Each Classroom has been given a color and shape designation to help as an effort to make our communication about physical space clearer and in addition, it will allow children to learn shapes and colors in a fun and interactive way.

Red Circle Orange Hexagon Together Time 3’s with Mary -AM/PM

Blue Square Grey Diamond 2’s with Eileen 3’s with Sue 2’s with Jaya - PM Green Rectangle Lime Cylinder

2’s with Patti 4’s with Krista

Purple Triangle Lavender Cube 2’s & 3’s with Jen 4’s with Shelley

Yellow Oval 3’s with Jaya

What and how do preschoolers learn?

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Staff Corner September 2014

Inside Enrichment will be starting soon. Find the various offerings and contact info.

New Class Names

NEW – LIKE US on Facebook today!

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WHO’S WHO This month’s edition features enrichment. If you have a question about enrichment or want to learn more – please use the contact information you find here.

Best Wishes to Joan!

Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday Cooking Yoga Lions Mad Science Soccer (3s) Soccer (4s) 11:15-12:30

Music Lego Global Dance

Enrichment Contacts & First Session Schedule Cooking (older 3s & 4s) Jennifer Read: jread@elizafrostschool.org Music (older 3s & 4s) Ashley Byler: abyler@elizafrostschool.org Yoga Lions (3s) Ashley Byler: abyler@elizafrostschool.org Lego (4s) Lavanya Misra: lamisra@yahoo.com Dance (4s) Ana Dimas: anardimas@gmail.com Mad Science (3s & 4s) Contact: www.madscience.com/westchester Soccer (3s & 4s) Nan Elmore: nan@happysoccerfeet.com Global (4s) Lavanya Misra: lamisra@yahoo.com

Joan was the friendly face that greeted families and children as they came to school and while she will be greatly missed, she has decided to retire. We thank Joan for her years of commitment to the familes and community and wish her all the best. We have asked Joan to visit in mid-October so be on the look out for more information to be provided soon.

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Just over a week into the new school year, and the Parents Committee is in full swing! Many thanks to all who have signed up already to help – such enthusiasm means a great year ahead. Up next is the wrapping paper fundraiser. Look for details in your child’s cubby starting the week of September 29. This is an easy way to stock up on beautiful gift wrap, ribbons and cards in time for the holidays. That same week, we’re putting on a little happy hour at Back-to-School night. Plan to mingle with other parents, while nibbling on appetizers and sipping wine before and after meeting with your child’s teacher and hearing from our new director. If you have time to whip up your favorite munchies (or order from FreshDirect!) to share, please sign up through SignUp Genius or get in touch with Gina Lodi (ginalodi616@yahoo.com). And while the weather is still nice, let’s take time to celebrate fall! Come to the Fall Fun Fest on Saturday, October 4 from 10am-12pm for live music, balloons and more in the courtyard. It promises to be an entertaining morning for the whole family! Keep meaning to join the Parents Committee? Look for sign-up sheets at Back-to-School night or email us at ecfparentscommittee@gmail.com

Parents Committee Corner From: Chairs - Karen Kennedy, Nicole Vellucci and Lindy Devereux

Steering Committee Corner From: Chair - Andrea Bates Greetings from the Steering Committee! Our meeting schedule has been set, so I would like to reiterate my invitation for any interested current parent to attend our monthly meetings. We meet on the second Thursday of each month (October's meeting will be on the 9th) at 8:30 am in the conference room on the lower level of the school building (next to the main kitchen). At our September meeting, we discussed the following: -- Preparation for opening day -- Withdrawals/refund requests -- Construction meeting with Neil DeLuca of Gateway Development -- Parking -- Safety procedures/protocols -- Capital improvements Look for a recap of the October meeting in next month's newsletter. Also, there has been no new activity or movement with regards to the Kensington Road construction project. As soon as we get a work schedule from the developer and/or the Village, we will let you know. Looking forward to seeing everyone at Back-to-School Night on the 30th!

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“How Kids Learn in Preschool” !PBS.org is a great resource for information for parents. The following is taken from: http://www.pbs.org/parents/education/going-to-school/grade-by-grade/preschool/ Becoming Learners In preschool, children first learn “how to learn.” They begin to form their attitudes toward school and to see themselves as learners. Strong preschool experiences will help a child think, “I am a good learner. I can find problems to solve. I can master a difficult task.” These experiences show preschool children the power that learning holds. Learning through Play If you want to know how your preschooler learns at school, just think about the way she learns at home. When your child helps you measure ingredients for her favorite cookie recipe, she’s getting a math lesson. When he makes sand castles at the beach and then watches the wave wash them away, he’s learning earth science — although he’s probably not ready to understand the term “erosion.”

In school, preschoolers learn through play in the same ways, with the guidance of their teachers. They experiment with the properties of matter at the sand and water tables. They learn phonics when they sing songs together. They master important physics concepts like balance and stability as they build blocks at the block center.

One Skill at a Time Most preschoolers are not developmentally ready to keep more than one concept in their heads at a time. Take counting, for example. At first, numbers that a child counts in a sing-song manner are just a sequence of words. Then all of a sudden the words become useful as the child learns to match them to an amount by counting fingers. The numbers have now been matched to a meaning. Forming Pictures in their Heads “Preschoolers also learn about their world by forming visual pictures — or little movies in their heads,” notes Diane Levin, Ph.D. “Each thought they’re thinking is like a frame of the movie. They construct these visual movies in their minds as they play. One movie could be about how to make the blocks fit together, another about how to make the blocks into something else. More movies might be about how to work with other kids to create what they want to do and how to solve the problems that can arise. These mental movies help them get familiar with a process and figure out a situation.”

NEWSLETTER NAMING CONTEST! ***Deadline Extended! We are still looking for a unique and clever name for our newsletter. We will have a suggestion box set up in the main office and invite you to submit a suggestion. The family whose name is selected will win a prize.