January 2012
I hope everyone had a great Christmas. I would like to thank you for your generous gifts for both myself and the school. I also appreciated the wonderful array of treats that you provided for our Christmas parties. I was also so pleased that we had 100% attendance from the children at the Christmas program. They were wonderful!
School Cancellations due to Snow
Preschool cancellations due to inclement weather will be announced on radio stations WSRS 96.1 FM and WTAG 580 AM. You may also check for Mad Brook cancellations on the home page of our website at www.madbrookacademy.com. PLEASE NOTE: Mad Brook daycare will remain open even when preschool is closed due to inclement weather; however, the radio announcer will not indicate this.
Also, remember that the school website contains the current newsletter, as well as, important dates which are listed on the calendar page of the website.
January Birthdays
Reid Thompson 1/17
Hailey Kenadek 1/18
School Closings for January
January 16 - Preschool will be closed in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Daycare will remain open.
Classroom Reminders
Please remember to send shoes or slippers for use in the classroom. Also send snow pants or suits, boots, hats and mittens for outdoor play every day. Even a small amount of snow means sliding fun, but the children must be dressed appropriately for outdoor play. Also, even without the snow, snow pants will keep the children warmer. Please try to package all of this in the new Mad Brook bags that everyone will receive this week. A set of dry clothing and an extra pair of mittens is also recommended for our full day children.
Preschool News from Mrs. Nancy
Isn’t it great to be back to school! The Christmas programs, parties and the holiday are always an exciting time. The children returned to school with many stories to share about Santa’s arrival and family activities. The Christmas break was wonderful for us all, however, I was eager to return and see all of “my friends”.
The past few days at circle we have discussed that we have entered a new year, a new month began, and we are experiencing a new season. We also have several new friends in the classroom! Welcome! As always, our “old” friends are welcoming and helpful.
December was a busy month of crafts, decorations, singing and glitter! The first week we return to the classroom we will be introducing a letter a week. This will be a bit faster pace than at the beginning of the year. Each week a new letter will be introduced, while reviewing all previous letters which have been introduced. The first letter will be J, j.
The focus color for January is white, the shape is oval and the concepts of hot and cold will be experienced and discussed. Six is the focus number. The children will make sets by adding and subtracting numbers. They are all working very hard to write the numbers.
I have started reading “Franklin” books. These stories parallel the children’s lives in many ways: making new friends, challenges with friends, issues at school and family life. After I read a book, I start a discussion with the question, “What do we know about Franklin?” One comment was made that Franklin “doesn’t like to wait”. This sparked a discussion about situations when the children are impatient and don’t like to wait. In another book Franklin’s friends were counted. We then counted the number of friends we had on the blue rug and compared these numbers. There was one more friend on the blue rug! After Franklin books, I will read “Arthur” books. Towards the end of the month the classic Fairy Tales will be visited. As in past years, acting out the Fairy Tales is always a favorite activity.
Thank you all who were able to attend the Christmas program. The children did a great job!
Happy New Year!