Header Image

September 2015 News

Message from the Principal

Dear Merryhill Families,

Welcome to September! This month, we’re diving even deeper into our Links to Learning curriculum and fully implementing the wonderful training we received this last month. Teachers have been provided with an in depth look at how our Links to Learning curriculum can be utilized to take their classrooms to the next level, and your children are going to be the ones directly benefiting from the passion sparked within these teachers!

This month, we will be doing a week long exploration of Occupations, so be sure to return your child’s occupation week bag by September 11th. If your child is between the Beginner 2-Pre-K2 classrooms and are interested in volunteering to speak to your child’s class regarding your career, please be sure to coordinate with  your child’s teacher. Also, we will be celebrating some of the most wonderful people we know — GRANDPARENTS!! We will have a magic show on September 11th with a complimentary breakfast for our guests! Please join us between the hours of 9:45 – 11:00 AM.

Below you will find some major save the dates for you to mark your calendars for, as I know that as much advance notice as possible is appreciated by all due to our busy schedules! Please take a look and ask any questions if necessary! I am so excited for this time of year to begin, and I look forward to having all of you join us for one or many of our upcoming family events! Having your participation not only builds your parent/child relationship, but it also builds the sense of value in community within your child. If you personally cannot participate, please feel free to send another family member or friend, as we want every child to feel included when we have guests in the building.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to reach me at your convenience via email or phone at 530-753-9210.

Sincerely,

Jherica McEndree
Principal


Calendar of Events:

  • September 1: Picture Day
  • September 7: School Closed: Labor Day
  • September 8: National Teddy Bear Day
  • September 11: Grandparent’s Day Celebration (9:45-11:00 AM)
    • Please RSVP at the front desk with # of attendants! If grandparents cannot make it, please feel free to send anyone to enjoy the Magic Show with your child!
  • September 14-18: Occupation Week
    • September 16: Beginner 2-Pre-K2 Occupation Day
      • Ask your child’s teacher for further details about coming in to speak about your occupation during your child’s circle time.
  • September 23: Cultural Study: Rosh Hashanah
  • September 25: Johnny Appleseed Day

Save the Dates: (More Details to Follow)

  • October 16: Parents Night Out (6:00-9:00 PM)
  • October 30: Tricker-Table Event (10:00-11:00 AM)
  • November 11: SCHOOL CLOSED
  • November 20: Friendship Feast & Festival (5:00-7:00 PM)
  • November 26-27: SCHOOL CLOSED
  • December 12: Parent’s Day Out (10:00-2:00 PM)
  • December 18: Polar Express Party with Santa Claus (3:00 PM)
    • Students will perform songs, and Santa will be available for pictures.
  • December 24: SCHOOL CLOSED @ 12:00 PM
  • December 25: SCHOOL CLOSED
  • December 31: SCHOOL CLOSED @ 12:00 PM
  • January 1: SCHOOL CLOSED

News from Our Classrooms

Infant Classroom

Happy September! We have tons of fun and exciting things planned in the infant room this month. The baby signs we have been working on have been; more, milk, eat, and all done (or finished.) We have been having tons of success with the babies attempting signs and some have even been signing on their own!! VERY EXCITING! September we will be working on mom and dad, as well as grandma and grandpa in honor of grandparent’s day. We also have some fun art projects planned for our grandparents, be sure to let them know to come and join us in our celebration on September 11, 2015 from 9:45 to 11:00. Our infants will be learning our colors both in English and in Spanish this month (check out our cars on the ground by the highchairs.) Now that our playground is complete and the days will begin to cool down we hope to be outside more and begin doing some exciting activities outside! We will be singing the months of the year song this month.  Lastly, we have a variety of educational and exciting activities planned using the following Links to Learning: Wellness, Creative Expression, Citizens of the World, Science and Social Studies, Mathematics, and Language and Literacy! Be sure and check out our boards to see what our infant friends have been up to, as well as the new lesson plan for September.

Ms. Hayley & Ms. Meagan

Toddler Classroom
As we wrap up our month of August, we are looking forward to September! We have new changes in our playground that we are very excited about! Along with the brand new turf we also have a few new play structures that the children love!  We want to remind everyone that the school will be closed Monday September 7th for Labor Day, and coming up on September 11th we have Grandparent’s Day Celebration! We are excited to invite all our Grandparents to our school for nice breakfast and some special time with their favorite grandchildren!  We are very excited about the upcoming month.  We will continue to do new activities with the toddlers and make each day fun and exciting for them!
Over this next month, we will still have a few more friends who will be joining us from the Infant room! New friends means new adventures! We are so happy to see everyone has transitioned well into our class, and welcome the new friends with open arms! Please be sure to take home your end of month folders and return them emptied once you’ve reviewed the enclosed curriculum. If you have any questions regarding the information provided in the folders, please be sure to ask us and we will be happy to help!

