It's a Good Day in Pre-K

Welp, it's October, although it sort of became October on August 1st. August 1st brought pumpkin coffee, pumpkin muffins, pumpkin bread, and anything else you can attach "pumpkin" to. October is an exciting month in Pre-K. Some sites are or have already had their first field trip, we are really starting to learn routines and of course October is Halloween. Attached please find some safety tips to keep our kids safe. Most are pretty self explanatory, but I never knew that instant soups accounted for 1 in 5 pediatric ER visits each year!

https://www.childhoodpreparedness.org/post/10-fall-safety-tips-to-keep-children-and-parents-safe

One thing we work on in Pre-K is fine motor skills which is essential for handwriting development. Fine motor skills involve the use of the smaller muscle of the hands necessary for using scissors, pencils, etc. Here are some spooky activities to help build those fine motor skills.

https://upub.net/blog/10-halloween-activities-build-fine-motor-skills/

I am excited to welcome Stephanie Carbone into our Pre-K classrooms! Stephanie Carbone, Questar III Model Schools Coordinator, will visit each preschool class this month to introduce the basics of coding with Sphero Indi. This innovative play-based learning opportunity empowers kids to design and build their own mazes while learning the basics of coding, problem solving, pattern recognition, sequencing and collaboration.

Our preschool programs at Questar III, believe in providing our young learners with innovative tools that make learning fun, engaging, and meaningful. Sphero Indi is completely screen free and utilizes color-based coding!

As the leaves begin to change and the air turns crisp, it's the perfect time to engage preschool students in a world of exploration and creativity. At all of our Questar III Preschool Programs, we are excited to introduce our students to the first tool in our innovative learning experience – Sphero Indi!

Together, we'll create memorable educational experiences that lay a strong foundation for their future learning adventures.

Click on this link to see indi in action. https://youtu.be/VOQkhboXYZI

In our classroom in Catskill students were painting apples. Painting is such a great skill in Pre-K. Not only does it build fine motor skills and cognitive development but math and language skills as well. In math students begin understanding concepts like size, shapes and spatial reasoning.

Apples are everywhere including Green Meadow. The students have been busy counting apples, making applesauce, and even learning about chemical reactions by making apple volcanoes! Don't you wish you were back in Pre-K?!

Students at Donald P. Sutherland in East Greenbush were feeling blue on this particular day! Mrs. Jenkins had color days where the students dressed in a different color each day. Learning about colors is actually a developmental milestone. When our Pre-K students learn about colors they can start to connect visual clues and words. It also helps them sort, categorize and compare objects as you can see in a picture below.

As we start the year I wanted to share a parent guide for emergency responses. I realize sometimes you receive messages and it's difficult to understand the difference between a lockout or lockdown. Attached is a guide that explains the responses that schools use for precautionary measures or if there is imminent concerns. It can be unnerving when we get these messages, but our teachers are trained to act quick and ensure our students are safe and sound.

www.questar.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/09/Parent-Flyer-23-24.pdf

October 9th- Columbus Day- Classes not in session.

October 20th- Questar III P.D. day. Classes not in session.

In the event of inclement weather please follow your home district's notification for closings and/or delays.

As you can see, it truly is a rewarding experience working in our Pre-K classrooms. If you, a family member, or friend is interested in becoming a substitute teacher in any of our locations, please let me know! We are always looking for more help in our classrooms and it is a great way to see all the fun things happening in person. If interested please reach out!

Please reach out with any questions or concerns!

Email: michael.burns@questar.org
Website: www.questar.org
Phone: 518479-6898