September Newsletter
2018 - 2019 Academic Year
Happy September!
Labor Day - School Closed
Essential Oils with Young Living (Member ID 3157417)
So what is an essential oil?
Essential oils are the aromatic liquids found within shrubs, flowers, trees, roots, bushes, resins, and seeds. Some people like to call essential oils “nature’s living energy” because they contain unique constituents that provide a host of benefits. Most essential oils are extracted from plant sources using steam distillation and are highly concentrated, making them far more potent than dried botanicals.
Essential oils are volatile, which means that the scent of the oil rises quickly into the air.
They are also versatile, with a wide variety of uses. Some people use essential oils to enliven an environment, support different body systems, or just for their great scents. However you choose to use essential oils, chances are someone else has tried that same use in the past. If you still don’t know where to start, rest assured that each essential oil is labeled with instructions for use.
Let’s talk about how they can be used.
One of my favorite ways to use essential oils is aromatically. Many of us have had a time where a smell triggers a memory—freshly baked bread, pine needles, or spring flowers can easily take you back to positive times in your life. Essential oils are the same!
Diffusion is a great way to use essential oils aromatically. By creating a fine aromatic mist, diffusers allow you to create a spa-like atmosphere and enjoy the benefits of essential oils in any environment. As I mentioned previously, at The Cottages we diffuse essential oils in our classrooms daily. Some of our favorites are Lavender, Gentle Baby, Citrus Fresh, Peppermint, Thieves, and Purification. Young Living offers a wide variety of diffusers, and when you enroll as a new member, you will receive a diffuser in your Premium Starter Kit.
Essential oils can also be applied to the skin. This is known as topical application. Topical application is a great way to support your skin because essential oils are easy to use and provide quick benefits. If you have never used essential oils, one great area of the body to apply them topically is to the feet. Though we don’t apply oils to the children unless directed by the child’s parent, I can tell you that topical application can do wonders depending on the ailment, the oil you are using, and where you are applying it. I have personally experienced major life transformations both physically and emotionally through both applying essential oils topically and diffusing them. I have heard many testimonies from others who have used essential oils for themselves, their children and family, and their pets and have had great results. The benefits are amazing!
Young Living also offers different product categories that can enhance any aspect of your life. Wellness is multidimensional. Young Living is proud to have spent the last 20 years and counting developing a product line that cultivates wellness by purifying the home, nourishing the body, beautifying the skin and hair, and comforting the spirit—all while never compromising on their stringent Seed to Seal standards.
If you would like to learn more about Young Living or if you are interested in trying out any of their products or enrolling as a member you can contact me at michelle@thecottagespreschool.com or stop by the front office. You can also visit their website at www.youngliving.com. Should you place an online order please use The Cottages Member ID 3157417. The commissions earned through any sales using our Member ID are used to help us afford to use Young Living products at the school.
Open House
Open House will be on Wednesday, September 5th. This will be an evening for parents to touch base with your child’s teacher and learn about the exciting things your child will be learning during the 2018 - 2019 academic year. The Cricket, Ladybug, and Caterpillar Cottages will have their Open House from 6:15pm-6:45pm. The children in these cottages are welcome to join their parents during open house as some fun interactive activities will be planned for both parents and the children. Butterfly, Bumblebee, and Dragonfly Cottages will have their Open House from 6:45pm-7:30pm. We ask that the children in the three older cottages do not attend the Open House with their parents, but babysitting services will be offered. If you would like to sign your child up to receive babysitting services on this evening, a sign-up sheet is located in the front office. We will also have representatives from Soccer Shots, Compuchild and Fairytale Dance in Jennie's House if you would like to get more information on these programs. We’re looking forward to seeing you there!
Open House RSVP - Cricket, Ladybug, Caterpillar Cottages
Children are welcome and encouraged to attend.
Wednesday, Sep 5, 2018, 06:15 PM
602 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Open House RSVP - Butterfly, Bumblebee, Dragonfly Cottages
If you need babysitting for your child during Open House, please sign up in the front office. You must sign up by Tuesday, September 4th so that we can staff accordingly. Thank you!
Please RSVP. We hope to see you there!
Wednesday, Sep 5, 2018, 06:45 PM
602 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Grandparents' Day Pizza Party
Friday, Sep 7, 2018, 11:30 AM
602 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
September's Healthy Hearts & Minds Featured Book
About The Day the Crayons Quit:
The #1 New York Times bestselling phenomenon!
