Classroom and Curriculum

The Red Group Curriculum

July 18, 2007

Dear Red Pepper Families,

As we look to the second half of the summer, we are now starting to prepare the kids for their transition to their new classroom (Blue Group, our Kindergarten, or to a new school). On Monday the children charted where they will be next year. We have charts hanging in the group area representing the Red Group, Blue Group, the Kindergarten here at TEDCC, and a new school. Each child glued his/her picture on the chart representing his/her new classroom. The children who are going to a new school told their friends the name of their school, which is also written on the chart. As the summer progresses, we will continue to have many conversations about moving to a new classroom or a new school.

We have three Red Peppers who will have their last day with the Red Peppers on Friday, July 27^th. Nicolas and his family will be away in France for the month of August before returning in the fall when Nicolas will join his friends in the Blue Group. Spenser and his family will be away on vacation in California for the month of August and will also return in the fall to begin his year in the Blue Group. Next Friday, we will say “See you in the Blue Group!” to Nicolas and Spenser.

Amaya will also have her last day with the Red Peppers next Friday. Amaya, Paul and Rebecca will then move to San Francisco, California where Paul has accepted a new teaching position. We will have a send-off party for Amaya, Paul and Rebecca from 4-5:30pm next Friday August 27^th where each family will have a chance to send their best wishes to Amaya and her family as they depart for their new journey on the west coast. Invitations will follow in your mailboxes.

As we talk with the Red Peppers about Amaya’s move, we want to make sure that the children have a concrete understanding of what it means to move to a new house, and that although we will not see Amaya and her family each day, she will be at a new school with new friends in their new city! We have talked with the children about how to communicate with one another: through mail and email. Amaya’s family will make sure that they leave us their new contact information so that we can remain in touch when they get to San Francisco.

As we continue preparing the Red Peppers for next year, we will make sure to keep you updated on the work we do in the classroom. Please see any teacher with feedback or questions about the upcoming transition. And as always, thank you for sharing your Peppers with us!

June 26, 2007

Dear Red Pepper Families,

We’re so happy that the transition to the summer schedule was a smooth one, and that the kids have been happily taking field trips, playing in the sprinklers, planning Corianne’s surprise wedding party, etc. Thank you to everyone who came to the party and thank you for bringing such delicious snacks and beverages!

We wanted to let everyone know that this Friday will be the last day Nicolas will be in the Red Group. Nicolas’s family will be in France for the remainder of the summer. Nicolas will join each of the Red Peppers who are staying at TEDCC in the fall when they become Blue Groupers.

We also wanted to let you know that we will be welcoming a new Red Pepper to the classroom next Monday! Angus is the younger brother of Campbell (who is in the Blue Group) and will be joining us for the remainder of the summer. Angus is very familiar with TEDCC and cannot wait to join us on Monday. We hear he already has his bathing suit packed for his first day! Please join us in welcoming Angus and his parents, David and Monique, into our classroom community.

Given logistics and as details get ironed out, we may also be welcoming another Red Pepper next week. This new friend’s family has a long history with the Day Care Center. His older brother was in the Red and Blue Groups before going to Kindergarten in Medford. His older sister was also a volunteer teacher helper in the Red Group a couple years ago. We will keep you posted on the status of his entry to TEDCC.

We are so happy to be sharing the summer fun with your children! As always, please feel free to chat with any Red Pepper teacher with questions or concerns.

-The Red Team

May 29, 2007

Dear Red Group Families:

We hope that you are all enjoying this wonderful summer-like weather! Here in the Red Group we are gearing up for the start of our summer camp. Each year June marks the end of our regular school year and the beginning of our summer camp. Your children have worked hard over the course of the last nine months and certainly deserve a little fun in the sun. The summer camp schedule was designed to allow more time for field trips, time outside, and water play. In an attempt to make a concrete break from the traditional school year and transition into summer camp mode, your children will be renaming our classroom (we will no longer be the Red Groupers!) and creating a new classroom door – we will let you know what they decide on.

Summer camp for the Red Groupers also means Aimee, Rachel and Corianne will be taking well-deserved vacation time. Each teacher will be taking four weeks of vacation over the course of the next three months (summer vacation schedule will come out later in the week ). Only one teacher at a time will ever be on vacation and your children will be very well-prepared about who will be coming and going each week. Also, Katharine will be going to a full-time starting schedule beginning next Monday, June 4^th. She will work the 8:00-3:00 shift everyday until the end of the summer. Another exciting teacher change is that Joelle, who has been working in our classroom part-time for the past four months, will be going to a full time schedule beginning next week. Over the course of the last few months she has really connected with your children and with each of the Red Group teachers. We are thrilled that she will be with us everyday this summer from 10:30-5:30.

In June and July we will also have four returning TEDCC alums join our classroom as summer teachers. Joshua Blackborrow, Eva Eichen, Sam Dennan and Razina Aziz-Bose will all be joining our summer staff over the next several weeks. All of these wonderful high school students have very fond childhood memories of their own time at the Center, and greatly look forward to getting to know your children. Please join us in welcoming our wonderful high school alums.

In order to accommodate water play and field trips there are some slight changes to our schedule and some accommodations that we are asking parents to make. Here are those changes:

Water Play: Water play will officially begin next Monday, June 4^th. Here at TEDCC we are fortunate enough to have sprinklers on our playground to run through, and kiddie pools for wading in. Bob’s hand also seems to be permanently attached to a hose, so watch out, nobody is safe! The Red Groupers will begin water play on our playground at 10:30 on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and will take water play field trips on Wednesdays and Fridays (more about field trips a little further on). We ask families to send their child into school wearing a bathing suit under his/her clothes each day, as it will make transitioning onto the playground or off to a field trip much easier. We also encourage the girls to wear two piece bathing suits, if they are available, as it makes using the bathroom much easier for them. Children should also have a pair of water shoes/ sandals at school for the duration of the summer to allow for safe water play (label those shoes and bathing suits please). Please also bring a labeled towel to school for your child to dry off with. Once we come inside for the afternoon, or return from a field trip, the children will change out of their bathing suits and into dry clothes. Children actually go through more clothing in the summer than they do in the winter, so please have as many pairs of underwear, socks, t-shirts, and a few pairs of pants if at all possible. Also, the air-conditioned classroom can feel very chilly when you come inside wet, so we suggest that your child keep a sweatshirt in his/her cubby. When water play begins, we also ask that your child come to school wearing a full application of sunscreen. We will reapply sunscreen throughout the day, but a good base coat prior to arrival is crucial to keeping your child protected from the sun. We know that this is a lot of information, and we don’t want to overwhelm you, so if you have any questions about water play please ask!

