From the Principal’s Desk:

Happy Spring Everyone!  April will be a busy month here at Chesterbrook!  The teachers and I are looking forward to another month filled with fun and exciting educational opportunities for your child.  We have a lot going on in the month of April.  We have our Spring Break, Week of the Young Child Celebrations, Earth Day Lady Bug Release and Summer Camp Registrations!  Please watch for details to come out on each of those events!

Special Welcome to our new families who have joined our school.  We have had quite a few as the word of our excellence is getting out!  Please remember to tell me if you refer a family so you earn your referral credit!

Hope you all have a great month!

Tawni S. Connor, Principal

In this Issue

• April 1 – Tuition’s Due
• April 2 – Egg Hunt
• April 3 – School’s Closed
• April 7 – School Photos
• April 13 – 17 – Week of the Young Child!
• April 17th – PJ Day!!
• April 22 – Lady Bug Release
• Every Monday – Miss Marilena’s Art Class (On a Rotating schedule)
• Every Tuesday – Happy Feet Soccer
• Every Wednesday: Gymnastics / Dance!
• Every Friday:  White Tiger Martial Arts!

Week of the Young Child
The week of April 13 – 17 is the Week of the Young Child.  We will be having special events all that week to celebrate our love for our students as well as our love for educating them.  We will end the week with a special request from all of our students—PJ Day!  The kids all said that their favorite day is PJ day so we are bringing it back for Week of the Young Child! Friday, April 17th, please send your child to school wearing their PJ’s. Your child will definitely feel the love!

School Photos!
On April 7th, we will have our spring school photos. Please send your child to school looking spiffy for our spring photos! Photos will arrive at Chesterbrook in approximately 3 weeks. At that time, you may take them home to decide which sheets you would like to purchase. You can purchase the entire package, a couple sheets, or send them all back! There is no obligation!

School Wide Egg Hunt!
On April 2nd, we will celebrate spring by having a school wide Egg Hunt! We will have the Egg Hunt in the afternoon followed by classroom parties. If you would like to attend and are able to block out a few hours on Thursday, April 2nd, feel free to stop on by. I would also very much appreciate the donation of 12 plastic eggs for each child. The eggs should be filled with child appropriate wrapped items. Great ideas are little bags of gold fish, pretzels, gummy snacks, stickers, etc. Please remember no chocolate, peanuts or tree nuts. Thank you!

Ladybug Release!
On April 22nd, we will celebrate Earth Day by releasing Lady Bugs into our gardens!  Lady Bugs are wonderful little creatures who are our environmental friends!  Our students will learn why Lady Bugs are essential and will experience the fun of releasing them too!

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