Poor Duncan just wants to color. But when he opens his box of crayons, he finds only letters, all saying the same thing: His crayons have had enough! They quit! Beige Crayon is tired of playing second fiddle to Brown Crayon. Black wants to be used for more than just outlining. Blue needs a break from coloring all those bodies of water. And Orange and Yellow are no longer speaking--each believes he is the true color of the sun.
What can Duncan possibly do to appease all of the crayons and get them back to doing what they do best?
Kids will be imagining their own humorous conversations with crayons and coloring a blue streak after sharing laughs with Drew Daywalt and New York Times bestseller Oliver Jeffers. This story is perfect as a back-to-school gift, for all budding artists, for fans of humorous books such as Don't Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus by Mo Willems and The True Story of the Three Little Pigs by Jon Sciezka and Lane Smith, and for fans of Oliver Jeffers' Stuck , The Incredible Book Eating Boy , Lost and Found , and This Moose Belongs to Me.
September Birthdays!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU! A Poem By Dr Seuss
"If we didn’t have
birthdays, you wouldn’t be
you. If you’d never been
born, well then what would
you do? If you’d never been
born, well then what would
you be? You might be a
fish! Or a toad in a tree! You
might be a doorknob! Or
three baked potatoes! You
might be a bag full of hard
green tomatoes."
"Or worse than all
that…Why, you might be a
WASN’T! A Wasn’t has no
fun at all. No, he doesn’t. A
Wasn’t just isn’t. He just
isn’t present. But you…You
ARE YOU! And, now isn’t
that pleasant!"
"Today you are you! That is
truer than true! There is no
one alive...
...who is you-er than
you! Shout loud, “I am lucky to
be what I am! Thank
goodness I’m not just a clam
or a ham Or a dusty old jar
of sour gooseberry jam! I am
what I am! That’s a great thing
to be! If I say so
myself, HAPPY BIRTHDAY
TO ME!”
Happy Birthday to all of our friends born in September!
- 9/5 Logan R. (Dragonfly Cottage)
- 9/6 Elle B. (Cricket Cottage)
- 9/7 Cecelia M. (Dragonfly Cottage)
- 9/11 Ava K. (Caterpillar Cottage)
- 9/20 Karina A. (Bumblebee Cottage)
- 9/20 Sophia P. (Bumblebee Cottage)
Openings Available in the Butterfly Cottage
Cricket Cottage News
R.I.E. Book Recommendation for Parents
We would like to recommend the following book to our families. It is titled, Your Self Confident Baby: How to Encourage Your Child's Natural Abilities, by Magda Gerber. This book is an amazing resource and will certainly improve your understandings and appreciation of the RIE philosophy. We have this book available in our room if you would like to check it out! This book is also available for purchase at www.rie.org, Amazon, and other retailers. The rie.org store offers many other books and resources for parents and infant educarers alike.
Welcome New Friends!
In August, we welcomed some new friends to the Cricket Cottage. Colleen, Ellis, Lila, Marlee, Savannah and Taylor we are so happy you are here! We are so excited to watch our all of our friends grow, learn and achieve their developmental milestones. Thank you so much for giving us this opportunity to take part in your child’s journey. Addison has moved up to the Ladybug Cottage. We will miss her in the Cricket Cottage but we know she will continue to explore and thrive in her new environment. We wish you all the best our sweet Addy Lu!
Sensory Exploration
This month we will be tapping into our sense of touch through tactile exploration. Our Crickets will experience a painting activity this month where they will use their body to paint. Through sensory exploration activities such as this, we are better abled to encourage the development of their fine and gross motor skills as well as developing eye/hand coordination and nurturing their creativity.
Family Photos
Please help us by bringing in family photos to place on our family board for our babies to see. Seeing your face makes your child feel connected to you while they are in school. It is truly precious to watch them as the go towards the board and kiss your face and point. Lets help brighten their day with some great pictures of their families on display!
Friendly Reminders
- Please remember to remove your shoes and wash your hands upon entering classroom.
- Please sign your child in and out, and fill out your child’s info on the Daily report.
- Please labels all bottles and supplies with your child’s first and last name, initials for the bottle tops. Frozen breast milk needs first and last name and the date when expressed.
- Please label your child’s food with the first and last name. For homemade food please date and label the contents.
