Gretchen's House - Dhu Varren http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com The latest news and notes from our house to yours. Wed, 22 Feb 2012 15:15:03 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Railroad Preschool: March calendar of events http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-preschool-march-calendar-of-events/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-preschool-march-calendar-of-events/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:22:48 +0000 Laurie Sheibels http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4213 Parents and families,
February has been a great month. We welcomed Riku to the Fish group and we are happy to say that Max will be returning from China and will rejoin Laurie’s Frog group on February 28th.

Here is a list of March’s important dates:

March 7 – Matthew is 4
March 8 – Tammy Holley 9:15 and 9:45
March 9-16 – Laurie will be on vacation — Ryan will be her sub for most of the week
March 12 – Kieran is 4, Rona is 4
March 13 – Jackson is 4
March 13 – Drummunity 9-11:30
March 16 – Irish Dancers perform 4:00
March 19 – Tammy Holley 9:15 and 9:45
March 20 – Tornado Drill 4:15
March 25 – Angelina is 3
March 29 – Fire Drill 10:15

-Laurie

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-preschool-march-calendar-of-events/feed/ 0 Pond Infants and Toddlers: Birthdays and Warm Welcomes! http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-month-of-march/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-month-of-march/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 21:17:39 +0000 Jamie Halliday http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4207 Hello families,

This month, we will be welcoming back Katie from her maternity leave! She will return to work on Thursday, March 1st. We will also be welcoming her son, Michael to the Cozy Cove! How exciting!

We will also be celebrating a few birthdays as well!

Weston and Nora will celebrate their second Birthday on Friday, March 2nd!

Henry will celebrate his second Birthday on Monday, March 12th.

Lastly, Katherine will celebrate her first Birthday on Saturday, March 31st!

We wish them all a very Happy Birthday!

Have a great week!

-Pond I/T Staff

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-month-of-march/feed/ 0 Pond Preschool – March 2012 Dates http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-preschool-march-2012-dates/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-preschool-march-2012-dates/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:56:15 +0000 Harmony Smargon http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4195 Here are the March dates – Please make note of them!

  • 3/5  -  Tammy Holley Time 9:00-10:00 (wear your tennis shoes)
  • 3/13 – *Drummunity 9:00-11:30 for more information visit http://www.drummunity.com/
  • 3/16 – *Irish Dancers 4:00-4:30
  • 3/19 – Happy 4th Birthday to Reid!!
  • 3/20 – Tornado Drill 4:15
  • 3/22 – Tammy Holley Time 9:00-10:00 (wear your tennis shoes)
  • 3/29 – Fire Drill 10:15

*Drummunity and the Irish Dancers are two special events being presented to us this month. Please check out the link to Drummunity. This will be a hands-on experience for the preschoolers. The Irish Dancers are a group of older children (5-12)  who come and perform their dance numbers for us. They bring a little bit of Irish culture for us to enjoy. Along with the dancing, they bring a fiddler to play their music. As always, we will be following your child’s lead and if they are not interested in joining the group there will be other options available for them.

~Harmony

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-preschool-march-2012-dates/feed/ 0 Pond Preschool – Week of February 13 – Week of February 20 http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-preschool-week-of-february-13-20/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-preschool-week-of-february-13-20/#comments Tue, 21 Feb 2012 20:49:53 +0000 Harmony Smargon http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4174 The last couple of weeks the children have been working on a lot of different things.  In the pictures that follow you will see evidence of the following KDI’s (Key Developmental Indicators).

  • Initiative:  Children demonstrate initiative as they explore their world.
  • Planning:  Children make plans and follow through on their intentions.
  • Problem solving:  Children solve problems encountered in play.
  • Self-identity: Children have a positive self-identity.
  • Sense of competence: Children feel they are competent.
  • Building relationships:  Children build relationships with other children and adults.
  • Cooperative play:  Children engage in cooperative play.
  • Fine-motor skills:  Children demonstrate dexterity and hand-eye coordination in using their small muscles.
  • Vocabulary: Children understand and use a variety of words and phrases.
  • Phonological awareness:  Children identify distinct sounds in spoken language.
  • Alphabetic knowledge:  Children identify letter names and their sounds.
  • Concepts about print:  Children demonstrate knowledge about environmental print.
  • Shapes:  Children identify, name and describe shapes.
  • Spatial awareness:  Children recognize spatial relationships among people and objects.
  • Patterns:  Children identify, describe, copy, complete, and create patterns.
  • Data analysis:  Children us information about quantity to draw conclusions, make decisions and solve problems.
  • Art:  Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through two-and three- dimensional art.
  • Classifying:  Children classify materials, actions, people, and events.
  • Experimenting:  Children experiment to test their ideas.

~Harmony

On sharing day, Abby shared some music and taught a "dance class." Adam makes a creation using Scrap Box material. Noelle practices learning to use scissors. Sand....SO many options of how to use it. Emma works on spreading cream cheese on her bagel. Ashley uses scissors to finish her project. Bella uses stickers to make her card "special." Hailey works on writing. Isaya and Ashley have fun dressing up Davis measures sand. Bella works on writing. Nico and Kanata work with glue and staplers. Manami and Ashar "take a trip." Adam writes his name in the paint bag. Ryan sorts out block shapes to add to his creation.

