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Letter from the Director
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Dear Redeemer Community,
Move over Batman and Wonder Woman and make room for Team Marvel!
You may not know this, but PDS has our own team of superheroes, better known as "Team Marvel". Our pre-first class, led by their teacher Jen Barta, act as superheroes to our younger students, making our Pre-first a pretty amazing place to be. At Redeemer we have the unique opportunity to provide our oldest students with the ability to be role models. They are big fish in a small pond, and that is something they may not encounter again for a very long time. As student leaders and teachers at such a young age, their confidence and sense of self grows dramatically. We know this will impact them for a lifetime.
Pre-first, a year in between kindergarten and first grade, may be new to some of you as it is rather unique to Baltimore. With the recognition that all children develop at different rates, Redeemer's pre-first students are challenged through a first grade curriculum that is paced a little differently and keeps the distinct make-up of each year's class in mind. Our pre-first students are able to develop their individual talents and abilities, all while growing in an environment that promotes young learners. This is the gift of Redeemer's Pre-first!
At Redeemer we are fortunate to offer the option to learn in a preschool environment through the age of seven, allowing our students the time, space and ability to be young children while also preparing for what lies ahead. If you or anyone you know is interested in learning more about our amazing 2s, 3s, pre-k, kindergarten or pre-first classes, please have them contact the school office to set up an appointment.
What we have at Redeemer is pretty special - an opportunity to learn and grow in an environment that appreciates and embraces what it means to be a young child. Thank you for spreading the good word and sharing your firsthand experiences with prospective families. Ninety percent of our brain development happens in these first years. Making the right school choice is important. The opportunity to be a young learner won't come around again!
Best regards,
Mary
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Classroom Updates:
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Mrs. Barta's Pre-first:
The Pre-first children had a great field trip to the farm on Monday.
The excitement and energy proved it was a wonderful day full of
exploration with the farm animals, the corn maze, the hayride, the
pumpkin patch and the free play in the kid zone. Next week, we will be
learning about spiders and will begin writing our own spider adventures
book. Writing is an important element of Pre-first and we continually
work to improve our skills with sentence structure, capitalization,
punctuation and the decoding of words. In Phonics, we have been busy
tapping out short vowel words and are ready to learn about consonant
digraphs which are two letters together that make one sound. In Math,
we have been comparing numbers, counting "up" and "down" on a number
grid, patterning and practicing tally marks. The children love playing
the hands on math games with one another.
Mrs. Smith's & Mrs. Vandenberg's Kindergartens:
October is flying by with great successes in kindergarten. We are already half way through the alphabet and are doing amazingly well with writing by sounding out our words! In math, we are sorting, working on shapes, and creating a counting book. Please keep practicing writing the numbers and letters.
We had a wonderful trip to the farm despite an abundance of mud! Thank you for all of the parents who joined us on the trip. This week we will learn about bats and Fire Safety. Please continue to "Be Kind, Be Safe, and Have Fun".
Mrs. Arrup & Mrs. Baker's Pre-k:
The PreK is cruising through the alphabet! We have voted for our favorite "D" dessert and our favorite way to "E" eat eggs. Our frequent graphs allow children to count, compare numbers and increase their math vocabulary. We will be discussing fish, firefighters, and feet while also working on some seasonal activities. During our rug time, we have been rhyming, identifying patterns and learning one another's names. It has been fun watching new friendships develop and the children cooperate during play time. As the weather gets colder, please LABEL all coats, sweater, hats....
Mrs. Loeb & Mrs. Vahedi's Pre-k:
Our Fall Fair was Fabulous! And a wonderful alliterative nod to our current letter of the week! We have been working on our fine motor skills, painting with feathers, painting our feet, making fudge, and studying what to do in case of fire. The next couple of weeks will be "G"hosts, goblins, and "H"appy Halloween! This is such a fun time of year!
Mrs. Schroeder & Miss Ball's 3s:
What a spooky time in the 5 day 3s! We have been getting all ready for Halloween. Mummies, black cats, witches hats, are just some of the fun things we are working on. We are making a Halloween counting book as a way to introduce numbers. This book uses all different fine motor skills as well. We are also working on the color orange, the shape of a triangle and the poem of peter pumpkin eater. We continue to work on the appropriate use of materials, sharing and taking turns and our self help skills. In our calendar time We have been talking about the new season of autumn and how the weather is different and always changing. We are also working on patterns and predicting what comes next. We are working on practicing out Halloween songs and are very excited for the parade. Please remember layers are great for this time of year and sturdy shoes are best for playground.
