Miss Arden
Please Touch Christmas Tree and Cardboard Tree Collaborative Art:
December Self-Portraits:
Daily Discovery & Explorations
PRESCHOOL SAYS THANKS!
Upcoming Dates & Announcements:
- Mark your calendars! Early Childhood Family NIght: December 12th at 6:00 p.m. More information to come!
- Book Fair – December 2nd-6th
- December 19th – ALL School 11:30 Dismissal
- Winter Break – December 20th – January 1st
- Thursday, January 2nd – 10:00 a.m. Start
- CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING DATES AND ANNOUNCEMENTS
Hello Preschool Families!
Gratitude – noun- The quality of being thankful; readiness to show appreciation for and to return kindness. It’s such a simple word that holds so much power in how we life our lives.
We wanted to take a minute before the turkey is carved, before the ladles of gravy are poured into a heaping mound of mashed potatoes, the whip cream is placed on the pumpkin pie, or just straight into your mouthes, if your anything like us, and before you settle in for a long turkeys nap, to extend our gratitude. It’s so easy to find gratitude for the big things in life, but if you’re lucky enough, you’ll find there is something to be grateful for around every corner. The sound of children belly laughing, the little girl who has found confidence in her voice, watching a little boy celebrate his friends before celebrating himself, having conversations with a 3 year old like your out to lunch with an old friend, life lessons from 3 and 4 year olds you didn’t know you needed to learn, hugs, lots of hugs, those are just a few of the things we find gratitude for every day, how fortunate are we! So, thank you, thank you for sharing the gift of your children, that allows us to have something to be grateful for day in and day out. Thank you for trusting us and partnering with us. Because of you and your family we get to do what we love every single day.
On Tuesday we read the story “Around the Table That Grandad Built” In this story a family gathers with friends and family to share a meal around the table that granddad built, brimming with items provided by each guest, napkins sewn by Mom, glasses from Mom and Dad’s wedding, silverware gifted to Dad by his grandma long ago. Not to mention the squash from the garden, the bread baked by Gran, and the pies made by the young girl. Together they celebrate their bounty, gratitude, family and friendships. Armed with growling tummy’s and grateful hearts, we made our way over to the gym to indulge in a delicious Thanksgiving luncheon with the entire school, gathered around the table that the children created table runners and centerpieces for. A HUGE thank you to Mrs. Dodd and the Coopers for all of their hard work preparing the meal and to the parents who volunteered, it was a beautiful celebration. A perfect kickoff for the holiday.
We hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving gathered around the table that you have built as a family. Take a moment to celebrate the little moments of gratitude, for they are much larger than we think!
Miss Arden, Miss Meredith & Miss Airry
Preschool Is Grateful
Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
A Look at Our Week:
This week in preschool, our hearts were filled with gratitude and thankfulness. We read the story Bear Says Thanks, where Bear and his friends come together to share a feast, each bringing something special to the table. As they passed the platters of food, they expressed their appreciation for one another. Inspired by the story, the children worked on creating their own gratitude trees. While we typically keep artwork in the classroom, these beautiful creations will be sent home next week for families to enjoy. The children began by collecting twigs and sticks, then adorned them with paint and glitter, setting them in air-dry clay to create their miniature trees. They added the final touches with beaded feathers and leaves made from coffee filters and watercolors, each one representing something they are thankful for. We hope you cherish these darling, handmade centerpieces as much as we do!
For a mindfulness activity, we read the book Thankful, where a community comes together to share the big and small things they are grateful for. Afterward, we invited each child to share what they are thankful for and completed their November self-portraits.
What are you thankful for?
Romeo- “My mommy and dinosaurs“
Ben- “My mom and my dad and stars“
Archie- “My mom and drawing and that I get to play with my dad“
Lily-“My mom playing with me“
Audrey- “My mom and treecicles and toys“
Lenni- “Mommy and Daddy and Roman and my swimming pool, but it’s closed“
Emma- “My mom and my animals“
Avery- “Eating dinner with my mom and dad“
Sydney- “I’m thankful for my momma who takes me away from scary things in the dark and makes me breakfast, but not today. Today she just gave me a granola bar.“
Hunter- “Going to the store with Mommy and Daddy and getting toys“
Khy- “Circles and my brother“
Evelyn- “I’m thankful that my mommy cleans the windows so I can see.“
Roman- “When my mom takes me to ice cream with my brothers“
Clara- “My mom and my dad and my sister”
Atticus- “I’m thankful that my mom keeps me safe and Apollo races me.“
Brody- “When my mom takes me to a monster truck show“
Levi- “Monster truck birthdays with trampolines and bouncy houses“
Jackson – “I’m thankful for leaves, I love leaves!”
