6401 Freedom Blvd.
Aptos, CA
(831) 662 - 8458

Blossoms: A newsletter for the family and friends of Rose Blossom Nursery School

November 2004

Dear Parents,

The Halloween Party was quite a big bash, with the children’s performance, a fabulous audience attendance, costumes, games, and a ghoulish and tasty potluck. The children were so happy after the party, most of those who stayed kept their costumes on for the remainder of the day. I have some photos, but they are still in my digital camera. I will distribute them when I get them out. If parents have usable or extra photos or videos of the event, please share them with us at school. Thanks!

Mary’s husband is having back surgery this month. She is taking a week off, and will be back on Friday, November 12. In the meantime, we are fortunate to have Bill and Nancy, two ECE experienced parents, to substitute for her in the art room, and throughout the day. The children are enjoying having different teachers, and I am thankful for the wonderful support!

The children are encouraged to talk about what they are thankful for this month. Two gems that came up today were, “I am thankful that my mom sweeps”, by Lauren, and “I am thankful that my mom put in new stairs”, by Gabrielle. There is much talk about thankfulness for friends, and toys, and moms. And this is just the first day! Look for the “Thankfulness Turkey” that we will have posted this month, for more student comments of thankfulness. Happy Thanksgiving!

—Sharon Rose, Director

Happy Birthday!

Kaya L. 11/17/99

Hayden M. 11/19/00

We celebrate the children's birthdays at school with a "walk around the sun" for the number of years of the birthday, and we sing happy birthday. We also help the birthday boy or girl make a birthday crown, which he or she can wear all day, and especially for our ceremonial ritual.

If the family wants to bring a treat in to contribute to the school celebration, we ask that it not add too much sugar to their diet. We have noticed some creative ideas, like sliced fruit, mini quick bread muffins, and even party favors, like small bubble bottles.

Monthly Themes

Numbers, Nutrition, Thanksgiving

This month we are taking a closer look at numbers. Singing counting songs and a number rock dance have got the children’s attention for counting and number recognition. We are also playing number bingo, writing numbers, and counting objects. Food is a favorite topic, and goes well with Thanksgiving, too. We are talking about favorite foods, grouping foods, how foods are grown and cooked, cutting out pictures of foods, singing silly food songs, and cooking. Good nutrition helps us to grow, be strong, and have energy for playing. The food pyramid shows which foods to eat the most, and which to eat the smallest amount, and the children are asking why…

With Thanksgiving, we talk about what we are thankful for, the pilgrim story, and the traditional Thanksgiving foods and celebration. Our monthly show, during which we sing songs based on the monthly themes, will take place during school time, instead of one big event. Parents, relatives, and friends are invited to join us at 10:00 AM on either Tuesday, November 23rd, or Wednesday, November 24th, for the 20 minute show. We hope to see you there!

Note: Parents are welcome to ask for a conference time to discuss their child’s experience and progress at school as seen by the teachers.

Tumbling Appreciation Day

Barry Brooks (aka Mr. Strawberry), to show his appreciation (thankfulness!), is having a party for Rose Blossom School! Everyone, all students, even those who are not enrolled in tumbling classes, are invited to this appreciation party on Friday, November 19th, from 1:00–2:00 PM. This is a non-tumbling event, but includes food and games. We hope to see you there! Mr. Strawberry is thankful for Rose Blossom School.

Parent Night Out

We are scheduling parent night out every other month. Based on parent feedback, we will set the day for Monday, November 15th from 7:00PM–8:00 PM at Rose Blossom School. If enough parents respond, and ask for childcare, we can add childcare to the evening. We can keep the event as an open forum, where parents bring issues that are of interest to them, to discuss and/or role play. Issues that have been suggested for this meeting are easy to make healthy food for kids, helping siblings be friends, reducing sibling fighting, “new baby” transition, and empathy. We can pick one or two topics for discussion and brainstorming ideas. Please RSVP to Sharon for Parent Night Out.

Rose Blossom School Calendar: November 2004

November 11	Veteran's Day	School is closed
November 19	Cooking Class	9:00–10:00 AM
November 19	Tumbling Appreciation Party	1:00–2:00 PM
November 23 and 24	Performance days	10:00 AM. Parents attend on one of those days, if possible, and leave after the 20 minute show. Thanks! (No potluck)
November 25 and 26	Thanksgiving holiday	School is closed.