Post Avenue Preschool Wraps Up the Year With a Cheerful Holiday Concert
Throughout December, the schools at Brookville Center for Children’s Services organized activities to energize students ahead of the end-of-year break. Sprit weeks were a highlight, with themed days like Ugly Sweater Day and Pajama Day bringing fun and excitement to the classrooms. Students also celebrated their fall accomplishments with special events. At Post Avenue Preschool, this included a virtual holiday concert on the morning of December 19.
Special Education Teacher Connie Neylon, always looking for ways to engage parents, had long envisioned hosting a concert where parents could observe how their children interact and learn during the school day.
“I like them to have a window into my room,” said Connie. “A way to see their kids work where nothing is staged. They can see how the children interact together and how easy it is to work on super important concepts like Wh- questions.”
Wh- questions (for example, who, what, where) can’t be answered with yes or no. According to Connie, working on fundamental Wh- questions like “Who did you sit next to in school?” and “What did you do in class?” helps improve conversation and storytelling skills while also being core competencies that parents can practice with their children at home.
To involve parents in their child’s learning journey, Connie organized a virtual holiday concert featuring storytelling, dancing, and singing. Students and staff spent a week preparing for the event. On concert day, the children arrived in formal attire to shine in the spotlight.
“We sang ‘Snowflake, Snowflake,’ which is my favorite song, and prompted interactions where each child asked their friend, ‘Do you want to dance with me?’ and waited for their response,” said Connie. “It’s literally the cutest thing you’ve ever seen.”
In an hour, parents saw all the magic unfold. What followed was another fantastic school day, where students settled in for snack time before putting on their coats and savoring a half hour of outdoor play.