Trip Days: This is perhaps the most exciting part of the summer schedule. Every Wednesday and Friday the Red Groupers will be taking field trips to local parks, playgrounds, and other summertime hot spots. We try to schedule trips that will allow for water play; we are fortunate to live in an area with so many sprinkler parks and public pools and will be taking full advantage of these as much as possible. Most of the trips that we take in the summer are walking trips and don’t require permission slips. Trips that require the use of public or private transportation (school bus) will require slips; we will have you sign these as the trips come up. We will try to let families know at least a week ahead of time where the upcoming trips will be. If you have any suggestions, please don’t hesitate to let us know.

Opening on the playground: Another exciting part about the summer is that each classroom gets to start their morning on the playground twice a week. The Red Groupers will open on the playground on Mondays and Tuesdays. This means that you can drop your child off outside with a Red Group teacher. Please be sure to check in with a teacher, just as you would in the classroom.

TEDCC is an exciting and fun-filled place to be in the summer. We know that there is a lot of information here, and that changing the daily routine can be challenging for children and grown-ups alike! If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to ask a Red Group teacher. Here’s to a great summer!

Thank you,

The Red Group Team

March 29, 2007

Dear Red Group families,

Can you believe it’s almost April? Our Whole School Photography Unit has been a huge success, and we are busily planning for our Special Days Unit. Special Days is a deeply rooted here at Tufts. It is a curriculum unit celebrated across classrooms at various points in the year and focuses on a variety of themes. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the special and unique features of each and every child and family in the center. It is always our goal to unite children and families together with a strong sense of community and Special Days is one of the many ways we work to meet that goal. TEDCC is committed to celebrating children, families, and community, and our Special Days Unit will be a hallmark of this celebration.

We are excited to reveal the theme of our Special Days this year:

“The Special People in Our Lives”

Beginning Monday, April 2nd and continuing through Friday May 4th we will be focusing on one child and his or her family each day in order to create a Special Day for the child. On a child’s Special Day, there will be several parts of the daily schedule which will focus on that child such as choosing and setting up a few of the activities at choice time. We will also schedule a group meeting that will focus on the “child of the day” and his/her family. As this meeting, the “child of the day,” will have the opportunity to share a homework assignment that will be centered on the topic, “The Special People in Our Lives.” Don’t worry! - you will get the Special Day Kit, with explicit instructions, several days prior to your child’s Special Day. It is a simple, stress-free assignment that is designed to be fun for you and your child to work on together. This assignment, or the Special Days Project will involve taking a portrait of the special people in your child’s life: either families members or closed loved ones. We will also ask the child to think about reasons why they love these people and why these people love them. By sharing the Special Day project with their classmates, each child and their loved ones will be celebrated.

Special Days are fun and exciting. We will work with you to help you plan for your child’s Special Day as it approaches. We are glad to help with ideas and suggestions. An important aspect of Special Days is involving family members and loved ones in the “Special Day Group,” so please try to plan to come into the Red Group for a half hour to 45 minutes on your child’s Special Day. We will work with your schedule to choose a time that is convenient for you- keep in mind that although we are more than happy to do groups at the end of the day, there will be less children in the classroom during this time to celebrate your child’s day. You will find a BIG calendar posted outside the classroom. Please check your own calendar and choose a day that will work for your family. Find the tag with your child’s picture on it and tape it to the day on the calendar that you and your family would like to celebrate your child’s Red Group Special Day. Special Days are exciting and stimulating for everyone and we are looking forward to celebrating your children with you during this unit. Thank you for your continued enthusiasm for all we do in the Red Group and for making Special Days wonderful for the children. If you have any questions, please feel free to ask any of the Red Group teachers

Sincerely,

The Red Group Team

February 12th 2007

Dear Families:

Greetings from the Red Group! We just recently finished up our month-long unit on health and wellness. The children have spent the last four weeks learning about good nutrition, the importance of dental care, and good hygiene. It was a very exciting unit that included a visit from Marissa’s baby sister, Jennifer, who took a bath in our classroom. Since concluding this unit the children have moved on to doing an in-depth study on letters and literacy.

As is so wonderfully typical of children this age, the Red Groupers are all in very different stages of their early literacy development. When it comes to children’s abilitiy to read, perhaps the most important step we can take is to help instill a love of books in them. We are excited to say that this group has proven to be exceptionally interested in stories and reading. If we took a poll asking which one of our daily whole group activities is the favorite, our guess is that Shared Redading would win hands down. In terms of early reading skills, the Red Groupers all have an awareness that books are read top to bottom and many understand that they are read from left to right. They are learning these concepts each time that an adult reads to them, and they are given the opportunity to track our eye movements. They are also using the pictures in the books to help them to tell a story. Through engaging in large and small group read-alouds, the children are learning that the letters that are written on the pages are connected to the story that they are hearing.

In terms of letter recognition and writing, many of the Red Groupers are still working on recognizing the letters in their names; typically they will start by recognizing the first letter and move on from there. Other children have learned to recognize all of the letters in their own names, and are beginning to recognize the names of other people who are important to them i.e. friends and family. Again, at this age it is very typical for children to represent an wide array of abilities when it come to their literacy development.

Sincerely,

The Red Group Team

September 14, 2006

Dear Red Group Families,

Our time together in the Red Group is officially underway and things are off to a great start! Over the course of these past two weeks we have been working on getting to know each other and on building our community in the classroom. This process entails introducing each other and sharing important information about ourselves, and also establishing a clear and predictable routine in the classroom that children can learn and navigate daily. Red Groupers have become more familiar with the different centers in the classroom during choice time and they have been engaged in a variety of activities. We have been working on community building during our morning choice times, morning groups and shared reading times. Our current curriculum also reflects the idea that we all have similarities and differences that make us unique, and it has allowed the Red Groupers to get to know each other better. At the math table children are working on representing the number of people in their family by coloring in squares on a piece of paper with their picture on it. At the math table children also worked on measuring and counting, and measured their hands, fingers and arms using Unifix cubes to see how long they were. We are eventually going to chart this information and discuss it as a whole group. Children are currently engaged in an art project that involves tracing their hands and cutting them out, and the next step will be to paint them by mixing colors to match them to their skin color. Their hard work will be on display outside the classroom once they complete it. In the writing loft children have been working on completing pages for their journals including illustrating favorite places that they enjoy spending time, as well as what they did over their home days.

We have read some nice books about community building, families and friendships. The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn is about a raccoon who does not want to go to school. We read this book during morning meeting on the first day of school, and many of the children identified with the feelings of not wanting to say good-bye to their families. Lost and Found by Oliver Jeffers is about a little boy who discovers a penguin on his doorstep. After a long adventure together to bring the penguin home to the Artic, the two separate only to realize that they both miss the other. Swimmy by Leo Lionni is about a school of fish that are afraid of being eaten by the giant tuna fish. With Swimmy’s help, they decide to all swim together in the shape of a large fish and “chase all the big fish away.” Who’s in a Family? by Robert Skutch focuses on the unique family compositions and describes many families: children with siblings, only children, children who live with their grandparents, mother and father, two dads, two moms or single parents. The Red Groupers had lots of information to share about their families. They were each eager to raise their hands and tell their friends about their own families. Each of these books is in the classroom if you would like to take a closer look!

