Kindergarten Chickadees: January 13 - 17, 2025
Osiyo, Chickadee Families,
Last week, the students watched a puppet show each day from last week’s story, The Story of Kasa Jizo. This beautiful fairytale from Japan tells of an old man who uses his money to buy hats for the Jizo statues who protect travelers on the road instead of buying rice to make traditional rice cakes for the new year. When an unexpected additional Jizo shows up, he gives up his own hat. The man explains to his wife that they are fortunate to have a house to keep them warm, and he feels bad for the statues that must stand still in the cold and snow to protect others. When the couple hears sounds and chanting in the middle of the night, they look out the window to see the statues approaching their home with a huge bag and end up with a wonderful surprise! You can ask your child to share the story with you at home. This week, the students will act out this story as a play, with each child taking on different roles over the week.
Last semester, the Chickadees focused on building a positive self-image, confidence, and resilience. While these ideas will continue to be reinforced through the spring semester, the children will also be building compassion and empathy. These ideas will be introduced by encouraging manners, ‘excuse me,’ ‘thank you,’ etc. The class will focus on recognizing that everyone has some things that are easy for them and their own gifts and talents and that everyone also has something they are still working on. The children will also participate in acts of kindness toward each other and others in their school community and homes.
Each spring semester, we are excited for our older students, who may rise to First Grade next year, to begin our Golden Knights program. Those students who began Golden Knights will attend for an hour each Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday for the remainder of the school year. We know they are ready for the new challenges Golden Knights will provide and for time with the older students from the Honeybee and Turtle classes.
Announcements and Reminders for Chickadee Kindergarten:
Conferences are coming up on February 6th and 7th. You can sign up for a time here. Conferences will be in person in our indoor classroom. If you do not see a time that works for you, please let me know, and we will schedule a different time. Conferences are planned for 20 minutes. If you need longer for your child's conference, please let me know before scheduling so we can work out a time that respects your time and that of other families. We ask that children not attend conferences, allowing us to communicate in confidence.
1/21: Early Childhood Curriculum Night - 6:00 p.m. (Postponed due to weather)
2/1: Community Work Day 10:00 a.m. - 12:00 p.m.
2/1: All School Meeting - 12:30 p.m. (adults only, community encouraged to attend)
2/6: Lunar New Year Performance - 11:30 a.m.
2/6: Half Day - Parent Conferences
2/7: No School - Parent Conferences
Gyvalieliga,
Ki Holly
