Hello Yellow Duck Families,
I’d like to tell you about a time not so far back, that I struggled with my communication. I’m vertically challenged and I was often frustrated by this. When I couldn’t reach an item on a high shelf I’d say something like, “I can’t reach this”. Most times, my husband or son would come to the rescue and help. A few years back, my husband finally said to me after one such instance, “You’re telling me your problem, what’s the solution?” In other words he was saying, “USE YOUR WORDS LADY”. He was correct. I wasn’t using my words to ask for help and everyone knows we can’t read each other’s minds (even though we think others should 😉). Being a little too independent, that was hard for me to do but I’ve gotten better at asking for help.
Like myself, many of the Ducks started out the year with problem statements like:
“My water is all gone.”
“They won’t stop chasing me.”
“I can’t get this marker top off.”
We didn’t fix their problem (which would have been much easier), but we said to them, “That’s a problem, what do you think could be a solution?” At first they really didn’t know how to solve their problem. We walked each one through their dilemma and now we hear less and less problem statements and see them using words to create solutions. It’s still hard for some, but over the next few months they will become comfortable using the tools we’ve given them. Try noticing at home if they are stating problems and then before solving their issue, ask them what they think might be a good solution.
After finishing the Old Testament in November, we have moved on to the New Testament. Of course, the timing for starting the New Testament was aligned with the Christmas season and why it’s celebrated. However, this week we took some time and looked at Hanukkah and how it relates to the Old Testament. We didn’t dive deep into the details of the season, but looked at the ways people who follow the Old Testament still celebrate it today. We looked at photos of the food served during this season and shared some chocolate gelt coins which represents money that might be given as a gift. By the end of the year, we will have read through the whole Bible, discussing all of the wonders of it along the way!
We’ve used patterning in our art area to make beaded candy canes. We’ve seen the AB and ABC patterns used. Math and art do go together!
We had our class Christmas celebration Wednesday. We made a snowman with air dry clay and then decorated it, complete with a scarf and hat! We ended our festivities with cookie decorating. Everyone had free rein over the frosting choices and the sprinkles. A huge thank you to our parent rep, Erica Gaskins (Jackson’s mom) for organizing and collecting the supplies for our fete. Thank you to Emilie Olsen (Micah’s mom) and Kristin Waitkus (Lucy’s mom), for helping to prepare, and to assist our Ducks with anything they needed on this day. We were blessed indeed!
CHRISTMAS CONCERT… Wed, Dec. 18 at 9:30 for our annual CCP Christmas Concert in the Sanctuary. Each class will sing a song or two and we will tell the Christmas story. It is our gift to you! Take your child to their classroom at 9:00 and find a seat in the sanctuary. We will begin at 9:30. Right after, everyone will go home and start their Christmas break. 🎄 Please keep in mind that you may need to park in the municipal lots around Southern Village since the whole school will be assembled.
If your child will not be here for any of the days next week, please let us know. We have gifts they have made for you and some Christmas art that will be sent home probably on Tuesday. Reply where it says “CLICK HERE to email Shelly directly”.
Enjoy the weekend!
Ms. Shelly & Ms. Carina