December 2015 Newsletter

Metro North Early Childhood Center

Classroom 3 Explorers
What is an explorer?
An explorer is a person who wants to learn more!
Happy December, families! This month, the Explorers in Classroom 3 are starting a study of trees,
focusing on changing leaves, evergreens, and stories with forests. Our focus questions are:

How are deciduous and evergreens different?

Who lives in trees?
What food comes from trees?
What who takes care of trees?
How do trees change?

Each week we will cover a new focus question. On the back of this newsletter, we have included
discussion topics and activities for you to do at home with your student. They correspond to and
reinforce our classwork. We love involving you in your childs learning as much as possible!
Social-Emotional Skills: In accordance with the DOEs guidelines for UPK, our class is also focusing on
developing social-emotional skills, such as: recognizing emotions in others, self-regulation, angermanagement, and social problem solving (sharing, talking it out, taking turns, etc.). As we explore
these topics over the coming weeks and months, we will be sending home materials to help you
reinforce these concepts with your child outside of the classroom.
Parent-Teacher Conferences: This month we will be scheduling Parent-Teacher conferences for ALL
students! A sign-up sheet will be available in the classroom. If you have any questions, please speak
with Ms. Rachel or email classroom3teachers@gmail.com
No Outside Food: Please remember that absolutely no outside food is allowed in the classroom. If
your child has any snacks in the morning before school, it is best that you take the food with you at
drop-off, as any food in the cubbies can be a distraction to the students.
Breakfast: Breakfast is served from 9:00-9:20 am. Instructional time begins promptly at 9:30 am. Please
plan accordingly to ensure your child is able to participate in all learning experiences.
Family Wall

Our Family Wall is almost complete! If you havent

submitted a family photo, please do so as soon as
possible. You can:
- bring in a picture
- send a picture to classroom3teachers@gmail.com
- take a picture at school during drop-off/pick-up

Important dates:
December 3 Closed for Professional Development
December 4 Kindergarten School Fair (Union Johnson)
December 15 Class trip: Pajama Read Aloud
December 24-25 Closed for Christmas Holiday
December 31-Jan 1 Closed for New Years Holiday

Dec. 4 School Fair: On Friday, Dec. 4, Union Johnson is hosting a school fair for families whose
students will be entering kindergarten. This is a wonderful opportunity to meet kindergarten teachers
and learn more about the application process. More info will be available in Classroom 3.
Questions? Comments? We want to know! Please reach out to us at any time at school, or via email
at classroom3teachers@gmail.com.

We are kind, We are smart, We are explorers!

To Try Together at home

Nov 30 Dec 4
Talk: Weve been using a feelings chart at school. The children can move their names from
feeling to feeling throughout the day to reflect their mood. Have a discussion about feelings;
How are you feeling? What do you do when you feel that way? What does your face look like?
How do you talk?
Do: As you go to and from your home with your child, notice what kinds of trees are nearby.
Identify if they are deciduous (lose their leaves) or evergreen (pines, etc. that stay green
yearlong). Notice the differences and similarities between the trees.
December 7 - 11
Talk: Empathy is an important skill for preschoolers to begin to master. Talk about how we can
recognize feelings in others and respond. For example, What does mommy do when she
knows youre sad? How do you know someones sad or upset? What would you do if
someone in your class was sad?
Do: Either at home or as you travel around, ask your child to spot letters he or she recognizes in
various signs, ads, books, food packaging (most of the recognize the letters in their names).
When they find one they know, ask if they know what sound the letter makes. Its a fun way to
reinforce early reading skills!
December 14 - 18
Talk/Do: Were always working on our social problem-solving skills! Try role-playing a few
scenarios with your child and talk about possible ways to respond (i.e. what would you do if
another child took the seat you wanted? How would it make you feel? What would you say?)
December 21 - 23
Talk: Self-regulation (the ability to calm yourself down and control strong emotional reactions) is
a crucial skills for children preparing for kindergarten. Talk with your child about how what they
do when theyre angry or upset. How do you know youre upset? What does your body feel
like? What can you do to feel better?
Do: As a family, come up with ideas for what your child can do at home when he/she is
upset/angry. (At school, we practice taking deep breaths, counting to 5, taking a break,
drawing a picture, etc.)
December 28 - 30
Talk/Do: Giving compliments is a great way to be a good friend and help people around us feel
better about themselves! Talk with your child about what a compliment is. Compliment him/her
on something he/she does particularly well. Make a game out of complimenting each other!
Positive encouragement is a wonderful way to help build social skills and strong relationships!