Welcome back Parents!

It was such a pleasure meeting with you at our parent teacher conferences. Alexis, Liz and I enjoyed catching up with you and sharing our experiences. A vital element of community building here at Greene Towne is not only the relationships that your children are developing with each other but equally the partnership we have with you as parents. Thank you all!

The end of the calendar year is fast approaching. Here are some highlights from the month of November.

Building Community in and out of the Classroom

We occasionally venture the halls to explore the building, greet admin staff and visit children and teachers in neighboring classrooms. We welcome visitors to our classroom as well. With toddlers, primary and lower elementary all under one roof this provides these children of multiple age groups a unique and golden opportunity to make connections with each other while exploring spaces that are new to them. 

A Visit to the Lower Elementary Environment

Some of our toddlers visited the Lower Elementary classroom. As you know we have some construction going on for our roof.

For most toddlers there are not too many things as exciting as construction vehicles. We read about them regularly and have some mingled into the work in our classroom. Our friends Mr. Och and Miss Feldman invited us to take in a first hand view of a crane right outside of their classroom window. The toddlers had a moment to peruse the lower el space via a guided tour by the first graders. 

They introduced us to their pet snake Hoagie and showed us her shedded skin.

A Visit From Mr. Patrick’s Primary Children

We had a special visit from Mr. Patrick and some students from his primary classroom. One of his students gave us a lesson on his African drum. He told us about a trip he took with his family to Zimbabwe. We learned about the parts of the drum and how to play it. He invited each of us to give it a try.

Happy Birthdays!

We had so much to celebrate this month. Several birthdays occurred between Halloween and Thanksgiving and many more to come. Happy birthday to Cooper, Brady, Isabelle and Amelia! 

On their big day each child began by making a crown with their friends. So much glue is involved in the process, but it’s all in good fun.

We have started a new birthday tradition in our classroom: making cupcakes in house. Henceforth, no need to send in a treat to share with the classroom. Depending on your child’s preference, we make cupcakes or muffins. The children truly enjoy working collectively on baking projects. Birthday treats are no exception. 

Here is one of the recipes we tried this month: BANANA BREAD MUFFINS. 

As with all our classroom recipes, check out the section titled “Toddler as Sous Chef” for some simple and easy to follow tips on how you can make this a baking experience for you and your child.

Good Times at Recess

November Books

As the Autumn season concludes, here are a few books we introduced during November.

Pete the Cat Falling for Autumn by Kimberly and James Dean, Red Leaf Yellow Leaf by Lois Elhert, Biscuit Visits the Pumpkin Patch by Alissa Satin Capucilli and Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson and Jane Chapman

Year end dates to remember…

Monday, December 4th through December 11th-GTMS Holiday Book and Toy Drive info here

Wednesday, December 6th-Parent Education Workshop Series: Short Film Screening and Discussion of “Blue” info and rsvp here

Monday, December 18th through Monday, January 1st-School Closed for Winter Break

Tuesday, January 2nd-classes resume

Warm regards,

Liz, Alexis and Cherise