A Message From The Principal:

The Week of the Young Child is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). The purpose of the Week of the Young Child is to focus public attention on the needs of young children and their families and to recognize the early childhood programs and services that meet those needs. The 2013 Week of the Young Child is April 13-17  and the theme is Celebrating Our Youngest Learners.

The School will be focusing on the following subthemes of this year’s Week of the Young Child: Raising Public Awareness, Reading and Writing, Child Health, and Creativity and Play. Outlined below are the events for the week. We are looking forward to a successful and fun Week of the Young Child! Thank you for all of your support and participation!

• Monday 4/13: Breakfast to Go – Parents will be able to grab a bagged breakfast on their way out. Please wear the provided sticker to promote WYOC.
  Related Subthemes: Raising Public Awareness
• Tuesday 4/14: Spring Fling – Please join us as we host our annual Spring Fling in the parking lot of the school!
  Related Subthemes: Creativity & Play
• Wednesday 4/15: Art Exhibit – Teachers will be incorporating an art project into their lesson plans that will be displayed in the afternoon
  Related Subthemes: Creativity & Play
• Thursday 4/16: Reading Day – Parents are welcome to stay and read to the children at drop off or pick up. They LOVE this!
  Related Subthemes: Reading & Writing
• Friday 4/17: Make your own healthy snack to-go! In the afternoon we will have a healthy trail-mix station where you can create your own healthy snack to-go!
  Related Subthemes: Child Health

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Tuesday, April 14, 2015 5:00-6:30PM – You will NOT want to miss Chesterbrook Parent Group 2nd Annual Spring Fling Celebration. Chesterbrook Lawn and Parking Lot. Please click here to download the flyer for our annual Spring Fling.

Reminders

Parent Sign In/Out
We wanted to take this time to remind you all about an important security feature here at Chesterbrook.  Please remember to sign your child in and out on a regular basis on the class Sign In/Out sheets located at the front desk.  If someone on your child’s authorized pick-up list is picking up, please remind him or her to do so as well. In the event of a true emergency, the Sign In/Out sheets will give Chesterbrook as well as the authorities an accurate count of who is actually in our building at any given time.  Although we have never had any problem nor do we expect to in the future, this is an important security measure that keeps all of the children safe.  Thank you for your continued compliance with our security policies.

Volunteer Spotlight
The staff and I wanted to extend a HUGE thank you for the wonderful St. Patrick’s Day themed pots from Melissa Coffey for our March teacher appreciation event. They were a huge hit and we feel lucky to have such great parents.

I also want to send out a heart felt thank you all the parents that volunteered for picture day. Your extra help made our picture day run smoothly. Thank you to the following parents: Tara Laguerre, Rebecca Busack, Meredith Knox, Kyleen Gilliland, Dana Degan, Chakradher Jagganagori, Stephanie Gehring and Crystal Howell.

Reminders:

• Please be sure to wash your child’s hands upon entering the classroom.
• If your child has received any new immunizations, please make sure we have an updated record in your child’s file.
• All outside food must be store bought.
• Inform the front office if your emergency contact information changes.
• Please sign your child in and out each day.
• Label all your child’s belongings.
• Please put appropriate foot wear on your child for active play.

Enrichment Programs
It is time for our Winter/Spring ANCILLARY PROGRAMS:

