A Message From the Principal:
Dear Parents,
We had such a great April here at Merryhill School. Celebrating Earth Day & the Week of the Young Child were the themes for the month. Through your donations of plants to celebrate your child, we were able to start our sensory garden…this will be a great project which we plan on continuing throughout the upcoming months. Our preschool children learned how to make a difference in the community by donating gently used children’s clothing, toys and books to the Community Storehouse during our Recycle & Reuse Drive! We also released 3000 ladybugs into our environment to help plants.
May 4th through May 8th is Teacher Appreciation Week. We have amazing teachers and staff at Merryhill School and we are excited to celebrate everything thing they do to make a difference in your child’s life! We will have more information available soon in how you can help with this fun-filled week.
In celebration of our mothers this month we will be hosting a Fancy Nancy Mother’s Day Tea on Friday, May 15th from 4:00-4:30. Please join us for refreshments.
Please check our calendar of events for other exciting events happening this month.
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.”
May Classroom Newsletters
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
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 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
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.
May News
A Message From the Principal:
We had such a great April here at Merryhill School. Celebrating Earth Day & the Week of the Young Child were the themes for the month. Through your donations of plants to celebrate your child, we were able to start our sensory garden…this will be a great project which we plan on continuing throughout the upcoming months. Our preschool children learned how to make a difference in the community by donating gently used children’s clothing, toys and books to the Community Storehouse during our Recycle & Reuse Drive! We also released 3000 ladybugs into our environment to help plants.
May 4th through May 8th is Teacher Appreciation Week. We have amazing teachers and staff at Merryhill School and we are excited to celebrate everything thing they do to make a difference in your child’s life! We will have more information available soon in how you can help with this fun-filled week.
In celebration of our mothers this month we will be hosting a Fancy Nancy Mother’s Day Tea on Friday, May 15th from 4:00-4:30. Please join us for refreshments.
Please check our calendar of events for other exciting events happening this month.
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.”
May Classroom Newsletters
From the Education Department
– 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
Reminders
Camp
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:
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.