Shalom Parents,

This week we are continuing with the parsha of Avraham and focusing on gratitude. We appreciate you talking with your child and writing what they are thankful for on the back of their Mitzvah notes the entire month of November.  

We are working on the projects for the Thanksgiving Luncheon. We added a job chart and a few high frequency words: a, I and see to get the children acquainted  with them. They searched and matched letters for the phrase, I see a cat.  At the end of a book we spell and say, "t-h-e e-n-d", the end. At davening Morah Devora dressed as Avraham and told more of the story. Practical life skills works were introduced: sorting beans, spooning and pouring salt and the 100 marble board that gives a visual to the age Abraham was when he had his son and refines fine motor skills. The children created and decorated Play-Doh turkeys, changed clothes on the visiting angels and followed the contour of a square using stones. This develops the muscles and strength needed for later writing with the 3 finger grip. Easel painting was very popular and we are enjoying the squash the children are bringing in. We now have Zucchini, Summer Squash, Acorn, mini pumpkins and a Heritage Pumpkin.  Another pumpkin and any squash not mentioned yet would be a welcome addition!. 

We cut into our original pumpkin to explore its contents. When asked what does it feel like Ava said "It feels really good!" Sarah said, "It feels like pumpkin seeds. I really wish Alice were here to see this!" Levi elected not to feel it and said, "It would feel like slime!" Mason said,"It feels like seeds that are slippery!"

We are learning the parts of a pumpkin to Head, Shoulders, Knees and Toes. Stem, rind, pulp and seeds, fibrous strands. Leaves and tendrils and ridges too. Stem, rind, pulp and seeds, fibrous strands. 

See the song listed below.                          

We appreciate you bringing your children at 9 am and entering the classroom a single time to reduce interruptions  and allow the children to greet Morah Cindy at the door with a handshake, hug, high five or a cheer, put their own things away, wash their hands,  greet Morah Devora inside the classroom, and begin a work.
At the end of the day, please knock on the door and Morah Cindy or Morah will call your child to tell their friends goodbye at circle and meet you. We thank you for sending a single lovey to be used during quiet time and leaving their toys at home. 

Squash Song (Tune: Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond)

1. Squashes around

     Of different shapes and colors

     It's fun to learn and 

     Know them all!

2. Pumpkins abound

    In patches and in the stores

    There are a lot more

    on the vine!

3. Vines, through the vines

    Growing strong

    Reaching out

    For you and me!

4. Sweet (insert the name of a squash)

    La la la

    Hashem created for you and me!

    Sweet (insert the name of a squash)

    La la la

    This is good for you and me!

     Yeah! Yeah! Yeah!

Enjoy the weekend and the season!

Shabbat Shalom,

Morahs Cindy and Devora

Shalom Parents,

This week we heard the story of Abraham and Sarah and learned Hashem keeps His promises.The tents were a big hit. As Sarah gave birth to a baby, a baby doll and bed arrived in the Green Room. Jemma and Brianna brought in a new doll with a pacifier and a fold up bed. As you can imagine, it's been the highlight of the week! Thank you so much!

Alice's Bubby purchased new utensils for Play Doh. Ava, Vella and Jac donated utensils also and a soft rug for our peaceful place. The children helped to make PUMPKIN Clay! They are great at mixing and measuring. They have been enhancing their fine motor skills using tongs and gaining muscle memory and strength working the clay. Fine motor skills are an important part in Kindergarten readiness. Mason, Hammond, Ari and Saya brought in squash. We are looking for more varieties and I will post the song we are learning next week.

We are so grateful for the cooler days. It's a beautiful thing to see their self calming skills and communication with one another, of course they are always full of energy so we love running around outside each day! Erin has volunteered to make Folding Clothes and napkins for our kitchen, a new skill the children will work on during this season. Thank you all! 

We celebrated Ava's 4th birthday this week and everyone chipped in to mix the chocolate cake and extend their wishes for her. 

Reminders:

We have limited space in the cubbies. Each cubbie is shared by multiple students. Please consider that while selecting coats, blankets, lunch boxes, etc and please only send a single lovey to be used during quiet time, Toys should stay at home to prevent them from getting lost or broken. 

The Green Room asks that each child bring in a different variety of squash to share. (We already have Delicata, Pumpkins, Zuchinni, and summer squash.)  We will be doing different activities with the variety of squash we acquire.  Thank you!

DAILY for the month of November, please include something your child is grateful for on the back of their Mitzvah notes. Please converse with your child on the way to school or on the way home asking what they are thankful for. 

Morahs Cindy and Devora

Shalom Parents,

We have enjoyed a great week in the Green Room. We worked on Transportation and enjoyed a visit from our special guest, Rebecca Cater. The children identified modes of transportation and where they are used: on the land, on or in the water, or in the air. She led them in movement and we did fun activities to test our following directions skills. 

Morah Devora created Hebrew tag board alpha beis roads and the children used them to drive their cars. Painting on paper using cars was also a highlight. Children tested their theories on rather items would sink or float with vehicles, boats and planes as well as random objects within our classroom. They each want a turn to point to the alef beis and the first Hebrew letter in their name.

