Newsletter - North Wall Schools

Newsletter
September, 2012
A Note From Jan
North Wall Schools on Facebook
Welcome to all the new families who are just starting North Wall
this fall, and welcome back to the students who were with us this
summer. Everyone is invited to our Curriculum Night on Thursday
September, 27th at 6:30pm in the large Multi-Age Kindergarten
building and to the social hour at 5:45 pm the same evening. Social hour will take place outside in the backyard. Look for your
child’s classroom sign and area. Curriculum Night will be valuable
for families who have been at North Wall for many years as well as
new families to attend. Your child will be placed in a classroom
with North Wall TA’s during the open house if you sign up.
Jan
Upcoming Events:
Tuesday September 4thFirst Day of School
Thursday September 6thNWCA and PAB Meeting 4-5pm
Thursday September 13thClass Pictures
Thursday September 20thNature Trail Committee Meeting 4-5pm
School News
Thursday September 27thCurriculum Night 6:30 pm
The Sails have arrived!
Thanks to the North Wall Children’s Association for the new
sails over the sports court. The children have really been
enjoying doing PE activities under them this summer. The
shade is much appreciated. A third sail has been ordered to
cover the opening in the middle of the area which should help
keep this area somewhat dry when the fall rains come.
Spokane’s only accredited private school which
offers a Gifted program in both the
Elementary grades (Kindergarten - 6th grade)
Class News
2nd-6th Summer Enrichment Class Going In "Circles"!
As summer is coming to an end, we are learning how everything in our lives has a pattern. The new moon is a waxing
crescent moon, then a waxing Gibbous and then the full
moon. From there it is a waning Gibbous moon, a waning
crescent moon and, finally, the new moon again. We are discovering that water evaporates and becomes a cloud. The
cloud drops the water back on us as snow or rain. Then it
runs back to the lakes and oceans. Rocks are coming out of
volcanoes as igneous rock, which are wearing down to form
sedimentary rocks. These are being pulled into the earth and
are becoming metamorphic rocks. We are seeing they come
out the volcano again and the process starts over. So it is
with our lives. We are ending the summer and watching fall
come upon us.
We are learning that being quiet on a walk allows us to see
swans at Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge. We are finding
that plants and trees are part of a cycle at the refuge. An old
growth tree provides shade. If it dies, it provides a home for
many animals. Finally, we are learning that when it falls it is a
place for a young tree to grow. The young tree becomes an
old growth tree that our great-grandchildren look at. What a
wonder summer we are having!
A good way to nurture a child's reading is simply to read to
them, have them read to you, or let them read books of their
own choosing.
and the Early Childhood program
for Infants, Toddlers and Preschoolers.
Class News
K—2 Class Learns to S.T.O.P.
S.T.O.P. stands for Stop, Think, Observe, and Pray/Plan. This
is what we learn to do during our Survival theme week. During
our field trip to Turnbull National Wildlife Refuge, we talk about
how we would use these skills if we found ourselves separated
from our group. Another highlight at Turnbull is getting to see
many pelicans, two deer, a coyote, and a swan family! Thank
you to Bailey’s mom, Dalene, for joining us as a chaperone for
our field trip!
COMMUNITY EVENT
There is a Doggie Dip at Comstock Park this Sunday, August,
26th. For information, go to http://
www.spokaneparks.org.
NEED PLACE FOR CHRISTMAS
PROGRAM
Can you help us find a church or auditorium with a sound system which
seats 300 people or more and has a
minimum of 6 smaller rooms with access to the stage?
The North Central High School auditorium is no longer available.
Class News
Dinosaurs Roar to Life In Multi-Age Kindergarten!
We explore non-fiction books through the topic of dinosaurs. We
begin the week by brainstorming what we already know about
dinosaurs and some questions we have about dinosaurs. By
listening to non-fiction books about dinosaurs, we learn that
some dinosaurs had feather; some ate plant; some ate meat;
and that omnivores ate both meat and plants! We finish our
week by making our own books about dinosaurs, recording
some of the facts and drawing pictures to go along with them.
We even get to put together a skeleton puzzle, similar to paleontologists.
THANK YOU to Davey Joe Thorp and his
family for donating a volcano bubbler to our
fish tank!
