October 2011
Dear Parents:
Wow! The first month of pre-k has really flown by! The children have done a fantastic job adjusting to a more structured schedule and being responsible students. We are so proud of them!
We’d like to introduce Mrs. Lucy Osborne (Logan’s mom) as our classroom parent; she will help organize our classroom parties and other activities. Our first classroom party will be on Halloween, Monday, October 31st. She’ll be contacting those of you who completed the bright green volunteer form for assistance with this and all other parties. We also have a classroom photographer! Mrs. Sonia Dahl (Kayla’s mom) will be taking pictures of the children for use in the school yearbook. Thanks very much in advance to both of these moms for taking on these responsibilities!
Many of you had an opportunity to meet Mrs. Nancy Garceau, a retired BAE employee, at our “Meet the Teacher” Day. Since the last school year she has been volunteering in our classroom on Thursday afternoons. She is an immense help to us and the children love to see her as much as she loves being with them.
Yesterday we had our first Art Awareness class with Mrs. Erin Mansperger, ask your child about the bubble painting they did! Mrs. Mansperger is the mother of 4 children at St. Chris (2 sets of twins!) and will be visiting our classroom on the third Thursday afternoon each month to create an art project with them. Today we met our 3rd grade buddies for the first time. The children had a lot to fun getting to know each other as the older students helped them finish a watercolor apple project.
On Tuesday, October 4th, Fr. Paul Bouchard, pastor of our Lady of Mercy Church in Merrimack will be in to visit our class. He is the designated pre-k adopted clergy member that visits once a month to read to the children and answer their questions.
This month we will be studying the letters B for Bears (time for our teddy bear picnic), L for Leaves, P for Pumpkin and Penny and N for Native American and Nickel. We will be having a Teddy Bear Picnic the week of October 3rd and since we would like to have an outdoor picnic we will send you details on the date as we get closer so that we can check the weather. In math, we will continue our study of numbers, writing them and recognizing them, as well as more activities involving shapes and colors. In religion, we will continue our study that we are all special in God’s eyes by learning that our voices are special. We then move on to learn about our five senses and how our senses help us experience the great world God has created.
Please don’t forget that Wednesday, October 19th is an early release day so that the teachers may attend a professional workshop. The pre-k students will be released at 12:15pm. There is no afterschool or lunch (hot or cold) that day. Make sure you reserve Friday, October 21st at 12noon as your day to come have lunch at St. Chris with your child! Join us for Take Your Parent to Lunch Day! After listening to both pre-k classes perform a few songs you will be treated to a pizza lunch with your child.
We have decided to forgo trying to schedule our Parlee Farms field trip for a third time and therefore you are receiving your cash or check back in today’s folder. Instead we will have a fall scavenger hunt at the playground on Sargent Avenue sometime in mid-October. We are hesitant to schedule a day too far in advance so we will send you more information as we get closer to a non-rainy day in mid-October. We will also need a parent or two to walk with us and help chaperone that day.
We are very close to completing our first compliment chain; we have received many wonderful compliments from our specialist teachers and others for our good behavior both in the classroom and in the hallways. Stay tuned for our first special treat!
We have also been using the document camera and projector to enhance some of our lessons. With this technology we are able to project our letter of the week worksheets, weekly reader pages and math worksheets so that the children can do their work independently and then individually come up and write the answer on the large whiteboard. Just another step into the 21st century!
And finally, just a reminder about our uniform policy, the children should be wearing blue or white socks, ankle or knee length and white collared shirts (with no colored piping) under their uniform jumpers. Thanks for your help!
Enjoy the beautiful colors of this season!
Mrs. Hauntsman and Mrs. Baker