Click “Subscribe” below to download your class assisting calendar for easier viewing alongside your personal calendar:
It was wonderful to see kids back in the classroom this week! Even though they had been gone for more than 2 weeks, they settled back easily into activities, the schedule and the routines of school. They remembered about washing hands and going to their cubbies to hang their coats upon arrival. They were ready to begin play, recalling where their favorite spots are throughout the classroom - in the playhouse cooking or tending to babies, on the rug with vehicles, near a teacher at the sand table, with a crowd of kids scooping cornmeal, at a table puzzling over a puzzle. They didn’t need much, if any, reminding about wearing a smock at the water table and could navigate, sometimes with some support, hanging the smock back up when they were finished. They knew gym followed play time and probably wished that snack followed gym, but they remained focused as they came up the stairs back into the classroom and to the rug for group time rather than to the tables where snack was waiting. They almost know school better now than right before break having had the chance to refresh and refuel from time away and time with family these past two weeks. It is clear to see that your children have a strong foundation of how to be at school under their small but growing feet. And that foundation will continue to develop and strengthen in the coming months. We look forward to being part of that journey!
Here are some photos from our first day back this week:
Something new in the classroom: Tape! Kids got right to it, pulling the tape off the roll and using scissors to cut a piece to stick on their paper:
Some kids just wanted tape on their paper. Some made drawings alongside the tape. Some cut their paper and used tape to put it back together:
Kids could also find comfort (and discovery!) in engaging in familiar activities like scooping cornmeal and playing at the sand table:
In the gym kids took turns jumping onto the crashpads and rocking each other in the rocking chair.
Back in the classroom we continued with our schedule.
Group time: a time to all be together as well as take a little breather after the fast pace of gym. Snack followed by short play: a chance for more easel painting, time at the sand table plus activities on the rug.
We finished our day, as we always do, with a story. As much as kids were ready to be at school that first day back, they were also ready to head home when it came time for dismissal. They remembered about going to their cubbies after hearing their name called and bringing their belongings back to the rug where teachers could help them with coats and zippers. We look forward to our next day together!
Thank you again for your generous gifts last month. We feel fortunate to be your children’s teachers and grateful to be part of this school community with you.