Raindrop Cooperative Preschool
October 2009
It is hard to believe the month of September is already over. The month of October is filled with many new and exciting activities. Our preschoolers will be learning about bats, spiders and towards the end of the month we will begin our safety unit. Our 4/5 year olds will begin learning a new letter each week, while our 3/4 year olds will start off a little slower with some beginning writing exercises.
During snack we will be recording the different food groups we are eating on our Food Pyramid. So, remember to bring healthy balanced snacks to school. I will be sending home our first homework assignment, an All About Me poster. We will share a different poster each day during Closing Circle to get to know each other better.
Thursday the 29th and Friday the 30th we will be having an in class party. Children may wear costumes, but please no weapons. On Friday, October 16th we will have our first field trip. The whole school is invited to go to Shaffner Farms Pumpkin Patch. We will meet at Shaffner Farms at 10:00 AM. The cost is $4.00 per student. Please have your money turned into me no later than Monday, October 12th. This is very important. Shaffner Farms has asked me to collect the money in advance. If you bring an extra child or purchase a pumpkin yourself, please pay for your items at the farm. We will be eating snack at the pumpkin patch, so please bring a brown bag snack for your child.
On Monday the 19th and Wednesday the 21st is Special Persons Night. Special Persons Night is when you child gets to bring a special person to class with him. The 3/4 class will have their Special Persons Night on Monday the 19th at 6:00 pm (no class in the morning). The 4/5 class will have their Special Persons Night Wednesday the 21st at 6:00 pm (no class in the afternoon). Each child needs to bring a hollowed out pumpkin, carving tools, and a special person. Snack parent please provide enough snack for each child and their special person.
October is my favorite month, so I am excited to get the activities started.
Thank you to everyone who has helped in making the beginning of the year start off so great. I am looking forward to many more wonderful months ahead. See you in class, Mrs. Lenss
Mark Your Calender!
October 8th & 9th- Drop Off for Aluminum Cans
October 10th & 11- Garage Sale
October 16th- Field Trip to Shaffners Farm
October 19th- 3/4 Special Persons Night
October 20th- Board Meeting 6pm
October 21- 4/5 Special Persons Night
October 27th- Family Night 6pm
October 30th- In-Class Party
October Birthdays October 5th- Noah Lampkey October 25th- Mija Hood
Comments from Co-Presidents Chris Hunt & Jeanne Ward
Word Of Mouth At Work! Thank you to Alicia Blundred for inviting several families to visit our school during the Open House. One new student joined our toddler program as a direct result of Alicia's word-of-mouth advertising about our program. We also had families stop by after seeing our school represented at Logger's Play Day and the Cosmopolis Festival in the Park and enrolled two new students as a direct result of the Open House. Additional thanks to those who brought food and children to enjoy the evening at school go out to the following families: Christel/Glowacki, Dawson, Hunt/Ward, Lenss, Sias, and Wilson.
Community and Communication at Raindrop
Part of our mission at Raindrop Cooperative Preschool is to help families connect with each other and form friendships that extend beyond the classroom walls. One way to meet other parents is to arrive at school about five minutes before class is over and catch up with each other in the hallway outside of class. Another way to meet and work with other families is to attend extra-curricular activities such as family-oriented special event nights like the open house and parent-oriented events like board meetings. If you have questions about our program but don't seem to have extra time for face to face contacts, you are always welcome to fill out a comment card located at the parent communication table or drop us a line at our program email address: raindropcoop@gmail.com.
More about Raindrop Cooperative Preschool's Learning Goals #1 & #2
Page 9 of the Raindrop Handbook outlines our school's learning goals for children and serves as a map for the daily routines and weekly curriculum activities. Raindrop's first goal is that children have a positive first experience with peers and school, and our second goal is that students learn the concept of friend and experience a group sense. When children enjoy their time at school and develop friendship connections with other students, both their social and academic skill development are enhanced.
One reason for this two-fold outcome is that when students feel a safe, happy sense of belonging at school, they can devote their energy and attention to learning the routines and concepts that are being presented through the instructional component of our program. Conversely, if students do not form friendships or do not feel that they belong at school, they must first spend their time and energy trying to meet their emotional need for belonging and will have less opportunities to learn and apply academic concepts.
With great dedication, Mrs. Lenss engages all students in learning activities, interpersonal interactions, and group games to ensure that students have a variety of positive experiences with their peers. This often helps students look forward to coming to school each day and makes participation in learning activities fun. As the first few weeks of school have passed by, you may have noticed such an attitude in your child. It is also possible that as the "new"ness of school days has worn off, a student may resist coming to school from time to time for various reasons.
At our house, sometimes it is hard to get ready for school because the timing is an interruption of a more concrete activity that is already happening. However, after we get past the rough spot of preparing for school and are walking through the classroom doors, I always find that our daughter is so quickly involved in what's happening at school that she hardly looks up to say goodbye when I leave.
Please take a moment this week to talk with your child about his or her feelings about school. If you are in the parent/toddler program and your child is just learning to talk, look for cues that show how your child feels about coming to the program with you. Is it hard to get you child out of the classroom at the end of the day? Even though his or her reluctance to leave can be frustrating at the moment, it's a positive sign that your child is enjoying time at school! Feel free to ask Mrs. Lenss how she views your child's adjustment to the program and share thoughts you may have about your child's feelings about school.
Fundraising
Starting on Oct 5th and ending on the 23rd of October we will be selling Papa Murphy Cards. These cards are going to be sold for $5.00 each with a $4.00 profit. We have a fundraising goal for the month of $800.00 for the month of October. We are asking each child to sell 8 cards. If everyone sells all 8 Cards/child we will reach our fundraising goal. We are also planning on having one more garage sale on Oct 10th in Hoquiam. If you have anything to doante we will still take donations. For donation drop off or any questions please contact Jeanne Ward at 532-6347or leave her a message at the school.
We will start our collection of supplies for making our holiday swags at the end of the month. We will need to have families donate the following items: Large holiday bows,holiday ribbon (it takes about 31/2 yards to make a ribbon),floral wire.There may be other items that we need and we will have a list on the communications board soon. Remember that it takes all of us working together to have a successful fundraiser and successful fundraisers are what keep our tuition cost low. Thanks, Michelle
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