CPE LPP February 2014 News

CPE LPP February 2014 News
Editor’s message:
Happy 2014 to everyone. Hopefully
you were all able to rest and energize
during the holiday break so that you
are equipped to take on this real
Canadian winter with which we are
faced for quite some time. The
important thing is that everyone is
healthy, and everything else will fall
into place accordingly. So before you
continue to read about the
happenings in each of the classrooms,
i would like to remind you to take
note of the special dates and events
taking place during the month of
February.
Have an amazing festive month, and
remember to stay warm and be safe
on the roads.
Marina
Educator
Notice for parents of
graduating CPE
children: most school
boards have started
registration for
kindergarten.
February presents itself to be
a very busy month. Please
take note of the special dates
during the month. February is
Black History month and each
classroom will visit the topic in
various ways. Yoga takes
place every second
Wednesday, while movement
class with Leslie is each
Friday. The Savana and
Tropical classrooms go skating
each Tuesday, and when
weather permits, the children
may visit the Concordia dome
for gross movement. Teacher
appreciation week is from
February 10-14th, and
Valentine’s Day is celebrated
at the centre with a special
snack and watching a movie
in our p.js. Not bad for the
shortest month of the year!
What’s in this
issue:
Editor’s message: p. 1
February calendar: p. 2
Panda Bears’ News: p. 3
Fireflies’ News: p. 4
Koalas’ News: p. 5
Dolphin room News: p. 5
Bumblebee Room News: p.6
Classe de la Savane: p 7
Classe Tropicale: p. 8
We would like to build our
repertoire of multi cultural
costumes, so if you or any of
your acquaintances have
any children size clothes (we
can accept adult ones, too)
which they would be able to
donate to our centre, it
would be most appreciated.
The primary purpose of C.P.E. les P'tits Profs is to provide a quality childcare service for parents
originating from the Concordia University community. C.P.E. les P’tits Profs fosters positive and
open communication among all members. This will enable the Centre to act as an informed
partner in the shared task of shaping and maintaining an environment favourable to a child's
development. The centre is committed to offering the highest standards in childcare provided by
the best qualified staff.
C.P.E. les P’tits Profs aims to be a model in the field of Early Childhood Education
February 2014
Sunday
Monday
Tuesday
Wednesday
Thursday
Friday
Saturday
1Black
History
month
begins
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
10
11
12
13
14
15
Groundhog day
9
Teacher
Valentine’s Day
Appreciation
(p.j. day)
Week begins
16
17
18
19
20
21
CPE closed for
Fundscrip
orders due
23
24
25
26
27
If you want to contact an educator on the first floor please call 514 848-7789,
on the second floor 514 848-7784, and the office 514 848 7788
Rector’s day
28
22
PANDA ROOM NEWS
HAPPY NEW YEAR ONE AND ALL!! Welcome to 2014!! I still tend to write 1994!
A little recap of December: it flew by, as it does every year! It was wonderful seeing everyone at the Annual Family
Holiday party. The children seemed to be ecstatic to see Santa Claus!
We had fun dressing the Pandas up with Reindeer ears and Santa hats during the month of December! We made
Stars of David to celebrate Hanukah and we finger painted with Kwanzaa Colors to celebrate this holiday. I hope
everyone had a lovely restful Holiday! Sandra and I did, and we returned in January refreshed and ready for the
second half of the school year!
January is always a fascinating month. The children return changed, grown, more mature; some are walking and
some are talking.
Our theme this January was winter; we made snowballs out of newspaper and enjoyed tossing the snowballs around
the classroom. The children were laughing when they saw the snowballs flying through the air.
Circle time began this past month. Almost every day we gather on the floor in a circle to sing our ‘hello song’ in
English and French. We sing other songs and read stories and enjoy finger plays songs! The children love this time
of day. This past month we incorporated some stories about snow, and songs about snowballs and snowflakes. We
made snowmen with shaving cream and had fun exploring with the shaving cream.
As the winter goes by and the spring approaches, the children grow and with that change happening, some children
have moments of frustration. They cannot express themselves with words; therefore the children tend to use their
hands or their teeth. At times the children are curious to see what happens if they push another child, or bite or
scratch a child. We try to prevent situations like this from happening but at times it still does happen. When those
scenarios occur, we redirect the child and encourage gentle touch. Please do the same at home. If you would like
more info, please feel free to come and see us.