We wrapped up the week with a fun activity that combined story sequencing and following directions! After reading I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie, we brought the “Old Lady” to life with a puppet. Each child was given an item from the story to feed to the Old Lady, but they had to listen carefully for their specific food before standing up to feed her. The children eagerly took turns feeding her a pie, cider, roll, squash, salad, turkey, pot, cake, and finally some bread. Their excitement was so contagious that we mixed up the food and did it all over again! They waited patiently for their turn and did a fantastic job matching their food to the story. What a fun way to practice listening, sequencing, and following directions!
We hope you are all enjoying this season of gratefulness!
-Meredith, Arden, and Airry
Grateful Trees:
Self Portraits:
The Old Lady Who Swallowed a Pie:
Daily Explorations and Fun:
PRESCHOOL IS MAKING SENSE OF NUMBER SENSE
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
Hello Preschool Families!
We can always COUNT on Preschool to amaze us! The NUMBER of times we sit back in awe of them is endless. Are you sensing a theme yet? Well, preschool sure did make sense of something this week… number sense, to be exact!
The kiddos started the week with a little self exploration. We have been listening and have begun to notice how important navigating friendships and making friends are to these little learners. Encouraging kind words and actions have been at the top of our list since we started school, but now we are beginning to understand the significance and effect that their words and actions have on others. We read the story “Sweep” by Louise Greig. A story about a man named Ed whose bad mood begins as something small, hardly anything at all, but before long, it grows into something much larger, picking up pace and then sweeping over the entire town, causing all those around him to feel those same effects as his own bad mood. However, a gust of wind and looking up, allowing Ed to confront those big emotions and before we knew it that bad mood had been swept away. We then talked about how the words we use with ourselves can start to sweep over others and may affect others feelings and mood. We all agreed speaking kindly to not only others, but to ourselves, is what makes the world a better place.
The children then sat down to draw their November self portraits. What was once scribbles for some, or a simple circle representing a head for others, have now become faces, the bodies now have details, and they have now begun to describe how they are feeling in their self portrait, those lines we explored in the start of the year, have now become shapes, and those shapes have become themselves! They also added details to their trees they painted with nature last week. Taking the leaves we have been hauling daily from the playground for weeks, we decided to crinkle and crushed into nature confetti for their trees and then in true preschool fashion, added a little extra sparkle with fall colored glitter.
We wrapped up the week diving into number sense. We read the story 10 Fat Turkeys, counting down as each turkey lost their balance on the fence post, the children shouted out the next number and giggled at the silly rhyming pairs they recognized. The children were then invited to various math centers. All the tables were set with subitizing dot cards, some tables included a blast from the past, an abacus, one included the bellies of a turkey and feathers, and lastly tens frames and loose parts. They counted the dots on their cards, identified the numbers and their little fingers pushed the beads on each row of the abacuses as they counted out their number. They excitedly gathered the correct number of feathers to add to their turkey bellies based off their card and counted out loose parts to add to the correct number of frames. Some even began to add on and take away and would find the number that represented their equation, we were impressed!
We hope you have a wonderful weekend, as for us, we’ll be COUNTING down the days until we see them next week!
Miss Arden, Miss Meredith & Miss Airry
SELF PORTRAITS
TREE PAINTING
NUMBER SENSE EXPLORATIONS
DAILY EXPLORATIONS & FUN
FALL-TASTIC FUN!
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
Dear Preschool families,
We put on our lab coats, rolled up our sleeves and got to work on a few science related experiments this week. We observed the textures, size, and colors of feathers and even counted them to put in our play dough turkeys. Next, we made some leaves with fall colors observing the vines and texture of each one. Finally, we filled plastic jars with water and crushed some leaves to place in the water to see if it will change colors. We are still observing- Stay tuned.
