What’s Happening!
Events Calendar
Even though COVID may not continue to create major disruptions to our school calendar events and dates, please know that all dates are tentative.
October 2022: Infant/Toddler & Preprimary & Primary B Conferences
Month of Giving to Free Little Library and Food Pantry: Middle School Classes*
4-5 Infant and Toddler Parent/Teacher Conferences
7 CVS & Central Flu Shot Clinic (2-5 or six? sit in parent’s lap) older children and adults
too!
7 Primary PIN and Open House 6:30-8:00 (watch for details) ** this is a change
8 Outdoor Classroom Work Day! (tentative) 10-11: 30 A bit of sunshine, good company,
and a cup of Joe! V hours too. Hope to see you then.
11-12 Preprimary Parent/Teacher Conferences
11-14 Daily Soup Payment Drive (Please watch for information about how participating families
can make payment)
13 School Portrait Make-Up Day by Stephanie Garr 8:30 (watch for details)
15 🌶 Chili Cook-Off (rain date: November 6th) watch for details!
17 Megan’s Primary C Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Up
18-19 Fern’s Primary B Parent/Teacher Conferences (watch for details)
24 Lower Elementary Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Up
28 Little Kicks Soccer Session Ends Today (tentative)
What’s Happening!
Primary C
A child takes the Sandpaper Numerals to their table. They trace each number carefully, saying the name each time. “1, 2, 3…” all of the way up to 9! The child moves to the language shelf and brings a chalkboard to the table. The child traces the number 1 and carefully writes it on the chalkboard. With joy, the child says, “Wow, that is a 1!” The child does this up to the number 7. With a big smile, the child restores the chalkboard and then restores the Sandpaper Numerals.
Middle School
Four students work together during an experiment on crystallization. They discuss the patterns of atoms and how crystallization occurs. One student in the group states, “We need to supersaturate the solution in order for the crystal to form.” Another recalls the process of crystallization and reminds their lab partner that it is called primary nucleation when we first see the crystal! The students work together to keep the water at least 90 degrees Celsius and the temperature monitor yells out, “it’s time to heat up the water again!” The group hurries to continue the heating process as a team!
Primary B
A child carefully walks to the sink, holding on tightly to a porcelain water pitcher. The child fills the pitcher up halfway and slowly carries it back. A water basin sits on top of the shelf. They slowly pour the water into it and then set the pitcher on the right side. The child then places her hands inside the basin and wets them thoroughly. Next, a small brush is picked up and lathered in soap. In a circular motion the child begins to scrub her nails, one by one then moves to the rest of her hands. Once fully lathered, she rinses her hands in the water basin, dries them with a towel, hangs it to dry and moves on to restore the material. After, she smells her hands, “ mmm, smells clean” she exclaims!
Preprimary
The children have gathered around and waiting for their hands to be traced on a piece of colorful paper. They then begin to count the fingers on their paper hand! One child realizes that if you can count the fingers on a paper hand, he could count the fingers on his own hand! Happily, the child’s friends think this is a good idea too and now six children are busy counting their own fingers, all at the same time. They all are counting out loud, of course, which makes for a lovely cacophony of… one, two, three, four, five!
Upper El
In celebration of International Day of Peace, students practice singing Light a Candle for Peace as well as signing the words! During a writing exercise, students express what peace looks, feels, smells, sounds, and even tastes like. “Peace smells like blueberry muffins in the morning.” “Peace feels like walking along the shore.” “Peace smells like flowers.” Students enjoy sharing moments of peace! During a STEAM lab, students review the Fibonacci Sequence and begin creating the chart to measure spaces of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and 21 square units. Watercolor sketches of shells and other items where the Fibonacci pattern can be found are drawn to cover the space.
Infant & Toddler
A toddler is walking around the room, watching their friends, and considering their options when they notice a friend has spilled some water. The child rushes to get a towel and scurries back to help their friend wipe up the water. Just as they’re finishing, they see another friend accidentally drop a few materials on the floor. Again, they rush to their friend’s aid and help restore the materials. Satisfied with a clean room, they decide to move on to the next important thing- having a snack!
Lower El
Eight students are moving about the playground and looking at their friend’s backs. They aren’t saying what they see there and then (almost) silently sit down together in a circle. One by one the children stand, enter the center of the circle and give everyone one last look at their backs as they slowly turn around. Their friends giggle and smile. It is quite a secret. Now the child in the center asks their friends what type of animal is on their back (picture of an animal). Is it an insect, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, or mammal? Where does it live? Is it a carnivore, herbivore, omnivore? How does it move? Within a few short minutes, the child has collected enough clues and correctly identifies the animal on their back as a grizzly bear! Yikes!
