OH WHAT A LOVELY TUNE IS 
The last month of Preschool is upon us already! Boy oh boy time flies when you're having fun!
We have 2 weeks left and a few special events happening so check out the important dates below!
UPCOMING EVENTS
FRI. JUNE 15TH - 4's Graduation
401-10:30am
402-12:00pm
403- 1:45pm
FRI. JUNE 15th - Last Day of Preschool
MON. JUNE 18th - Picnic at Mahon Park (201/301/401/403)
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
TUE. JUNE 19th - Picnic at Mahon Park (202/302/402)
- 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Our Summer Program is filling up fast! There are still some afternoon spots available! Tell your friends!
And check out what happened in our classrooms last month! You may be surprised to hear there were a few special visitors in the school!!
DISCOVERY TWOS - Arsi, Brita, Danielle, Susan & Vibha
It is hard to believe that school is almost
at the end. The Twos in September have grown from sad toddlers to engaging,
exploring and communicating Three Year Old’s.
They are now playing and talking with
friends. They are becoming so much more independent with their snacks, jackets,
bags, walking up & down the stairs and circle time.
In the month of May, we were very busy
talking about Mother’s Day & Jean’s Week.
After this we moved on to explore ‘Under the Sea’.
We read many exciting books like ‘Guess How
Much I Love You’ & ‘Just for You.' We
sang the ‘Skidamarink Song’ and listen to the felt rhyme ‘5 Little Owls’ &
5 Little Ducks.
For Under the Sea we read ‘Fish Wish’, ‘5
Little Sharks’ & ‘Best Dad in the Sea’. We played a guessing game to guess
Which Sea Creature Was Missing? & Which Sea Creature was Which. We read a story about turtles and listened to
some turtle songs & rhymes. We sang some old songs ‘Baby Beluga, Old
Macdonald Had an Ocean & Slippery Fish’ as well as learnt some new songs ‘Come
Swim with me’ & ‘3 Jelly Fish’.
For Art we decorated Jeans with glitter
glue & sequins. We painted clay pots
for Mother’s Day. We used puffy paint to
decorate Jelly Fish & we had lots of fun marble painting clown fish. We collaged
turtles & used a salad spinner to colour Sea Horses. Some of us used our
hand prints to make crabs, while others used paper plates to make crabs.
We have continued with our ‘Under the Sea Theme’
by exploring Hawaii for June. We are
also talking about Father’s Day and we read ‘Papa, Papa’ & ‘Piggy and Daddy
go Fishing’.
Thank you in advance for those who signed
up to bring food to end of Year Party.
Have a lovely summer and we hope to see you
all next year.
301 - Estelle & Susan
The month of May was a fun, yet busy 4 weeks. We
focused on three main themes: Mother’s Day, Bugs & Insects and
Transportation.
Mother’s Day was the perfect time for the children to
express how much they love their Moms. The gifts were created with care,
love and time by the children. We hope all the Moms had a special
day.
The middle of May was a time for the children to get up close and
personal with bugs. Marion shared the cycle of the butterfly. We
had a terrarium in the classroom and there were 30 caterpillars and then there
were 30 hanging “Js” (Chrysalis) and then they all became beautiful “Painted
Lady” butterflies. The children watched the transformation from
caterpillar to chrysalis to butterfly (about 3 weeks). The children used
magnifying glasses and loved to share their excitement with their
families. We released them into the Memorial Garden and off they
flew.
The end of year is coming up fast! Lots of fun activities are
planned so we wanted to get a head start on a special gift for Father’s
Day.
Friday, June 15th is our last day of classes with your class picnic on Monday, June 18th at Mahon Park. Have a
wonderful Summer, looking forward to seeing you in September in the 4s.
302 - Karen, Carol, Brita & Lisa
Another busy month has gone by in a flash.
We started off with making
our Mother’s Day gift and card. The children really enjoyed this as they knew
it was for their mom. We hope you found a nice place to display their beautiful
artwork.
