PRESCHOOL NEWSLETTER

APRIL/MAY 2016
CALENDAR OF EVENTS

April
8 Friday Library visits with Miss Cherie
11 Monday Parent Board meeting, LSH, 9:15
14/15 Thurs./Fri. Eye Screening done by LCF Juniors for Pre-K & MWF
18 Monday Dragon Faire meeting, LSH, 9:15
22 Friday Last Music for Pre-K and MWF
26 Tuesday Last Music for T/Th
27/28 Wed./T/Th Last Days to check out Books from the Cart
29 Friday DRAGON FAIRE SET UP
30 SATURDAY DRAGON FAIRE F

May
2 LAST MONTHS TUITION FOR MAY 2017 IS DUE
4 Monday Last Sports Blitz
PARENT OBSERVATION OF SPORTS BLITZ with COACH ANDY
5 Tuesday Teacher Appreciation Luncheon hosted by Parent Board on behalf of
ALL parents, 12:30 p.m.NO LUNCH BUNCH
9 Monday OLD & NEW Parent Board Meeting, 9:15, LSH
11/12 Wed./Thurs. Last Parent Coffees on the Patio
13 Friday BIG TIME WATER DAY!
19/20 Thurs./Fri. LAST CHAPEL & PIZZA PARTY-PARENTS ATTEND
PARENTS IN CHAPEL AT 11:15
30 Monday Memorial Day Parade, NO SCHOOL

Summer School:

Week #1: May 31st June 3rd

Week #2: June 6th 10th

Just when you thought you were

done.
JUNE 1st ENROLLMENT FORMS DUE
NOW
Please help us get your childs file
ready before our SUMMER break and
before school starts. This is a very
time consuming project so we
appreciate your help!!
PRE-PAID LAST MONTHS 2015 TUITION DUE
DUE MAY 1st

Pre-Kindergarten Program $500.00

MWF Programs $375.00
T-TH Program: Three-Year-Olds $275.00
T-TH Program: Two-Year-Olds $285.00
 Last Days.
With May being our last month of school there are many last days ahead of us; Music
Class, Sports Blitz, Library Visits and Lunch Bunch. We end our Lasts with Chapel and
a Pizza Party in the classrooms on May 21st and 22nd.

Please make arrangements for one parent or adult to be in attendance for your child.
These are our last two days of school and want to make them fun and festive for our
Preschool Family!

The really BIG last is on Monday, May 25th. Even though school ended on May 22nd the
Preschool will still be marching in the Memorial Day Parade!! There will be much more
information to come your way soon.

Spring Has Sprung!

Flowers are blooming, chicks are hatching and Preschool children are
changing!!

Our Tuesday-Thursday Two-Year-Old children have blossomed. They

settled in rather quickly and have enjoyed exploring the classroom
with all the wonderful activities set up for them. They have grown so
much that now when they paint at the easel they can paint almost to
the very top! Group time has become more exciting as their listening
skills have increased. Socially there is more give and take and less
just taking, and outside time has been used to practice pedaling,
swinging and digging in the sand.

Our Tuesday-Thursday children are becoming very independent and

confident. They have really started to enjoy socializing with their
peers. Much of the morning involves dramatic play from playing
house, grocery store, being animals, super-heroes, train engineers and
more. Along with the more advanced socialization skills verbal skills
have been growing and developing as well. Sharing of objects has
become easier while sharing and deciding on play scenarios can be
more challenging. The more opportunities to practice these skills the
easier the skills become. This is a good time to not only play with
school friends in the classroom but to have one on one play dates
away from school.

The MWF and Pre-K children are bursting out all over! Their bodies are
 changing, their interests are changing and the ways in which they
relate are changing. They become interested in their bodies and each
others bodies. They start to ask questions about life and death and
also dream about it. One minute they are on top of the world and the
next melting in tears. Older four and five year olds want to have full
control yet become easily frustrated when they have it. More choice
but with limits is a good call during this time. Boys show their
friendship for one another by slaps on the back and body bumps, girls
show their friendship with hugs and giggles. When you put the boys
and the girls together chase games occur. The girls tease the boys
and run and the boys follow up by chasing. THEN, the girls complain
about the boys chasing them! A whole other world of socialization has
begun. If you havent figured it out this age is a preview of
adolescence!! Remember to listen, give them more choice but remain
the boss.