Please remember to let us know if your child develops an interest at home, so that we can incorporate it in the
classroom.
This past December we said good-bye to Henri and wished him well in his new educational setting. We said hello
to Michaȉla, and welcomed her with open arms. The children warmed to her instantly!
Just to let you know
Tania has been with us since the beginning of September. Every day she enters the Panda Classroom at Noon
sharp… with a smile that lights up the room, energy that is contagious and love for all the Bears! We are sad to say
her time with us will end on Friday January 31st. Luckily you will continue to see her subbing in our classroom and
around the Center. We are so grateful to Tania for all her help these past few months and we want to make sure you
know that she was an important part in our daily routine and in your child’s life these past few months!
Until Next Time
SABRINA AND SANDRA
The Fireflies
Hello Everyone!
Happy New Year to you all…hoping that you have already begun your new year with a great
cheer…So, the children are back and while I had taken an extra week off from the holidays, I've
noticed how the fireflies have made greater developmental leaps! Some are using more vocabulary to
express themselves, some are taking the plunge to sit on the potty throne and others are becoming
more confident and assertive! Way to go fireflies…With that said, I believe they’re already on their
way to our new chapter in the firefly room: exploring new-found skills such as the introduction to
becoming familiar with the use of the potty! I say for the fireflies to become more familiar because I
really intend to take this next step once you all and I are on the same page and most importantly,
when the children show any evident interest in trying it out. The goal here is not for the children to
give up diapers and now do their business strictly on the potty, but rather to get the hang of getting
comfortable with the idea! So I'm asking you all to please take note of your child’s readiness to begin
this process…things to look out for are: their interest to sit on the potty or toilet at home. and drier
diapers in 2 hour spans. Please keep in mind that your effort in encouraging this process is vital in
creating a supportive yet fun atmosphere! As I receive cues from you to start this journey with your
child, I will have potty time during the diaper change routine… I have also collected some simple
books on potty use, which I also think would be quite useful in preparing for this new experience!
Since we are touching on the firefly’s acts of independence, I also thought that I would mention that
I’ve been giving them more and more freedom to dress and undress themselves as we get ready to go
outside! Now of course I don’t expect them to have the dress-up routine fully together, but I do want
to further encourage them to take initiative, to help them adopt a sense of satisfaction and
accomplishment. Therefore I'm asking you all to please give your child that opportunity as well.
Believe me I know mornings and afternoons can be hectic, especially when time is not on your side
and therefore dressing your child to get out the door will make things much easier. However, perhaps
using time on the weekend to let your child practice, or just having them help in the process e.g.
putting their hat on, pushing their feet into their boots, I think will be enough to let their budding
independence shine!
Since this time around calls for a variety of celebrations such as Chinese New Year, Black
History Month and Valentine’s Day, and while the fireflies still appear to show great excitement to
celebrate and just have fun, I thought I would create a theme that allows the children to do just that;
celebrate! For that reason, the children have been experimenting with art projects such as making
paper bag dragons for Chinese New Year, and straw painting (blowing paint on paper using straws) to
mimic a look of colourful “firecracker” explosions! Valentine’s day, another type of celebration which
will be celebrated amongst the fireflies making “love notes” and finally black history month, to end
the month of February. During this event, I intend to highlight this occasion using a multicultural
approach. Therefore, the fireflies will create flags of either their native country mostly being Canada
and/or that of their parents! I also think this would probably be a good time to invite you all to share
some time with your child in his/her classroom, where you can join us in circle time, read a story or
take a leap and put together a simple activity, perhaps with some inspiration from your native
culture! To get this project going, I will post up a sign-up sheet, so you can select a day and time that
would possibly be convenient for you. So here’s to another month of fun!
Until next month!
Tasha
The KOALA Classroom
Welcome
The Dolphin room
Hello Everyone,
Back!
As this is our first official letter of the year
2014, I would like to welcome everyone back, and
take the chance to wish everybody a productive
and joyful new year!
The New Year has certainly brought on
extended periods of severely cold weather
conditions, which have greatly reduced our young
friends' outdoor time. Nevertheless, the Koala
friends have been extremely busy. As a matter of
fact, we have been eagerly trying out new sensory
experiences (e.g. doing collages, exploring
oily/powdery dough, string painting, etc.).
Moreover, the children have also been working
really hard on their impressive Chinese New Year
decorations. To celebrate Chinese New Year, we
visited the older friends upstairs; and our toddlers
had a blast exploring their unusual surroundings!
