What's Happening at SPCNS this week?

 

October 22-26 2012

News from the Director of Communication New Communication System As we've mentioned in the past two weeks, we've had some difficulties with our emails to some of you being flagged as spam.  We've decided to start a new system of communication by subscribing to Constant Contact, a web-based email service which will hopefully allow us to communicate without any glitches.  This newsletter is our introductory communication to you via Constant Contact.  In order for us to communicate efficiently and without any further problems, we need your help.  We need you to add the email address associated with this email to your contact list, add us as a "safe sender", and do not flag our emails as spam.  If you do not want to receive further emails from us, simply click on the "unsubscribe" link provided for you at the top of this message and we will make sure to remove you from our list. Additionally, if you are receiving this email at a work address, please request from your employer that they list us as a "safe sender."  This will ensure that our emails will reach you. If your family relies on the assistance of grandparents, nannies, or other adults for bringing your child to and from school, please share this newsletter with them, as it contains important information that could help them to make your child's day easier.  Additionally, encouraging them to subscribe their email address with us will ensure that they receive our newsletters on an ongoing basis. We hope you enjoy our new way of communicating.  As always, your feedback is very important to us, so please let us know how we are doing. Thank you, Sara Berg Christmas Wreath Sale Order forms due Friday October 26 The Board of Trustees is selling beautiful evergreen wreaths as a fundraiser for our Scholarship Fund.  Decorate your home, a loved one's nursing home, a cemetery plot, or give a gift to someone special while helping a child to experience our nursery school.    Order forms may be obtained at the office or on our blog at: http://spcns.blogspot.com/2012/10/wreath-sale.html Notes: Wonderful Wednesday begins on October 24 Check the Lost and Found bin located between the Nazareth and Bethlehem rooms   Halloween can be a scary time for some children, and we want to keep our Nursery School a safe place for everyone.  Therefore, we have adopted a "no costumes" policy for Halloween.  Each of the classrooms will host a special celebration and will do special projects in preparation.  We ask that you explain this policy to your children and ensure that they do not come to school wearing costumes or masks of any type. The teachers would love to have you volunteer in their classrooms for special projects.  Why not consider volunteering to be a "story scribe", or talk to the children about what you do for work? Sharing a special talent, a family holiday, or cultural custom is a great way to get the children excited about the world around them.  Please contact your teacher about ways in which you can make a difference in your child's learning.  Mrs. Christman's Twos Separation on its way... The task of separation seems like a daunting one, especially if you are two-years-old.  Mrs. Christman and her crew of assistants have been hard at work in their attempt to make the children comfortable with school and build enough trust with them to allow their parents to go out of their sight. Now that most of the children have accomplished this important milestone, they can start focusing on the hard stuff of nursery school: play.  Fall time is a great time for learning and exploring.  Leaves are great for raking, learning colors, and developing the sense of touch.  Sensory stimulation is an important part of development at the age of two.  The children will experience different smells and sounds as they explore their outdoor environment. Preparing for Halloween will be  a main focus, as the teachers help the children to deal with their fears through stories and songs.  The children will prepare for their Fall/Halloween feast by creating pumpkin place mats, with which they will also learn about shapes and space discrimination (where do the eyes, nose and mouth go?). What's happening in the Big Room? Monsters, monsters everywhere... This week the children will make monsters of their own.  They will dictate words for their "Monster Story" to the teachers.  what a great way to talk about whether monsters are real or pretend! This week the children will also have a visit from a representative of the Carnegie Library who will come to read special stories to them. School-Wide Service Project: The children will be making Halloween cards for the Senior Citizens who participate in the Meals on Wheels project through the EECM. Mrs. Callaway's Class The Letter C We welcome Mrs. Callaway back from her world travels.  We can't wait to hear all about her adventures... Colors of the rainbow will brighten our room, and crystals will shine on our science table.  We will discover how primary colors can mix to make new colors.  We will explore with colors at the light table, and discover connections all around us.  