The Wintonbury Peeper

Important Dates

Principal's Message

PTO

Birthday Celebrations at Wintonbury

Health Office

PTO

Hispanic Heritage Celebrations

Meet the Farm Teachers

Friday Try Days

Growings On

Classroom Promises

Curriculum and Play

Talk, Talk, Talk

October 1 PTO Meeting 4:30

October 13 No School Indigenous Peoples' Day

October 14 No School Teacher Professional Development

October 20 Picture Day

October 27-31 Scholastic Book Fair

October 29-31 Early Dismissal 1:00 Parent Teacher Conferences

November 4 No School Election Day, Teacher Professional Development

November 11 No School Veterans' Day

Dear Families,

Each month we will publish a school newsletter in this format with the goal of sharing out curriculum, school and community information. We hope that you find it to be a good resource and also a little glimpse into a day in the life of a Wintonbury student. We look forward to getting to know your family and child(ren) a little more each day. If you ever need to reach me please don't hesitate. I will always try to get back to you as promptly as I can.

Warmly,

Principal Straker

(phn) 860-769-5510, (email) sstraker@blmfld.org

In accordance with Bloomfield Board of Education Policies, any food or beverages much comply with federal nutrition standards. Please do not send cookies, cupcakes, chips or other snack foods that are not considered nutritious for group snacks or celebrations. Healthy options include fruit kabobs, fruit salad, yogurts, cheese cubes and string cheese.

In lieu of food, we prefer (and so do the children) that you make yourself a “special person/guest” for the birthday treat. Families are encouraged to visit the classroom as a guest birthday reader in their child’s classroom to celebrate their special day. You can pick out your child’s favorite book to read, borrow one from the classroom or bring in a new one to donate to the class library in your child’s name. What makes it extra special is the person reading! Make sure to coordinate with your child’s teacher to arrange a time. Please do not send in goodies bags, presents, candy or balloons. Save these for home!

Important Information:

Please schedule your child’s flu shot as soon as possible this fall. By state law, all preschool students who are enrolled in schools are mandated by the state to have the flu shot annually by December 31st. All preschoolers must get a seasonal flu shot between 8/1/23 and 12/31/23. Documentation must be received by the school nurse verifying that your child received their flu shot. If the nurse’s office does not receive your documentation by December 31st, your child will not be allowed back at school until it is received. For students who have never received a flu shot, the Center of Disease Control and State of CT requires two doses of the flu vaccine at least 28 days apart. [Sec. 10-204a-2a. Adequate Immunization (k)]

Thank you to everyone who joined us at our first PTO meeting of the year (we had our largest turn out in the past 4 years)!

We will continue to meet the first Wednesday of every month from 4:30-5:30pm.

We finished our first fundraiser with Green Machine. Thank you to everyone who purchased plants. Our next fundraiser, Lyman Orchards, starts on September 29th. This is our largest fundraiser of the year. In addition to the items on the flyer, you can also purchase additional items that will ship to your house online. Pies and cookies will arrive at the school to be picked up in time for Thanksgiving.

Our first Scholastic Book Fair will be at the school October 27-31. It will be open after school every day. In the coming weeks you will receive a flyer with information about setting up your eWallet.

We are still gathering information for those families interested in volunteering or being a board member. Please fill out this document if you're interested in either and return in your child's backpack.

We can't wait to see you on Wednesday, October 1st at 4:30pm for our next PTO meeting.

Feel free to reach out with any questions: wintonburypto@gmail.com

Elissa Weissbrod

PTO President

Hispanic Heritage Month began in 1968 as Hispanic Heritage Week, and was expanded to one month in 1988. Hispanic Heritage Month is meant to ensure we bring attention to the histories, cultures and contributions of those whose ancestors came to the U.S. from Mexico, the Caribbean and Central and South America, or Spain, as well as the impact of all Hispanic and Latino culture on the U.S.

One of the ways we celebrated at Wintonbury was with a school wide reading of Alma and How She Got Her Name written and illustrated by Juana Martinez-Neal. In the school wide family project, students are sharing how they got their names. The name stories are displayed throughout the building for all to enjoy. If you would like to hear the story of Alma, click on the the link above.

In addition to the family project, classrooms read other texts featuring Hispanic authors, illustrators and characters, explored Latin music and rhythm instruments, and learned some Spanish. In Mrs. Hein's room (201) they read the story The First Tortilla by Rudolfo Anaya, which tells of a Mexican legend of how the first tortilla was created. We decided to make quesadillas using flour tortillas for snack one day. The children sprinkled the cheese on the flour tortilla, and smelled the aromatic smells of the tortillas cooking, just like in the story! We also read the book Colores de la Vida by Cynthia Weill and learned colors in English and Spanish with Mexican folk art.

In September, all classrooms had a visit from the farm teachers: Miss Kim (odd numbered classrooms) and Miss Sara (even numbered classrooms). The teachers shared photos of different parts of Auerfarm to get the students ready for their first trip. Classrooms are now traveling by bus to the farm for their second lesson, Explore and Harvest, in which classes will tour the farm to see animals and gardens, and harvest vegetables from the Wintonbury garden.

What is a Friday Try-Day?

Friday Try-Day is a school-wide tasting day. The objective is to inspire favorable attitudes toward healthy foods, take tasting risks, and encourage healthy eating habits. Twice a month all the children and staff have the opportunity to learn about and taste a new fruit or vegetable. Teachers promote an excitement for trying new things and prompt students to notice what the food looks likes, feels like, and of course, tastes like.

