To celebrate Apple Pumpkin Days we enjoyed some festive, fall activities on the Older Pod Patio with Ms. Kristen!
Our friends in Rooms 1, 2 and 3 dissected a pumpkin at the sensory table and made Pumpkin Seed Soup with the pulp, seeds, water and cinnamon.
We used hammers and golf tees at the Pumpkin Pounding station!
We tasted red, yellow, and green apples; then we graphed our favorite!
The Farmer’s Market dramatic play was very busy. Our friends enjoyed picking apples, stocking the market, and cooking/baking with the produce.
“That person is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither—whatever they do prospers.” Psalm 1:3
It is time for us to reset our clocks as we “Fall Back” by one hour. This small change will have an impact on our kiddos, from emotional drop-offs to concerns about how dark it gets while they’re still at school. The classrooms will discuss the time change, and we are prepared to support the children as they adjust.
As it gets darker/colder earlier, we will be transitioning from afternoons spent in the yard and on the patios to inside the classrooms.
End of the Day Classrooms:
Older Pod– Rm 2 for Rm 1 & 2 Friends (Rm 3 will remain in their own room.)
Younger Pod– Rm 4 for Rm 4 & 5 Friends
Preschool Chapel – Friday, Nov. 10th
This month’s chapel will focus on the story of Noah’s Ark. The children adore this story and its emphasis on family, animals, and listening to God. We can hardly wait to worship and praise God together.
Veterans Day – Friday, Nov. 10th
PRESCHOOL OPEN
The preschool will be open for Veterans Day. We are thankful and eternally grateful to all the men and women who have served and are currently serving our country and the families that support them. We will be honoring their sacrifice and service with the kiddos on campus.
Fire Station Visit – Tuesday, November 14th
We are having a special visit from our Local Fire Station. They will be making a stop at the preschool with the truck, crew, and a few surprises. We can hardly wait to see it all in person. Hurry, hurry, drive the firetruck!
One of our favorite preschool firefighter songs is Hurry, Hurry, Drive the Firetruck.
Mark your calendars! Rooms 1, 2, & 3 will be going on our traditional fall field trip to Underwood Family Farm this year; yay!
Information, permission slips, and parent sign-ups are available at the preschool front desk.
Younger Pod On-site Field Trip
We will continue the Harvest celebration on-site for Rooms 4 & 5 with a visit from a few animal pals.
*If you are a Tuesday/Thursday family, please be sure to speak with your classroom teachers and the preschool office regarding how you can join in our farm day fun.
Stone Soup Days – Monday, Nov. 20th & Tuesday, Nov. 21st
Stone Soup Days are one of the most significant preschool events of the year. Based on the beloved children’s book Stone Soup, each child brings a vegetable/food item to class to contribute to the community/class pot of soup. Your classroom teachers or Room Parents will let you know the details of how you can pitch in and be a part of this beautiful preschool annual tradition.
Wednesday, November 22nd
MINIMUM DAY – NOON DISMISSAL
The day before our Preschool Thanksgiving Break is a Minimum Day. Therefore, the preschool will close promptly at 12 p.m.
Thanksgiving Break – Thursday, November 23rd – Friday, November 24th
PRESCHOOL CLOSED
The preschool will be closed for Thanksgiving Break in the second half of the 4th week of November. We hope and pray that everyone has a fantastic time off, reflecting on what they are thankful for.
From our preschool family to yours’…
May God continue to bless, protect, guide, and grace you all with His presence, mercy, and love now and in the coming year. Amen.
Speech and Language Screenings – Wednesday, November 29th
Speech and language pathologists from Jabberdogswill provide screenings for receptive and expressive language, voice, articulation, and fluency at the preschool for $35. If you are interested in participating, please complete and return the Permission Slip by Friday, November 17th. (Permission slips are available at the preschool front desk.)
Grandparent’s Day – Friday, December 8th
MINIMUM DAY – NOON DISMISSAL
The Room 1 & 2 kiddos will perform specially prepared songs along with the upper campus in our auditorium, while Rooms 3, 4, & 5 will present at the preschool. The Grandparents/Special Visitors will also have a chance to check out the classrooms and even take their student with them at the end of our event, with parent permission.
Happy Birthday, Jesus! – FRIDAY, December 8th from 6 to 7:30 p.m.
Happy Birthday Jesus is an EVENING EVENT; this annual preschool tradition will take place on the PCS main campus in the auditorium. Each classroom will be preparing seasonal songs to share with our families. It is such a treat to see the kiddos perform as we ring in the season together as a preschool family.
Learning all about different kinds of apples was exciting, fun and rewarding for classroom 4. Parent participation was key for our eventful lesson plan. Counting, measuring, weighing and sorting apples at the table Here we can identify real and not real apples. Sorting, counting and making a pattern on a line with eraser applesPainting with red, yellow and green apples How tall are you? Count how many apples.Which apple do you like better?Science: “Apple volcano “
Thank you so much to all the parents who came to lend their time, strength, and supplies to refresh, reset, and renew our school. It was a fantastic day, and the preschool looks terrific!
We have so much to do and look forward to in October…
Oh my gosh…we need squash!
We are collecting pumpkins, squash, and gourds of all shapes and sizes in the preschool lobby the week of October 2nd and creating our very own Preschool Pumpkin Patch!
If you would like to contribute, every $20 donation counts towards 1 hour of MVP.
After we refresh the preschool on Parent Site Work Day, Saturday, October 7th, we will redistribute all our squash across the campus from the Outdoor Classroom to Rooms 1 through 5.
