Message from the Principal
We are so excited to be in the month of May! We have been enjoying taking our learning outdoors! Releasing ladybugs was a highlight for us in April. As we are in the heart of spring, our students are learning about other fun critters. We have been learning about worms, bugs, and more. Throughout our building you will find containers with live caterpillars. We are patiently waiting for them to form a chrysalis and then…. BUTTERFLIES! These are wonderful opportunities for us to learn! We are able to incorporate science, math, language, creative arts, and more!
![IMG_2010[1]](https://www.chesterbrookacademy.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2015/04/IMG_20101-300x224.jpg)
Many of our classrooms are also enjoying the opportunity to grow things such as flowers and vegetables. This is an exciting time at our school!
Fun Days in May:
- 5/1 – Amtrak Day! Bring something to do with trains.
- 5/4 – Teacher Appreciation Week! Be sure to let the teachers know how wonderful they are!
- 5/8 – Muffins with Mom! All moms are invited to come a few minutes early so they can enjoy a muffin with your child. This is in celebration of Mother’s Day. We will have muffins available from 6:30-9am.
- 5/8- No Sock Day!
- 5/13- Frog Jumping Day!
- 5/14- National Chicken Dance Day!
- 5/15- It’s Nascar Day! Wear or bring something with a race car
- 5/15- National Pizza Party Day! We will enjoy a pizza lunch
- 5/19- Museum Day! Our school hall will become an art museum!
- 5/20- National Health and Fitness Day! Wear your sneakers!
- 5/21- Trike-a-thon! Bring bikes/ trikes and we will ride. We are riding in support of St. Jude’s Children’s Hospital
- 5/22- Summer Vacation Shirt Day! Wear a favorite vacation shirt.
- 5/25- Happy Memorial Day! CBA is closed today.
- 5/27- It’s National Salad Month! Bring a piece of your favorite fruit and we will make a class fruit salad.
- 5/27- Pre-K B Graduation (5pm)
- 5/29- End of School Picnic! We will enjoy a picnic lunch today!
- 5/29- Pre-K A Graduation (530pm)
Have a wonderful month!
Miss Becky
Reminders
Please be sure to sign your child in and out daily. The sign in/out book is in the foyer.
It’s warmer and sunny outside. Remember sunscreen and water bottles.
Don’t forget to wash hands when you enter the classrooms.
Education Connection
Developing Writing Skills in Young Children 
– From Crayons to Concepts –
In the early preschool years, writing starts with practicing fine motor skills and progresses to include concepts such as vocabulary, sentence structure and inventive spelling. Our curriculum builds the foundation for writing beginning with our infants. Our teachers not only instruct students how to write, but they also help instill a love of writing and self-expression.
Below are activities we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about writing, as well as fun activities to try with your child at home.
S
In the classroom: Our infants and toddlers practice picking up and placing objects into containers, building hand strength and coordination.
At-home activity: Give your child plastic cooking utensils, such as spoons and spatulas, along with a large bowl. Place appropriate finger foods in the bowl, and encourage your baby to pick up the utensils and use them to move the food around. Choose utensils with different sized handles so your baby learns how to grasp and hold objects in various ways.
BEGINNERS (Ages 2-3)
In the classroom: During imaginative play, teachers provide pens, markers and crayons to encourage students to practice writing. For instance, they pretend to own a restaurant and write food orders, and pretend to be doctors and take notes about the condition of their stuffed animals.
At-home activity: Incorporate writing activities during playtime. Bring sidewalk chalk outdoors and ask your child to write what they see. Don’t correct spelling or proper letter formations. Show enthusiasm in any efforts he makes, as this is how children learn that words are powerful and have meaning.
INTERMEDIATES (Ages 3-4)
In the classroom: Different writing tools and surfaces make writing more interesting for children. Our Intermediates use chalk on a chalkboard, form letters using modeling clay, and finger paint on canvas.
At-home activity: Three year olds enjoy mimicking adults in their daily activities. Allow your child to engage in a new writing activity with you, such as writing a grocery list or a thank you card. Explain to him what you are writing and the purpose it serves.
