Happy Birthday to You

September

Miss Karla 9/6, Mrs. Berry 9/9, Emma 9/24, Maddie 9/24

October

Auden 10/12, Francesca 10/14, Katie 10/14, Katie 10/22, Jacob 10/25/         Sophia 10/27

WELCOME TO OUR NEW YEAR

Welcome to the Berry Patch!  September is a month of change at the Berry Patch.  Many of the children have moved to new rooms and new routines.  Miss Mandy will be moving to the Jamberry Room starting September 2nd.  The Jamberry Room teachers are Miss Julie and Miss Mandy.  Miss Carolyn will be the sole teacher in the Raspberry Room.  After several weeks everyone should be settled in and things running smoothly.   Please feel free to call your child’s teacher or Karla if you have any questions.  Please mark your calendar with all the special events we have planned.

COT SHEETS: NEW POLICY

The Berry Patch is a licensed and accredited center.  As such, a cot sheet and blanket are required for each child at nap time.  We provide a cot sheet that is to be taken home and washed at the end of your child’s week.  These must be brought back on your child’s first day of the next week.  We were in violation of our license during our licensing representative’s last visit because some of the children’s cot sheets were not returned.  At our licensing representative’s suggestion we have a new cot sheet policy.  Monday of each week, a cot sheet will be given to the children who do not have their cot sheet returned.  On Wednesday if your child’s cot sheet has not been returned, there will be a $15 charge added to your account for the new cot sheet.

BOOK ORDERS

We order from several book clubs through out the year.  Every 4-6 weeks, Lois from Books Are Fun will bring in a selection of books and set up a display.  The books will be set up for one week during which time you turn in your orders to the office.  The books are delivered when Lois picks up the display.  The time frame is usually one week from the time Lois sets up the display until you receive your order.  For every 10 books ordered, the Berry Patch receives 1 free book.

We also order from Scholastic Book Clubs.  The order forms for Scholastic will be on your child’s communication hook.  Online ordering information is included with the book selections.  Orders can also be turned into the office with checks payable to: Scholastic Book Club.  The Berry Patch receive bonus points for each item ordered.  We use these to purchase books and other items for the classroom.

Child of the Week

Starting the week of October 6th, each room will have a “Child of the Week”.  We would like you to bring in a poster of pictures of your child and family.  You will be notified in advance when your child’s special week will be so you will have time to prepare and bring in their poster.  During the week, the child of the week is our line leader and special helper.

Berry Patch Reminders

• Please notify us of any changes in employment, address and/or telephone numbers: home and cell. 
• Please sign your child in/out daily.
• Please notify us when your child will not be coming to the center.
• Please tell a teacher or call during the day if someone other than a parent will be picking your child up in the evening.  They need to bring a photo ID.
• Each child needs a complete change of clothing (shirt,UNDERWEAR, pants and socks) in their bucket.
• Medicine forms must be filled out for us to give any medication.  Please fill out a separate form for each medicine.  Medicine must be in the original container and labeled with the child’s name, including over the counter medicine.  All medicine forms must have a beginning and an ending date.  All medication must be taken home when the medicine authorization form expires.  Medicine needs to be put in the teacher’s closet in the medicine basket or in the refrigerator in the office.  Medicine in the refrigerator must be in a ziplock bag.  There are ziplock bags on the refrigerator in the office.  DO NOT PUT ANY MEDICINE IN YOUR CHILD’S BUCKET OR BOOK BAG.

Welcome To The Cherry Berry Room

I would like to welcome all the children and parents to our room.  I know that you, as parents, are concerned with your child’s development.  Your child’s development is our concern, too.

When your children join our two year old room, they are still very much babies.  They are still learning to talk and have not quite mastered the use of their spoons or cups.  By the time they are ready to leave us and move up to the three year old room, they will be much more independent and grown up.  It is the main goal of our classroom to encourage this step toward independence.

We will be working very hard to help the children get along with each other. 
They will be learning to share toys and attention–a new experience for many of them.  Sharing is very difficult for a two year old.  A two believes that everything is “MINE”.  We will be encouraging the chldren to express their feelings and needs verbally and to listen to the needs of the other children.

We will have activities planned for all areas of the room.  We will have lots of things for the children to look at, smell, touch, and experience.  It is by handling these materials that the children will learn more about the world around them.

The children will have paint and crayons with which to practice making marks, a fine motor skill.  Playdough, blocks and other materials will be available to help  them learn how things work and how their actions can change things.  They will be trying out new roles in the dramatic play area.  Our room should be a very busy place this fall.

We will be walking over to visit our friends at the Assisted Living section of the nursing home once a month, usually the third Thursday of the month.  The children love these visits with the “grandma and grandpas”.  On these days, please make sure your child arrives by 9:00 and is dressed for the weather.  We will be walking over for the visit.

 I hope you will all be able to join us for our Potluck Dinner and Room Meeting at the end of the month.  We will discuss our classroom goals and this is a great time to ask questions and to meet your child’s friends and their parents.  Other activities are planned for the months ahead too.  Be sure to watch our “What’s Happening” section of our bulletin board to see what is coming up.  It should be a fun year!

Have a great fall!!     Miss Pat and Miss Sue

Welcome To The Strawberry Room

A hearty welcome to all the children joining us in the Strawberry Room.  Our main goal in our classroom is developing social skills.  Children today are beginning earlier and spending more time in social situations with their peers.  Current studies have shown that some friendships formed in early years of childhood are second only to family relationships in importance.  From these findings comes a heightened awareness of the social and emotional importance of friendship in the early years.  Your child will encounter many opportunities to negotiate and compromise with their peers, they will be encouraged to express opinions and ideas, as well as  to respect each others feelings.  Interactions with and acceptance by peers have long-term effects on your child’s life.  Preschoolers develop social competence in three main areas: initiating interactions, maintaining ongoing relationships and solving conflicts with others.

