Literacy BackPacks

On Monday the staff of the Burlington Integrated Preschool spent the day putting together take home literacy backpacks. The students will have the opportunity to bring home a backpack. Each backpack will have several theme related children's books in them as well as ideas for questions or activities to complete with your child after reading the books. The goal of the program is that each child will bring home a backpack a couple of times a month. The backpack will go home on Thursday night and will be returned on Tuesday. When you have a backpack at home take some time and read the books with your child. Use the prompts to ask questions about the story. This will do several things, develop listening and comprehension skills, vocabulary development and oral language skills. Most importantly it's a special one-on-one time to spend with your child cuddling and reading great literature.

Taking home a backpack is a big responsibility and we will need your help in support in keeping this program running smoothly. When it's your weekend to have a backpack we ask that you take extra special care of the books and make sure they are not destroyed while in your care. We ask that the books are returned in the same condition they were sent to you. We realize that overtime they will become worn, but if we all work together to take good care of the books they will last a long time. It will also be very important that you return your backpacks on a Tuesday. This will ensure that another family can get them on Thursday. Keep in mind that the children will be excited to take backpacks home and if they are not returned promptly they can't go back out.

We are very excited about this home backpack program and feel that it's a great addition to our strong literacy curriculum. Please keep in mind that this program is new and will be a work in progress. We welcome your comments, suggestions and thoughts about the program. When you have a backpack for the weekend share with us what worked and didn't work and what you enjoyed and didn't like that much. The goals is to always make the program stronger and we can only do that with your input.

We hope that you enjoy your backpacks and are as excited about them as we are.

Reminder

The Burlington Integrated Preschool will be closed on Monday September 27, 2010 for a staff development day. The staff will be working on and creating thematic home literacy backpacks. We will share more information on this in the following weeks.

New Policy

Due to the significant increase in food allergies the Burlington Integrated Preschool will be instituting a new policy. We will no longer celebrate any types of events with food, including birthday celebrations. A student's special day will be acknowledged with a birthday crown and singing only. By creating this new policy it will ensure the safety of all students but most importantly, all students will have the opportunity to participate in the celebrations.

Flashing Lights

We need your help and support at pick up and drop off times. We continue to have a significant problem with people passing the buses and vans while the red lights are flashing. It is illegal to pass the buses or vans when the lights are flashing. The bus/van drivers can and will write your plate number down and turn it over to the police departments. If they do this you will receive a ticket in the mail for $200.00, for the first offense.

F.Y.I

1st offense: $200.00 fine

2nd offense: Fine and suspension of license

3rd offense: Permanent loss of license

Home School Connections

We're reading books and talking about families at school. We hope you'll take some time to talk about families at home, too.
The following activities are things that you can do to help your child learn. We hope that you can complete some of the activities. The activities can be done in any order. The goal is to reinforce at home what your child is learning at school. Most importantly have fun!

Show your child his or her baby pictures. Talk about them together.
Tell your child about something that happened to you when you were little
Sing the alphabet song together
Take you child to the library. Choose books to read together. Some suggestions that go along with unit 1: Abuela by Arthur Dorros, A Birthday Basket for Tia by Pat Mora, Brothers & Sisters by Ellen B. Senisi, A Chair for My Mother by Vera B. Williams, Julius, the Baby of the World by Kevin Henkes
Let your child help set the table. Talk about colors, shapes and colors.
Ask your child to help you make a sandwich for lunch. Talk about each step
Count the people in your family. Use your finger to keep a tally count
Read a book. Point to things in the pictures as you read them in the story.
Have a scavenger hunt in your home. find things that can stretch, grow or make noise.
Look at family pictures together. Talk about the people in your family.
Keep a list called "Things I Can Do By Myself." Let you child decide what to add to the list day by day.
Trace your child's hands and label the drawing with his or her name. Then let your child trace your hands.
Call a family member. Say the numbers and point to them on the phone. Let your press them.
Measure your child by taping a strip of paper to the wall and marking it over time.
Play house. Let your child decide who the baby and who is the mommy or daddy.
Help your child write his or her name. Decorate it and hang it on the door of your child's room.
Turn off the car radio and talk with your child as you drive.
If there's a baby in your family, name baby items as you shop. Talk about what babies need.