Have a great day!

Ms. Kayla K. and Ms. Olga

Beginner 1 Classroom

We would like to start off by saying this summer was great!l. They have transitioned seamlessly to their new classroom, friends and teachers. We are looking forward to having more fun in the next coming months. A couple dates to start off September with include: Labor Day Closure the 7th, Grandparent’s Day is the 11th at 9:45 AM.

During the month of September we will be introducing our Links to learning school year curriculum which will include Numbers, shapess, and sizes– big (grande)and little ( pequeno). We also have a couple  cultural studies in September, such as Occupation Week 13th to 18th.  We will incorporate fun learning activities, such as recognizing common colors and using our words to express our needs and wants. Some fun activities we have planned will use various materials for our art and science/sensory activities, including: sponges, cotton balls and ice cubes. We will do lots activities inside and outside, too.

As weather begins to change, the children will learn about the leaves turning colors and the air outside getting colder while we take nature walks.  A few reminders with the weather changing, please make sure your child has an extra set of weather appropriate clothes in their cubbies just in case of accidents, along with a blanket and sheet for nap time.

We are very happy to have such a great set of students and parents for our new school year and are looking forward to much more fun learning in the Beginner 1 Class.

Ms. Li and Ms. Francis

Beginner 2 Classroom

Summer is near the end & the new school year will begin. Our Beginners II class is getting bigger & better! A few new faces & some friends will be coming back from vacation. The children are enjoying the classroom routine & all around our friends are transitioning wonderfully. For the month of September, we will focus on asking our friends “What” “Where” & “Yes-no” questions. To incorporate these kinds of questions, we will have books of the week & at the end of every month review what our friends remember & what they liked most about these stories.

This month we will be reading “Golden Bear, Corduroy & Road Builders”. We will have many fun actives from practicing shapes & safety signs to sorting bears, & best of all having all our friends bring their favorite teddy bear from home. We will be having a Bear picnic with all foods that relate to teddy Bears! Keep an eye out for a “bearry” exciting signup sheet!

Important dates to remember, Tuesday September 1st is Picture Day. Monday September 7th is Labor Day/School Closed. September 8th is National Teddy Bear. Friday September 11th is our Grandparents Day Celebration! We also have Occupation Week on the 13th and Friday the 25th is Johnny Appleseed Day. What an exciting month!

Ms. Jalisha, Ms. Linda, & Ms. Amanda

Intermediate Classroom

Summertime is almost over and fall is upon us. We are done with our summer program and now we start with our Read Together Talk together program.  Our first book in this program will be Blueberries for Sal. Our other book in this program will be the Three Little pigs

For the Bluberries For Sal book we have all kinds of blueberry themed projects planned. We will also be making Blueberry muffins on September 4th so check the sign-up sheet for things we might need. For the Three Little Pigs book we will have fun creating different types of houses. If you have any small sticks or some straw around your house we would love some, for this project. We will also be reading books about Johnny Appleseed. We will learn about how an apple grows and later in the month we will have an apple tasting project and we will make a graph of which apple the students liked best.

On Tuesday September 8th, we will have a special Teddy Bear day students are encouraged to bring their favorite Teddy bear or stuffed animal to school. We will have fun doing circle and taking naps with our stuffies. September 10th is Milton  Hershey’s birthday and we will make a fun Hershey’s kiss with paper and aluminum foil.  The week of September 13th will be occupation week and we will be talking about what each child’s parent does at work and what they might want to be when they grow up. This month we will also be working on counting skill, naming all the shapes and  practice holding a pencil correctly and drawing some basic shapes like circles and squares.

Ms. Kayla, Ms. Hilary, & Ms. Stacy

Pre-Kindergarten 1

It was an exciting summer at Merryhill filled with bubble exploration, puppet shows, and campfires just to name a few activities.  In our new classroom, the Pre-K1 students had a front row view of the playground construction and the children had a chance to see the whole process from start to finish.

You may have noticed a few new faces, too.  Ms. Beccah has joined our teaching team!  Ms. Beccah designed our awesome puppet theater and she is greeted every morning by a swarm of hugs and cheers of excitement, “Ms. Beccah’s here!”

We’d also like to welcome Ariyana, Alexa and Kaylee to our Merryhill family.

In the month of September, we will focus on getting to know each other.  We will introduce our new Share Day cycle.  Each child will have their OWN day in which they will tell us (share) something about themselves.  To foster independent thinking skills and self confidence, a student will be a circle time helper and tell the class about his/her interests in regards to the theme of the week.  We are requesting that students bring in a family photo by Friday Sept. 4th  to be used in the classroom.

