Pre-1 Staff Transitions-
As many of you already know, this is my last month as a teacher in Pre-1. I will be transitioning to work in the 2s/3s-2 classroom. I wanted to thank all the Pre-1 families for sharing your children with me this past semester. All the children will have a special place in my heart, and I look forward to popping in and saying hello. Sam has been working in the Pre-2 classroom covering Hillary’s maternity leave and will now be Jen’s co-teacher in Pre-1. She has already started building relationships with the Pre-1 children and she looks forward to working with all of you.
Large Motor- inside and out!
Cooler weather is upon us! We will continue to go outside if the REAL FEEL TEMPERATURE is ABOVE 15 degrees. We will only be out for a short period of time at those low temperatures, but we will go out. Please make sure your child has proper outdoor gear. We do have some extra hats and gloves the children can borrow if your child needs them. Outdoor time (even in the winter) is an essential part of our program. Navigating the playground while wearing all of the winter gear provides another skill in itself as the children have the added challenge of the weight of their outdoor attire while climbing, running, riding, and playing. Outdoor time provides children the opportunity to build large motor and coordination skills which is the pre-curser to those fine-motor and visual-coordination skills needed for reading and writing. I like to think of large motor and coordination skills as the foundation of school-readiness!
On the days the weather is too frigid to go outside, we can use our center’s large motor room. Our class will have the opportunity to build large motor skills using various materials such as: trampolines, tunnels, mats for tumbling, balls, hopping sacks and much more. We are fortunate to have this space for the children to utilize when the weather is not in our favor.
Music in the classroom
Playing and listening to music has invaluable benefits to young children. In our classroom we play music daily. We play a clean-up song during transitions. We sing songs during group time daily. Some of the songs we play have a movement component to them. The children can get up and move while listening for directions in the song. Playing these types of songs not only builds coordination and large motor skills but they also build cognitive skills as the children pay attention and follow directions accordingly. One of our favorite things to hear from you is that the children are singing these same songs at home! I have included a link to give you some ideas on how to incorporate music at home.
https://www.naeyc.org/our-work/families/playing-music-home
REMINDERS:
- NO SCHOOL 12/2 for conference planning
- NO SCHOOL 12/5 and 12/6 for Parent/Teacher conferences
- NO SCHOOL 12/16 for staff professional development
Thank you Pre-1 families,
Nadine and the Pre-1 team