Library News
Joyce Davison, Volunteer Librarian
Before writing this article I added up the number of books you and the children
have read so far this year. The total is 1600 which is more than any other year.
Congratulations. Enjoying books is a great way for the preschoolers to start their
education because it will be a lifelong skill that no one can take away from them.
However, Miss Cheri tells me that not all of the children are handing in their
Reading Logs. These let me know what books they are enjoying. It also give
them a chance to come into her office for a treasure from the Treasure Box.
Please take part in the reading program on behalf of your child.

It is always my pleasure to see the children at the book cart taking their time to
pick out just the right book to take home for you to read to them. It is also my
pleasure to have the 4 and 5 year old classes come into the library for their
Library Day visits. During this time they learn what an author and an illustrated
do to make a story come to life and that they are authors and illustrators
because of the pictures they draw and the stories they tell to go along with the
picture. They also learn the right way to treat a book by having
clean hands while looking at a book, by placing it in a special
place to remind them to return it to the library box, by not
coloring in the book and by turning the pages from the right
side of the right hand page so the pages dont tear. By learning these steps at
an early age they will keep all of the books they use in good condition.

This is the last article for this year. Have a great summer and remember KEEP
READING TO YOUR CHILDREN.

THE PARENT BOARD

Helena Danni, President

I cannot believe this is the last newsletter I will be writing as President of St.
Georges parent board. I am already starting to feel emotional that after 5 years
and 2 kids at this wonderful school, we are nearing our last days here. Two years
ago when I was asked to lead the board I felt nervous and wasnt sure it was
something I was ready to take on. I have been so pleasantly surprised. I cannot
thank the members of the parent board enough for all of their hard work and for
the time and energy they put into their tasks. I appreciate it so much! St.
Georges is such a special place and one that will always hold a place in my
heart. To all of those families leaving St. Georges after this year I wish you all
the best in your next adventure. To those of you returning I urge you to get
involved and cherish every second because your little ones will be heading to
kindergarten before you know it. There is so much to look forward to if you are
coming back next year.
BE A PART OF THE 2016-17 PARENT BOARD
Flyers with information on all the positions available will be in your cubbies soon.
The Parent Board is a great way to support the Preschool, make new friends and
stay informed on what is happening at the school each month. Parent Board
meets once a month from September through May. Childcare is provided. Its
always a great group and a ton of fun!

DRAGON FAIRE...
Thank you so much to all of you for signing up for your 2 hour shift, for selling
raffle tickets and for signing up to bring Dragon Snacks. Our co-chairs, Rebecca
Murchie, Rachel Mashhoud and Danielle Kronfli have been hard at work with all
the preparations for DF and Im sure it will be a great time for all. Make sure to
bring your family and friends to this wonderful event on April 30. You dont want
to miss the fun!!!

MEMORIAL DAY PARADE

Dont forget to mark your calendar for the Memorial Day Parade on Monday, May
30th. Come be a part of the action and march with your fellow classmates down
Foothill Boulevard! If youve never been to the La Caada Memorial Day parade,
it is small town at its best! Sign-ups, red t-shirts and other details will be in your
cubbies soon.

PARENT SOCIAL/ART AUCTION

The art auction took place on Friday, February 26 and it could not have gone
better. I want to first thank the committee who planned it, Natalie Cerpa, Tran Ly
and Patricia OBrien. You ladies did a great job. The art pieces were amazing.
Thanks to Kasey Jones, Jennifer Selva and Julie Womack for being the art co-
coordinators. I cannot thank the parents who worked with the kids to create the
incredible works of art enough. The night would not have been possible without
your help. Lastly, I want to thank Kevin Danni and John Womack for being the
best auctioneer duo we could have hoped for. We raised almost $25,000 for St.
Georges. It was a spectacular evening!!!

Thank you for entrusting me with the role of President. I wish you all a great
summer and all the best in the next school year!

CLASSROOM NEWS
Green Door
MWF
It is unbelievable that I am already writing the last newsletter of the school year.
It has all gone by so quickly. I suppose that happens when you are busy and
having fun. We have just seven weeks of school left and lots of learning to
come.