This month we will focus on occupations, we would like to invite parents to share what their work day is like.  Feel free to bring in work supplies or maybe a picture of your desk, office, or anything that shows how you complete your daily tasks.  We will also be hosting a Grandparents Day celebrations. Our class will create a keepsake gift for both sets of grandparents.

We look forward to making great memories in the upcoming school year!

Ms. Cristina, Ms. Cindy and Ms. Beccah

Pre-Kindergarten 2

I am so excited to finally start the new school year! We have so many exciting experiences ahead of us. So much ground to cover, and so little time! Let’s get started!

Our Links to Learning Spanish curriculum this month will introduce new weather vocabulary: warm, cold, sunny, snowing and raining. Mini poster was sent home in your child’s Links to Learning folders at the end of August.

We will be focusing on groups of letters each season. This will give the children a chance to revisit and review each particular letter in its entirety, allowing the child more time to fully grasp. During the summer, children focused on letters with one sound: B D F H J K L M N P Q R T V X Z. This month children will be introduced to constants with more than one sound: C G S W Y.

The students will be practicing creating and solving addition and subtraction problems through illustrations. We are making great progress with our number recognition skills, and will begin focusing on numerals 30 and up. Children will be assessed on their color and number recognition this month.

Our class has many special “Apple” snack making experiences planned throughout the month of September! The parent sign up sheet will always be posted on the door generally used to enter & exit our classroom. This month’s snack will be in honor of Johnny Appleseed’s birthday! So keep your eyes peeled (ha ha, a little apple humor).

Ms. Jill


News from the Education Department

Developing Balance Skills in Young Children

From Tummy Time to Bike Riding

Balance is a fundamental skill necessary for maintaining controlled positions, such as sitting in a chair, or engaging in physical activities like running or riding a bike. Having balance makes motor skill development easier, reduces the risk of injury, and helps children focus on academic tasks.

Our Nobel Learning Education team stays up to date with the latest research to ensure that our Links to Learning curriculum exceeds childhood learning standards. The Links to Learning curriculum was enhanced last fall to include a greater focus on balance, a building block for skills such as hand-eye coordination, muscular strength and body awareness.

Here are some ways we help improve balance in the classroom, as well as ideas for you and your child to do at home.

INFANTS:

In the classroom: Tummy time promotes neck, back and abdominal strength needed for infants to eventually push up, roll over, sit up and crawl. Teachers keep infants engaged by using activity mats or plush blocks.

At home: Place your baby on his stomach and shine a flashlight near him. Once you have captured his attention, shine the light in a rhythmic pattern. For older infants, encourage your baby to move or crawl toward the light.

TODDLERS (ages 1-2):

In the classroom: During the toddler years, children make major strides in balance and coordination. Teachers play music and encourage students to move their bodies in different ways while maintaining their balance.

At home: Push and pull toys require children to use core balance and arm strength, which can be difficult for new walkers. Place a small wagon or toy shopping cart and a pile of blocks on the floor. Show your child how to fill the cart with blocks. He will enjoy pulling or pushing the blocks around the room.

BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):

In the classroom: Sitting cross-legged, or as we say with the children “criss-cross applesauce,” is an important developmental skill for two year olds. Teachers encourage children to sit criss-crossed anytime they are playing on the floor. Sitting in this position strengthens a child’s core muscles and helps improve body control.  We discourage “W-sitting,” with knees together and feet on either side of the hips, because it puts strain on knees and hips and fails to engage core abdominal muscles.

At home: Provide your child with a sit-and-spin toy. Ask him to sit on the toy with his legs crisscrossed. As he turns the wheel to spin, he will gain a better understanding of cause and effect.

INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):

In the classroom: Around age three, children learn to maintain control of their upper body while moving their lower body. Our Intermediate students practice pedaling a tricycle, bouncing on hopper balls, and walking on a balance beam.

At home: Have your child practice running and stopping with control by playing the traffic light game. Shout out the color green, yellow or red. Have him move quickly when hearing “green,” move slowly when hearing “yellow,” and completely stop when hearing “red.”

PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):

In the classroom: Teachers encourage children to practice balance and coordination by jumping on their non-dominant foot, walking on a line or beam, or jumping rope. Children also practice balance by crouching down to tie their shoes.

At home: Ask your child to tell you about the games and activities played at school. Include these activities at home and during family events such as birthday parties and vacations. Scooters and pogo jumpers are great toys for children at this age.

 

Good balance helps children maintain appropriate and controlled body movement during important tasks. By building balance skills in the preschool years, your child will be better prepared as he enters elementary school and beyond.

– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education

 

This entry was posted in Davis Preschool. Bookmark the permalink. Both comments and trackbacks are currently closed.