We will collect, create, and collage new creations after taking a nature walk around the corner. On Wednesday the children will have a special visit from a representative from the Carnegie Science Center with a presentation called "Hello Robo." Mrs. Jones' Class Colors, colors everywhere! This week, as we explore the letter C, Colors of the rainbow will brighten our room.  We will discover how colors can mix to make new colors, explore with the light table and discover surprises all around us.  As a part of our colors unit, the children will tie-dye their own T-shirts (Please remember to send in a white T-shirt with your child this week).  We will also enjoy all the fantastic colors of the Fall season.  This week we will continue our Halloween projects.  We use this opportunity to discuss what kinds of things are scary for children.  We will read stories about monsters, shadows, and other Halloween themes.  We will also turn our fall trees into a monster forest. On Wednesday the children will have a special visit from a representative from the Carnegie Science Center with a presentation called "Hello Robo." What's the Board of Trustees up to? The Board has a busy few months coming up.  During this time of year, the Board focuses special attention to raising money for our Scholarship Fund.  These scholarships help to fulfill our school's mission of making our program accessible to all children, regardless of their family's income.  In order to raise funds, the Board is holding the Christmas Wreath Sale and a Scholarship Letter Drive.  Please help us to fulfill our mission by donating to this very important cause. Look for our Book and Gift sale coming after Thanksgiving.  This is a great way to pick up some Christmas gifts while helping the teachers with their "discretionary fund."  This fund allows the teachers to purchase classroom materials that help to enhance the children's learning experience. Additionally, the Board will be hosting our annual Christmas Sing, to be held on Friday December 14.  If you would like to help the Board with any of these tasks, please contact Amy Shorkey, president of the Board. Mrs. Kozy's happenings Can we say Halloween? This week the children's librarian from the Carnegie Library will pay us a special visit and share some new books with us. Art:  We hope that the children will let us paint their hands so that we can make handprint monsters.  We will also make Halloween countdown chains and magic white crayon water color ghosts. Stories: Please note that although the names of these books sound a bit scary, they are all kid-friendly and very age appropriate.  Go Away Big Green Monster, Harry and the Terrible Whatzit, Ghosts in the House. Songs and Fingerplays: 5 cute and cuddly monsters, 5 little ghosts, bones, as well as last week's songs and fingerplays. Math: Counting pumpkins Mrs. Hall's Class Wolf spider week This week in Mrs. Hall's class will be all about spiders, leafs and everything Fall and Halloween.  While learning all about spiders, the children will make fuzzy spiders with sparkling silver webs.  They will sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and the theme song from Charlotte's Webb. The children will read Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert, will collect leaves and make a leaf man, just like the one in the book.  They will also make fall trees out of rice paper trunks and tissue paper leaves. Then the children will learn about a pumpkin festival in Nova Scotia by reading the book Pumpkin People, by S. Lightburn.  They will then decorate pumpkins and gourds with paint. Please remember to send in a pair of spoons labeled with your child's name.  These will be used as percussion instruments to play and dance to the tune of "Dem Bones" during our Harvest/All- Saints/Halloween part on Tuesday the 30th. Mrs. Gianakas' Class Autumn and Halloween This week in Mrs. G's class will be all about autumn and Halloween.  The children will have a Fall leaf scavenger hunt.  They will learn about colors, sorting and shapes and make art projects with leaves.  They will be reading the book Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman and act out the story.  Gourds and pumpkins will be available at the science table to be used for comparing weights, shapes, sizes and patterning.  Shape scarecrows will offer further opportunities to talk about shapes as we try our hand at putting together some scarecrows.  The children will cut out fringe to create the look of tattered clothing. Thursday October 25th will bring about a simple Halloween celebration.  We would encourage you to sign up to contribute to the celebration.  A sign-up sheet will be posted outside the classroom.  Please keep in mind that due to the fact that some children may be sensitive to costumes and masks, we will keep our party costume fee. Speech, Language and Hearing Screenings: The Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania will be offering speech, language and hearing screenings for children in our Three-, Four-, and Five-Year-Old classes on November 5, 6, and 7.  The cost for these screenings is $20 (made out to Easter Seals). For a permission form, please visit our blog by following this link: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7909454653889192745#editor/target=post;postID=9063319942957779195

