Message From the Principal
Spring has finally arrived! We had so much fun last month at our ladybug launch. We even made it to the Mainline Times and the Daily Local News! The children are loving being able to spend more time outside. Many classes have started to plant our flowers and vegetables in their classrooms and in a few more weeks we will be able to transport them to our garden in the front playground. Our PreK 2 and Kindergarten students even helped us plant a new tree out front for Arbor Day!
Important Dates
This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week! Please take a moment to show your child’s teacher how much you appreciate all that they do. A few suggestions would be a small gift or gift card, a thank you card from you and your child, a breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert item.
Friday, May 8th – “Muffins with Moms” – please spend a few minutes at drop off (between 7:00-9:00) to sit and have a muffin with your child so they can present you with a special mother’s day gift. (Beginners/Toddler 2 class will be having theirs at 3:30 p.m.)
May 8th – this is the last day to turn in Summer Camp registrations and t-shirt order forms (excluding Infants and Toddler 1 classes) If you need a new form, please stop by the office.
May 13th-15th – LOL Photography will be here. Please be on the look out for more information to follow. These are glamor individual photos that will be taken here at school over the coarse of the 3 days. They will be immediately available to preview and purchase during pick up time.
Monday, May 25th – Reminder that we are closed for Memorial Day
Reminders
If you have not already done so, you may want to bring in sunscreen for your child or check with their teacher to see if you still have some here from last year. Permission forms are located in the file folders of the office door. Please remember that we ask that parents apply it in the morning and we will reapply in the afternoon. It is also a good time to check your child’s spare clothes in their cubby to make sure they are weather and size appropriate.
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
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May Newsletter
Message From the Principal
Spring has finally arrived! We had so much fun last month at our ladybug launch. We even made it to the Mainline Times and the Daily Local News! The children are loving being able to spend more time outside. Many classes have started to plant our flowers and vegetables in their classrooms and in a few more weeks we will be able to transport them to our garden in the front playground. Our PreK 2 and Kindergarten students even helped us plant a new tree out front for Arbor Day!
Important Dates
This week is National Teacher Appreciation Week! Please take a moment to show your child’s teacher how much you appreciate all that they do. A few suggestions would be a small gift or gift card, a thank you card from you and your child, a breakfast, lunch, snack or dessert item.
Friday, May 8th – “Muffins with Moms” – please spend a few minutes at drop off (between 7:00-9:00) to sit and have a muffin with your child so they can present you with a special mother’s day gift. (Beginners/Toddler 2 class will be having theirs at 3:30 p.m.)
May 8th – this is the last day to turn in Summer Camp registrations and t-shirt order forms (excluding Infants and Toddler 1 classes) If you need a new form, please stop by the office.
May 13th-15th – LOL Photography will be here. Please be on the look out for more information to follow. These are glamor individual photos that will be taken here at school over the coarse of the 3 days. They will be immediately available to preview and purchase during pick up time.
Monday, May 25th – Reminder that we are closed for Memorial Day
Reminders
If you have not already done so, you may want to bring in sunscreen for your child or check with their teacher to see if you still have some here from last year. Permission forms are located in the file folders of the office door. Please remember that we ask that parents apply it in the morning and we will reapply in the afternoon. It is also a good time to check your child’s spare clothes in their cubby to make sure they are weather and size appropriate.
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