We will continue to engage in curriculum that is centered around community building in the coming weeks. An upcoming project that the Red Groupers will be doing is writing and illustrating both an Expert Book and a What We Are Working On book. A major focus at the Day Care Center is helping children see that we are all experts at some things, but also working on other things. Red Groupers will share important information about themselves for these books with each other during our whole group times throughout the day.

We want to take this opportunity to let families know about important upcoming dates and events to mark on the calendar. The first Family Advisory Board meeting will be held on Tuesday, September 26 at 5:30 and childcare will be provided. The topic will be the NAEYC presentation on inclusion given by Corianne Babonis, Bob Dowling and June Goldstein. We would love to have as many families attend as possible. The first potluck of the year will be next Thursday, September 21^st from 5:30-7:30 and you will be receiving more information about it in your mailboxes soon. We hope to see you there!

The Red Group will be taking its first field trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchard in Stow, MA with the Kindergarten classroom next Friday, September 21^st. On the morning of the field trip we will be leaving at 8:30 and returning by 2:30.

We look forward to learning more about all of you throughout the year, and thank you again for making this such a wonderful start to our time together.

Here’s to a great year!

The Red Group Team

August 14, 2006

Dear Families:

It is hard to believe that August is already here and that we are (sadly) well into our last month together in the Red Group. The children have been enjoying the summer months, both in and out of the classroom. This past week we began talking to the children about the transition that we will be making at the end of the summer. Each day we count how many Yellow Days (Tuesdays) we have left together; as our days together grow shorter we will begin a countdown of how many days we have left. One important way that we introduced the idea of moving into a new classroom was through the use of the “Where will everyone be next year” chart; it is hanging up in the classroom so please come check it out with your child. The children are quickly becoming experts at where they, and their friends, will be going in the fall. The Hot Hots love sitting in groups of three or four and disorganizing the photos and then challenging one another to fix them.

We also have many other exciting and meaningful ways to help your child to prepare for his/her transition. We will soon begin periodically holding choice time and group time in both the Kindergarten and the Blue Group. Doing this allows the children to become accustomed to their new space slowly and comfortably. Similarly, we will soon begin to go into the Kindergarten and Blue Group looking for ways that they are similar to our classroom; often times the things that worry children revolve around whether or not items of comfort such as duplos or stuffed animals will be available to them in their new classroom. We will also be holding many discussions at morning and afternoon meetings about things that we are excited about and things that we are nervous about for next year. The children will also have a chance to talk to both Blue Groupers and Kindergartners themselves to get the inside scoop on what each classroom is like.

Finally, we are in the process of rewriting Steve Jenkins’ book What Do You Do With A Tail Like That. This book examines how different animals use different parts of their bodies to accomplish important tasks. The Red Groupers have been talking about the different ways that they have used their bodies in the Red Group, and all of the things that they are experts at. Rewriting this story is allowing the children an opportunity to revisit all of the wonderful experiences that we have had over the past year, as well as celebrate their growth and learning.

While your children are excited about next year, they are also appropriately a little nervous. As transitions often cause some anxiety, it is natural that you might see some changes in your child’s behavior as s/he processes this transition. Curiosity and uncertainty about what to expect next year is natural and healthy and we will help your children to process their feelings and to make a successful transition. We are listening carefully to your child’s concerns (and paying careful attention to their nonverbal cues) and are tailoring our conversations to help each Red Grouper communicate their range of emotions during this time. Our classroom curriculum is a wonderful starting point for beginning discussions about the transition and we encourage you to talk with your child and discuss what he/she may be feeling. We would love to help in any ways that we can, so please feel free to use us as resources.

It is also important at this time of year for us all to put closure on the wonderful year that we have had together. Every person in the Red Group will have a good-bye group on his/her last day. Goodbye groups give us an opportunity to celebrate the good times that we have had together and extend happy wishes to those that we love. The Hot Hots are very used to Goodbye Groups, we have had them for many friends, teachers, field work students and work study students this year, and see them as a comfortable way to say “goodbye” or “see you down the hall.”

This year’s Red Groupers have become experts at saying goodbye. More teachers and children have moved this year, than any other year that we can remember in the Red Group! Knowing that we recently said goodbye to both Olivia and Josh, and keeping in mind that the children are beginning to become anxious as they anticipate the new school year, the Red Group teachers have decided to keep the goodbyes for the rest of the classroom teachers “low-key.” Kerri’s goodbye celebration for example was celebrated solely by the children, in a manner that they chose. Knowing that Kerri loves dramatic play, they chose to have a costume party on her last day. They also created several gifts for her, including a beautiful vase so that she can keep flowers in her home and think of the children. As Julia’s last day (Friday, August 18^th), Claire’s last day ( Thursday, August 17^th ), and Kelly’s last day (Friday, August 25^th) approach we will be organizing similarly low-key and personal ways for the children to say thank you and goodbye.

The Hot Hots will not have to say goodbye to Jess, Sarah, or Corianne until the last day of school, as they will be staying in the room right until the end of the year. In addition to these three teachers, on the last two days of school (August 28 and 29) we will have two new teachers joining our classroom; Rachel Vander Linden was a Graduate Teaching Assistant last year in the Red Group and will be joining us again in the 2006-2007 school year as a full-time teacher. The Red Group’s new GTA, Katharine Braun-Levine will also be joining us for the last two days of school The switching of teachers on those last two days is a little bit confusing so if you have any questions please don’t hesitate to ask.

Finally the Red Group teachers would like to thank all of the families for allowing us to teach and learn from your children. This year’s group has been very special to all of the Red Group teachers and that is due largely to your commitment to building up a safe and nurturing classroom community. Here’s to a few more wonderful weeks!

The Red Group Team

July 29, 2006

Dear Red Group Families:

Welcome! The new school year is rapidly approaching and the Red Group teaching team is busy getting ready for a great year. We are excited for school to begin and are looking forward to coming together as a community of children, families and teachers. We can't wait to get to know you and your children. We would like to take this opportunity to introduce ourselves. The Red Group teaching team is comprised of four teachers, three full-time teachers and a Graduate Teaching Assistant (GTA). Each of us comes to the Red Group with different and interesting experiences and together we are planning for a year of enrichment and fun.

Corianne Babonis is the mentor teacher and will be working the morning shift from 8:00-3:00. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Wheelock College, where she studied Early Childhood Education and science. Corianne recently received her master’s degree in Child Development from Tufts University. Corianne spent the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years teaching in the Blue Group with four and five-year-old children. This coming year will be Corianne’s third year as a Red Group teacher, and she is thrilled to be working with this exciting age group. She is eager to share her love of science and children's literature with the Red Groupers.

