TerraNichol Academy of the Arts
A Note of Thanks
Weekly School Blog
Our Letter of Thanks
We are thankful for the comradery that we share with our teaching team.
We are thankful for our parents who support our program, our ideas, and our philosophies.
We are thankful for kind words, kind hands and kind hearts.
We are thankful for imaginations, curiosity, and adventure.
We are thankful that we are never complacent in our desire to learn.
We are thankful for our beautiful families who allow us to give so much of ourselves to others.
We are thankful for yoga that brings us inner peace.
We are thankful for our beautiful learning environment, including our playscape and learning labs.
We are thankful that we adore our job and have a true passion for our field of profession.
Our Thankful Students
Welcome to our school family!
Friday Zumba Dance Party!
Drum Circle, PowWow and Birthday dance party!
Mark Your Calendars
Important Dates to Know!
25th‑29th School Closed for Thanksgiving Break
December
20th ‑Jan. 6th School Closed for Winter Break
January
7th School Resumes
20th School Closed for Martin Luther King Jr. Day
February
3rd School Closed for Professional Day
14th School Closed for Mini Break
17th School Closed for President's Day
November
20th Universal Children’s Day
December
3rd Giving Tuesday
12th Gingerbread House Day
January
3rd Giving Tuesday
12th Gingerbread House Day
Teaching Gratitude through yoga.
A sense of gratitude, or feeling thankful and appreciative of the good things in one’s life, is an important social-emotional skill that can increase happiness and improve health.
The art of being thankful is an amazing reason to celebrate on any occasion. Gratitude provides a wonderful theme for a fantastic learning lab exercise. You can also enjoy this fun gratitude sequence with your little yogis this Thanksgiving break, for an at-home practice. This thankful sequence begins with a game called "Orange you Grateful." Pass the orange, around to each yogi. Each yogi gets a chance to say what they are grateful for in this beautiful world. The game is followed with some breath work, "Blessed with our Beautiful World." First, we find a seat in Sukhasana ("crisscross applesauce"). We guide our yogis to inhale through the nose, placing the hands pinky sides together as if holding the world in your hands. Exhaling through the nose, bring the hands together. Repeat 5-8 times.
Another fun game is the "Gratitude Game" Each child picks a color dot.
Red dot --Name a person you are thankful for
Yellow dot--Name a place you are thankful for
Green dot--Name a food you are thankful for
Blue dot--Name a thing you are thankful for
Purple dot--Name anything of your choice
An important part of a yoga practice, and a way to practice thankfulness, is to set an intention. With your little or young yogi(s) discuss the idea of dedicating their practice to someone else. Then they can write or draw a picture of their intention on a post-it note. The note can be placed at the top of their mat to help keep them focused during practice.
An OM chant will also help give deeper focus to your young yogi.
A beautiful activity we get to do in yoga is bring in children's literature. I'm Thankful Each Day by Hallinan and Each Breath a Smile by Sister Thuc Nghiem, are great stories with themes of gratitude. The asana practice can follow the storyline of the book.
A fun activity you can do with your child over Thanksgiving Break is making Gratitude Stones.
GRATITUDE STONES
From infancy, children are taught to say thank you when a person does something kind for them or gives them a gift. As they grow, kids can be challenged to reflect on why they feel grateful for the kind act or gift. Gratitude does make your heart feel happy, and that is why a single heart is used to embellish the craft shared below.
TO MAKE THIS CRAFT YOU WILL NEED
- stones (washed and dried)
- tissue paper
- scissors
- glossy Mod Podge
- paintbrushes
DIRECTIONS
1. Cut out a small tissue paper heart with scissors.
2. Place the heart on the surface of a clean stone. Using a paintbrush, lightly spread a thin layer of Mod Podge over the tissue paper and top half of the rock. Allow this layer to dry undisturbed.
3. Flip the rock over and spread Mod Podge over the bottom half. Allow this layer to dry undisturbed.
When the rocks are dry, notice how seamless and smooth they feel! The thin tissue paper conforms to every nook and cranny within the rock so that it almost seems a natural part of it!
5 WAYS TO USE GRATITUDE STONES
The gratitude stone is a physical reminder to remember your blessings! There are many ways to use them.
