The run up to the holidays was especially busy for me personally this year.  I’m sure many of you moms can relate to this — it is my first year back to work after five years of being a SAHM (“Stay-at-Home-Mom” for those of you not fluent in internet acronyms).  I probably overestimated my capacity for preparing for Christmas, juggling house guests, subbing in the morning session of preschool and keeping up with administrative duties… but really, in the end, I think we managed quite well!

On Tuesday and Wednesday each student wore PJ’s, and brought a blanket or favorite stuffed animal to school! We did  a round of “Show and Tell” with our stuff from home, built gum drop contraptions, made cool cornstarch dough ornaments, played in “faux snow” in the sensory table, sang holiday favorites, played holiday games, sipped on Hot Cocoa, and listened to the story, The Polar Express. On Wednesday, caroler’s — my family from out-of-town 😉 surprised us by stopping in to give a mini-concert!

Special thanks to Marie for subbing for Amber in the afternoon sessions, for Debbie Key, who volunteered at lunches to be sure Marie got a little break and to Brittan, Marin, Tina and Emily for making the Preschool room so much fun!  Emily Beckert joined our Preschool Staff as an Assistant Teacher in December — making our staff complete through one position split into 4 quarter-time ones to accommodate USU class scheduling.  Emily is fantastic and we look forward to getting to know her better in the coming year! We did miss Teacher Amber terribly, and will be so glad to see her face back at Morningside School!

Thanks to all who made generosity a concrete concept by donating to the Cache Valley Food pantry.  We had a several large boxes of food to bring to the pantry. Additionally, thank you to the Luzzader Family and Allison Bushnell for computer donations.  We will be able to implement foundational keyboard and mousing skills in our Kindergarten and Preschool Curriculum through these generous donations.

We go back to school January 3!  Rested and refreshed, we’ll be ready for them!  😉

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As the holidays approach, Maddie and Caleb have asked me to read Dr. Suess’s The Grinch Who Stole Christmas again and again.  I don’t mind at all — “The Grinch” was one of my favorite stories growing up. I was drawn to the delightful Whos down in Who-ville, and as the youngest in our household, I identified with little Cindylou Who.  But really, this story has staying power in the evolving children’s literature genre because it cuts to the heart of the matter —

“So he paused. And the Grinch put a hand to his ear. And he did hear a sound rising over the snow. It started in low. Then it started to grow… But the sound wasn’t sad! Why, this sound sounded merry! It couldn’t be so! But it WAS merry! VERY! He stared down at Who-ville! The Grinch popped his eyes! Then he shook! What he saw was a shocking surprise! Every Who down in Who-ville, the tall and the small, Was singing! Without any presents at all! He HADN’T stopped Christmas from coming! IT CAME! Somehow or other, it came just the same! And the Grinch, with his grinch-feet ice-cold in the snow, Stood puzzling and puzzling: “How could it be so? It came without ribbons! It came without tags! “It came without packages, boxes or bags!” And he puzzled three hours, `till his puzzler was sore. Then the Grinch thought of something he hadn’t before! “Maybe Christmas,” he thought, “doesn’t come from a store. “Maybe Christmas…perhaps…means a little bit more!” And what happened then…? Well…in Who-ville they say That the Grinch’s small heart Grew three sizes that day!” 

The Whos down in Who-ville understood that a shared experience of joy made the holiday come alive!  As we celebrate the holidays, I will be seeking out ways to have new shared experiences in our work and play that expand the opportunities for our kids to develop character traits like generosity, integrity, gratitude and self control.

At school, we will be emphasizing generosity, (giving over getting) and we will be exploring the reasons to and many ways of expressing gratitude.  I am asking each family to collaborate with our in-school efforts by participating in our “Who-ville Food Drive” for The Cache Valley Food Pantry!  Together, go to your pantry or to the store — listen to your child talk about what to give and why to give.  Just the act of doing it together, unhurried, splashes the moment with Who-ville Holiday magic — the act of giving becomes a shared experience, a memory tucked inside a child’s heart infused with the specialness of doing something for others.

So bring a can of Who-hash or a bag full of non-perishable favorites and join us in the Who-ville Holiday spirit!

 The food will be collected and displayed under the Christmas tree in the Piano Room until the 21st.  

