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February Newsletter

Message from the Principal:

Hello Rocklin Merryhill Families!

We are so excited to celebrate the month of February!  We can all use a little more love!

February promises to be a busy here in Rocklin.  We will again focus a week of activities on Heart Health Awareness. These activities help to increase our students’ awareness of the benefits of exercise and good eating habits.  We will also be collecting funds for research programs for the American Heart Association.  The tooth fairy will visit on Friday the 12th.  We’ll have to be careful about those “sugar bugs” during our Valentine’s Day parties!

Parent’s Night Out will give you the opportunity to have a date night with your special someone.  Let Ms. Aubrey or me know if you would like to take advantage of a night out!

We are setting up for Priority Registration for the 2016-2017 school year.  (Amazing how quickly that rolls around!)  Our Priority Registration period will begin on February 16 and run through March 12.  This is the perfect time to register and save $50 off the registration fee.  Don’t hesitate to ask if you have any questions about next year.

As always, we appreciate your continued confidence in Merryhill and are grateful for the opportunity to share in your children’s lives.

Warmly,

Sue Stewart
Principal


Upcoming Events

  • Feb. 8-12                  Heart Health Awareness Week
  • Feb. 11                       Future Kindergartners Visit Merryhill Elementary
  • Feb. 12                      Class Valentine’s Parties
  • Feb. 12                      Parent’s Night Out
  • Feb. 15                      President’s Day – School Closed
  • Feb. 16                      Priority Registration for 2016-2017 Begins
  • Feb. 16                      Pajama Day
  • Feb. 18                      Mini Kickers Soccer Begins
  • Feb. 24                     Parent Reports Go Home
  • Feb. 29                     LTL Folders Go Home

News From Our Education Department 

Helping Your Preschooler Develop Positive Friendship Skills

Are you puzzled by some of your child’s social behaviors? Have you noticed that your toddler doesn’t interact with other children very often? Does your three-year-old get frustrated when a classmate won’t play with him? Will your four-year-old only play with her best friend?

These are all normal social behaviors for preschoolers. Learning how to develop friendships is a lifelong process. Children’s social behaviors evolve from smiling and cooing at others, to engaging in parallel play, to eventually forming friendships and playing together.

Below are ways we help develop friendships in the classroom, as well as ideas for you and your child to do at home.
INFANTS:
In the classroom: Before they can communicate verbally, infants build connections by smiling, cooing and crying. By two months old, they might turn toward other infants, and by twelve months, they begin to imitate their peers. Teachers help facilitate this relationship by sitting infants near each other during activities such as story time and tummy time.
At home: Even though infants don’t really play with one another, they still benefit from “play dates” with other infants. Sit your infant face-to-face with another infant or in close proximity to an older sibling, and provide each child separate toys. Note when your infant watches the other child and what captures his attention.
Recommended reading: Friends by Helen Oxenbury and Let’s Play by Leo Lionni

TODDLERS (ages 1-2):
In the classroom
: Many young children tend to engage in “parallel play.” They play near other children, but each child is doing something different. This is a natural phase of development. As children get older, they begin to enjoy more shared activities with their peers. For example, they might enjoy splashing their hands at the water table with others, looking at books while sitting close to a friend, and dancing to music with their classmates.
At home: Invite another parent and child to your home for a play date. Blocks, balls, dress up clothes and toy kitchen sets are great toys for children at this age. Don’t force them to play with each other. Instead, let the children decide on the level of interaction.
Recommended reading: Do You Want to be My Friend? by Eric Carle and I Can Share by Karen Katz
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom:
In the Beginner classroom, teachers refer to classmates as “friends.” Students learn about personal space and begin to practice good manners by saying please and thank you.
At home: Model positive behaviors while playing with your child. Say “I’m going to roll the ball to you. Can you please roll the ball back to me?” Afterward, say “Thank you. You are being a good friend.”
Recommended reading: How Do Dinosaurs Play with Their Friends? by Jane Yolen and Let’s be Friends by P. K. Hallinan

INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom
: Between ages three and four, children attempt to understand social situations, but often do so from an egocentric point of view. They need adult guidance to help them navigate peer conflict and model appropriate friendship-making behaviors. Small group activities help children learn how to follow directions, take turns and develop friendships.
At home: Ask your child about their friends and what games they played together. If he says, “Andrew didn’t play with me today. He’s mean,” you could say, “Andrew may have wanted to play a different game today. Maybe you can play together tomorrow. What does Andrew like to play?”
Recommended reading: Just My Friend and Me by Mercer Mayer and Llama Llama Time to Share by Anna Dewdney

PRE-K/PRE-K2 (ages 4-5)
In the classroom: Friendship in Pre-K and Pre-K2 is usually reciprocal and deliberate as children become more skilled in social interactions and look for peers with shared interests. Our character education program reinforces friendship making skills using songs, games, books and brain-builder activities to nurture skills such as collaboration, understanding feelings and resolving conflicts.
At home: Bring your child to events that include multiple children, such as birthday parties, or encourage your child to play a board game that requires multiple players. Ask him to introduce himself to the other children, or encourage him to play the game taking turns. If you notice frustration from your child, say, “In order to play the game, we all have to play together.”
Recommended reading: Frog and Toad are Friends by Arnold Lobel and A Splendid Friend, Indeed by Suzanne Bloom

Don’t be concerned about the number of friends your child has, as it is more about quality than quantity. Each child will develop friendships at his own pace. What matters most is the development of social skills such as collaboration and problem-solving, which will help him transition into elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director of Early Childhood Education

 


For Parents and Teachers

“Education is helping the child realize his potentialities.”
-Erich Fromm – American Psychoanalyst


Reminders

Nut Free: We are a NUT FREE school. We do have some students with nut allergies and appreciate your help in keeping all of our children safe and healthy.

California Licensing Regulations require that parents sign children in and out, with drop-off and pick-up times, and a complete, legible signature. We will be highlighting your sign-in/out sheets on those days when you forget to sign in or out!

Tuition Options: We appreciate that you make every effort to make your tuition payments on time. As you are aware, tuition payments are due on Monday of each week (or on your child’s first day of attendance). To save you time, the headache of having to remember your checkbook every Monday and to avoid those pesky late fees, consider enrolling in our automatic payment program at no charge. Please talk to Sue or Aubrey for more information.

Product Recall Binder: As a courtesy to our families we have a Product Recall binder in the front office. We post recall notices for products that our children or their siblings might use. We hope you find this information helpful.

Art Files: Please remember to check them at least once a week to pick up any correspondence between the office and/or teachers, along with your child’s amazing art work.

Clothing and Nap Items: Remember to update your child’s extra clothing as the seasons change and your child grows! Please label all of their items so we can return anything that may be forgotten at the end of the day. Any soiled items will be placed in plastic bags and put into your child’s cubby. Each child needs a blanket and crib size sheet for rest time. Sheets and blankets must be taken home on Fridays (or you child’s last day of attendance during the week), laundered and returned on the first day of attendance.

LTL Files: Links to Learning files are available on the last day of each month. These files provide you with information about the skills your child will learning in the upcoming month, as well as a snapshot of what has been accomplished in the current month through the work you will find in the folder.

Merryhill Elementary School: If you are interested in having your child stay with Merryhill School for kindergarten and beyond, please visit our elementary campus at 1115 Orlando Ave. in Roseville, just off of I-80 and Riverside Ave. The school contact information is 916-783-3010 or connie.curiel@nlcinc.com.

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