Inquiring Minds
December 2017
From the Director: Sue O'Donnell
During the month of December classrooms will continue to focus on different ways to demonstrate the act of caring and giving towards others. While this age group is often egocentric in nature-we want to provide meaningful opportunities to encourage them to develop and explore the concept of empathy. Children can understand what it means to be cold or hungry. They know what it feels like to be excited by a new toy or gift. We will be collecting gently used winter coats for children and adults. French Cleaners will clean and distribute the coats to area agencies. Involve your child in the process of searching though your closets and putting donations in the bin. The collection will take place until Monday December 18th.
The RULER (Recognizing, Understanding, Labeling, Expressing, Regulating) curriculum is integrated into every classroom throughout the day. It allows children to develop foundational skills related to understanding and expressing their emotions. Children may sign in at the mood meter on red (angry) or blue (sad), these emotions are accepted as opposed to convincing the child otherwise. During the morning, the teacher may speak with the child about why they were in the red or blue and discuss strategies they could use to feel better.
Throughout the day conversations revolve around emotions exhibited by children and adults in the group as well as characters in the books read. As children are able to better identify and understand emotions, they gain an understanding of how to both regulate and express what they are feeling.
During the spring semester we will be hosting several evening workshops for adults related to RULER and other topics. If you are interested in exploring a particular topic that would make a good workshop-let me know.
-Sue
PAC Meeting
Join SYC parents for this month's PAC meeting in the conference room. Childcare is available upon request. Look out for emails from the PAC Co-Chairs for childcare sign-ups for the meeting.
Contact information: paccochairs@gmail.com
Wednesday, Dec 6, 2017, 06:30 PM
School For Young Children, Steele Road, West Hartford, CT, United States
PAC NEWS
Movie Night was a huge success! Thank you to everyone who attended and brought non-perishable food items. There were over 65 food items donated to the West Hartford Food Pantry. A special thank you to Elizabeth Hennessy for organizing Movie Night and to the Bowman family for bringing the food donations to the food pantry!
The placemat orders are due on December 6th. Order forms went out in each child's picture pocket. There are large manila envelopes in each classroom to collect the forms and payment. (CHECKS Only, made out to The University of Saint Joseph). A big thank you goes out to those classroom volunteers who helped create and design the placemats. Stay tuned for delivery information, as we hope to get your ordered placemats in time for the holidays. If you have any questions, please contact Kate Pascucci, Room 4, who is graciously heading up this project.
Thank you again to everyone who participated in the Lyman Orchard Pie fundraiser. We raised over $1,700 for PAC related events. Hope everyone enjoyed their pies over the holiday.
Each year PAC organizes a community service drive during the holiday season. Not only does it help those in need, but it is also an excellent opportunity for our children to learn more about the world around them and how they can contribute. This year we will be collecting coats for children and adults. French Cleaners will clean them and then distribute them to social service agencies within the Greater Hartford area. A drop-off box will be in the main vestibule at SYC until December 18th.
Our next PAC meeting will take place on Wednesday December 6th at 6:30pm in the SYC Resource Room. Childcare is provided and everyone is encouraged to attend. There is a sign up sheet for childcare on the PAC bulletin board. Please sign up so that we can plan for child care needs. At this meeting, we will begin to discuss the Spring Fundraiser. As one of the biggest PAC events of the year, we are already looking for volunteers and ideas to make this year a success! Please join us to hear more about how you can get involved with this or other PAC activities.
Please continue to check out the PAC bulletin board for updates and volunteer opportunities as well as lookout for our emails! Do not hesitate to contact or stop us in the hall at anytime with any questions.
-Emily Safino and Melissa Bowman
IMPORTANT DATES!!
- Dec 25th-Jan 2nd: SYC CLOSED for the holiday break
- Jan 2nd: SYC CLOSED for Professional Development
- Jan 3rd: Preschool and BackPack REOPEN
- Jan 10th: PAC meeting 6:30-8pm
- Jan 12th: Family Conference Day: Preschool and BackPack CLOSED
- Jan 15th: Martin Luther King Jr Day: Preschool CLOSED, BackPack OPEN
FLU SHOT REMINDER
Please have your child's FLU Shot paperwork submitted to
the main office by December 22, 2017.
