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December News

From the Principal’s Office:

Welcome to Chesterbrook Academy Preschool during one of our favorite times of the year!  We have lots of events this month for your family to participate in and enjoy this season; like the Holiday Breakfast and our Winter Program (see School Spotlight for more information). These events give our students and families the opportunity to come together to celebrate the holidays. We also have opportunities for students and families to get involved with our community service projects: Food Drive and Be an Elf Project.

We will be sending home our first Parent Reports on Wednesday, November 25th. Parent reports are a glimpse of your child’s development along with giving you information on the goals and skills your child will be working towards in the upcoming period. Kindergarten readiness conferences will occur in December (sign up sheets will be posted the week of Thanksgiving) for our Prek, Prek2B, Prek2A students heading off to kindergarten in the fall of 2016. If you would like to schedule a conference with your child’s teacher before our next curriculum night, please let your child’s teacher know.

Please take a moment to scroll down to the article titled “Exploring Holiday Traditions from Around the World” by Dr. Lauren Starnes.

My children’s top five favorite holiday books:
1. Bear stays up for Christmas by Karma Wilson & Jane Chapman
2. Mooseltoe by Margie Palatini
3. Auntie Claus by Elise Primavera
4. The Christmas Crocodile by Bonny Baker
5. Snowmen at Christmas by Carolyn Buehner

Happy Holidays from Chesterbrook Academy!

Nicole Gleason
Principal
Our calendar for the 2015-2016 school years is viewable online at: http://centralnaperville.chesterbrookacademy.com.

Upcoming Events

December

  • Kindergarten Readiness Conferences for Prek, Prek2B, and Prek2A during the week of December 7th & 14th
  • Holiday Breakfast with Santa on Saturday, December 5th
  • Winter Program for all students on Saturday, December 12th
  • Chesterbrook Academy is closing early at 3:00pm on on Thursday, December 24th
  • Chesterbrook Academy is closed on Friday, December 25th
  • Chesterbrook Academy is closing early at 3:00pm on Thursday, December 31st

January

  • Chesterbrook Academy is closed on Friday, January 1st
  • MLK Day on Monday, January 18th
  • Hot Cocoa Social on Saturday, January 23rd
  • Open House on Saturday, January 30th

School Spotlight

Holiday Breakfast
Please join us on Saturday, December 5th for our annual Holiday Breakfast with Santa from 9:00am to 11:00am at Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School for a yummy breakfast, arts & crafts, and a photo with Santa.

Winter Program
Mark your calendar our winter program will be on Saturday, December 12th. All our students will be performing on stage (and some parents too). Performances will begin at 10:15am, so we are asking families to arrive by 10:00am at Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School

Please take a moment to review how traffic should flow in our parking lot: Traffic is to enter the parking lot on the Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School side and then follow all the way around the lot and park on the preschool side. Traffic should exit the parking lot on our preschool side. Please make sure to slow down near the cross walk so that you are able to watch for pedestrians crossing from one building to the next and to avoid any accidents or injuries. Heavy traffic times are from 8:30am to 8:45am and 3:35pm to 3:55pm; to avoid these heavy traffic times please arrive to the campus either before or after these arrival and dismissal times.

Become a Chesterbrook Ambassador!
If you refer a family to any Chesterbrook Academy school, you will receive a free week of tuition off of your oldest child’s tuition.  There is no limit to the number of families you refer. Note: The referred family must be full-time student and enrolled for 90 days before the free week of tuition can be applied. If the referral is for a part time student you will receive one hundred dollars off your child’s tuition.

Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School
Please take a moment each month to view what is new and exciting at our Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School website at: http://naperville.chesterbrookacademy.com. You can learn more about all the specialty teachers under the Parent tab or enjoy reading the elementary newsletter.

From the Education Department

Exploring Holiday Traditions from Around the World

The holiday season is here, providing a wealth of opportunities to enrich the children’s understanding of diverse cultures and traditions around the world. In addition, our students will share their own traditions with others.

Below are age appropriate activities that we use in the classroom, as well as activities for you and your child to do at home.

BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):

In the classroom: As they near the age of two, children begin to recognize the sights and sounds of holidays celebrated by their family. Parents visit our classrooms to share holiday traditions, including unique books, songs and activities.

At home: Gather family photos and point out traditions, such as unwrapping presents, eating holiday dinner at grandma’s house, and making a snowman. Encourage your child to talk about what he sees in the photos.

Recommended reading: Children Around the World Celebrate Christmas by Christine Tangvald, Happy Hanukkah, Corduroy by Don Freeman, My First Kwanzaa by Karen Katz

INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):

In the classroom: Children sing holiday songs from around the world and are introduced to holiday symbols that they may see in their communities, such as Christmas trees or Hanukkah menorahs.

At home: Take a drive with your child or bring him to various holiday festivals in your community. Encourage him to look for and identify holiday decorations.

Recommended reading: Christmas Around the World by Calliope Glass, Hanukkah Hop by Erica Silverman, Li’l Rabbit’s Kwanzaa by Donna Washington

PRE-K/PRE-K2 (ages 4-5)

In the classroom: After learning about holiday traditions around the world, our older preschoolers identify countries on a globe. For example, they might learn about Diwali, the festival of lights, and then find India on the globe. They might make tamales, a dish often served on Christmas, and then find Mexico on the globe.

At home: Ask your child to help you prepare your family’s favorite holiday foods. Talk about the long-standing traditions in which these foods are rooted. For instance, you might explain, “I used to bake cookies for the holidays with my mom. Now we can start baking cookies together!”

Recommended reading: Children Just Like Me: Celebrations by Anabel Kindersley, Light the Lights: A Story about Celebrating Hanukkah and Christmas by Margaret Moorman, The Story of Kwanzaa by Mary Washington

Exposing children to various holiday traditions helps them build strong social skills, establish a sense of self, and respect the differences of others as they transition into elementary school and beyond.

– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education

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