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-preschool-week-of-february-13-20/feed/ 0 Pond Infants and Toddlers: Reminders for the week of February 20, 2012 http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-week-of-february-20-2012/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-week-of-february-20-2012/#comments Thu, 16 Feb 2012 17:36:09 +0000 Jamie Halliday http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4052 Hello Families,

This week the children will be exercising their bodies with Tammy Holley on Thursday, February 21 at 10:30 and 11:00.

Amelia will also be celebrating her birthday on Friday, February 24!

Have a great week!

-Pond I/T Staff

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-week-of-february-20-2012/feed/ 0 Railroad Toddler Indoor Water Play http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-toddler-indoor-water-play/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-toddler-indoor-water-play/#comments Tue, 14 Feb 2012 18:42:13 +0000 Megan Haight http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4148 Jessica’s family group asked Megan’s family group to join them for an activity. The children have been very interested in the sink lately, so we planned water play to give them a chance to splash and play. The children used colanders and funnels to move the soapy water in the table.  They scooped the water into the accessories, then interacted with the bubbles that were left.  Sometimes when we plan activities, the children may not want to participate. Henry decided he did not want to get wet, so he moved over to the couch to climb and read books!

KDIs: Exploring Space, Relating to Another Child KDIs: Communicating Interest Nonverbally, Exploring Space KDIs: Expressing Initiative, Moving the Whole Body ]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-toddler-indoor-water-play/feed/ 0 Railroad Toddlers Morning Activities http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-toddlers-morning-activities/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-toddlers-morning-activities/#comments Sun, 12 Feb 2012 21:58:06 +0000 Megan Haight http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4144 Greetings Families,

Each day, the Toddler Teachers come together to plan activities for the following day.  As we do this, we are taking into consideration the current interests of the children, as well as the Key Developmental Indicators (KDIs), which assist us in planning a variety of activities that support development.

A handful of these activities take place in the morning during Large Group, Small Group, and Work Time.  As the children are engaged in these activities, the teachers are collecting anecdotes of what the children are doing.  You will see a collection of these anecdotes in your child’s portfolio, which you will receive at conferences in the spring. This programming starts at approximately 9 a.m. If you’d like your child to participate in the full morning routine please arrive by that time.  Of course you’re welcome anytime you arrive!

If you have any questions, please let me or your family group teacher know.

Thank you,
Megan  Haight

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-toddlers-morning-activities/feed/ 0 Young Fives Upcoming Events for February 2012 http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/young-fives-upcoming-events-for-february-2012/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/young-fives-upcoming-events-for-february-2012/#comments Fri, 10 Feb 2012 21:07:54 +0000 Leanna Holman http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4126 Hi Everyone,

Below are our classroom events for February. Please let Betsy and Ryan know if you have any questions!

No Public School:
February 20-24th Is a No Public School Week. The Ann Arbor Public Schools are closed this week so we will have a full classroom these five days! There will be no rest time these days but we will have a quiet choice time.

Special Events for the No Public School Week:

February 20th Pajama and Movie Day! Your child can wear their comfy pjs to school this day! We will be watching a movie in the afternoon.
February 21st Afternoon Sledding Field Trip to Sugarbush Park 1:30-3:30pm(weather permitting). We will return to the center by 3:30pm. If you bring a sled from home please make sure it is labeled with your child’s name. If weather is not permitting then we will go to the Malletts Creek Library for a mask making activity.
February 22nd Morning Field Trip to the Great Lakes Zoological Society- A World of Discovery. Please have your child here by 9:00am! We will return to the center around 12:30pm.
February 23rd Morning Field Trip to the Health Exploration Station in Canton. Please have your child here by 9:00am! We will return to the center around 12:00pm.
February 24th Fun activities and art projects in the classroom

Upcoming Events for February:

February 7th Fire Drill 4:15pm
February 9th Gym with Tammy Holley 11:15am-12:00pm
February 14th Lion’s Club Vision Screening at Gretchen’s House
February 20th -24th No Public School Week
February 28th Young 5′s Open House for 2012-2013 School Year

Happy Birthday this Month to…

February 12th Jacob
February 28th Eddie

Thank you,

-Ms. Leanna

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/young-fives-upcoming-events-for-february-2012/feed/ 0 Railroad Wing Sibling Interactions http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-wing-sibling-interactions/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-wing-sibling-interactions/#comments Mon, 06 Feb 2012 18:18:19 +0000 Megan Haight http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4139 The big windows on all of our doors allow the children to interact with their friends on the other side.  As you can see in the photo below, Alex and Ana, a preschooler and his younger sister, had the opportunity to do just that.  Even an interaction such as this can provide opportunities for learning!  Some of the KDIs achieved in this interaction are as follows: Expressing Initiative, Nonverbal Communication, Responding to the Feelings of Others. Luckily, we were able to capture this moment on camera!

Alex, a preschooler, interacts with his younger sister, Ana.

]]> http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/railroad-wing-sibling-interactions/feed/ 0 Pond Infants and Toddlers: Reminders for the week of February 6, 2012. http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-week-of-february-6-2012/ http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/%categoryname%/pond-infants-and-toddlers-reminders-for-the-week-of-february-6-2012/#comments Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:58:55 +0000 Jamie Halliday http://dhuvarren.gretchenshouse.com/?p=4047 Hello Families,

Monday, February 6 the toddlers will be exercising their bodies with Tammy Holley at 10:30 and 11:00!

We will also be practicing safety this week with a fire drill at 4:15 and celebrating Carrie and Misty’s Birthdays on Thursday, February 9!

Have a great week!

-Pond I/T Staff

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