GRACE NEWS
GRACE EARLY CHILDHOOD CARE AND EDUCATION CENTER
Greetings Grace Families,
With only a few short weeks into the school year, Grace has already been a very busy place. We had a great time celebrating Grandparent's Day. It was a wonderful to see so many Grandparents who were able to to visit and share special moments with their grandchildren. We also hosted a highly attended Parent Workshop by Jill Molli, who is a national speaker on Conscious Discipline. It was great to see so many families there!
Another exciting highlight is, on September 27, 2014, at the MSBA Conference, Grace Early Childhood Care and Education Center was named Early Childhood Education Program of the Year by the FutureBuilders Foundation. We are ecstatic to be recognized for this prestigious recognition as Program of the Year in the state of Missouri and believe it is a true testament to our passion for early learning.
PARENT ADVISORY UPDATE
PARENT ADVISORY
It was also suggested we offer a variety of meeting times so that we are able to accommodate all of our Grace families. We have adjusted the original times. The new times for the remaining meetings are as follows:
- February- 7:30am-8:30m
- April- 5:00 pm-6:00 pm
We encourage all parents and community members to join us at our next meeting. It is not too late to join us! Your feedback and insight is valued and encouraged. Our meetings are very informal and are simply an avenue to collaborate with you as we work to incorporate your great ideas!
February Agenda Items:
- Messy Night
- Fundraising
- Service Learning Opportunities
- Community Partnerships
Please RSVP @ 348-1514
Child Care Provided
GRACE EARLY CHILDHOOD FALL FESTIVAL October 16th from 5:00pm-7:00pm
Please help us support our local food pantry, Heart N Hand, by bringing NON-Perishable food items to the Fall Fest.
Call 816-348-1029 to make reservations!
COME SEE THE SHOW!
Don't Forget!
Trick or Treating
CALLING ALL VOLUNTEERS
WE LOVE OUR VOLUNTEERS
ALL volunteers must submit a volunteer application before being able to assist with field trips, parties, fun day, etc. The application must be filled out in advance to the day you plan to volunteer.
The on-line application can be found at:
https://bsd124.keepntrack.com/apply
Another option is you can fill out a paper application at Central Office. If you do not fill out an application, you will not be able to help with these events, so please do this as soon as you can. If you have any questions about this new procedure, please feel free to contact us.
Early Childhood Special Education
Our students have been working on developing strong peer relationships during the first few weeks of school. We have used a variety of activities to encourage friendships, however, music is one of the easiest and most enjoyable of those methods. We spend a lot of time singing songs in our classrooms.
For example, the students in room 9 have been introduced to the hat song. Each person took turns wearing and giving away the cow hat while singing and clapping along. We worked to develop social skills as we sang together by making and holding eye contact, naming our friends, and taking turns.
Active participation in music also develops other skills for preschool students. Children can learn vocabulary, practice counting, develop the ability to focus and control their bodies, and can have higher self-esteem as a result of joining in song and dance.
Title Classrooms 5,6, & 7
In Room 5 we have spent our first month of school getting to know each other, sharing about our families, and exploring our new classroom and the different learning spaces at Grace. We have practiced using our five senses, worked on learning to identify our names and we practice counting every day.
In Room 6 we recently had some special visitors from Chile. They are teacher candidates attending UMKC on a 4-month scholarship. As part of their studies, they are visiting schools in the area and getting plenty of ideas to use in their classrooms. When they return to Chile they will be teaching English. They observed our morning class and really enjoyed their time with us! We are currently learning about colors so we read Pete the Cat and in small groups we did oil and water color mixing, sculpted with colored cloud dough, and made a Pete the Cat class book. The children loved having new friends to play with that day!
*Cloud dough recipe:
-1 part Hair Conditioner
-2 parts Corn Starch
Mix together and add food coloring for color.
In Room 7 we have been learning about colors through a variety of books and activities. Last week, we read the book Mouse Paint. In this story , three mice discover the joy of mixing primary paint to create new colors. After reading the story, the children used small plastic mice to mix paint in our classroom.
Community Program
Child Care Center
MPP Rooms 2, 3, & 4
In room 3, we have been focusing on becoming a kind and caring school family. We have talked openly about what makes us feel good, what makes us feel sad, what makes us feel angry, etc. When talking about sad and angry we discussed strategies that make us feel better. One day, the students noticed that Ms. Kim was putting away cots and thought she needed help. The kids worked together to carry each cot to put it away! What a great way to be helpful! We will soon introduce the Kindness Tree to our classroom, so we can encourage kindness even more in our classroom! We are looking forward to getting to know each other even better and working together to become a caring community!
In room 4, we have been discovering the world and things around us with microscopes, telescopes, and binoculars. The discoveries that we have made are remarkable. One day when we were out exploring on the playground, we noticed some trash on the playground. The kids talked about how it's not good to have trash on the playground and we needed to do something to keep it clean. The students decided to make signs to hang on the fence telling people not to litter trash on the playground. What an incredible experience for everyone involved! We are excited to see what else this year holds for us!
Room 2 traces outline of bodies with chalk
Room 3 Students help with cots
Room 3 makes signs for the playground
IMPORTANT DATES
October 9 - Student Picture Day
October 16 - Fall Fest 5:00 - 7:00 pm
October 29 & 30 - Parent Conferences
October 30 - No School / CCC & PAC Care Open
October 31 - No School / PAC Care Open
November 20 - Grace Block Fest 4:30 - 6:30 pm
Grace Early Childhood Center
Email: jmbrown@bsd124.org
Website: www.beltonschools.org
Location: 614 Mill St, Belton, MO, United States
Phone: 816-348-1514