A big thank you to all the
families who supported our annual Jeans week. We even decorated our own tiny
jeans. Children had fun putting money in our upside down umbrella via adult
shoulders or throwing it in. All the proceeds go to Children’s Hospital.
We talked about many animals on the
farm, sang songs, read stories and made art. Check out our board with ducks,
sheep and scarecrows.
We hope you came to visit the class to see the
Painted lady butterflies. The children got to see the cycle from caterpillars,
chrysalis to butterfly. Then we released them in the Memorial Garden.
We are now into
Transportation. Children painted on paper using different types of cars to make
tracks and then added car cut outs. We also drew roads and stamped cars prints
onto to them. Some roads were straight, some were windy and hilly. We
talked about
different modes of transportation and how they are used.
As we draw near to the end
of our school year we will be making a Father’s Day gift for the children to
take home on the last day of preschool. Please let us know if you will not be
here.
With this being our last
blog for the school year, we hope you have a great summer and look forward to
seeing you in September for the 4’s.
401 - Karen & Rosie
Well here it is, the last blog for 401.
We had a busy month of non stop fun! It started off with making our Mother’s day gifts. Everyone worked well to make the best possible gift and card that they could give their mom. Thanks for all that you do!
A big thank you to all the families who donated money for Jeans Week by putting it into the upside down umbrella. We decorated mini jeans and talked about what it would be like to be in the hospital and what their role is in our community.
Our butterflies have arrived! They are growing beautifully in a netted cage in the Treehouse room. We have gone to visit them in their chrysalis stage and now as butterflies. Once they all have developed we will let them go in the memorial garden.
We hope the parents that came in to play had a good time. The children always like to have their parents come and see how they spend their time at preschool.
In case your children did not tell you, we had two very cool visits from some very important community helpers that we could not do without. We first had our local fire department come and talk about fire safety. Thanks to Luke for volunteering to be ‘ON FIRE’ for the example of what to do if you were on fire. The children got to walk through the truck and touch some of the buttons on the outside. We ended with a group photo at the back of the fire truck and ended with a big thank you!
The following week we had two local police come to visit and talk about road safety. Was great interaction between the police officers and the children. Interesting to hear what a child’s perspective on what responsibilities police officers have. Before they left they gave the children paper police hats, stickers and tattoos.
Our card project was a great success! Thanks to all the parents who ordered their child's art in card or book form.
As we draw closer to the end of the school year we ask that you make a concerted effort to have your child come to class. When children are absent it can put our plans behind, thank you for your understanding. We have a lot to complete in the next few weeks.
We are working on year end gifts and a Father’s day surprise just to name a few. In the last week we will be talking about getting ready for Kindergarten.
It has been a great year being with your children. Rosie and I hope they leave with fond memories of all the fun they have had with us.
Good luck in Kindergarten, have a great summer!
402 - Arsi, Danielle & Rosie
Wow! It’s almost graduation time!! We can’t believe it’s the end of the year! It’s been a very
busy month with lots to learn and do!
We began the month by talking about Jeans week. We discussed how it’s important to help
others and how the money we all donated will do just that for families in need. We decorated
mini jeans with lots of fun glitter and sequins! Thank you to those who donated by tossing
money into our BC Children’s Hospital umbrella!
May also brought us Mother’s Day! We talked about how much our mommies love, help,
and do for us! We sang a fun song called MOMMY sung to the tune of Bingo and also a felt
rhyme called “Five Pretty Mommies.” Furthermore, we read books called “Mommy’s Little
Sunflower” and “What Mommies Can’t Do.” The boys worked really hard on their special gift
(trivet) for their moms which we hope our mommies will use! They even used a celery stalk to
make a rose imprint for the Mother’s Day card! It was really fun listening to the boys answer
questions about their moms such as “What is mom’s favorite meal?” and “What do you love
most about your mom?” Hope all our moms had a special day!