V-HOUR INFORMATION
Parent On-Campus Participation is Returning to Normal!
As COVID disruptions are fewer and farther between, our Room Parents and parent volunteers continue to return to campus, our V-hour eligibility is shifting the focus back to school-related activities and opportunities. Watch for information about how you can help!
V hour Opportunities: Garden Lovers Can Help!
We would love to fill our circle gardens with soil and need your help. If possible, please donate one or two bags of organic soil so we can fill our 5 classroom circle gardens on the main campus playground. They are eligible for a v hour exchange (or more). Feel free to drop them off at the main campus carpool gate and we will load them up and get them to the gardens.
Special Thanks for Central’s ‘very own’ Bus Stop!
Special thanks to Teresa Cole who reached out and helped our Middle School students own (some small part of) the care of the bus stop outside of our Infant and Toddler Program! Middle School students collect trash, keep journal entries about the care of this stop, and submit this information to the City of Richmond. They earn V-hours for their contributions. This is a perfect neighborhood contribution and is in keeping with our citizenship goals and curriculum for this age child.
V-Hour Eligibility: Special Note: Important Distinction Between Donated Items that are not eligible for V Hours and Requested Items that are Eligible for V Hours.
Our generous parents often bring and drop off books, food, and other Central requested items to Central. Our children see this type of giving and help by restocking our Free Little Pantry and Free Little Library. They are proud that they can help others. These gifts go directly into our community and our neighbors greatly benefit from our parent's generosity.
Occasionally, folks will clean out items from their home and lives and look for places to give these gently-loved gifts to. Sometimes Central can use these items and sometimes, unfortunately, we cannot.
I hope the information below will help us clarify what Central can provide V hours for and what we cannot exchange V hours for.
Much Appreciated but Not V Hour Eligible
Donations of toys, books, food, and other items, unless they are requested items to be used in our classrooms, are considered donations and are not eligible for V Hours. They bring happiness and goodwill and sometimes even life-saving food to our neighbors and ourselves and Central is truly grateful for the generosity of our parents.
V Hour Eligible Items
If a teacher or Central has requested specific items, those items are eligible for a V Hour exchange.
Not all School Supplies, Items or Toys are V Hour Eligible
Because the items used in our program must meet a certain criteria, not all toys, books, or other school supplies brought in by parents can be used by Central.
In this case Front Desk staff must manage, store, or transport these items to other places. We appreciate you thinking of us first but it can cost Central money and time to manage these items. Quite a challenge for our little school.
If You Would Like to Receive V Hour Exchange for School Items, Please contact Anita First.
Please contact Anita if you have items you are clearing out of your home or life and see if these items are a good match for our school program. If they are, we will gladly provide a V hour exchange.
Central’s Little Free Library and Pantry
Thanks for helping us give back to our neighbors. A neighbor who depends on this pantry for food has posted a request on the pantry asking that donations include food containers that someone without a home, kitchen, or can opener can manage. We ask that donations contain only foods within the expiration date. All foods should be as healthy as possible. We can do this!
Month of Giving
Books for Little Free Library & Food for Little Free Pantry
Please feel free to send your donations in with your child. Individual classrooms will collect these items and the front office will manage them. Older students will help us keep our pantries stocked with your generous gifts. Your child (and our neighborhood community) benefits from your modeling of giving to others. It inspires them and helps them see how they themselves can help others. This is a very big deal.
Month
Classroom
January
Upper Elementary
February
Middle School
March
Infant and Toddler
April
Preprimary
May
Preprimary, both B and C
June
Primary B (Fern)
July
Primary C (Megan)
August
Lower Elementary
September
Upper Elementary
October
Middle School
November
Infant and Toddler
December
Lower Elementary
FINAL THOUGHTS
While Covid is undeniably still in our midst, we are so happy to have made some progress towards a return to somewhat normal. Seeing your wonderful faces (or at least your faces above your masks) has brought so much joy. As we slowly reintroduce in-person events, I can barely contain my excitement about our Annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 15th! Please keep an eye on your emails and Track it Forward for details and V Hour opportunities for this wonderful event. I hope to see you all there - I promise you’ll leave happy and full!
We have noticed recently that our neighbors seem to be a bit hungrier than usual. This is not a surprise given the rising cost of food at our grocery stores. Please know that even if it is not your classroom’s month to donate to the Little Free Pantry, you are always welcome to donate shelf-stable foods. If the Little Free Pantry is full, please feel free to bring donations to me in my office at the Infant and Toddler building and we’ll store them here and restock the pantry as needed. Please be sure to donate non-expired goods, and, if donating canned goods, that they have a pop top and do not require a can opener. We can do this!
Health and Happiness,
Amira
Events Calendar
Even though COVID may not continue to create major disruptions to our school calendar events and dates, please know that all dates are tentative.
