Chesterbrook Academy –Preston
December Newsletter
From the Principal’s Desk
Happy Holiday Season to everyone! I can hardly believe that December is upon us. The school year is flying by! I was so impressed when I was reading our November Parent Reports and witnessing the educational growth of our students. Our teachers and students are working very hard and it shows!
We will have classroom parties and holiday activities at some point in your child’s classroom! Please check with your child’s teacher to see what activities they have planned an how you can help make them a success. The parties will be for students only as they will be conducted indoors.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a great month!
Tawni S. Mosley, Principal
In this Issue
- Important Dates for December
- Holiday Community Service Project
- Educational Article
Important Dates in December
- November 28 – December 9 – Back Pack Buddies Food Drive
- December 1 – Happy Anniversary Miss Elaine
- December 1 – Tuition’s Due
- December 18 – Happy Birthday Miss Christina!
- December 23 – School is Closing at Noon – No Lunch will be served
- December 26 – School is Closed
- December 30 – School is Closing at 3pm!
- January 2 – School’s Closed!
- Every Monday – Amazing Athletes Classes
- Every Tuesday: Tap and Tumble Gymnastics / Dance Class
- Every Wednesday: Soccer Shots
- Every Friday: Yoga
Holiday Community Service Project
In the spirit of the holidays, Chesterbrook Academy Preston will be collecting food donations for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle BackPack Buddies program. Did you know that sadly an estimated 118,000 children in North Carolina may not know where their next meal is coming from? The BackPack Buddies program provides children from food-insecure homes with healthy weekend meals during the school year. The children, selected by school principals, guidance counselors, and supervisors of various after school programs, receive a backpack containing six balanced meals and two healthy snacks at the end of every week. We will be collecting food from now until December 9th! Please help us support this program and make sure that kids do not go hungry! Thank you for supporting this program.
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.
December News
Chesterbrook Academy –Preston
December Newsletter
From the Principal’s Desk
Happy Holiday Season to everyone! I can hardly believe that December is upon us. The school year is flying by! I was so impressed when I was reading our November Parent Reports and witnessing the educational growth of our students. Our teachers and students are working very hard and it shows!
We will have classroom parties and holiday activities at some point in your child’s classroom! Please check with your child’s teacher to see what activities they have planned an how you can help make them a success. The parties will be for students only as they will be conducted indoors.
Hope you all have a wonderful holiday season and a great month!
Tawni S. Mosley, Principal
In this Issue
Important Dates in December
Holiday Community Service Project
In the spirit of the holidays, Chesterbrook Academy Preston will be collecting food donations for the Inter-Faith Food Shuttle BackPack Buddies program. Did you know that sadly an estimated 118,000 children in North Carolina may not know where their next meal is coming from? The BackPack Buddies program provides children from food-insecure homes with healthy weekend meals during the school year. The children, selected by school principals, guidance counselors, and supervisors of various after school programs, receive a backpack containing six balanced meals and two healthy snacks at the end of every week. We will be collecting food from now until December 9th! Please help us support this program and make sure that kids do not go hungry! Thank you for supporting this program.
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.