GTECC

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FEBRUARY’S NEWSLETTER

2017

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CLASSROOM COLLAGE

We are delighted to welcome Ms. Crehan to the Red Wing while Mrs. Chranowski is away! There is a lot of excitement happening in the classes of

Ms. Lipinski, Mrs. Martin, Miss Rigby, Mr. O’Brien, Mrs. Otto and Ms. Crehan in February! February may be the shortest month, but we have many activities planned! We will be discussing Groundhog’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Abraham Lincoln, and George Washington, as we also continue discussing the season of winter. Our friends from CAP will visit us and share how to be safe, strong, and free. We will also be celebrating the 100th day of school. We will participate in many different 100th day activities in our classrooms. Let’s not forget all the reading and writing we will be doing, learning our sight words, and counting to 100.

Please continue reading to your child, helping them with their letters, sounds, sight words and counting to 100. Knowing sight words, letters and their sounds will make your child much more successful in their journal writing and guided reading. Thank you for all the home support! We truly appreciate all that you do!

Winter in the Preschool Disabled Classrooms has been quite eventful. The children have enjoyed learning about the elements of winter. They have worked on sizes and body part recognition through snowman activities. The children have also been introduced to winter weather and snow!!!!!!!!!!! One of the highlights of winter was the Rick Charette Concert. Rick always finds a way to brighten this

time of year for the children and staff too! All the children enjoyed singing and dancing to many of his

songs!! Keep warm and enjoy this last few weeks of winter weather!

The boys and girlsin Mrs. Blome/

Mrs. Mickelson, Mr. Gerwald/Mrs. Doak, Mrs. Kozlowski and Mrs. White/

Mrs. Leimbergare busy counting up to the 100th day of school. There will be many special events such as songs, snacks, and crafts on the special 100th day. Dr. Dave will also be visiting our school to tell us about caring for our teeth. In addition, the children will be having fun learning about Arctic Animals such as penguins and walruses. Celebrations continue as the children make several Valentine Crafts, and exchange Valentines. This short month of course also includes learning about Abraham Lincoln and George Washington as we celebrate their birthdays. Through our classroom magazine, ‘Let’s Find Out’, we will also be studying Rosa Parks’ bus ride. What a busy month!

February brings big excitement in the classes of

Miss Bucci, Ms. Dillard, Miss Drummond and

Mrs. Lamanna. We explored the legend of the groundhog and the excitement of the Super Bowl. As Valentine’s Day comes we have fun showing friends we care. We enjoy making projects as we celebrate that loving holiday. The 100th day of school is approaching quickly. To get ready for the 100th day fun, we practice counting and moving to 100. We will be learning about Abraham Lincoln, George Washington and naming our current president. February also brings the discussion of proper Dental Health, an important issue. We want to take care of our teeth as part of having a healthy body. Our friends from CAP came and taught us how to be Safe, Strong and Free! Ask your child to tell you about their visit. The excitement goes on as we continue to learn to write, hear and recognize the letters/sounds of the alphabet as we read books and write. We’re writing, sorting, matching numbers, making groups of 10 and learning 3D shapes. We are learning so much, the time in our class is just flying by. Thank you for returning our guided reading books. Keep reading with your child!

THE LITERACY CENTER

This year our youngest learners are writing every day during “Writers Workshop”. For the first marking period students have been engaged in the genre of narrative, or personal narrative, writing. Personal narrative is telling the big and small stories of our lives. It is especially well suited for Kindergarten students because they are already natural-born storytellers. When they walk into the classroom, they can’t wait to share what’s happened to them, how they feel, and what they wish for. They never get tired of hearing stories about themselves and their family, and they enjoy learning the stories of others. Personal narrative is typically the easiest, most natural form of writing for children because the stories are already complete inside of them, enabling the words to flow more easily onto the paper. We encourage families to capitalize on what your child is doing independently to help them grow as writers at home. Families can:

  • Provide an assortment of writing materials; such as pens, pencils, markers, journals, etc.
  • Encourage storytelling by showing a picture and having your child tell a story about it.
  • Respond to what your child writes, not how they write.
  • Praise your child’s work.
  • Encourage your child to write the sound they hear in long words, but do not expect your child to spell every world correctly.
  • Instill a love of writing.

LIBRARY LIFE

During the month of February, Mrs. DeAngelis continues working with the theme Bears. The Book ‘TheThree Bears’ by Paul Galdone was read and the students continued the retelling through the technique Reader’s Theatre. It was amazing how the students were able to use the various voices of the characters from the great big bear to the wee little bear. To finish off the month of February, the students were invited to participate in GTECC’s annual Who’s Got Talent! This activity followed the reading of Dooby Dooby Moo by Doreen Cronin. The story tells about animals, on Mr. Brown’s farm, who prepare every night to enter a talent contest. After the reading, students were encouraged to sing their favorite song, recite a nursery rhyme or even do a dance. It was an exciting time in the GTECC’s library this month.

Just a reminder that all library books are to be returned every week. If your child does not return his/her library book, a notice will be sent home. If for some reason the book is damaged or lost, you can send in a check made out to GTECC or cash to cover the replacement cost of the book.

