October
TEACHERS’ BLOCKS
Mrs. Young, Mrs.
Sweeney & Mrs. Fox
Kindergarten
It is hard to believe that September is over. We have learned so much in a short time. We know how to do
our jobs, read our first word (I) and we can make patterns for math time. We are excited to be learning to
read already and we work hard during our literacy time. We will be learning about pennies and how to
count and stack them. We have learned so many songs and can’t wait to learn our October songs!
Kindergarten is a place where we play, sing, laugh and learn. We are learning that we work together and
we always try to follow our rules – Be Safe, Be Kind. We love to see the big yellow buses arrive in the
morning. As the children get off the bus, they are always full of smiles and excited to start another fun day.
Mrs. Warren & Mrs. Ross
5 am Pre-K Plus
We have been very busy becoming familiar with our environment, the teachers, and the children. We made
a class friendship chain, baked chocolate chip bar cookies to share at snack, built a simple block building
together, talked about classroom rules to keep us safe and healthy, painted with a friend at the “window”
easel, and read books with a friendship theme. All of these activities have helped us to develop a sense of
community in our classroom. We enjoyed reading the “Light Person Book” in our classroom and each child
will have an opportunity to bring home the book to share with their family when they are the “Light
Person”. My Gym was fun with Kendall! We stretched out, played with Koosh balls, used balloons for relay
races and walked on the balance board. Please refer to the My Gym calendar previously sent home for
specific dates. Every Wednesday, we will be having music with Tricia Nichols. We look forward to singing
some favorite songs and learning some new ones. During the month of October, we will explore three
major themes. They will include: “I’m Special/All about Me”, “Fall Changes” and “Halloween.” During each
of these units, the children will have opportunities to participate in a variety of developmentally appropriate
activities related to the theme. During our Halloween theme, we will be walking to Lambert’s on Monday,
October 27th to select a pumpkin to carve with the class. It will be a month of learning and fun!
Conferences will be held on Wednesday, October 22nd during our class time. Sign-ups will be posted
outside of our classroom on Monday, October 6th. We look forward to meeting with everyone. Happy
October!
Mrs. Murphy & Mrs.
Brown
3 am 3 year olds
What a terrific job everyone has done transitioning into a new school year! Our friends have been very
busy getting to know their new teachers, new classmates and new classroom routines. We have introduced
the "Light Person", who turns the classroom traffic light from green (play) to yellow (slow) to red
(stop). When it is your child's turn, he or she will get to bring home the "Light Person Book" and everyone
at home can learn all about their friends at school. The children are enjoying Open Snack and this week we
began our Wednesday music classes. We are off to a busy start and having lots of fun down on the
farm! The children have enjoyed making their own frog ponds, organizing their own barns, decorating
ducks, creating their own sheep and designing mud puddles for their pigs. Our friends are busy each school
day exploring the many learning centers in our classroom. They have built tunnels and bridges in the block
area, cared for their babies and gotten gussied up for important meetings in the house corner and engaged
in lots of "baking" at the playdough table. Though the days get shorter and the temperature drops, the
students have been able to recreate their summer memories at the beach themed science table and in the
beach themed sand table. In October, we look forward to learning, playing and exploring with apples,
leaves and pumpkins. We will be having parent conferences on Monday, October 27 during the school
day. There is a sign-up sheet located outside the classroom. We look forward to the opportunity to share
more with you about your child's school experiences at that time.
Mrs. Doble & Mrs. Morash
3 am 4 year olds
We have had a wonderful start to the school year, as the children have reconnected with old friends, met
new classmates (and teachers!), and become comfortable with the daily routine. This month, our focus will
be on apples, the changing colors of fall, and Halloween. We will make art projects, both together and on
our own, listen to stories and explore science, all relating to these themes. Mondays will be a special time
for our class as we extend our day together during "Lunch Bunch"... it is a very social time!! On
Wednesdays, we will have music with Tricia Nichols. Towards the end of the month, on October 29th, we
will have parent teacher conferences. A sign-up sheet will be posted outside of the classroom two weeks
ahead, on October 15th. We look forward to meeting with each of you. We are really enjoying getting to
know your children!