Rachel Vander Linden will be working the 8:30-3:30 shift in the Red Group. Rachel graduated from Tufts in 2003 with an undergraduate degree in Child Development. She then went on to pursue a Master's Degree from Tufts in Early Childhood Education and completed the M.A.T. program in December of 2005. During her studies at Tufts she has worked at the Children's School as an instructional aide. Two years ago Rachel was the Graduate Teaching Assistant in the Red Group and is greatly looking forward to returning to TEDCC and to the Red Group as a full-time teacher. I am excited to share my love of the outdoors, art and children's literature with the class, and I am eager to meet all of the families and children entering the Red Group this year.

Aimee Ellingwood will be working the closing shift from 10:30-5:30. Aimee is excited to begin her fourth year at TEDCC and her first year in the Red Group! She gradated from Wheelock College with a B.A. in Humanities and her teaching certificate in Early Childhood Education. She is earning her permanent licensure here at Tufts University. Aimee is passionate about community building and pro-social curriculum.

Katharine Braun-Lavine will be the GTA in the Red Group and will work from 2:30-5:30. She graduated from Brandeis University in 2004 with a Bachelor's in Theater Arts and a Program in Early Childhood Education. She has then been working fulltime as a Teaching Fellow at the Lemberg Children's Center (Brandeis's lab school) with 3-5 year olds. Katharine especially enjoys doing creative movement and dance with children, as well as American Sign Language and pre-literacy activities. Her interests in both early childhood and special education have led her to Tufts to pursue her Master's in Child Development and she is thrilled to be a part of TEDCC.

The Red Group consists of twenty children and is comprised of children moving from the Green Group at TEDCC as well as children entering the center for the first time. We are a diverse group of people from a wide and interesting range of backgrounds and it will be exciting to learn more about one another throughout the year. In order to come together as a group and learn about our similarities and differences, the fall curriculum will focus on our community and the strengthening of it; more specifically we will be learning about all of the different kinds of homes that people live in. Over the course of the first week of school you will be receiving more information about this curriculum unit. The Red Group will be a place where your children can discover and explore the world around them, and build and develop the many different skills that are worked on in the early childhood years. Our hope for this year is that it brings new friendships, knowledge, and discoveries to us all as we work together to learn about a wide variety of topics. We will encourage your children to investigate, explore, and learn about the world through hands-on opportunities in a safe and nurturing environment.

As you may know, the initial weeks of school are sometimes filled with new and challenging issues involving separations and transitions. We will be working with you and your children to make the first few days and weeks of school as smooth and comfortable as possible. The first two days of school are half-days for new children to the center, and a family member is asked to stay at school for these days. During this time, we will be serving refreshments in the staff room and will have teachers around to help answer your questions and help ease you through the transition. Family members of returning children are not expected to stay, but are welcomed to do so.

In the first several weeks of school, families should allow themselves a little extra time in the mornings and afternoons so that you will be able to spend time in the classroom with your children. Though we understand how hectic and busy these times of day are for you, it is also an extremely important time for your children and those few extra minutes can really help to make the home/school transition easier. It is also important that families try to have children to school by 9:15. The daily schedule has been set up so that from 8:00-9:15 children can engage in free-play while teachers help them get settled into the school day. After 9:15 Red Groupers will be getting into the more structured part of their day, and it can be more difficult for children to get settled into the class if they feel as though they are walking into the middle of an activity.

One way to help with the morning transition is to establish a "goodbye ritual" which can be used consistently each morning when you leave the classroom, enabling your child to feel prepared for your departure. Helping your child to settle into an activity or waving from the "Goodbye Window" can be helpful ways of saying goodbye each morning. Each family will find their own way to help children to transition between home and school. Children handle transition and change in different ways. However your children handle transitions, the Red Group Teachers are committed to providing a safe, comfortable, and nurturing environment in which your children will be able get used to the new space in his/her own way and time.

In order to provide you with more information about the Red Group, we have scheduled an orientation night for Monday, August 28th at 7:00. More details are provided in the enclosed flier and we hope to see you there. As the new year begins, please remember that Aimee, Rachel, Katharine, and Corianne will be available to listen and talk with you about your ideas, questions, comments or concerns. Prior to the start of school please feel free to call the school and speak with any of us if you have questions. Also, if you are new to the school and have the time please stop by with your child and meet the teachers, see the classroom and pick a cubby; we would love to see you. Visiting before the first day of school and allowing your child to meet his/her teachers and pick out his/her cubby helps to ease some of the pre-school jitters! Just call the school at (617) 627-3412 and ask to speak with the Red Group to set up a time. We are looking forward to working together with you to provide your children with a nurturing, fun, and educational school year. Enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to meeting all of you all soon.

Sincerely,

The Red Group Team

May 19, 2006

Dear Families,

Happy spring! The warm weather is finally here (kind of) and the rain has stopped (for now anyway), and here in the Red Group we have been busily taking advantage of all of that. The month of May seems to always be a hectic time at TEDCC with Special Friends and work study students leaving and the excited anticipation of our summer schedule. This month has been very busy and productive thus far, and proves to continue that way for the next several weeks. Here is a bit of information on what we have been working on, and what we will be working on over the next several weeks.

We are currently in the process of winding down our unit on gardening, which was a great success. The children learned all about how plants grow, what they need to grow and the great variation in plant types. Through exploring soil at that water table, growing beans in plastic bags, and trying to start tomato seedlings, marigold, basil, and cilantro in clay pots, we have had ample opportunities to explore the life cycle of plants. We were also able to get out into the garden a bit and turn the soil in preparation of our upcoming planting. Keep an eye out in a few weeks for our upcoming plant sale fundraiser.

Finally, we have one more goodbye to mention. Next Friday, May 26^th marks the end of Tiffany Frank’s time at TEDCC. She is graduating from Tufts University tomorrow and will be moving to Washington D.C. to pursue her career. Tiffany has been a member of our community for so long it is hard to imagine what life will be like without her. From a hard-working and humorous work study student, to a lovable and kind Special Friend, and most near and dear to our hearts as an invaluable, knowledgeable, and committed one on one teacher, Tiffany has left a lasting impression on TEDCC and in our hearts. We wish her all the best in the future and are certain that she will soon be making a difference in the lives of children and families in D.C. Please join us in saying goodbye to Tiffany next Friday morning (May 26^th) for a drop-in breakfast.

As you can see, we have a lot of changes going on in the Red Group. And as we help your children to say goodbye to the many important people that have been a part of the community this year, and begin to welcome new friends, it is important to remember that change is not easy on anyone, especially children. Despite all of the preparation and work that families and teachers do to help children navigate through all of these transitions and changes, it is still a challenging endeavor for them. In the Red Group we try to focus on helping the children to understand that they can be happy and excited for their friends, but still be sad about having to say goodbye. This is something that is challenging for young children to understand, as they often feel as though they are allowed to feel only one emotion at a time. It is also important to note that big changes and transitions can bring reactions from children. Don’t be surprised if your child begins to exhibit behaviors that you haven’t seen for quite some time. Often times when children are under stress, such as saying goodbye to people that they love, they will revert back to old behaviors. This is very typical, and the behaviors generally are not back for good so don’t fear! In the Red Group we are giving the children a little bit of leeway as we understand that these behaviors are most likely a reaction to the stress of all of the changes happening in our room. If you have any questions about this please see a Red Group teacher.