- Please remove all bottles and food from the refrigerator and any breast milk left over from the freezer.
- Please check your Daily to see if you need to bring any items are needed such as diapers, wipes, change of clothes or food.
Finger Foods for Babies
By the time they're 9 months old, most babies have developed the fine motor skills — the small, precise movements — needed to pick up small pieces of food and feed themselves. You may notice that yours can take hold of food (and other small objects) between forefinger and thumb in a pincer grasp. The pincer grasp starts out a little clumsy, but with practice soon evolves into a masterful and efficient skill.
Allow your child to self-feed as much as possible, though you'll still be helping out by spoon-feeding cereal and other important dietary elements. Encouraging finger feeding helps your child develop independent, healthy eating habits.
Finger feeding — and using utensils a little later — gives babies a measure of control over what they eat and how much. Sometimes they'll eat the food, sometimes not, and that's all part of the process of learning self- regulation. Even little kids can tell when they're hungry or full, so let them learn to recognize and respond to these cues. Before presenting your child with a finger food, try a bite first and ask yourself:
- Does it melt in the mouth? Some dry cereals and crackers that are light and flaky will melt in the mouth.
- Is it cooked enough so that it mashes easily? Well- cooked veggies and fruits will mush easily, as will canned fruit and vegetables (choose ones without added sugar or salt).
- Is it naturally soft? Cottage cheese, shredded cheese, and small pieces of tofu are good examples.
- Can it be gummed? Pieces of ripe banana and well- cooked pasta can be gummed.
- Is it small enough? Food should be cut into small pieces. The sizes will vary depending on the food's texture. A piece of chicken, for instance, needs to be smaller than a piece of watermelon, which even a pair of baby gums will quickly smash.
To read the full article, please click on the following link https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/finger-foods.html?WT.ac=ctg#catfeeding
Sign of the Month
This month we will be focusing on signing "milk" and "eat". Please try to incorporate these signs at home with your child as well.
Quote of the Month
"What infants need is the opportunity and time to take in and figure out the world around them" by Magda Gerber
Ladybug Cottage News
Welcome to Our New Class & Returning Students!
We’ve been super excited this past month to watch some of our older Ladybugs transition into the Caterpillar Cottage and welcome in new students from the Cricket Cottage and from the big world outside! It’s been a pleasure observing our newest members explore all that the todfant cottage has to offer from our sensory exploration nook to our screened, shaded outdoor lanai. Also wonderful, we’ve seen our oldest todfants thrive as the new class leaders now that some of the oldest students moved up. As our new “big” kids show the younger kids the ropes, we have seen how proud they are of how much they’ve learned and how far they’ve come. Whether it is a gentle pat on the back between two students, a shared toy or a demonstration of how to sit on a chair at the lunch table, all our Ladybugs have so much to be proud of themselves for, and we, in turn, are so proud of them!
August Recap
In August, all Ladybugs had the chance to thoroughly explore the classroom. The Ladybugs have found and explored each station – including blocks, the book nook, brain-building toys, sensory, imitation, the lunch and arts and crafts area and our outdoor lanai! Most are familiar with their cribs - and some are either transitioning onto mats as this newsletter gets ready for publication or are just about ready to do so. Don’t worry, parents, Ms. Joanne and Ms. Jessica will keep you informed every step of the way! As a transitionary room, our lunch area is constantly in a state of flux as our youngest move from bottles to sippy cups and tiny finger foods to more complicated meals, again, of course, as set by you, our cherished parents and your todfants!
Hello’s & Goodbyes
As parents and educators, we know that saying goodbye to your precious babies in the morning can be difficult for both you and them! As such, we have decided to create a parent board to help your todfants when they miss you most – usually right before you leave and when they sense it’s almost pick up time. This is a recommendation highly praised by the creative curriculum which the Cottages chooses to follow. We are asking parents to bring in some pictures of you and your little ones together so that when you leave we can gently remind them that you will return and reference the pictures on the parent board which will reinforce the idea that they are safe and cared for while with us – and can look forward to returning to their loving homes at the end of each day! If you are super busy – and we know many of you are! – let Ms. Jessica know and she will take your picture with your little one during a pick-up time for you. We will have the parent board up in the first couple of weeks in September and hope you and your todfants will enjoy it! Please remember, often times the tears your todfant may shed saying goodbye are his or her expression of love for you, but will dry up once he or she get involved in the activities of the day.
