Dear Parents,

          This month our children dusted off their passports and traveled the globe. We started our journey by reading the story “Town Teddy and Country Bear Go Global.” These two lovable bears travel through some of the world’s most famous places. Their first stop was the Amazon Rainforest. We then went on to visit Buckingham Palace, the Pyramids in Egypt, the Great Barrier Reef, the Taj Mahal, the Eiffel Tower, and the Arctic Wildlife Refuge.

Dear Parents,

         It truly is the most wonderful time of the year. The children have been busy preparing and planning for all of your family traditions. Each family is different and they all have been busy expressing themselves through stories, art work, and songs. I have been very entertained as they each tell me of their favorite things they want.” Presents” of course are at the fore front of our conversations. Most of you are going to be ok; however for some of you, I see a stop at the pet store in your future.

Dear Parents,

This month’s enrichment program was not only educational it was also very colorful. Your children were introduced to the world’s most colorful animals, reptiles, birds, and fish. Not only are these creatures beautiful to look at, they also have unusual behaviors and life styles.
Under the sea we explored some very magical and unique fish. We met the clown fish, the mandarin fish, the weedy sea dragon and the sea nettle jelly fish. Did you know that the clown fish has the ability to switch from male to female? Since the clown fish live in the quiet corners of the coral reef they were never hunted. Due to the popularity of ‘Finding Nemo” the clown fish has become a very popular inhabitant of salt water aquariums. The mandarin fish is the most colorful in the seven seas. It is also the most popular fish in salt water aquariums. Mandarin fish do not survive well in a reef tank due to their finicky eating habits. Their scale-less body of the fish is blue or green in color which has orange wavy lines across it. The tail is bright red with blue edging. Other colors can be found in their pattern as well. The weedy sea dragon resembles a modern day dinosaur scaled down. Adult weedy sea dragons are reddish in color with yellow and purple markings. The sea dragon feasts on seaweed, sea grass, and small organisms that live in the rocky reefs. The weedy sea dragon can be found on the coastline of Australia, Whales and Tasmania. Scientists have discovered that the jelly fish has been roaming the sea for over 500 million years. The jelly fish does not have a brain or central nervous system, but rather has a loose network of nerves located on the epidermis. Watching the Jelly fish in their natural habitat was a beautiful and soothing sight to see.

Dear Parents,

Welcome back to all our families both new and old. How wonderful it is to see the smiles and hear the laughter of all our children. Our children and our teachers are all settling down to a routine and the bonds of friendship are quickly growing.
    This month our children will begin learning Spanish. Simple words, phrases and fundamental greetings will be taught to the children during circle time activities. The children will also be exposed to songs and videos on the Smart Board to help them navigate and learn this language. I am equally excited to introduce American Sign Language in January. Miss Laura, our music teacher, has already started teaching your children this skill using Nursery School Songs. Ask them to sign Row, Row, Row your Boat and Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star. As you can see our foundation is built on education, arts, play and laughter. This month in our “SEE” program we will learn about the famous children’s author Maurice Sendak. Mr. Sendak is world renowned for his award winning book Where the Wild Things Are.

Dear Parents,

I am very excited to start the 2011 -2012 school year. Your classroom teachers have been busy putting together their classrooms to give you the best school year experience. Our specialty teachers have been working very hard to enhance and provide you with new and exciting programs. I am eager to watch you form new friendships and even more encouraging to watch you bond with friends from last year.

Dear Parents,

I am always so proud to inform our parents of all the new and innovative academic experiences your children have been introduced to and currently receiving.  Just recently Rory Cohen our national literacy consultant met with our teaching staff to introduce the newest strategy “Interactive Writing” to promote early reading and writing skills.  Interactive Writing involves a sharing of the pen between teacher and student. The focus of Interactive Writing is on concepts and conventions of print, the sounds in words and how the sounds connect with letters.

This month’s “SEE” pre-school learning program was extremely informative and exciting. Our topic was “EXTREME WEATHER.”

Once again, we traveled on the SMART Board from Long Island, NY to all of the states.  We saw virtual tornadoes and learned about climate and weather conditions that create this powerful and extraordinary storm.  The tornado is the most violent of all the earths’ storms. A tornado is defined as a violently rotating column of air in contact with the ground and a pendant from a cumulonimbus cloud. The components that make the tunnel-like column, is warm and cold air mixing together. When warm air and cold air collide it creates a thunderstorm. Thunderstorms may also develop a tornado.  Tornadoes are very violent and can cause severe damage. Tornadoes can occur at any time of day, at any time of the year. Tornadoes usually occur east of the Rocky Mountains. The average speed is 30-70 miles per hour.  Tornadoes typically occur in the Midwest where the land is flat; which gives the tornadoes more room to develop.

Dear Park Shore Parents

Tis the season for all of us to be thankful and joyous for our families and friends. As I teach, play, and work with your children, I am constantly reminded how lucky I am to be a part of such a remarkable and special Park Shore family.  Your children are a constant reminder of how to see the world through the eyes of a child.  When I have the opportunity to see the wonder, excitement and amazement on their faces, it gives me insight into their youthful lives. As I reflect through our time together, there have been moments of laughter, fun, and smiles. I am truly grateful for every second I spend with them. This month the children have shown me that I am not smarter than a pre-schooler. During our enrichment program I was challenged by a four year old about Niagara Falls. Quite innocently the child asked me if the falls were salt water or fresh water. It took a minute, but the answer is fresh water. I then moved on to Mount Rushmore with its many interesting facts and information surrounding this landmark. I was sure I was ready for anything that may have been asked but that was not the case. When I told the children that it took 400 workers and 14 years to complete Mount Rushmore, I saw a curious hand rise to the occasion.   As usual, the question was worthy of answering.  "Who paid all those workers?" Once again I was challenged, but quickly recovered with help from the internet. (By the way, they were paid by a grant from the U.S. Government.)  The children have given me memories that I will cherish for a lifetime. For this holiday season I would like to personally thank all of our Park Shore families for lending Park Shore your most prized possessions. Each one of your children is special and unique and forever they will remain in my heart. I wish all of you a peaceful, healthy, and prosperous holiday and a very happy New Year!