September Lucky

Here is my order for the Lucky catalog:

2428

56

Dragon of the Red Dawn (Magic Tree House #37)Flat Stanley

Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures (Magic School Bus)

1 1 2.001.00

4.00

2.00

I have these ones, but in case you don’t, you might be interested in:

24. Dragon of the red dawn, We love the Magic Tree House books!

52. The whole pack of Magic Tree house books for a great price.

35 and 36, we love Henry and Mudge.

44. Jake Drake pack, Andrew Clements is a very popular author for 4th and 5th graders.

74. Ramona friends and family pack. Beverly Cleary’s Ramona books are quintessential childhood reading.

25. E.B. White Treasury. Arianna adores these classic books.

65. Patricia Polacco Pack, another fabulous author.

63. Our Solar System. Seymour Simon is an amazing photographer and has some excellent science books for children.

Pretty good prices for some of my daughter’s faves!
To order online, go to the Web site below and enter our class’s personalized user name and password.

www.scholastic.com/parentordering

Class User Name: rebeccawolf
Password: books

Remember, placing your online order is completely safe and secure.  Your credit card payment is sent directly to Scholastic.

When you shop online, you can take advantage of exclusive online-only offers and choose from an expanded selection of books and software. Of course, you can always use the printed flyer instead and have your child hand in a Club order form and payment at school.

Thank you again for ordering and for continuing to help our classroom earn FREE books, software and learning materials. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,
Rebecca

Financial Aid

We do not currently offer financial aid, but you may have a special skill that we need and could barter for. If you are interested, please check out our “Wish List” page or give us a call.

If you have gently used preschool items, please check our “Wish List”. We might be able to give your items a great, new home where children will continue to use and cherish them!

Blessings,

Rebecca Wolf

Free Open House!

We are having an Open House on Wednesday, September 3, 2008 for parents of prospective students. Come over and join the fun!

Our first Open House will be at 9:30 a.m. for parents of 3 and 4 year olds. Our second one will be at 10:30 a.m. for parents of 5 and 6 year olds. Registration forms will be available so you can sign up for our few remaining spots.

If you are wondering about all of the good learning fun we do here, now is your chance to take a sneak peek! Plans are also in the works for a Teleconference on “The Importance of Play” in the next few weeks. If you have a scheduling request, be sure to let me know as soon as possible.

Please leave a comment or give me a call at 935-7131 to sign up for our Open House.

Hope to see you there,

Rebecca Wolf

Spanish Classes

Fall is almost here and we have a great line up for Spanish classes for ages 4-6. You can kick off the fall semester with a week long intensive Spanish camp in Penfield. Then, we will commence our weekly classes on September 9th. Classes will be at 10:00 on Tuesdays here at the Sibley Learning Center.

The format for classes will be full immersion, meaning our teacher, Josefina, will only speak in Spanish. Both students and parents will be expected to greet Josefina (and each other) in Spanish upon arrival. We will also have a regular calendar activity to reinforce numbers, days of the week and weather words, in addition to Josefina’s well-loved art activities. We are purposefully making classes more challenging and expecting the children to speak and understand even more Spanish. The monthly charge will be $40.

And for the adults, we will be forming a Spanish Lunch to meet once a week to practice conversational Spanish. If you are interested in participating, please let me know about your availability so we can begin as soon as possible. There will be a small charge for this.

Magic School Bus Notes

Have you ever wondered why some of the Magic School bus books are excellent and others are, well, not so fabulous? I discovered that the original books written by Joanna Cole are the true gems. The other ones are just carbon copies of the TV show and lack the author’s touch, although her name has to be mentioned in the book title since the Magic School Bus is her creation.

The original titles to look for, as you frequent book shops and garage sales, are The Magic School Bus:

AT THE WATERWORKS

INSIDE THE EARTH

INSIDE THE HUMAN BODY

LOST IN THE SOLAR SYSTEM

ON THE OCEAN FLOOR

IN THE TIME OF THE DINOSAURS

INSIDE A HURRICANE

INSIDE A BEEHIVE

AND THE ELECTRIC FIELD TRIP

EXPLORES THE SENSES

Joanna Cole has also branched out into social studies with the Ms. Frizzle’s Adventures:

ANCIENT EGYPT

MEDIEVAL CASTLE

IMPERIAL CHINA

I hope you enjoy the originals as much as we do!

Rebecca

Fall Enrollment

It’s not too late to register — there are 3 spots left for our fall session! If you are looking for a small, family-style preschool or enrichment classes for your homeschooling 5 or 6 year old, come on down and check out our unique, child-centered morning program for ages 3 – 6.

Blessings,

Rebecca Wolf

A quote to ponder

In Unconditional Parenting, Alfie Kohn states, “The way kids learn to make good decisions is by making decisions, not by following directions.”

As a parent, I find that I often run into the worst problems when I am trying to control my children, or make them listen to me. As an adult, I know how I like things to be done and it is often difficult for me to sit back and let my child figure it out for  herself or to provide endless reasons as to why it’s preferable to do something a certain way.

But as I remember my own childhood, I got so frustrated with my mother because whenever I offered to help her do the dishes or cook, she would say, “It’s easier for me to just do it myself.” And I was devastated. I was capable. I was confident I could help and do a good job. I just needed time to practice. And perhaps the opportunity to watch an expert first. So, it wasn’t really a surprise when I had no interest in cooking or cleaning later. I was routinely denied the opportunity to learn by doing it myself.

Encouraging children to engage in useful activities ranging from practical life, to reading, to manners and courtesy, I strive to give my students the gift of practice until each is satisfied with his or her own mastery.

June 2008 Book Recommendations

Many parents ask me to help them find the reading level for books, so they can help children make selections that aren’t too easy yet won’t cause frustration. Here are some books from the See Saw Scholastic Catalog with the appropriate reading levels.

First grade readers include:
Absolutely Lucy,
Fiesta Fiasco and P.J. Funnybunny Camps Out.
Late First grade to early second grade readers include:
#2 Amelia Bedelia Pack
#23 Henry and Mudge Pack
#27 Junie B. Jones Mega Pack
#57 Ricky Ricotta Adventure Pack
#75 You Read to Me, I’ll Read to You Fairy Tales
#33 Magic School Bus library

Well-Loved Author Selections Include:
#49 Papa, do you love me?
#55 Ramona Pack
#12 and #34 Magic Tree House books
#41 My parents think I’m sleeping (poems)
#31 Leo Leonni trio
#24 Honey, Honey, Lion
#29 Knuffle Bunny Too

There’s a nice selection of non-fiction books on pages 1 and 2.

Enjoy,
Rebecca Wolf
Catalog 207300 June 2008 See Saw

P.S. If you want me to place your order, so it benefits the Learning Center and you can have easy pick up, just click on the Scholastic link in the top menu bar. Thanks a bunch for helping to support our program!

Say Hello to Playful Learning!

At the Sibley Learning Center, we provide a thoughtfully prepared environment for young children of all ability levels, ages 3 – 6. The morning includes opportunities for whole group, small group and individual instruction.

After our Morning Group Work, your child can self-select from activities in the areas of: Practical Life, Sensorial Materials, Math, and Literacy Development. Ample time is also provided for free play, snacks and outside activities.