Finally we want to remind families that the spring weather is full of surprises. Please double check your child’s cubby and basket to make sure s/he has an adequate supply of clothing, particularly underwear and pants. Also we try our best to maintain our usual schedule on rainy days which includes outside-playground time. Please send your child with appropriate clothing on these occasions, such as rain jackets and boots. Thank you for your support in this.

So that is what is happening in the Red Group these days. As you have read, there is a lot going on. If you have any questions or concerns please don’t hesitate to check in with any of the Red Group teachers. Keep your eye out next week for our summer packet which will contain information on what the summer schedule looks like as well as information on the many wonderful new summer teachers who will be joining our staff.

As always, thank you for allowing us to work with your children it is truly a pleasure.

Stay dry,

The Red Group Team

March 15, 2006

Dear Red Group Families;

We would like to let you know some highlights from our unit on Everybody Works and tell you a little bit about the newest unit that we are moving into. We had a wonderful time exploring many different jobs through the Special Day books. Thank you to all the families that have already completed them! We are still looking forward to a few more too! If you would like to look through the Special Day book display in the writing loft with your child please feel free to go up and peruse the books.

Another way we learned about jobs was when we explored uniforms including Hazardous Materials suits, fire fighting gear, mail bags, police uniforms and nurse’s uniforms. The students played a game matching the uniforms and the vehicles; they dressed up in some of the uniforms and read many books about different uniforms.

We have recently been exploring one particular job – pet store owner. The children have been discussing the many roles a pet store owner plays including working with animals, running the cash register, and helping customers. The Red Groupers have become quite good at using the cash register, telling each other how much money different items and animals cost and feeding the animals. They made up signs for the pet store and cages to keep the different pets in. There was a pet store game where they moved around a board and gave their little puppy some water, food, a collar, a shot, cleaned their cage and finally sold the puppy to a new home.

Our grand finale to this unit will be a

Pet Store Trip on

Friday, March 17, 2006

9:30 A.M. – 12:25 P.M.

Most of you have already signed the permission slip. Please just make sure to have your child at school by 9:30 this Friday. We will be going to the Cambridge Petco near the Galleria Mall. We will look at all the real animals, food and toys for sale and maybe even come away with a new pet.

Our newest unit will be looking more closely at animal features. We will start with some of the animals we have spoken about in the pet store unit but quickly move into other animals as well. We will discuss different parts of animal bodies and what those parts do to help the animal survive. For example a turtle’s shell protects it, ducks have oil glands to protect themselves from water, duck feet and frog feet are webbed to help them swim better and birds have different shaped beaks depending on the foods they eat. We will observe the children and see if there is any one area that seems particularly fascinating to them during the survey week and then go into that area in further depth in the coming weeks.

In other news, please join us in congratulating Jerome and his family on William's accepting of a new position with a Dutch company. Jerome and his family will be moving to Holland toward the end of April/beginning of May. We wish them all the best in this transition and in setting up a new life in Holland. As this big event approaches we will work with the children to build an understanding of the significance of the change and the goodbye. At this time it is still too early to broach the subject. Children's understanding of time and future events is different than ours. They may become confused or anxious about Jerome's move. At an appropriate time, we will present this information and use meaningful and concrete means to discuss it. For example, we may count down the days, write a book about Jerome, learn some facts about Holland, and think about ways in which we can communicate with Jerome when he is gone. We will also plan a time to come together as a community to celebrate this family and their wonderful contributions over the year.

The surveys about a workshop for the Red and Green group families have come back and childhood sexuality is definitely an interest for almost everyone. Therefore we have invited Dorothy Sang to come give a workshop on this topic. She is a clinician who works with our school and specializes in the area of childhood sexuality. The date will be:

March 28, 2006 from 5:30 – 7:30 P.M.

TEDCC will provide pizza and free childcare for the children and parents who attend can bring potluck for the adults. Sign up on the door outside the classroom . Bring your questions and comments!

Sincerely,

The Red Group Team

January 26, 2006

Dear Red Group Families,

The Red Group is a very busy place these days! Your children have really been enjoying our exploration of colors. The art table has been a source of great creative works. The classroom has been transformed into a beautiful rainbow of colors showcasing this hard work. Please take some time to check out some of the new art displays. The children have also been busy exploring colors through board games, sorting activities, at the water table, and through reading various thematic books.

We are now shifting gears into a new curriculum unit. When asked the question, “What do you want to learn about?”, Red Groupers shared many comments of being curious about how their families spent their days when they were at school. Some Red Groupers knew some information about your jobs while some still had many unanswered questions. We thought it would be very interesting to explore these questions through a curriculum unit on ‘Jobs and Work’. Dramatic Play has now been stocked with a variety of props, such as restaurant tools, keyboards for typing, and fire fighter’s gloves and boots, among other things. Our collection of thematic puzzles and books has been put out as well. Our vehicles and people figures will be well used in this curriculum unit. We’re looking forward to the discoveries that lie ahead!

This curriculum unit lends itself well to the Special Days program here at Tufts. This year in the Red Group our Special Days unit will be titled Everybody Works!. Special Days is a deeply rooted tradition here at Tufts. It is a curriculum unit celebrated across classrooms, at various points in the year and focused on a variety of themes. It is a wonderful way to celebrate the special and unique features of each and every child and family in the center. The goal of Special Days is to further strengthen the connection between home and school, and to do this in a way that celebrates each child and family. Because everyone in the Red Group has family member that does important work, this unit is a perfect vehicle for sharing something important in our lives that encompasses both the universality and uniqueness among us. Special Days also provides an additional opportunity to celebrate the similarities and differences among children and families. Some of our goals during this unit include: encouragement of family participation, development of a stronger sense of community, strengthening the child’s self-esteem, and strengthening the family-teacher connection, and learning about the greater community and our roles within it. In the hallway there is a calendar to sign up for your child’s special day. Two days before the chosen date you will receive an easy homework project to work on with your child. When the Special Day arrives, your child will share their project with the class at a special group time. We also strongly encourage you to share in this celebration of your child by being present for this group. We will be very flexible as to the time of the group so it best fits family’s needs. It means a lot to the children to have a grown up share in this special group time. We look forward to celebrating Special Days with you and your child.

During this next week, we will be gearing up for ‘Special Days’. Even teachers have Special Days! We have signed up for days next week to kick off the event. These first few groups will give the children a chance to learn about and practice these group times and think about how they would like to share their information and project on their own Special Day.

