The first month flew by! Children and staff are starting to settle into routines. Please continue to introduce yourself to staff when dropping off or picking up. We are working hard to learn all your names!
We have a lot planned for October…
CURRICULUM
Our theme this month will be BIRDS. I’m looking forward to seeing what creative crafts and activities the staff has come up with to teach more about our fine feathered friends.
FIELD TRIPS
Minnows: M 10/24/16 (Group B) or TH 10/27/16 (Group A) – Details coming soon!
Adventurers Group: Tuesday, October 4th – Connor’s Farm in Danvers
Explorers Group: Tuesday, October 18th – Castle Island in Boston.
CLASSES
3-5 Grade: Kids Cooking Green will be starting October 11th! We still have a few spots left! This is going to be a fabulous program. The kids will have a cooking lesson/project each week, a field trip to the Newton Community Farm, and host a dinner party for some special guests with the help of local chef/owners, Jakob and Fernanda White of Comedor Restaurant in Newton. What a terrific opportunity! Sign up at www.kidscookinggreen.com.
Information will go out in a week or so about our Ski/Snowboard program at Nashoba Valley.
Please note that if your child is attending one of the Newton Community Education classes held here at Peirce, you must fill out a release form indicating that your child will be arriving at the Program late. Let us know and we can e-mail the form to you.
SAVE THE DATE!!!
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 4TH – We’re hosting a Wine Tasting for PEDP parents! We have partnered with VinodiVino for this fun event. We’ll have delicious finger foods to eat and some fabulous wines for tasting. To make it even better, you can drop your kids (K-5) off with us while you are at the event! We’ll feed the kids dinner and show a movie. They’ll also have time to play board games and such. Information about how to sign up for this terrific event will be sent out soon.
MINNOWS MESSAGE from Kim Ryan, Minnows Coordinator
Early Minnows
The Early Minnows have been doing a great job learning all the routines, rules and expectations of PEDP. There is a lot of information given to them and they are handling it well! During our Community Service theme this month, the Early Minnows worked on “thank you” cards and sweet treats that I dropped off at the police station, flowers for a friend, sock dolls to give away and more random acts of kindness. What a great way to kick off the year! We plan on continuing these kinds of activities throughout the year. Keep an eye out for projects to start coming home! More information about our upcoming field trip will be sent out soon.
Reminder: 3:00 pick up for PEDP is at door #4 at the end of the driveway. In case of rain, we will stand just inside the door. Please make sure to sign out and also note the time.
Late Minnows
The Late Minnows have been very hard at work with Community Service projects and random acts of kindness. They have made nonslip socks as well as adorable cupcake socks to be sent to a nursing home. They have baked bread that was delivered to a shelter and made paper hugs to be sent to someone who may need one! Miss Emily has been trying out some new science experiments like bottle rockets–some worked and some didn’t! That’s the fun with science! The Late Minnows will be starting clubs on Tuesdays in October. Clubs will happen every Tuesday for the month. Each child will pick a club at the beginning of the month and they will remain in that club for the month. The clubs are: Ocean in an egg carton with Miss Laurie P, Cooking with Miss Emily, Board Games with Miss Kim, and Crafts for the Fair with Miss Kathy.
Homework should be starting soon for 1st graders. If you would like your child added to our homework list, please let me know. They have plenty of time after snack to get it done. If you have any questions, you can reach me at kim@peirceedp.com
BARRACUDA BUZZ from Joanne Malouf, Barracudas Coordinator
The Barracudas are off to a great start. Everyone has mastered the daily routine and is really settling in nicely. The community service theme has brought a wide variety of projects. Laurie F and a group of kids made sweet treats to give to the police department. She and the kids not in the Explorers delivered the treats on September 20. Chris has been busy teaching the kids about composting during his science time on Friday. A group of children helped me make paper flowers that will go in spool vases. We will deliver these to the Peirce teachers, a little something to brighten their day. Rachel K has been doing a variety of activities with the kids; getting to know them and the things they enjoy doing.
Homework – There is time every day for homework with the Barracudas. At the end of the day, quiet time is available in the library. We also have library during our first activity time on Tuesdays. Every day there is a block of time after snack, approximately 3:30-4:00 that is set aside for homework or quiet reading or drawing. At this time outside is also an option. The third graders are already in the routine of completing their homework during this time after snack. Typically, the second graders begin receiving homework at this point in the year. We expect more children will be working on their homework while at PEDP. Please speak with your child and decide what may work best for their homework needs. Let me know if you would like your child to complete homework at PEDP. We are happy to help remind your child and are available to offer homework support during the times listed above.
Explorers Program – The Explorers trip to the Farmer’s Market was a success! The kids did a great job walking to Cold Spring Park – 3 miles round trip! This group is definitely a group of shoppers. We are looking forward to our next trip to Castle Island.
Please feel free to contact me at joanne@peirceedp.com with questions or concerns about your child or the Barracuda Program.
SHARK TALES from Rachel Bastarache, Sharks Coordinator
We have had a wonderful first month in the Sharks program. We really dove into our community service theme with projects that went to nursing homes, neighbors, Peirce staff, service men/women, and the homeless. The Sharks and Barracudas concluded our community service month yesterday with a neighborhood trash clean-up.
Swimming on to the month of October, the Sharks will be doing different crafts and activities that follow our bird theme. We will be making birdhouses and feeders, masks and more. Mr. Sean will be keeping the Sharks busy with some outdoor games. I am pretty sure there will be some football games being played in preparation for the Sharks annual football game in November.
The Shark staff is planning a Spooktacular special event for Monday, October 31st. I will be sending more info about this event as we get closer to the date. It looks like we have another fun- filled month coming our way.
Have you met our two new Shark teachers, Ms. Deb and Ms. Kristeena? They dove right in and seem to be perfect additions to our group!
Please let me know if you have any question or concerns. You can email me any time at rachel@peirceedp.com
REQUESTS AND REMINDERS FOR ALL PARENTS…
* The Early Birds program ($10 per day) and extra hours ($12 per hour) are available to all families when needed. Just ask!
* Please remember that you must notify PEDP whenever your child will not be attending for the day. You may do this in person, by phone (617-332-5881), in writing, or via e-mail: kids@peirceedp.com There is a calling fee of $25 if the staff need to make phone calls to find out where your child is at attendance time.
* Let’s play it safe! Please DO NOT PARK IN THE DRIVEWAY to drop off or pick up your children.
* Want to know when all the upcoming events are for the year?!
- Check out our PEDP “Calendar-at-Glance” on our website! www.peirceedp.com
NO SCHOOL OR PEDP
Monday, October 3rd (Rosh Hashanah)
Monday, October 10th (Columbus Day)
Wednesday, October 12th (Yom Kippur)
Happy Pumpkin Carving!
Kathy
