From the Office of the Principal:
It’s hard to believe we are already into the month of March. February went by in a flash! We are hopefully through with all the winter weather this year. We certainly appreciate everyone’s undertanding with our delayed opening these last few weeks. The children enjoyed their individual classroom Valentine’s Day parties, and a big thanks to all parents who brought in food, goodies, and valentines for their child’s class. Then, just in time, we had a dental health educator from Young & Polite Pediatric Dentistry come to the school and speak with our Beginners, Intermediates, and PreK classrooms about the right foods to eat and the importance of brushing our teeth. We are happy to report that our teachers enjoyed our Professional Development Day on Monday, February 16 and learned a lot! Finally, thank you to all the parents who ordered pizza kits through our Little Caesar Pizza Kit Event–you were able to raise $500 that will go to supplies for our classrooms!
We also look forward to the month of March. First, we are happy to announce that our Priority Registration (1/2 registration fee) period will start on Monday, March 16 and will end on Friday, March 27. During these 2 weeks, families who pay registration for the 2015-2016 school year will get half off registration fee. So until Friday, March 27, it is only $45 for the one child, and $40 for each sibling. This offer only lasts 2 weeks so we hope everyone can take advantage! Daylight Saving Time begins on Saturday night, March 7/Sunday morning, March 8, so make sure to turn your clocks forward an hour during that weekend! Tuesday, March 17 will mark St. Patrick’s Day. On Saturday, March 21, Chesterbrook Academy will hold our fifth Open House of the school year, from 10 am to 1 pm. And remember, when you tell other parents about our school, you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador. For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive an Ambassador Certificate for one FREE week of tuition for your child. Finally, on the last day of the month, Tuesday, March 31, Links to Learning folders go home with your month at a glance, monthly snapshot, Spanish poster (for 2-5 year olds), and samples of your child’s work.
As always, we will always be here to help you in any way possible if you have any questions or concerns.
Kindest Regards,
William Gordon, Principal
william.gordon@nlcinc.com
Claire Autry, Assistant Principal
claire.autry@nlcinc.com
Upcoming Events and Special Days
- March is National Reading Month
- Monday, March 16-27: Priority Registration Period: Early Bird Special (1/2 off registration!)
- Friday, March 6: Dentist’s Day
- Friday, March 6: Middle Name Pride Day
- Sunday, March 8: Daylight Savings Time Begins
- Wednesday, March 11: Johnny Appleseed Day
- Tuesday, March 17: St. Patrick’s Day
- Saturday, March 21: Open House from 10 am to 1 pm for prospective families
- Tuesday, March 31: Links to Learning Folders Go Home
- Every Tuesday morning: Tickled Ivories piano lessons for preschoolers
- Every Wednesday morning: Soccer Shots
- Every Thursday morning: Little People’s Creative Workshop
- Every Thursday afternoon: Music for Little Ones
- Every Friday: Tickled Ivories piano lessons for after-schoolers
Reminders
Parent Sign In/Out Policy Reminder
We wanted to take this time to remind you all about an important security feature here at Chesterbrook. Please remember to sign your child in and out on a regular basis on the class Sign In/Out sheets located at the front desk. If someone on your child’s authorized pick-up list is picking up, please remind him or her to do so as well. In the event of a true emergency, the Sign In/Out sheets will give Chesterbrook as well as the authorities an accurate count of who is actually in our building at any given time. Although we have never had any problem nor do we expect to in the future, this is an important security measure that keeps all of the children safe. Thank you for your continued compliance with our security policies.
Chesterbrook Academy is on Facebook!
We wanted to remind everyone that the Chesterbrook Academy group of schools is on Facebook. We invite you to “like” our page at www.facebook.com/ChesterbrookAcademy where we’ll be providing our fans with regular educational tips for children from preschool to 8th grade and the opportunity to network with fellow parents. We would love to have your participation and encourage you to continue to check our school website for more local updates specific to our own school. We’ve recently been able to post pictures of our PreK2 graduation and some of our summer camp activities!
We look forward to having you as part of our Facebook community!
Automatic Draft Program
“CHECK” IT OUT… No checks necessary! Enroll in our Automatic Payment Program and never write another check for your monthly tuition or pay another late payment. Tuition can be automatically deducted from your checking account. You can find more information about the ACH program here in the office. Let us sign you up today!