Next we moved on to a great topic about Community Helpers. We began talking about
doctors and how they go to school to learn to help people feel better. We looked at all the special
instruments they use such as a stethoscope, thermometer, tongue depressor and much more! Our
house corner turned into a doctors clinic and some of the boys pretended to be doctors! For art,
we made a doctor’s kit by gluing band-aids, gauze, and other “instruments” we may find in them.
We sang a song called “Doctors” and also read a book called “My trip to the Hospital.”
We then moved on to look at veterinarians. We spoke about how they are also doctors but they help
animals. We learned that some vets visit farms, zoos, and clinics! Moreover, we put our cutting
skills to test by cutting strips of “band-aids” to help make our cat or dog ouchies better! We also
sang a song called “At the Veterinarians.” Our group activity was a race where we had to quickly
wear our vet’s jacket, stethoscope and wrap our animal in gauze. It was very fun!
We were so lucky we had a visit from real firefighters who came in their truck! They talked to us about fire safety and how to stop, drop, and roll. They also reminded us to check our smoke alarms and to have a fire escape plan at home! We all had a chance to go in the firetruck as well! What a great day that was for us! For art, we glued together a firefighter's suit and drew their head and face.
Our next community helpers we looked at were teachers, dentists, and police officers! The boys
really enjoyed pretending to be teachers in the house corner. They took turns being a teacher and
also students. We talked about how teachers help us learn new things, help us in the classroom,
and also make sure we’re safe.
We also had a special visitor come in and talk to us about being a dentist. Mana (Neeve’s mom) came in and talked to the boys about how it’s important to brush our teeth for 2 minutes each time. She talked to the boys about sugar bugs and how we can always rinse our mouth even if we don’t have our toothbrushes with us. The boys were asked what food they thought was really good for their teeth to eat and we had some great guesses but we found out it is cheese! The boys even got a toothbrush and a floss stick to take home!For art, the boys traced a tooth, cut and glued it, and “brushed their tooth” with white “toothpaste.” How exciting!
Our final visitors were two police officers! Officer Roy and Officer Papaya! They came in to talk to the boys about safety and what to do if you were to get lost! It was a great conversation between the boys and the officers. There were lots of questions the boys asked and the Officers were very impressed and glad to answer! The officers also showed the boys what they wore on their uniform like a flashlight and handcuffs!
In our last few weeks we will be talking about shapes, Father’s Day, and kindergarten!
We would like to wish all our families a lovely summer holidays and wish our boys the best as
they move onto new adventures in Kindergarten!
304/403 - Estelle, Karen & Rosie
June is here and that means just a few more weeks of preschool. Always so surprised at how fast the year goes by. This will be our last blog for 403.
We started the month of May of with making our Mother’s day gift and card. We hoped you liked them.
For our 1st week we had an upside down umbrella in our room for families to throw money into. Thank you to everyone who helped us to support Jean's Week and Children’s hospital. This was a good opportunity for us to talk about how support from people can improve on care for children who require hospital care. We also talked about what hospitals do and what a hospital visit might look like.
Every year in May we get our butterflies. A big thank you to Marion who supports the exciting experience we can share with the children.
We talked about insects throughout the week. Be sure to check out our butterfly art display in the back of the room.
Transportation has been our theme for the last few weeks. We have be talking about different modes of transportation and what role they have in our lives. Reading stories and singing many songs.
As we are close to the end of the preschool year we please ask that the 4’s are present as much as possible. We have a lot of preparation in the weeks ahead for their graduation. Also we are working on a Father’s day surprise and a year end gift.
We will also be talking about getting ready for kindergarten through books and circle time.
We hope your time at St. Catherine’s has been a good experience. We have had a great time getting to know, play and teach your child.
All the best in kindergarten and have a great summer.
