A Message From the Principal
This month we will welcome the start of SPRING!!! Be on the lookout for warmer weather coming our way!
In other school related news we want to thank everyone who donated to money Cozy for a Cure and helped us to double the money we raised last year in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
We will have picture day on March 12th and March 13th. The schedule for picture day is as follows:
- Infants, Toddlers, Young 2’s- March 12th
- Older 2’s, Intermediates, Pre-K-March 13th
- Make up pictures, sibling pictures-March 13th
- Pre-K will also take cap and gown pictures on March 13th
Early bird registration for our 2014-2015 year will begin on March 16. Registration will be discounted at half of the regular rate. The fee for the first child will be $45.00 and the rate will be $40 for each additional child being registered.
The dentist will visit with our intermediate-pre-k classes on Friday March 6th.
Our next parent’s night out will be held in April. We will send out more information later this month.
If you should ever have any questions please feel free to contact me at the school or by email Sandra.Brooks@nlcinc.com or Chandrea our Assistant Principal at Chandrea.Wilson@nlcinc.com.
Sincerely,
Sandra Brooks, Principal
For Parents
Want your child to try something new? Check out what we have going on……….
Enrichment Programs: New Season Begins March 3rd. Register now before it’s too late! You can still register for Jump Bunch. Classes are held every Wednesday beginning at 9:30.
Student Birthdays
- Collin B. – 3/24
- Ford F. – 3/25
- Quinn O.-3/29
- Avery J.-3/30
Staff Birthdays
- Binal Maheshwary -3/15
- Jennifer Montgomery-3/22
Staff Anniversaries
- Erica Houser-3/16 – 3 years
We are a nut free facility. Please do not bring or allow your child to bring any products that contain nuts. Please have your child wash their hands as they enter their classroom in the morning.
OUR PROGRAM
LINKS TO LEARNING (LTL): Links to Learning is an integrated series of programs for children ages six weeks to five years that engages the young learner’s senses, mind and body. The components of each program build upon each other as children grow and develop, ensuring an excellent preparation for elementary school. Links to Learning takes advantage of a child’s readiness to learn with activities that are fun, challenging, easily understood – and meaningful. The curriculum gives a child the freedom to discover in a supportive, loving and nurturing environment.
SPANISH: From the ages 2 to 5, children display an amazing capacity for learning language. By integrating Spanish throughout the day at an early age, children get a head-start on acquiring a second language. They develop listening and speaking skills while honing conversational skills, as well as explore music, clothing and activities from another culture right in their own classroom.
SPORTS, PLAY & ACTIVE RECREATION FOR KIDS! (SPARK): Spark promotes physical activity in ways that are creative and fun. It teaches social skills and enhances personal skills with maintaining high activity time.
Infant Sign Language: The infant classrooms at Chesterbrook Academy will now be introducing Baby Sign Language to the daily activities. Caregivers in the infant program will now be using sign language as a routine part of care. Children will be introduced to some simple signs that will be useful in the classroom setting and at home. Signs for milk, eat, more, diaper and others will be introduced slowly over the next few months. As your child grows into the next age group, our staff will add more sign language to their vocabulary.
The benefits of introducing sign language to an infant or toddler are of great value. Learning sign language at an early age has been shown to help with the bonding between baby and caregiver. It reduces fussiness as babies and toddlers learn to communicate and have their needs understood. It has been shown to decrease aggressive behavior such as biting or hitting. Finally, it also aids in the verbal language development of the child and has other intellectual benefits.
For more information on baby sign language you can also visit http://www.babysignlanguage.com/
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.
March News
A Message From the Principal
This month we will welcome the start of SPRING!!! Be on the lookout for warmer weather coming our way!
In other school related news we want to thank everyone who donated to money Cozy for a Cure and helped us to double the money we raised last year in support of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
We will have picture day on March 12th and March 13th. The schedule for picture day is as follows:
Early bird registration for our 2014-2015 year will begin on March 16. Registration will be discounted at half of the regular rate. The fee for the first child will be $45.00 and the rate will be $40 for each additional child being registered.
The dentist will visit with our intermediate-pre-k classes on Friday March 6th.
Our next parent’s night out will be held in April. We will send out more information later this month.
If you should ever have any questions please feel free to contact me at the school or by email Sandra.Brooks@nlcinc.com or Chandrea our Assistant Principal at Chandrea.Wilson@nlcinc.com.
Sincerely,
Sandra Brooks, Principal
For Parents
Want your child to try something new? Check out what we have going on……….
Enrichment Programs: New Season Begins March 3rd. Register now before it’s too late! You can still register for Jump Bunch. Classes are held every Wednesday beginning at 9:30.
Student Birthdays
Staff Birthdays
Staff Anniversaries
We are a nut free facility. Please do not bring or allow your child to bring any products that contain nuts. Please have your child wash their hands as they enter their classroom in the morning.
OUR PROGRAM
LINKS TO LEARNING (LTL): Links to Learning is an integrated series of programs for children ages six weeks to five years that engages the young learner’s senses, mind and body. The components of each program build upon each other as children grow and develop, ensuring an excellent preparation for elementary school. Links to Learning takes advantage of a child’s readiness to learn with activities that are fun, challenging, easily understood – and meaningful. The curriculum gives a child the freedom to discover in a supportive, loving and nurturing environment.
SPANISH: From the ages 2 to 5, children display an amazing capacity for learning language. By integrating Spanish throughout the day at an early age, children get a head-start on acquiring a second language. They develop listening and speaking skills while honing conversational skills, as well as explore music, clothing and activities from another culture right in their own classroom.
SPORTS, PLAY & ACTIVE RECREATION FOR KIDS! (SPARK): Spark promotes physical activity in ways that are creative and fun. It teaches social skills and enhances personal skills with maintaining high activity time.
Infant Sign Language: The infant classrooms at Chesterbrook Academy will now be introducing Baby Sign Language to the daily activities. Caregivers in the infant program will now be using sign language as a routine part of care. Children will be introduced to some simple signs that will be useful in the classroom setting and at home. Signs for milk, eat, more, diaper and others will be introduced slowly over the next few months. As your child grows into the next age group, our staff will add more sign language to their vocabulary.
The benefits of introducing sign language to an infant or toddler are of great value. Learning sign language at an early age has been shown to help with the bonding between baby and caregiver. It reduces fussiness as babies and toddlers learn to communicate and have their needs understood. It has been shown to decrease aggressive behavior such as biting or hitting. Finally, it also aids in the verbal language development of the child and has other intellectual benefits.
For more information on baby sign language you can also visit http://www.babysignlanguage.com/
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
TODDLERS – Rhyme and repetition
BEGINNERS – Engaging the imagination
INTERMEDIATES – Exploring the wider world
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 – Nonfiction Adventures
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.