Chesterbrook Academy Parent Referral Program
If there’s one thing parents love to do, it’s talk about their children’s successes. When friends ask you about your child’s experiences at Chesterbrook Academy, what type of success stories do you share? Do you mention the personal and educational discoveries your child is making thanks to our advanced curriculum? Do you talk about the new levels of self and social confidence your child has gained thanks to our encouraging atmosphere? Whatever glowing reports you deliver about how your child is growing with his or her education, we couldn’t be more appreciative. In fact, we’d like to show you just how thankful we are for your endorsements. Now when you tell other parents about our school, you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador.
For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive an Ambassador Certificate for one FREE week of tuition for your child.
It’s our way of saying thanks for doing what comes naturally – singing the praises of your child and sharing your experiences with the Chesterbrook Academy difference. At the front desk are referral certificates you can give to friends and colleagues who ask about our school. If you have any questions about how you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador, please contact an administrator.
From the Education Department
Developing Confident Future Readers
March is National Reading Month, so it is a great time to reinforce how important it is to expose children to books from an early age. We engage all of our students in language and literacy activities every day throughout the school year.
Research has shown that reading aloud to children has a profound influence on their speech development and listening skills. Reading allows children to experience the wondrous world depicted in books, and thrive on the interaction with adults.
Below are age appropriate activities that we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about reading, as well as recommended books to read with your child at home.
INFANTS – Linking sensory and reading experiences
- In the classroom: We introduce language and literacy beginning with our infants, by consistently speaking, reading and singing to them. Teachers choose interactive books with bright colors, different textures and pop-up designs to help stimulate infants’ growing sensory awareness.
- Books to read at home: Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet and Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont
TODDLERS – Rhyme and repetition
- In the classroom: Toddlers enjoy hearing the same books read over and over again, because they are able join in as the stories become more familiar. Teachers read books with rhyme and repetition, such as Goodnight Moon, and vary their voice each time they tell the story. The change in tone gives children a chance to hear different sounds, and encourages them to practice making the sounds themselves.
- Books to read at home: All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury, Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox and Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown
BEGINNERS – Engaging the imagination
- In the classroom: Around age two, children begin to develop a love for the world of imagination. It’s important to engage children’s imaginations and encourage them to participate in shared reading experiences. A picture walk motivates children to rely on pictorial clues to decipher the story’s plot and make predictions. Before reading the story, the teacher and student flip through the book, and the child is encouraged to make predictions about the characters and plot. The teacher then reads the book aloud with the student. When finished, the child is asked to relate his predictions to the actual outcome of the story. For example, “Now that you know what happened, why was the elephant wearing a tutu?” or “What would you have done if you were the elephant?”
- Books to read at home: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, Corduroy by Don Freeman or Bark, George by Jules Feiffer
INTERMEDIATES – Exploring the wider world
- In the classroom: As our Intermediates are introduced to the Citizens of the World component of our curriculum, they read about different places, cultures and traditions in books. Books help children understand and enjoy learning about the diversity of human experience. During circle time for example, we may read a story about children living in another country, in a different type of house and wearing different types of clothes. Afterward, the teacher connects the story back to what the children know by asking, “What does your house look like?” and “Who lives in your house with you?”
- Books to read at home: Abuela by Arthur Dorros, So Much by Trish Cooke and On Mother’s Lap by Ann Scott
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 – Nonfiction Adventures
- In the classroom: Children are naturally fascinated by the lives of real people and the world around them. Our teachers cultivate this fascination by exposing students to nonfiction books. For example, the class may read both a fiction and nonfiction book about animals. Afterward, they are encouraged to compare and contrast the two books and discuss what was accurate in the fiction book.
- Books to read at home: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (fiction) and Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies (non-fiction)
By experiencing a literacy-rich environment, both at school and at home, we instill a love of reading and provide the foundation for our students to become successful, confident readers in elementary school and beyond.
-Lauren Starnes, PhD: Director of Early Childhood Education
March News
From the Office of the Principal:
It’s hard to believe we are already into the month of March. February went by in a flash! We are hopefully through with all the winter weather this year. We certainly appreciate everyone’s undertanding with our delayed opening these last few weeks. The children enjoyed their individual classroom Valentine’s Day parties, and a big thanks to all parents who brought in food, goodies, and valentines for their child’s class. Then, just in time, we had a dental health educator from Young & Polite Pediatric Dentistry come to the school and speak with our Beginners, Intermediates, and PreK classrooms about the right foods to eat and the importance of brushing our teeth. We are happy to report that our teachers enjoyed our Professional Development Day on Monday, February 16 and learned a lot! Finally, thank you to all the parents who ordered pizza kits through our Little Caesar Pizza Kit Event–you were able to raise $500 that will go to supplies for our classrooms!
