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Beauty Abounds at Peirce’s Centennial Celebration!

What an amazing week we had last week in Preschool! It truly was an honor to be a part of the 100th Birthday Celebration this past week and weekend! I am so thankful that our preschoolers in the morning class were included in our 100 year picture and ceremonies! To top it all off, we had such a beautiful week of fall colors outside on the trees and blue skies!

On Saturday, during our centennial open house, our classroom was open for visitors and community members to see what a typical classroom looks like now at Peirce. I had the pleasure to meet so many wonderful people during that time! My favorite person I met, was a sweet man who graduated from Peirce in 1941!

Enjoy these beautiful photos captured last week of our Peirce Centennial Celebration!

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Tree Study and Observations!

There are many changes that are happening outside! Can you tell? Between the cooler air moving in, to the crisp smell of fresh apples and leaves changing colors; fall is definitely here! This is my favorite season with young children! The children’s inquiry into their visual observations of outside is extraordinary!

Friday we took the children out in small groups of 10 to observe one of the trees on campus. The leaves are absolutely beautiful! At the top they are already red, in the middle they are a firey orange/red color, and the bottom still has green leaves that are beginning to change around their edges! It was such a perfect crisp fall day to observe this tree! We began to examine that parts of a tree; discussing the roots, trunk, branches, and leaves. We compared and contrasted different leaves from different trees. Once the children had time to process our tree of study and were able to explore the area around the tree, we asked them to sit down back from the tree to observe it. Giving them four crayons, we then asked them to draw what they saw.

Enjoy their amazing illustrations of what they saw…

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An Inquiry into Who We Are!

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Field Trip to The Chicago Children’s Theatre has been CANCELLED!

Dear Peirce Preschool Families,

I am sad to inform you that our upcoming field trip to The Chicago Children’s Theater to see “Goodnight Moon & The Runaway Bunny” has been cancelled. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the theater was informed yesterday morning that the company from Canada putting on the play is unable to enter the United States with their visas. The Chicago Children’s Theater had to drop the play entirely from this season’s show. I was informed of this Saturday afternoon around 4:00 p.m.
Chicago Children’s Theatre gave us three options to choose from due to this cancellation. We chose the third option by using the grant money we were awarded and the money we collected from you, and saving it for another upcoming play in February! We will be going to see “Snow Angel” sometime between February 16-21. I will find out more information on exact dates tomorrow when I talk to the manager. Since I am the coordinator of this field trip for our grade level, I will ensure that this runs smoothly.
We are hoping that we are able to save the money you sent in last week and just put it towards the play in February. If we are not allowed to hold onto the money, I will send home every one’s $7 by Tuesday in an envelope with your child’s name on it.
So, moving forward…our schedule will remain the same for Thursday. It will be a regular day and normal hours. Those parents that were slated to be chaperone’s were also notified in a separate email.
Thank you for your understanding and support. This was something that The Chicago Children’s Theatre was not expecting, and we are trying to stay in communication with them. I will make sure to update you with any new information as it arises.
If you have any further questions, please feel free to email me back or ask Miss Santiago or myself tomorrow.

Here is the new show we will go and see in February! It’s a sweet story with a beautiful message!

SnowAngelbanner

“There’s no fighting a Chicago winter, so let’s celebrate winter instead. Snow Angel is a wordless piece that cleverly uses movement, masks and music to tell the story of a brother and sister who discover a magical winter wonderland in a new snowfall. Their only obstacle is the bird-loving old man who lives next door and wants to keep them off his property.”

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October

October Image

Please check out our October page with our monthly newsletter and our poetry that we will be learning this month! Check back later this week with a classroom update with pictures on what we’ve been working on in class over the past two weeks! Fall is here!

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International Peace Day

  We read “The Peace Book” by Todd Parr! Over the past few days, students brainstormed ideas of what peace means to them! The children were so heartfelt and sweet! 

    
    
   
Our AM class took a liking to our peace song! Here they are performing it for you! 

 
 

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First Two Days of Preschool!

We have had two very busy days welcoming our returning students and new students into room 121! What a great group of kids! We still have a lot to keep working on with routines and rules; but they came in today remembering what they learned yesterday! We are having a lot of fun learning about each other and learning how to be in school! Enjoy our “First Day of Preschool” picture slideshow!

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First Day Jitters!

First Day Jitters

preschool

The first days can be an anxious time for some children (and some moms and dads, too!). They walk into a new room with all of these new kids, new grown-ups, new “stuff” and maybe Mom looks a little teary-eyed that her “baby” is growing up so fast…well, it’s no wonder some kids might suddenly cling to their parents and cry! Here are some tips for getting through the first few days of school:

Act confident. If you seem anxious and unsure about leaving your child, your child will pick up on that and start wondering if there really is something to worry about!

Be consistent with good byes. We will greet your child and you can give kisses and say good-bye. We promise to embrace your child and help ease him/her into the classroom!

Make sure to say good-bye when you leave. Trying to “sneak out” when the child is busy and not looking sometimes makes the kids panic a few minutes later, and may make separation even more difficult the next day.

Arrive on time! It seems to be easier on most children if they arrive just before the school door is opened. This way they can enter the school with their friends! It can be much harder when they arrive after all of the other children have settled into the classroom and engaged in activities.

Separation problems sometimes show up on the second or third day…  just when you thought you were getting off easy! It is also common for children to have difficulties when there are major changes in the home. Let us know if there is anything happening at your house that you think is important for us to be aware of throughout the year.

We know that you are entrusting us with a very precious gift, and we feel honored that we will be your child’s first teachers. Please know that we really do know what you are going through. Miss Santiago has two boys herself, and even though I do not have kids of my own yet, I have always had that mother instinct! (So my mother says!) I consider your children my children as well. We want the best for your child and you this school year!

