Sunshine

We have been enjoying the sunshine and warm weather by making the outdoors an extension of our learning space! In addition to free play time where students can run, climb, swing, and hang out with friends, we have been bringing our learning centers outside. Outdoor learning activities include things like a nature scavenger hunt, the sand and water table, drawing pictures at the picnic table, using the parachute and playing large group games. Throughout the rest of the school year and summer, we will be maximizing our time outside. Please be sure to send in sunscreen and a water bottle for your child!

Month of the Young Child

Last month we celebrated the month of the young child with an emphasis on family culture. Each student in our program is a member of unique culture and brings with them new ideas, thoughts and traditions. We want to celebrate the ways we are different, and the common threads that we all share. Our month was divided into 4 focus weeks. We spent time learning about the various traditions families in our program have. We also spent time looking at maps and pictures from our neighborhood, our state and our world. We listened to music from a variety of time periods and cultures. Lastly, we invited family members in to our program to share something from their family culture- a language, a song, a recipe etc.


We really enjoyed getting to learn more about each family. Thank you for sharing your items and resources with us.

Author's Tea

Pre-K students at Maire invited friends and family to join them for an 'Author's Tea' this morning. Students have been working hard to author and illustrate their own picture books. The morning began with tea, hot coco, lemonade and various treats to share. After, students read their books with their loved ones. Each student wrote an author's biography about themselves too! Families were able to color a tea cup, play a tea-cup stacking game, and a take a photo together at the selfie station. We are so proud of the amazing work done by our students and their pre-k teachers!

Dr. Seuss

Yesterday we celebrated Dr. Seuss's 113th birthday! Classrooms read a variety of Dr. Seuss books including Green Eggs and Ham, and Hop On Pop. We talked about the silly rhyming words and interesting illustrations in each book. Classrooms also celebrated by painting some of their favorite Dr. Seuss characters, and patterning that famous 'Cat in the Hat' hat.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” -Dr. Seuss 

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day! Today, we enjoyed celebrations of friendship and kindness in our programs. Children passed out valentines to each other and enjoyed tasty snacks. We are participating in the Great Kindness Challenge this month which correlates perfectly with Valentines Day! We want to show love and respect to ourselves and others. We wish you all a very happy day.

Curriculum

We had a great time meeting and talking with families last night at the Preschool Fair. Many families were interested in learning more about the curriculum of our program. All of our early childhood programs from infancy through 5 years old follow an emergent curriculum with aspects of Highscope.

Emergent curriculum lends itself to play-based learning. The goal of emergent curriculum is for our teachers to respond to the children’s interests and generate lesson plans based on these things. It is open-ended, providing a wide canvas for the learning process. It is individualized, allowing for our teachers to interact with and expand upon each child’s questions and interests. It is process-based, enabling our teachers to give considerable attention to the quality of how learning is happening.

We encourage anyone with questions about our curriculum, tuition, hours or enrollment to call the preschool office. We'd be happy to talk with you about the variety of programs offered through the Grosse Pointe Public School District.

Applications

The application period for enrollment in the 2017-2018 Child Development and Preschool Program is currently open. If you are interested in enrolling your child, please submit an online application by Friday Feb 3, 2017. Detailed information about the application process is available on our website. Click here for more information.

Representatives from our program will also be at the Grosse Pointe Library Preschool Fair on Wednesday Feb 1, 2017 at 6:00pm to answer questions and meet with families.

If you have questions regarding any of our programs, please contact the Preschool Office.