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (Ages 4-5)
In the classroom: Teachers make writing fun for our older preschoolers by creating a classroom post office and asking the children to write and mail letters to each other. Through this activity, students practice communicating thoughts and ideas on paper, using proper grip, writing first and last names in correct case, and writing words independently by using inventive spelling. Inventive spelling encourages a love for writing and reinforces phonics. Traditional spelling is encouraged as students move into more formal writing in early elementary grades.
At-home activity: After a family outing, invite your child to write about his day in a journal. Encourage him to use uppercase and lowercase letters. If he asks for help writing more challenging words, have him attempt to spell them by sounding out the word and writing the letters that make that sound. Invite him to read his journal entry to you.
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to develop and practice their writing skills. By setting this foundation, they will be better prepared to communicate thoughts and ideas through writing in elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education
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May Newsletter
Message from the Principal
We are so excited to be in the month of May! We have been enjoying taking our learning outdoors! Releasing ladybugs was a highlight for us in April. As we are in the heart of spring, our students are learning about other fun critters. We have been learning about worms, bugs, and more. Throughout our building you will find containers with live caterpillars. We are patiently waiting for them to form a chrysalis and then…. BUTTERFLIES! These are wonderful opportunities for us to learn! We are able to incorporate science, math, language, creative arts, and more!
Many of our classrooms are also enjoying the opportunity to grow things such as flowers and vegetables. This is an exciting time at our school!
Fun Days in May:
Have a wonderful month!
Miss Becky
Reminders
Please be sure to sign your child in and out daily. The sign in/out book is in the foyer.
It’s warmer and sunny outside. Remember sunscreen and water bottles.
Don’t forget to wash hands when you enter the classrooms.
Education Connection
Developing Writing Skills in Young Children
– From Crayons to Concepts –
In the early preschool years, writing starts with practicing fine motor skills and progresses to include concepts such as vocabulary, sentence structure and inventive spelling. Our curriculum builds the foundation for writing beginning with our infants. Our teachers not only instruct students how to write, but they also help instill a love of writing and self-expression.
Below are activities we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about writing, as well as fun activities to try with your child at home.
S
In the classroom: Our infants and toddlers practice picking up and placing objects into containers, building hand strength and coordination.
At-home activity: Give your child plastic cooking utensils, such as spoons and spatulas, along with a large bowl. Place appropriate finger foods in the bowl, and encourage your baby to pick up the utensils and use them to move the food around. Choose utensils with different sized handles so your baby learns how to grasp and hold objects in various ways.
BEGINNERS (Ages 2-3)
In the classroom: During imaginative play, teachers provide pens, markers and crayons to encourage students to practice writing. For instance, they pretend to own a restaurant and write food orders, and pretend to be doctors and take notes about the condition of their stuffed animals.
At-home activity: Incorporate writing activities during playtime. Bring sidewalk chalk outdoors and ask your child to write what they see. Don’t correct spelling or proper letter formations. Show enthusiasm in any efforts he makes, as this is how children learn that words are powerful and have meaning.
INTERMEDIATES (Ages 3-4)
In the classroom: Different writing tools and surfaces make writing more interesting for children. Our Intermediates use chalk on a chalkboard, form letters using modeling clay, and finger paint on canvas.
At-home activity: Three year olds enjoy mimicking adults in their daily activities. Allow your child to engage in a new writing activity with you, such as writing a grocery list or a thank you card. Explain to him what you are writing and the purpose it serves.
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (Ages 4-5)
In the classroom: Teachers make writing fun for our older preschoolers by creating a classroom post office and asking the children to write and mail letters to each other. Through this activity, students practice communicating thoughts and ideas on paper, using proper grip, writing first and last names in correct case, and writing words independently by using inventive spelling. Inventive spelling encourages a love for writing and reinforces phonics. Traditional spelling is encouraged as students move into more formal writing in early elementary grades.
At-home activity: After a family outing, invite your child to write about his day in a journal. Encourage him to use uppercase and lowercase letters. If he asks for help writing more challenging words, have him attempt to spell them by sounding out the word and writing the letters that make that sound. Invite him to read his journal entry to you.
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to develop and practice their writing skills. By setting this foundation, they will be better prepared to communicate thoughts and ideas through writing in elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education