York Country Day School

Pre-K News

FALL will fill our discussions during November. We will observe the changes occurring around us and talk about what people and animals do to get ready for winter. Our field trip to Rocky Ridge Park on November 5^th will be a great introduction to our exploration of the fall season.

Families will be our topic later in the month as we prepare for Thanksgiving. Families are all different and all special. We are truly thankful for our families!

THANK YOU FOR COMING TO SCHOOL FOR PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES It is always enjoyable to talk with you about how your child is growing.

GRANDPALS’ DAY is on Monday, November 3^rd. It is a great day for children to share their classroom with grandparents. Grandparents are invited to visit the classroom if they are in town at another time as well. Please contact Mrs. May or Mrs. Snyder to make arrangements.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY will be Tuesday, November 18^th. If you wish to have your child’s picture retaken, please be sure to return the unwanted pictures on that day.

THE THANKSGIVING HOLIDAY begins Monday, November 24 and runs through Friday, November 28. School resumes on Monday, December 1.

ART IN PRE-K Throughout the year you will see two types of artwork coming home.

Much of our artwork is process oriented rather than product oriented. To encourage creativity, we provide many opportunities for children to “create” using their observations and curiosity as a starting point. Occasionally you will also see more product oriented projects come home. These projects, which may involve pre-cut shapes and may be related to a theme of study, promote skill development, such as following directions. Although art does not come home every day, art occurs daily in the classroom.

EARLY INTEREST IN WRITING. During the Pre-K year we often see children progress through stages of pretend writing (which often looks like scribble to an adult) to the beginning formation of letters as well as familiar words. You can help with this growth by letting your child observe you writing your grocery list, writing notes to a friend and reading familiar signs together like “McDonalds”, “Stop” and “Taco Bell”. Of course, reading to your child regularly is the best way to promote early literacy skills. It’s nice to know that such a fun and easy activity is also helping your child’s development! Happy Reading and Writing!

Pre-K News

THANKS TO ALL who were able to attend Back To School Night last month. Many found it helpful to look around the classroom and see where their children spend the day. Thanks for your continued support.

A STREAM STUDY will occupy our Science and Social Studies explorations during October. We will take two trips to the York College stream this fall and we will revisit the stream several times during the year to see how it changes with the seasons. We will observe things in and around the stream. We will come back to school to research questions as they occur in our discussions. We are very excited about the many possibilities of this topic!

LETTER OF THE WEEK - Beginning this month we will focus on a different letter of the alphabet each week. We will talk about what it looks like (capital and lower case), what sound it makes, and identify words beginning with the letter. Games and activities will help us notice similarities and differences in letters, words, and sounds.

FIRE SAFETY, AT HOME AND SCHOOL will be discussed during the month of October. We will learn that firefighters are our friends, even when they have those funny masks on! We will have a fire drill sometime during this month and talk about how to exit the building safely.

2:00 PM. This exciting all-school event will include games, inflatibles, food and fun for the whole family. We hope to see you there!

HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS will take place on Friday, October 24^th. Children are invited to wear some or all of their costumes to school that day. We will have fun guessing who is behind each costume. Bring a change of clothes, as we will not keep the costumes on all day. Halloween activities and a special snack will be enjoyed, but extra candy for friends is discouraged. The morning Pre-K classes will join the lower school parade at 8:30. Parents are invited to stand in the hall to watch the parade. Feel free to meet us back in the classroom for pictures around 8:40.

THERE WILL BE AN EARLY DISMISSAL ON OCTOBER 24^th . Pre-K classes will dismiss at 11:00. Kindergarten will dismiss at 11:15 and the rest of the school will dismiss at 11:30. On early dismissal days, we let our younger children leave early so they aren’t outside with the larger crowds. There is no Extended Day or After School Care available.

PICTURE DAY is Wednesday, October 8^th. Individual pictures will be taken by a professional photographer. Order forms will come home in your child’s backpack prior to this date.

PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES are scheduled for Tuesday, October 28^th . There will be no classes for students on that day. Please sign up in the classroom for a time that works for you. If you are unable to make any of these times, please see Mrs. May or Mrs. Snyder. We look forward to sharing how your child is adjusting and set goals for the year. This will be a time for adults, so please make other arrangements for your child.

MONTHLY EXPLORATIONS are being documented through our artwork, stories and photographs. Be sure to enjoy our evolving classroom displays. At the end of each unit we will compile highlights of our exploration to send home. This will be a fun way for your child to share with you what they have experienced at school.

HELP US HELP YOUR CHILD! Information about what is going on at home is often helpful to teachers. If, for example, a parent is away, guests are visiting, a pet is ill, or some other change has taken place in a child’s life, please consider communicating this information to your child’s teacher. Being aware of children’s emotional state is important for planning successful classroom experiences.

Pre-K News

Our first trip to the Creek at York College is scheduled for this Wednesday, October 1^st. We hope to go even if the weather is damp (but not pouring!) We will be making the final decision about whether to go, on Wednesday morning. If you have questions, you can call the office at 8:00 and speak to Mrs. Landis. Our alternate day is Thursday, October 2. We also have another trip scheduled for October 16^th.

Be sure to send boots or shoes that can get muddy with your child each time we go to the creek. Also send dry clothes, socks and shoes so we can change, if needed, when we return to school.

Pre-K News

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WELCOME to a new school year. This is the first in a series of monthly newsletters we will be writing. Included is a calendar highlighting important dates. Each month a broad topic will be introduced for exploration. We will begin by asking ourselves what we know about this topic and wondering aloud about questions we may have. It is the students’ questions and interests that will guide our exploration. While teachers will plan collaboratively, plans will be implemented flexibly to accommodate individual interests and abilities. Check classroom displays to enjoy watching our explorations unfold!

THE OCEAN will be our Science topic for September. Our discovery table will be full of interesting activities and colorful creatures from the sea. Stop in and invite your child to share what they are learning. Send in items to share on the discovery table any time this month.

DURING SEPTEMBER we will work on getting to know each other, the classroom and our daily routines. We will investigate shapes, sizes, and colors. We will begin to recognize our name and name some of the letters in our name. We will also talk about when and why it is important to wash our hands.

FIRST DAY JITTERS are common for students, parents and teachers! Spend time talking with your child tonight about what they saw in the classroom today. Ask what they might like to play with tomorrow. You are welcome to give them a kiss at the door or to come in for a few minutes. When you are ready to leave, let us know. Thank you for sharing your child with us this year!

CHILDREN LOVE THEIR WEEK TO BE THE SNACK HELPER. Ideas for snacks include pretzels, crackers, fruit, carrot sticks, cheese and yogurt. Please read the note regarding nut allergies in the school handbook. We will serve ice water each day.

FOR IMPORTANT INFORMATION, check the “Parent News” bulletin board outside each of our classrooms.

ARRIVAL TIME. You have two options. You may park in a parking spot and hold your child’s hand while walking them to the classroom. You may also pull up to the preschool door where Mrs. Kahler, our preschool aide, will escort your child to the classroom. Please keep your child in the car until you are able to pull all the way to the sidewalk. We request, for safety reasons, that children do not run in the yard during the high traffic arrival and dismissal times.

DISMISSAL TIME. The most efficient method for dismissal is for cars to line up along the front driveway. We will exit from the preschool door and walk your child to the car. Please do not leave your cars parked, unattended, along the driveway. You may also park in the lot and walk to the door. Wait for a teacher to walk your child to you. We want to be sure that your child is safely in your care.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY will be Tuesday, November 18th. If you wish to have your child’s picture retaken, please be sure to return the unwanted pictures on that day.

PICTURE RETAKE DAY will be Tuesday, November 18^th. If you wish to have your child’s picture retaken, please be sure to return the unwanted pictures on that day.