August 2018 Newsletter
Back to School Reminders
Welcome Back to School!
Our Teaching Tribe
Cricket Cottage:
Ms. Judy Ireland, Ms. Claudine Stevens, Ms. Teresa Berkey
Ladybug Cottage:
Ms. Joanne Pettit, Ms. Jessica Eckhoff
Caterpillar Cottage:
Ms. Kaitlyn Ireland, Ms. Kendelynn Hassell, Ms. Myah Brantingham
Butterfly Cottage:
Ms. Stefany Morrison, Ms. Cassidy Smith, Ms. Myah Brantingham
Bumblebee Cottage:
Ms. Cat Welch, Ms. Stephanie Onody, Mr. Jason Wall
Dragonfly Cottage:
Ms. Amanda Suter, Ms. Gabriella Zaccari, Mr. Jason Wall
Enrichment Programs & Teachers:
Little Yogis - Ms. Amanda Suter
Wonder Works - Mr. Jason Wall
Fairytale Dance - Ms. Jenna Outerbridge
Soccer Shots - Coach Colin Lambert
Compuchild - Ms. Erin Ramlackhan
Substitutes:
Ms. Sami Grolemund
Ms. Carlota Ohura
Ms. Bobbie Donavan
Congratulations, Ms. Amanda!
General School Reminders
- Please remember to sign your child in upon arrival and then out when you pick them up. The attendance sheets are posted on or near the parent information board in each classroom.
- Please drop your child off with a teacher. Make sure to make eye and verbal contact with the teacher so they know that you are leaving and your child is in attendance for the day. The playground and classrooms are rather busy areas during drop off and pick up times so we ask for your assistance to help us keep the children safe. Please note, children of all ages are never allowed to wander around the school alone. Please do not drop off and leave your child in the classroom or on the playground alone. We ask that you escort them to their classroom to put their belongings away and then to the playground or other designated area as outlined on the daily schedule.
- As per our parent handbook, no personal toys are permitted to be brought into school unless otherwise directed by your child's teacher. This is in order to avoid lost and broken toys. This policy is to proactively try to eliminate the tears that will surely follow when a toy is lost or broken. Children are only permitted to bring a cuddly nap time friend (that will fit in their bedding box) and a book to share during story time.
- Please do not allow your child to bring money to school as it is a chocking hazard.
- Please remember to wash your hands and your child's hands upon entering our classrooms. This is to ensure the health and safety of all of our students. Hand washing is the #1 thing that we can do to reduce the amount of germs that enter our learning environments. As well, we have children in our program with peanut/tree nut allergies and this policy helps to ensure that there is no cross contamination and keeps them safe. We know that it can be a pain when you are in a rush, however we greatly appreciate your help with maintaining the healthiest environment for all of our students!
- If your child will be absent, please call the school by 9am that morning to let us know.
- If your child is out with an illness, please notify the school office so we can alert the classroom teachers to disinfect the classrooms accordingly and notify the other families in the program.
- Please be sure to follow our sick policy to help reduce the spread of illnesses within our program. Children must be symptom free without the aid of medication for a minimum of 24 hours before returning to school. This includes fevers of 101+ degrees as well as stomach related illnesses. We ask that you do not mask the illness with medication and bring them to school as they will inevitably spread the illness to other students and their families. If your child has an undiagnosed rash, they must have a doctor's note stating that they are not contagious and can return to school.
- We are happy to administer any necessary medication to your child while in our care. However, please note that all prescriptions must be in the original prescription container with your child's name and dosage instructions. Any over the counter medication must be submitted with a medication form completed and signed by your child's pediatrician.
- Please be sure to complete and return all of the 2018-2019 paperwork that was previously emailed by the end of this week. It is important that we have updated information on all of our students. If you did not get the email or if you would like hard copies, please stop by the front office. Thank you!
- Be sure to check out Shutterfly each week to see pictures of all the fun we're having!!!
Enrichment Classes
This academic year we will be continuing with some of the enrichment programs that we have been offering as well as adding Wonder Works a STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts. Math) program. These classes are all free of charge and integrated into the curriculum. We believe all of these classes will enrich the lives of each one of our students in so many ways! Classes will begin in September 2018 and run through May 2019.
MOVIN' & GROOVIN' (Caterpillars – Dragonflies)
Every afternoon your child will participate in Movin' & Groovin'. We understand that during the early childhood years musical development is crucial to the child's "whole" development. Playing, singing, and dancing to music will promote the child's eye-hand coordination, as well as increase their fine and gross motor skills. Children who have had the opportunity to enjoy music during their early childhood years tend to perform better in reading and math in their primary education years. As well, these children typically have higher self-esteem and have better control of their bodies.
