You have already received an email from Kathy Reiss telling about the fire drill we had on Wednesday, September 15. The children had been prepped for it by listening to the story called “The Fire Drill.” This story was written many years ago specifically for MWS with illustrations of what to do when we have a fire drill. We spoke at length about the red box with the flashing light that is high on the wall in our class. Despite the shock when the alarm actually went off, your children did a great job following the instructions. Here are some talking points if you want to talk about and reinforce staying safe.

When you hear the alarm, do you finish what you are doing before going outside?
If it's raining, do you get your coats on before going outside?
If your hands are covered in glue or paint, do you wash them first before going outside?
If you're eating snack, do you finish your snack before going outside?
If it's snowing, do you put on boots before going outside?
Who is in the front of the line? (always one of the teachers)
Where do you go when you leave the building? (across the parking lot in the crosswalk to the playground area)
Do you play on the playground when there is a fire drill? (no)
What does Mrs. Levine do when we are all outside? (count the children)
Who tells us that it's okay to go back into the school? (Mrs. Reiss or the Fireman)

We will continue to have fire drills monthly. In order for all of the MWS children to experience them, sometimes we may have more than one in a given month.

Please remember to check the Orange Folders every day. This week, the children went home with a copy of the Sand poem. Every month we’ll learn a similar poem with a seasonal theme. We recite these often in the classroom and the children always enjoy reading them at home with their families. I’ll send the new ones home as they are introduced in class.

For those children who stay and eat lunch at school, it is very helpful when a napkin is in the lunch box.

It is still very early in the school year and for many of the children, this is their first experience away from home. I always find that some children become tired before the morning is over. Keeping busy at school is quite different from keeping busy at home. At school, they are learning a new routine with new adults and new children. This keeps their mind very, very busy which can make children become tired in a way that does not happen at home. As they get used to school, this tiredness will lesson. In the meantime, I have found that during our second circle time around 11:00, it is harder for many children to maintain the attention needed for a book to be read. The children are able to attend quite well for a story during our first circle time, around 10:00. After many, many years of teaching this age group, I have acquired quite a collection of props that I use when there isn’t the attention for stories. The children have already learned that only teachers may go into my special ‘teacher bucket’ and are enjoying the props that come out of it. Sometimes I think it’s really a ‘magic bucket’ when my props are able to entertain them. Donald Duck lives in the blue trash can and Daisy Duck lives in the yellow trash can. The children were very surprised when I opened the trash cans and the ducks were in them. One of these days, I’ll open them and the ducks will be in the other’s trash can. You may know when that happens because the screaming and laughing will be heard all around town. But don’t give away my secret in advance! When Purple and Blue Sofia visit our Circle, we always wave each hand to say hello. They have a hinge in the middle, so we always bow with them, too. Show the picture to your child and he/she can show you how to bow like Purple and Blue Sofia.