Open House Freebie

I should have posted this a long time ago but the first month of school can get really busy!  Open house for my class happened about 3 weeks ago.  My school separated our open houses by division-- ECC/Elementary, Middle, and High school. 

I was expecting only some parents attending my open house since I work in an international school, and I heard from other co-workers that it was hard for some parents to show up on a school night to attend these meetings.  But I had everyone but 2 parents that didn't show up.  After I gave my presentation and tour of my kinder classroom, I had a piece of paper on each child's desk for the parents to write/draw a special note to their child in their home language. 

Here are some of the ones I thought were adorable written by my student's parents.  I didn't know some of my parents had some artistic talent in them!

This is a freebie I put in both of my stores for you to use in your open house.  I had some people already ask me to change the wording to "a note from your family" for those students who have single parents or guardians.  I should have thought of that while I was creating this but I realized my students are very fortunate to have both parents in their lives. 

Click on the store buttons to go download this FREEBIE!  Enjoy! 

    

Also, happy Mid-Autumn Festival today-- a Chinese holiday that celebrates the first fall full moon!! We didn't have school today because of this holiday.  I will post about my experience with this holiday this weekend! 

A must read for all teachers!

I'm sitting here in a coffee shop near my apartment because we lost electricity in our whole building.  As I'm catching up on emails, lesson planning for next week, and reconnecting with friends and family back in the US.  I came across a beautiful and encouraging letter written by a mother of a Sandy Hook victim to all teachers in America.  

http://www.mychannel957.com/mother-of-sandy-hook-victim-write-powerful-letter-to-teachers/

This letter has uplifted me, whole-heartedly, because it reminded me why I am here in China, teaching these precious Kindergarteners.  Tomorrow I will walk into my classroom with courage, with faith, and with love for my students.

The ECC Outdoor Classroom AKA Our Playground!

I wanted to share with you my lovely playground, or as my school calls it-- the Early Childhood Center (ECC) Outdoor Classroom.  

This area is exclusively just for the ECC students- ages 3-5.  It is located in my school's courtyard.

The bike track and grassy areas.

Kids riding their bikes or pulling wagons.

Some of the garden and huge sandbox.

Our garden sign!  Each Class takes care of a garden.

The kindergarten garden! There are carrots, beans, squash, peanuts, and other things I'm not sure of.

Another Kinder garden.  Last year the students planted corn, tomatoes and more vegetables.

On nice days, we take our classes outside for a picnic during snack.  

The water area.

The climbing wall.

Slides!

So what do we do when the pollution levels are high or it is raining? We go to the "Treehouse"!  It's a huge indoor playroom!

We have a swing. 

A log house with kitchen toys.

Back corner is blocks, puppet center, and a wall full of toys.

Slides and jungle gym, a big sandbox in the corner, and a small shelf full of books!

The outdoor and indoor playground is another reason why I fell in love with my international school.  It's amazing how they let students play in the sand, mud, and tend a garden. We have tubs of balls, jump ropes, wood scraps, and fabric for the students to use freely.  It's fun to see students engaged in learning through play.

What's in your school playground?  What do your students enjoy during outdoor play/recess?