GROWING GARDENERS (Caterpillars – Dragonflies)
Each week your child will spend time connecting with nature through gardening. Gardening provides many forms of engagement for children such as designing, planting, and maintaining gardens; harvesting, preparing, and sharing food; working cooperatively in groups; learning about science and nutrition; and creating art and stories inspired by gardens. Many life lessons can be taught through gardening such as patience, responsibility, nurturing, and understanding where food comes. Additionally, gardening further provides many opportunities for learning in several areas of academia such as science, math, and language to name a few.
Healthy Hearts & Minds (Caterpillars – Dragonflies)
Each month we will introduce a new story to the children that holds a valuable life lesson to be learned. These books will be carefully chosen to support the children’s social & emotional development as well as promote positive character traits. Specific qualities that we will be learning about and helping to instill in the children are trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring, citizenship, honesty, love, compassion, empathy, kindness, perseverance, creativity, and gratitude.
LITTLE YOGIS (Bumblebees & Dragonflies)
Each week your child will benefit from yoga. The children will enjoy their time during yoga as we make it fun through a variety of games, books, music, and other learning aids. There are so many amazing benefits experienced through the practice of yoga as it connects the mind, body, and spirit. Through yoga, children learn crucial life skills such as self-acceptance, self-awareness, as well as acceptance and tolerance of others. Additionally, it supports positive mental health, calming techniques, and teaches healthy habits. Yoga also teaches children how to be present which in turn supports concentration and focus thus helping them academically.
Wonder Works (Bumblebees & Dragonflies)
Each week your child will participate in Wonder Works, a STEAM-based enrichment program. STEAM stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts, and Math. Children will be provided with experiences that will encourage curiosity, creativity, innovation and wonder. Wonder Works will foster the children’s natural desire to be careful risk takers, to be inquisitive, develop critical thinking skills, embrace collaboration, and shine through the creative process. A child’s sense of wonder is an innate quality that they are born with and in Wonder Works it is our goal to ensure that the children are cultivating this beautiful quality through our hands-on play based approach to learning and discovery.
Open House for Cricket, Ladybug, and Caterpillar Cottages
Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly. Thank you!
Wednesday, Sep 5, 2018, 06:15 PM
602 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Open House for Butterfly, Bumblebee, and Dragonfly Cottages
Please be sure to RSVP so we can plan accordingly. We look forward to seeing you there!
Wednesday, Sep 5, 2018, 06:45 PM
602 McIntosh Road, Sarasota, FL, United States
RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Pizza Fri-yays!
Labor Day Closing
Cricket Cottage
- When entering the Cricket Cottage please do so quietly as there may be babies sleeping or trying to rest.
- Please be sure to have a minimum of 3 changes of clothes for your child at all times.
- Please remember to remove your shoes and wash your hands when entering the infant cottage. For your convenience, shoe covers can be found in the basket on the gray cubby shelf.
- Please label all of your child's belongings with their first and last names. Inchbug has some really great options for labels of all sorts. You can check out their site at www.inchbug.com.
- Please remember to include the date that any breast milk was expressed as well as the amount and of course your child's first and last name.
- Please remember to write the name of the food item as well as the date it was prepared on any homemade foods.
- Please be sure to check the Cricket Tidbits daily to see if your child is running low on supplies such as diapers, wipes, diaper creams, extra clothes, etc.
- Please bring in a family photo or photos of immediate family members so we can add it to our family board in the play area. The babies love looking at their families!
Ladybug Cottage
- Please remove shoes and wash your hands and your child's hands when entering the cottage.
- Make sure ALL food is labeled with your child's full name and date. This includes dry foods in the snack bin as well as sippy cups. A marker can be found on the fridge for your convenience.
- All children must sit at the table when eating and/or drinking. Please do not allow your child to walk around with food or drinks. Thank you!
- Please do not let children wander in the gated area where cubbies are during drop off and pick up.
- Please bring in a sippy cup for your child so we can begin practicing. It's okay if they don't know how to use it just yet, our goal is to get accustomed to having it. Practice makes perfect!
- Please remember to place a peanut precaution label on your child's cubby if their lunch contains a peanut or tree nut product. We sincerely appreciate your help with this life saving procedure!
- Please send in a family photo to keep at school. You do not all have to be in the same picture. Send a few in if necessary. The children LOVE to look at these photos.