First, here is an overview of our last unit, Senses, as well as the highlights of our
St. Patricks Day and Easter themed activities. Studying the senses is a
purposeful and meaningful unit for the children because it allows them to
connect to their environment and gather information in different ways. We began
our study with sight. The children delighted in making binoculars and glasses
and looking through them to spy different things. We talked about what we can
see with our eyes. We also closed our eyes and discussed what we would be
unable to see and perceive without sight. The children thought quite deeply
about this. They realized you could not see colors and that it may be hard to tell
if it was day or night outside. They also said that it would be hard not to bump
into things when you walked. The second sense we explored was hearing. At
circle time, the children used their ears to guess what could be hidden in plastic
eggs. Again, they were very thoughtful. They knew that if the egg barely made a
sound then what was inside was light and airy like cotton balls or feathers. It was
easier for them to hear a jingle bell or a bouncy ball. They also played different
kinds of instruments and other fun noise makers. They created their own
rain stick as well. At the end of the day, we clapped out beats to songs that we
knew. We were happy that we could use our ears to hear. Next, we explored our
sense of smell. The children loved smelling some different scents and guessing
what they were. It was fun to see which smells the kids liked and which they did
not. Coffee and bubble gum got the biggest responses! We also painted with real
flowers and made lemon scented play dough. The kids used cinnamon sticks to
trace their names on sandpaper which created a spicy smell. Touch was the next
sense on our list. The kids used their hands to feel objects hidden in socks and
guessed what they were. They also had texture puzzles and fabric matching
games they had to feel their way through. At circle time, we came up with
different texture words to describe what we felt such as bumpy, smooth,
hard, etc. As our project, the children traced one of their hands and glued a
texture piece to each finger and labeled it. The last sense was, of course the
childrens favorite, taste! They got to sample different foods and categorize
them according to taste. For example, pickles were salty and buttered popcorn
was savory. They also made lemonade from scratch and sprinkled sugar cookies.
They loved squeezing lemons especially with the big hand juicer they could put
all their body weight into using.

The Green Door is so lucky to have Miss So as an extra teacher on Fridays. This
month she took small groups of kids into Lower Softly Hall to build with the big
foam gorilla blocks. The groups had so much fun working together to build
castles and forts that they could climb inside of. It was great to see the
planning, cooperation and decision making that went into the process. They
were very proud of their structures. They also enjoyed knocking them down and
restocking the blocks for the next group. Who knew clean up could be such
fun?

To celebrate Easter, we decorated paper eggs with colored rice. The children
showed a lot of precision and control when they added small dabs of glue and
sprinkled various colors to create patterns on their egg shapes. They also loved
dying real hard-boiled eggs. It took coordination and patience to move the egg
from color to color with a spoon and to wait until the color was as dark as they
wanted it to be. We also did a cool science experience and made a rubber egg.
We put a raw egg in a jar of vinegar and watched it for a week. When we took
the egg out it was like a water balloon and we could see the yolk inside. The
shell had completely dissolved!
As we neared St. Patricks Day, a leprechaun visited our classroom a day early
and turned our milk, bagels and cream cheese green! We had fun singing songs
and dancing a jig. We also made our own dancing leprechauns with brads.

The children worked hard on their stories for library. Some of them had so many
ideas. Others wanted to tell a scary story. Some of the stories were true and
others were imagined. It was fun to see their creativity. We did not edit their
words because we want them to develop their own sense of style and individual
voice. They are very excited to see these tales compiled in a class book.

The next couple of weeks we are doing Nursery Rhymes and Fairytales. The
children love saying and acting out the different rhymes. So far, they have
made a spider puppet and put poor Humpty Dumpty back together after his fall.
They will also create a scene from The Three Little Pigs, act out The Three
Billy Goats Gruff and make real gingerbread men after reading The
Gingerbread Man. They never tire of these classic tales.

We will end our year with a focus on family and self! The children have grown
and matured so much since the beginning of the year. I cannot believe they are
almost ready to move on. Many of them are pumping on the swing and going
across the monkey bars. They are confident and comfortable with each other
and play well as a group. They have learned so much about one another by
sharing their Special Boards and know what it means to be part of a classroom
community.

