Information from Susan

Is it Spring yet? I don’t know about you, but I have had my fill of this cold weather. The children miss their outdoor play and we are all tired of runny noses and stomach bugs.

It is hard to believe that we are going on our fifth year of operation! It has been so great to watch your children grow and flourish. Next September’s kindergarten will actually include a couple "veterans" of our Infant Room who have been here since Day #1!

I am very excited about having two directors. If you missed that announcement, there are some extra copies near the parent mailboxes...or just stop in the office and get the "scoop." Also, if you have not seen my letter regarding some important facts about September, please grab an extra copy. Summer information is close to being ready. Ms. Beth and Ms. Krista have some great activities and visitors planned.

School will be closed on February 17th for President’s day!

From the Director's Chair

February is an exciting month at the Goddard School. A dentist visited the school to teach the children how to take care of their teeth. Everyone enjoyed the funny puppet that the dentist used and they loved getting a goodie bag full of dental products! Then, at the end of the month, the Muscular Dystrophy Association will be coming to do a puppet show. The show will teach the children about disabilities and help us get ready for the "Hop-a-thon" in the Spring.

Parent Association News

Reminder

If there is inclement weather, please check the voice mail for school closing information or listen to NJ 101.5 FM.

Please do not leave your car running in the parking lot during drop-off or pick-up!

Seal Pups

We were all excited to see the snow and everyone enjoyed touching it. Some of the babies even decided to taste the snow! We are looking forward to Valentine’s Day and making special treats for our families. Playing with scarves was one of the Seal Pups’ favorite activities this month!

We said "good-bye" to Anna C. and Keerti S. as they moved to First Steps and welcomed Lauren R., Alana A. and Jake S. Everyone wishes "Happy First Birthday" to Giovanna B.

Jumping Jellyfish

We enjoyed playing with snow indoors. It was fun to scoop the snow with a spoon and put it into a cup. The Jellyfish learned that bears hibernate in the winter and had a great time playing with stuffed bears. We look forward to other themes such as Valentine’s Day and "Show Me Your Pearly Whites." Painting with a toothbrush will be different but sounds like fun!

The Jellyfish said "good-bye" to Rebecca, Faith and Evan. They moved to the Starfish Room. Amanda and Brendan joined our class from the Tiny Turtle Room.

We need your help! Please feed your child breakfast in our classroom before 8:00am. If you can’t be here by 8:00am, please have your child eat breakfast at home. Thank you.

Tiny Turtles

We were able to have snow play because of the wintry weather. Hopefully it will snow again because the children really enjoyed playing in the snow!

We are looking forward to making Valentine’s Day cards for our parents. We will also be painting with colored ice cubes, one of our favorite activities.

We had to say "good-bye" to Amanda D. and Brandan O. who moved to the Jellyfish Room. We welcomed two new friends, Anna C. and Keerti S.

Smiling Starfish

January was very busy getting back to our routine after the winter break. We loved learning about hibernation and winter. Playing in the snow is our favorite thing about winter and we go out everyday that we can!

Love is in the air in the Starfish room. We can’t wait to celebrate St. Valentine’s Day. The dentist will be visiting and teaching us all about how we can take care of our teeth.

We have four new friends in our class! Evan, Rebecca, Faith and Kyle joined the Starfish Room. We said good-bye to Jessie, C.J. and Justin when they moved to the Manatee Room

The Starfish have been practicing putting on their own coats. Please encourage them at home!!

Marvelous Manatees

The Manatees are looking forward to Valentine’s Day. On February 14th we will be having a Valentine’s Day Ball. Come to school dressed in red and don’t forget your dancing shoes! Please look for the sign-up sheet on the door where you can sign-up to donate something for our party.

We want to give a warm welcome to our new Manatee friends C.J. B., Jessie H. and Justin G. They have had a smooth transition over the last month.

Happy Birthday wishes to Zachary H. who turned four years old on February 3rd.

Dynamic Dolphins

We completed many fun projects in the Dolphin Room this month. We loved making and eating edible snowflakes. Everyone enjoyed helping make our class gingerbread house. We all smiled nice for picture day.

We had fun the dentist came to visit. We learned all about how we should take care of our teeth. He taught us about dental floss, brushing our teeth and eating healthy foods.

We are looking forward to the second half of the school year and our Valentine’s Day party. Look for the sign-up sheet if you wold like to donate something for our class party.

We welcomed Katie D. and Kathryn S. to our class in January. Everyone is excited about having two new friends!

Outstanding Otters

Happy 2003! We have really been enjoying the new year so far. Since the weather has been so cold, we have really been using our imaginations inside. We had fun with a door built from cardboard rolls. We used it as an entrance to the housekeeping center. We also had a great time playing with our big parachute. We made a very round and tall bubble that almost touched the ceiling!

We are looking forward to our Valentine’s Day party. It will be on February 14th at 3:15 p.m. There will be a sign-up sheet for items to contribute soon.

We are looking forward to learning about how important it is to keep our teeth healthy when the dentist comes to visit. We are also being treated to a puppet show! We can hardly wait.

Wondrous Whales

We missed the gingerbread baby so much, we decided to make gingerbread bean bags to keep him close by. We are reading The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary and we can’t wait to see how it ends. We have made contact with two other Goddard schools and have begun writing to pen pals. We have so much fun hearing from them.

We were excited for the 100th day. We had fun making t-shirts and celebrated with a big party. We are getting ready for Valentine’s Day. Everyone is so excited, it can’t come soon enough.

We welcomed Alyssa G. to our class at the beginning of February. Everyone is excited to have a new friend!

Thank you for all of your help and donations for the 100th day projects. Your support is always appreciated.

Pre-K Perky Penguins

During the week of January 27th, we had fun learning all about penguins. We made paper bag penguin puppets and performed a puppet show for our parents.

Our Valentine’s Day party will be Friday, February 14th from 12:30 -1:00. A list of names will be sent home for everyone to use to address valentine cards.

We have begun writing our first names without tracing. Everyone is doing a great job!

Afterschool Penguins

Happy New Year!! The children have been very busy creating many art projects. They made New Year’s Resolution Hats, mosaic winter scenes and sensational snow globes that are hanging in the hallway. We are looking forward to making spool snowmen and decorations for Valentine’s Day. Please watch for a party sign-up sheet and a a class list for exchanging Valentine’s Day cards.

Ms Beth will be in the classroom with the after school children on Wednesdays until Ms. Katie finishes graduate school in May.