Pre-3 September Newsletter

Hello Pre-3 Families,

We have been getting acquainted with one another and our routine in the classroom. We are becoming familiar with the expectations of the classroom and have been building relationships within our Pre-3 family. We have established our group time routine and implemented Becky Bailey’s “Wish Well” ritual. This ritual provides a visual way to aid children in wishing each other well during our daily group time. Wishing well instantly calms us and offers love and caring to others. We also have established that we are a “School Family”, and we continue to discuss the kind ways in which we should treat each other while we play and interact in the classroom.

We will focus on the social emotional well-being of the children throughout the entire school year. We will read books and role play on how to be kind and how to be a good friend. When those conflicts do arise, we are instructing the children to solve their social issues by using our classroom Problem Solving Toolbox. The toolbox has picture cards showing how they can solve problems. The children can choose to take turns, trade, play together, get a sand time, or find a teacher for help. Furthermore, we are working on ways to calm our bodies as we “Make the Silence”  before naptime each day. During this time, we get our bodies ready to rest by darkening the room, lighting a pretend candle and reading a familiar story. We do deep breathe exercises as we smell the flower and blow out the candle. Ask your child to show you how.

The art center has been a highlight in our classroom this month. Not a day has gone by where someone has not pulled out one of the many baskets containing a variety of art materials. These many art experiences help strengthen and improve fine motor skills in the children and help build their creativity and imagination. This group of children have also been particularly fond of exploring with playdough and slime. They roll, cut, push, pull and stretch these concoctions, which also assists in building fine motor muscles. We will continue to offer fine motor activities for months to come.

Another highlight and new experience for the children is Project Based Learning (PBL). PBL is a student-centered teaching method in which students learn by actively engaging in real-world and personally meaningful projects. It involves a dynamic classroom approach in which children acquire a deeper knowledge through active exploration of real-world challenges and problems. It is a style of active learning and inquiry-based learning where the children choose the project and work for an extended period to investigate and respond to a complex subject matter. After much exploring of many different topics, the children have narrowed their topic and have decided to study “Tools.”  Please be on the lookout as to how this topic evolves in our classroom by visiting the documentation in the hallway right outside our classroom.

We have some awesome student workers in our classroom this semester. Autumn, Matt, Alyssa, Paige, and Sawyer. We all have been working together to provide a positive and safe and environment for the children in our care.

Thank you for such a great start to our fall semester. Kendra and I look forward to a fun, exciting, and very productive school year. Thanks for your support and for all you do! If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to us. You can also reach us by email:

ldolan@niu.edu 

kkirkham@niu.edu

Thank you for sharing your children with us every day!!!!

Happy Fall!

 

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