It was a gorgeous day on Tuesday morning to take advantage of discovery play outside. We read a fall story and followed up with painting our self portrait trees with leaves, buckeyes, and pinecones. We are gearing up to change our bulletin board that has a November theme.
What is under that huge tree down by the playground? You guessed it, colorful leaves! Well, we took our parachute down and filled the parachute with leaves. We enjoyed the rolly, swirly, twirly of leaves as we bounced them up and down. Lastly we wrapped up our fall-tastic fun with another science experiment. Clear jars, food coloring, and shaving cream to make fall clouds they are displayed in the classroom.
We will welcome Miss Arden and Miss Meredith back from an ISACS conference next week. They presented about a Reggio Inspired classroom through the grades. PS is proud of you!!!
Have a great weekend,
Miss Airry, Miss Arden, Miss Meredith
FALL SCIENCE FUN
TREE PAINTING
PARACHUTE FUN
DAILY DISCOVERY & MORE!
Happy Halloween, Preschool!
Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
- CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
- November 13th-We are excited to announce that our WCDS Talent Show will be shared as a Viewing Party during our 29 Hours of Giving on Wednesday, November 13th, at 7 PM!
- November 26th- All school Thanksgiving Luncheon and 12:30 Dismissal. No Aftercare
- No School November 27-29. Enjoy your Thanksgiving!
- Monday, December 1st- 10:00 start
- Beforecare is available in the gym from 7:30- 8:20 and aftercare from 3:30-5:00.
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
A Look at Our Week:
On Tuesday, our preschoolers took a playful plunge into the spooky world of storytelling! After reading “There Was an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Ghost,” we decided to bring our own ghostly vision to life—literally! We transformed our favorite tree into an art project by hanging large floating ghosts. Each was a blank canvas just waiting for the magic of little hands. Armed with paintbrushes and an array of colors, our pint-sized artists got to work, collaborating to create a dazzling display of ghostly fun. The laughter and creativity flowed as they dipped their brushes. Once they finished, we stepped back to admire their handiwork. The sight of our colorful, floating ghosts swaying in the breeze was a joyful spectacle that could brighten anyone’s day—and even make other classes passing by do a double take! It was definitely a day filled with giggles and ghouls!
Wednesday, the preschool class embarked on an exciting field trip to Nicky’s Garden Center, where the day was filled with fun and creativity. The children started their day by playing on the playground, their giggles echoing through the autumn air. Afterward, they dove into autumn stations. They made glittery pumpkins adorned with googly eyes, showcasing their artistic flair and explored the pumpkin patch. They also gathered around to listen to a story about the Poky Little Puppy’s Halloween and Mr. PJ guided them in pressing fresh apple cider, a delicious treat! It was a day filled with joy, laughter, and a sprinkle of fall magic!
On Thursday, the preschool class had a spooktacular day filled with Halloween fun! Dressed in their adorable costumes, they paraded around with big smiles, showing off their creative outfits to everyone. After the parade, the excitement continued with a delightful hayride complete with Blipi as our host, where they giggled and waved to the families around them. Then it was time for some spooky centers! In one station, they became little scientists, mixing magic potions using baking soda, vinegar, and a dash of food coloring and glitter that fizzed and sparkled like magic. At another center, they got crafty, using ribbon and playdoh to create costumes for their art models, letting their imaginations run wild. And finally, they dove into a bowl of “spooky spaghetti,” digging their hands into colorful noodles, spiders, googly eyes, and bats to create a frightfully fun meal! And the best part? Snack time! As they savored all the yummy treats their families had sent in, they happily feasted while singing along to lively Halloween songs, filling the room with laughter and joy.
Enjoy this beautiful autumn weekend!
-Meredith, Arden, and Airry
Floating Ghosts
Nicky’s Garden Center Field Trip
Halloween
HAVING A SPOOK-TACULAR TIME IN PS!!