KINDERGARTEN TECHIES

The Computer classes with Ms. Soulliard,

Ms. Kersznowski and Mrs. DeAngelis are finishing up their word document project. With that accomplished, we shall begin “coding”. Coding is the way we tell computers to do all the helpful things they do for us. We will begin to learn to code by starting with a short, simple program. When the students have gotten a handle on it, I will list the website on my teacher page.

SPEAKING OF SPEECH

Parents- Are you looking for that extra incentive to quit smoking? Many times we don’t know why a child’s speech is delayed, but we do know that more children with frequent ear infections have delayed speech. Also, we now know that children residing in homes where one or both parents smoke have a higher incidence of ear infections and upper respiratory infections. So, if you needed that extra reason to quit smoking, you have it!

I have been busy with my students learning about Valentine’s Day and all about our famous Americans. Many children are mastering some sounds and moving on to new sounds. Other children are improving their ability to answer questions from a story read or follow directions while learning new vocabulary or new concepts. Reading a book to your child is a great way to ask him or her questions about what happened or what will happen, before you turn the page. You can also have them tell you what happened in the beginning, the middle and the end of the story. Still another way to help your child when reading a book is to practice their grammar skills when they are telling the story back to you. Remember that your child’s speech homework is a way for you to know what things they are working on in speech classes but also very valuable practice in speeding up their acquisition of those new sounds, directions, concepts, vocabulary, questions or grammar. The more you practice with your child, the faster you will see them progress. As always, I appreciate your homework support and entrusting your children to my care.

SPECIAL SPECIALS

February is American Heart month!

Thank you for all your help to raise money for the American Heart Association. The children in

Mrs. Laczkowski’s Physical Education classes have been enjoying learning healthyfacts about heart health and exercises they can do to keep their heart healthy and strong. Collection Envelopes are due: February 15th

In Mrs. Stracciolini’s Art class the children finished their Greek Vases using scratch paper and wood sticks. They went on to learn about warm colors and painted a beautiful summer sun using Do-A-Dot paints. We are now finishing up our Castles of France and all the pictures came lovely. The children learned some quick ways to draw bricks and worked on their coloring skills. Some of them even learned how to draw a stained glass window. We are now learning our Primary Colors and will be working on a Mondrian Heart in the next couple of weeks using our scented markers. Our District Art Show will be Tuesday March 21st at the High School. Look on the District page to find out the details. A few Art projects from each class will be chosen for this show. I will send a note home if your child was chosen for this show. Please know that every child will have a piece of Art hung in our hallways during Special Endings Celebrations which is our School’s Art Show at GTECC. I hope everyone comes out to enjoy the evening of Art in March!

This month the student’s in Mrs. Sebastiani’s Music classes are singing songs for Valentine's Day, "My Valentine" and "Little and Lots". Students can find fun Valentine’s Day songs on We will also start practicing our songs for the annual Read Across America Day. We will read stories and sing songs about Dr. Seuss. Our two songs will be "Read Across America" and "Dr. Seuss We Love You". Students will be ready to perform these songs atthe school Pep Rally on March 2nd. If you'd like to learn more about Read Across America and Dr. Seuss, you can go online to

EXCITING ESL

ESL – Extraordinarily Smart Learners

This month has been filled with a lot of growth! Many children are mastering sounds and moving on to new sounds. Other children are improving their ability to answer questions about stories read to them as well as follow directions while learning new vocabulary and new concepts. Reading a book to your child is a great way to ask him or her questions about what happened or what will happen. You can also have them tell you what happened in the beginning, the middle and the end of the story. Another way to help your child when reading a book is to practice their grammar skills when they are retelling the story back to you. Remember that your child’s speech/ESL homework is a way for you to know what things they are working on in speech/ESL classes, but also very valuable practice in speeding up their acquisition of those new sounds, directions, concepts, vocabulary, questions and grammar. As always, we appreciate and thank you for your support!

COUNSELOR’SCORNER

Greetings! There will be 2 classroom guidance lessons in February. The first lesson teaches the children about “Big Deals & Little Deals” and what to do when they happen. It is a problem solving lesson; teaching the kids’ strategies for solving little deals, like when a classmate is bothering them or hurts their feelings. We’ll talk about how anything that hurts their body, is dangerous, or makes them feel worried or afraid, is a Big Deal and needs to be reported to a grown up right away. In the second guidance lesson we will be talking about Hurtful vs. Helpful Words. We will be doing an activity where the children get to talk about a time when someone said something that hurt their hearts. We will write the hurtful words on a paper heart. We will talk about how when someone says something hurtful it feels like your heart is being crumpled. The children will pass the paper heart around and crumple it. I then explain that sometimes, the person who said the words may not have meant it, or they might say they’re sorry and that might make your heart feel better. I then un-crumple the heart and smooth it out as much as possible. Then I ask the kids what they notice about the heart. It looks much better, but it is still crumpled a little. No matter how hard you try, it is never going to be the same as it was before it got crumpled. It’s the same with our own hearts. Although it definitely makes someone feel better when you apologize after saying hurtful words, it is much better to never say them at all! We will also be reading a story calledThe Little Bully by Beth Bracken. As always, please don’t hesitate to call with any issues or concerns regarding your child at (856)227-1303 ext.4425.

