Christmas Break and Holiday Parties

The upcoming week will be our last before our long Christmas break.  This week is fun and busy.  Our holiday parties will be held on Thursday for the 3's class, and Friday for the 4's class.  If you are signed up to send treats you may send them in with your child or bring them around 11 am, as we will eat snack at 11:15. As always, parents are welcome to attend our parties.  For our 3's class please remember we are nut free! 

After our parties the children will be bringing home large sacks full of all the wonderful things they have worked on during the month of December.  Also, our special visitor will attend both parties.  Please send a wrapped gift ($3 or under) in with your child for our holiday gift exchange.  Mark your child's gift with his or her name.  Santa will distribute these gifts. Your child will not come home with the gift you send in, but with one that another child brought, so it is okay if they help pick out or know what you are sending.

We hope your holiday's are merry and bright, and we look forward to seeing you and your child in the New Year!

It's Beginning to Look a lot Like Christmas!

Welcome back from our long Thanksgiving holiday!  Our classroom has once again been transformed.  It is now a winter wonderland.  We will be learning about winter, the joy of giving, and continuing our study of shapes this month. As a reminder, show and tell is Monday for the four's class, and Tuesday for the three's class.  Later this month we will have a "special" visitor.  Please let us know if your child is anxious or nervous around Santa, so we can help him or her be prepared for the visit.

Also, it is that time of the year: cold and flu season.  We want each of our students to feel and be healthy.  If your child has a small case of the sniffles, please send them to school.  However, if your child has a fever, has been vomiting, or has a contagious illness, please keep him or her home to rest and recuperate.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

With cold weather and possible freezing rain in the forecast, it seems prudent to remind parents of our inclement weather policy.  If the weather should turn bad, please pay attention to the local news as it will inform you of school delays and closures.  If the Newberg School District is closed or if there is a two-hour delay with no morning kindergarten, our preschool will be also closed for the day.

Just a reminder; for our three-year-old class there will be no school this Tuesday, November 11th.  We follow the Newberg School District calendar, and Tuesday is a no school day in observance of Veteran's Day.  Enjoy the day off, and we will see you for preschool on Thursday.

“Play is often talked about as if it were a relief from serious learning. But for children, play is serious learning.  Play is really the work of childhood.” —Fred Rogers

Welcome Back!

Welcome back from the long weekend.  We hope everyone had a safe and fun Halloween!  We now find ourselves in November.  This month we will learn about pilgrims, Thanksgiving, and begin our study of shapes.  The classroom has been switched around with our themes taking center stage in our learning centers.  There is even an old-fashioned log cabin in our play house!  Feel free to come in and check it out during drop off time, if you would like.

As we begin learning about shapes, you can help by noticing shapes when you are out and about with your child.  For example, pointing out a stop sign is an octagon, or making a game of finding as many circles as possible during a drive.  This is a good way to extend your child's learning beyond the classroom. 

As always both teachers are available to answer questions or give you updates on your child's progress.  We are having a fabulous year, and are really proud of how the kids are doing so far! 

We Like to Party!

Thank you to everyone who attended our parent nights this last week!  We had a blast seeing you and your children!  This upcoming week brings us to our Halloween parties.  For the three-year-old class the Halloween party will be on Tuesday, October 28th.  The four-year-old class party will be held on Wednesday, October 29th. Children may wear their Halloween costumes on these days.  If you have signed up for the party please send snacks or party favors in with your child.  Parents are welcome to attend the party as well.  Please remember that our 3 year-old class is nut free. We have several children with severe peanut allergies, and we want to keep all our students safe!

Reminders:

There is no school on October 30th or 31st!  

Come one, Come all..It's time for Open House!

Four Year Old Class:

Last Friday we concluded our unit on colors with a color party.  This week brings us to a fun and exciting event in our class: Parent Night.  Parent Night is an open-house style event where you will be able to see what your child has been working on at school.  We hope you and your child can attend.  There is an error in the October newsletter stating that Parent Night is Wednesday, October 24th.  Please note: Parent Night is actually on Friday the 24th.