If your child is having an especially hard time, we will give you a call on your cell or home phone (make sure we have these numbers!). Most of the time we have very little problems with transitioning children into the classroom, we just wanted to provide some helpful tips just in case!

We are looking forward to a great year!

Ms. Hopkins and Miss Santiago

Nervios del primer día

Los primeros días pueden ser un tiempo ansioso para algunos niños (y algunas madres y padres, también!). Entran en una nueva sala con todos estos chicos nuevos, nuevos adultos, “novedades” y tal vez Mira mamá un poco llorar que su “bebé” está creciendo tan rápido… bueno, es extrañar que algunos niños repentinamente podrían aferrarse a sus padres y grito! Estos son algunos consejos para conseguir a través de los primeros días:

Actuar seguro de usted mismo. Si pareces ansiosos e inseguros acerca de dejar a su hijo, su hijo se cuenta y empiece a preguntarme si realmente hay algo de qué preocuparse.

Ser coherente con el adiós. Nos acogerán a su hijo y puede dar besos y decir adiós. Nos comprometemos a abrazar a su hijo y le facilitar en el aula!

Asegúrese de decirle adiós cuando dejas. Tratando de “sneak out” cuando el niño está ocupado y no mirando a veces hace que los niños pánico unos minutos más tarde y pueden dificultar separación aún más al día siguiente.

¡Llegue a tiempo! Parece que es más fácil en la mayor parte de niños si llegan justo antes de que la puerta escolar se abre. ¡De estos camino pueden entrar en el aula con sus amigos! Puede ser mucho más difícil cuando llegan después de que todos los otros niños han colocado en actividades.

Problemas de separación a veces aparecen en el segundo o tercer día. Justo cuando pensabas que estabas fácil! También es común que los niños tengan dificultades cuando hay cambios importantes en el hogar. Háganos saber si hay algo sucediendo en tu casa que crees que es importante para nosotros estar al tanto de todo el año.

Sabemos que usted es confiar en nosotros con un regalo muy precioso, y nos sentimos honrados de que seremos primeros maestros de su hijo. Por favor saber que realmente sabemos lo que está pasando. Miss Santiago tiene dos hijos de ella misma, y aunque aún no tengo mis propios hijos, siempre he tenido ese instinto de madre! (Eso dice mi madre!) Considero que sus hijos mis hijos también. Queremos lo mejor para su hijo y este año escolar!

Si su niño está teniendo un momento especialmente difícil, le daremos una llamada en su teléfono celular o casa (Asegúrese de que tenemos estos números!). La mayoría de las veces que tenemos problemas muy poco con la transición de los niños en el aula, sólo queríamos ofrecer algunos consejos útiles si acaso!

Estamos mirando adelante a un gran año!
Señorita Hopkins y Señorita Santiago

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Welcome!

Well, it’s almost that time preschool families! Many of you will be sending off your little one to school very soon, and we are so excited to have your child with us! It truly is an honor for both Miss Santiago and myself to be your child’s teachers this year! We are getting the room all set up, and will be ready for their arrival in September!

Your child should have or will be receiving a postcard from me in the mail very soon! I hope that this little post card can offer a gentle reminder that school is a fun place to be, and they will be truly loved in the care of the staff here at Peirce Preschool. The postcard is to also remind you of your Preschool Orientation time that you’ve been assigned. Please make sure to arrive on time so that we can begin the paper work and orientation quickly. Your child MUST attend Preschool Orientation with you on Tuesday, September 8th. This is your chance to take pictures of your child in the classroom before school starts. We do not allow you to come into the classroom the first few weeks of the school year until all children are emotionally and socially adapted to the classroom and feel safe. We will talk about this routine further in our Preschool Orientation.

Our school wide Back-to School Picnic is this Wednesday, August 26th from 5-7 p.m.! It will be held on the soccer field and track behind the school on Gregory Street! This is a wonderful event for you to see old friends and make news ones! This is also a great opportunity for NEW families to come and meet other families with children around the same age. There will be opportunities to purchase Peirce gear, network with parent groups, and more! Hope to see you there!

Lastly, I wanted to update many of you on our current class list. Our AM class is FULL. We do not have anymore openings in the morning class. We have 5 families in our PM class that are on our wait list for the AM class. Unfortunately there is nothing that I can do any further. All three classrooms are full in the morning. Please make sure you plan accordingly. If you are in the AM class and are planning to move or are choosing another school, please let me know ASAP so that I can let our PM families on the wait list know. Thank you for your understanding and cooperation!

Enjoy the last two weeks of summer vacation! See you all very soon!

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It’s Time to Say Goodbye!

Goodbye to our 20 students heading off to Kindergarten next year! Enjoy pictures from their first day of preschool two years ago, to their last day today! I cannot believe how much they have grown over the past year and two years!!! They grow up fast! Enjoy every moment!

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Great Expectations

It’s time to say good-bye

Our year has come to an end.

I’ve made more cherished memories,

and many more new friends.

I’ve watched your child learn and grow

and change from day to day.

I hope that all the things we’ve done

have helped in some small way.

So it’s with happy memories

I send them out the door,

with great hope and expectations

for what next year holds in store.

I’ve worked with your flower,

and helped it to grow.

I’m returning it now,

but I want you to know…

This flower of yours is precious

as dear as can be.

Love it, take care of it

and you will see a bright new bloom with everyday;

it grows in such a special way.

In September, a bud;

Midterm a bloom;

Now, a lovely blossom

comes home to you in June.

Remember this flower

as dear as can be,

though rightfully yours…

part belongs to me!

With Love,

Miss Katharine Hopkins

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