Updates and Announcements
CLICK HERE FOR UPCOMING WCDS EVENTS
- Wednesday, October 30th, Field Trip to Nicky’s Garden Center! We will meet at Nicky’s at 9:00AM parents or caregivers are welcome to stay. If you prefer to take your child after the field trip, please let one of us know. We will have a sign out sheet with us.
- Thursday, October 31st- Halloween! Students are invited to come to school in costume. Sign up here to bring an item for our Halloween party!
- Beforecare is available in the gym from 7:30- 8:20 and aftercare from 3:30-5:00.
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
Dear Preschool families,
What better way to enjoy these warm days than to continue our pumpkin knowledge with a pumpkin provocation in our outdoor space. We started with a pumpkin song reviewing the height, weight, and size. They were invited to explore the lumps, bumps, and seeds of gourds and pumpkins from Miss Arden’s house. The curiosity of how many seeds were in each pumpkin lead to using many of our tools to scoop out pumpkin seeds and hammer out dents. Stay tuned for the grand total of seeds from one of our pumpkins.
Here are few quotes from the pumpkin science provocation. Enjoy!
Avery “There’s seeds! Remember I did decorate and paint them. We put them on a paper towel.”
Levi- “I’m getting the seeds! Let’s put them in a pot.”
Romeo- “Do you see all the seeds? I’m trying to get them out of there.”
Roman- “I’m hammering out the insides.”
Archie- “I’m trying to get them out!” (seeds)
Evelyn-(counts the seeds as she pulls them out)
Atticus- “We’re getting all of it! There’s soooo many seeds! 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10”
Brody- “I’ve got some seeds! I’m putting them all in the bowl to mix them up!”
We also set the stage for a spooky story with dimmed lights and flickering candles to read Who will Haunt My House on Halloween? We wrapped up our Tuesday morning by starting our October self-portraits with a Halloween flair. Stay tuned!
Watch out for gluey, glittery, and googley eyed monsters in preschool! On Wednesday, we read a story titled Glad Monster Sad Monster A book About Feelings. We listened to the story with various masks that fold out from almost every page to discuss feelings of happiness, sadness, worry or silliness. We then invited the children to make their monster with white or clear glue on wax paper and adding loose parts of choice (gems, buttons, paper straws, colorful pipe cleaners, googley eyes, and everyone’s favorite- sparkling glitter! Please enjoy reading their answers about their monster.
Evelyn- “It’s a love monster. Its name is Evelyn. It saves people.”
Clara- “It’s a sad monster. Its name is Willa. It makes ice.”
Lincoln- “I’m making a silly monster. His name is Lincoln monster. He’s super fast.”
Atticus- “This is a big monster. His name is Atticus. His power is fire.”
Hunter- “It’s a bar man monster. His name is Batman. He has strong arms.”
Brody- “It’s a sad one. His name is Brody. He has a night stab.”
Archie- “It’s a happy monster. His name is Jonie.”
Romeo- “It’s a happy monster. Its name is mommy daddy. It makes me happy.”
Levi- “He’s a happy monster. it’s a Batman monster. He has super speed.”
Ben- “It’s a mad monster. Their name is purple with a super punch like hook.”
Emma- “A Happy Monster, his name is Happy!”
Lily- “She is a mad monster named Lily and she flys!”
Avery- “It’s a happy monster whose name is Grey and is super fast!”
Roman- “He’s an angry monster, who fights villains and blows webs”
Isla – “This is my happy face monster, she’s happy and she flys and climbs like this … “WOOSSSHHH”!”
Sydney – “This is my glitter monster, his name is Clifford and he throws glitter balls at bad guys”
Khyran – “My monster is angry, his name is Angus and he flys”
The twirly swirly pumpkin art wrapped up the week. The smallest of pumpkins were decorated with drops of colorful nail polish in water, called hydro-dipping. Some children dipped their pumpkin in the water swirling it around and creating a beautiful “one of a kind” masterpiece. While others took to the “dumping effect” and poured various colors of paint to create a gorgeous tapestry dripping on the rind!
We are all looking forward to our field trip to Nicky’s Garden Center on Wednesday. It is sure to be an exciting time while enjoying some Fall festivities together.
Have a great weekend! PS we love you!!
