CELEBRATION REMINDER

Dear Families:
I hope that you all will join me and Class K-207 for our Winter Celebration on Tuesday, December 23rd at 9:00 a.m. in Room K-207. We will be singing some of our favorite Winter songs. Even though this is a big holiday season for many of the families in our class, I am very attuned to the fact that some children's families do not celebrate these holidays. I have had talks with the children explaining the differences and the children do understand that we are all different...with different religions and different beliefs. Yet, I stress to our class that our class is one community and that we are all a family here in Class K-207...that we must respect each other and our differences. That said...our songs are just songs with really no emphasis on the meaning. We just love to sing!! I hope everyone undersands.

I am not assigning any "homework" over the holiday season but I would encouage everyone to read to their children on a daily basis. Have your child tell you what they notice about the book you are reading and what connections to their own life they notice. Have a "grown-up" dialogue with them. You will be amazed what you find our about them. We recently finished a chapter book entitled "One Hundred Dresses." We read one chapter a day. I was constantly amazed on a daily basis what they remembered about each and every character in the book and how they could recite word for word what the book was about the next day and what lessons they learned from our class discussions. It was such an enjoyable moment for me and reinforced my belief that children are like sponges soaking up everything that one teaches them. For math...talk to them about numbers all around. Play Monster Math. Have them do number stories in their head. The children love it.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank each and every one of you for all the wonderful support that I have received from you throughout the year and thank you for the great opportunity to work with your children. I absolutely love each and every one of them. They have been a great source of enjoyment for me.

I hope that you all have a wonderful restful holiday. The "real" work begins in January so make sure your child is rested and ready. Many trips are being planned and I will definitely need many chaperones. So...you should also be rested and ready! The best is yet to come. Happy Holidays.

Fondly,
Ms. Graham

P.S. I told the children to try tp wear red or green tomorrow.