From the Principal’s Office:
This month the article from our education department is on “Appreciating the Wonders of Mother Nature” by Dr. Lauren Starnes. Our students will be appreciating more and more outside time as mother nature provides us with warmer and warmer weather. In April our students will start some units on nature, the environment, recycling, and of course the celebration of Earth Day. Please make sure to check your child’s cubby to make sure they have appropriate clothing and outwear for “up and down” spring like temperatures.
Last month the article from the education department is all about literacy, please take a moment to scroll down to read “Developing Confident Future Readers” by Dr. Lauren Starnes. Dr. Starnes also gives some suggestions of stories to read to your child. Reading out loud with your child not only models reading for them, but gives you and your child some one on one time together. I have included some spring favorites of mine.
My Favorite Books about Spring
- From Seed to Plant by Gail Gibbons
- Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
- The boy who didn’t believe in spring by Lucille Clifton
- Hopper Hunts for Spring by Marcus Pfister
- Briannam Jamaica, and the Dance of Spring by Juanita Havill
Colors
My skin is kind of sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green,
But I’m told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it’s silver when it’s wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
~Shel Silverstein
Wishing you and your family a month filled with the warmth of spring (let’s keep our fingers crossed)!
Nicole Gleason
Principal
Our calendar for the 2015-2016 school year is viewable online at: http://centralnaperville.chesterbrookacademy.com.
Upcoming Events
April
- Bake Sale starts on Wednesday, April 8th
- Summer Camp Registration due on Monday, April 20th
- Earth Day on Wednesday, April 22nd
- Spring Portraits (class pictures taken) on Thursday, April 23rd
- Spring Portraits (class pictures taken) on Friday, April 24th
- End of Month Folders sent home on Wednesday, April 29th
May
- Teacher Appreciation Week begins on Monday, May 4th
- Mother’s Day Breakfast on Friday, May 8th
- Chesterbrook Academy is closed for Memorial Day Holiday on Monday, May 25th
- Spring Parent Reports sent home on Wednesday, May 27th
- Curriculum Night “Portfolio Night” on Wednesday, May 27th from 6:00pm to 7:00pm
June
- Summer Camp Begins Monday, June 1st
- Graduation on Tuesday, June 2nd at 6:00pm
- Water Play & Sprinkler Fun Begins on Monday, June 1st (see camp calendar for individual class days)
- Father’s Day Breakfast on Friday, June 19th
- Family Movie Night on Friday, June 26th TBA
School Spotlight
Bake Sale
This month we will be hosting our annual bake sale. Prek, Prek2B, and Prek2A will be busy creating yummy goodies in class starting the week of April 6th. The bake sale will open on Wednesday, April 8th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. All items will be a dollar (cash only). The money raised this year will be used to help children in need. First we will again be donating some toys to the children’s hospital at Edward Hospital. Secondly we will be purchasing items to create birthday bags for a local food pantry. Our students will have an opportunity to visit the food pantry and assemble the bags. We are very excited about this annual project and all of skills and learning our students will encounter as they help other children.
Traffic Flow in Parking Lot and Safety Concerns
Please take a moment to review how traffic should flow in our parking lot: Traffic is to enter the parking lot on the Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School side and then follow all the way around the lot and park on the preschool side. Traffic should exit the parking lot on our preschool side.
Please make sure to slow down near the cross walk so that you are able to watch for pedestrians crossing from one building to the next and to avoid any accidents or injuries.
Heavy traffic times are from 8:30am to 8:45am and 3:35pm to 3:55pm; to avoid these heavy traffic times please arrive to the campus either before or after these arrival and dismissal times.
Become a Chesterbrook Ambassador!
If you refer a family to any Chesterbrook Academy school, you will receive a free week of tuition off of your oldest child’s tuition. There is no limit to the number of families you refer. Note: The referred family must be full-time student and enrolled for 90 days before the free week of tuition can be applied. If the referral is for a part time student you will receive one hundred dollars off your child’s tuition.
Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School
Please take a moment each month to view what is new and exciting at our Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School website at: http://naperville.chesterbrookacademy.com. You can learn more about all the specialty teachers under the Parent tab or enjoy reading the elementary newsletter.
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
April News
From the Principal’s Office:
This month the article from our education department is on “Appreciating the Wonders of Mother Nature” by Dr. Lauren Starnes. Our students will be appreciating more and more outside time as mother nature provides us with warmer and warmer weather. In April our students will start some units on nature, the environment, recycling, and of course the celebration of Earth Day. Please make sure to check your child’s cubby to make sure they have appropriate clothing and outwear for “up and down” spring like temperatures.
Last month the article from the education department is all about literacy, please take a moment to scroll down to read “Developing Confident Future Readers” by Dr. Lauren Starnes. Dr. Starnes also gives some suggestions of stories to read to your child. Reading out loud with your child not only models reading for them, but gives you and your child some one on one time together. I have included some spring favorites of mine.
My Favorite Books about Spring
Colors
My skin is kind of sort of brownish
Pinkish yellowish white.
My eyes are greyish blueish green,
But I’m told they look orange in the night.
My hair is reddish blondish brown,
But it’s silver when it’s wet.
And all the colors I am inside
Have not been invented yet.
~Shel Silverstein
Wishing you and your family a month filled with the warmth of spring (let’s keep our fingers crossed)!
Nicole Gleason
Principal
Our calendar for the 2015-2016 school year is viewable online at: http://centralnaperville.chesterbrookacademy.com.
Upcoming Events
April
May
June
School Spotlight
Bake Sale
This month we will be hosting our annual bake sale. Prek, Prek2B, and Prek2A will be busy creating yummy goodies in class starting the week of April 6th. The bake sale will open on Wednesday, April 8th from 3:00pm to 6:00pm. All items will be a dollar (cash only). The money raised this year will be used to help children in need. First we will again be donating some toys to the children’s hospital at Edward Hospital. Secondly we will be purchasing items to create birthday bags for a local food pantry. Our students will have an opportunity to visit the food pantry and assemble the bags. We are very excited about this annual project and all of skills and learning our students will encounter as they help other children.
Traffic Flow in Parking Lot and Safety Concerns
Please take a moment to review how traffic should flow in our parking lot: Traffic is to enter the parking lot on the Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School side and then follow all the way around the lot and park on the preschool side. Traffic should exit the parking lot on our preschool side.
Please make sure to slow down near the cross walk so that you are able to watch for pedestrians crossing from one building to the next and to avoid any accidents or injuries.
Heavy traffic times are from 8:30am to 8:45am and 3:35pm to 3:55pm; to avoid these heavy traffic times please arrive to the campus either before or after these arrival and dismissal times.
Become a Chesterbrook Ambassador!
If you refer a family to any Chesterbrook Academy school, you will receive a free week of tuition off of your oldest child’s tuition. There is no limit to the number of families you refer. Note: The referred family must be full-time student and enrolled for 90 days before the free week of tuition can be applied. If the referral is for a part time student you will receive one hundred dollars off your child’s tuition.
Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School
Please take a moment each month to view what is new and exciting at our Chesterbrook Academy Elementary School website at: http://naperville.chesterbrookacademy.com. You can learn more about all the specialty teachers under the Parent tab or enjoy reading the elementary newsletter.
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:
BEGINNERS (Ages 2-3):
INTERMEDIATES (Ages 3-4):
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (Ages 4-5):
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