Miss Airry, Miss Meredith, and Miss Arden
PUMPKIN EXPLORATIONS
GLUE MONSTERS
PUMPKIN PAINTING & DIPPING
DAILY DISCOVERY & MORE!
TALLEST, SMALLEST, HEAVIEST, LIGHTEST AND EVERYTHING IN BETWEEN!
- October 19th: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Fall Campus Refresh! Volunteer for a few hours by swinging by 8 Park Road with gardening gloves to help freshen our campus. Lunch and refreshments will be provided!
- October 22nd – Students are encouraged to wear pink to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness this Tuesday! Donations will be collected by classroom teachers and sent to local breast care centers.
- Wednesday, October 30th, Field Trip to Nicky’s Garden Center! Please let us know ASAP if your child will need transportation.
- Thursday, October 31st- Halloween! Students are invited to come to school in costume. Sign up here to bring an item for our Halloween party!
- Beforecare is available in the gym from 7:30- 8:20 and aftercare from 3:30-5:00.
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
Hello Preschool Families!
What a BIG week we had in Preschool, GIANT if you will. ENORMOUS explorations created for lots of excitement! Are you sensing a theme yet? The students dove into the world of mathematics this week.
On Tuesday we read the story “The Littlest Pumpkin” by R.A. Herman. A story about the smallest pumpkin in the patch who finds himself becoming more alone on the farm as everyone is quick to grab the largest pumpkin in the patch as the days quickly approach Halloween. However, when a group of mice come along, they make the littlest pumpkin feel like largest pumpkin in the patch when his dream comes true, as they turn him into the brightest Jack-O-Lantern. We then presented the children with 4 pumpkins of various sizes and a scale. We asked the children what they thought a scale does.
Atticus “You put things on it, I have two at home”
Lincoln – “It tells you something”
Avery – “It says how big!”
Levi – “I know, it says how heavy!”
We then introduced the term “weight”. Explaining to the students how things can be heavy and some can be light, We asked the children to form a “hypothesis” and took a tally of which pumpkin they thought was the heaviest. Most guessed pumpkin #1 was the heaviest and others guessed pumpkin #2. We then placed all four on the scale. Pumpkin #1 weighed 17.2 lbs, #2 weighed 12.2 lbs., #3 weighed 9lbs. and #4 weighed 11lbs. They eagerly shouted out that they knew 17.2 lbs. was the largest number! The kiddos were then invited to their own weighing stations. They were presented with scales, mini pumpkins, gourds, and loose parts. They clamored with excitement as they took turns balancing the scales or weighing down the scales to see how they could out weigh the pumpkins with loose parts.
On Wednesday we read the story “How BIG Could Your Pumpkin Grow?” by Wendell Minor. This story included larger than life pumpkins that decorated some of America’s favorite places, such as the gigantic Brooklyn Bridge, the jumbo oil fields of Texas, the colossal rapids of the Grand Canyon and the immense dome of The U.S. Capitol Building. Not only did this story take us through multiple U.S. landmarks and landscapes, it introduced us to various concepts of size and scale! Moving on from weight, we introduced the children to measurement! Armed with rulers and math link cubes we took the pumpkins from the day before and measured their height! Again, the children were asked to form a hypothesis on which pumpkin they thought was the tallest. Pumpkin #1 was 8 inches, #2 was 9 inches, #3 was 7 inches and #4 was 10 inches. We all determined that the smallest number was 7 and the largest number was 10! The students made their way to a provocation, pumpkins, cubes, building blocks, math link cubes and rulers lined the tables. The children loved building and counting the blocks to see how tall their pumpkins were, while others used the rulers and counted the numbers to see how “high” the pumpkins were!
In phonics we learned a new concept! The children are working on taking two small words and “smushing” them to make a big word. ex. Back-Pack (Backpack!) During Spanish, Miss Meredith noticed our bodies were extra wiggly, so she incorporated a little yoga using the Spanish animal names to move and calm those bodies. It only took these littlest learners to learn that a mariposa is a butterfly, Miss Arden found out in year 38 of life. Daily discovery was full of light! tubes lights and colorful dome lights turned into ghost cups filled with “juice” and the reflection from CD’s made it “spooky!”