Mrs. Hooper & Mrs. Grieve's 3s:
We enjoyed seeing so many of our happy children and their wonderful parents at the Fall Fair! Thank you to all of the volunteers for a great day! The children are finishing up their Fall/Halloween Counting book #1-5 and they are truly enjoying all of the corresponding poems and songs which they have done a fabulous job learning.....hopefully, you are hearing them practice. The book will be arriving home next week for you to see. Small motor skills are being strengthened (with scissors) as the children fringe and cut out different shapes along the lines. Counting skills and letter recognition are practiced each day with calendar work, name recognition and LETTERS on our whiteboard. Your children enjoy "jumping" to snack on our alphabet disc's! Orange triangle pumpkins , triangle witches and sponge painted ghosts have kept us all busy. "Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater" is our October nursery rhyme; abundant rhyming this month as the children work on their reading readiness. Our Halloween parade and party are on Wednesday, October 31st. Please bring your children to school dressed in costumes with their play clothes underneath or in their backpacks. Parents can line the driveway after carpool and wait for ALL of the students to parade down the driveway at 9:15. We finish on the steps in front of the church singing a few "all school" Halloween songs! Our class party ( just for the kiddies) will be immediately following the parade..... Thank you in advance to our party Moms..... Mrs. Casserly and Mrs. Cesa.
Wishing you a Fabulous Fall Family weekend!!
Mrs. Astley & Mrs. Knott's 2s:
September was such a great month and I can't believe that October is half way over! Our wonderful class has settled into a wonderful routine and has quickly picked up on our daily school schedule. I'm so proud of all of them! This month, we have focused on the circle, the color orange, farm life and Halloween. I hope you enjoyed seeing our "Circle Pig" as well as our "Muddy Pig". Please remember as the weather changes into Fall to dress in layers, as our mornings are chilly but the afternoons are warm. Thank you all again for sharing your children with us. Their enthusiasm for school is contagious and makes it a joy to come to work!
Mrs. Wyatt & Mrs. Zuidema's 2s:
The Wyatt /Zuidema Twos have had a fabulous October. We kicked off the month talking about the farm. We made scarecrows, ears of corn, muddy pigs, circle pigs, and cows. It was lots of fun to have real baby chicks at Redeemer to add to our unit. During circle time, we worked on a pattern of farmers and cows, looked for a pig behind shapes, collected Mother Hen's colorful eggs, and sang a song about Grandpa's farm. Next week we will be starting our unit on Halloween and having fun with spooky crafts! As always, thank you for sharing your children with us.
Lunch Bunch:
Lunch Bunch has been frightfully fun this month. We have been making Halloween crafts and working together to come up with fun Spooky ideas to act out, such as 5 little Pumpkins and Witches Brew. Creating many Halloween decorations for school and for home has been a ton of fun. We also have been discussing costumes and how Halloween is a time for fun pretend..nothing that should make us frightened!
As the weather changes please remember to check the status of clothing in your
child's
cubby. The weather in Baltimore seems to change in an instant this time of year, so adding several layers of clothing to your stash is much appreciated. Also please remember that No Nuts or nut products are allowed at school. So please double check the Halloween candy that you put in your childs lunch! Thank you for sending your child to Lunch Bunch and please let me know if you have any concerns or questions.
Mrs. Blair's Art:
L
ines, Lines, Lines are everywhere around us and are the beginning steps of learning how to draw. They are an essential element of art that defines shape and form, helps us communicate ideas and express our feelings. We have spent the last few weeks learning and drawing zig-zags, curvy, loopy, dotted, and dashed lines. You may have heard that our favorite art room friend, Alfred taught us all about horizontal, vertical, diagonal and spiral lines..."any line he can make, after all, he's a snake!" Our 3's and Pre-K artists created their own lines on the playground in chalk and our Kindergarten and Pre-First artists drew and painted gorgeous pumpkins with defined line segments. We will be moving into nature themed collage, observational painting and texture projects in the next few weeks-we can't wait!