We sang: (Tune Twinkle Twinkle/ ABC Song)

Twinkle Twinkle Traffic Light

Shining on the corner, bright

Red means stop

Green means go

Yellow means go very S L O W.

Movement was also observed during milk painting. Each child poured milk. Food coloring was added. The children dipped a Q-Tip into dish detergent and later into the coloring observing the movement again and again. Finally they used brushes and created a sampling of using milk paint. Transportation Bingo  was hand by all working on refinement of their fine motor skills and we also experienced a day outdoors painting involving gross motor skills and a game.  For a fun activity for this weekend, give your child a newspaper or paper bag to extend their cutting skills at home supporting the preliminary skills to future writing. Carry the scissors "rabbit ears up" and the blades held tightly in the hand is how we stay safe while walking or passing them to someone else. 

We sing: (To the tune of The Farmer in the Dell.)

Our thumbs are on the top,

Our thumbs are on the top, 

When we cut with scissors our thumbs are on the top

Our thumbs are on the top, 

Practice continues as the children greet one another on the way out to the playground and to the classroom on their way in. They are so very endearing. 

Greeter: Welcome to the playground....please....(play safe)

Response: Thank you for reminding me _____.

Thank you all for supporting and loving your children and allowing us to do the same.

They are very excited and share, "Look! I opened it myself with cheese sticks, bags, and containers. This is the age and stage of independence.

Happy week! Shabbat Shalom,

Morahs Cindy and Devora

Shalom Parents, Grand Parents, Friends and Family,

We continue working on routines as we are working through Noah and his ark this week.
We have made arks with art materials, using our kitchen and been on animal hunts in the outdoor environment; the children enjoyed it so much we made a second day of it and then they hid the animals for the other children in the school. A few of the children want to make up games we can play while pretending to float on the ark for 40 days and 40 nights.

Friendships are expanding and it is marvelous to see the children running and playing together as our days have grown cooler. Independence is on the rise. Many know how to now fold their blankets, corner to corner. They are mastering opening their own packages, snack and lunch items. We visited with Rabbi Deitsch to donate our Tzedaka. The children enjoyed that very much!

Fine and gross motor skills are advancing as well as phonemic awareness.

We will next study community helpers and transportation.

Shabbat Shalom!

Morah Cindy and Morah Devorah

We signed in using sand this week

Manipulating animals that we are the ark

Creating the Rainbow out of pouch tops

Zoe and Ava found a new way to use the pouch tops!

We take care of our friends!

Busy building and creating!

Dressing up like the people in times of Noah's Ark!

Tracing our shadows outside 

Saya found a stuffed animal on the hunt outside!

Shalom Parents,

The Green Room is busy, busy, busy with many projects and preparing for Gavi's departure. We wish him well in his new home and school and we will miss him in our classroom. It's been so lovely seeing Gavi develop and strengthen his friendships and many other skills. He helps us with davening and nearly always has something to share. He has engineered stable block structures, Lego structures and Magna Tile structures that amaze us and allow all the children to interact. Recently he built a swimming pool and many of the children played along sending their mini-mes (5 inch photos of themselves) down the slide and into the pool. We love Gavi and wish him and his family the best of blessings in their new adventures.

This week we are continuing with the creation and the children have been creating things with their imaginations. We are developing our fine motor skills cutting with scissors, manipulating play dough, water sensorial activities and working on our pencil grip and letter sounds with the older students, a few of the younger children are already following in their footsteps. The children all look forward to this. They improve their memory skills naming the item that is pulled from a tray while a cloth conceals the remaining items. Many are already very skilled at discerning the missing item. 

As we enter the playground and return the morahs are modeling How to Shake Hands and saying, "Welcome to our playground. Please play safe", (or something applicable). The children pause, make eye contact with us and reply, "Thank you for reminding me Morah Cindy/Devora." Taking time to connect is so valuable in assisting the child's social/emotional skills at home, in school and within our community. When asked a question or to do an activity, they are encouraged to say, "Yes please." or "No thank you".

The children are improving their self-regulation skills and their manners. We practice the Conscious Discipline Skills for self calming using the S.T.A.R. (Smile, Take a deep breath and Relax.) The children's favorite is the Balloon Breath, (We breath holding our hands as though the balloon is growing with 3 -4 deep breaths, then pfffffft, like we let the balloon go.) These are hanging on our Green Room bulletin boards and are also listed on the Conscious Discipline Website. We continue to emphasize:

We take care of ourselves.

We take care of others.

We take care of things. 

We created the heavens and earth using our loft and hung some clouds over our kitchen. The children used shaving cream and enjoyed the sensation. We are creating a send off book for Gavi and the wishes the children have for him have been touching and entertaining. One child wished Gavi a bunny and a unicorn! Most of them wish him hugs and wish he would stay, play with them forever and send hugs and love. We had a little send off with cake and shared memories Thursday, Gavi's last day. 

The children remained calm and did well during our fire drill. We thank you all for your donations to our classroom, your time and your talents and those of extended family members. Thanks to Bibi Herran and CJP for hosting Conscious Discipline Workshop.

October 31 - Petting Zoo

November - Each child bring a different variety of squash and know its name for our table of interest.