Creative Expression
As we know, young children are their own best judges of what/how they would like to learn and this could not be truer of creative expression! In August, we did some experimenting with water-soluble, non-toxic marker sticks and paper shredding by hand. We planned on painting rainbows, but our students surprised us by making raindrops instead! We hope to have many such artistic adventures in the near future (think: edible finger paints in September, suggested by Ms. Michelle!) and will display your child’s artwork in the classroom for you to admire throughout the month. At the end of each month, we will send projects home with parents. Please remember that sometimes your todfant may get messy during an art project. We ask that you dress your child in comfortable clothing that you do not mind getting messy. You can also provide us with a mess-making slightly oversized shirt for your child to use as an art smock when needed!
Outside, Outside, Everybody Goes Outside – Safely!
Our Ladybugs love to go outside! Our screened lanai offers protection from the direct sun, but please know we are limiting our outdoor trips to 25 minutes or under and providing your child cool water to drink while the summer is still upon us. Our lanai is filled with fun climbing and gathering toys and will soon have some fun new additions in the upcoming month like hula hoops and lights! We have also done some exploring – also time limited – in our four-seater stroller to show your child around our property and let them spot and point out what interest them. Some fabulous spies have been squirrels, construction trucks (in the distance) and water fountains, big trees and statues. Each todfant finds a different sight fascinating! These observations and discoveries activate their young scientific senses and skills and engage them in the outside environment around them. As the weather cools off, we will continue our buggy rides and will also venture into Jenny’s house, the Cottage’s central, fenced romper area. Jenny’s house features lots of big, soft mats for your little ones to bounce, crawl, jump and play on and we look forward to seeing what they all make of their time in there. Please let us know if you would like us to use sunscreen or insect repellent once we start heading out more so we know your preferences.
What Does This Push Cart Do?
Between 9 months and 18 months children hit so many milestones it can make a parent’s head spin! They, however, find it all fun, which is exactly what we want for them! No matter whether they are on younger end of the todfant spectrum or the older, all are continuously refining their fine and gross motor skills. Some of the best tools in the classroom we offer them for this physical development are sturdy, wooden pushcarts. Our younger students have been learning how to hold on and walk with these, while some of our older todfants are learning they can actually back them up after they have hit a dead end like a shelf or wall! We are also making sure all the children are aware that the pushcarts cannot be pushed towards each other, only inanimate objects or open space. We will continue working with these throughout September and keep you apprised of what your todfant is doing with these interesting and fun toys.
Notes on Food
As mentioned, we have several different stages of todfant in the Ladybug cottage which is a transitioning room. Parents, you of course are the best judges of what your precious child should be eating and how he/she likes his/her food. Please feel free to let us know any changes to your little one’s food schedule coming up and/or preferences you may have on how we feed your baby. We are always happy to listen to you and help you make the changes you want to see your child make such as going from a bottle to a sippy cup or saving your child’s leftovers for you whenever possible. Whatever it is, we are here to support you and your Ladybug!
September's Focus
During the month of September, our Ladybugs will be focusing on themselves and their small classroom group. We’ll carefully be observing what catches your child’s fancy and what makes him or her unique in the world with their (and your) help! Some of the ways we will underscore the individuality of your todfant is by keeping tabs on what books, topics, colors and toys he/she prefers. We’ll also be asking parents for some words that describe your Ladybug during your drop off/pick up sessions while sharing the words that we think of with you! Additionally, we plan on playing with safety mirrors, as well, as 9 to 18-month-olds are captivated by their own reflections. Using these mirrors, todfants can spot features that help him or her find out and put a name to the variety of neat traits they possess. Todfants can then compare and contrast their interests and features with one another and develop pride in their individuality. (For example, “Tommy has green eyes and likes cows; Sarah has black hair and likes boats!”) Eventually, all students will have their own panels all about them in the classroom to show off!
We will also be introducing the basics of socialization via some simple classroom guidelines. Guidelines will be gently introduced and discussed with the students and positively reinforced throughout the month and following year. Some basic concepts the todfants will be thinking about will be gentle touches, safe exploration of toys and personal space. Students in this age group understand so much more than they can articulate, but we will be sure to include all Ladybugs in helping set the social tone for the classroom via intuitive listening and observing and valuing the behaviors that your children appreciate from each other the most. The Ladybug Cottage will be a positive and healthy “jumping off” point for todfants to get the most out of their time together.