October 2022: Infant/Toddler & Preprimary & Primary B Conferences
Month of Giving to Free Little Library and Food Pantry: Middle School Classes*
4-5 Infant and Toddler Parent/Teacher Conferences
7 CVS & Central Flu Shot Clinic (2-5 or six? sit in parent’s lap) older children and adults
too!
7 Primary PIN and Open House 6:30-8:00 (watch for details) ** this is a change
8 Outdoor Classroom Work Day! (tentative) 10-11: 30 A bit of sunshine, good company,
and a cup of Joe! V hours too. Hope to see you then.
11-12 Preprimary Parent/Teacher Conferences
11-14 Daily Soup Payment Drive (Please watch for information about how participating families
can make payment)
13 School Portrait Make-Up Day by Stephanie Garr 8:30 (watch for details)
15 🌶 Chili Cook-Off (rain date: November 6th) watch for details!
17 Megan’s Primary C Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Up
18-19 Fern’s Primary B Parent/Teacher Conferences (watch for details)
24 Lower Elementary Parent/Teacher Conference Sign Up
28 Little Kicks Soccer Session Ends Today (tentative)
What’s Happening!
Primary C
A child takes the Sandpaper Numerals to their table. They trace each number carefully, saying the name each time. “1, 2, 3…” all of the way up to 9! The child moves to the language shelf and brings a chalkboard to the table. The child traces the number 1 and carefully writes it on the chalkboard. With joy, the child says, “Wow, that is a 1!” The child does this up to the number 7. With a big smile, the child restores the chalkboard and then restores the Sandpaper Numerals.
Middle School
Four students work together during an experiment on crystallization. They discuss the patterns of atoms and how crystallization occurs. One student in the group states, “We need to supersaturate the solution in order for the crystal to form.” Another recalls the process of crystallization and reminds their lab partner that it is called primary nucleation when we first see the crystal! The students work together to keep the water at least 90 degrees Celsius and the temperature monitor yells out, “it’s time to heat up the water again!” The group hurries to continue the heating process as a team!
Primary B
A child carefully walks to the sink, holding on tightly to a porcelain water pitcher. The child fills the pitcher up halfway and slowly carries it back. A water basin sits on top of the shelf. They slowly pour the water into it and then set the pitcher on the right side. The child then places her hands inside the basin and wets them thoroughly. Next, a small brush is picked up and lathered in soap. In a circular motion the child begins to scrub her nails, one by one then moves to the rest of her hands. Once fully lathered, she rinses her hands in the water basin, dries them with a towel, hangs it to dry and moves on to restore the material. After, she smells her hands, “ mmm, smells clean” she exclaims!
Preprimary
The children have gathered around and waiting for their hands to be traced on a piece of colorful paper. They then begin to count the fingers on their paper hand! One child realizes that if you can count the fingers on a paper hand, he could count the fingers on his own hand! Happily, the child’s friends think this is a good idea too and now six children are busy counting their own fingers, all at the same time. They all are counting out loud, of course, which makes for a lovely cacophony of… one, two, three, four, five!
Upper El
In celebration of International Day of Peace, students practice singing Light a Candle for Peace as well as signing the words! During a writing exercise, students express what peace looks, feels, smells, sounds, and even tastes like. “Peace smells like blueberry muffins in the morning.” “Peace feels like walking along the shore.” “Peace smells like flowers.” Students enjoy sharing moments of peace! During a STEAM lab, students review the Fibonacci Sequence and begin creating the chart to measure spaces of 1, 1, 2, 3, 5, 8, 13, and 21 square units. Watercolor sketches of shells and other items where the Fibonacci pattern can be found are drawn to cover the space.
Infant & Toddler
A toddler is walking around the room, watching their friends, and considering their options when they notice a friend has spilled some water. The child rushes to get a towel and scurries back to help their friend wipe up the water. Just as they’re finishing, they see another friend accidentally drop a few materials on the floor. Again, they rush to their friend’s aid and help restore the materials. Satisfied with a clean room, they decide to move on to the next important thing- having a snack!
Lower El
Eight students are moving about the playground and looking at their friend’s backs. They aren’t saying what they see there and then (almost) silently sit down together in a circle. One by one the children stand, enter the center of the circle and give everyone one last look at their backs as they slowly turn around. Their friends giggle and smile. It is quite a secret. Now the child in the center asks their friends what type of animal is on their back (picture of an animal). Is it an insect, fish, amphibian, reptile, bird, or mammal? Where does it live? Is it a carnivore, herbivore, omnivore? How does it move? Within a few short minutes, the child has collected enough clues and correctly identifies the animal on their back as a grizzly bear! Yikes!
