Bulldog Buddies Bulletin
Preschool Update - March 2024
Hello Bulldog Buddies Families,
We know that when families and school staff work together, amazing things happen for our kids! We can exchange information and really focus on meeting each child's needs while supporting their development. These partnerships allow children to see the important people in their lives working together. Thank you for all the ways in which you strengthen our partnership including -
- Sharing important information with your child's teacher. We appreciate every phone call, email and ParentSquare message.
- Prioritizing conferences and being an active member of the team!
- Continuing to participate in the family engagement activities including the at-home activities related to the study, reading books from the read-alike webs, attending in class opportunities and our field trips!
- Giving parent feedback via the polls in the newsletter and by reaching out to the early learning team.
- Staying connected and up-to-date with Bulldog Buddies by reading the Bulldog Buddies Bulletin monthly, following us on Facebook and reading messages via ParentSquare!
I'm so grateful for our Bulldog Buddies family and the strong partnership that exists between home and school! Please don't hesitate to reach out with questions or if we can be of assistance.
Kristy Elsey
Assistant Director of Elementary Education
Phone: 219-663-4330 ext. 22001
Email: kelsey01@cps.k12.in.us
Bulldog Buddies Preschool 2024-2025
Preschool Preview Night @ the Crown Point Library
We had a great time at the Preschool Preview Night at the Crown Point Library! We loved meeting our future Bulldog Buddies!
Do You Want Your Child To Attend Bulldog Buddies Next Year?
We are starting to plan for the 2024-2025 school year. Please complete the interest form below if you are interested in your child attending the Bulldog Buddies preschool program next year (2024-2025). Completing this form does not guarantee your child a spot within the program; however, it is the first step in that process. You will receive additional information from my office as the year progresses regarding registration.
Study Update
We had fun learning all about clothes in February. We learned about many types of clothes and features of clothing, why we wear them, and how to take care of them. We also learned about different places to get clothes and a little bit about how clothes are made. Our fashion shows, demonstrations, and family learning activities were a blast!
We've started our Clothes Study!
Shared writing about what Bulldog Buddies know about clothes!
Designing outfits for our mini-mannequins!
The dramatic play area turned into a laundromat!
New vocabulary in the writing area!
Shared writing looking at the features of clothing!
Number identification and counting!
Fabric board fun!
Fine motor skills through sewing!
Everyone's outfit tells a story!
Counting using a clothes line!
Bulldog Buddies Clothing Store
Counting fun!
Learning about a sewing machine!
Question of the day!
Preschoolers love to read in a tent made out of fabric!
Designing and decorating tote bags is so much fun!
Exploring different careers and the uniforms they wear!
We have begun our Exercise Study. Moving makes children feel capable and confident, releases tension, and builds strong bodies and minds. The Exercise study explores children’s natural desire to move. Children will discover
- what exercise is and how it helps our bodies
- how we can use our bodies in different ways to do a variety of types of exercise
- where people exercise
- what kinds of equipment can be used to exercise
- ways to keep our bodies healthy
As we study exercise and healthy bodies, we will learn concepts and skills in physical development, language and literacy, math, science, social studies, and the arts. We will also develop thinking skills as we observe, investigate, ask questions, solve problems, make predictions, and test our ideas.
We can use donations of things like exercise mats, 1-2 lb hand weights, jump ropes, or protective equipment (helmets, knee pads, elbow pads).
ABC Exercises
The Bulldog Buddies Workout Studio!
A little hopscotch fun!
Lifting weights!
Shared writing about exercise!
Daily Fitness Challenge!
Can you do more sit-ups than a preschooler?
It's always better to workout with a frirend!
Movement makes us happy!
We will be starting our Reduce, Reuse, Recycle Study on March 18. Children are interested in garbage and recycling trucks and are curious about where everything goes and what happens to it. We will be trying to find answers to the following questions:
- What does it mean to reduce? How can we produce less garbage?
- What does it mean to reuse? What can we reuse? How can we reuse items?
