October 15, 2021
Dear PAWS Families,
The students at PAWS are settling into their classroom routines and schedules. Fall is officially here and the leaves have turned from green to red, yellow and orange! Each classroom has been talking about the colors we see outside and about the vegetables we often see at this time of year, especially pumpkins! I have seen signs of autumn in every classroom with crunchy leaves in the sensory tables; farm stands, pumpkins and gourds in the dramatic play areas, and apple trees where students can pick their own apples! There are paintings of orange pumpkins, fall leaves and apple prints decorating our walls. I hope you and your family are able to get outside and enjoy nature and the beauty of New England in autumn together!
Parent/Teacher Conferences:
We are looking forward to the fall Parent/Teacher conferences which we are happy to announce are allowed to be in person this year! Save the dates of October 27 and November 2 & 3 and be on the lookout for more information from your child’s classroom teacher about how you may sign up for your parent/teacher conference on one of those dates. If an in-person conference is not convenient for you, you may request to meet via Zoom or telephone. Just let your child’s teacher know what is best for you.
Please note: Tuesday, November 2, 2021 is an early release day for all students due to Parent/Teacher Conferences. PK4 Puppies will dismiss at 11:30 (no lunch bunch) and all other classrooms will dismiss at 11:45am. Please plan accordingly.
Halloween News:
Halloween may be an exciting time of year for many children and families, but not for all. As a reminder, traditionally PAWS does not celebrate Halloween and the preschoolers do not wear costumes to school. Please be respectful of this and save costumes for other events and venues outside of the school. PAWS students at the Fiske and Bates Schools will not wear costumes to school on Halloween either. Each preschooler may look forward to Kindergarten and being invited to wear a costume to school when they are older.
Many of our preschoolers do not yet understand the difference between real and make-believe. Some children have just become comfortable coming to school happily and independently and we want to ensure we keep the school and our classrooms a safe space for all children. We thank you for keeping your PAWS preschooler’s costume at home on Halloween. Feel free to reach out to me with any questions.
Spirit Days – October 28 & 29 – Wear Something Orange to School
Each month the children and staff are invited to participate in a “Spirit Day” where we celebrate a special color each month. We will celebrate our Spirited Color Days on the last Thursday and Friday of each month. This month we will celebrate the color ORANGE! If your child comes to school on Thursday and Friday, they can participate by wearing orange on both days if they want to, or opting to participate just on Friday.
Please help your child to pick out something to wear that is orange or has ORANGE on it. If your child doesn’t have something orange to wear, don’t worry! When they get to school their teacher can help them to make an orange crown or a badge to wear. We hope the children will have fun noticing all of the different shades, hues, and tones of ORANGE and will have fun looking for other ORANGE items in their surroundings, throughout the month, too. We welcome you to send in a photo of your child with something ORANGE they find in nature or at home!
School Picture Retake/Makeup Days
October 21 will be the School Picture Retake/Makeup Day! If your child missed picture day, they can get their photo taken on Thursday.
Tea with ‘Becca – a Space for Conversation, Connection, and Questions
October 21, 2021 – 11:00am-12:00pm – Join me via Zoom, along with other PAWS parents, to talk about preschool topics that are important to you. A zoom link to join the meeting will be sent separately on Wednesday.
Please complete THIS brief survey (it’s really quick) to indicate topics you might like to have addressed during Tea with ‘Becca in the future.
Talking About Race with Preschoolers
We have learned about a webinar from BU Wheelock, for families who may be interested in learning more about: Directly Addressing Bias and Stereotypes with Young Children and Families.
(See PAWS UP 10.16.21 Part 2 for the rest of the newsletter)