Our philosophy behind our curriculum is that young children learn best by “doing”.  We encourage them to learn and explore at age appropriate activities, classroom involvement and working together.  Play is the work of a young child.  Children who are given time to play, learn to ask their own questions and find their answers, thus becoming explorers, problem solvers and inventors.

Our first few weeks in the Strawberry Room we will work on classroom routine, first name identification, manners(especially at lunch time) and cleaning up.  We will move on to colors and shapes.  We will concentrate on potting training, since several children are still in diapers.  As you can read, we have a lot to accomplish and our days are very busy.

 Please feel free to join us for lunch, call your child on the phone, or join us for our activities.  If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to talk to us when you see us or give us a call between 1 and 3 pm.  We are looking forward to watching your child grow.  Here’s to a year filled with laughter, learning and fun.

Here’s to a fun-filled year!  Miss Kim and Miss Theresa

Hello From The Jamberry Room

Welcome to the Jamberry Room.  The children are growing up and becoming more independent.  They are working out their problems with each other, learning to give and take, and what to play with and how to play with it.

Our morning begins in the Strawberry Room for drop off and breakfast.  Our gross motor time-outside on the playground or inside in the gross motor room is right after breakfast.  Please send a light jacket or sweater in the mornings this fall.  The weather will be cool in the mornings then warm up for the afternoon.

When we come in, we have our small group time.  We will divide the class into two groups.  We work on specific skills: counting objects, matching, sequencing, letter and number recognition and following directions.  After small group, we read a story, then we do our calendar.  We talk about the month, day of the week, count to the date and talk about any special days coming up.  We talk about the different activities set up in the room.  We have name cards to help the children recognize their first and last name.  We ask the children informational questions: parent’s name, their birthdate, address or telephone number and starting this year, a cell number.  Please make sure we have your current information.  When the child’s name card is held up, they tell us what area they would like to start their activity time in.

Our room is open and the children move around freely.  The children work on writing their names, doing art projects, waiting their turn for the computer and cooperating with others.  We cook one day of the week.  The children are learning to do tasks or jobs.  This involves deciding what to  do, completing the task, then cleaning up.

Please send a blanket for naptime.  If you send a pillow, it needs to be small enough to fit inside a grocery bag.  The small travel pillow is the perfect size for nap time.  Remember:  all cot sheets and blankets must be returned your child’s first day back of each week.  You will be charged $15 if you do not return your cot sheet.

Show-N-Share is every Friday morning.  Your child can bring a toy from home that they will share with the other children during activity time.  Please make sure it is not valuable, fragile or a weapon/violent toy.

Miss Mandy is moving from the Raspberry Room to the Jamberry Room starting September 2nd.  Miss Julie and Miss Mandy will be the teachers for this year.  Miss Julie will have parent/teacher conferences with the parents of the children in her small group and Miss Mandy will have the parent/teacher conferences with the parents in her small group.  Miss Mandy will be on her honeymoon during some of the scheduled parent teacher times so she will post the weeks she will have parent/teacher conferences.

Good bye from Miss Julie, Miss Mandy and the Jamberry Room

To Our New Families and Friends

Welcome to the Raspberry Room!  It is very important that you know what is happening in the classroom and the Berry Patch.  Since, this is the last year before they go to kindergarten you want your child to be ready.  I look forward to listening and learning from you, and I will share information back through newsletters, news on the Parent Board and just talking to you.

The first week in the classroom, the children will create the classroom rules/guidelines.  We will discuss the rationale behind the classroom rules.  Letting the children participate in making the classroom guidelines gives them a sense of ownership to their environment.  The children will also be assigned various jobs around the classroom.  Each week the children will be assigned a new job.  Some of the jobs the children will be responsible for include: setting the table for lunch, caring for Petey (our pet rabbit), feeding the fish, watering the plants and being line leader.  By making the children responsible for their own belongings, it will give them independence.  This will start around or after the Family Potluck.

Daily activities will center around the children’s interests and experiences, so they may change accordingly.  Each week, we will have a theme, like letter of the week, outer space, the ocean and more.  One day, each week, we will talk about what starts with the letter they are working on.  Their answers will be recorded and displayed on the wall in the classroom.  To further letter cognition, we will have pictures of objects that start with that letter.

After breakfast, we will ease into our morning routine with circle time/calendar then into our group time.  Please be here by 9:00 each day so your child does not miss group time.  Group time is one of the most important activities for kindergarten preparation.  Group time is time set aside specifically to focus on following directions, raising their hands to speak, fine motor skills and math skills.  Journal activities give children the opportunity to draw, write, etc at least once a week for the duration of the year.  The children will then have their activity time. They chose the activity they would like to start their activity time in.  After they play and clean up, they will have their recall time.  The recall sheets are used to have the children mark down what they did during their morning activity time.  This gives you more insight into your child’s day and another opportunity for pre-writing skills.  This will start after the Potluck.  Next, we will have outside time/motor movement depending on the weather.  On the Parent Board in the classroom, I will be posting daily reports along with news and information.

On Fridays, we will have Show-N-Share.  Make sure you read the Parent Board by the sign in/out sheet because each week I will post what type of item they may bring.  This will start after the Potluck.

Please make sure your child has extra clothes in their bucket with their initials on them.  Also make sure you change the clothing once it starts to get cooler.

I look forward to a productive and exciting year of getting to know your child and family.  Feel free to join us for lunch, call to say “hi” or come play.  If you have any concerns or questions don’t hesitate to ask.

Here’s to a great year together!   Miss Carolyn