Leaves Are Falling Fall is Calling

As October arrives, we’re welcoming the beauty of autumn and all the new opportunities it brings for learning and discovery. The changing season inspires us to explore nature, dive into creative projects, and celebrate together as a school community. This month, our classrooms will be buzzing with seasonal activities, outdoor adventures, and exciting traditions like our Fall Book Parade, where children can step into the shoes of their favorite storybook characters. We are also looking forward to our pumpkin patch field trip, a chance for students to experience fall fun firsthand while learning about the harvest season. We can’t wait to make wonderful memories with your children throughout this special time of year.

October 7th & 8th – Student Pictures

Our individual student pictures this month will be taken by Laurie Bateman Photography. Pictures will be during school on Tuesday, October 7th, and Wednesday, October 8th. Fall pictures will be held inside. Please refer to your child’s Class Dojo for their assigned day. Package information and pricing will be sent via email after your child’s pictures have been taken.

October 22nd – Hunt Club Farm Pumpkin Patch

The Little Bluestem 3’s, Southern Sundrops, and Honeysuckle classes will be going on a field trip to Hunt Club Farm on Wednesday, October 22nd. ALL students are welcome to attend the field trip regardless of whether your child is enrolled on this day. Students will depart on the bus from school promptly at 9:20am, so please plan to arrive at school no later than 9:00am. The students will be eating their packed disposable lunch from home at the farm. Please send your child to school on this day dressed appropriately, with a brown bag disposable lunch, snack, and disposable water bottle. Make sure both lunch and water bottle are labeled. Students will return to school around 1:00pm.

A field trip permission slip has been sent home in your child’s folder. If you would like to be entered into the chaperone lottery, please do so on the form. You will be notified by your child’s teacher if you have been selected as a chaperone.

All parents and siblings are invited to attend the field trip. However, you will be required to pay for your admission at the farm. Parents may follow behind the bus or meet the buses at Hunt Club Farm.
If a child rides on the bus to the farm, they must ride on the bus back to the school.

October 24th – Fall Character Parade & Party

Join us for our Fall Character Parade on Friday, October 24th, at 11:30am! We invite ALL students to come dressed as their favorite book character. If your child does not normally attend school on Fridays, they are welcome to join the fun—just drop them off at their classroom at 11:15am in costume. Please let your child’s teacher know ahead of time if they will be participating.

This will be an outdoor event. Families are encouraged to line up along the front lawn and Whitton Way to watch and cheer as the students parade out of the main entrance, across the stepping stones, and down the sidewalk to the cul-de-sac before returning for photos.

After the parade, we’ll continue the fun with a Not-So-Scary Trunk O’ Treat and a pizza party on the back lawn! We are looking for six parent volunteers to decorate their cars for the Trunk O’ Treat. We will provide the treats—families just need to bring their creativity! If you’d like to participate, please email us to sign up.

Book Character Costume Ideas

We encourage families to keep costumes simple and creative by using items you already have at home. Here are some fun ideas to spark inspiration:

Pete the Cat – Blue jeans, yellow shirt, buttons made from felt or construction paper, and cat ears.
If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (Laura Numeroff) – White shirt, jean overalls, and a cardboard cookie.
Madeline (Ludwig Bemelmans) – Blue dress, red scarf, knee-high socks, black shoes, and a sun hat.
Fancy Nancy (Jane O’Connor) – Colorful dress-up clothes, beads, tiara, and sparkly shoes.
Where’s Waldo? (Martin Handford) – Red-and-white striped shirt, jeans, round glasses, and a beanie.
The Very Hungry Caterpillar (Eric Carle) – Green shirt, colorful felt circles, and antennae headband.
Harold and the Purple Crayon (Crockett Johnson) – Pajamas and a big purple crayon cut from cardboard.
Corduroy (Don Freeman) – Green overalls with a teddy bear or button sewn on.
Amelia Bedelia (Peggy Parish) – Dress, apron, feather duster, and a big sun hat.
Pigeon from Don’t Let the Pigeon Drive the Bus! (Mo Willems) – Blue shirt, gray pants, and a pigeon headband.

Reminder: Please send the book that matches your child’s costume along with them. Don’t forget to write your name inside the book since items are often set down and can be misplaced.

October 24th – Pumpkin Decorating Contest

It’s time for our annual classroom pumpkin decorating contest! Each class will decorate a pumpkin inspired by a favorite book character, and we need your help to pick the winner.

The pumpkins will be on display during our Fall Character Parade and Party, and voting will also take place on our Facebook and Instagram pages that week.

The class with the most votes will win a special class party—so don’t forget to cast your vote and cheer on your favorite pumpkin!

November 3rd – Parent-Teacher Conferences

For our Little Bluestem 2’s class and up, parent-teacher conferences will be held on Monday, November 3rd. The school will be closed for students on this day. Teachers will be posting a sign-up sheet on Class Dojo for parents to reserve a conference time. Conferences will be scheduled in 15–20 minute increments.

If the available times do not work for you, please contact your child’s teacher to make alternate arrangements.

Please note: Conferences are for parents only. Children should not attend.

Reminders:

Cold & Flu Season

We are entering into the cold and flu season. We will be calling parents to pick up any child who comes to school ill, in order to keep our teachers and the other students healthy. Common flu symptoms include:

Fever or feeling feverish/chills
Cough
Fatigue
Runny or congested nose (outside of the normal)
Muscle pain or body aches
Headache
*** Children may return to school after 24 hours fever free ***
We encourage teachers to keep their windows cracked, frequent hand washing, and air purifiers to best keep our staff and children healthy!

We encourage teachers to keep their windows cracked, frequent hand washing, and air purifiers to best keep our staff and children healthy!

As we wrap up this month’s newsletter, we want to thank you for your continued support and partnership. October is always such a special time filled with learning, seasonal traditions, and joyful memories for our students. We look forward to sharing these moments with you both in the classroom and through our special events. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram and Facebook to stay connected and catch all the highlights along the way!

Warmly,

Rollingwood Academy