Morningside celebrated all that we are thankful for with a feast!  We had turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes, gravy, peas, cranberry ice, and teeny-tiny oh so yummy pumpkin pies! Here are some pictures of our day.  Please excuse the poor image quality — I forgot my real camera and was forced to use my iphone. [slideshow]

You may have noticed that our preschool theme schedule has been adjusted slightly. Hopefully this has not been an inconvenience — the updated Preschool Theme Schedule  is now available on Morningsidepreschool.com.  This week the Preschool is talking all about Commmunity Helpers and the Kindergarten is learning about all kinds of transportation.  The Logan City Fire Department Community Educators are coming to visit everyone at Morningside School Tuesday and Wednesday and they are bringing a big red fire truck! Be watching the blog — pictures are sure to follow! Oh, and speaking of pictures, Teacher Amber took a bunch of great ones of our Halloween celebration and they are now posted on the post titled, “Halloween Fun!” .  Be sure to go back and revisit it! 🙂

  Dr. Temple Grandin is on campus today. If you don’t know her, click here for the trailer of the HBO movie of her story.  She is a remarkable woman — if you have time in your schedule to attend any of these events, it will be worth every second. Hope to see you there!

Thanks to a terrific staff and wonderful parent volunteers, we had two days of fun festivities! By all accounts, Halloween was a total blast at Morningside School! Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it special for the kids.

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Each month during the school year, we will be sending home book order forms from Scholastic Book Clubs. Please take a moment to look over each month’s selections. We are able to receive below cost or free books and teaching materials for our classrooms with each order.  You are under no obligation to buy.

If any of the titles interest you, just fill out the forms and return them to the school by the date posted.  Payments can be made in cash, or check. You can make the check out to Scholastic. You can also order directly from Scholastic by clicking the Scholastic link on the Morningside School Website www.morningsidepreschool.com.

Enter the class activation code: HW743, select books and pay! It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!  Books will arrive at the school approximately 2 weeks after posted date and will be sent home with your child. Click on this image link to learn more about Scholastic Book Clubs.

Fall has arrived and with it cooler weather!   Please remember to send your child with the appropriate outdoor clothing and shoes.  We will go outside nearly everyday unless it is frigid, wet or the air quality is at unhealthy levels.

Parents: please, please, please do not let your child walk unaccompanied to the door during drop off.   Hold your number card out the window and stay in your vehicle when in the drive. I know it seems like it might help move things along to open car doors for staff or unbuckle children, but it is our policy for your child’s safety.   The greeting teachers will become faster and more efficient with experience.

Hopefully by now, you have had the chance to meet all of our staff. Maren and Brittan, USU students in Family Consumer and Human Development,  joined us this month as AM Preschool Aides. Both add delightful energy and enthusiasm to Morningside School and the children adjusted very quickly to the new faces in their classroom!

It is so neat to see how much the children have already learned this year.  The preschoolers have been working on name recognition and writing.  Many preschoolers are already writing their own names without help! Each day, during opening circle time Teacher Amber works with the preschoolers on letter and number identification and letter sounds.   They are also practicing using new “fabulous” words each week expanding their vocabularies.  This week they are learning “Gigantic” and “Miniscule”! What cool words!!! On Friday ask your child if they can use the “fabulous” words of the week before bedtime! If they can do it, give them the great big high-five they deserve! Remember, anytime you are interested in knowing what your child is learning at school, feel free to visit the calendar tab for weekly lesson plans on the website or speak with Amber directly.

The kindergarten students are writing with more sophistication, and have begun learning sight words, a basic step toward reading.  But not all learning takes place at a table indoors — nature walks and time on the playground have provided wonderful opportunities to explore the natural world!

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At Morningside School, we infuse art into each and every day.  We believe that art for young children needs to be about the process, not the product or end result.  This means you won’t often see 16 exact replicas of a craft project on our bulletin boards. We value each child’s unique ideas about their creations, and encourage individuality in every art experience.  Our art gallery in the preschool room features these explorations of media, line, shape, direction, size, texture, color, and value.

In a recently published e-book Art Not Craft,  Christie Burnett lists the reasons to do open-ended art with young children. She says,

• Art experiences provide important sensory stimulation for young children. A wide range of sensory experiences (involving touch, sight, sound, smell and taste) assist babies, toddlers and preschoolers to develop brain connections essential to later learning. The more of these experiences they have, the more brain connections are developed and reinforced.
• Art provides a vehicle for children to freely and safely express their own ideas and emotions.
• With thoughtful encouragement, art experiences can be a tool for children to communicate what they are learning.
• Children’s creative responses can tell us a lot about a child and their individual ideas, thoughts, emotions and understandings of the world.
• Art experiences in childhood and, importantly, our attitudes towards them, will influence how a child views their own artistic ability and their level of creative confidence as an adult. What we do now impacts a child’s self-perception as a creative individual – for life.
• Art experiences involve children in communicating symbolically, an important understanding for learning to read and write.
• Being creative requires children to organise their thoughts, to reason, invent and solve problems.
• Art helps children to learn and practise many important language, mathematical and physical concepts and skills.
• Creating art is fun.