Please take a look at our Special Day calendar. Find a day and time that works for with your schedule. Affix your child’s name to an available box in the calendar. Then, check in with a teacher about a time that would work to have the Special Day Group. A few days before that date, we will send your child home with the Special Day kit containing materials for the project and instructions.

Talia Goodkin will also be expanding her role in the classroom. She is a work study student (known as a teacher helper to the children) in the Red Group. She is undertaking a project this semester to teach Red Groupers about music. She is very excited to share this expert knowledge and explore curriculum planning. Your Red Groupers are excited too! Stay tuned for more information on these music classes.

With snow and cold weather having returned, we are back to wearing full winter gear for our outdoor play. Please, please, please send your child with warm winter gear and label all of these belongings. We have permanent markers available for labeling if you need them.

Thanks for your continued enthusiasm for all we do in the Red Group and for making Special Days wonderful for the children!

The Red Group Teaching Team

January 19, 2006

Dear Families:

As many of you may have heard, the Red Group’s beloved pet snake Sophia died over the weekend. At yesterday’s morning meeting we had a forty-five minute discussion with the children about Sophia’s death, and we wanted to pass that information along to you. Talking with young children about death can be a difficult thing for many reasons. For young children there are many facets of this very emotional and abstract topic that make it difficult to understand. For adults, it is always more challenging to talk about topics that we are not entirely comfortable with; it not easy to discuss something when you feel as though you don’t know all the answers. However, it is important that we remember that we don't have to know all the answers. What children need is time and support to work through this important developmental process.

Children who are Red Group age generally need the basic facts explained to them, i.e. what does it mean to be dead? In our room we explained to the children that dead meant that Sophia’s body did not work anymore. She would not be eating, drinking, moving, opening and closing her eyes, or climbing into her tree. This in and of itself was difficult for the children to comprehend; many wanted to know what we could do to make her be alive again, or when she would start moving around again. We talked through this topic extensively, but your children might have more questions over the next few weeks. Attached to the back of this letter please find an article on talking to your child about the death of a pet.

Another very important thing to know about talking to young children about death is that they will often relate it to their own lives. Children who are faced with the death of a pet may begin to worry about people that they love dying. A very typical fear that young children have is that their parents will pass away and there will be no one to care for them. When we think about how ego-centric three and four-year-olds are, it makes sense that this would be their first worry. This concern was in fact brought up yesterday. To address it, we let all of the children know that Sophia died because her body was very sick and that all of the Red Group parents are young and healthy. We also told the Red Groupers that they do not have to worry about their parents dying. This part of the discussion was actually brief as the children seemed satisfied with this answer. But if your child brings up this point, or any others that you might want help answering, please don’t hesitate to come to a Red Group teacher.

In order to help families gain insight into the kinds of things Red Groupers are wondering about, we transcribed many of the children’s questions and comments yesterday for you to look through.

Did Sophia go to the hospital (Ludgie)? Why did she die (Dylan)? When I left last night I saw her head and her body sticking out of rug and she wasn’t moving (Sarah). When you die it means you don’t move (Tobias). It is sad that Sophia died (Tyler). I think that when she dies she has to go to the place close by to the pond. There is a place where grass is and it has names on rocks. And when you die you have to go to the place with names on the rocks. My mommy told me that you can’t see it but it comes to the sky (Henry). Luke then told Henry that he was talking about a cemetery. The children decided that we should bury Sophia and paint her name on a rock. We can’t put her in the ground today because other people in our school didn’t get to see her die (Dylan). How did she die? Did she go to a hospital for cats and dogs (Tyler)? Did Sophia die because she needed batteries so she could work (Ludgie)? If people die they can’t talk or anything. When animals die they can’t see anymore (Camille). My daddy’s mom died (Maire). If you get buried in the ground, that is like heaven (Sarah). My Momma’s grandma died and she got buried in the cemetery (Luke). Did Sophia have a shut-off button? She can’t even move and her eyes are closed and her mouth is closed (Tyler).

The Red Groupers seemed most concerned with why Sophia had died. This was one of the more challenging questions for teachers to answer as we don’t exactly know what happened to her. We were honest with the children and told them that we didn’t know exactly what had made her die, but that we thought that the she had probably gotten hurt a few weeks ago when she escaped from her cage. Some of the Red Groupers were worried that someone had “Died her,” but we explained very clearly to them that nobody had killed Sophia, her body just stopped working.

Many Red Groupers expressed concern that if children in the school didn’t see Sophia, they would not understand that she was dead. Consequently it was decided that Sophia would be left in her cage for all of Wednesday for people to see. It was then decided that we should bury Sophia on Thursday, but first we would have a party and make her pictures. Henry brought up the topic of cemeteries and headstones, and the Red Groupers felt that we should put a rock with her name on it where we buried her; one of the kindergarteners who was particularly fond of Sophia is painting the stone for us. Finally, Luke suggested that we paint a sign for the room that reads, “Sophia died, but we are having a party for her.” Wanting to acknowledge and respect the children’s ideas and needs, all of these wishes were carried out today and things went quite well.

At the end of our meeting yesterday, the topic of getting a new snake came up. Most of the children agreed that we should definitely buy new snake, but the verdict was out on which color to pick. Dylan was concerned that if we got one that looked like Sophia people would think that it was Sophia. He informed us that this would not be ok. Ludgie on the other hand felt that we should get a snake that looks exactly like Sophia and name her Sophia. Luke tried to end the argument by suggesting that we get a dog! Deliberations will begin again after the weekend!

Before ending this letter it needs to be said that we were all particularly impressed by how caring and compassionate this group of children was when approaching this topic. The fact that three and four-year-olds chose to sit at group for forty-five minutes makes a statement about how much they were affected by Sophia’s death. They all asked thoughtful questions and made relevant contributions. Given that, it is likely that your child may continue to talk about this for some time, and just because he/she seemed to understand the concepts discussed one day does not mean that he/she will still understand these concepts the next. For example, there was one child in particular who was very involved in our whole group discussion and seemed to really understand the concepts being discussed. Later in the afternoon however, she asked Claire when Sophia would be alive again. If you have these kinds of conversations and need help, please don’t hesitate to talk to any of the Red Group teachers.

Thank you for your support,

The Red Group Team

November 18, 2005

Dear Families:

It is hard to believe that November is already here and that the Red Groupers have been together for over two months! September and October flew by and your children have really begun coming together as a community. As was mentioned in the first few newsletters, the curriculum for September and October focused primarily on getting to know one another, as well as getting acquainted with the members of our larger school community. Although we have moved on from working solely on community building to new themes, we are always looking for ways to utilize the classroom curriculum as a means to getting to know ourselves and one another better. Here are some curriculum updates.

