October 5-9, 2026

 Thank you, UDFD!

Today, the Upper Darby Fire Department came to HCA and we had a surprise fire drill. The boys and girls did an EXCELLENT job getting out quickly and quietly just as we had practiced. It was tricky because the students were at the bathrooms coming in from recess, but they listened to their teachers and followed directions so well. We are so proud of them and so were the firefighters - they even let us check out the fire truck!

Directed Drawing

Directed drawings are ways for students to create their own artwork by following step-by-step instructions. The teacher guides or directs students through each step, showing them exactly where and how to make the next line or mark on their drawing.  They help to strengthen students’ confidence and listening skills while encouraging students to pay close attention to details.

This week, the Pre-K students completed their first directed drawing, making their very own Franken-buddies! When I first told the students that we would be drawing Frankenstein, they immediately said "I can't!" "I don't know how!" "That's too hard!" I promised them that if they were good listeners and followed my directions, they would be able to do it. They trusted the process and follow each step-by-step direction. Their finished products speak for themselves! We had some proud Pre-K artists!

Montessori Work Time

The Pre-K students are thriving during our Montessori work times. They understand the work cycle - choosing a work, completing a work, asking a teacher to check the work, cleaning up, returning the work to its shelf, and then starting all over again. The boys and girls want to learn and are making great progress already! As teachers, it is so exciting and we are eager to see all the possibilities this year holds for the children!

Bridget is using all four Knobbed Cylinder
Blocks to distinguish between height and width. 

Jason used the Movable Alphabet to fill
in missing ending sounds in words. 

Bridget and Aston are building patterns
with the Knobless Cylinders.

Dara is working on her pincer grasp.

Emerson is strengthening her fine motor
skills using a screwdriver.

Good job, Azaya!

Ishan is concentrating hard to tweeze!

Leanna is building from largest to smallest.

Niah is working on the 100 Board to
order numerals from 1 to 100.

Altan is counting out quantities for 0-9
using the Spindle Box.

Jaanaki is thinking hard about her ending sounds.

Aston is so proud of his work filling in 
beginning sounds.

Check out Henry's fine motor skills! WOW!

Teamwork makes the dream work!
Way to go, Ishan and Leanna!

Go, Noble, go!

Goldie is sorting picture cards by the
initial sounds of BFOG.

Wes is tweezing from left to right.

Charlie is working on the sounds for CRIP.

The Science of Soap and Germs

This week, we explored how soap helps keep our hands clean with a fun science experiment! We sprinkled pepper into a bowl of water to represent germs and then dipped a finger into the water. We watched as the pepper clung to our fingers, just like germs do. Next, we put a little soap on our finger and dipped it into the water again. The children watched in amazement as the pepper quickly moved away from the soapy finger!

This experiment helped us learn that soap changes the surface tension of the water, causing the pepper to move away. While pepper isn’t actually germs, it gave us a fun way to visualize why soap is so helpful when washing our hands. We talked about how germs are too tiny to see and how washing with soap and water helps remove them. Our little scientists learned that scrubbing all parts of our hands, including between our fingers and under our nails, is an important step in staying healthy! It's a fun experiment to try at home as well - be prepared for lots of ewww's! and wow's!

Happy 5th birthday to Wes! We celebrated with a dance party!

Show and tell will be most Wednesdays throughout the school year and we will start next week! Please place all show and tell items in your child's backpack or a separate bag. Please help your child prepare three clues to give their classmates to help them guess which object they chose to share. The schedule will be as follows:

• Wednesday, October 14: something that begins with the /m/ sound
• Wednesday, October 21: something that begins with the /t/ sound
• Wednesday, October 28: something to do with Halloween

• There is no school on Monday, October 12.
• Picture Day is Wednesday, October 14. Student may wear an outfit of your choice, but please make sure they wear sneakers (their feet will not be in the picture). 

GO BIRDS!