Hello Families!
Please take a moment to read the important information below and share this with anyone who might drop off or pick your child up from school:
Over the past few weeks we have noticed that several children are playing in the parking lot at drop off & pick up time. This is very dangerous and against our policies. PLEASE hold your child’s hand and walk them to your vehicle, The parking lot is not a place to jump in puddles, climb on the snow banks or dart between cars.
In addition, we recognize that everyone is in a hurry during arrival and dismissal however, it remains IMPORTANT that we follow procedures and use good manners in order to keep students, staff and parents safe. Please do not rush into the parking lot. We’d rather you be a minute late than unsafe. The combination of children being allowed to play in the parking lot and cars racing into the lot may result in a child being seriously injured. PLEASE slow down as you enter the parking lot and be aware of any activity. Refrain from using your cell phone while in our parking lot.
Please also make sure that you are signing your child in and out each day on the iPad. Failing to do so may result in extra charges that Sandbox will automatically apply as you are out of your schedule. The teachers need to know at all times how many children are in their classroom. The office also needs to know the total number of children in the building. In the event of an emergency or evacuation we need to have accurate head counts to make sure that EVERYONE evacuates safely.
This coming Thursday, March 21st is our Curriculum Night from 6:00-7:00 pm. Please join the children as they demonstrate the learning that they have accomplished so far this year. You will not want to miss this! We will have limited child care available for younger siblings as this is an event for the preschool classrooms.
Here is the learning that took place in the classrooms this week:
In the Infant room we have completed our farm collection and have been learning about the various farm animals in our world and our interaction with them. We added water experiences to our day by working with pouring activities and squeezing sponges. This work strengthens our fingers and provides practice with our pincer grip. Playing in the raindrops added to our Sensorial experience of water as we learn the importance of water, particularly as we move into spring. The concept of math is addressed by counting the materials we use in our activities and in our reading books and songs that address counting. Language activities include identifying parts of the body, retrieving objects by naming them, and learning to point out objects in a book. We continue to work on the art of eating and setting the table for a meal. In art we enjoyed the experience of working around and decorating a large tube with pencils and markers.
In the Toddler Classroom the theme for the week was the weather. The children made rainy day paper umbrellas out of coffee filters, bingo markers and pipe cleaners. The children made raindrops on a separate sheet of paper with blue paint. The teachers then constructed a rainy day scenario with the “umbrella” placed on the rain. For the Science presentation Cloud in a Jar, this weather experiment gives children a chance to explore clouds and rain in an hands -on and engaging way. The Sensorial Presentation focused on sensory balloons. This promotes sensory development and helps with fine motor development and language terms of calming, soft, warm and cold. The Practical Life Presentation had the children threading pasta onto straws. This activity engaged the children’s concentration skills, fine motor skills, helping to build hand-eye coordination. The children finally enjoyed their outdoor playtime, running and jumping, throwing balls and going up and down the slide! The children enjoyed listening to the stories, “Down by the Station” and “The Penguin who Wanted to Fly”.
Please label all of your child’s belongings to avoid confusion and it’s also a state licensing rule- help us to stay in compliance! Label food containers, individual snack containers, water bottles, coats, shoes, bedding, boots, and winter accessories. This will save staff time from having to do it in the morning. Please put an ice pack inside your child’s lunch box.
In the Pine Room we continue our unit study of Asia, we are also talking about Ireland, St. Patrick’s Day and Leprechauns. We continue to talk about being respectful of all of our materials in the classrooms. We are also discussing insects. We read several different books this week, thank you to everyone that brought books in this week, we enjoyed all of them. We also did alot of music and movement. In our food prep area the children are enjoying spreading cream cheese on bagels and learning how to make a portion of the goldfish cracker snack. The children are using their imaginations and creating some great things with our sensorial materials. The children continue to work on sounds, sentences, and word building while the older children are working in their journals and workbook. The children were introduced to the parts of an insect and made a booklet on parts of the ladybug and a fly. They also worked on puzzles of various insects. The children also colored and collaged the continent of Asia and continue to work on the large maps. The children are progressing very well in math with the older children continuing with carry over and multiplication. Have a great weekend! The Pine Room Staff
In the Cedar Room the children continued to learn about Asia and India. We talked about St Patrick’s Day and Ireland. The children enjoyed watching a St. Patrick’s Day video. Please ask your child what they learned about India and St. Patrick’s Day! Every day this week we read a book written by Dr. Seuss. The children continue to work in language. While the younger children are working on math according to their level, the older children are preparing for Curriculum Night. If your child took home the wrong snow pants, please return them to the classroom, a child is missing a pair of boys black snow pants.
In the Maple Room the children continued their study of Asia and discussed Ireland. The children added tissue paper flowers to a paper shamrock-this was a great fine motor activity! The children enjoy looking and reading the books from the Novi libray everyday after lunch! The older children continue their preparation for Curriculum Night! The children enjoyed participating in food prep activities that included reading the serving amount and preparing themselves. The children studied insects this week, creating a ladybug out of construction paper.