Quote of the Month
“Focus on the quality and ease of movement, not on the age a milestone is accomplished”- Magda Gerber
Caterpillar Cottage News
August Recap
In August the children explored their new classroom and playground. We spent a lot of time making modifications to our room to better suit the needs of the children and have been happily getting reacquainted with each other. We have been and will continue working on social and emotional skills and how we can handle situations when we are feeling upset.
This month, the children were busy as we worked with play dough, painted their faces while looking through the mirror, learned names of body parts, and had some really fun experiences to let their creativity shine as they were exposed to several different art mediums. They had a great time finger painting, coloring with crayons and oil pastels, using stamps and stamp pads, and they colored with chalk while making marks with the chalk on black paper both dry and wet after dipping the chalk into water which create more vibrant markings.
September Study
We are continuing the All About Me topic for the month of September. The exploration and knowledge about our bodies is endless. We will learn and focus on our physical body, our emotions, our senses, and much more. We have a lot of exciting sensory and art activities planned for this month as well. Some of the activities that we have planned are working on our self portraits, washing baby dolls, body painting outdoors, creating fingerprint marks with stamp pads and observing our unique fingerprints with magnifying glasses, painting our black and white headshots with watercolors.
Exploration Stage
As children explore and play with materials in their environments they are actually shaping their brain. The brain changes physiologically as a result of experience. New connections are formed everyday through active interaction with the environment. Hands on activities stimulate various regions of the brain and active participation helps young children form stronger mental association with their existing understanding. Additionally, curiosity inevitably leads to further exploration and thereby encouraging creativity. One of the best ways we can help children learn and develop is by asking them open-ended questions (who, what, where, when, why, etc.) that will prompt them to think.
Clay Play
This month we will be exploring clay. What is clay? It’s different from play dough. Clay comes from the earth. It’s cold, messy, and has an earthy aroma that activates all the senses. The children will first manipulate the clay by adding water to soften it and compare it to clay that has not had water added. We will also be providing items gathered from nature for the children to add to the clay.
Clay Exploration questions:
What do you notice about the clay?
How does it feel?
How can you get it off the big block?
I wonder how we can stick the pieces together?
What happens when you add water?
Tell me about how it smells…feels…sounds…even tastes!
Benefits:
• Gives children the sensory experiences they so desperately need
• Develops their fine motor skills (finger and hand play, rolling, pounding, cutting, addition of loose parts, and piling)
• Opportunities for Storytelling
• Builds child’s ability to focus
• Ignites the children’s curious and creative nature
• Allows for a natural progression in their developmental stages with materials.
And so much more!
Inspirational quote
“You are kind. You are smart. You are important. “
Friendly Reminders
- Please label all personal items with your child's first and last name on sippy cups, lunch boxes, AM and PM snacks, diapers, wipes, and bedding.
- Make sure you check your child's folder daily
- Please place all non-perishable AM snacks in our snack basket with your child’s name
- Please send in multiple family photos for the upcoming month. Don't forget to include your pets!
Butterfly Cottage News
Back to School
The Butterflies have had an amazing official "back to school" month! We couldn't have experienced a better start to the new school year! We had a great time getting to know each other and exploring the Butterfly Cottage. We enjoyed exploring different art materials such as markers, crayons, dotters, paint, fingerpaint, and stamps. We even had an opportunity to check out our fingerprints and comparing the different prints with our friends by using our stamp pads.
Families
Now that we have gotten to know our students we'd like to know more about our families. The Butterflies love talking about their moms, dads, siblings, grandparents, and caregivers. It makes them very happy- even if it's just bringing up what foods our families eat at home. We'd like to be able to bring our families into our daily experiences at school. Please bring in some family photos so we can talk about our families and hang the photos in the classroom. You are more than welcome to email the photos if you'd like to Ms. Liz at liz@thecottagespreschool.com if that's easier for you.
September
We are going to be super busy this month! We will to continue to work with loose parts, begin working on letter recognitzation, and explore nature while bringing some outside items indoors to explore. A lot of loose parts are nature based so we are eager to investigate the various nature items we will work on gathering while outdoors. We will talk about taking care of other living things in nature such as watering the plants and discuss treating plants and insects with respect.