Caterpillar Cottage
- Please be sure to label your child's AM and PM snacks along with their first and last names. We recommend using the pouches for fruit puree, applesauce, yogurt, etc. as the children are still learning to feed themselves and they seem to get more of the food in their mouth. :) The teachers are happy to try to help the children eat with a spoon, however it can become quite difficult when there are several children who are in need of an extra hand. We ask that you do not send in any cold items for PM snack due to the risk of food items spoiling as a cold pack will not keep the item at the appropriate temperature by the time we are ready for PM snack.
- Please remember to label your child's sippy cup with their first and last name.
- Please remember to sign your child in and out each day on the attendance sheet that is located near the parent info board.
- Please remember to wash your hands and your child's hands when entering our classroom.
- Please bring in a family picture or pictures of immediate family members to be used in our classroom. These pictures will be laminated so they will last throughout the school year.
- Due to our lack of storage and not wanting the classroom environment to be cluttered near the cubbies, we kindly ask that you do bring in any backpacks or diaper bags. Cloth grocery bags work great to bring in items such as bedding other belongings and they can be stored easily. Thank you!
- Please remember to check folders near parent board daily for daily reports, artwork, and memos.
Butterfly Cottage
- Please be sure to bring in a leak proof sippy cup that will fit inside your child's lunch box. This is especially important with sippy cups that contain milk so the milk stays cold and does not spoil.
- Please check your child's communication folder daily when picking them up in the afternoon.
- When potty training the children it is so important that there is both communication and consistency between home and school. Parents and teachers should have a discussion prior to placing children in underwear. We want to ensure that the child is ready so that the transition into underwear is successful. Please allow them time to adjust to our new environment before we begin the process. We will keep you posted on their readiness in our environment and schedule a time to meet when they are showing signs of readiness.
- Please be sure to have 3 weather appropriate extra changes of clothes at school.
- Please remember to wash your hands and your child's hands upon arrival.
- Please bring in a family photo that we can laminate and use in the classroom. Thank you!
Bumblebee Cottage
- Please remember to wash your hands and your child's hands upon arrival.
- Please remember to bring in 3 full extra changes of clothes. This includes underwear and socks!
- Please be sure to bring in a water cup for your child to use throughout the day. They will be kept in the water basket which your child has access to all day.
- Please remember to label ALL items brought to school with your child's name.
- Please check your child's communication folder daily!
- Please bring in a family picture or pictures of your family members that we can laminate and keep in the classroom.
- Please ensure that all nap time items fit in your child's bedding box and the lid will close.
Dragonfly Cottage
As your child enters the Dragonfly Cottage we want you to know how excited we are to set forth on a year of new adventures and learning. In order to best teach your child and help facilitate their growth in the upcoming year we would like to share with you a few simple things that we have learned make our classroom run more smoothly.
- Please Be On Time: It is imperative that your child arrives to school on time. VPK starts at 9am sharp each morning. We want your child to get the most out of their day and not to miss out on anything. It is important for us as a class to share our morning snack and group time together. As well, when all children have arrived on time, there are not any distractions during our VPK instructional time which are caused by parents and students arriving late. We truly appreciate your help and understanding! Thank you!
- Attendance: Please be sure to sign your child in and out each day and remember to sign with your full signature as these attendance sheets are submitted periodically to the Early Learning Coalition.
- Cloth Grocery Bag: Since we are a green school we ask that you bring your child’s bedding in a cloth grocery bag each week. This will help us at the end of the week ensure everything that needs to go home makes it way there including bedding, art, and other odds and ends.
- Bedding: We ask that the all of your child’s bedding fit inside the bedding box. This should include any pillows, blankets, sheets, and stuffed animals. The only sleep friends we will allow your child to sleep with are those that are completely soft.
- Extra Clothes: Please make sure your child has extra clothes. We will send home a reminder if your child has an accident to replace used items. Clothing should be seasonally appropriate and should fit your child.
- Shorts Under Dresses: If your child is a girl she must wear shorts under her dress. This is a very curious age for children and we like to encourage girls to keep their bottoms covered. This also helps when they are playing in the sandbox to keep sand out of uncomfortable places.
- We Welcome Books: Your children are always allowed and encouraged to bring in books for us to read during class. We especially appreciate books relating to our current lesson topic as well as books that have meaningful content and great life lessons.
- Reusable Water Bottle: Please bring in a water bottle for your your child to use throughout the day. This will help to cut down the use of paper cups as well your child will have access to it all day. Be sure to write their name on it.
Donations Needed
- We would like to start a school herb garden as well as add some plants to our screened in lanai. Any small herbs or small potted plants would be fantastic if you are able to donate one. We would also love to add some succulents and air plants! Thank you!
- Battery operated fairy lights
- $1 store clear condiment bottles for paint
- Aluminum foil, Saran wrap
- Loose parts materials - nuts & bolts, bottle caps