Speech, Language and Hearing Screenings

The Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania will be offering Speech, Language and Hearing screenings for our children in the three-, four-, and five-year-old classes.

It has been well-established that early identification and treatment of speech and language problems positively impacts literacy development and reduces length of time in speech therapy by years.

We encourage you to take advantage of this affordable service, as it can make a big difference in your child's future.

Screenings will be held at SPCNS on November 5, 6 and 7th.  
The cost is $20 (make checks out to Easter Seals)

Please print and complete the permission slip below and turn in to your child's teacher by Monday November 5.

Wreath Sale

Kindergarten Information Night

Families with children approaching kindergarten age are encouraged to attend a Kindergarten Information Night organized by the JCC's Early Childhood Development Center.

Date:       Tuesday, October 23
Time:       7:00 pm
Where:     JCC, Squirrel Hill - Levinson Auditorium
                 5738 Forbes Avenue
                 Pittsburgh, PA 15217

The program is free and open to the community.  Refreshments will be served.

Participating schools: Carriage House Children's Center, Community Day School, Ellis School, Hillel Academy, JCC Clubhouse After-School Program, Pittsburgh New Church School, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, Sacred Heart, Shady Side Junior Academy, St. Edmund's Academy, The Campus School of Carlow University, Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, Winchester Thurston, Yeshiva Schools.

For more information please contact Kelly Gable-LaBelle at 412-521-8011, ext. 209.

An angel in heaven...

Dear friends, I am very sad to inform you that Mrs. Marilyn Jones' son, Ned, lost his battle this past Tuesday. Ned was a gentle soul who had been a part of our lives since Mrs. Jones started working with us over 25 years ago. Many of the children who walked our hallways had the pleasure of meeting Ned. He so loved the children of our school. Mrs. Jones, along with her husband and three daughters, would greatly appreciate your prayers. This has been a difficult battle for them all, and the love and support of our school community mean a great deal to them. The Jones' will have a memorial service for Ned the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We will provide you with more information as it becomes available to us.

SPCNS Parent/Teacher Conferences

Conferences with your child’s teacher are scheduled for

Friday October 19

 

Please check with your child’s teacher for the time of your scheduled conference. 

Please remember that there is no school for children on this day.  Babysitting will be offered in the “Marks Room” while you attend your child’s conference. 

Conferences will be held in the following rooms:

o   Mrs. Vallejo    -          Nazareth Room (Big Room)

o   Mrs. Crossett -         Jericho Room

o   Mrs. Jones     -          Jerusalem Room

o   Mrs. Kozy       -          Bethlehem Room

o   Mrs. Hall         -          Stamy Conference Room

o   Mrs. Gianakas -          Library

Pittsburgh Public Schools Magnet and CTE Program Information Fair

The Pittsburgh Public School District will be hosting a fair for families whose children will be entering Kindergarten in 2013.  Please plan on attending this fair to gain more information about how the Magnet program works and when you can apply.

Magnet Fair:   Saturday, October 6, 2012, 9AM-3PM at Pittsburgh Obama (In the Peabody Facility)
Magnet Applications:   Due by December 14, 2012 at 5 PM

Magnet Schools Open House Dates and Times:
Allegheny K-5                      Please contact school at (412) 323-4100
Carmalt PreK-8                     Every Wednesday at 10:30AM
Dilworth PreK-5                   Tuesday, October 16, 2012 6-7:30 PM
Fulton PreK-5                       Saturday October 6, 2012, 4-6PM
Liberty K-5                           Weekly Tours: Call (412) 622-8450 to schedule
Linden K-5                            October 23 & 25, 2012, 10-11:30 AM
Montessori PreK-8                Tuesday October 9, 2012 6:30 PM
Phillips K-5                           Please contact the school at (412)488-5190

Visit the PPS website at www.k12.pa.us/magnet or call the Magnet Hotline at (412) 622-3991 for more information.

SPCNS October Calendar

Key to academic success?

Very interesting article on the New York Times Magazine regarding the importance of play based learning.  Keep this in mind when you are feeling pressured to get out the flash cards and start quizzing your children to prove their high level of intelligence...  Have fun reading the article.


http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2012/08/23/simon-says-dont-use-flashcards/