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HEDP University Newsletter
As the Clubs wind down in our final weeks before winter vacation, it is important to realize the great knowledge and fun we have gained through them. Every club has different objectives and now is a great time to discuss which objectives were included in each one. We look forward to new clubs after the new year. Kindergarten Clubs Music Games: In music games learning a few songs to sing and how to play games with instruments and body movements were used in each club day. Each child was highly encouraged to show us a new movement during some of these games while the songs were sung. Use of instruments and passing them in a circle to the rhythm of music was an ongoing activity throughout the club and was enjoyed by students with their classmates. Explorers Club: This club was a great resource for children to use to learn topics in science that they are interested in but do not always have time for in other aspects of their lives. Together, we explored some of the mysteries of the universe, the details of nature around us, and some chemical reactions in common household items. The children involved seemed to enjoy all of the mysteries that can be explored in the universe that they live in. Board Games: This club was a great experience for students to learn about teamwork and another opportunity to learn some fun games that they can play with friends and family. Some of the games that were played in this club were Outburst Junior, Yahtzee, and Pictionary. Some of these games were played on teams, while others were played against a single classmate. This club was a great time to play a game with some friends while talking to them about their own interests. Lego Club: Using legos, these students have designed (using their own imaginations) machines, and vehicles, which can do a variety of tasks and explain them to the group weekly. It has been an amazing experience in imagination, cooperation, and entertainment. 1st and 2nd Grade Clubs Motion Club: In this club, students were encouraged to use their measuring, creation, designing, and fine motor skills to make a car. These cars are made of cardboard, plastic covers (for wheels), drinking straws and wooden dowel axels. Using their imaginations, children were given the instruction to make a working car to roll down a course. This club has engaged children and required them to spend their time diligently to finish the best product that they can. Creation Club: “Your challenge is to build (insert a structure) with this mystery material.” This is what this club is all about. Each week children were given a mystery material and a design to build. Materials included egg cartons, wood pieces, paper, legos, cardboard and a variety of other materials. Structures included waterslides, towers, houses and a few others. Students worked in small groups and built using limited supplies to accomplish the task at hand. Designing skills and teamwork were the essential skills for this challenging club. Recorder Club: If learning to play a recorder in 3rd grade was too long to wait for your child, this was an easy choice. While the Heath School does introduce students to recorders in music class, some students just can’t wait that long. Children in this club learned how to play a few songs on recorders at HEDP and had a great time trying to figure it out as well. This will do them a great service when they work on recorders at school in the coming years. Lego Club: Using both bins full of legos and education lego sets, this group has built many lego creations with and without gears by following instructions and using their imaginations to become engineers and architects. 3rd-6th Grade Clubs Science Club: Science is a wonderful thing. It holds our interest and amazes us daily. In this club, students studied chemical reactions and the many uses for them (from simple visual amazement to creating fun toys to play with). Oobleck, Gak and multicolor volcanic emulations were just a few of the experiments that were performed by the children involved. Technology Club: In this club, students were given the opportunity to take on a task to learn on computers. The tasks that students took varied greatly. Some decided to created their own designed card games, others investigated the universe using computers, some made their own music, and a few decided to start the long process of computer programming. This club will most likely continue on in the new year. Music Club: This club is for students who want to play an instrument in a small HEDP band. In this club children have been learning the standard 12-bar blues structure and are getting better at playing together every week. K’nex Club: The children in this club have almost completed a ferris wheel by modifying the design of the original one and making it bigger and better. Working together, we have redesigned the project and learned about trial and error as well as devotion to a single task. In Addition, construction of a roller coaster has started and perhaps this will be an ongoing project throughout the school year. Kindly, Jared
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 What has 3-6 been up to?