MUSIC - Rachel
It’s
hard to believe we are so close to the end of the school year. We began the
month of May by exploring all the different ways we can play the claves: making
letters, tapping along while we sing, pretending they’re a hammer, pretending
they’re a clock, and using them to choreograph a dance - just to name a few!
We
then discussed what a beat is, practiced keeping the beat along to songs. We
also listened to different music trying to decide whether there was a beat or
no beat. We knew it had a beat when it made us feel like dancing or clapping!
Next
it was the Music Open House and we got to share what we do with all the
wonderful parents and family members who came to visit. Together we tried to
decide whether what was played on the drum was a beat or a rhythm... hmm, can
anyone remember the difference?
The
last two weeks of May were spent exploring the xylophones, practicing our
musical alphabet, and playing along to songs!
Only
a couple weeks left to go and then it’s summer vacation!
A
letter regarding my resignation:
Dear
Parents and Students of St. Catherine’s Preschool,
As
I mentioned at the Open Houses this is sadly my last year with St. Catherine’s
Preschool. I have moved to Squamish and am centralizing all my work to the
Squamish area to omit the long - albeit beautiful - commute.
I have thoroughly enjoyed my
three years with St. Catherine’s Preschool. The support and friendship among
staff, and genuine care for the students, has provided an unparalleled learning
experience and an atmosphere I will truly miss.
I want to thank the staff and
board at St. Catherine’s Preschool for welcoming me onto your amazing team and
giving me so many fantastic opportunities to develop my skills as a musician
and a teacher.
Parents, thank you for
enrolling your children in such an wonderful preschool. Thank you for allowing
me to spend three years playing, singing, and dancing with your children. They
have without a doubt taught me just as much as I could ever hope to have taught
them.
Sincerely,
Rachel
RESOURCE OFFICE - Marion
Another wonderful school year is drawing to a close.
When I started at St. Catherine’s my boys were 14,13 and 11. Now the
youngest is married and lives in Australia and the older two live in
Winnipeg. A lot has changed in my life since then, but my love of my job
is still so enriching. So, NO, I am not retiring! There are a few of
you still filling our classrooms with little ones, thank you.
I just read
an article yesterday that said that “A child’s social skills in Kindergarten
are more important than their academics”. After 40 years in the ECE field
I feel that there is a lot to be said for the social and emotional development
of young children. Children need to play well with others.
They learn to negotiate, problem solve, take turns, share and experiment.
You can help your child build these skills by making time for free play with
other children. They need to be supervised-but not instructed-by the
adults around them.
You can help your child problem solve by asking your
child what is happening and by saying “What do you think you could do
about that?” Children who can label and recognize feelings are better able to
get along well with others. When reading a story book you can point out
certain emotions that the characters may be having and it may be easier for
your child to understand the feelings as they are not personally
involved.
Research has shown excessive screen use may interfere with a
child’s ability to recognize emotions in others. Children need to
interact face to face with their peers. As children get older they want
to be helpful. It is never too early if a child shows interest in helping
around the house to give them a few simple chores and compliment them when you
notice them being helpful. You can model gratitude by saying “Thank You”
to someone who has helped you.
Pretend play is also a great way to build
social skills. Characters emerge and stories are told from their own
experiences. They can act out what happens at Circle Time and pretend
they are the teacher or one of the children. I love to just watch this
play unfold. “Our fast-paced society may give you the impression that
your child needs to learn more academic skills-and sooner than ever
before. However, the reality is that the “soft” social skills they gain
in early childhood – through slow, simple processes of playing and interacting,
engaging with their families, and paying attention to the world around them –
will serve them much better and for much longer”.
I never say good bye,
but see you around the Village. Have a great Summer and all the best to
the children who are off to Kindergarten.
Summer Program: July 3-6, 9-12, 16-19 and 23-26.
Cheryl and I are looking forward to a fun time “Down On The
Farm”.
There are still some afternoon spots available.
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