Pre-K and K/1 News!

What have we been up to?

September was an exciting month filled with introductions, activities and getting to know the classroom. Pre-K has begun Letter of the Week! We have been finding words that begin with the Letter of the Week and write them on our big letter in the classroom.  We also have a Letter on the outside of the door and would like to encourage you and your child to think of words together to write on the letter.  We are focusing on the letter sounds and practicing how to write it.  Please feel free to encourage your child to find an item at home with the "letter of the week"

Pre-K has also been assigned daily jobs during our Afternoon Meeting.  Each day a child has a chance to do the Calendar, schedule, weather, and message.  It is a good way to review the days of the week and months.   

What to look forward to:

October is a Spooktakular month! While continuing our letter of the week, we have also been doing activities relating to fall, pumpkins, spiders, ghosts and candy!  We have also spending extra time outdoors observing nature and the season of Fall.

We have all been talking about our costumes and getting excited about trick-or–treating. Pre-K and K/1 will have a Halloween party on  Thursday October 29th, 2009.  Please have your child bring in a costume for the party!  Please feel free to send in some healthy goodies to make our party more enjoyable.  Here are some great suggestions; Fruit Salad, Veggie Kabobs, Pizza, Chicken Nuggets, Cheese Sticks, Milk for shakes,  Chips, Popcorn and anything else your child enjoys.  PLEASE NOTE THAT WE CAN NOT ACCEPT ITEMS THAT HAVE NUTS OR PEANUTS.  All food can be placed in the HEDP fridge on Wednesday evening or Thursday morning (before 10am).

Important News and Notes:

If your child will be absent or will not attend HEDP please call or email as soon as possible.  We can be reached at 617-277-5381 or email at hedp@brookline.k12.ma.us

Please also remember to Sign out your child daily in the sign out book.

WISH LIST

CLASSROOM SUPPLIES:
   
        Paper Towels
        Tissues
        Lysol Spray and Wipes
       
CLASSROOM GAMES AN D MANIPULATIVES

        Playdough
        Magnet Maze
        Knex
        Cranium Hullabaloo and Cariboo
        Connect Four
        (Cootie Games) Ants in my Pants and Don’t Break the Ice

Thank you very much in advance for your generosity! ☺

A very special thank you to the Sefcikova/Chandrashekar and Mataraza families for the kind toy donations.  We also appreciate the time and energy that the Ruigomez and Shavit families have donated to us!

Change of Schedule Dates and Withdrawal Reminder

Please note that the open period for the 

Change of Schedule Dates is 

October 15th-October 31st for a December 1st start.  

A change of schedule/withdrawal fee will not be applied should you submit 

a written letter to the director by October 31st.

The Parent/Guardian will obligated to pay the program a $150.00 change of schedule fee in addition to providing a 4 week written notice 

to the director should the change not occur in during the open period.

Please refer to the Heath Extended Day Program Contract and Family Handbook should you have any questions.  You may also contact us at HEDP@Brookline.k12.ma.us should you have any specific questions.

October News for 2nd-6th Grade

What have we been up to?

During the month of September, we’ve been busy with many activities! The 2-6 children worked together in small groups doing various team-building activities.  Some activities included building towers, one using only paper and one using only marshmallows and spaghetti.  Other group activities included flipping a "magic carpet" over without the groups feet coming off and getting a group from one area to another using only paper plates to stand on.  During these activities, the children encouraged each other, all while brainstorming different ways to complete the given tasks. 

In honor of the summers end, the children participated in activities and crafts that pertained to the season.  They really enjoyed the opportunity to participate in water games during one of the warmest days of the week.  They played water balloon challenges, ran in relays with sponges and really got wet playing drip, drip, drop!  Also during this week, the children made different craft activities using seashells, made photo albums for their summer keepsakes, and made sidewalk chalk using paint, water and plaster of paris. 

The children also enjoyed their first "grade week" decorating cookies (and then of course eating them)!  This gave the children some time to "hang out" with their peers in a small setting, separate from the larger group of children in the other grades.  We feel this time will be of great importance, where the kids can build a sense of community amongst the children in their own grades.  Grade week will be scheduled into our weekly activities a couple times per month. 

The last week of September and the first week of October will be dedicated to celebrating fall.  Stay tuned for all the fall activities such as crafting and cooking, that your child will take part in. 