To wrap up the week we took those pumpkins we measured and used them to measure us! The kiddos squealed with delight as we took turns counting how many pumpkins tall we were! It was truly a magical week of exploring and learning. There is not a scale large enough or a ruler high enough to measure the amount of joy your children bring us!
Have a wonderful weekend with your little pumpkins this weekend!
Miss Arden, Miss Meredith & Miss Airry
WEIGH IN STATION
MEASUREMENT
HOW MANY PUMPKINS TALL?
DAILY DISCOVERY
Step by Step: Our Fun Journey to Following Directions!
Upcoming Dates and Announcements:
- October 18th – Talent Show Videos due to Mr. Alex!
We are excited to announce that our WCDS Tallent Show will be shared as a Viewing Party during our 29 Hours of Giving November 13th – 14th! To ensure we have videos in and compiled in time, please send all submissions by October 18th. Videos should be no longer than 60 seconds and sent to talentshow@wcdsedu.com. Please email Mr. Alex at ahill@wcdsedu.com with any questions!
- October 19th: 9:00 am – 3:00 pm, Fall Campus Refresh! Volunteer for a few hours by swinging by 8 Park Road with gardening gloves to help freshen our campus. Lunch and refreshments will be provided!
- October 22nd – Students are encouraged to wear pink to show support for Breast Cancer Awareness this Tuesday! Donations will be collected by classroom teachers and sent to local breast care centers.
- Thursday, October 31st- Halloween! Students are invited to come to school in costume. Sign up here to bring an item for our Halloween party!
- Beforecare is available in the gym from 7:30- 8:20 and aftercare from 3:30-5:00.
- Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
A Look at Our Week:
We hope you all enjoyed your fall break! We were so excited to hear about all of the kiddos’ adventures over the weekend.
We kicked off our week in preschool by embarking on a journey of creativity and listening! Our little artists gathered around tables filled with papers and baskets brimming with art supplies. Excitement buzzed in the air as we prepared to dive into an activity that would not only unleash their imaginations but also practice their ability to follow directions. We started by asking each child to find the paper with their name on it. “Remember, no touching the art supplies just yet!” we encouraged them. With eager little hands and bright eyes, they carefully found their places and sat down, ready for the fun to begin. It was a beautiful moment, witnessing their focus and anticipation! Next, we introduced the first art supply: the paint sticks. “Let’s color the bottom of our papers!” we instructed, and off they went, making vibrant strokes at the bottom. After that, it was time to grab a marker and color the top. “Can we remember where the top is?” and they confidently pointed upward before setting to work. And then they were asked to fill in the sides with a crayon. With each step, the children practiced not just their listening skills but also their understanding of positions—top, bottom, side, and middle. They giggled and chatted as they added color to the paper. Once they completed those steps, it was time for the final flourish: watercolors for the middle of their papers. This activity was a wonderful way for the children to practice following directions, while also learning to identify objects and locations. We were so proud of how well they did for their first go-around! Each child showed incredible focus and stamina, and it was heartwarming to see their confidence grow with each new step. We’re already excited to revisit this activity in a few weeks! It will be wonderful to see how their skills develop and how they embrace the challenge of following directions.
Later in the week, we dove into the magical world of autumn with a delightful reading of “Fall Mixed Up.” The story filled our hearts with laughter as we explored the playful mix-ups of the season. The children giggled at the idea of leaves floating up instead of falling down and pumpkins growing red and apples growing orange! Inspired by the fun and vibrant spirit of the book, we transformed our outdoor classroom into a whimsical pumpkin wonderland with sensory stations that invited creativity and exploration. The excitement was palpable as we introduced three engaging activities: First up was the pumpkin washing station. Armed with sponges, buckets of warm, soapy water, and cheerful little pumpkins, our young helpers got to work carefully cleaning the pumpkins. Next, we moved to the pumpkin soup station With their imaginations running wild, they created delicious recipes, pouring and dumping all of their favorite ingredients. Finally, we arrived at the pumpkin building station, where our mini architects had the chance to construct towering pumpkin sculptures with pumpkins, gourds, CDs, tealight domes, and a fan favorite, hair rollers.
