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Dear Families,
Thank you to all the families who joined us for our apple picking field trip last Friday! We couldn’t have asked for a more perfect October day – sunny, crisp, and just right for exploring the orchard. The kids had a wonderful time picking apples, going on the hayride, choosing pumpkins, and enjoying the fall weather together. We hope everyone enjoyed the apples they brought home. This Friday is Crazy Sock Day! You don’t need to buy a new pair to participate. Students can wear mismatched socks or decorate an old pair. Grown-ups are encouraged to join in on the fun at drop-off!
Important Dates
10/13/25 - School Closed: Indigenous Peoples’ Day
10/17/25 - Crazy Sock Day
10/18/25 - Pumpkin Patch & Great Halloween Costume Swap!
10/20/25 - School Closed: Diwali
10/21/25 - Guest Parent Speaker: Jennifer Wallace - 6:30 PM Virtual
10/22/25 - State of the School - 6:00 PM Virtual
10/23/25 - United Voices - 3:45 PM - 5:00 PM (Sign-Up Sheet)
10/24/25 - Snapshots shared in Parent Portal - 4:00 PM
10/25/25 - LS Haunted House - 5:45 - 7:45 PM
10/31/25 - Dress Up Parade - No After School: Halloween
11/3 - 11/11 - Solidarity Week
11/07/25 - School Closed: Professional Day
Here are some important reminders for the week:
As our class continues exploring the concepts of culture and heritage, we’d like to extend an open invitation for families to participate in our celebrations and learning throughout the year. You’re welcome to come in for a brief read-aloud and/or activity during any heritage month or holiday that’s meaningful to your family. We're currently celebrating Hispanic Heritage Month and have several families planning an in-class Diwali celebration on the 21st. Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur have recently passed, but families are still welcome to come in and share about these or any other meaningful holidays and traditions throughout the year. This invitation is completely optional and in addition to your child’s Family Share. If you’d like to participate, please let EJ and me know so we can find a convenient time for your visit.
DEIB SPOTLIGHT: Please take a moment to view the video and message which was posted in the Poly Pulse shared by Olugbala Williams, our Lower School Diversity Coordinator. In it, you’ll find an example of how to talk with children about the importance of our Heritage Month celebrations, as well as insight into the philosophy behind this meaningful work. Heritage Months and the My Story Project are rooted in affirmation, love, and respect, offering children essential “mirrors” of their identities while also educating our entire school community. These initiatives create space for every child to feel recognized, valued, and empowered. We encourage you to watch the video and continue these conversations at home. If you have any questions, please reach out to us or Olugbala at owilliams@polyprep.org.
Kindergarteners will begin their Family Study soon. Please sign up here for your Family Share! We would love for everyone to participate! Please sign up as soon as possible so your child has the chance to share something special about your family with the class. This is a wonderful opportunity for the kids to learn more about one another and celebrate our diverse classroom community.
Please see this note from Marie Vizzotti and Sarah Ely:
Dear Lower School Families,
The time has come for our fourth annual Great Halloween Costume Swap! This year, we are also collecting sports equipment and apparel in good condition.
Families can donate gently used costumes and sports equipment in the weeks leading up to Pumpkin Patch on October 18. At Pumpkin Patch, families and children can come to our tent and pick out a costume or sports apparel.
Where and when do I drop off costumes?
There will be a costume collection box in the Lower School vestibule from Monday, September 29 through Friday October 17. You can also bring costumes and gear directly to Homecoming and drop them off at the swap station.
Costumes Accepted:
Children' s sizes (0-12)
They should be gently used and clean
Permissible and respectful: no imaginary weapons and no stereotypical
representations of cultures or peoples.
Accessories and incomplete costumes are totally accepted!
Sports Gear Accepted:
Field equipment (lacrosse sticks/baseball mitts, etc)
Jerseys
Cleats
Shin Guards
Please do not donate helmets, mouth guards, shorts or sports balls.
Please reach out if you have any questions: sely@polyprep.org and mvizzotti@polyprep.org.
We look forward to a great costume swap!
Sarah Ely
Marie Vizzotti
Please click here for a message from Ms. Carmen about science shares and to find out which day your child is scheduled for a share.
In kindergarten, we celebrate birthdays in school with a few simple birthday traditions: a compliment circle, the birthday mix-up song, and a favorite story. While we don’t invite families in for this celebration, we do ask that you send in one of your child’s favorite books on their special day, which we’ll read to the class at the end of our celebration. We’ll be sure to share photos on our class site! Please note that we do not serve food during birthday celebrations, and we kindly ask that you refrain from sending goodie bags. Thank you!
Please take a moment to explore the Mindfulness website, where Ms. Marie shares lessons, activities, and resources. You’ll find information about what mindfulness is, what lessons look like in the classroom, and simple ways to practice mindfulness at home with your child.
In addition, check out the other specialists’ websites for updates and happenings in their classrooms.
Art Dance Library Music PE Science Spanish
Please read below for this coming week’s learning goals and a few pointers for what you can do at home:
Social Emotional Learning
Exploring Gender Stereotypes: Everyone Can Play What They Enjoy!
