FIELD TRIPS FOR ALL

It has been a cool, rainy start to May this year! All the same, the children at Pre School have had some great experiences on their field trips. The Blue, Purple, Red and Yellow classes went to Silverwood Park in St. Anthony Village for an experience called "Nature Prints." The educators at Silverwood used stories, art, and outdoor exploration to help the children identify animals that live in our area and what their foot prints and body shapes might look like. It is also important to know that other things, such as leaves, sticks and rocks, can leave prints in the mud, on the sidewalk or in the snow!

Our Orange and Green classes spent a morning at Como Park Zoo. They, and some of the parents who accompanied us, took a school bus from Pre School to the zoo. The bus ride is always an exciting part of the field trip. Perhaps the cool weather and the fact that some of the animals were being fed encouraged them to be more active then usual, which was very fun to see. Some of us even saw the sloth moving around in the tree, eating a piece of lettuce! That was very special!!

Officer Kim Boyd from the New Brighton Police Department, visited us at the end of our field trip week. She brought her squad car for us to see and she reminded us of the many ways the police help us everyday! Reviewing some important safety rules for the summer months was also a part of Officer Boyds visit! We're thankful for her willingness to come to our school! Julie Philbrook from HCMC also paid us a visit. Julie emphasized the importance of wearing our bike helmets any time we are on our bikes, no matter what age we are! Arms and legs can be fixed but an injured brain cannot be fix!

Have a great summer!

COMMUNITY HELPERS-FIRE AND BIKE SAFETY

In May we invite many of our community helpers in to tell us how to play and stay safe this summer. The New Brighton Fire Department sent firefighters Kip and Ed to our school to talk about fire safety. They reminded us NEVER to play with matches, lighters, etc! They also talked about what to do if we are ever in a fire. If our clothes catch fire we STOP, DROP AND ROLL. When there is smoke in the building we crawl out of the building because the smoke goes up to the ceiling. Always have a designated spot outside your home or school where everyone should gather in case of an emergency. If you are stranded in a burning building, ALWAYS GO TO THE FIREMAN when he comes. Ed dressed up in his firefighting gear for us to see. He looked a little scary at first and his breathing was like Darth Vader but when we remembered that he was just a person dressed up to fight fires we knew we didn't need to be afraid of him! Kip and Ed brought their fire truck to school and we saw all the hoses, tanks, axes, lights, etc. and we sat in the firefighters' seats in the truck! Cool!

Julie Philbrook, from Hennipen County Medical Center came to school also. Julie told us how important it is to wear our bike helmets when we are out riding our bikes. Doctors can fix our broken bones and scratches but they cannot fix a broken brain. That is why we must protect our brain! Helmets do the job! Wear yours all the time.

Salem Pre School is also looking forward to Kim Boyd coming to school to talk to us about safety rules to stay safe in our community. Kim is a New Brighton police officer and has talked to us before about strangers, getting lost, crossing streets safely and many other topics! She also brings her police car for us to see.

We are so thankful for all of these people who spend their days taking care of us!