Today, September 26, the children tasted basil, grown here at Wintonbury! Many teachers graph who liked the food or didn't like it yet. This is an opportunity to embed many math objectives into the lesson including, counting, numeral identification, and representing and analyzing data.

Stay tuned for more information on food explorations. You may also hear more from your own child in the grocery store they recognize things they have tried. Some parents in the past have even extended Friday Try-Day into their Friday night dinners, to introduce their children to new foods at home.

What can seeds become? This is the question pondered and explored in the greenhouse this month. Each class visited the greenhouse to notice what is already growing and plant mystery seeds. After looking closely at the seeds, students predicted what they may grow into. Will it be a fruit, vegetable, or flower? Over the next few weeks, classes will revisit their seeds and notice how they are growing. Their observations will be documented through drawings and photos. Students will notice changes in their plants and measure their growth using concrete materials. This green house experience helps children make the connection that seeds grow into unique plants with different attributes.

In the first six weeks of school, teachers and students develop a classroom promise together. The promise, or contract, clearly states the behavior expectations to successfully function as a community of learners. How are we going to learn together?

Teachers and students develop the promise together and discuss what each component looks like, sounds like and feels like. How does it feel when someone uses kind words? What does a safe body look like? What does it sound like when someone uses words to solve a problem?

Young children require repeated practice and modeling of desired behaviors and adults consistently reinforce expectations as students internalize skills. Teachers often review the promise with the class (especially in the beginning of the school year) and refer to it as needed with individual children. In some classrooms, student “sign” the agreements

The Wintonbury Early Childhood Magnet School uses the Creative Curriculum® for preschool aged
children. Rooted in theory and research, this curriculum’s foundation provides guidelines for best practice in early childhood education. Our highly qualified teaching staff provides a nurturing, language rich learning environment for young children.

Why play?
Play is the work of children. Theory tells us that young children need concrete, hands-on experiences to build knowledge. Research also informs us that long periods of uninterrupted play with peers and adults promotes self-regulation. Children that can focus, control emotions, and transition easily through their day have higher success rates both socially and academically. During play young children manipulate and act upon their environment. Coupled with meaningful child-adult interactions, young children are able to learn new concepts and explore new ideas through play.

Classroom Environment:

Teachers spend a great deal of time creating inviting and stimulating environments for young children. Teachers develop activities and experiences from careful observations and their understanding of child development. Intentionally planned environments take into account the varied needs, abilities and interests of each child.

How We Teach:

Preschool teachers use a variety of instructional strategies when working with young children. The foundation of our practice is in developing strong relationships with children and families. Effective classroom management creates environments where children feel safe to explore and try new ideas. These questions and ideas drive the curriculum. Teachers engage in learning with children through effective questioning and meaningful dialogue. Simultaneously, teachers infuse 48 goals and objectives for young children’s learning.

Click this link for more information on Creative Curriculum.

Pictures below are from Mrs. Rushlow's Classroom (room 306) of children playing.

At Wintonbury we consider a child’s parent their first and most important teacher. Language acquisition and strong vocabulary are important foundations for later academic

success. As parents you can give your child a great head start by simply talking to your son or daughter about everyday things.

Here are some interesting facts:

· Did you know that the size of a preschooler’s vocabulary is a strong predictor of his/her future academic success?

· Did you know that some children have heard 30 million more words than others by the time they are 3 years-old?

· Did you know that the majority of brain development happens in early childhood? A child’s brain has reached 60% of its adult brain weight by the age of only 6 months!?

· Did you know that at age five 85% of a person’s intellect, personality and social skills are developed?

· Did you know that parents and caregivers can stimulate a child’s brain to make the
development of trillions of synapses by playing, talking children?

Working together, parents and teachers can support young children to develop critical oral language and literacy skills. These skills help prepare children to learn to read. Reading to your child every night and asking open ended questions throughout the story is a great way to create opportunities for conversations. Try asking some of these questions when reading a book tonight and be sure to give your child time to answer:

· What if . . . ?

· What do you think will happen?

· Why do you think that?

· I wonder what he/she is thinking?

· How could you . . . ?

· Tell me about . . .

Research shows us that the quantity and quality of words used when talking with young children develops their language, reading and writing abilities; improves their ability to problem-solve; and prepares them effectively for school.(Blakeslee, 1997) The importance of vocabulary development extends far beyond reading comprehension; it is a key component in achieving positive
outcomes related to IQ scores, socio-emotional health, and school readiness among others.(Hart &
Risley, 1995)

Here are some additional vocabulary building ideas from NAEYC.

Resources / Publications / Teaching Young Children / February/March 2014 / Message in a Backpack™ Talk It Up

Describe what you are doing: I’m putting the food out for breakfast. I made scrambled eggs because we all like them. There is some tangerine juice to drink. Tangerine juice tastes a lot like orange juice that you think is so yummy.

Talk about what your child is doing: Look how high you made that LEGO skyscraper. Let’s count how many pieces are in your construction.

Read aloud to your child every day: What do you think it means that the spider wriggled and jiggled andtickled inside the old lady?

Narrate your adventures in the car, at the grocery store, or on a walk: Look how many plums are in the bin. They are all round and purple,except for this one on top.

Ask your child open-ended questions and give him time to respond: What was your favorite part of our trip to the zoo?

Sing with children to introduce and reinforce new vocabulary: After we read the book I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed a Fly, we can sing the song.

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Some nice offerings from Bloomfield Public Libraries. For a full list of offerings, check out their website:https://bplct.org/