Community Event: North Idaho Fair and
Rodeo is Aug. 22-26. 2012 theme: “Stirrin’ It
Up.” . For more information visit http://
www.northidahofair.com/
Multi-Age Preschool Clowns Around at the
Circus!
It is so much fun to play at the circus.
We see horses, rhinos, lions, elephants,
and so many more animals. We paint
purple cotton candy and make paper
plate lions. We practice words with the
letter C and mix our primary colors. We
practice walking on a tight rope and learn about acrobats. We
love being silly and wearing red clown noses. Popcorn is so
yummy so we make some for ourselves and share with everyone!
Community Event: Take a trip to Cat Tales and spend the day
viewing the extraordinary wild cats that live right here in Spokane. Some of the cats here are the same that can be seen in a
circus! Tuesday-Sunday 10am-6pm closed Mondays thru Sep-
Preschoolers Are On a Bear Hunt!
Outdoor adventures come to life as we go on
a bear hunt. Brown paint turns into mud as
we write the first letter of our names using qtips. We dip long reeds of grass into blue
paint and then swish them across our blue
paper as we make artwork. Big bears and
small bears find their way to the appropriate
circle as we sort them. Fish are caught from
the boat as we cross the river and look for the bear. Go on a
bear hunt at home as a family and enjoy exploring the outdoors
together.
Parent Volunteer of the Month
Jennifer Barson is the Nature Trail committee chair for the second year and has volunteered hours of her time helping the nature
trail and pond become a beautiful, ecofriendly environment. North
Wall appreciates her research, dedication, follow
through and leadership
ability. She has been able
to build a committee of
committed parents and
staff to enhance this effort.
They have “dreams” for the
future of the Nature Trail
which includes “Whimsical Woods.”. You are
AMAZING! Thank you!
• 9408 North Wall Spokane, WA 99218
• p: 509.466.2695
Toddlers stay busy inside and outside!
We are a busy group, exploring our environment and all it
has to offer. We often take a break and sit and read together. We each find a favorite book to read, but sometimes
we decide to read to each other or share the same book.
We use the pegs and create tall towers. Oops, if the tower
falls, we just build it again. We can practice our budding
sharing skills with the pegs as we work together.
Outside we use the hose at water play. We take pitchers
out, fill them and then laugh as we toss the water high into
the air. Where does it land? Sometimes right on our heads!
It takes a lot of concentration on our part to match the
shaped crackers to the right shape on
our mats. But we stick with it until the job
is done.
Community Events: Be sure to check
out the Public Libraries for fun activities
and wonderful books to share as a family.
Peach Festival at Greenbluff Aug 8thSept. 6th
Silly Stories in the Pre-Toddler Class!
Our silly stories have us all giddy this week! “Humpty
Dumpty sat on a wall, Humpty Dumpty had a great fall,
makes us giggle as we build our walls high and crack open
our eggs and yell, “SPLAT,” with excitement! We are learning new nursery rhymes such as, Hey Diddle Diddle, Jack
and the Beanstalk, and Mary Had a Little Lamb. Once we
are done singing and listening to Hey Diddle Diddle, we go
outside and pretend to be cows jumping over the moon in
our swings. We fly so high that you can barely see us. Leaving the moon, we fly down as superman and head right on
over to our next nursery rhyme…Jack and the Beanstalk. We practice watering plants
and watching how tall they will
soon grow. We are VERY good at
holding cups and knowing where
to put the water. Soon we will be
drinking from our very own cups
too!
Community Event: Take me out
to the ballgame…Spokane Indians
baseball game Saturday and Sunday at 6:30pm at Avista Stadium
cost: $6.00 adult, free for children
3 and under! What a great way to
enjoy some family fun!
Infants Enjoy Sand and Water!
Sand and water opens up the
doorway to discover the beach
and ocean. As we are practicing
being on our tummies, we explore the different textures of the
net and shells. We laugh as the
balls bounce around our classroom when we chase them. It is
fun to hear the giggles as we lie
on our backs and raise the ball
up above ourselves. Our
teacher loves to watch us as we
gain new skills!
Community Event-Spokane
Falls Northwest Indian Encampment and Powwow http://www.spokane7.com/calendar/
events/27602/73940/
Link to facebook photo albums:
• f: 509.465.5374
• www.northwallschools.com