Dear Parents,

Wow!  The response was overwhelming for our Christmas tree recycling drive.  Thanks not only to Olivia's dad who have taken nearly 20 trees to cut, but also to those of you who sent them.  I know the kids in the school will get hours of joy using their imagination to build with the blocks.  Thanks also to Marcus and Marissa's mom who chased down a guy with a truck full of trees and dragged him to the school!  Turns out he has been picking up trees for country walk and claims to have 500 in his backyard.  Perhaps an exaggeration on his part, but none the less, he is willing to drop them off somewhere to have them cut up.  If you or someone you know would like to cut up some trees, let us know....we are currently working on some leads thanks to Marina's mom. Now that we have so many trees,
we will no longer be accepting any more trees.

Also, a shout out to the parents who come to school with hands full of ink cartridges to recycle.  Just when we got 63 boxed up and put in my car bound for Staples, 5 more walked in the door.  And....thanks for all of you who are sending in Box Tops and Campbells Labels For Education. Every little bit helps!

If you have not seen our garden lately, I invite you to have your child show you around.  We have tons of tomatoes from the starter plants that Ava's Grandma got donated. The eggplants are not blooming yet, but still look great.  Gold Door was disappointed that their tomato plants didn't do well. They did learn though that their plants didn't get enough sunlight.  They along with the rest of the classes in the East wing, will be planting herbs, peppers, and lettuce next week. We will also be putting in pole beans soon so keep checking out the garden.

In the Science Lab this week we explored fire and air. We started by taking  deep breaths and discussing that air is all around us and we need air to survive. Next, we talked about the dangers of fire and fire safety rules, i.e. calling 911 and if there is a fire in the room to "stop, drop and roll". We talked about when the firefighter goes into a room, they wear a special mask as the fire burns the air out of the room. We took 3 containers from small to large and filled them with air. In the containers we placed a candle and saw how long it took the candle to burn out after the air burned out of the container. Although an abstract concept, it was an awesome lesson. We ended the class with each child getting a chance to blow out the candles. Special thanks to Firefighter Hackman and Firefighter Alsopp who loaned us their helmets.

Upcoming events....  1/14/2012 Carnival to celebrate Madison's Third Birthday from 11 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

                              1/19/2012 Family Story Time at 7:00 p.m.
                              1/19/2012 VPK field trip: An Animal Adventure (Mr. Al Concert cancelled Miami tour).

Reminders: LITTLE CAESAR'S PIZZA KITS..If you are interested in ordering pizza kits to cook with your kids or to enjoy with friends,
                  or friends would like to order, the order forms are at the front desk and must be returned by 1/24/2012 to have 
                  them in time for the Super Bowl.
               
                 Remember that the school is closed on Monday, 1/16/2012 in observance of Martin Luther King Day.

Finally, we hope to see all of you at our carnival on Saturday to celebrate Madison's Third Birthday and to raise funds to help with
her continued medical expenses.

Have a wonderful weekend!

Beth Davis, Director
Ed.S, NBCT