Mrs. Carroll &
Mrs. Read-Brown
2 am 3 year olds
Welcome everyone! We’re off to a wonderful start with our new group of friends. Routines and transitions
are the main focus right now. The children are practicing how to find their hooks and hang coats, place
school bags in the basket outside the door and wash hands upon entering the room. They are listening in
the room for the ringing chimes to signal yellow light (where play slows down and we finish activities) and
red light (when play stops and we clean up). They are getting their own snacks at the snack table,
choosing their own activities within the room and learning how to meet, greet (beginning to know names)
and become involved with others. Play is children's "work" and it can be challenging when there are many
new things to learn, but these children are making it look simple! As we head into fall, our theme is
seasonal. The activities will center around apples, leaves, trees and then Halloween. Our music teacher,
Miss Trisha, made her first visit to our room already and will be doing so every Thursday to lead us in song
and musical fun. We will be able to individually discuss more about what is going on with your own child at
the end of the month during conference time. Conferences for our class will be held on Tuesday, October
21st during class time. Please look for the signup sheet outside our classroom to schedule a
meeting time. We look forward to sharing and learning more about your child then!
Mrs. Larsen &
Mrs. O’Donnell
2 am 3 year olds
Even with those shortened first days, the children have had a chance to see and do so many things. There
have been planes “flying” about, wonderful play dough and art creations, and many freshly baked cupcakes
coming from the house corner. The focus of these early days has been on allowing the children to explore
the classroom and their interests. Each child has seen the classroom through their own eyes. We will
continue to help the children get to know the routines as well as one another through games and songs.
One routine that helps the children transition from open play to our more structured time together, is the
selection of that day’s Light Person. The Light Person turns the traffic light from green (play) to yellow
(open play will end soon) to red (clean-up time). As the Light Person, your child will also get to bring home
the Light Person Book which is helpful for all in getting to know the class a little better. There is great
excitement surrounding the selection of the day’s Light Person and it won’t be long before you hear your
child exclaim, “I’m the Light Person today”. We have introduced Open Snack and this week we began our
Thursday music classes. During the month of October, we will explore many of the things that make Fall
such a special time of year. These include Fall’s colorful leaves, pumpkins, and apple tasting. As Halloween
approaches, the children will make their own q-tip skeletons and share a special snack of Ghost Toast. We
will be having parent conferences of Tuesday, October 28th. There will be a sign-up sheet outside of the
classroom for conferences in early October. We look forward to having the chance to share even more
details about your child’s day at school.
Mrs. Warren &
Mrs. Carroll
4 pm 4 year olds
We have been very busy becoming familiar with our environment, the teachers, and the children. We made
a class handprint wreath, baked chocolate chip pan cookies to share at snack, painted with a friend at the
“window” easel, constructed a simple block building together, learned some simple classroom rules to keep
us safe and healthy, and read books about friendship. These activities have helped to foster a sense of
caring and community in our classroom. We enjoyed reading the “Light Person Book” and each child will
have an opportunity to bring home the class book when it is their turn. Every Thursday, we will have music
with Tricia Nichols. We look forward to singing some old favorite songs and learning some new ones.
During the month of October, we will explore three major themes. They will include: “I’m Special/All about
Me”, “Fall Changes” and “Halloween.” During each of these units, the children will have many opportunities
to participate in developmentally appropriate activities related to the theme. In connection with our
Halloween theme, we will be walking to Lambert’s on Monday, October 27th to choose a class pumpkin to
carve. It will be a month of learning and fun! Conferences will be held on Thursday, October 23rd. Signups will be posted outside of the classroom on Monday, October 6th. We look forward meeting with
everyone. Happy October!
Mrs. Bensten & Mrs.
Christino
3 pm 3 year olds
What a wonderful start our friends have had to the school year! We have enjoyed meeting each other and
making new friends. The children are working hard at learning the new routines and expectations of our
classroom. So far during our time at HNS, we have created with playdough, built airports, skyscrapers and
zoos in the block area, and baked up a storm in the house corner. The students loved using their big
magnifying glasses to be scientists at the beach-themed science table. Creating with the art materials has
been a favorite; you have no doubt noticed that we have many talented painters in our midst! Last
Thursday we began our music classes with Ms. Trisha. The friends loved singing along and grooving with
their egg shakers. We are excited to welcome October and all the fun it has in store. Coming up, we will
be investigating the season of fall, and can't wait to learn about pumpkins, leaves, and squirrels! It was
wonderful to see so many of you at Parents' Night. For those of you that could not make it, please let us
know if you have any questions! Our fall conferences will be October 28 between 12:30 and 3:30. The
sign-up sheet will be outside our classroom soon.