Early Learners Highlights
November 19, 2021
Dear Early Learners Families,
There are moments in this role when my heart just absolutely swells with pride - pride in our staff, pride in our students, pride in the amazing difference this program makes in the lives of District 109 families. Last night was one of those moments, and I couldn't be more proud the staff and students that presented to our Board of Education last night. A huge thank you to our staff that worked so hard to create a presentation that showcased the specials opportunities for our pre-k students, our students for practicing what they wanted to say and being so brave when presenting in front of so many adults, and especially our families. Whether you were sitting in the audience with your child last night, or cheering us on from home, our program is amazing because of you and your support!
We are looking forward to seeing all of you for virtual conferences next week! With only one day of school next week, we will not be sending home an update. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving with family and friends!
Have a wonderful weekend,
Janet
What's Happening in Early Learners?
Grady's Group
Hi Early Learners Families,
The classes have talked a lot about Thanksgiving this week and what it means to be thankful for others and our things. In Grady's Group, we talked about how being kind towards others feels good and makes others feel good as well. Being kind also means sharing what we have with others. We acted out the book The Doorbell Rang by Pat Hutchins.
It was fun to watch the lightbulb go on over the children's heads when they realized they could split a cookie into different pieces so that everyone had the same amount. We talked about how sharing (even when it gives us less of something we want) is a cotton ball soft thing to do; taking something without sharing is scratchy.
Home Fun: Practice the sharing of things among siblings and/or parents. Get the number of plates you need and use food (that can be split into pieces). Practice sharing the food onto plates fairly. Once your child can do that, lessen the amount of food you have and add more plates (it requires some critical thinking skills to share that food!).
Have a wonderful Thanksgiving! I'm thankful for all of your amazing children!
Jen
Speech with Ms. Nathanson
Hi everyone!
This week in speech group we played Thanksgiving bingo. Each box on the bingo card was a different picture related to Thanksgiving. While playing the game, we practiced describing each picture. We talked about groups/categories, what the different objects look like (i.e., color, size, shape), what they do/what we do with them, and where we see/find them. Talking about these attributes can help expand vocabulary and descriptions.
Have a great weekend and Thanksgiving!
Upcoming Dates
November 22-23 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
November 23-26 - No School
December 18 - Winter Break Begins
January 3 - School Resumes
**Reminder - Early Childhood does not have Early Release on Wednesdays!
Keep in touch!
Janet Gruenwald
Assistant Principal
South Park Elementary School
Program Director District 109 Early Learners
Email: jgruenwald@dps109.org
Website: http://earlylearners.dps109.org/
Phone: 847-945-5895
Facebook: http://facebook.com/109EarlyLearners
Twitter: @EarlyLearn109