Class Jobs

The biggest news in our classroom this week is our introduction of class jobs! Last week, teachers modeled each job to help prepare the Ice Creams for when they would take over.

We have six meaningful jobs that help support classroom and developmental goals. They are:

Bell Ringer: This person rings our bell and announces how many more minutes left to play.

Cleaner: This person helps keep the classroom clean. They might sweep the floors with a broom and dustpan, or they might help clean off the tables with soap.

Schedule Reader: This person stands up in front of the group during meeting and reads our schedule by pointing to each card. They can choose to sing by themselves, or with the help of classmates.

Attendance Taker: This person places the rocks from our “school” basket onto our ten-frame. They count how many people are at school each day.

Caretaker: This person grabs ice packs or band-aids for friends who are hurt. They might also offer care for the heart, such as a hug or a kind word.

Universal Coverage: This person fills in if anyone is absent or is unable to do their job. We sometimes call this job the “Arlene job,” relating it to Arlene’s role in our classroom.

The Ice Creams will hold their job for a full week before rotating. They will alternate one week of having a job and one week of being on “vacation.”

We’ve reminded the Ice Creams that, even when they’re on “vacation,” they still have important jobs to do – taking care of themselves, taking care of their friends, and taking care of their classroom.

Scissors and Glue

We also introduced scissors for the first time this week! The Ice Creams practiced holding the scissors safely to make cuts in the paper.

The Ice Creams were proud of the shapes that they were able to cut. They made “sticks,” triangles, squares, and “hexagons.” We later used these shapes and liquid glue to collage onto black paper.

“Partner Popcorn”

We have a beloved transition song called “The Popcorn Song.” In this song, each child takes a turn curling up in the center of the rug, pretending to be a popcorn kernel. When the song says, “POP,” they can pop up and jump in the center of the rug.

Recently, an Ice Cream friend asked, “Can I do Popcorn with a friend?” And so, partner popcorn was born! There were some lovely moments of hand-holding, eye contact, and sharing of plans (“are we gonna jump?”). 

Other Highlights

This week, we read a story called Harlem Grown by Tony Hillery (“Mr. Tony”). It’s a true story about a NYC public school (PS 175), which worked to transform an empty lot near their school into a garden.

The Ice Creams were excited to discover that this story was set in their very own city, and surprised to learn that Mr. Tony is a real-life person! If you’re looking for a weekend family field trip, you can schedule a visit to the Harlem Grown garden on 134th St.

We’ve also continued our block-building small groups in the Rainbow Room. Once a week, three children get to head up to the Rainbow Room with a teacher. They work alongside Brenna to explore strong foundations, symmetry, and shapes. They practice talking about their work and admiring others’ work.