We can’t wait to explore more seasonal activities in the weeks to come! Here’s to more laughter, creativity, and pumpkin-filled adventures in our classroom! Sign up here to bring an item for our Halloween party!
-Meredith, Arden, and Airry
Following Directions
Sensory Pumpkin Play
Daily Discovery and Explorations
Be Our Guest at the Table!
Upcoming datees and Announcements:
- Friday, October 4th- 11:30 Dismissal
- Monday, October 7th- No School. Enjoy Fall Break!
- IMPORTANT SCHOOL PHOTO INFORMATION
Parents,
Thank you for sharing your children and their wonderful smiles and personalities with me for Picture Day this year. We had rain, sun, humidity, cool air- and a ton of smiles. To view the photos and make a selection for printing please click the link below:
https://jessicamaxwell.shootproof.com/gallery/22485383
Once in the gallery, you will be able to navigate to your child’s grade and individual folder. Once inside their folder, please select ONE favorite image by hovering over the image and selecting the star. This will mark this image as your favorite. Please refrain from selecting multiple favorite images as only one will be printed with your package. You have until Monday, October 7th at 12:00 pm to select your favorite image. If you choose not to select an image, I will select the most natural pose for you.
Please note that these photos are only rough edited. Dirty faces and shirts will be fixed (within reason) once you select an image. Thanks!
If you have an immediate question, please contact me via call or text @ 740-296-9700
If your child was absent for picture day, the make-up day will be Thursday, October 10th. Thank you for trusting me with your wonderful kids!
- Tuesday, October 8th- 10:00 start. Before care available.
- Library is every WEDNESDAY, please return books by then… However, no late fees incurred!
- Scholastic book order forms are coming home next week. Book orders will be due Thursday, October 10th.
- Please send in a picture of your family to be displayed in the classroom. These will be hanging by the door and the kiddos love sharing them with their friends!
- October 18 – Talent Show Videos due to Mr. Alex – Look for more information to come next week.
Teacher Email: mshah@wcdsedu.com, awolle@wcdsedu.com, aschultz@wcdsedu.com
Dear Preschool families,
To say we were super excited about heading in to this week with taking a nature walk, making mud pies, and preparing the classroom with beautiful touches for our special guests is an understatement.
We knew saying goodbye to summer had to happen. We said farewell to summer by reading a book titled Goodbye Summer, Hello Autumn. The author took us on a walk through a forest and towns that greeted us with all the signs of the coming season. After the story, our feet took us on our nature walk around campus. It was a huge success with a collection of colorful leaves, buckeyes, pinecones, and acorns to put in the classroom’s nature basket. Hopefully this weekend you can enjoy the sights and sounds of Autumn.
What could be more fun than being out on a sunny autumn morning making mud pies, mud cakes, and mud cookies. Before we ventured outside, we read The Amazing Mud Cake. A little girl named Ollee made yummy goodies from her very own mud kitchen for her family. Her creations didn’t go exactly as planned for her family, but the bugs and butterflies loved them!
As you know, we celebrated a special day for the special people in our lives. We look forward each year to a wonderful morning of smiles, laughter, and joy. We read a story with our special guests titled Grandparents’ Day. The story’s message was about reliving special memories and creating new ones. We hope a new memory was created on Thursday morning. One of the most cherished memories to have as a child is visiting grandma’s kitchen. Since the children love spending their time during discovery play at our preschool kitchens, we decided to create a provocation that lends conversation and a beautiful moment with their special someone. Each child and their guest(s) gathered around a pretty fall decorated table and began to use ingredients to make a “pumpkin pie.” They went to work rolling out the play dough crust, then filling the crust with pumpkin scented play dough and topping it off with decorative gems, glitter, and little wooden shaped pieces. For safe keeping we placed the one of kind pies in a bakery box.
Making memories are something to be cherished. We were so excited to invite our guests into our cozy and welcoming space so more memories could be created together.
Happy Long Weekend!
Miss Airry, Miss Meredith, Miss Arden
Enjoy A Glimpse Of Our Week!
NATURE WALK
MUD PIES!
SPECIAL PERSONS DAY
DAILY DISCOVERY & EXPLORATIONS
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