T/Th
First off, thanks to the Snedden family for donating guinea pig supplies and to
the Murchie family for donating lemons. Your help enables us to do so many fun
activities. It is really appreciated.
Its Spring! The children love to see the world come alive again in the floral,
insect and animal kingdoms. The children may not notice that they are growing
as well, but their teachers do!
This is the time of year when the children start to surprise us. Suddenly,
seemingly out of nowhere, Miss Amy and I will notice that someone new is
pedaling a bike, sliding down a pole or swinging across the bars--all for the first
time! Inside the classroom, the children are delighted to suddenly have the
muscles to hole punch or cut with scissors or staple paper. There are lots of
wide eyes and giggles at the art table as after months of practice they can
really do it! Socially, better communication and compromise is seen as the
children share paints and tools and toys. They have grown in so many ways!
For the most part, children are allowed to choose their activities during
preschool. Outside they can dig in the sand, slide or climb on the monkey bars.
They can pedal a bike, explore objects in the water tables, stack blocks, create
yummy kitchen food or play make-believe in a castle, log cabin or fairy
garden. Inside they have opportunities to play in the dress up area, hide under
the loft, play with toys, build with blocks, paint, create, etc. Why is it so
important to give children choice? When everything is planned and regulated,
children are not given the opportunity to get bored and have to figure out what
to do with themselves. A wise teacher said, Learning to use time
constructively is as important as self-soothing is for an infant. Children who
dont learn how to be relaxed dont know how to be creative. Instead they look
to teachers or adults or employers to tell them what to do and/or figure out how
to solve a problem. Choice gives children an opportunity to be independent, to
take risks and get a sense of their own abilities. It is very satisfying. (It is very
satisfying for teachers and parents, too.)
Lately, the puppet theatre has been popular in the classroom. Dragons,
princesses, knights and animal puppets have been performing onstage. The
children enjoy being on both sides of the curtain; presenting a show or clapping
from the audience. Imaginations are fertile at this age and the green door
children have their puppets singing and dancing and even telling simple stories.
During these last few weeks, we will talk about spring, nursery rhymes and fairy
tales, families, babies, Mothers Day and Fathers Day. We will paint and
decorate a shoebox float to pull down Foothill in the La Canada Memorial Day
parade (I will send home a note to ask you to bring in a box). Then we will
prepare to say, so long for a few months of summer vacation. Whew! This has
been a busy and delightful year. Parents, thanks for all you do. Miss Amy and I
have really enjoyed our association this year with you and your children.
Have a fun your summer!