1. FAMILY DINNER
Pass a gratitude stone around the dinner table before eating. When holding the stone, you must share something or someone you feel thankful for.
2. CALM DOWN STRONG FEELINGS
Thinking and talking about the good things in our life can calm down angry or sad feelings and build resiliency. Teach your child how to hold the stone in their hands and list everything they feel thankful for.
3. AS A BEDTIME RITUAL
Pass your child the gratitude stone and ask him, “What was the best part of your day?” Reply with your answer when he passes the stone back to you.
4. SHARE A STONE
Create extra stones and share them with the people you feel thankful for! Include a little note expressing your gratitude.
5. SPREAD JOY IN YOUR COMMUNITY
An attitude of gratitude is contagious! Scatter gratitude stones around your community and neighborhood to spread joy to others. Finding tiny hearts on stones is sure to bring a smile to other people’s faces!
Spreading joy and expressing gratitude makes everyone’s day brighter. How do you teach your children about gratitude?
Thank you for all the lovely birthday wishes!
Essential Oils Of The Month- doTerra Holiday Joy and Holiday Peace
Holiday Joy Essential Oil
What's that scent you say diffusing throughout the campus and learning labs?
Enjoy the delightful fragrance of our limited-time blend, Holiday Joy. This enchanting blend of Wild Orange, Nutmeg, Pine, Cassia, Cinnamon Bark, and Vanilla absolute promotes a warm holiday embrace and will fill your home and senses with the most inviting fragrance of the season for aromatic use. We have one in stock in the school store. doTerra has such a large inventory it is hard to carry everything in the store. Visit the line below or our school website. www.terranichol.com
Discover your grounding foundation in the delicate tones of Holiday Peace with the calming aromas of three firs—Siberian, Douglas, and Himalayan—complimented by Grapefruit, Frankincense, and Vetiver. Embrace the soothing aroma of these fir oils, reminiscent of wintertime traditions. Holiday Peace will help you find the calm during your busy holiday season. Diffuse Holiday Peace or apply to pulse points during family gatherings and holiday prep to keep the atmosphere peaceful and merry. The harmonious blend of Holiday Peace will help bring a tranquil and serene feeling to your home during the holidays.
Spread Love. Shop Local
Here’s what happens when you “shop local.”
1. More of your money will be kept in your local economy
For every $100 you spend at locally owned businesses, $68 will stay in the community. What happens when you spend that same $100 at a national chain? Only $43 stays in the community.*
2. You embrace what makes your community unique
You wouldn’t want your house to look like everyone else’s in the U.S. So why would you want your community to look that way?
3. You create local jobs
Local businesses are better at creating higher-paying jobs for your neighbors. When you shop locally, you help create jobs for teachers, firemen, police officers, and many other essential professions.
4. You help the environment
Buying from a locally owned business conserves energy and resources in the form of less fuel for transportation and less packaging.
5. You nurture community
Local business owners know you, and you know them. Studies have shown that local businesses donate to community causes at more than twice the rate of chains.
6. You conserve your tax dollars
Shopping in a local business district means less infrastructure, less maintenance, and more money available to beautify your community. Also, spending locally instead of online ensures that your sales taxes are reinvested where they belong— in your community!
7. You create more choice
Locally owned businesses pick the items and products they sell based on what they know you like and want. Local businesses carry a wider array of unique products because they buy for their own individual markets.
8. You took advantage of their expertise
You are their friends and neighbors, and locally owned businesses have a vested interest in knowing how to serve you. They’re passionate about what they do. Why not take advantage of it?
9. You invested in entrepreneurship
Creativity and entrepreneurship are what the American economy is founded upon. Nurturing local business ensures a strong community.
10. You made your community a destination
The more interesting and unique your community, the more we will attract new neighbors, visitors, and guests. This benefits everyone!
Shop local with our sister company! PINK SEBASTIAN BOUTIQUE
Parents please record your First Semester hours in the Volunteer Book. Grazie
Now that we are coming to the end of the school semester. We ask all parents to review, document and tally up your volunteers hours. If you selected to donate items off the school amazon list. Print out your orders and record your total amount and items donated in the volunteer book. If you selected to shop in the school store total the amount you spent and record in the volunteer book.
