February News

Dear Families,

Welcome back to a full week of school as we try to push winter away and hope for signs of spring to arrive early.  I would like to thank all of the families who phoned, emailed and wrote letters of support for Heath Extended Day.  Your messages were heard and we have learned that our downstairs Pre-K and K/1 space will remain as a dedicated space for HEDP.  We will also be using the cafeteria during the 2010-2011 school year.  HEDP may have to share our upstairs 2-6 and pickup room to show support and flexibility to the Heath School.  I appreciate your support and welcome ideas from any parent who may have creative suggestions for storage and how we can maximize a small space.

Heath Extended Day will be holding pre-registration for the 2010-2011 school year during the month of March.  I will be sending out forms and asking for a commitment of days to be returned to me by March 19th.  Pre Registration will be open for the entire Heath School  March 29th-April 1st so please send in your form ASAP.

I am pleased to announce that we are continuing to work in cooperation with Wheelock College as a Field Learning Placement.  We currently have twelve students that are working in both the K/1 and 2-6 rooms.  Please help us welcome these future educators and childhood professionals by introducing yourself.  Feel free to contact me should you have any questions on concerns.

We look forward to working with you and your child as the season changes.  Please look for future notes regarding changes in policy from the Department of Early Education and Care in MA and how it what that will mean to you and HEDP.

Kindly,

Noelle


Important bits...

Fill out our Pre-Registration form and return it no later than 3/19.

Please continue to provide your child with appropriate winter clothing (hat, gloves, coat, boots...).

Label each piece of clothing and check the lost and found on a regular basis.

We encourage you to provide an extra pair of shoes or slippers for Extended Day use.

Continue to offer your suggestions and comments to help enhance our program.

We will hold classroom clean-up days for those who want to fulfill volunteer hours on Monday 3/15 and Monday 4/5 from 5pm-7pm.  Please see Noelle for more information.

 Thank you to all of the families who have donated supplies and shopping trips to HEDP during the past couple of months.


HEDP Wishlist

Staplers
Tape dispensers
Paper towels
Pencils
Pencil Sharpeners
Duct Tape
Drawing Paper
Masking Tape

K/1 is out of this world!

K-1 NEWS LETTER

February 2010

What has been happening at Extended Day?? During the month of January, K-1 studied Outer Space.    We all enjoyed learning about all the planets and making  our classroom into an International Space Center.    Through music, art, and imaginative play we explored  space travel and beyond.  Many children enjoyed being  astronauts in our Space Shuttle in Dramatic play.  We made  model planets that we also used as clues during  our final Jeopardy Space Games.  We spent the few days before vacation making  the ones we love cards and valentines.   On the 12th, we  exchanged friendly valentines with each other and enjoyed the  afternoon with some fun treats.  What to look forward to in Extended Day?? Chinese New Year is also coming up.  We will  be having a Chinese New Year Party on  Friday, February 27th with dumplings, fried rice,  and other fun treats to celebrate; while also learning  fun facts about the Chinese traditions.  Please see the  food sign up sheet if you would like to contribute.     Starting Monday March 1st we will  celebrate Dr. Seuss’ birthday with a week full  of books and fun activities.   The author study  will allow our students to open their minds to the  fun and inventive book ideas of Dr. Seuss.

2-6 is learning about others and making a difference

February 2010

Heath Extended Day 2-6 Newsletter

During the month of January:

The 2-6 children began the month of January with an All about Art theme.  Using different art mediums and techniques, the children created many creative pieces of artwork.  Glass painting was a big hit!  The kids chose from an assortment of glass squares, which they painted patterns on using glass paint.  The patterns they created were vibrant and creative!  The big painted squares make wonderful drink coasters for your home, while the small glass squares they painted were turned into magnets.  Furthermore, during the All about Art theme, the children used markers to create trading cards and 2010 calendars, clay to make functional pieces, liquid watercolor to paint the snow and scratch art to create metallic designs.

The second half of January and the first week of February was dedicated to a three week theme of Cultural Celebration.  The 2-6 team created this unit as a way for the children to learn, understand and appreciate the many cultural backgrounds of their peers. The countries the children learned about during this unit were Italy, Greece, India, Israel, Slovakia and China.  For each country we studied, the children learned about the country’s map, flag, a specific landmark, traditions and foods.  In learning about the map, the children colored a small blank outlined map for each country and wrote facts that they learned.  They then outlined a bigger version of the country’s map and recorded their favorite fact.  In learning about the flag, the children individually created the country’s flag using different art mediums.  They learned about traditions through stories, readings and from kids’ personal experiences.  The biggest hit during this unit was building landmarks from different countries and the cooking their traditional foods. The children were given a choice to be builders or cooks.  The builders built a given landmark by using paper, recycled materials, clay and cardboard.  Some chose to work in small groups while others chose to work independently.  The results of their creativity and interpretations of a landmark were wonderful.  Please see all the displays of the maps, flags and landmarks during the 2-6 Cultural Celebration.  The cooks followed recipes of foods traditional to the country.  We made two recipes from each country, typically a meal and a dessert.  The kids loved making and tasting the different foods.

Cultural Celebration Family Potluck Dinner:

Thank you to all who join us for the 2-6 potluck dinner on Monday, February 8th.  It was a wonderful evening filled with art, culture and wonderful food.  We were lucky to have shared this very special event with you and your family.  Each family was asked to bring in a dish or dessert traditional to their culture. Your recipe will be used for the recipe book we will be making for all the 2-6 families. This book will also include all of the recipes we made during our unit.

What to look forward to in February:

During the first week of February, the children will be finishing up with the Cultural Celebrations unit.  While learning about China, the children will also be celebrating Chinese New Year!  During the second week of February, the children will be participating in art and craft activities and gift making for Valentine's Day!  During the last week of February, after vacation, we will be focusing on an Olympics theme to celebrate the 2010 Winter Olympics!  Included in this theme will be a focus on team building, good sportsmanship and conflict resolution. 

Also in the last week of February, we will be focusing on a Bully Proof: being a better friend theme. The children will be split into small groups where they will participate in role playing games, friendship building projects and kind word activities.