- What does it mean to recycle? What can we recycle? How do we recycle items?
If you would like to bring in items that we can reuse for art projects or recycle sorting activities, we can use things like paper towel rolls, egg cartons, clean plastic bottles, plastic bottle caps, magazines, or small boxes.
Bulldog Buddies Fashion Show
Bulldog Buddies have finished their Clothes Study and celebrated with a fashion show and fashion related activities! Thank you to everyone that participated! This was a fun study!
Early Learning Family Guides
Early Childhood Symposium
Parent Feedback
What are your favorite skills to practice at home?
A Note From Our Preschool Specialist
We often share information about the study that we are learning about in preschool. Have you ever wondered what the difference is between a study and a theme? Study topics are chosen for their relevance to children’s daily lives and their potential for hands-on learning experiences in the classroom. Studies are long-term, project-based learning experiences, usually lasting for several weeks. There are special parts of the day that teachers focus on study topics and there are also parts of the day that focus on other knowledge and skills unrelated to the study topic.
Some typical themes like dinosaurs, outer space, or seasons don’t lend themselves to becoming studies because they are difficult to investigate and learn about through hands-on, active exploration. Studies include multiple investigations where children are working to find answers to questions that are interesting and relevant to their lives. Studies include materials for hands-on exploration and allow children to observe, explore, and “figure things out”.
Charissa Leestma, Preschool Specialist
Email: cleestma@cps.k12.in.us
March is National Reading Month
The month of March is dedicated to reading! It is National Reading Month and Dr. Seuss's birthday on March 2nd! This infographic is a great reminder of how important it is to take 15 minutes a day to read aloud to your children, regardless of age! The research is clear that reading is the single most important thing you can do to help prepare a child for learning.
Check out this website for additional reading resources - https://www.readaloud.org/.
Happy Reading!
Preschool Tuition & Fees
Thank you for your diligence in paying any outstanding preschool fees! Just as a reminder, current tuition fees are loaded on the 15th of the previous month and due by the 1st of every month. Please check your child's PowerSchool account for balances due. Payment can be made online or at the school office. Failure to pay by the 10th of the current month will result in your student not being able to attend preschool until the balance is paid in full.
Supply Fee - $65 yearly for all students in preschool
Monthly Tuition - $180/3 days per week, $300/5 days per week
If you have any questions or need assistance, please contact the preschool office at (219) 663-4330.
Birth to School Classes
CPCSC offers a Birth to School Program for children 0-5 years old that reside within the Crown Point Community School Corporation boundaries. We offer a Little Learners series that includes a baby class (0-12 months), toddler class (13-24 months) and little learners class (25-36 months). Imaginarium and Learn Through Play classes are for children ages 0-5. If your child is already attending Bulldog Buddies, you can also be a part of the Birth to School program. All Birth to School classes and events are free. For additional information, please check out our website at www.cps.k12.in.us/bts. If you have specific questions, please contact our Birth to School Coordinator, Jamie Kalk at jkalk@cps.k12.in.us.
Imaginarium & Learn Through Play
Imaginarium & Learn Through Play
Imaginarium & Learn Through Play
Important Dates
- March 1 - Bulldog Buddies Movement Mania for Timothy Ball & MacArthur families
- March 8 - Bulldog Buddies Movement Mania for Eisenhower & Winfield families
- March 12 - eLearning Day, No Preschool Classes
- March 25-29 - Spring Break, No Preschool Classes
- May 27 - Memorial Day, No Preschool Classes
- May 31 - Last day of preschool
- June 3 - Teacher Work Day, No Preschool Classes
General Information
Kristy Elsey, Assistant Director of Elementary Education
Email: kelsey01@cps.k12.in.us
Christine Johnsen, Preschool Treasurer
Email: cjohnsen@cps.k12.in.us
Charissa Leestma, Preschool Specialist
Email: cleestma@cps.k12.in.us
Website: https://preschool.cps.k12.in.us/
Location: 720 Summit Street, Crown Point, IN, USA
Phone: 219-663-4330