What to look forward to:
October is a very exciting month for us! Along with celebrating fall, the children will begin working on HEDP’s annual Halloween Celebration.  This year, the children in grades 4-6 will host a Halloween Party for the kids in grades k-1.  During the party preparation, all children in 2-6 will help create games, decorations and activities needed to make the event a success.  The children in grades 4-6 will be in charge of running the games and activities that the k-1 children will participate in.  The party will be on THURSDAY, OCTOBER 29TH. Children are welcome and encouraged to bring their costumes to change into on that day. 

Reminders:

-Sign out your child daily.

-There will not be parent mailboxes. Any papers parents need will be in a folder next to the sign out.

MARK YOUR CALENDARS

There is no school on 

November 3rd

IMPORTANT ANNOUNCEMENT!

If your child will not be in extended day on a scheduled day (due to a play date, school activity, sickness, etc.), please contact HEDP to let us know. 

Wish List:
-DVD Games (Bingo, Scene It, etc.)
-Kids sewing machines
-Legos
-Magnetiles
-Gift cards to: AC Moore, Target, Amazon.com.

September 2009

Dear Families,

Welcome to the Heath Extended Day blog/site. We hope this site will help with keeping you informed with the many exciting happenings that will be going on throughout the year. It will be essential that you check this site out at the beginning of each month. We hope this will help your family know what is going on on a regular basis. We are happy to to share these great newsletter's with you.

Please see your child's teaching team or email us at HEDP@brookline.k12.ma.us should you have any questions or comments. We would also like you to subscribe to our email mailing list at heathextendedday@gmail.com should you not receive our emails on a regular basis.

We wish you a fall full of great family activities and events.

Kindly,
Heath Extended Day Team




2-6th News


WELCOME TO A NEW SCHOOL YEAR!
The 2-6 teaching team would like to welcome you and your family back to a new year at HEDP! We are all excited about the opportunity to work with your children and eager to learn about their interests to make their afternoons most enjoyable. With our new location in the Heath cafeteria and with the use of our 2-6 upstairs classroom, we have more space to provide a bigger variety of activities.



2-6 Teaching Team
Malaina Lesage, Jessica Lee and Jim Fagan, worked last year as part of the 3-6 teaching team. New to our team this year is Jared Mael and Caitlyn Hawkins. We’re excited to have them join our team this year! With all of our different backgrounds and interests, we have many great plans for a successful year.



Daily Schedule:
Attendance/snack will take place immediately upon arrival. This 20-minute period will give the children an opportunity to unwind, relax, and socialize with their friends.


Homework for 3-6 will take place in the cafeteria. This 45-60 minute quiet time will be for the children to do their homework, projects, and reading.


Homework for 2nd graders will take place in the upstairs 2-6 room. This 30-45 minute quiet time will be for children to do their homework, projects, and reading.


Activities will include arts and crafts, outdoor time, sports, building projects, cooking activities, and many more!


Sign out and pick up from 2:20-5:30 will be in the cafeteria.


At 5:30, cafeteria doors will close. From 5:30-5:45, sign out and pick up will be in the upstairs extended day room.



What to look forward to:
During the month of September, we’ve planned a variety of themes. We will begin with a twist on the typical “back-to-school” theme by having summer activities to officially say goodbye to the season. This will lead our next theme of welcoming fall. With the new season bringing us changes in colors, weather, and foods, it will allow us to have different art activities, sports and games, and cooking projects relating to this time of year. New to this year, we will be including grade week in between our regular themes throughout the year. During this week, each grade will be assigned to a specific day in which they will have the opportunity to participate in a separate, smaller group activity with their peers.




Information and Reminders:


*Please sign out your child daily.
*Contact HEDP as soon as possible if your child will not be attending HEDP on a schedule day.
*There will not be parent mailboxes. Newsletters will be sent via email and any papers you may need will be placed next to the sign out book.




K-1 News



Welcome Back!
We hope you had a well rested and wonderful summer. We are excited to meet all the new families that have joined HEDP and to see all of our returning families. Beth MacMillan is returning as the Lead Teacher for Pre-K and K-1. Jim Fagan and Jenna Sakolsky will also be returning as teachers in the K-1 classroom. We would like to welcome Camila, who will be working with K-1 on Tuesdays and Thursdays and Brianna who will be helping our during our transition time M-F!