We also look forward to the month of March. First, we are happy to announce that our Priority Registration (1/2 registration fee) period will start on Monday, March 16 and will end on Friday, March 27. During these 2 weeks, families who pay registration for the 2015-2016 school year will get half off registration fee. So until Friday, March 27, it is only $45 for the one child, and $40 for each sibling. This offer only lasts 2 weeks so we hope everyone can take advantage! Daylight Saving Time begins on Saturday night, March 7/Sunday morning, March 8, so make sure to turn your clocks forward an hour during that weekend! Tuesday, March 17 will mark St. Patrick’s Day. On Saturday, March 21, Chesterbrook Academy will hold our fifth Open House of the school year, from 10 am to 1 pm. And remember, when you tell other parents about our school, you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador. For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive an Ambassador Certificate for one FREE week of tuition for your child. Finally, on the last day of the month, Tuesday, March 31, Links to Learning folders go home with your month at a glance, monthly snapshot, Spanish poster (for 2-5 year olds), and samples of your child’s work.
As always, we will always be here to help you in any way possible if you have any questions or concerns.
Kindest Regards,
William Gordon, Principal
william.gordon@nlcinc.com
Claire Autry, Assistant Principal
claire.autry@nlcinc.com
Upcoming Events and Special Days
Reminders
Parent Sign In/Out Policy Reminder
We wanted to take this time to remind you all about an important security feature here at Chesterbrook. Please remember to sign your child in and out on a regular basis on the class Sign In/Out sheets located at the front desk. If someone on your child’s authorized pick-up list is picking up, please remind him or her to do so as well. In the event of a true emergency, the Sign In/Out sheets will give Chesterbrook as well as the authorities an accurate count of who is actually in our building at any given time. Although we have never had any problem nor do we expect to in the future, this is an important security measure that keeps all of the children safe. Thank you for your continued compliance with our security policies.
Chesterbrook Academy is on Facebook!
We wanted to remind everyone that the Chesterbrook Academy group of schools is on Facebook. We invite you to “like” our page at www.facebook.com/ChesterbrookAcademy where we’ll be providing our fans with regular educational tips for children from preschool to 8th grade and the opportunity to network with fellow parents. We would love to have your participation and encourage you to continue to check our school website for more local updates specific to our own school. We’ve recently been able to post pictures of our PreK2 graduation and some of our summer camp activities!
We look forward to having you as part of our Facebook community!
Automatic Draft Program
“CHECK” IT OUT… No checks necessary! Enroll in our Automatic Payment Program and never write another check for your monthly tuition or pay another late payment. Tuition can be automatically deducted from your checking account. You can find more information about the ACH program here in the office. Let us sign you up today!
Chesterbrook Academy Parent Referral Program
If there’s one thing parents love to do, it’s talk about their children’s successes. When friends ask you about your child’s experiences at Chesterbrook Academy, what type of success stories do you share? Do you mention the personal and educational discoveries your child is making thanks to our advanced curriculum? Do you talk about the new levels of self and social confidence your child has gained thanks to our encouraging atmosphere? Whatever glowing reports you deliver about how your child is growing with his or her education, we couldn’t be more appreciative. In fact, we’d like to show you just how thankful we are for your endorsements. Now when you tell other parents about our school, you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador.
For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive an Ambassador Certificate for one FREE week of tuition for your child.
It’s our way of saying thanks for doing what comes naturally – singing the praises of your child and sharing your experiences with the Chesterbrook Academy difference. At the front desk are referral certificates you can give to friends and colleagues who ask about our school. If you have any questions about how you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador, please contact an administrator.
From the Education Department
Developing Confident Future Readers
March is National Reading Month, so it is a great time to reinforce how important it is to expose children to books from an early age. We engage all of our students in language and literacy activities every day throughout the school year.
Research has shown that reading aloud to children has a profound influence on their speech development and listening skills. Reading allows children to experience the wondrous world depicted in books, and thrive on the interaction with adults.
Below are age appropriate activities that we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about reading, as well as recommended books to read with your child at home.
INFANTS – Linking sensory and reading experiences
TODDLERS – Rhyme and repetition
BEGINNERS – Engaging the imagination
INTERMEDIATES – Exploring the wider world
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 – Nonfiction Adventures
By experiencing a literacy-rich environment, both at school and at home, we instill a love of reading and provide the foundation for our students to become successful, confident readers in elementary school and beyond.
-Lauren Starnes, PhD: Director of Early Childhood Education