In addition to the above mentioned
exploratory experiences, it has also been noticed
that the Koala friends have an avid interest in
housekeeping chores. For this reason, we will be
devoting the following weeks to the theme of
winter, which will include the different
celebrations around this time of the year, as well
as sensory experiences and household matters.
For the month of February, we are also looking
forward to the Month of Black History and
Valentine's Day. So, stay tuned for more
information!
Lastly, I would like to remind you to bring
your child's portfolio back whenever possible, so
that the second part of the portfolio can be
completed.
This concludes our newsbreak for this
month, and this time, I wish you all a happy
Chinese New Year!
Pin Pin
I would like to give you a quick recap on
how it’s been going in the dolphin room during the
month of January. The children are working on their
new theme ″big and little.″ These are the activities
that the dolphins worked on during the month of
January: group sand play, different shapes, size,
line up, big and little farm animals, big and little
play dough cookie cutters, searching for big and
little objects, building with big and little blocks, big
and little boats in water, balancing on a wooden
bean, comparing shapes, big and little paint drops,
big and little snow balls and painting Chinese
lanterns. As a group, the children watched a 5
minute video clip showing big and little objects
found indoors and outdoors.
We also read different books pertaining to
the topic, as well as listened to music and rhymes
about the concepts of big and small
To encourage social and emotional
development, the children had sand and water play
as a group, group paint painting, sharing show and
tell toys, and dancing to big and small ″music.″ I
would like to remind you that show and tell is every
Friday; please help your child with his or her show
and tell toy.
The children will continue taking part in yoga
classes every second week and movement classes
every week. With weather permitting, the children
will enjoy the fresh air on a daily basis. The
dolphins will continue working on their big and little
theme for as long as they are interested in it. I look
forward to having more fun with the little dolphins
during the month of February. Have a wonderful
month ahead!
Yesenia
The Bumble Bees
January
has come to a close and I hope you
are all having a wonderful start to a
memorable year. It may be cold
outside, but inside the center, the
Bumble Bees are fired up and hard at
play.
This month, the children
learned all about their Five Senses.
Their ears, eyes, noses, mouths and
skin all help them understand the
world around them. We explored
many colorful books and experiments
on the subject.
In conjunction with our class
material, we looked at our classroom
in a new light – through colored
lenses! We also tasted sweet and
salty water (yuck,) and listened to
each other’s voices with our eyes
closed. I have to say, they are all
great listeners!
In addition to the children’s
five senses, we explored what’s going
on inside them too! I enjoyed their
wide-eyed glances as one book
illustrated where their food goes after
they swallow it!
activities. The children loved “Puffy
Painting!” It’s a simple activity that
delights the senses. If you are
interested in repeating it at home,
here is a simple recipe:
Puffy Paint
½ cup Shaving Cream
¼ cup White Glue (a little less is
better)
Food Coloring
A few things to note this month
include the change of “Show-andTell” to Tuesday, and “Movement” to
Friday. In addition to these changes,
we also have access to a gymnasium,
“the Dome,” on Thursday. The
children will continue to have access
to this large gross-motor area
throughout the winter season. Lastly,
please don’t forget to empty the
children’s art boxes periodically to
make room for more great art.
It’s always such a pleasure to
learn alongside your children. It’s a
pleasure to see them growing and
developing everyday into little
responsible human beings. Until next
time; have a lovely month of
February.
Daniel
This month’s highlight is
definitely the shaving cream
Classe de La Savane
Je voudrais commencer par dire un beau bonjour à tous et aussi
prendre un moment pour vous souhaiter une très Bonne Année. J'espère que vous avez tous profité
d’un congé des Fêtes reposant et bien mérité!
La première semaine de retour est toujours un peu difficile pour tout le monde, revenir dans le swing
de la vie quotidienne, les routines, les transitions etc. Avec le temps, les amis de la jungle se sont
lentement réajustés à la classe! Lors de mon retour, les amis étaient excités de me raconter ce qu'ils
avaient fait pendant leurs vacances.
Outre le partage de toutes nos expériences amusantes vécues pendant les vacances, janvier a
été un mois rempli de jeux libres et d’activités au sujet de l'hiver ainsi que du Nouvel An Chinois.