Thanks to everyone who has already donated! We can’t wait to see how big our Pumpkin Patch will become.
Preschool Chapel – Thursday, October 5th
Our second chapel of the year is here! For our first chapel together, we focused on the Creation Story. We are now moving on to Adam and Eve and discussing the power of choices, consequences, and God’s love.
2) Review the options listed and choose the spot(s) you like.
3) Sign up! It’s Easy – you will NOT need to register an account or keep a password on SignUp.com.
Note: SignUp.com does not share your email address with anyone.
Teacher In-Service Day – Friday, October 13th
It is time for a teacher in-service day. These days are crucial and provide us the much-needed time for training, planning, preparation, and cleaning that can’t be achieved while the children are on campus. We are grateful for these opportunities to grow and improve all we do in service to the children and families.
The Great ShakeOut – Thursday, October 19th
Once again, the main campus and preschool will participate in the Great California ShakeOut. This will be a full earthquake drill involving practicing “Bunnies in the Hole,” aka duck & cover, and a muster onto the main campus for an official headcount.
The elementary/junior high will also be involved in a pantomime of pretend injuries and other disaster-related activities. The preschoolers, however, will muster on the big field grass, where we will read books, sing songs, and possibly have a snack before returning to the preschool campus to resume our day.
Parent-Teacher Conferences – Friday, October 20th
Fall Conferences are here! We will sit down to discuss the kiddos and all we’ve done and plans for the days ahead. Please use the classroom links below to find your classroom information and sign-ups.
They’re back! We will once again be taking Candid Photos of all the kiddos at the preschool this year. These photos are different from traditional school photos as they are meant to catch the kids in action. Our photographer, Adrea Scheidler, is a PCS mom with many years of experience capturing those adorable preschool smiles. Once photos have been taken, Ms. Adrea will provide families with individual links for viewing and purchasing options.
Apple Pumpkin Days – Monday, October 30th – Tuesday, October 31st
Our annual tradition of Apple Pumpkin Days is just around the corner. We will celebrate this year’s harvest season during the last week of October with unique themed books, activities, and treats. Watch for emails from your classroom teachers or Room Parents about how you can help support this fun-filled fall tradition.
Communication – Emails, phone calls, Procare messages…
We work hard at staying connected and will do our best to respond to parent communications during our regular operation hours from 7 a.m. until 6 p.m.
While parents are welcome to send us emails, Procare messages, or leave voicemails at any time, outside of emergencies, our staff will respond once they are on campus.
Volunteering at the Preschool
Will you be volunteering on campus this year?
If you are planning on helping out in the classroom or during a special event, we will need a signed Volunteer Confidentiality Agreement on file for you.
Hard copies are available in the Preschool Office.
Older Pod Field Trip to Underwood Family Farms – Friday, Nov. 17th
Mark your calendars! Rooms 1, 2, & 3 will be going on our traditional fall field trip to Underwood Family Farm this year, yay! It has been three years since we have enjoyed this fantastic outing, and we can’t wait. More details will be released throughout the month.
Rooms 4 & 5 will enjoy Farm Days on-site with special farm animal guests.
Art is a wonderful way to allow preschoolers to express themselves freely. It’s a playful, enjoyable activity that brings joy and a sense of accomplishment. Art encourages problem-solving as children figure out how to make their ideas come to life which supports cognitive development. Sensory-rich activities engage a child’s senses and promote sensory development. Art allows children to explore, experiment, and have a great time while doing so.
This week, on the older pod patio with Ms. Kristen, we took a look at some work from the Dutch artist, Piet Mondrian. His art inspired conversations about lines, shapes and colors as we created our own works of art using similar elements from his expressionism pieces. Our friends in Rooms 1 and 2 , worked to bring all these elements together in a fun and collaborative piece with an emphasis on lines—the basis for all geometric shapes and our shape focus for the month of September.
September is almost done and we have started a few new things in our class! Small groups have begun and some of you have noticed the list that is under the lesson plan on the Parent Board! Small groups allow us to play games and strengthen our pre-academic skills at the same time!
The first thing we did in small groups was to name them; Ms. Kira’s group is the Purple Tigers, Ms. Daisy has the Red Ducks and Ms. Audra has the Pink Flamingos!
Here are a few pictures of the things we have been doing in our small groups.
With our salt trays we are practicing our prewriting skills and the shape of the month (which is a line).
With our plants we are learning about things that are living and things that are non living. We also talk about what living things need.
With our blocks we work on our fine motor skills and our shared use of space and materials.
With our story time we learn about the parts of books as well as comprehension and further develop our interest in literacy.
We have also been enjoying the patio and the yard. Here are a few pictures of some of the fun 🤩
So much of what we do involves exploring and experiencing the school; both in the classroom and in the yard. Everyday brings a new chance to experience and share and grow together!
We also had our first chapel of the school year where we heard about how God created the world and us!
Thank you for what is shaping up to be an exciting school year!
It has been fun getting to know our young friends. Our new school year is off to a great start. The kids have been exploring the younger pod patio and enjoying all our hands on experiences. We want to thank all of those who donated towards our outdoor art easel. And a special thanks to our wonderful room 5 family who purchased our new balance beam as well. If you would like to donate towards our art easel, feel free to contact me, Ms. Carolina, at cmacias@pcs.school. We are looking forward to making memories with your kids this year.
“For those who are led by the Spirit of God are the children of God.” -Romans 8:14
Pasadena Christian Preschool 