Read Aloud: Jaime is Jamie by Afsaneh Moradian
Growth Mindset
Optimism
Read Aloud: Almost by Richard Torrey
Reading
Word of the week
The sight word this week will be I. Have your child find the word “I” in magazines and other printed materials around the home. They can circle, underline or highlight (also good for fine motor) every time they see the word. As you or they are reading books they can also count the number of times it shows up on the page.
Learned words: and, the, a
Print Concepts
Directionality
Understanding that text is read from left to right and top to bottom on a page
Distinguishing between letters and words
One-to-one correspondence
Pointing to words as they are read aloud; Using your “pointer power”
“Get your mouth ready.”
Look at the first letter in the word, think about the sound it makes, and then get your mouth ready to make that sound.
Phonemic awareness:
Rhyming
Identifying beginning sounds
Identifying ending sounds
Breaking words into syllables
Fundations / Handwriting
Letters a and g (review)
Recognizing lowercase letters a and g
The sounds of a and g
Writing lowercase letters a and g
Letters learned: t, b, f, m, n, i, u, c, o
Fundations At Home Pack for letters “c and o” and “a and g”
The Fundations Home Support Pack provides you with the “why” and the “what” regarding our reading program, Fundations. The Fundations Home Packet also provides you with the language that the teachers use when forming their letters. Please use the same language when instructing and practicing with your child at home.
Writing Workshop
We will continue with our first writing unit called "We are all Writers!" This unit introduces children to writing by exploring both informational pieces and true stories. Students are encouraged to think, draw, label, and write about their pictures in their own way. It's an exciting step in developing their storytelling skills.
The writing process: Think, Draw, Label, Write
We will practice the rhyme, When you think you’re done, you’ve only just begun. Children often say they are done, but we ask them to add more details to drawing, labeling and writing.
The difference between a sentence and a label:
A sentence starts with a capital letter, ends with punctuation, and expresses a complete thought.
We put spaces between words.
A label can be just one or two words.
Math
Numbers to 10
Count, read, and write numbers from 6 to 10
Use ordinal numbers to tell order by naming the position of objects in a small ordered collection
Order numbers to 10 in both increasing and decreasing order
Students will learn how numbers work together and take numbers apart through purposeful activities
Social Studies
Anti-Racist Read-Aloud: This month’s ARRA is All the Colors We Are: The Story of How We Got Our Skin Color by Katie Kissinger. We read this book to give students a simple, scientifically accurate explanation of how our skin color is determined by our ancestors, the sun, and melanin. Together, we will celebrate the beautiful variety of our skin tones and understand that our differences make us special.
Seasons
Naming seasons and discussing why they change
What happens in nature and in our lives during the four seasons
We are also celebrating National Hispanic Heritage Month or Mes Nacional de la Herencia Hispana. Every grade has been assigned a Spanish-speaking country to learn more about. Kindergarten is learning more about Mexico.
We’ll continue our study of Frida Kahlo this week as we complete our self-portraits.
What You Can Do At Home
Read Aloud Your Child’s Favorite Books – Listening to stories helps children hear what fluent reading sounds like and strengthens their language and listening skills.
Initial Sounds: Say 2 or 3 words that all start with the same sound. Then, have your child repeat the words and identify the beginning sound (not the letter name!)
Have fun with a letter hunt! Use sticky notes to write letters t, b, f, m, n, i, u, c, o, a, and g, and hide them around the house and have your child go on a letter scavenger hunt. As they find each letter, ask them to say the letter's name, sound, and motion.
Letter Formation: Use materials like building blocks, connecting cubes, playdough, or magnetic letters to form the lowercase letters t, b, f, m, n, i, u, c, o, a, and g. Encourage your child to trace the letters with their finger and say the letter sounds aloud.
Counting Fingers: Use your fingers as visual aids. Ask your child to show different combinations of fingers to make 5. For example, they can show 2 fingers on one hand and 3 on the other.
Subitizing: Use dot stickers to create a set of “quick look cards” with eight dots or fewer, arranged in different ways (for example, 3 dots in a triangle, 4 dots in a rectangle, or patterns like those on dice). Hold up each card for about half a second and see if your child can tell you how many dots there are without counting. Ask them how they saw the total!
Number Hunt: Hide number cards or objects around the house, each representing a number from 0 to 5. As your child finds them, ask them to find another card or object that when added to the first, makes 5. Feel free to add a challenge and increase the number.
Story Problems: Create simple story problems related to everyday scenarios. For example, “If we buy 5 pumpkins and carve 4 into jack-o-lanterns, how many will be left?” Story problems help connect math to real-life situations.
Discuss the importance of celebrating Heritage Months: In September, we take time to celebrate the history, cultures, and contributions of people whose families come from places like Mexico, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Central America, and South America. We celebrate because Hispanic people have shared so many important traditions, stories, foods, music, and ideas that make our communities stronger. It’s a way to honor them and to learn about different cultures.
National Hispanic Heritage Month: Introduce your child to famous Hispanic artists like Frida Kahlo or Pablo Picasso. Let them create their own artwork inspired by these artists using crayons, markers, or paints. You can also explore traditional crafts like papel picado (colorful paper banners) or molas (colorful textile art).
On November 1, visit Green-Wood for their annual Day of the Dead Family Celebration.
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