The Threes and Pre-K classes have enjoyed parachute play as well as an indoor obstacle course over the past weeks. We had fun climbing over, in, and out of obstacles as well as through tunnels and balancing on a beam! Kindergarten and Pre-First have been practicing soccer skills: dribbling, passing, stopping, and kicking, and played in our first soccer game this week!
The sounds of Fall are echoing in the hallways outside the music room! From the spooky fun songs of Halloween to the
singing of leaves dancing with the wind, the children are exploring different instrumentation as well as lots of vocal and creative movement.
Mrs. Craig's Science:
This week in Pre-K our letter F was for flowers! We dissected beautiful alstroemeria flowers to learn about flower parts and their functions. We were also able to look at the flower parts super close up with our Zoomy digital microscope on our new Smartboard.
Kindergarten explored chemical reactions last week with a penny cleaning lab. We discovered that vinegar and salt do a better job than soap to make our pennies shine! This week saw how common kitchen staples can put out a fire and talked about fire safety.
Pre-First finished up their Engineers and Inventors unit and began to learn about Chemistry. Our first lab used the scientific method to predict what colors leaves will turn this fall. We will see if our guesses and experiment were right as the leaves start changing color!
Senora Poe's Spanish:
Hola! The kindergarten and pre-first students are having fun with Spanish! We are learning basic conversation, numbers and colors. In kindergarten our focus has been on una manzana roja (one red apple) and dos calabazas naranja (two
orange
pumpkins). The Pre-first students are very proud of their arco iris (rainbows) which will be going home on Monday. In the upcoming weeks we will continue to discuss Fall, farm animals and Dia de los Muertos.
Model helpfulness in your daily routine. Open doors for each other, carry something, and offer to help with chores. Be sure to express your appreciation for each other. Being helpful is a value worth keeping. If we all model this for one another, our world will be a better place!
Mrs. Knott's World Cultures:
Our travels have taken us from Italy to India, where after learning all about breads from around the world, we watched a young Indian girl make Chapati, or Indian flatbread. We then sampled breads from around the world, topped with homemade butter made in class. Oh the places we will go!
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Office Notes
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Fall has arrived, finally!
Please be sure your children are dressed appropriately for the weather. We like to go outside. One cold and uncomfortable child can impact the entire class. Please label all clothing.
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Fall Conferences:
Parent teacher conferences are scheduled for Friday, November 9th for the 5 day 3s, pre-k, kindergarten and pre-first. School will not be in session for those classes. All conference times were emailed this week. The 3 Day 2s and 3 Day 3s will be in school with no early morning drop-off or lunch bunch.
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Scholastic offers affordable books for every age and reading level. Click
HERE to order. Our activation code is JB4C8 and orders are due by Friday,10/26 (Halloween books will not arrive in time).
HAPPY READING
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Admissions at Redeemer
October 1, marked the beginning of the PDS admissions season, is around the corner. If you know of someone who might be interested in applying and visiting the school, please have them contact the school office at 410-435-9510 or [email protected].
Re-enrollment forms for current students for the 2019-2020 school year will be mailed home on November 1. In order to reserve a place for your child in our program, we must receive the form by December 1. If we do not have the form by December 1, we cannot guarantee your child a spot. Please note that no money is due at this time.
School Video
Each electronic newsletter features a new school video which can be found in the Quicklinks section. Please take the time to watch it with your children. They will love to see pictures of themselves and their friends.
UPCOMING CALEN
DAR EVENTS:
Thursday, October 25th- 9 am -Kindergarten Sneak Peek - for Pre-k parents
Wednesday, October 31st- 9:15- Halloween Parade ALL SCHOOL DISMISSAL 11:45- no afternoon programs
Thursday, November 1-NO SCHOOL- Professional Day
Friday, November 9- Parent Conferences 5/3, Pre-k, K, P1 - SCHOOL NOT IN SESSION FOR THOSE CLASSES
**3 Day 2s and 3 Day 3s will be in school with no afternoon programs.
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Program Highlights:
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Quiver Farm
After meeting the Mother Hen and Father Rooster, our PDS students did a fantastic job caring for our eggs, which eventually hatched into 12 wonderful baby chicks!
Episcopal Schools Service
Kindergarten and Pre-first played fabulous hosts to friends from Good Shepherd and St. David's Preschools for our annual Episcopal Schools Service. Afterwards they shared a snack and time on the playground.
