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March News

A Message From the Principal:

Wow…we made it thru this cold winter. Certainly we have enjoyed the snow days but I am sure our children, families and staff are ready for a warmer and sunny spring. Children will have the opportunity to explore the beauty of nature while being read and reading Dr. Seuss and Eric Carl books, Nursery Rhymes and Fairy Tales.

Fernanda Landa, Principal


Special Days:

  • March 3rd- Pennies for Patients Starts
  • March 4th – Picture Day Room 2, 3, 4
  • March 5th – Picture Day Room 10, 11, 12
  • March 6th – Picture Day Room 1, 5, 7
  • March 6th – Picture Day – Make Up Day
  • March 6th – Employee Appreciation Day
  • March 8th – International working Women’s Day
  • March 11th – Kindergarten Step Up Night
  • March 11th – Johnny Appleseed Day
  • March 12th – Plant a Flower Day
  • March 17th – Saint Patrick’s Day
  • March 20th – International Earth Day
  • March 20th – Last Day for Pennies for Patients
  • March 21st – Open House

Reminders:

Signing In and Out: We are required to keep accurate records of when each child is present or absent. We ask that you please take a few moments when dropping off or picking up to sign your child in or out. Thank you!

Extracurricular Activities:

  • Morning Preschool
    • Basketball (Mondays at 10:00am)
    • Karate (Mondays at 11:00am)
    • Ballet (Tuesdays at 10:00am)
    • Soccer (Wednesdays 2-3yr at 10:00am and 4-5yr at 10:45am)
    • Music Around the World w/fundamentals (Thursdays at 9:30am)
    • Piano Lessons (Thursdays at 10:30am)
    • Art & Science (Fridays at 10:00am)
    • Amazing Athletes (Fridays at 11:00am)
  • After Care Program
    • Karate (Mondays at 4:00pm)
    • Ballet (Tuesdays at 4:00pm)
    • Soccer (Wednesday *5-12 at 4:45am)
    • Music Around the World w/fundamentals (Thursdays at 4:00pm)
    • Piano/Guitar Lessons (Thursdays at 4:00pm)
    • Art & Science (Fridays at 4:30am)

Birthdays: FELIZ CUMPLEAÑOS! TO ALL OF OUR “MARCH BIRTHDAYS!

Tuition Reminders: Please remember that the tuition is due the 5th of every month . Tuition which is not received by the 5th automatically have a $50 late charge applied.

Auto Payment: Save yourself time, checks, and late fees by enrolling in our Automatic Payment system (ACH). Tuition fees can be deducted directly from your checking or savings account. Information is available at the front desk.

Schedule Requests: Four Weeks Notice is required for any schedule changes.

Referral Program: How easy is it to receive a free weeks tuition? Just refer a family and after 90 days of enrollment you earn a free week!

Shoes & Clothes: We would like to make sure that your children are prepared for our Outdoor Play. We believe that fresh air is vital to a child’s development and that it is important for children to be able to get out and run and use their large motor skills on a daily basis. Weather watchers, we will go outdoors for a minimum of 30 minutes per day (our time outside will be shorter if the weather is too cold or too hot). *Please take a moment and check out your child’s extra set of clothes to ensure they are weather appropriate. You can find your child’s extra set of clothes in their cubby. Ask your child’s teacher for help if needed.

Also, remember, your children are growing, make sure their clothes and socks are the appropriate size. We have clean spare clothes at the center if needed, we request that in the event that your child needs extra clothes, to please wash them and bring them back the next day. Thank you!

Please note the importance of sending your child to school with closed toe shoes. We are very active during the day. Toe injuries are a top injury which can be prevented with proper footwear. Check your child’s extra clothing to ensure they are weather appropriate.

Hours/Days of Operation: Regular hours of operation are 7:00am-6:00pm weekdays. There is a late pick-up fee of $1 per minute after the regularly scheduled pick up time. No excuses.

We are closed the following legal holidays: Labor Day Veterans Day Thanksgiving Day (limited service the day after Thanksgiving) Christmas Day New Years Day Martin Luther King Jr.President’s Day Memorial Day and Independence Day. If the holiday falls on a weekend, we will be closed the Friday before or the Monday after Holiday.


News from the Education Department:

Developing Confident Future Readers

March is National Reading Month, so it is a great time to reinforce how important it is to expose children to books from an early age. We engage all of our students in language and literacy activities every day throughout the school year.

Research has shown that reading aloud to children has a profound influence on their speech development and listening skills. Reading allows children to experience the wondrous world depicted in books, and thrive on the interaction with adults.

Below are age appropriate activities that we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about reading, as well as recommended books to read with your child at home.

INFANTS – Linking sensory and reading experiences

  • In the classroom: We introduce language and literacy beginning with our infants, by consistently speaking, reading and singing to them. Teachers choose interactive books with bright colors, different textures and pop-up designs to help stimulate infants’ growing sensory awareness.
  • Books to read at home: Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet and Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont

TODDLERS – Rhyme and repetition

  • In the classroom: Toddlers enjoy hearing the same books read over and over again, because they are able join in as the stories become more familiar. Teachers read books with rhyme and repetition, such as Goodnight Moon, and vary their voice each time they tell the story. The change in tone gives children a chance to hear different sounds, and encourages them to practice making the sounds themselves.
  • Books to read at home: All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury, Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox and Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

BEGINNERS – Engaging the imagination

  • In the classroom: Around age two, children begin to develop a love for the world of imagination. It’s important to engage children’s imaginations and encourage them to participate in shared reading experiences. A picture walk motivates children to rely on pictorial clues to decipher the story’s plot and make predictions. Before reading the story, the teacher and student flip through the book, and the child is encouraged to make predictions about the characters and plot. The teacher then reads the book aloud with the student. When finished, the child is asked to relate his predictions to the actual outcome of the story. For example, “Now that you know what happened, why was the elephant wearing a tutu?” or “What would you have done if you were the elephant?”
  • Books to read at home: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, Corduroy by Don Freeman or Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

INTERMEDIATES – Exploring the wider world

  • In the classroom: As our Intermediates are introduced to the Citizens of the World component of our curriculum, they read about different places, cultures and traditions in books. Books help children understand and enjoy learning about the diversity of human experience. During circle time for example, we may read a story about children living in another country, in a different type of house and wearing different types of clothes. Afterward, the teacher connects the story back to what the children know by asking, “What does your house look like?” and “Who lives in your house with you?”
  • Books to read at home: Abuela by Arthur Dorros, So Much by Trish Cooke and On Mother’s Lap by Ann Scott

PRE-K/PRE-K 2 – Nonfiction Adventures

  • In the classroom: Children are naturally fascinated by the lives of real people and the world around them. Our teachers cultivate this fascination by exposing students to nonfiction books. For example, the class may read both a fiction and nonfiction book about animals. Afterward, they are encouraged to compare and contrast the two books and discuss what was accurate in the fiction book.
  • Books to read at home: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (fiction) and Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies (non-fiction)

By experiencing a literacy-rich environment, both at school and at home, we instill a love of reading and provide the foundation for our students to become successful, confident readers in elementary school and beyond.

– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education

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