The Smalls Tot Spot Times
January 2019
For last year's words belong to last year's language.
Remind Me App.
The Tot Spot Early Education Academy
Ms. Alisha's Email: alisha@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Katie's Email: katie@ilovethetotspot.com
Ms. Le Andra's Email: leandra@ilovethetotspot.com
Teacher's Email: totspot.teachers@gmail.com
Follow us on Instagram: thetotspotschool
We also now have a Youtube Channel: The Tot Spot Early Learning Academy and Pinterest: The Tot Spot Early Education Academy...be sure and follow us!!
Email: contact@ilovethetotspot.com
Website: www.ilovethetotspot.com
Location: 11540 Fishers Drive, Fishers, IN, United States
Phone: 1-317-849-3235
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/TheTotSpotSchool/?ref=bookmarks
Twitter: @TotSpotSchool
PTO and Vacations
Who do you contact concerning vacation credit? Asking a teacher will get you no where. Please email Mr. Mike at michael@ilovethetotspot.com
Important Dates and Birthdays
Birthdays:
January 5th - Mr. Mike
January 10th - Isabelle
January 12th - Ms. Kayla
January 14th - Pia
January 24th - Ms. Maggie
Current Events:
-TTS is closed for New Year's December 31st & January 1st
-no Ramsey's the week of January 21.
- January - We will receive our award for being a level 3 Paths to Quality - be sure to congratulate your teachers on a job well done!
Future Events:
-February 14th - Family Valentine's Day Party (3-4:30)
-March 15th - Closed for Teacher's Conference
Welcome Pia!!!
Jack and Harrison turned one in December and they are anticipating transition days. Brady is enjoying his visits with the Jr. Scouts, and will be continuing through the month. Pia has made friends, and her , Everlyn, and Isabelle are both walking!
We are welcoming two new friends in February, Archie and Jack!
IN THE CLASSROOM
Sensory, Art, Science
Getting into serious play!
Just a reminder to new parents, we like to touch and explore all kinds of things that will enter the mouth. if ever you are concerned with a food allergy, or an ingredient, please mention it. We always make it nontoxic of course.
Infants use their senses to learn about the world around them. Sensory stimulation is linked to emotional, cognitive and physical development. All of the senses need to work together so that infants and toddlers can move, learn and behave in a typical manner. Activities provided for seeing, hearing, touching, smelling and tasting should be numerous and repetitive for proper sensory stimulation.
Math:
Snack Math. We count it all! Repetition with all of our music and movements improve counting abilities. When we clean up, we ask the kids to help us, as we count the purple blocks the red blocks...the rings, the cars, the trucks etc. We fold paper and laundry together and count the times it take to become a square. How many sides? Roll the round ball. Can it fit into the tube, or square box?
Dramatic Play:
Each one of the babies, show such dramatic personalities. We are talking with the kids about Caring for each other. Look in the mirror when we cry. Look in the mirror when we are being silly. Can we put our socks on? Lets try to put the socks on our feet. There are so many things we can use our doll to teach us. Is the baby cold? Don't drop the baby. The baby has two feet and two hand. Dramatic play teaches self-regulation. Preschoolers are known for acting with impulse, so dramatic play is a great stepping stone for learning to self-regulate their emotions and actions.
Social-Emotional:
As a parent who wasn't prone to "baby talk". I find myself using more as a infant teacher than I am used to. I started researching pros and cons and the development effect on children and this is some of what I found.
One-on-one conversations using baby talk led to better language development. The more exaggerated the speech (“Where are your shoooes?”) and the more variance in voice pitch, the more the one-year-olds would babble, both in response and in general.
https://www.todaysparent.com/.../baby-talk-bad-for-toddler-development
Nevertheless, some may feel that using this exaggerated speech style is condescending, or unrealistic in comparison to adult speech, and as such does not set babies off to a good start.
Babies first start learning language by listening not to individual words, but to the rhythm and intonation of the speech stream – that is, the changes between high and low pitch, and the rhythm and loudness of syllables in speech. Parents often exaggerate these features of the language when talking with their infants, and this is important for early language learning.
I am having a harder time finding reasons why it is not good for development. The conclusion I have reached is to make language clear. Babies begin to goo, and hope you will communicate back. They respond when we make complete eye contact and imitate simple sounds they are making.
While baby talk is not essential to guiding infants’ language learning, the use of pitch modulations, repetition and slower speech all allow infants to process the patterns in their language more easily.