V-HOUR INFORMATION
Parent On-Campus Participation is Returning to Normal!
As COVID disruptions are fewer and farther between, our Room Parents and parent volunteers continue to return to campus, our V-hour eligibility is shifting the focus back to school-related activities and opportunities. Watch for information about how you can help!
V hour Opportunities: Garden Lovers Can Help!
We would love to fill our circle gardens with soil and need your help. If possible, please donate one or two bags of organic soil so we can fill our 5 classroom circle gardens on the main campus playground. They are eligible for a v hour exchange (or more). Feel free to drop them off at the main campus carpool gate and we will load them up and get them to the gardens.
Special Thanks for Central’s ‘very own’ Bus Stop!
Special thanks to Teresa Cole who reached out and helped our Middle School students own (some small part of) the care of the bus stop outside of our Infant and Toddler Program! Middle School students collect trash, keep journal entries about the care of this stop, and submit this information to the City of Richmond. They earn V-hours for their contributions. This is a perfect neighborhood contribution and is in keeping with our citizenship goals and curriculum for this age child.
V-Hour Eligibility: Special Note: Important Distinction Between Donated Items that are not eligible for V Hours and Requested Items that are Eligible for V Hours.
Our generous parents often bring and drop off books, food, and other Central requested items to Central. Our children see this type of giving and help by restocking our Free Little Pantry and Free Little Library. They are proud that they can help others. These gifts go directly into our community and our neighbors greatly benefit from our parent's generosity.
Occasionally, folks will clean out items from their home and lives and look for places to give these gently-loved gifts to. Sometimes Central can use these items and sometimes, unfortunately, we cannot.
I hope the information below will help us clarify what Central can provide V hours for and what we cannot exchange V hours for.
Much Appreciated but Not V Hour Eligible
Donations of toys, books, food, and other items, unless they are requested items to be used in our classrooms, are considered donations and are not eligible for V Hours. They bring happiness and goodwill and sometimes even life-saving food to our neighbors and ourselves and Central is truly grateful for the generosity of our parents.
V Hour Eligible Items
If a teacher or Central has requested specific items, those items are eligible for a V Hour exchange.
Not all School Supplies, Items or Toys are V Hour Eligible
Because the items used in our program must meet a certain criteria, not all toys, books, or other school supplies brought in by parents can be used by Central.
In this case Front Desk staff must manage, store, or transport these items to other places. We appreciate you thinking of us first but it can cost Central money and time to manage these items. Quite a challenge for our little school.
If You Would Like to Receive V Hour Exchange for School Items, Please contact Anita First.
Please contact Anita if you have items you are clearing out of your home or life and see if these items are a good match for our school program. If they are, we will gladly provide a V hour exchange.
Central’s Little Free Library and Pantry
Thanks for helping us give back to our neighbors. A neighbor who depends on this pantry for food has posted a request on the pantry asking that donations include food containers that someone without a home, kitchen, or can opener can manage. We ask that donations contain only foods within the expiration date. All foods should be as healthy as possible. We can do this!
Month of Giving
Books for Little Free Library & Food for Little Free Pantry
Please feel free to send your donations in with your child. Individual classrooms will collect these items and the front office will manage them. Older students will help us keep our pantries stocked with your generous gifts. Your child (and our neighborhood community) benefits from your modeling of giving to others. It inspires them and helps them see how they themselves can help others. This is a very big deal.
Month
Classroom
January
Upper Elementary
February
Middle School
March
Infant and Toddler
April
Preprimary
May
Preprimary, both B and C
June
Primary B (Fern)
July
Primary C (Megan)
August
Lower Elementary
September
Upper Elementary
October
Middle School
November
Infant and Toddler
December
Lower Elementary
FINAL THOUGHTS
While Covid is undeniably still in our midst, we are so happy to have made some progress towards a return to somewhat normal. Seeing your wonderful faces (or at least your faces above your masks) has brought so much joy. As we slowly reintroduce in-person events, I can barely contain my excitement about our Annual Chili Cook-Off on Saturday, October 15th! Please keep an eye on your emails and Track it Forward for details and V Hour opportunities for this wonderful event. I hope to see you all there - I promise you’ll leave happy and full!
We have noticed recently that our neighbors seem to be a bit hungrier than usual. This is not a surprise given the rising cost of food at our grocery stores. Please know that even if it is not your classroom’s month to donate to the Little Free Pantry, you are always welcome to donate shelf-stable foods. If the Little Free Pantry is full, please feel free to bring donations to me in my office at the Infant and Toddler building and we’ll store them here and restock the pantry as needed. Please be sure to donate non-expired goods, and, if donating canned goods, that they have a pop top and do not require a can opener. We can do this!
Health and Happiness,
Amira