Students in 3-6 spent the month of November designing and creating spoons for the Project Bread Holiday Spoons Project. Project Bread is the state’s leading anti-hunger organization, dedicated to preventing and alleviating hunger in Massachusetts. Project Bread funds over 400 food pantries, soup kitchens, and food banks all over Massachusetts. Students sold each spoon for $2.00 a piece to HEDP friends and families. Students were assigned “shifts” to work the cash register, keep track of spoons sold, and write receipts for customers. In addition, they made posters and placed them around the school to raise awareness for the fundraiser. Thank you all so much for your support in purchasing spoons! What to look forward to in December... During the month of December, the 3-6 students will be given the opportunity to participate in activities based on themes of winter wonderland and holiday gift giving. We hope that all the lovely gifts the children will be making for the holidays fill your home with warmth and happiness! Need a break from wrapping during the holiday season? Let 3-6 help! Bring your gifts to HEDP and the 3-6 students will wrap them for you! Please label all gifts and we will reattach it the outside of the box after wrapping has been completed. We will provide the wrapping paper, too! Holiday wrapping will take place from Monday, December 3rd- Friday, December 14th! Early Release Days Wednesday, December 5th (12:30 dismissal) - Ice skating at Frog Pond or Winter Wonderland at Heath. Wednesday Ice Skating to begin On January 9th HEDP will begin its weekly ice skating trips to the DCR rink in Cleveland Circle. Information and permission slips will be given out in the weeks to come. News, Notes and Reminders - Please be sure your child dresses appropriately for the weather, as we will continue to go outside daily. Children should have gloves, hats and jackets on a daily basis. - Thank you for continuing to sign out your child daily and checking in with a teacher at pick up. Winter Vacation Monday, December 24th - Monday, January 1st See you on January 2nd! Have a happy and safe New Year! December will be filled with the colors of the season and activities to impress those who we love most. We will be hoping for some snowy weather to coordinate with our wintery crafts we have planned for this month.
There will be snowflake making , reindeer made with clay and sticks and for our epicureans, we will be learning how to read a classic sugar cookie recipe and creating our very own gingerbread house! The class will also be stirring up some homemade hot chocolate to be enjoyed after our chilly wintery afternoons. Gift collages, holiday games with numbers, nutcracker scenes and magic glitter dough will also be some of the other activities we will have for the month of December. For our last week we will be organizing a Bubblegum Lab for all of our inquisitive minds curious to see which brands blow the biggest bubble and which ones keep their flavor the longest! THANKS TO ALL THE FAMILIES THAT DONATED ITEMS FOR THE CHILDREN THAT WERE AFFECTED BY HURRICANE SANDY! IMPORTANT DAYS TO REMEMBER: Dec. 5th - Early Release 2nd Graders signed up to go on Frog Pond trip please bring helmet, tall socks and warm coats and gear. Dec. 24th - Jan 1st - Winter break We wish your family a wonderful winter break and will look forward to seeing you in 2013! 'tis the season for ice! On January 9th HEDP 1st- 6th graders will begin its weekly ice skating trips to the DCR rink in Cleveland Circle. Information and permission slips will be given out in the week to come. Wish List Clorox Wipes (generic or name brand) Tissues Paper towels Pennies for our holiday game Gift-wrap, ribbon and bows  This month we will be having fun with the letters D, E and F. We will start out creating a magic letter jar. In this jar we will be putting letters of the alphabet that we have already introduced in class as well as a few that we will be introducing. When the jar is filled we will play letter sounding games and matching uppercase with lowercase letters. Rocks will be colorfully painted and have letters printed on them so that we may use them in letter treasure hunts throughout the month. Lunchbags, clothespins and rice will be some of the other materials that we will be exploring the world of letters with as well. -We are excited to announce a new addition to our program! The Pre-K children will be participating in a Spanish yoga class on Tuesday afternoons with Nelly Cardona. Nelly has taught yoga in a variety of settings and ages. She truly loves teaching yoga to young children and will be incorporating the Spanish language. Through this program we hope to foster peaceful bodies and add to spanish that children are learning in Pre-K. DAYS TO REMEMBER December 5th - Early release- No Pre-K extended day, unless your child attends the longer afternoon program. Your child needs to be picked up at his/her classroom at 12:15, unless otherwise arranged. Please see a teacher if you have any questions. December 24th - January 1st - Closed for Winter Break |
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