Shalom parents,

We have had a busy week of creation. The children have been developing their fine motor skills signing in, manipulating Play-Doh, painting and learning the 3 finger pencil grip for holding their pencils correctly. The older group and some of the younger students learned to use white board markers. This skill comes developmentally at different times for individual children. Correct grip for writing keeps the child from developing callouses and allows for full movement while writing. A correct beginning saves the child from their elementary teachers trying to correct an incorrect grip and spares the child any challenges trying to change it. We are also working to teach the children the lowercase letters in their names.

1. Markers resting.(Laying on the table)

2. Party hats on, ready to write. (Caps placed on the end of the marker, marker in hand. This also prevents lost or mismatched caps.)

3. Writing soft and slanted (Using the 3 finger pencil grip allowing the child full range of movement and to avoid damage to the tips.)

4. Markers ready and resting. (The party hat (cap) is on and the marker is lying on the table so the child is not distracted during instruction.)

5. Muscle on your marker. (Replacing the cap and hearing the click to ensure that it is fully closed.) 

We enjoyed rainbow challah and Morah Perline playing at sing-a-long this week. It was fun seeing their joyful eyes and having the Kindergartners deliver our dough.

We continue to work on being a good friend, and also Taking care of ourselves, others and things. 

We have added new alphabet alliterations: Alice asks for apples, Sarah sings and Ava likes alligators. 

Thank you all for your support, volunteering, and donations.  We appreciate your support at school and in your homes. It is our pleasure to work with your most precious children every day. Their growth and social skills are amazing to behold. They will become independent and conscious learners before we know it. They are gaining more balance, control over their voices and interactions with others. Indoors they are using their inside voices, learning to be independent and responsible during snack and lunch time. It's wonderful to see them playing in groups and running about the outdoor environment.We look forward to taking some works outdoors as the weather grows milder. 

I highly recommend your attendance at our Conscious Discipline Curriculum Night. Our presenter, Bibi H. helped create positive changes with parents, teachers and children at a previous school and at home. I have personally witnessed the improvement. Take advantage of this opportunity! I encourage you to implement these practices in your homes. 

Enjoy a wonderful week!

Morah Cindy and Morah Devora

Shalom Parents,

We are back in session and happy to have your child with us. We are continuing to work on our routines now that the holidays are over and we will have a more consistent schedule! Thank you for bearing with us during all of the breaks.  

We welcome parents to come into the classroom to drop off your child  If you feel that a door drop off would be an easier transition for your child, feel free to do whatever is best for your family.

If you choose to come in, please assist your child in the morning to: 

1. Put their water bottle on the cart, lids closed, standing straight and tall.

2. Put their lunches and things in their cubbies or the baskets underneath.

3. Wash their hands. Many children think this isn't necessary. Please help encourage them to wash their hands as this is the best way we can stop the spread of germs and keep everyone healthy as the winter begins.

We are working on How to Greet Your Morah and How to Greet a Visitor.   When Morah Masha came into the classroom this week, Jemma rushed over to her and said, Welcome to our classroom!

One of the skills for pre-reading is hearing all the sounds in a word. We sing songs, do alliterations, do the alphabet in Hebrew and English. The children are working on identifying the first Hebrew letter of their names. They have mastered that English skill! 

Our morning snack time isn't too far from our lunch time, so please don't be alarmed if your child is eating less.  We offer an afternoon snack to whoever is hungry, so your child has the opportunity to eat more if they would like! We are enjoying the cooler weather outside and have stopped water day activities. It was a fun discovery that the slides were not burning hot this week!  

Alliterations we are using for the alphabet:

Ants on an apple A is for Alice, Ari and Ava.

Balloons are beautiful

Caterpillars crawling 

Dragons are dreadful

Elephants are enormous

Fancy fans

Gifts are for giving. G is for Gavi.

Hands are for helping. Hammond's hands are helping.

Itchy insects

Jumping Jemma

Kites are for kids

Licking lollipops. L is for Levi.

Mind your mom. Mason marches on mountains

Nibbling noodles

Oscar the octopus

Pepperoni pizza or popping popcorn

Quietly quilting or Queenie Queen puts on her crown and her baby cries, /q/q/q/ Quiet.

Rain makes rainbows

Slithering snakes. S is for Sarah and Saya. Keep your cage (teeth) closed when you say /s/.

Tzippi is talking on the telephone or shake the sign for T. I need to use the toilet.

Umbrellas go up

Violets in a vase or Vinnie volcano says the red hot lava sound of /v/.

Walruses waddling or Willie Worm Wiggles

X is for X-ray

Yellow yo-yo

Zany zucchini. Zoe and Zipper starts with /z/

This is a new 3 - 6 developmental stage for your child.  We recommend turning to Conscious Discipline for techniques on handling their big emotions and discoveries as we are using conscious discipline methods and scripts in the classroom. 

It is wonderful to be a part of your children's lives and travel with them on this journey.  As most of you have heard, I will be remaining in the green room for the entire day from now on, so I look forward to seeing you all at the end of each day. 

Shabbat shalom,

Morah Cindy and Morah Devora