If we do not have the paperwork,
your child will not be able to return to school until April 2, 2018
Please see Kharisha in the main office with any questions.
Thank you!
Read Anything and Everything with Your Child
At school, children are introduced to different kinds of writing-storybooks, books about topics they are studying, magazines, how -to-guides, and recipes. These are the kinds of writing that children and adults read in school and in daily life. You can read anything and everything with your child. this helps your child learn how and why writing and reading are important and useful. Here are some ideas:
- Read magazines and newspapers. Talk about the photos and illustrations. Find an article by using the table of contents page. Discuss the different sections, such as sports, local news, and advertising.
- Write a letter together. Use it to say "Thank you," "I hope you feel better soon," or just "Hello." Explain why you write the date and include the name of the person whom you are writing to. Sign it and have your child sign his/her name too.
- Follow a recipe in a book or instructions on a food container. Work as a team to gather the ingredients. The follow the directions step-by-step. Ask your child to help you figure out what comes next.
- Read a variety of books. At the library, help your child pick storybooks, non-fiction books, and books to read together. Your child might choose a book of poems or a book with lots of detailed pictures to look at together.
Source: Message in a Backpack, www.naeyc.org
S.P.E.C.I.A.L. Reader Volunteers
We are truly lucky at SYC to have SPECIAL Reader volunteers! SPECIAL stands for
Seniors and Preschoolers Engaging Collaboratively In All Learning.
Volunteers come into the classrooms or BackPack once a week to read stories with the children. They also will engage in activities that are happening in the classrooms. Please say "hi" and "thank you" if you ever get the chance to meet our very SPECIAL Readers!
Holidays
As the holidays draw near, we would like to take a moment to remind families of our holiday philosophy. At the School for Young Children, we strive to preserve our normal routines during holiday times. We approach the holidays by focusing on the essence of the holiday season. Groups may spend time exploring the concept of generosity during the winter holiday season and friendships during the Valentine season.
In keeping with SYC's focus on science and nature, we study seasonal changes and explore various elements of nature such as snow during the winter. We welcome families to visit classrooms and teach children about cultural or family traditions at any time of the school year. Please talk to your child's teacher if this interests you. For more information about SYC's holiday philosophy and for our full curriculum document, please visit the Families section of our website.
EMERGENCY CLOSINGS INFORMATION
In the event of inclement weather or a non-weather related emergency, the SYC closing/delayed opening announcement will be sent out on the USJ emergency alert system. We recommend that you sign up for text message and /or email alerts for SYC. Please visit www.usj/emergency-alert-system. School may close for non-weather related emergencies (power outage, no water, etc) so be prepared!
OR
Please consult the following TV stations or their websites for closing or delayed opening announcements:
NBC 30 TV or www.nbc30.com
WFSB Channel 3 TV or www.wfsb.com
We are listed as Sch. For Young Child and/or School for Young Children, West Hartford
Please be advised that when school is delayed, all schedules are delayed. For example, in the case of a one-hour delay, Backpack would open at 8:45am and Preschool would begin at 10:00am.
Cold Weather is Here!!
We play outside every day during the cold weather. Please make sure to send your child to school each day with :
- a warm coat
- a hat
- a pair of mittens or gloves
- snowboots
- a snowsuit or snowpants
Even after the snow melts, our playground can still be muddy enough to require a snowsuit. Winter gear must be taken home each day and returned to school the next day. Carry snow clothing to and from school in your SYC reusable bag. Please make sure to LABEL everything with your child's name in order to prevent lost items.
Afternoon Backpack Families: Please send in an extra set of labeled mittens for the afternoon, as mittens used in the morning tend to be too wet for reuse in the afternoon.
The School for Young Children at The University of Saint Joseph
Website: www.usj.edu/syc
Location: 238 Steele Road, West Hartford, CT, United States
Phone: 860.231.5560
Facebook: www.facebook.com/schoolforyoungchildren