What’s Happening in Preschool?
Autumn is a magical time in preschool! This time of year provides us with many opportunities for engaging and authentic learning experiences. We are fortunate to be located on such a beautiful campus, perfect for fall walks and exploration!
View From Our Backyard!
Because October is Fire Safety Month, most of our PLCs have chosen to explore the “Firehouse” unit. A visit from firefighter Kelli Littlefield and the fire engine help our students to make a true connection to their learning. Thanks for the visit Ms. Kelli!
Firefighter Kelli
Another popular fall theme is the “Farm” unit. The seasonal connection to the pumpkin patch and the apple orchard enable teachers to provide genuine experiences for students. We are looking forward to a visit from the traveling farm next month! Don’t forget to stop by in November for an update.
We’ve also recently welcomed a visit from Kansas City, Kansas School Superintendent, Dr. Cindy Lane. Dr. Lane spent the morning visiting our classrooms and talking with our students. We appreciate the strong district connection to our preschool students and staff. The support for our preschool program extends far beyond the four walls of our building. Thanks for your visit, Dr. Lane!
Spotlight on K.C.K.: Our School District and Community Members
Thursday, October 6 was a very special day at KCKECC. Our students and staff helped to break the record for the world’s largest read aloud! All over the country preschool age students read the book Llama, Llama, Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney, including all of our preschoolers here at KCKECC. To help us break the record, many of our friends from the school district and the Kansas City, Kansas community took time out of their busy schedules to read with us. We welcomed all of the following guest readers into our classrooms:
-Kansas City, Kansas School Board President, Gloria Willis
- Kansas City, Kansas School Board Vice President Linda Pendleton
-School Superintendent, Dr. Cindy Lane
-Assistant Superintendent, Jayson Strickland
-Communications Manager, Tammy Dodderidge,
-Special Education and Early Childhood Executive Director, Kim Shaw
-Special Education Coordinator, Claudia Shannon
-Fine Arts Coordinator, Jean Ney
-KCKECC Principal, Bev Manlove
-Kansas City Star Editorialist, Lewis Diuguid
- Kansas City, Kansas Sheriff, Don Ash
- Kansas City, Kansas Under Sheriff, Larry Roland
- Kansas City, Kansas Foster Grandparents Coordinator, Charlotte Melson
Thank you so much for joining us. You helped make a special event unforgettable! Check out our gallery for pictures of all of our readers.
Mr. Lewis Duigiud and Company
Thanks for your Support: Lisa Santillan/Kaplan Books
We want to thank Lisa Santillan of Kaplan Books for her generous donation of books. She was able to donate six copies of Llama, Llama Red Pajama by Anna Dewdney for our “Read for the Record” event. Because of her gift, each classroom now has it own hardback copy of the book to add to their classroom library. Guest readers were asked to autograph the book as a memento of this special day! Thank you Lisa and Kaplan Books!
Classroom Focus: Home Visits
What is a home visit and why do we do them? A home visit is an opportunity for a teacher to visit a child and his or her family in their home. The ultimate goal of the home visit is to help strengthen relationships between parents and teachers. These visits are beneficial for many reasons. Home visits strengthen parent/teacher relationships, increase student attendance and create feelings of trust, mutual respect, empowerment and accountability by parents, students and staff. We know that true learning begins at home and it is our responsibility to do everything we can to foster that learning.
Website of the Month: www.kaboose.com
Have you visited www.kaboose.com yet? This website offers hundreds of fun, family-centered ideas and crafts. Articles on health, parenting and food are also available. This website is perfect for sparking the creative genius in all of us! Kaboose updates monthly, so check often for new and innovative ideas!
September at KCKECC…
-October 6: “Read for the Record”, Llama, Llama Red Pajama and Pajama Day!
Pajama Day!
-October 11 and 13: Visits from the Fire Department
-October 12: Home Visits, Families welcome teachers to their homes
-October 20:KCKECC School T-Shirt Sale Begins
-October 25: School Picture Retakes
-October 28: Fall Celebration and Parade
-October 31: No School for Staff and Students
How You Can Help
We appreciate all the donations of time and resources that we receive daily here at K.C.K.E.C.C. If you are interested in helping there are a few things we could always use:
- We are strong participants in the “Box Tops for Education” program! For every box top we collect we receive money that goes straight to our students. This might be to help fund a field trip, purchase classroom supplies or bring in special visitors. Please check your grocery store items (cereal, crackers, Kleenex, plastic bags, etc.) and consider donating your General Mills box tops to K.C.K.E.C.C.
- Best Choice UPC Codes: This is similar to the box top collection program, but it takes many more. For every 1,000 Best Choice UPC labels collected our school receives $30.00. The UPC label can be from any best choice product. Please remember us!
- We have an ongoing collection for the homeless. We can always use nonperishable food items and monetary donations to pass along to those in need. Thank you.
- In honor of a very special pre-k colleague, we have established the Baby Garrett and Jessica Love Fund. Baby Garrett and Jessica were two unforgettable individuals who passed on all too prematurely. To honor the memory of these individuals, KCKECC has set up a LOVE FUND to be used for expenses that directly relate to our early childhood program students…eyeglasses for a child who cannot afford them, scholarship events for any special events, funeral expenses if we were ever to suffer a loss. Your contribution is welcome. Contact us for further information (see the “Contact Us” link on our blog).