We ask that all parents be responsible for recording and documenting their hours.
Please see reference sheet below.
It takes a village to raise a child. It takes a village to run a school successfully.
Parent Volunteer Co-Op Program Reference Sheet
3 hours per quarter=6 hours per semester=12 hours per school year
1st semester- August-December
2nd semester-January-May
Participate in the following ways
Parent will honor 3 hours per quarter.
Work as a helping parent (Parent helper will assist teaching team as a parent mentor, prepare activities, prepare projects for the month, sewing dramatic clothes, repairing toys, book orders, garden helper, making play dough or gak, bubble maker, committee member for teacher appreciation week and donate food and supplies, donate supplies each month are some of the examples of jobs. There are a variety of opportunities to fit every family's interest, schedules, and needs and families select their top choices before the beginning of the new school year.
$350 per school year purchasing items off our school wish list for learning lab environments.
$350 donation per school year.
$350 spent in the school eco-friendly store per school year.
Donation to the end of the year school play.
If the parent chooses to do both shopping off of Amazon Wish List/School Store and other Volunteer items the total cost percentage would be deducted from the $350 total. Every approximate $30 spent equals 1 volunteer hour.
Example: Parent’s Amazon purchases for learning lab materials = $60 that parent receives 2 volunteer hours. The parent would have 10 volunteer hours left to complete for the school year
CALLING ON OUR TRIBE
Volunteers and Donations:
Our adorable garden houses are in need of some repair. We would like to replace some parts with more sustainable materials. When designed and built by the company it seems that the wood was not sustainable enough for Florida weather especially the moisture. If you could help us with the repairs we are need assistance as soon as possible. Also if you have ideas of what materials would be cost-effective and also will hold up please reach out. The porch areas and the molding are the areas that need repair first. See the photo below.
We need a volunteer to remove all the spools on the playscape. They are not holding up to our Florida weather and are rotting. The volunteer will need a truck or trailer to remove. If you would like to volunteer for this project please set up an appointment with Miss Terra The Founder to have access to the playscape without disturbing the learning lab session. It would have to be outside of school hours. Grazie!
Amazon School Wish List
Learning Lab supplies needed. Donate and earn volunteer hours!
TERRANICHOL ACADEMY OF THE ARTS
INNOVATIVE PROGRESSIVE REGGIO EMILIA PRIVATE PRESCHOOL
TerraNichol Academy of The Arts School is the kind of school parents expect, educators celebrate and children adore. Our approach to learning celebrates the great potential of young children, with the goal of nurturing self-motivated, life-long learners. The learning labs are guided by our Master Teachers as well as the Founder of TerraNichol Academy of The Arts Preschool with low teacher-to-child ratio to allow for one-on-one engagement and thoughtful observation. Join our small community school for a backstage tour and be inspired by our thoughtful team of Early Childhood Educators here at TerraNichol Academy.
Come and Explore our Reggio Emilia program at TerraNichol Academy acclaimed for the stunning environments, their educators who create, provoke and dazzle the students' senses, invite curiosity and discovery, and most importantly, foster strong, respectful meaningful relationships.
Come learn about the values for children in the program:
Being a home away from home
connecting children to their families
helping children to be powerful and active
being a steward of the natural world
seeing oneself as a capable learner
recognizing and being curious about
We provide a school environment that is beautiful and taken care of with an attitude of care so that parents, children, and teachers want to come to school every day.
It is with intelligent heart and courage that we continue our goals and vision to continue to proceed with the work of a child.
RSVP today!
We would love for you to attend one of the backstage tours on the following dates:
December 9th @4:30pm
January 13th @4:30pm
February 10th @4:30pm
March 9th @4:30pm
April 13th @4:30pm
May 11th @4:30pm.
Email: terranicholacademy@gmail.com
Website: www.terranichol.com
Location: 701 Old Englewood Road, Englewood, FL, United States
Phone: 941-474-3000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TerraNichol-Academy-of-The-Arts-School-257753271185/
Twitter: @terranichol