Potty Training
We will work with your child at school if they are beginning to show signs of being ready to use the potty. Some signs of readiness include your child verbalizing their diaper is soiled, being able to pull their pants up and down by themselves, staying dry throughout the night, and showing an interest in wanting to sit on the potty. We ask that you please speak to one of us prior to beginning the potty training process so we can discuss the routine we use at school so it can be incorporated at home as well. We would also like to discuss the amount of extra clothing (and shoes) that will need to be kept at school as well during this time.
Light Table
Our Butterflies have been very interested in the light table. We have been using it to trace leaves, flowers, and anything else we can find on the playground or nature walks. We continue to expand upon the love of using the light table by slowly transitioning into tracing letters.
Open House
We are looking forward to seeing you at Open House on September 5th and are eager to share what we will be working on this year with your child. We are also looking forward to getting to know our parents a little better as well. Can't wait to see you there!
Bumblebee Cottage News
August Recap
Hello, Bumblebee Families! We hope that everyone had a wonderful summer and are excited to embark upon the 2018-2019 school year. In August, we began with a closer look at ourselves with an "All About Me" series of inquiries. Everyone was invited to recreate their faces while looking at their reflections in mirrors. Loves and dislikes were explored as we encourage each child to pursue their interests, all while inviting them into new explorations of their world around them. The Bees discussed similarities as well as differences between our classmates, in addition to people all across the globe. As we venture further into the school year, a special focus will be given to studying a range of countries, their people, music, and customs, in addition to our own communities. This will serve as one of the many vehicles to promote the development of mathematical and scientific inquiry and critical thinking skills. This is all while cultivating an appreciation of the world of the arts and aesthetics, helping to encourage each child to look more closely at themselves as well as the world around them.
September Inquiries
Letter of the Week
We are about to embark on a journey through the alphabet with a “Letter of the Week”. As children best learn within a context of what is personally meaningful, our primary focus is on locating and identifying each letter of the alphabet in each child’s name. With this, we are helping familiarize the letters in both their capital and lowercase forms. This is supported by invitations to trace their names, as well as connecting the letter to their sound not only in the Bees’ names but in an everyday context of things in their environment. In September, we will feature the letters A, B, C, and D.
September Seasonal Fruits & Veggies
Taking a cue from our letter of the week, we wish to integrate this into a closer look at what fruit and vegetables are being featured within our local grocery stores. Doing so brings a focus to healthier eating habits; important for nourishing growing bodies and keeping us healthy and strong! We will integrate the five senses as each child is invited to explore the produce being featured using taste, touch, smell, sight, and hearing. Proper food handling and sanitary practices will be taught and practiced. We invite parents to donate any fruit and vegetables beginning with our September letters of the week (A - D). A site where you may find a list of Florida Seasonal Fruits & Vegetables can be found at https://www.thespruceeats.com/florida-seasonal-fruits-and-vegetables-2217174 and a list of specific produce will be featured at the end of the Bumblebee section of this newsletter. Please feel free to "pick" what you would like to donate, as we are only asking for a few of these items from week to week.
Diverse Families
Social Studies takes us anywhere from a study of our own communities to all the way across the globe! We would like to have a special focus upon the ancestry of the different families within our very own classroom. Parents, we encourage you to share anything from recipes, items, and photos of family members. The goal is to raise awareness not only of different cultures but to look more closely at the countries of origin as they relate personally to our Bumblebees. Our first stop will depend on you! Teachers Ms. Cat & Ms. Stephanie will be accepting recipes and items which we will return to each family as that unit is completed. To get the ball rolling, Ms. Cat will begin by sharing about Spain, their food, people, and cultures as a whole. We look forward to getting to know all about one another!
Classroom Jobs & Community
Fostering a sense of belonging would not be complete without giving each child the opportunity to regularly contribute towards care for their classroom. In September we will begin to implement a Classroom Jobs list where names are randomly selected and each child is designated that duty for the week. Through this practice, we not only wish to instill a sense of belonging but to promote healthy self-esteem and teamwork as they find that their contributions to the larger community do indeed matter.
Culinary Arts
Tying in our focus on Diverse Families to the fine arts, we are excited to introduce our Bees to various artists from each featured country we will begin exploring. With Spain being our first stop, we will invite the children to participate in a culinary arts experience making a simple, but delicious Authentic Tortilla de Patatas, also known as a Spanish Omelette. A list of items for this recipe will be listed below in our donations request section of the Bumblebee portion of our newsletter. Please make sure to sign whether you do (or do not) give permission for your child to eat this classroom made dish. A Parental Permission Sign off sheet will be posted next to the attendance sheet on the parent board.