Over the last several weeks the Red Groupers have been learning about vehicles. The Red Group teaching team decided upon this unit after observing many of the children engaging in pretend play as police cars, fire trucks, and construction vehicles. There are also many children in our room who are fascinated by the movement of vehicles and the power and strength that they possess. Searching for power and a voice is something that is typical of young children. By using vehicles as a means of discussing power and what it means to be powerful will allow the children to explore this topic in a safe and non-threatening way.

This past week Sarah set up a visit for us with the Tufts Police Department and the Tufts Emergency Medical Services. These public safety departments were kind enough to send over two EMTs, two police officers, an ambulance, a police car, and a police motorcycle. The EMTs allowed the children to get into the ambulance and use the siren and loudspeaker. They also let the Red Groupers try on the protective helmets and test out the different transport devices that they use to help people. The police officers were equally as generous, bringing a Polaroid Camera with enough film for each child to have his/her picture taken on the motorcycle. They also brought along “official” police badge stickers for each child. All four people who visited us from these departments were very warm, helpful, and generous with their time. We greatly appreciate the time that they took out of their busy schedules and know that the children loved and benefited from the experience.

This week we had several exciting visits as well. On Tuesday Ian’s father, Brent, joined us at afternoon group and taught the children how to fix a flat bicycle tire. He was kind and brave enough to really allow the children to explore his bike! It was all the children talked about for three days. In fact, the day after Brent’s visit the children asked us to find a bicycle pump so that they could “fix” the tires on the bike that we have spent the last three weeks disassembling. We all appreciate the time and expertise that Brent was able to share with us. If you or someone in your child’s family would like to and is able to join us at some point this year and share your expertise, please know that you are always welcome.

As mentioned earlier, Brent was not the only visitor to the Red Group this week. Kerri arranged for a MBTA bus to stop by yesterday for a visit. The children got to hear and feel what it is like when a city bus starts up; we were all shocked by how long it takes for a bus to be ready to get moving. We all got to test out the “stop requested” strips over and over. The bus driver, Keith, even let each of us sit in the driver seat and honk the horn. One of the most interesting things that we all discovered was how much bigger the windshield wipers are on a city bus, than they are on a car. This activity was followed by learning to sign "The Wheels On the Bus" with Jayne in ASL.

This unit has captured the excitement and imaginations of the Red Groupers and we foresee it continuing through the next several weeks. One more trip is in the works to walk down Broadway to visit a bicycle shop. We are also hope to be getting a visit from some construction workers!

Each of the three small groups had an ice cream party celebration on Wednesday to celebrate our last time together as a group. Beginning next week the children will be coming together in new small groups. This time around we will have four small groups, as opposed to three, as Sarah has kindly volunteered to work with a group of children. Four teachers will allow us to work with even smaller numbers and focus more closely on the individual needs of the children. Though each small group will eventually be focusing on different units based on the interests of the children in those groups, we will all begin our new groups by studying babies. At this point in the year the topic of babies seemed to be of particular importance to our children as we have Red Groupers who will soon become big brothers/sisters, children who are already big brothers sisters and who are trying to figure out how to share their life and home, and we also have children who are trying to figure out what it means to be a baby.

As is typical of three and four year olds, we have had some teasing in our classroom lately with children calling one another “babies.” Through group discussions and storytelling we have been exploring what it means to be a baby, if there are babies at our school, and what it feels like to be three or four-years-old and have someone call you a baby. Though we have all agreed that there are no babies at TEDCC, the Red Group teachers believe that by studying babies and defining exactly what makes someone a baby, and at what point we become “big kids,” the Red Groupers will begin to be able to work through this dilemma. Though we are all committed to helping the Red Groupers solve this problem and work through the challenges of name calling, we are also aware that such teasing and name calling is to be expected of children that are this age. Our goal is to explore the topic as a class from all angles, without judgment and hopefully really work through this search for understanding and power.

Finally, we wanted to take this opportunity to introduce and welcome Jenny Edouard to our classroom. Jenny is a high school senior and is volunteering in our room every afternoon from 3:00-5:30. If you see her at pick-up please welcome her into our classroom. Jenny is the older sister of a beloved former Blue Grouper Bereky, who many of you may remember from last year. Bereky has since graduated from TEDCC and gone on to public school kindergarten, and we are all so happy to have Jenny in our room as a connection to this wonderful family. In only four short days she has already made some very meaningful connections with the children in our room and we all truly appreciate her sharing her time, love, and friendship with the Red Groupers.

That’s the latest Red Group news, as always thank you for allowing us the opportunity to teach your children. We have had such a wonderful few months together, and look forward to getting to know your family even better.

Stay Warm,

Kelly, Sarah, Max, Tiffany, Kerri, Jess, Claire, Jenny, Alana, and Corianne.

The Red Group Team

Important Dates To Remember

Nov. 23, 2005 - Fall Harvest Luncheon 12:00

Nov. 24 & 25 Closed for Fall Holiday

September 22, 2005

Dear Families:

We hope that this letter finds everyone doing well and getting geared up for autumn weather. Here in the Red Group we have spent the last several weeks getting to know one another better. At morning meeting we have been playing games that are helping us learn each other's name. We have also been enjoying reading the Red Group Name Book to one another in our very cozy book area. At thematic choice time, Red Groupers have been studying those things that we all have in common, as well as the many different and wonderful qualities that make us unique. At the art table, each child has been mixing different color “people paints” together in order to find his/her exact skin shade. What we have discovered through doing this activity is that a) everyone in our room has skin, and b) though there are some children in the room who have similar skin tones, everyone’s shade is at least a little bit different. Over the last two days we have been working as a community to paint one of the classroom ceiling tiles. Other activities that have helped us to sort through the many similarities and differences in our room include: measuring one another’s hands and fingers with unifix cubes, studying photographs of pairs of children in the room to try and figure out what makes them alike and different. Next week we will continue to work on building our classroom community, but will also begin working on getting ready for our field trip to Honey Pot Hill Orchards; our upcoming curriculum will highlight apples, autumn, and what field trips are like.

We also wanted to take this opportunity to let families know that this coming Monday, September 26^th we will be welcoming a new student to the Red Group. Radia Mohammed is a kind, curious, and vivacious three-year-old who lives in Milton, MA with her foster parent, Soondarie Barker. As most of you know, Soondarie is our beloved kindergarten mentor teacher, and she is thrilled that another member of her family will be joining our community. We are all thrilled that Radia will be joining our classroom community and we know that you will join us in welcoming both she and Soondarie to our room.

Finally, we wanted to let families know that on Thursday, October 20^th the Red Group will be holding its Curriculum Night. This meeting, which takes place from 5:30-7:30 in the classroom, is a wonderful chance for teachers to share with families how we choose and create curriculum. It also gives families a chance to ask questions that they might have regarding the kinds of work that Red Groupers are doing. Childcare will be provided for this meeting and we hope that you can attend.

Finally we wanted to just thank all of the families for helping to make this first month of school such a wonderful one. Your children have settled in nicely, and we know that this is due largely to your encouragement and support. We look forward to continuing to get to know each of you over the next year.

