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March News

A Message From the Principal:

patrick-clip-art-original-520249-1Dear Parents,

March is upon us…which means spring is right around the corner! We have some exciting events happening in March so be certain to check out our calendar! March is Parent Referral Month. When you refer a family to enroll at Merryhill School you will receive a week of tuition free after they have attended for 3 months.

Early Registration is now through March 6th! Be certain to reserve your child’s enrollment for the 2015-2016 school year. By signing up now you will save 50% off your registration fee.

Week March 2nd – 6th is Dr. Seuss Week. We will be having a Dr. Seuss Birthday Party on Monday, March 2nd to kick off the week. As you walk through our building you will notice all the wonderful Dr. Seuss decorations. Our teachers have chosen a Dr. Seuss book to decorate their classroom door. Please be certain to vote for your favorite door (the teacher will win a prize).

Spring Break for our local school districts is March 9th – 13th. If you have a school age child or know someone that does and they need care for this week, please check out our Spring Break Gap Camp (grades Kindergarten-5th grade).

Challenger Sports is bringing the Mini-Kickers Soccer Program to Merryhill School. They will be here on Open House March 21st to explain their program and to begin sign up for the spring session. Mini-Kickers is from age 2 to 5. Please plan to stop by and see why this is such an awesome program for your child!

Hope you all have a wonderful month!
Warmest Regards,

Angel Inman, Principal
& Shirley Gent, Assistant Principal

“Tell me and I forget. Show me and I remember. Involve me and I understand.”


March Classroom Newsletters


From the Education Department

The Strong-Willed Child

We all bring our children into the world with a preconceived notion of what they will be like as they grow. Children, as we all know, set their own course and often present us with parenting challenges. There are some children who come into this world with the gift of a strong will and spirit. These are the children who may at times be labeled as stubborn, fiercely independent, bossy, defiant, demanding, or even difficult. Ironically, these are the same characteristics often associated with leaders, CEOs and entrepreneurs.

Strong-Willed Child: Stubborn, fiercely independent, bossy, defiant, demanding, difficult

Leaders, CEOs, Entrepreneurs: Determined, authoritative, decisive, nonconforming, confident, bold

It is interesting to note that some of the qualities we so quickly label with a negative connotation in children are the same qualities we admire in adults. Characteristics of strong-willed children often include:

  • High creativity and intelligence
  • Insatiable need to know “why”
  • Desire to test the status quo and push limits
  • Perfectionistic tendency based upon their own high expectations of themselves
  • Need for a high level of validation and acknowledgment that they are being heard
  • Resistance to change, unless they control the change
  • Highly sensitive

As they question rules and push limits, strong-willed children often challenge us as parents, but there is a beauty and a gift of character in these young children. A healthy child-parent relationship means setting important limits, but not hindering the child’s freedom to stretch and question. The key to maintaining parental sanity and balance with strong-willed children is finding meaningful ways to communicate and connect.

Communication with a strong-willed child hinges upon a patient willingness to listen. Strong-willed children have a direction all their own. Often, cooperation from a strong-willed child can be accomplished by pausing to listen to their questions or their proposed alternatives. Listen, reflect, respond, and model is the mantra to adopt. Listen to what your child is saying, reflect upon how they feel or why they responded the way they did, respond with gentle guidance, and then model the behaviors and manners you desire to see in your child.

Connection with a strong-willed child centers upon taking a genuine interest in what interests them. Allow your child to share his or her passions with you, even during the preschool years when such interests may be My Little Pony, or learning about dinosaurs. Find ways to have fun and laugh with one another in order to build a trusting relationship.

Finding balance with a strong-willed child is about setting limits and offering child-appropriate explanations as to why those limits exist. Allow your child to participate in establishing everyday routines, remembering that the path is less important than the end result. Strong-willed children will be empowered by those tiny elements of perceived control. Lastly, remember that head-to-head battles are not what we want to model. Strong-willed children will benefit by learning communication, cooperation, and compromise skills. Adults have to model these skills and empower children to adopt them.

While it is not easy parenting a future world-changer, the steps you take today will make for a happier tomorrow for you, your child, and future to come.

Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education


Reminders

  • Please remember to bring extra changes of clothes for your child. We especially need extra clothes for sizes 2, 3, & 4 (boys and girls), any donations would be greatly appreciated!
  • Please sign up for our Celly Text Alerts. This is the fastest way we can communicate to our families for school closures, important reminders, etc. Please see the front desk for information.
  • Check this website if we have a closing due to weather!!!
  • Per state licensing, please send your child in closed-toe and closed-heel shoes; such as, sneakers. This will help prevent your children from being injured.
  • Please remember to sign your child In and Out daily.
  • For the safety of all our children, it is required that a parent/adult escort your child to their classrooms. Please also remember an authorized adult (18 years and older) must sign children out for the day.

Camp

Now Enrolling for Spring Break School Age Gap Camp 3/9 – 3/13
Spring Break Camp Brochure & Registration Forms

Now Enrolling for Preschool Summer Camp ’15
Summer Camp Brochure & Registration Forms

Now Enrolling for School Age Summer Camp ’15
Summer Camp Brochure & Registration Forms

Elementary Age After School & Camp Program

Winter, Spring & Summer Camp full day schedules

Please consider us for your child’s after school program! We pick up at the following elementary schools:

  • Keller ISD: Keller Harvel, Willis, Liberty, International Leadership
  • Birdville ISD: North Ridge, Green Valley

*WE WILL BE TAKING REGISTRATIONS FOR THE NEW IL CHARTER SCHOOL IN FORT WORTH. PLEASE BE SURE TO REGISTER SOON, AS SPOTS ARE LIMITED!


For Parents

Powerful Connection to a Lifetime of Learning
Your children are experiencing the perfect balance of learning and play in a safe, nurturing environment. Our Links to Learning (LTL) curriculum prepares them for kindergarten by introducing concepts in reading, math, art, music and much more. You will receive progress updates, as well as ideas to continue the learning at home.

Please be sure to check your child’s student file on a daily basis to see how he or she is linking to success.  LTL Folders go home the last Wednesday of every month. Check your child’s monthly folder and monthly newsletter for activities that you can do at home with your child. Feel free to schedule a parent teacher conference to discuss your child’s progress.

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