Hi Families!
We have a great week coming up! As Valentine's Day approaches, we will focus on friendship, cooperation, and sharing. We will send and receive Valentines, have a party or two, and incorporate social learning, language arts, and math skills into our play!
Please see Ms. Christina's email about our optional field trip on Tuesday, Feburary 14th. After school, (12:45) we will visit Sterling House, a senior citizen home, and pass out Valentine's cards to the residents and staff. This will be a very special activity that will help the children approach the holiday in a tangible way and engage them in service learning! I encourage everyone to participate and share this wonderful opportunity to help our community!
On another note, I have introduced a character education approach that is used at Sam Houston Elementary. The idea is that each person has an invisible bucket, and when it's full, we are happy and feel special. When people around us dip into our bucket (or treat us badly), we feel sad or angry. We are encouraging the children to be "Bucket Fillers"--or people who share, are kind, and help those around them. This ties in well with our Valentine's Day trip on Tuesday. We are "filling the buckets" of the elderly, who may not get many visitors, but a smile from a child will do wonders!
Character Education is an ongoing endeavor, and I will be pulling from many resources (books, professional development trainings, etc), including some concepts from Pirkei Avot--or ethical teachings from Judaism. Many preschool programs throughout the Jewish community, and elsewhere, pull from these teachings. While an occasional word may be in Hebrew, the ethics are universal. To do a good deed is a Mitzvah, ((MITZ-vah) and being kind, courteous, and helping others is something every child can learn to do!
Valentine's Party News:
On Monday and Tuesday we will have Valentine's day parties at 10am. Feel free to bring an optional snack for the party. Parents are not required to attend, but are more than welcome to if they wish.
In the morning, I will set out our bags for Valentine's cards. Upon arrival, please help your child distribute the cards, so that we can open them after snack. Please bring a Valentine card for all the children in the class, enough for 12.
Thank you for your help! Please feel free to contact me with any questions!
Sincerely,
Ms. Anna