Dear Preschool Families,

We had another busy week in our new space! The next two weeks before the Christmas break will be busy; preparing for our concert, learning about Advent, reviewing and learning new letters and sounds, and developing our Spanish. Please continue reading for more information. Thank you!

LANGUAGE ARTS:

This week we will focus on the sound and recognition of the letter Kk and will be making the “Katy Kangaroo” puppet.

RELIGION:

We will continue to learn about Advent and hear more of the Christmas story.

SPANISH:

In Spanish we will review greetings, colors, counting to 10, review “Como the llamas?” What is your name? and learn basic Christmas words! we will also learn the song “Campana Sobre Campana”.

 CULTURAL STUDIES:

The children will continue to sing and create art projects all with the Christmas theme.

 CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

The preschoolers will have their traditional Christmas Program on Thursday, December 13^th at 6:00 pm in our Church. The students should wear their Sunday best for the program.

Please drop your children off at preschool no later than 5:30. The teachers will open the doors at 5:15 and will then walk the students over to church. There will be time before the performance for pictures.

REMINDERS

• Please wait on the playground before drop off each morning, instead of in front of the preschool main door. The walkway is narrow and can get quite congested.
• December 21^st is a Noon dismissal. Therefore, there will be NO PM PRESCHOOL on this day.
• Christmas break is December 24^th – January 6^th. School resumes on January 7^th.
• We have a new security system in place. If the preschool door is closed, please ring the bell and after identifying yourself and whom you are picking up or dropping off we will open the door remotely.

             

 

Dear Families,

We have had a wonderful first week in our new beautiful home! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we continue to work through logistics and best practices in our new space. This week for drop off we encourage you to drop your children off in the lobby downstairs, and allowing your child to walk up to class on their own or with a teacher. We are hoping this will reduce the congestion on the stairwell. If you arrive to school before 8:15, we ask that you stand on the playground, on the other side of the fence and wait for the doors to open, instead of standing in front of the preschool doors. Thank you!

 LANGUAGE: This week we will focus on the letter Jj and will make Jaguar Jan.

 RELIGION:

We will continue to learn about Advent and hear more of the Christmas story.

SECOND STEP: Our puppet friends Bob and Sally will continue to help us understand and identify our feelings and those of others. We will practice how to calm down, (deep belly breathes), and practice what to do when we are upset.

CHRISTMAS PROGRAM

The preschoolers will have their traditional Christmas Program on Thursday, December 13th at 6:00 pm in our Church. The students should wear their Sunday best for the program. Please drop your children off at preschool between 5:20 – 5:30.

We will send out a more detailed message next week with specifics regarding arrival and departure from the Church, seating, and photography.

REMINDERS

• Please submit Scholastic Book Orders by Tuesday, December 4^th.
• Please continue to take all backpacks and lunches to XDC prior to dropping off your child at preschool. Our cubbies are new and beautiful but quite small!
• On Friday, December 21^st school will be dismissed at Noon. Therefore there is NO PM Preschool.

Dear Families,

Our preschoolers enjoyed last week’s Halloween festivities! The children were darling in their costumes and had fun doing a costume parade with their 4th grade buddies. They also enjoyed making “skeleton hands” with the help of their buddies.

LANGUAGE ARTS

This week we will focus on the letter and sound of Hh and make Hippo Hal.

RELIGION

Last week we learned about “All Saints Day”. We talked about what a Saint is and how they teach us to be like Jesus. This week we will learn what life was like when Jesus was a boy. By giving the children an image of Jesus as a boy, we will help them understand him as a real person with many of the same joys and concerns that they have.

SPANISH

This week in Spanish we will learn some Thanksgiving vocabulary words.

Please: Porfavor

Thank you: Gracias

Spoon: Cuchara

Fork: tenedor

Knife: cuchillo

Dinner: cena

Family: familia

Food: comida

BOOK ORDER

November Scholastic book order forms will be sent home on November 5th. Please post your orders by Tuesday, November 13th.

FOOD DRIVE

The month of November the classes of St. John’s school will be collecting food for the St. Vincent de Paul Food Bank. Please send in non-perishable items for our neighbors in need.

MUSIC

The children are learning to sing “TURKEY TIME” this time of year. Below are the lyrics:

 

Turkey time, pumpkin pie.

Frosty weather in the sky.

Families gather round

For Thanksgiving day.

 

On that first Thanksgiving day,

The Indians brought the meat.

The Pilgrims brought the vegetables,

And they all sat down to eat.

 

(Repeat: Turkey time, pumpkin pie…)

 

Each year on this day of thanks,

The people that we love.

Gather round to thank the Lord,

For blessings from above.

(Repeat: Turkey time, pumpkin pie…)

DID YOU KNOW?