Three Year Old Class:

Tuesday we will wrap up our study of colors with a color party.  Your child may dress in as many colors as they can find to put on.  In other words, dress like the rainbow!  Parent Night is an open-house style evening for you to come, with your child, and see what he or she has been working on so far this year.  We hope you can attend, as  it is a fun night for all.  Parent Night for the 3's class is Thursday, October 23rd, from 7 - 8 pm. 

Reminders:

Bonnie Benedict Preschool participates in the Campbell's Labels for Education Program.  Please save your Campbell's labels for us, and send them to school with your child.  These points go a long way in helping us to earn supplies and materials for our classroom! 

October 13 to 17

4-Year-Old Class News:

Hopefully everyone has had a wonderful weekend! Monday we will celebrate the colors black and white!  Monday is also show and tell day.  Wednesday is brown day, in preparation for our traveling bear program that will start this week.  Friday we are having an all color party.  Your child may dress in as many colors as they would like! Also on Friday, we will begin sending home our traveling bear.  His name is Brown Bear.  Each week we will send him home with one child, along with his backpack, a book, and his supplies.  Inside his backpack there will be a paper form to fill out.  When it is your child's turn please help him or her fill out this form that tells us about Brown Bear's journey to your home.  We would also love to have a picture of Brown Bear and your child together.  The following Monday, during show and tell, your child will have the opportunity to share the details of his visit with your family.

3-Year-Old Class News:

Tuesday we will be celebrating the colors black and white. Tuesday is also show and tell for this class.   Thursday will be brown day.  As you know, we have been studying our colors.  During circle time the teachers have been doing a few magic tricks to demonstrate how to blend primary colors to create secondary colors.  Your child may be excited to share with you how to make green, orange, and purple.  If you would like to try our magic at home, simply mix water with a few drops of food coloring to make three different primary colors.  Using a separate container (we use mason jars) combine the primary colors to create as many different colors as you can.

News for Both Classes 

Both the three's and four's classes have now visited the fire station.  We have been learning about fire safety in class, and practicing our fire drills and stop, drop, and roll. October 7 - 13 is National Fire Prevention Week.  It is a good idea to have a plan in place at home in case of a fire.  One tip is to take a family tour of your home, and find ways to get out of each room in case of fire or emergency.  Another important activity is to choose and outside meeting place where you will all meet in case of a home fire.  If you would like to extend your child's learning on this topic, a good website is sparky.org. This website is provided by the National Fire Prevention Association, and is child friendly. 

Welcome to the Bonnie Benedict Preschool Classroom Blog!

We are excited to announce the creation of our classroom Blog.  This is intended to be an additional resource for parents to keep up to date with the happenings at our preschool.  The year has started off wonderfully, and we are anxiously anticipating the rest of the year being just as fantastic.  Parents can expect the classroom blog to be updated by Sunday evening of each week.  We are grateful to partner with you in the early education of your children!

This weeks news:

4-year-old class:
We are continuing our unit on colors.  Children are invited to dress in the color of the day, but not required to.  This is meant to be a fun activity for the children, and not to be one to worry over. Color days for this week are as follows: Monday - Purple, Wednesday - Class t-shirt (due to fire station field trip) and favorite color, Friday - No School.

For the month of October we will also be learning about emotions, friends, and weather.

Reminders: 

*Monday's are always show and tell days.  Please help your child choose a show and tell item to bring on these days.
*We follow the Newberg School District calendar.  If there is no school for the district we will also not be in session.  You can find a link to the NSD calendar at http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/

3-year-old class:
We are working on learning colors.  Children are invited to dress in the color of the day, but they are not required to.  This should be fun activity, not one to worry over.  Color days for this week are as follows:
Tuesday - Orange, Thursday - Purple.

Our themes for October will include emotions, friends, weather, and the changing seasons.

Reminders: 

*Tuesdays are always show and tell days.  Please help your child choose a show and tell item to bring to class.
*We follow the Newberg School District calendar.  If there is no school for the district we will also not be in session.  You can find a link to the NSD calendar at http://www.newberg.k12.or.us/
*Also, this is a nut free classroom.

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Please find time to read to your child each day. It is one of the most precious gifts you can give them!

Tips for Reading to Your Preschooler:

Discuss the book together

Relate stories to your child's experiences and feelings

Ask thinking questions about plot and character

Share your own responses to what you are reading

Read with expression

Adapt stories to attention span and understanding

Encourage examination of print as well as pictures

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