NURSE NOTES

Please remember to call your child out when they are absent. Call 856-227-1303 press 1 for attendance. You can leave a message on the answering machine anytime. Per our School Policy, your child needs to be fever free for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medicine before returning to school. If your child is vomiting or has diarrhea, please keep them home for 24 hours after it has stopped. This reduces the spread of illness. Thanks you! February is Dental Health Month. Dr. Dave the Dentist will visit on Wednesday February 8th to teach our children about their teeth.

HOME & SCHOOL HAPPENINGS

The groundhog predicted six more weeks of winter. Who is ready for that, I know I am not. However soon the weather will change from cold to hot and the school year will be dwindling down. In the meantime, there are lots of fun things to look forward to from the HSC. Let’s start with thanking everyone who participated in our Carrabba’s event and helping with fingerprinting. We are grateful for your help and support. Just a quick reminder Valentine’s day is approaching if you plan on sending cards in with your child remember to have enough for everyone. We have another Bounce U event coming up on February 22nd from 6 to 8pm. In March there will be a chance to volunteer for

Dr. Seuss day, a book Fair and Yankee Candle sale. More information will come home for these events at a later time. As always, we appreciate your support! Please visit our Facebook page for more information and upcoming events at: GTECC Home and School Council. You can also find information on our website at If you have any questions for the executive board please email me at .

Thank you!

PRINCIPAL’S POST SCRIPT

In this newsletter, I would like to address curriculum and instruction at Grenloch Early Childhood Center. At Grenloch, we do, of course, implement the curriculum as it has been written, under the direction of our curriculum department and as approved by the board of education. Kindergarten is represented on every curriculum committee and whenever a content area is updated, we are included and have a staff member who is part of the writing. All three kindergarten sites follow the same curriculum. Our preschool follows the ‘Tools of the Mind’, as approved by the board, and provides instruction in keeping with each child’s individualized educational plan. What does that look like when you follow best practice instruction in kindergarten or preschool? Much of what we do in early childhood is based on the work of Lev Vygotsky and the concept of the Zone of Proximal Development. This is finding that ‘just right’ place where children are in their skill development so each child can benefit from instruction without being bored or frustrated. It is the concept behind our writing and reading program in Kindergarten. In Preschool this philosophy is seen in our Play Planning (early writing), Science Eyes, Share the News or Buddy Reading. You also see it in measuring objects in math with non-conventional measures, like paper clips or bricks, as well as many other practices and routines in both preschool and kindergarten.In order for the child to benefit from such instruction, they need careful planning, support and feedback from the teacher. They need to try their wings at the task and then get feedback from the adult. Sharing their work, such as reading back what they wrote in kindergarten or explaining their play plan in preschool (with the level of support needed for success) is part of that process. Each child receives immediate feedback to understand what they did correctly and the teacher can later teach a mini lesson on the skills still developing. In guided reading, the teacher may support the instruction with a ‘walk through’ of the text with the children, direct instruction of new vocabulary, review prior vocabulary, model the reading and support the discussion and comprehension development afterward. In ‘Share the News’ the preschool teacher first models the expectation and then pairs the children who follow the model with guidance from an adult. In our math example of the use of non-conventional items in measuring, the concept of measuring is explored first. The children begin by measuring items, often working with a partner using non-conventional items to measure and a clipboard where they record the results. They share results with their partner and compare with friends and in a class meeting. Of course the teacher has not only carefully planned and modeled the expectation, but also facilitates the entire process. Then, when ready, the teacher makes the transition to the conventional measures and references back to the known, non- conventional measurement as the concept as a whole is further understood and explored. Our curriculum materials are developmentally appropriate and are based on the principles of best practice in early childhood instruction. Self-regulation, or executive functioning, is another part of what we teach in our best practice model. We have learned a lot about this from our adoption of ‘Tools of the Mind’ in our preschool and we have been able to apply this information to our kindergarten as well. Basically, being able to control one’s actions develops over time. Being able to hold a thought or an idea or a direction in one’s temporal memory develops over time. This impacts not only behavior but organizational skills and responses to oral directions, just to name a few. We implement activities that help children in developing and practicing these new skills, a skill which hits a burst of natural development around the ages of 7-9. It reminds me of a phone call I received many years ago asking me why we didn’t teach the children to raise their hands in kindergarten. Of course, we do! But the skill continues to develop and needs continuing instruction and practice. Learning to hold your thought in your head while raising your hand and not calling out until called on takes a measure of self-control as well as the development of the temporal memory; it is part of executive functioning. When children naturally develop the skill between 7 and 9, it is both part of the focused instruction at home and at school, and part of the natural development of the child. You see, everything we accomplishwith our children is a team effort; we are a team within Grenloch; we are a team with the parents, and Grenloch is part of a kindergarten team within our district and of the district at large. We are all part of the success our children experience at each level.