Blue Door
Its hard to believe that another school year is about to end. The children have
experienced positive growth and it has been a pleasure being a part of it. Be
assured that your children are moving on with improved verbal and social skills
and a willingness to try new things.
The T-Th. class continues to amaze me. Its always a pleasure seeing the
transition from hesitant young children to confident preschoolers eager to spend
another morning with their friends; they are so happy to see each other and
spend this time together. They continue to display moments of self-sufficiency
with attempts at trying new things by themselves, such as cutting with scissors,
and making trips to the bathroom without the teachers assistance. We even
have a few preschoolers attempting to write their own names!
This class really enjoys the sensory table, easel painting, playing with the trains
and cars, making cookies out of play-dough and creating wonderful art at the
art table. They have all shown an interest in the table activity, whether it was
finger painting, Q-Tip painting, drip painting, gluing collages, or stringing
necklaces, just to name a few. By now, we have introduced scissors to the
children and are very proud of everyones eagerness to give cutting a try.
On Tuesday, April 26th Miss Babs and I have planned Pajama Day! This is a fun
day for all of us to wear our pjs to school. You can send your child dressed in
their pjs, or if your child is a little uncomfortable about leaving the house in
pajamas, bring their pjs in their tote bag and they can change once you arrive
at school. We do still ask that the children wear their tennis shoes to school
though. As a special treat that day, we will make pancakes for snack! I will send
out a reminder of this fun day as we get closer to the 26 th!
It was a pleasure being a part of your childs preschool experience this year.
Miss Babs and I have enjoyed getting to know your children. I look forward to
our next year together. Be prepared for some amazing growth and development
and a more self-sufficient preschooler!
The M-W-F children have grown so much this year, physically, of course, but
socially and emotionally as well. Old friendships have continued to flourish
even while the children branched out and formed new ones. This class has gone
from dressing up and playing in the playhouse last year to more elaborate
imaginary situations. An amazing amount of time is spent at the art table by
quite a few of your children. They love to make mail for each of their friends.
This desire to create for each other helps further develop fine motor skills and
early reading and writing skills. The floor play has gone from simple car games
to imaginative and elaborate block structures and zoos for the animals.
Imaginative play has become a big part of the day as well. Whether its with the
dress-up clothes or through the dramatic play bins, like the beauty parlor,
 doctors office, luau, or bakers bin that we provide, the children love to create
situations that uses their imaginations to the extreme.
The work involved in building these great projects takes team work. When
working on a common project the children need to share ideas, listen to their
friends ideas, make suggestions and try to fit their ideas together. Not always
getting what you want is a difficult issue for preschoolers to grasp and this
group play is a great learning tool; there needs to be some give and take. Your
children are learning about negotiating a little bit every day.
Their small, fine motor skills are really developing and most projects are multi-
step processes now that the children eagerly complete. Their self-confidence
when they come to the activity table really shines through. I get a rousing
response when I ask who would like to start first on their projects! I am proud of
their improvement in their tracing, cutting and name-writing skills. We have
talked about the calendar all year long and I hope their exposure to the days of
the weeks, the months of the years, and the numbers 1-30 have helped prepare
them for the next step in their education.
The remainder of the year will be just as busy as ever. As we welcome April, we
will do All About Me. The children will draw self-portraits, family portraits and
help me make a poster that tells us all about them! This is a favorite activity of
mine and truly reflects your child and how far they have grown since beginning
their preschool journey. Later, we will make Mothers and Fathers day cards,
prepare a box for the Memorial Day Parade. Our final unit is the five senses and
learning how we use our senses in many different ways and sometimes all at
once. During this unit, the children will be making a book about their five
senses.
In May, the M-W-F kids will have Amazing Water Day. I will send an note home
that gives more instructions and information about this fun day when we get
closer to the date. It will also be the last day we will share yards with our Red
door friends.
I want to thank you all for a special year. Miss Bonnie and I have had a
wonderful time spending these precious preschool years with your children. For
those of you going off to new adventures, we wish you nothing but success. For
those of you returning in the fall, have a wonderful, relaxing summer.
I would like to take this opportunity to reach out to all of you and extend my
heartfelt gratitude for your involvement in your childs preschool experience.
Without your participation and commitment to St. Georges, we wouldnt be the
success we are. Thank you!

Yellow Door
Throughout the two weeks of Work Games, the Yellow Door was bustling with
activity the children enjoyed the challenge of completing 20 games and
everyone worked hard to earn their Work Badges and Super Stars. The children
wore their badges proudly. Ive seen a few children wear their Badges or Stars to
school since then and Im glad they enjoyed the unit so much.

In addition to completing Work Games, the Yellow Door students studied insects
and have been busy with Easter projects. Our units on outer space and Pet Week
are both coming up fast. During the insect unit we focused on interesting facts
about bees, ladybugs and ants. When discussing outer space, we will learn about
the order of the planets and their different characteristics. We will even make a
brief visit to outer space in a rocket ship! (Compliments of Greg and Steves On
the Move! imaginary song). More information will follow on Pet Week coming up in
April. If children have a pet, there will be an opportunity to bring him/her into
class for a visit.

I am looking forward to meeting with the parents individually during the

conference days coming up in April. As I prepare my conference notes, I realize
how much the children have progressed since September. They have changed in
so many ways.
During last two weeks in April, the Yellow Door will take an imaginary trip to
France. As a class, we will talk about castles, churches, French language, French
painters and sample French food. Vita, Anne and I are working hard to put
together the details to make our vacation a fun one! We will be making our
passports (we will work on addresses and phone numbers for this), airline tickets,
luggage tags and carry-on tote bags. The children will have different jobs at the
airport and during our pretend flight in our appliance box airplane.

The school year is rapidly coming to an end. Water Day will be on Monday, May
13th. On the last day of school, Friday, May 20th, we will have a picnic with the
parents in the Memorial Garden at 11:30am. Its been a wonderful year. We have
enjoyed your children so much. I hope you have a fun, relaxing summer. Please
come back and visit us next year!