• Tuesday Morning:   Daisy Dance is a ballet, tap and a creative movement dance program designed to teach children a life long love of movement and provide a foundation for all dance genres. You can sign up at the beginning of each month. Please click here for the registration form.
• Wednesday Morning:  Music For Little Ones is an original approach that successfully engages active preschoolers in musical activities, in order to enhance their overall development. The new session begins on 4/1/15 .
• Wednesday Afternoon: T.O.T (Teams of Tomorrow) is an awesome training program that focuses on basketball handling and dribbling skills. The onsite classes are fun, educational and active. You can sign up at the beginning of each month. New session will begin on 1/7/15.  Please click here for the registration form.
• Thursday Morning: Soccer Shots is a popular non-competitive youth soccer program. This program teaches confidence, fun, character, teamwork, coordination and imagination. Our Spring session started on 3/5/15. Please click here for the registration form.
• Friday Morning: King Tiger Tae Kwon Do is taught according to individual needs and levels of skills.Students begin to establish, and actually achieve, personal goals. Students learn that, by setting realistic goals and applying dedication and hard work, anything is possible. They develop confidence! The virtues of Respect, Concentration, Discipline, and Motivation are the characteristics of a truly confident individual. The new session just started on 3/27/15, it is not too late to sign up. Please click here for the registration form.

From the Education Department:

Appreciating the Wonders of Mother Nature

Spring is here and Earth Day is right around the corner, providing a wonderful opportunity to connect children with nature and reinforce the importance of preserving and protecting the world around us.

Our Links to Learning curriculum uses hands-on activities to cultivate a deeper connection to the earth and foster academic, physical and social skill development.

Below are activities we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about nature, as well as activities and books to read with your child at home.

INFANTS/TODDLERS:

• In the classroom: Our teachers provide natural objects, such as leaves, pinecones and flowers for the children to see and touch. We help children associate words with the concrete objects they represent.
• At-home activity: Allow your child to experience different textured fruits, such as an orange, watermelon and cantaloupe. Talk about what he sees, smells, tastes and feels.
•  Recommended reading: Colors from Nature from PlayBac Publishing and The Earth Book by Todd Parr

BEGINNERS (Ages 2-3):

• In the classroom: Around age two, children begin to understand interdependencies in nature. For instance, they learn that ladybugs feed on insects that are harmful to gardens, trees and shrubs. On Earth Day, many of our students have the opportunity to release ladybugs to help local gardens.
• At-home activity: Take a walk outdoors with your child and play a game of “I Spy.” Ask him point out objects found in the springtime, for example a red flower, a blue bird or a colorful butterfly.
• Recommended reading: Biscuit’s Earth Day Celebration by Alyssa Satin Capucilli & David T. Wenzel and The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle

INTERMEDIATES (Ages 3-4):

• In the classroom: As our Intermediates gain a greater understanding and appreciation for how living things grow, the class may adopt a pet such as a fish or bunny. Students develop math, science and language skills by measuring the pet’s food, observing the pet’s behavior and habitat, and learning new vocabulary. Research shows that when children have the opportunity to care for animals, they practice nurturing behaviors that help them interact in gentle ways with people also.
• At-home activity: Create a small garden and allow your child to help you plant and water seeds, either outdoors or indoors. Ask him to predict what the plant will look like by drawing pictures in his journal. Check the plant regularly so he can observe and measure changes in growth. Discuss the importance of watering and caring for the plant.
• Recommended reading: Our Earth by Anne Rockwell and the poem “Sarah Cynthia Sylvia Stout Would Not Take the Garbage Out!” by Shel Silverstein

PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (Ages 4-5):

• In the classroom: Teachers encourage our older preschoolers to reuse recyclable materials in fun and unconventional ways. For instance, our students use cardboard boxes to create a castle, milk jug lids to sort and match, and plastic bottles to create beautiful, unique artwork.
• At-home activity: Set up a recycling station using cardboard boxes, and label each box with the words “metal”, “plastic” and “paper”. Throughout the month, ask your child to help sort your family’s recyclables by placing the items into the correct box.  Explain that recycling is just one way that we can be kind to the earth. Ask him to name a few other ways, such as conserving electricity, picking up litter and planting a garden.
• Recommended reading: A Tree is Nice by Janice May Udry and The Lorax by Dr. Seuss

We create a path for lifelong learning by providing numerous opportunities for children to study and explore nature. These hands-on experiences lead to growth in all areas of development as students transition into elementary school and beyond.

– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education