Speaking in such an exaggerated style might not seem conducive to language learning in the longer term, but ample research shows that this speech style actually provides an optimum input for language learning from the very first days of an infant’s life. http://theconversation.com/heres-why-baby-talk-is-good-for-your-baby-68216
Gross Motor: Tummy Time!! There can't be too much. Tummy time is sometimes the only time of the day when babies’ legs are stretched out, fully extending baby’s hip flexors. This is important for symmetry with crawling and walking. Tummy time is sometimes the only time of the day when babies’ legs are stretched out, fully extending baby’s hip flexors. This is important for symmetry with crawling and walking. Experts find that babies who don't spend time face-down often have some delays in their development of motor skills.
Zoophonics: phonics, teaching how letters and syllables correspond to sounds.
Zoo-phonics® is a method developed to make children strong readers and spellers using a “phono” (hearing), “oral” (speaking), “visual” (seeing), “kinesthetic” (moving), and tactile (touching)—whole brain approach. Students actually learn the sounds of the alphabet and advanced phonemic concepts through an easily understood, concrete method of presentation. Zoo-phonics® uses animals drawn in the shapes of the letters for ease in memory. There are links attached below where you can check out more about Zoophonics.
Operation Tot Spot Gives Back: Pajama Drive!
Tax Time is Approaching...
Dear Tot Spot Families,
I am sending this email because we are getting close to the end of the year and therefore close to tax season. Because of our changes from Rapid Tuition to Tuition Express there will be two-year end summaries (a mid year summary for Rapid Tuition and a year-end summary). I emailed all our families when we transferred from Rapid Tuition at the time of the change, so please check your email history for that email. As far as Tuition Express, every family has direct access to your billing receipts through www.myprocare.com . If you have already signed up with www.myprocare.com you are ahead of the game. However, if you have not, you can register from this link www.myprocare.com. You will use the email you received this message from to login. If you have any problems, please let me know.
Thanks again,
Michael Ramsey
CHECK OUT THIS WEBSITE
Scholastic
Looking for some new books to curl up with on wintry days? Check out all the great books from Scholastic!! Scholastic will be sent out January 8th and will orders will be due January 17th. Our online code is HQ686
The Book Nook
Winter by Roger Priddy
The Parent's Spotlight
Remember there is a suggestion box in the lobby, and we love to hear about ideas to enhance the learning environment for your children.
Thank you to the LoGreco's for Dramatic Play donations
Thank you to the Bohde's for your book donations
Thank you to the Blough's for the mittens and toys
Thank you to the Holland's for the toy donations
Thank you to everyone for donating to the PTO. They raised enough money to be able to give everyone a nice gift card and the teachers REALLY appreciated it!
Thank you to all who brought in treats and gifts for the teachers and even the Admin team. We appreciate it more than you know and it definitely made the holidays special for all of us so thank you!! TTS truly has amazing parents!
Would you like to donate?
- Bibs
- Baby puzzles
- Food Coloring
- Musical Instruments
- Play-doh
- Empty Clean Plastic Jars (Mayo, PB, etc. Jar)
- EXPO Dry Erase Marker Cleaning Spray
- Scrap Paper
- Salt - Regular and Rock Salt
- Is there ever a time when you say to yourself, " I wonder if The Tot Spot would want this"? We could use it in so many ways. You may have babies, but the whole school is yours. Everything can turn into a sensory activity or learning experience. So, before you throw out your junk, ask your teacher if it could be used
Teacher Spotlight!
Question: Would you rather be invisible for a day or be able to fly for a day and why?
- Ms. Stacey: Being invisible and visiting people at work would be a great day.
- Ms. Alisha: Neither. I’d rather be able to read people’s minds. But if I have to choose invisible so I can move things around and prank people. (nothing really important of course)
- Mr. Mike: Fly so I could see from a different prospective
- Ms. Le Andra: I would rather be invisible. I'm a nosy person so I could gets lot of information if nobody knew I was there!
- Ms. Katie: I would rather be able to fly for a day. I'd spend my day traveling as far and wide as I could to see new things.
Ms. Erin: I'd rather be invisible because then you could find out what your friends and coworkers really think of you
Ms. Constance: Fly. I could get a better view of everything. Be like a bird or Superman!
Good bye Ms. Danielle
Tot Spot Parents,
I want to first off thank you for all that you do. You have all been so amazing to me while I have been here. Thank you for letting me get to know and love your kiddos like they are my own. It has truly been a pleasure getting to know each and every one of them and watching them grow and become who they are.
My last day will be January 4th.
Again, I have been extremely blessed while working here and from the bottom of my heart thank you for all being so kind in opening your arms and being such a great second family for me.
I will never forget you or your children. I hope you all the best
Danielle