Red Door
MWF

As we wrap up the school year, there are many fun things to look forward to! Mud
Day is one of the highlights of the end of the school year. The lower yard will be a
wet, muddy, messy, bubbly play yard and the upper yard will have the regular
items available. The children from the Red Door and the Blue Door will be out
there at the same time and can go in between the two yards as much as they
want! More information regarding the date and details will be coming soon!
During these last two months, we will be talking about Springtime, making
Mother's Day crafts, decorating our Memorial Day shoe boxes and much more.
During the last few weeks of our school year, it is important to remember that we
will be discussing our plans for the following year. There will be a lot of talk about
leaving Red Door. We will be discussing how everyone will be somewhere new
next year, whether it be in the Green Door, Blue Door, or Yellow Door. This may
cause some anxiety for the children as they anticipate the change but it is so
important for them to be able to process the transition. Please keep the
conversation going at home. I recommend playdates during the summer to keep
in touch with old friends as well as making some time with the children they will
be attending class with next year. Thank you all for such a wonderful school year!

T-TH

The school year has flown by! In class we will be continuing to explore our
materials and the children are starting to show a lot more interest in their fine
motor skills such as snipping with scissors, stringing beads, and drawing. It is
amazing to see the difference from the beginning of the year till now. I can tell
that they are ready for more and we have begun to pull out more puzzles and
manipulatives to engage them. We have also been working on making sure that
everyone is encouraged to do the table project of the day and they all seem to
enjoy this now. This time of the school year brings lots of trips to the potty! There
are many more children coming to school in underwear and therefore a lot of our
time is spent accommodating their new skill. We are so proud of all of them and
wherever they are in the toilet training process. April and May bring some exciting
things such as more music classes and some outdoor water play as the
temperatures rise. This is such an exciting time and we will be talking about our
summer break soon. It is important to prepare the children for the break from
school and we will be assuring them that we will all be back together in the fall. I
highly recommend summer school as this class is especially fond of the water
play! (Children must be potty trained to attend.) Playdates are also highly
encouraged. Thank you so much for the great year and we will see you in the fall!

KID QUOTES
I want the orange one, like my shirt. I like to match things.

Teacher: Will you hand me that shovel?

Child: With pleasure!

Im 4, said a child. Give me a high 4.

Several girls talking while their moms were setting up for Dragon Faire
Registration, one says to the other, Our school is so much fun even
when it isnt Dragon Faire!!

These scrambled eggs with ketchup is soooo good it should be at

McDonalds.

One child said to comfort another child who got hurt, I once got
punched in the heart at Old McDonalds

I am always the Queen at my house!

Now I can do everything in the whole world! (after learning to go

down the pole independently)

Leprechauns are not real. They died already.

Child who will be missing the next school day: How about I make a
picture of myself to hang up so you wont miss me.
Children were kicking a ball on the yard when one of them said:
Someone will have to kick for me. My foot ran out of ankle!
Teacher: What is the name of the person that writes the story?
Child: Authorstrator.

Child: Is it almost chapel time?

Teacher: We have 45 minutes.
Child: Wow, thats a long minute!

This was said by a child at 9:50 This day is too long, I need a
vacation!

Child to teacher after Spring break: Long time no see!

New Beginnings..
It is not easy to be a child in a new classroom. Imagine experiencing it for
the first time. You come into a strange building full of other children and
adults who are strangers, full of enticing activities.There are many things to
learn about but in order to learn you have to wade in and try new things.

Learning is hard work, and it involves taking risksof being laughed at, of
being wrong, of being ignored or rejected. Yet this desire for mastery is what
leads to social and intellectual competence. It is almost impossible for
children to have the courage to start on this new journey without a foundation
of emotional security.

This past year your child has had many opportunities to take risks, experience
failure and success both socially and emotionally. Their social/emotional
muscles have been stretched and strengthened. They have all risen to the
occasion and are ready for the next new challenge.

However, remember when they enter that next new classroom for the first
time those same wiggly feelings will stir around in their bellies. They will put
their toe into the new pond and risk wading in. Each new adventure may be a
bit risky but worth taking.

They are ready!!!

HAPPY SUMMER!!