A Note from the Principal:
TEACHER APPRECIATION IS the week of May 4-8.
We have had many donations and signups for the week of treats for the teachers. Thank you for making this week a great week for our teachers. They deserve. Please remember to pick a flower at the front for each teacher you wish and write a nice message to them. We will be posting them on the classroom doors.
Toddler, Beginners, Intermediate and PreK and school age, have many fun summer activities planned. An informational letter will be going out, along with the calendar of events in the next 2 weeks. There will be an activity for each age. Each week, each room will have a swim day. On this day please have your child dressed for getting wet. And bring a change of clothes. If your child is in diapers, please do not put your child in a swim diaper. Swim diapers do not hold water ;).
With the warmer weather approaching, please bring in a labeled suntan lotion bottle. You will need to fill out a sunscreen permission slip.
Sincerely,
Karen Okicich
Important Dates
May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation
May 5:Cinco de Mayo
May 10: Mother’s Day
May 11: Mother’s Day MUFFIN MORNING!
May 25: Memorial Day: School is closed
May 29: Kindergarten Graduation @ 1PM
June 4: Last Day of school
June 8: Summer Time Kick Off. Camp Calendar Events begin!!! Summer calendars will be handed out in the next 2 weeks
Reminders
- An updated medical is required every 2 years. I recommend that every time you go to the doctor for immunizations; please ask for an updated form. This is a STATE LICENSING requirement. I have copies of medicals on the bulletin board next to the front desk.
- Please bring in a labeled bottle of suntan lotion. You will need to fill out a SUNTAN LOTION FORM. Please ask your child’s teacher for one if they do not give you one. We will not apply suntan lotion if we do not have a signed form. Again, this is a STATE LICENSING requirement.
- With the summer months approaching, please be sure to place, bike shorts or bloomers over underwear/diapers. I do not want exposed diapers and underwear. Helps with keeping the school and your child clean.
- I still have a handful of students that are missing items for the files. AGAIN, this is a STATE LICENSING requirement. If you have received an email from Jamie and/or a letter of what forms are missing. Please complete as soon as possible.
- Referral Program. Don’t forget about our referral. Refer a family to us and after they are here for 3 months, you will receive a free weeks tuition!!! I have given quite a few away this year and I LOVE IT.
- If you leave us for the summer, please remember to either send us an email or give us a note, stating when your last day will be.
Coming Up
Kindergarten Graduation: 1pm, March 29th
Camp Zone begins: June 8th. Activity fees are due June 5th
News from the Education Department
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.
INFANTS/TODDLERS
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
May Newsletter
A Note from the Principal:
TEACHER APPRECIATION IS the week of May 4-8.
We have had many donations and signups for the week of treats for the teachers. Thank you for making this week a great week for our teachers. They deserve. Please remember to pick a flower at the front for each teacher you wish and write a nice message to them. We will be posting them on the classroom doors.
Toddler, Beginners, Intermediate and PreK and school age, have many fun summer activities planned. An informational letter will be going out, along with the calendar of events in the next 2 weeks. There will be an activity for each age. Each week, each room will have a swim day. On this day please have your child dressed for getting wet. And bring a change of clothes. If your child is in diapers, please do not put your child in a swim diaper. Swim diapers do not hold water ;).
With the warmer weather approaching, please bring in a labeled suntan lotion bottle. You will need to fill out a sunscreen permission slip.
Sincerely,
Karen Okicich
Important Dates
May 4-8: Teacher Appreciation
May 5:Cinco de Mayo
May 10: Mother’s Day
May 11: Mother’s Day MUFFIN MORNING!
May 25: Memorial Day: School is closed
May 29: Kindergarten Graduation @ 1PM
June 4: Last Day of school
June 8: Summer Time Kick Off. Camp Calendar Events begin!!! Summer calendars will be handed out in the next 2 weeks
Reminders
Coming Up
Kindergarten Graduation: 1pm, March 29th
Camp Zone begins: June 8th. Activity fees are due June 5th
News from the Education Department
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.
INFANTS/TODDLERS
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