Preschoolers are always expected to put away one item before getting out another one. What a great habit to encourage!

Thank you! Have a blessed week!

 

REMINDERS!

No school on November 9 and 12 for Veteran’s day.

No school on November 19, 20, and 21 for the Thanksgiving Holiday

 

Dear Families,

We had a busy week learning the letter Ee and creating Ed the Elephant. We listened to stories about Joseph, Jesus’ father, and reviewed colors, shapes and numbers in Spanish. We stayed busy with Fall crafts, painting pumpkins and making tissue paper candy corn!

This week we will learn the letter “Ff” and create Francis Fox.

GOOD NEWS! Preschool will move to our new, permanent space in November. It is anticipated that our first day of class in the new permanent space will be Monday, November 26th. More information will follow.

Religion
This week in Religion we will be learning about Jesus’ birth. The story of His birth is one the children will hear many times during their faith journey. For now, it is enough to understand that just as each child has a birthday, Jesus also has a day on which his birth is celebrated!

Second Step
We will continue to learn about feelings and empathy. Our favorite puppets Bob and Sally will help us with this!

Halloween
The preschool classes will be celebrating Halloween on October 26th with our school carnival! The children may wear simple and comfortable costumes to school on this day. Please no costumes on Halloween.

REMINDERS

• PICTURE DAY is TUESDAY, OCTOBER 23RD. Please turn in your order forms if you would like to order photos.

• Halloween Carnival is Friday, October 26th.

• There will be NO PRESCHOOL classes Monday, November 19th and Tuesday, November 20th so we can prepare the new classroom space in Quigley.

• Thanksgiving break is November 21st – November 23rd.

• Any questions or concerns please let us know!

Thank you!

The Preschool Team

Dear Families,

We had a busy week learning about Mary the mother of Jesus, and all of the wonderful ways our own mothers care for us. We learned about the letter Dd and created our Dinosaur Dan craft; counted and compared different types of pumpkins, and kept busy with Halloween pushpins and pictures!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

As stated in an email this week, we will have preschool conferences in January. More information will follow. If you have any questions please let us know! Both 5-day morning and afternoon preschool will be open on October 22^nd, October 29^th and November 5^th.

Language Arts

This week we will learn about the letter “Ee” and create Ed the Elephant.

Religion

This week we will focus on Joseph, the father of Jesus. We will learn about his profession as a carpenter and how he loved and cared for his family.

Spanish

This week we will learn shapes in Spanish: Circulo Circle

Cuadrado Square

Triangulo Triangle

Rectangulo Rectangle

Halloween

The AM and PM preschool class will be celebrating Halloween on Friday, October 26^th. On this day, the middle school classes will be hosting a Halloween carnival from 1-3pm in our school gym. The children may wear simple and comfortable costumes to school that day. If your child attends XDC in the morning or afternoon they may wear costumes to XDC that day as well. Please be sure costumes are easy enough for the children to take care of at restroom time on their own. Also, please no pretend weapons or any kind of accessories. Thank you!

Part time preschoolers and all AM children are invited to attend the carnival with a parent or other adult that afternoon.

Music

We sing many songs in preschool. Please find one below to practice with your child if you would like.

Good Morning, Lord. It’s a beautiful day.

Good Morning, Lord. I’m going your way.

Open my eyes and let me see someone who needs a friend like me.

I know that I could surely be loving, caring, always sharing.

Good Morning Lord. It’s a beautiful day.

Good Morning Lord, I’m going your way.

Did you know?

We practice making the Sign of the Cross everyday when we say our prayer before snack. Help your child practice at home. The prayer is as follows:

Sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father

And of the Son

And of the Holy Spirit

Amen

Prayer:

Dear Jesus we thank you for the food we are about to receive,

We thank you especially for (Student name) and his/her family for providing it.

IMPORTANT OCTOBER DATES TO NOTE

• October 19^th – Endowment Dinner
• October 23^rd – Picture Day (More information will follow soon.)
• October 24^th – Unity Day – Wear Orange!
• October 26^th – Halloween Carnival!

 

Dear Families,

Happy Fall! The weather is beginning to change! Please be sure to send your child with a coat that has a hood if possible. A change in the weather can come on suddenly! This week we will learn the letter Dd and create Dinosaur Dan. We will not be doing our traditional leaf walk around the neighborhood this year due to the ongoing construction around the area. The preschool staff will walk them around our campus to gather leaves, admire the fall colors, and create a craft with our treasures.

As a general reminder, please practice sounds a, b, c, and d with your children. Make it fun! Look for objects that begin with a certain sound, or play a game of “I spy.” Count how many words you come up with. Practice counting too!

 Religion

This week’s story introduces the children to Jesus’ mother Mary, who loved and cared for Jesus. We will also talk about our mothers and how they are like Mary.