Fine & Performing Arts
Relating to the fine arts and with Spain being our first country of focus, the artistry of Pablo Picasso will be considered. As a co-creator of Cubism, Picasso's techniques will be explored with a variety of invitations to create art. Music & dance from this country will likewise be studied and the children invited to sing and dance along. We are looking forward to an exciting school year!
September Donations Requests
For Authentic Tortilla de Patatas recipe:
2 pounds of potatoes
8 large eggs
1 onion
Extra Virgin Olive Oil
For Florida Seasonal Produce (A - D):
Avocados, June through January
Bananas, August through October
Basil, March through November
Blueberries, April through June
Broccoli, October through May
Broccoli raab, October through May
Brussels sprouts, November through March
Cabbage, November through June
Cantaloupes, March through July
Carrots, November through June
Cauliflower, November through May
Celeriac/celery root, November through June
Celery, November through June
Cilantro, November through May
Chard, November through May
Chiles, August through June
Coconuts, harvested year-round
Collard greens, November through May
Corn, August through June
Cucumbers, October through June
Eggplant, September through June
Dragon Fruits, June through November
Dragonfly Cottage News
August Recap
We had a great first few weeks in the Dragonfly Cottage! We all have transitioned well and have loved meeting some new friends! We explored our new classroom and playground with ease. The Dragonflies have shown a great love for learning and are excited for our year together!
Celebrate, Creativity, Courage, and Collaboration
We will be very busy during the month of September. International Dot Day is celebrated annually on September 15th and we will incorporate the celebration into our Dragonfly Cottage the week leading up to the 15th. Everyone is encouraged to harness their creativity as they make their mark in the world. Based on the book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds, we will be doing a lot of hands on art to uncover the Dragonflies hidden power of their inner artist and tap into their creativity.
We Get Messy!
Please keep in mind that we like to get messy! We ask that you dress your child in play clothes while here at school. We sure do love painting, gardening, playing in the sandbox, and of course the mud kitchen!
September Concepts
September will be a month of color, sorting, set making, and creative adventures. We will be reading various books such as The Dot, Sky Color, and Ish, by Peter H. Reynolds. We will be sorting by different attributes and creativity sets/groups and learning math concepts such as more, less, and equal.
Diary of Dragon's Adventures
We will be adding a new class pet to our classroom! Well, not a real class pet, but one which will help us to use our imagination, encourage writing, reading, drawing, and storytelling! Starting in September, every Friday a different child will be picked to take home our class dragon. With the dragon stuffy will be a diary for the students to draw, write, or add pictures of the adventures they had with the dragon over the weekend. On Monday during circle time they will share with their classmates all about the adventures they had over the weekend. Parents are encourage to help your child with the diary. Parents can assist in writing the adventures of the dragon in the diary and assist with taking pictures that can be included. Feel free to send the pictures to Michelle at michelle@thecottagespreschool.com and we will print the pictures for you. There will also be books and a special bag that the dragon will come home with. The dragon should be arriving next week and we will be naming the dragon as a class. We are super excited to hear about all of the adventures the dragon will go on with your children!
Child Sign-In
Please help your child sign in each morning at drop off in the Handwriting Center. You can help them find their name "Tree Cookie" then allow them to sign in each morning. It can be a whole name, first letter, or just a mark in effort. We are encouraging all writing skills and signing their names is the best way to incorporate it in a positive manner.
VPK Parent Sign In/Out
Please make sure to sign your child in and out upon arrival and departure. The sign in/out sheet can be found on the clipboard on the wall next to the parent board in the kitchen. The state requires a full parent signature (not just initials) for arrival and departures. Thank you!
Hearing Screening for VPK Students
On Wednesday, September 25th, the Dragonfly Cottage will be having their hearing tested. This is a free hearing screening provided by the generosity of the Flanzer Foundation Hearing Outreach grant with the Ear Research Foundation at Silverstein Institute. This screening is only intended to identify a hearing loss. The testing is not diagnostic, and the results will ONLY show a pass or fail of cochlear functioning. Your child’s results will remain in the care of the school. Permission forms will be given to you by your child's teacher a week before the screening.