CPR & First Aid Training
Redeemer teachers spent their first faculty meeting this year renewing their CPR & First Aid certification. Many thanks to parent, Chris Dew, for providing the training.
Field Trip to Rodger's Farm
Pre-first and kindergarten students traveled by bus to Rodger's Farm. Donning boots and rain coats, they enjoyed the hay ride, the pumpkin patch and learning more about the farm. Thank you to our teachers and parent chaperones for ensuring a fun visit!
Author Visit
R
edeemer students were treated to a visit from children's author, Rachel Kolar. Her book,
Mother Ghost: Nursery Rhymes for Little Monsters, was perfect for this time of year. Everyone really enjoyed her visit! Rachel will be sharing her stories again tomorrow morning at The Ivy Bookstore. Click here for additional information.
Fall Family Festival
We had another fantastic fall festival, with crisp fall weather and lots of happy faces and smiles! Thank you to our wonderful team of volunteers, headed up by the Fall Fair Committee; Ellen Dew, Brooke DiManno, Mary Kate Federico, Corleigh McDermond, and Bridget Weininger. The event would not have been possible without the help of our Parent Council Co-chairs, Emily Pfeifer and Mandy Saleh. We also want to say a very special thank you to Brian Guerin, Matt Nuzzi and Paul Saleh for their much needed help breaking down tables and hauling furniture at the end. We are so fortunate to have an incredible team of parents and teachers!
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In preschool we recognize the privilege, responsibility and joy of educating our youngest students. Alongside their parents, we work diligently at building the foundation for their ongoing and lifelong learning. Be sure to click on the link below found in every issue to see our wonderful students in action. Enjoy!
CLICK HERE TO VIEW OUR
"FALL IS HERE!" SCHOOL VIDEO
Please visit our website
Interested in learning more about our
Please visit:
to learn more about
The Church of the Redeemer
RPDS MONTHLY VALUES:
Fairness
Being Helpful
Fire Safety
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Community News
Speaker Series at Redeemer
Every week this Fall, Redeemer will host an array of talented individuals in our community. Click
here for a full listing.
Sunday School at the Church of the Redeemer
We invite you to join us at Church of the Redeemer for our Sunday morning programming for children which runs from 9:45 until 10:30 when the children rejoin their families in church prior to communion. You can register online
HERE
. Questions?
We
Sing: 4th Sundays of the month at 10:00 a.m. Eucharist
if you have a child who is interested in the St. Gabriel Choir.
The Choir School of Baltimore
Children and youth in grades
3 -12.
We rehearse:
Tuesdays from 5:00 - 6:00 p.m. (optional but strongly encouraged)
Thursdays from 5:00 p.m. - 6:15 p.m. (required)
2nd Saturday of the month from 10:00 a.m. until noon
(followed by lunch and a social activity)
We sing: 2nd & 4th Sundays of the month at 10:00 a.m. Eucharist and on o
ther special occasions.
Employing the RSCM Voice for Life training, they learn good vocal skills, acquire fluency in reading and understanding the fundamentals of music, and develop lasting friendships. Choir School students are eligible to receive a free ½ hour piano lesson each week.
Please contact Bert Landman at
[email protected]
t
o schedule an interview for The Choir School.
Mental Health First Aid
For the last 9 months, The Church of the Redeemer has been promoting conversation and programs centered on issues of mental health. The tag line for our initiative is "Mental Health at Redeemer: Let's Talk About It, Let's Learn About It." As part of our efforts, I have offered Mental Health First Aid Workshops to the community. This is a 2 day class, 4 hours a day, that gives an overview of topics such as depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, panic disorder, addiction, and suicide. Mental Health First Aid is an internationally recognized program. There are two upcoming opportunities for you to enroll: Tuesday October 2 (11-3)/Wednesday October 3 (11-3) OR Friday October 12 (2-6)/Saturday October 13 (10-2). Each class will need a minimum of 6 and no more than 12. Both will meet in the dining room.
Please email me with questions or to enroll! You might be interested to know that almost 90 members of the parish have completed the workshop!
Blessings,
Caroline
cstewart@redeemerbaltimore.
org
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Contact Us
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Redeemer Parish Day School
5603 N. Charles Street
Baltimore, MD 21210
410-435-9510
Mary Knott, Director
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