Second Step

 This week your child will learn about feelings! With the goal of developing their sense of empathy. We will teach them that empathy is the ability to put yourself in the shoes of someone else and understand what they are feeling or experiencing.

In the early years of life, young children are naturally ego-centric and are very much inclined to think mostly about themselves and their immediate needs. They’re not yet ready to consider the needs and feelings of others.

Developing a sense of empathy is an important developmental process for young children, and one that can benefit them not only in childhood but well into adult life as well.

Halloween

The AM and PM preschool class will be celebrating Halloween on Friday, October 26^th. On this day, the middle school classes will be hosting a Halloween carnival from 1-3pm in our school gym. The children may wear simple and comfortable costumes to school that day. If your child attends XDC in the morning or afternoon they may wear costumes to XDC that day as well. Please be sure costumes are easy enough for the children to take care of restroom time on their own. Also, please no pretend weapons or any kind of accessories. Thank you!

Part time preschoolers and all AM children are invited to attend the carnival with a parent or other adult that afternoon.

We plan to have AM and PM classes meet with their 4^th grade buddies on Halloween day to do a fun project together! No costumes on this day please! Good times!

 Did you know?

We practice making the Sign of the Cross everyday when we say our prayer before snack. Help your child practice at home. The prayer is as follows:

Sign of the Cross:

In the name of the Father

And of the Son

And of the Holy Spirit

Amen

Prayer:

Dear Jesus we thank you for the food we are about to receive,

We thank you especially for (Student name) and his/her family for providing it.

Thank you! Have a wonderful week and please reach out to us with any questions or concerns.

 

 

October 1st, 2018

Happy October! What a lovely September! This week the children will focus on the sound of “Cc” and make “Camel Cal”. The children will be making new pushpin art and before you know it Halloween project time will be here!

The scholastic book order form will be coming home this week. To order, go to https://orders.scholastic.com. Under the parent tab, use the activation code: LKWQ8 to set up your account! Oct. 7 is the last day to submit your order!

RELIGION

The children will learn the story of Noah’s Ark. We will discuss ways we can love God like Noah and explain that God keeps his promises. The children will learn the meaning of the rainbow.

SPANISH

We will begin learning numbers, colors, and greetings.

Hola – Como estas? (Hi! How are you?)

Bien Gracias! ( Well, Thank you!)

Y usted? (and you)

Adios – goodbye

Counting: uno/one dos/two tres/three  cuatro/four   cinco/five

Colors: Rojo /red Amarillo/ yellow Verde/ green   Azul/ blue Morado /purple

Café/ brown   Negro/ black Blanco/ white Rosado/pink

INDEPENDENCE PRACTICE

The weather is changing and we are now wearing jackets out to play. Please help your child practice putting on his/her coat. Before you know it your child will be able to put their coat on all by themselves! Please label your child’s coat and sweaters.

NEWSVIEWS

Are you reading “Newsviews”? It’s the all school online newsletter that comes out on Thursday afternoons at st-johnschool.org.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Preschool Press

 

September 24, 2018

 

Preschoolers did super running at the Jog-o-thon. They were so enthusiastic and determined! We thank all of for your support of this fundraiser! You make a difference!

 

This week the children will focus on the sound of “Bb” and make the puppet Bobby Bear. Preschoolers will be dictating and illustrating a special page for each month of the school year. The pages hang in the classroom next to their photo. For the September page the children drew a self-portrait and dictated their age and favorite colors.

We will also continue learning about apples and how they grow!

The October snack calendar will be out on Monday.

 

RELIGION

We will learn the story of Creation. We will learn what God created on each of the seven days.

 

SECOND STEP

We will begin our Second Step Program. Second Step is an early learning program that uses many techniques to teach children skills such as; paying attention, controlling behavior, listening, and identifying feelings.

 

STEM ACTIVITY (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math)

Our stem activity will be counting, sorting, and classifying different apples.

 

DID YOU KNOW?

Every day we have a special line leader and door holder for going to the restroom and out to recess. We have great helpers! J

 

 

 

 

Hello Preschool Families,

We had a wonderful first week meeting with both you and your precious children! Thank you for your patience and understanding as we transition into the school year! We are looking forward to meeting our next group of children this coming week.

Preschool is excited to participate in the Jog-o-thon on September 21st.  Please watch for your packet of information to come home.

Please know that P.E. will begin on Fridays and to send your children wearing appropriate shoes.

If you have any questions or concerns please let us know!

We are excited about the year ahead!

Thank you,

Preschool Teachers

WELCOME

Welcome to all of our preschool families! We hope you had an enjoyable summer! We are excited to meet you and your children and we are looking forward to an exciting year. This notice is full of important information. Please read carefully and save! Please call us at 206-783-0337 or email us at preschool@st-johnschool.org if you have any questions.