Nous étions aussi très occupés avec toutes nos diverses activités physiques telles que le yoga, la classe
de mouvement, notre temps de jeux au Dôme des Stingers etc. Ce mois-ci, nous avons également
débuté notre programme de patinage. Préparez-vous à lacer ces patins et profiter de plusieurs bons
moments pour les prochains mois. J’aimerais prendre un autre petit moment pour mentionner que la
participation des parents est grandement appréciée. Plus il y a d’adultes présents, plus il y aura de
temps et de plaisir sur la glace pour les enfants! Merci d'avance à ceux qui seront mesure de se rendre
à la patinoire les mardis matins. Un grand merci à tous ceux qui ont pu nous accompagner lors de
notre première journée de patinage.
Durant le temps du cercle, j'ai demandé aux amis ce qu'ils avaient le plus aimé de leur matin
au patin. Voici ce qu'ils on partagé avec moi!
Maliya: I keep on slipping and I don't know what's happening?
Lauréa: C'est quand je tombais pas...je tombais pas vraiment beaucoup.
Justin: I like skating with my friends.
Emma: I like skating with my daddy.
Abigail: I like skating all over the skating rink.
Pierre-Èdouard: Moi j'aimais ça quand je mettais mes jambes comme ça. (En collant ses pieds
ensemble)
Anya: I feel like I was falling down a lot cause the ice was too slippery.
Aydin: I do ballet skating.
Jonathan: When my dad was skating with me.
James: When I fall down and when I get back up.
Alors que nous attendons le mois de février, nous anticipons également un mois rempli de belles
activités et de festivités… Nous allons avoir une journée pyjama et cinéma ainsi qu’une collation
spéciale pour célébrer le jour de la Saint-Valentin. Nous allons également en apprendre davantage sur
“Le mois de l'histoire des Noirs” et aussi profiter d’activités d'hiver afin de célébrer "le Carnaval
d'Hiver"!
Bon mois à tous!
Marisa
Classe Tropicale
Bonne année! J'espère que vous avez apprécié
les vacances (je sais que j’ai bien apprécié les
miens). Je voudrais vous remercier pour vos
cadeaux généreux et aussi pour le fait d’avoir
participé à notre réunion des parents /
enseignants.
Décembre a été un mois très court et excitant
pour nous-tous. Nous nous sommes concentrés
sur la célébration. Les enfants ont décoré
l'arbre de Noël. Ensuite Ils ont fabriqué des
cadeaux de Noël pour notre collecte de fonds,
ils ont peint avec la toupie (dreidle) et ont fait
aussi une menorah pour célébrer le Hanoukka.
Les enfants ont aimé faire cuire quelques
friandises pour le cadeau de noël des parents.
Les enfants ont fait un dessin pour le père noël
et nous avons pris une marche jusqu’à la boîte
aux lettres et nous l`avons envoyé par la poste.
Nous avons chanté quelques chansons de
Noël. La favorite des enfants a été « VIVE LE
VENT ».
J'ai remarqué que les enfants parlent toujours
du spectacle ``Le casse-noisette `` et ils
essaient de recrée le spectacle pendant le
temps de jeu. Donc, étant donné qu'ils sont
toujours intéressés à ce sujet, j'ai décidé de
commencer notre web curriculum sur le
«théâtre» ce mois.
Les enfants ont été initiés à la nouvelle année
chinoise et je prévois quelques activités autour
de cela. Vous lirez à ce sujet dans notre
prochain bulletin; restez à l'écoute!
Maintenant que nous sommes de retour de
nos vacances, et tout le monde est bien reposé
et détendu, nous allons passer le reste du mois
de janvier en regardant les plaisirs de l'hiver!
Nous parlerons également des activités
hivernales et essayerons de passer beaucoup
de temps à l'extérieur! Nous irons patiner
chaque mardi et nous utiliserons le «dôme» à
l'Université Concordia pour les activités
sportives chaque jeudi.
Ci-dessous sont les réponses des enfants à la question :
«Qu’est-ce que c`est le théâtre ou le cinéma?"
Ambereen: It is a place where the people dance.
Omar: Theatre is a place that we watched nutcracker show.
Rian: It is a place that we watch people performing.
Sarah: it is a place that people dance for us.
Marco: somewhere that people dancing with lights.
Ciara: There is music in theatre.
Branwen: Cinema is a place that you go to watch movie like “frozen”.
Luna: Theatre is a place that you perform and people watch you.
Luca: Somewhere that you watch movie.
Je vous souhaite le meilleur pour l'année 2014.
Elie