A Message from the Principal
Spring is (finally) here! Our students are so excited to be able to go play and learn outside! This month our students will be learning about the many outdoor themes, such as Farm, Jungle Animals, Deep Blue Sea, and Birds and Feathers! We are excited to continue including outdoor learning, science, mathematics, and technology to our robust curriculum and activities.
We are currently enrolling for Summer Camp and for Fall 2015! Reserve you spot today, spaces are filling up!
Special events for May
Week of May 4th – 8th: Teacher Appreciation week
May 5th: Classroom Butter making!
May 7th: School-Wide dress like a farmer day! Please vote for the best dressed teacher!
May 8th: Muffins for Mom! Happy (early) Mother’s Day!
May 12th: Bring your favorite jungle or animal book to share with your classroom.
May 14th: School-Wide Rice Krispie Jungle creation!
May 15th: Dress like your favorite jungle animal.
May 21st: School-Wide Pajama day!
May 25th: Chesterbrook is CLOSED for Memorial Day.
Week of May 25th – 29th: Family Challenge: Create a bug, butterfly, or jungle creature with your child(ren) to hang in our lobby jungle. Turn in on Friday, May 29th.
For Parents
Tuition Reminders
Please remember that the tuition is due each Friday for the following week of services . Tuition which is not received by the Friday before the next week of services will automatically have a 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
We require Four Weeks Notice for any schedule changes.
Referral Program
How easy is it to receive a free week of tuition? Refer a family and after 6 months of their full-time 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 permitting, 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 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, please make sure your child is wearing appropriate shoes for outdoor play. Open-toed sandals and flip-flops are not recommended for outdoor play and can cause children to easily trip, fall, or accrue toe injuries.
Also, remember, your children are growing, make sure their clothes and socks are the appropriate size. Thank you!
Hours/Days of Operation
Regular hours of operation are 6:30am-6:30pm weekdays. There is a late pick-up fee of $1 per minute after the regularly scheduled pick up time.
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.
From the Education Department
Developing Writing Skills in Young Children
– From Crayons to Concepts –
In the early preschool years, writing starts with practicing fine motor skills and progresses to include concepts such as vocabulary, sentence structure and inventive spelling. Our curriculum builds the foundation for writing beginning with our infants. Our teachers not only instruct students how to write, but they also help instill a love of writing and self-expression.
Below are activities we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about writing, as well as fun activities to try with your child at home.
INFANTS/TODDLERS
In the classroom: Our infants and toddlers practice picking up and placing objects into containers, building hand strength and coordination.
At-home activity: Give your child plastic cooking utensils, such as spoons and spatulas, along with a large bowl. Place appropriate finger foods in the bowl, and encourage your baby to pick up the utensils and use them to move the food around. Choose utensils with different sized handles so your baby learns how to grasp and hold objects in various ways.
BEGINNERS (Ages 2-3)
In the classroom: During imaginative play, teachers provide pens, markers and crayons to encourage students to practice writing. For instance, they pretend to own a restaurant and write food orders, and pretend to be doctors and take notes about the condition of their stuffed animals.
At-home activity: Incorporate writing activities during playtime. Bring sidewalk chalk outdoors and ask your child to write what they see. Don’t correct spelling or proper letter formations. Show enthusiasm in any efforts he makes, as this is how children learn that words are powerful and have meaning.
INTERMEDIATES (Ages 3-4)
In the classroom: Different writing tools and surfaces make writing more interesting for children. Our Intermediates use chalk on a chalkboard, form letters using modeling clay, and finger paint on canvas.
At-home activity: Three year olds enjoy mimicking adults in their daily activities. Allow your child to engage in a new writing activity with you, such as writing a grocery list or a thank you card. Explain to him what you are writing and the purpose it serves.
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (Ages 4-5)
In the classroom: Teachers make writing fun for our older preschoolers by creating a classroom post office and asking the children to write and mail letters to each other. Through this activity, students practice communicating thoughts and ideas on paper, using proper grip, writing first and last names in correct case, and writing words independently by using inventive spelling. Inventive spelling encourages a love for writing and reinforces phonics. Traditional spelling is encouraged as students move into more formal writing in early elementary grades.
At-home activity: After a family outing, invite your child to write about his day in a journal. Encourage him to use uppercase and lowercase letters. If he asks for help writing more challenging words, have him attempt to spell them by sounding out the word and writing the letters that make that sound. Invite him to read his journal entry to you.