 Transition

The first few days or weeks can be a big change for your children. Adjusting to new teachers, classmates, and the new environment takes time. Separating from mom or dad can be difficult. Some children separate easily and others may resist or cry. These are normal behaviors for this age. For this reason we need you to make your goodbye short and sweet. If your child is upset we will take them at the door and comfort them until they are ready to join the rest of the group. Once your child gets involved in their day, anxiety subsides and there are lots of smiles.

 Attendance

Please escort your children to the outside preschool door. We will check them in, assist them in hanging up their coat and finding an activity. As soon as the children arrive to the preschool they immediately begin socializing and engaging in many activities with their teachers and classmates. When you are on time you do not interrupt children learning. This is why we want to emphasize the importance of having your children to preschool on time! We open at 8:15 and want everyone present by 8:25. We open in the afternoon at 12:15 and will close the door at 12:25. If your children are not here by 8:25 or 12:25 you must go to the office to obtain a tardy slip. Also, if you are picking up your children early, you must go to the office to sign them out.

 Dismissal

Please be prompt to pick up your preschooler. They are ready to be dismissed at 11:15 AM and at 3:15 PM.

As children are being dismissed from preschool, the remaining children are hearing a story, singing or working on the calendar. Please be as quiet as possible in the hallway so as not to disturb the activity.

 Rugged Clothing/Toys

Please dress your children in rugged clothing. Sturdy soled shoes are the safest and most preferred for preschool. NO FLIPFLOPS, CROCS, OR SHOES WITH HEELS, PLEASE. As per the parent handbook, socks must be worn everyday. We go outside everyday so please send your child with the appropriate outside gear according to the weather. We go to P.E. every Friday and ask that the children wear gym shoes on this day.

Boots, jackets, sweaters, lunchboxes and backpacks should be labeled to prevent loss. If your child will be attending day care in the afternoons, please drop off all backpacks, lunch boxes, and naptime aids in XDC. We ask that children do not bring toys, stickers or valuable items from home to class.

 Change of Clothes

On the first day of school, please send your children with a complete change of clothes in a large ziplock bag labeled with their name in case of an accident. Please include underwear, socks, a shirt, and pants (preferably sweatpants or leggings.) It is helpful to send clothes that are appropriate for any time of the year. When wet or soiled clothes are sent home, please replace them in a new ziplock bag the next day. Please label each item of clothing and the bag, and we will keep these all year.

 Communication

Our preschool newsletter, “The Preschool Press”, will be posted online to keep you informed. Be sure to check the school website for important dates, activities, and to read the “News Views” (weekly all school newsletter) on Thursdays. IF YOU PREFER A HARD COPY OF THE PRESCHOOL PRESS PLEASE LET US KNOW. You may email us at preschool@st-johnschool.org with any questions or concerns. For emergencies please contact us through the office at 206-783-0337.

If your children attend daycare; all projects, letters, and important information will be placed in a file box and will be available for you to collect daily at XDC at pick up time. Children being picked up at the preschool need to take home the paperwork from their cubbies daily as well.

 Scrip

Our school earns approximately $65,000 from Scrip each year. It is easy to use scrip as there are many merchants who participate in the program. Please take a minute to learn more about Scrip and how you can support St. John School in this convenient way. Please talk to Mrs. White to learn more about Scrip.

 Shoe Box

We need shoeboxes for “My Own Little Book Box” project. Each child needs one shoebox. We will paint the boxes and make a special cover. The box will be sent home and will hold the small books the children will create in preschool. The box of books is helpful for “reviewing” what your child is learning in preschool. Please send in extra boxes if you have them.

 Preschool Snacks

Our snack calendar and snack suggestion list will follow in a couple of weeks. Please be aware to check for products made with nuts or in a factory that may have other products made with nuts. We cannot serve these.

 Earthquake/Disaster Comfort Kits

These will be necessary for all preschool students.

In addition to basic earthquake/disaster supplies at St. John School, the children are required to have a comfort kit that will be kept in the classroom. This kit is designed to calm your children and keep them comfortable while waiting to be picked up. Due to space constraints only the following items are to be included in the comfort kit (no deviations please):

Small working flashlight (please put the batteries loose in the bag)

Stocking cap

Small package of Wet Wipes

One or two photos not larger than 4×6

One page letter to your child to comfort him/her while awaiting your arrival

One pair of tube socks

One small plastic drinking cup 5 or 6 ounce size

Place all items in a one-gallon zip lock bag labeled with your student’s name. Your student should bring this kit on the first day and give it to the teacher.

We look forward to another great year!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Castillo, Mrs. Flood, Mrs. Frazee, and Mrs. White