The Red Group Team

September 13, 2005

Dear Red Group Families;

We are excited to begin this year with your child or children! It has been a pleasure to begin to get to know each and every child. And that is exactly what we are going to be doing during the coming few weeks, getting to know each other, our classroom and ourselves just a little bit better. One of the first discussions that we had this year was about a character from a book called “The Kissing Hand.” His name is Chester and he is a little sad and worried about his first day of school. We discussed how we were feeling about our first days of school. Tyler responded to the question, “How are you feeling about school?” with the reply, “Mad.” When asked why, he answered, “I don’t know everybody’s name.” In response to his comment the Red Group teachers made “The Red Group Name Book.” Each day the students have opportunities to ‘read’ the book with a teacher or a peer and learn a few more names. We also play different name games at group time, consciously use children’s name in front of their peers, ask peers to help each other learn new names and sing songs that use the children’s names. We are not only learning about names but about personalities as children find new friends and reconnect with old friends. In order to reinforce the concept that everyone has something to learn and something to teach we will soon begin to create books with a page about each child – what we are experts at and things that we are working on.

There are so many new things going on in the Red Group classroom. There are new people, new routines and many new games and materials. In order to help the children feel comfortable and confident in the classroom we are working to help the children get to know the new materials. We do this by exploring the many new toys in our Red Group classroom. The children have had the opportunity to string beads and connect different kinds of blocks on the light table. Children have been drawing, writing, painting and using the blue goop and colorful play dough. We have seen children crawling in our tunnel and splashing in the water table as well.

On Monday we started our first “small groups.” The students are divided up into three groups and each group meets on Monday, Wednesday and Friday with the same teacher. We usually keep the same groups for a number of weeks and then change them. The groups will be used for any number of purposes including getting to know each other better, reading books with more chance for discussion, working on specific social, emotional or cognitive skill and working on special projects. We will make a poster in the coming few weeks with the kids’ and teachers’ pictures to show which group each child is in.

Thank you for putting all the required items into your child’s cubby. Please remember to LABEL EVERYTHING and check and restock the cubby as needed. We appreciate all the support, questions and ideas we have received already. Please feel free to come to any of the Red Group teachers with any comments or questions.

Sincerely,
The Red Group Teachers

September 12, 2005

Dear Families:

Today we are introducing the Red Groupers to our newest classroom pet, a corn snake. Corn snakes are native to the US and are extremely docile, even tempered and make wonderful classroom pets. Here in the Red Group we are committed to exposing the children to many different kinds of animals and studying their habits, habitats, needs, etc. Classroom pets are also an excellent way to allow children to form relationships with pets and begin to understand the responsibilities that come with caring for animals. We are all very excited about our newest classroom member and look forward to learning about him with your children.

That being said, we are aware that some adults are not comfortable around snakes, and we want to be respectful of that. If you are someone who is less than comfortable around these creatures and would prefer that it not be taken out the cage in your presence, please do not hesitate to let the Red Group Team know. If you have any questions about our new snake, whose name will come soon, please let us know.

Best Wishes,
The Red Group Team

August 17, 2005

Corianne Babonis is the mentor teacher and will be working the morning shift from 8:00-3:00. She earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Wheelock College, where she studied Early Childhood Education and science. She is currently working on her Master's degree in Child Development at Tufts University. Corianne spent the 2002-2003 and 2003-2004 school years teaching in the Blue Group. Last year she moved down the hall to the Red Group and is excited to be spending her second year mentoring in this wonderful classroom. She is eager to share her love of science and children's literature with the Red Groupers.

This is Kerri Klugman's second year in the Red Group; she will be working the middle shift from 8:30-3:30. Kerri earned her Bachelor of Science Degree in Early Childhood Education with a concentration on Conflict Resolution from Wheelock College. Kerri has taught for nearly twenty years in many settings including a Native American Reservation School, Head Start, and El Salvador. Kerri has taught many ages, from young threes up to middle school, but three and four-year-olds are truly a favorite age group for her and she can't wait to begin getting to know you and your children.

Kelly Bowes will be working the closing shift from 10:30-5:30. She is originally from Ottawa, Canada and came to study in the US at Tufts University in 2002 and graduated with a Master's degree in Child Development in May 2004. She has a particular interest in policy and advocacy work in the field of child care. Kelly taught for two year in the Kindergarten at TEDCC and most recently spent the summer sharing time in both the Red and Blue Groups. She has been actively involved in Somerville's Campaign to Nurture Resilience where she built awareness of early childhood mental health issues and resources. She enjoys exploring the outdoors with children and learning about the local community.

Jessica Colby will be the GTA in the Red Group and will work from 2:30-5:30. She was raised in Medford, MA. She graduated from Tufts University this past May and received her Bachelor of Arts Degree in Child Development, with a focus on Early Childhood Education. In September she will begin coursework towards a Master's in Child Development at Tufts. Jess has particular interests in the areas of special education and literacy. She has been an invaluable member of the TEDCC community over the last two years and has held roles such as special education assistant, and summer teacher. She is very excited for the opportunity to experience a new role in a new classroom.

The Red Group consists of twenty-one children. This group is comprised of children moving from the Green Group at TEDCC as well as children entering the center for the first time. We are a diverse group of people from a wide and interesting range of backgrounds and it will be exciting to learn more about one another throughout the year. In order to come together as a group and learn about our similarities and differences, the fall curriculum will focus on our community and the strengthening of it. Over the course of the first week of school you will be receiving more information about this curriculum unit. The Red Group will be a place where your children can discover and explore the world around them, and build and develop the many different skills that are worked on in the early childhood years. Our hope for this year is that it brings new friendships, knowledge, and discoveries to us all as we work together to learn about a wide variety of topics. We will encourage your children to investigate, explore, and learn about the world through hands-on opportunities in a safe and nurturing environment.

In order to provide you with more information about the Red Group, we have scheduled an orientation night for Monday, August 29th at 7:00. More details are provided in the enclosed flier and we hope to see you there. As the new year begins, please remember that Corianne, Kerri, Kelly, and Jess will be available to listen and talk with you about your ideas, questions, comments or concerns. Prior to the start of school please feel free to call the school and speak with any of us if you have questions. Also, if you are new to the school and have the time please stop by with your child and meet the teachers, see the classroom and pick a cubby we would love to see you. Visiting before the first day of school and allowing your child to meet his/her teachers and pick out his/her cubby helps to ease some of the pre-school jitters! Just call the school at (617) 627-3412 and ask to speak with the Red Group to set up a time. We are looking forward to working together with you to provide your children with a nurturing, fun, and educational school year. Enjoy the rest of the summer and we look forward to meeting all of you all soon.

Sincerely,
The Red Group Team.

Classroom Description
Curriculum Letters
Classroom Schedule
Classroom Artwork