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to develop and practice their writing skills. By setting this foundation, they will be better prepared to communicate thoughts and ideas through writing in elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education
May News
A Message from the Principal
Spring is (finally) here! Our students are so excited to be able to go play and learn outside! This month our students will be learning about the many outdoor themes, such as Farm, Jungle Animals, Deep Blue Sea, and Birds and Feathers! We are excited to continue including outdoor learning, science, mathematics, and technology to our robust curriculum and activities.
We are currently enrolling for Summer Camp and for Fall 2015! Reserve you spot today, spaces are filling up!
Special events for May
Week of May 4th – 8th: Teacher Appreciation week
May 5th: Classroom Butter making!
May 7th: School-Wide dress like a farmer day! Please vote for the best dressed teacher!
May 8th: Muffins for Mom! Happy (early) Mother’s Day!
May 12th: Bring your favorite jungle or animal book to share with your classroom.
May 14th: School-Wide Rice Krispie Jungle creation!
May 15th: Dress like your favorite jungle animal.
May 21st: School-Wide Pajama day!
May 25th: Chesterbrook is CLOSED for Memorial Day.
Week of May 25th – 29th: Family Challenge: Create a bug, butterfly, or jungle creature with your child(ren) to hang in our lobby jungle. Turn in on Friday, May 29th.
For Parents
Tuition Reminders
Please remember that the tuition is due each Friday for the following week of services . Tuition which is not received by the Friday before the next week of services will automatically have a 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
We require Four Weeks Notice for any schedule changes.
Referral Program
How easy is it to receive a free week of tuition? Refer a family and after 6 months of their full-time 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 permitting, 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 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, please make sure your child is wearing appropriate shoes for outdoor play. Open-toed sandals and flip-flops are not recommended for outdoor play and can cause children to easily trip, fall, or accrue toe injuries.
Also, remember, your children are growing, make sure their clothes and socks are the appropriate size. Thank you!
Hours/Days of Operation
Regular hours of operation are 6:30am-6:30pm weekdays. There is a late pick-up fee of $1 per minute after the regularly scheduled pick up time.
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.
From the Education Department
Developing Writing Skills in Young Children
– From Crayons to Concepts –
In the early preschool years, writing starts with practicing fine motor skills and progresses to include concepts such as vocabulary, sentence structure and inventive spelling. Our curriculum builds the foundation for writing beginning with our infants. Our teachers not only instruct students how to write, but they also help instill a love of writing and self-expression.
Below are activities we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about writing, as well as fun activities to try with your child at home.
INFANTS/TODDLERS
In the classroom: Our infants and toddlers practice picking up and placing objects into containers, building hand strength and coordination.
At-home activity: Give your child plastic cooking utensils, such as spoons and spatulas, along with a large bowl. Place appropriate finger foods in the bowl, and encourage your baby to pick up the utensils and use them to move the food around. Choose utensils with different sized handles so your baby learns how to grasp and hold objects in various ways.
BEGINNERS (Ages 2-3)
In the classroom: During imaginative play, teachers provide pens, markers and crayons to encourage students to practice writing. For instance, they pretend to own a restaurant and write food orders, and pretend to be doctors and take notes about the condition of their stuffed animals.
At-home activity: Incorporate writing activities during playtime. Bring sidewalk chalk outdoors and ask your child to write what they see. Don’t correct spelling or proper letter formations. Show enthusiasm in any efforts he makes, as this is how children learn that words are powerful and have meaning.
INTERMEDIATES (Ages 3-4)
In the classroom: Different writing tools and surfaces make writing more interesting for children. Our Intermediates use chalk on a chalkboard, form letters using modeling clay, and finger paint on canvas.
At-home activity: Three year olds enjoy mimicking adults in their daily activities. Allow your child to engage in a new writing activity with you, such as writing a grocery list or a thank you card. Explain to him what you are writing and the purpose it serves.
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (Ages 4-5)
In the classroom: Teachers make writing fun for our older preschoolers by creating a classroom post office and asking the children to write and mail letters to each other. Through this activity, students practice communicating thoughts and ideas on paper, using proper grip, writing first and last names in correct case, and writing words independently by using inventive spelling. Inventive spelling encourages a love for writing and reinforces phonics. Traditional spelling is encouraged as students move into more formal writing in early elementary grades.
At-home activity: After a family outing, invite your child to write about his day in a journal. Encourage him to use uppercase and lowercase letters. If he asks for help writing more challenging words, have him attempt to spell them by sounding out the word and writing the letters that make that sound. Invite him to read his journal entry to you.
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to develop and practice their writing skills. By setting this foundation, they will be better prepared to communicate thoughts and ideas through writing in elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education