What to look forward to:
Our K-1 teachers have been working hard to set up the room for all the students, while also preparing wonderful activities and curriculum for the upcoming year! We have planned themes such as Space, Human Body, Dinosaurs, and many more. Our schedule is flexible but we would like to share with you our new schedule for k-1.
2:20 Students Arrive and put things away in their assigned cubbies
2:25 Students choose a table top Warm up Activity
2:45 Students begin HW and DEAR
3:15 Meeting and Activities
4:15 Outside Play
5:00 Choice Time
5:30 Clean up and Cool Down activities in the Upper Extended Day
5:45 Pick Up



News to Note:
At 5:30 we will be bringing all the students to the upper Extended Day classroom for pick up. This allows teachers to close the classroom and get ready for the next day.
Please remember to sign your child out daily and check their mail for announcements and changes


We are excited for the new year to begin and to meet all of the new faces and see all of our friends from last year!


Kindly,
Beth, Jenna, Jim, Camila and Brianna




Pre-K News



Welcome!
We hope you had a well-rested and wonderful summer. We are excited to meet all the new kids and their families that have joined HEDP! Beth MacMillan is returning as the Lead Teacher for Pre-K for her third year at Heath Extended Day. She is well loved, experienced and has many exciting activities planned for Pre-K Extended Day.



What to look forward to:
We have been working hard to set up the room for all the students, while also preparing wonderful activities and curriculum for the upcoming year! Pre-K will begin Letter of the Week and enjoy themes such as; friendship and family, the 5 senses, winter animals, under the sea, Dr. Seuss, Planting and Bugs! Our daily schedule is flexible depending on our activity however this is what it may look like on a regular basis:



Pre-K Schedule:
12:15 Pick up from Minjen and arrive at Pre-K Extended Day
12:20 Afternoon Meeting with Message, Calendar, Weather and Share
12:35 LUNCH – please send your child with a packed lunch.
1:00 Rest Time with books
1:20 Themed Activities
1:45 Choice Time or Outside Play
2:10 Quiet Books and Stories
2:15 Pick Up



News to Note:
- Pickup is at 2:15pm from PreK. Please be prompt since we have many Kindergarten and 1st grade friends arriving at 2:20pm.
- Please remember to SIGN OUT your child each day.
- Check your child’s MAILBOX for announcements and changes each day.
- HEDP does have a microwave to heat your child’s lunch. Please note recommended lunch foods for your child.
- Each Pre-K participant will need a QUEEN SIZED pillowcase to keep our rest mats clean.
- Pre-K extended day does not operate on Heath School Early Dismissal days. Your family can swap days should you contact Noelle one week prior to the Early Release Day.
- Please feel free to come in and join in the fun. We have an open door policy and encourage your family to take part in our program.
- Please remember HEDP is a NUT FREE CLASSROOM
- Please separate your child’s snack and lunch and label them so they are not confused what they should eat.



Lunch Ideas:
HEDP does have a microwave to heat up food.
- Last nights dinner
- Yogurt with granola
- Fruits and veggies as a side
- Cereal with milk in a sealed thermos
- Cheese on bread
- Salad with grilled chicken
- Applesauce with graham crackers as a side




Your child will be interacting with many different Extended Day Teachers while in Pre-K Extended Day. Our team consists of a wide array of wonderful and talented professionals who enjoy working with children. We have Malania, Jess, Caitlyn and Jared from the 2-6 team and Jim, Jenna Camila and Brianna from the K/1 team. Please note that Malania and Jess will be our Pre-K substitutes should Beth be out. Please feel free to introduce yourself and get to know as many faces as possible.




Other News to note:

Dates to Remember:
Monday, September 28 -NO SCHOOL
Saturday, October 10th -Tuition Assistance Packets Due –see Noelle for more info

HEDP has a “cooperative service policy” that can be fulfilled by donating items to our classroom off our WISH LIST. Each donation will count as 2 hours. Please see your HEDP contract for more information.



HEDP Wish list

-Large colored poster board
-Bio Putty
-Human X-Rays
-Marble Maze Game
-Maneators Master Builder Set
-Magnatiles
-Paper towels
-Clorox Wipes
-Rug Runners
-Fordable Stadium Seating for the Cafeteria
-Carpet Tiles for the Cafeteria
-Foose-ball table
-Verizon Wireless prepaid phone cards
-GIFT CARDS to Staples,Toys R us, Officemax, Target, Brookline Booksmith, or any other store we could get great supplies from.

Family Handbook

Please review our Family Handbook.  It has important information that will be helpful to you.  Feel free to contact us should you have any questions.  

Welcome to our site!

Welcome to Heath Extended Day's first blog.  I hope this will be the first of many and will make reading our newsletters a bit easier for you.  I am very happy to announce that we will send an email from our gmail account to let you know when this blog is updated.  We look forward to sharing news and stories with you.  This site will be for readers only since there will never be any photos on this blog.  Happy reading...