The Sandcastle Times - August 2018
"Building Strong Foundations for Lifetime of Learning"
A message from Holly Bevilacqua, COO
Happy Anniversary to Carelot in East Lyme! It is hard to believe we have been providing education and quality care for children for 19 years in our East Lyme site! Come celebrate with us on Sept. 29th our annual Harvest Festival in East Lyme and Oct. 13th in Killingly. These are free family events open to our Carelot families and our local communities.
The need for early childhood education is growing and Carelot is here to provide a great learning environment. Thanks for all of your continued support throughout the years! Our school year is just around the corner and we are diligently getting ready for our curriculum. We hope you have enjoyed our Facebook information, our daily emails and classroom communication that shares all the exciting learning that is happening in all our programs.
As the fall season approaches, (more quickly than we would like) Carelot is busy enrolling new students and organizing our classrooms for our next school year! We bid a sad farewell to the children leaving Carelot at the end of summer! We hope to see you all again next year for Camp or in one of our after school programs.
This time of the year always brings some changes throughout the center. Some children leave while many join our Carelot Family. Our classrooms also change over to their school year curriculums and schedules. As always, we continually strive to make Carelot a wonderful learning environment for your children. Please remember that changes will occur and we will do all we can to make any transitions smooth for our teachers, students and learning environment. As always, if you have any concerns, questions, or ideas, please stop by to see your Site Manager (Director)!!!!
HELP WANTED!
Carelot is actively seeking individuals to offer programs to our students. Would you like to come in and share your business or talents with the children? See your center Site Manager. We would love to have you join us!
The children love to learn about our community through cooking classes, science classes, how to fish, dance, karate, theater, gymnastics, yoga, emergency personnel, construction crews and more!
Recipe!
INGREDIENTS:
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, melted
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- Juice of 1 lemon
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
- 2 medium zucchini, cut diagonally into 1/2-inch-thick slices
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves
DIRECTIONS:
- In a small bowl, whisk together butter, garlic, Italian seasoning and lemon juice; season with salt and pepper, to taste. Brush zucchini slices with butter mixture.
- Heat a grill pan over medium high heat. Add zucchini in a single layer and grill until charred on both sides and just beginning to soften, about 2 minutes per side.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley, if desired.
Great idea!
Summer tips and reminders
We are always looking for parent/family volunteers. Come and share a favorite story, make a snack or craft with the children, or just come and spend time in your child’s classroom!
Day trips
· Take advantage of social and cultural opportunities. Preschoolers are curious about the world around them. A day trip -- even if it only lasts a couple of hours -- will occupy a preschooler while providing important social and cultural experiences. If you visit local museums and art galleries, point out colors and shapes. "Please touch" museums and exhibits encourage preschoolers to explore with their eyes and hands.
· Visit a park. Spending time at a park that is frequented by children of the same age can be a healthy, fun and inexpensive outing.
· Explore your neighborhood. Walk around your neighborhood looking for acorns, leaves, bugs or architectural features, which can teach your children to observe the world around them more closely.
Children are like sponges! Plan activities that will both entertain and educate them, and you'll both have a great time.
Question of the month "What event would you like to see Carelot host for this school year?"
No winner for JUNE! Don't forget to submit your answers! You have won a $25 tuition credit on your account.
It's easy to win by just emailing us an answer! $25 tuition credit!
Email your responses along with your name and the program your child attends to adminassist@carelot.net. Thanks for helping us make our programs better! Without everyone’s input we are not ableto effectively assess how our programs are doing! We appreciate you taking the time to help us assess our policies, procedures, curriculum and more!
PTO news....
Upcoming events:
Slumber Club- We are taking the month of August off! Next Slumber Club will be Saturday, Sept. 15th in East Lyme!
Next Fundraiser: Butterbraids, Otis Spunkmeyer Cookies, Auntie Annie's Pretzels-
Sale will run from Oct. 26 to Nov. 16. Delivery the week of Dec. 17th - just in time for the holidays.
Thanks for all of your continue Support!
We are always looking for new ideas for fundraisers if you have an idea drop by the office and share it with us.
Helping out with committees is easy, there are many ways to help!
All around Carelot
Camp still has openings! Want to pick up an extra week or know a friend who would like to join us? Stop by the office!
CLUBHOUSE 2018/2019! Sign up for before and/or afterschool care now! Limited spaces available! You need to register even if you attended last year!! Call Heather or Lorraine @ 860-739-1993 Ext. 120 TODAY!!!!
CENTER NEWS:
Summer has been flying by and we can't believe it is August already! The children have been keeping busy with their teachers learning about Sea life, Water, Kings and Queens, and Scientific phenomena. They really enjoyed their Smores parties, Playdough recipes and Dance Parties. August brings more exciting adventures and we are excited for all the fun events and activities.
The children have also been enjoying field trips, incoming programming and special events thanks to the support of our staff and families!
Wish list items- Drop off at any Carelot location
Any old working Ipads, Iphones or tablets for our classrooms! Recycle!
Shaving cream, Board Books, Bubble Wrap, outdoor toys (bubbles, chalk, hula hoops, balls, etc), buckets, shovels, water toys.
Carelot’s Transition Policy!
As children approach developmental milestones Carelot begins to make transitions to prepare them for the next challenging stage! This may mean changes in the curriculum or moves to a new classroom. The Teacher or Assistant Teacher will keep parents abreast on their child’s development in regards to their strengths and weaknesses. This is done formally at our October Conferences and informally throughout the year. The teachers or assistants keep portfolios and assessment lists to assess each individual child. These portfolios are made available to our parents at all times to view and see how their child is growing. The director will assess your child as well with the teacher to make sure they are ready to make a change. Changes that affect the children, such as changes to a new room including teacher changes are mentioned to the parent/families through a letter notifying the family that it is time for the change and when that change will occur. (This letter is our "Time Fly's—it’s time to move” letter) At this time the family may voice any concerns to the teacher or director before the final transitions are made. The next step is for the parents and teachers to prepare the child for the change. Teachers and assistants will discuss the changes with your child and prepare them for their next road to discovery! This will include visits to the new classroom as well as spending time with teachers and new friends. We strive to keep changes to a minimum, however without change there is no growth. It is for this reason that we look into several factors to ensure a smooth transition for all the children involved…..not just the child being transitioned. NAEYC Standard-10.B.11-13
Preschool 2018-2019 School year!
Our program is rich in:
- Social/Emotional Development
- Physical Development and Health
- Language and Literacy
- Creative Arts
- Mathematics
- Science
- Cognition
- Social Studies
FAMILY RESOURCES:
Carelot Children's Centers maintain a family information board in the main halls with resources for families to utilize and assist them with health, mental health, assessment and educational services for their children. In addition to this resource board each director maintains information in the office and is a resource to assist families in finding any outside resources they may need. Directors pursue community collaborations each day that allows him/her to know of the resources available in the community and state. NAEYC STANDARD 7.C.05
Carelot Children's Center, Inc.
"Building Strong Foundations for a Lifetime of Learning"
Providing education to Children ages 3 months to 12 years!
Email: adminassist@carelot.net
Website: www.carelot.net
Location: 315 Flanders Road, East Lyme, CT, United States
Phone: 860-739-1993
Facebook: facebook.com/carelotctr