News for week of January 7-11

Week of January 7-11 2013

Volunteer Opportunity Help in the Classroom on an ongoing basis Do you find yourself wanting to change your routine but are not quite sure what you can do with your limited time?  Do you love being with children and get energized by them?  Then, perhaps it's time for you to consider volunteering in one of our classrooms. If this sounds like an interesting proposal and you can commit to a couple times per month, please speak with Mrs. Lang about this amazing opportunity or email her directly at director@shadysideschool.org.

Security and Emergency preparedness. Review of Emergency Procedures We take very seriously our jobs as protectors of the well-being of each and every child who walks through our hallways.  We periodically review and revise all of our emergency procedures (first aid/CPR, fire drills, etc.) to ensure that all children are safe while in our care.  In the wake of last month's violence in the Newton CT public school, we will review security and emergency procedures.  Staff and Trustees of the Nursery School, in coordination with leaders from the Shadyside Presbyterian Church will take an in-depth look at our current procedures, as well as those of some other schools, and we will provide a summary of our results and recommendations. We encourage you to share your thoughts, input and concerns with members of the Board or Mary Lang, our Director, as we take on this magnificent task.

Mrs. Jones' Class All about the letter "K k" This week we will continue to work on our winter projects.  The children will be making mittens, snowmen, fingerpainting with ivory snow and making snowy, glittery pictures. This week we will also begin talking about colors and shapes and identifying the letters of our names.

Chapel Story Time Jonah This month, the children in Mrs. Callaway's Mrs. Crossett's and Mrs. Vallejo's classes will be attending a monthly chapel time where they get to hear Bible stories and learn about values.  These classes will be held on January 16 and January 30, at which point the children will be hearing the story of Jonah and the whale. This Chapel Story Time is presented to the children by volunteers from the Shadyside Presbyterian Church.

Big Room Happenings Sparkle and Crunch... Winter's here! This week the children will make constellations of their own imagining and tell us a story about what they see.  We'll also read Snow Bears, a version of the Three Bears retold by Jan Brett with and Arctic setting.  We'll ask the children to tell us about their favorite part and draw what happened.  We'll make a painting of the Northern Lights, too.  The letter of the week is "K k." On Friday January 11 we will have a "show and tell" day.  Please help your child to choose an object or picture to talk about with their classmates.

Mrs. Callaway's Class All about the letter K k Kennywood is theme for the week.  We will make some kites, and read some books about kindergarten.

News from Mrs. Hall

A most blessed Orthodox Christmas for all who hail from Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East!

This week we will craft "winter coniferous trees" to decorate our bulletin board and we will read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  We will also set up a polar village.  On Thursday we will chat about crystals and make a snow man for our portfolios.  The story will be Snowmen at Night.  This coming Friday, we will have a visit from "Klondike" the Polar Bear.  We will also make a gingerbread man out of sand paper and paint it with cinnamon sticks.  Along with this activity will be the book Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.

This is the last chance to add change to the jar for the "Heifer International" project.  Once all donations are collected, we will count them and the children will get to help decide what they want to "purchase" with the money.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held the first week of February.  Sign-up sheets will be available on Friday.