Our mid-year Parent / Teacher conferences will take place on Monday, February 21. School is closed on this date, but teachers will be on site to host conferences. Be on the lookout in the upcoming week for conferences sign ups from your teachers.

Students and teachers LOVE to celebrate Valentine's Day! Keep up to date with your classroom's Brightwheel messages and notes from your teachers about how this fun day will be celebrated in your child's classroom.

The school board will be voting in February on the option for families to prepay their tuition for a 3, 5 or 10 month period. This would be on a trial basis for 2022 to increase school spending flexibility for materials and educator professional development opportunities.

Families who would be interested in prepaying for 3 or 5 month's tuition would receive a 3% discount on each child's current enrollment rate. Families interested in prepaying tuition through December 2022 would receive a 5% discount on each enrolled student's current tuition rate.

In order for the board to make the best decision for the school, we need ONE RESPONSE FROM EACH FAMILY to determine if this is an option they would vote to approve. A monthly tuition option will continue to exist for families.

February is Black History Month! Officially observed from February 1 to March 1 in the United States since 1976 (and unofficially celebrated for many years before), Black History Month is a time to recognize and celebrate Black achievements and contributions throughout history. The month “honors all Black people from all periods of U.S. history, from the enslaved people first brought over from Africa in the early 17th century to African Americans living in the United States today” (National Geographic Kids, “Black History Month”).

Children of all ages notice physical differences like skin color. A study from the University of Toronto suggests that children as young as 6 months show preference for same-race faces and bias towards those of different races. Fortunately, children are never too young to learn about the beauty of human difference. Just like the ABC’s and 123’s, social behaviors like empathy and noticing and celebrating differences need to be taught in the early childhood classroom. We can support this learning through anti-bias curriculum, which includes representing diversity through literature, music, materials, and activities and inviting conversations about difference.

For infants and toddlers, this can mean offering board books that center diverse characters, representing diversity through dolls, toys, and other materials, and playing music from a wide variety of musicians. As children move into preschool, you can add picture book readings and explorations, and invite questions and thoughtful discussions. Literature is also a great way to introduce new subjects and ideas that inspire different activities, from science to literacy to art! When offering art supplies, check that they represent many different skin and eye colors, as well hair color and texture (especially if using fabric or yarn). For a deeper look at anti-bias curriculum practices, see this article from NAEYC.

Here is a collection of playlists, book suggestions, activity ideas, and other resources to help you celebrate Black history this February, and all year long!

Music

• There are many Black creators making amazing music and video content for young children. Here’s a list featuring several Black artists. Listen to stories with Nanny Nikki, sing songs with Uncle Devin, and learn new words in Spanish with Ms. Niki’s Music Class. Many of these artists have made their songs and videos available on YouTube and Spotify.
• Putumayo is known for its collections of world music. Putumayo Kids features kid-friendly music from many different cultures. Celebrate Black heritage with music from Africa, the Carribean, and the United States!
• Jazz at Lincoln Center, directed by famous trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, has compiled a playlist of Jazz for Kids. This playlist features jazzy renditions of Sesame Street songs, classic kid favorites, and classic tunes performed by jazz icons such as Ella Fitzgerald, Dizzy Gillespie, and Charlie Parker.
  
  

Books

• Ibram X. Kendi, author of How to Be an Antiracist, offers a board-book for little ones: Antiracist Baby. Bright, bold illustrations by Ashley Lukashevsky accompany Antiracist Baby’s quest to make the world a more just place for all. (Ages 0 - 2)
• Cedella Marley, reggae artist and daughter of Bob Marley, has written two board books for children inspired by her father’s music: One Love and Every Little Thing. These songs of hope, joy, and community pair beautifully with the pictures by author-illustrator Vanessa Brantley Newton. Invite children to listen to the original songs after reading the books. (Ages 0 - 2)
• Here Wee Read has created a wonderful list of board books featuring Black babies and families. (Ages 0 - 2)
• Introduce little ones to important changemakers in history with My First: Little People, Big Dreams, preschool-friendly versions of titles from the Little People, Big Dreams series. These books tell the stories of inspirational figures like Harriet Tubman, Maya Angelou, Rosa Parks, Wilma Rudolph, and Josephine Baker. (Ages 2 - 4)
• The ABC’s of Black History by Rio Cortez and Lauren Semmer is a great introduction to the people, places, and terms of Black history. (Ages 3 - 5)
• Many books are more suited to older children, but Here Wee Read has compiled a list of Black History Month books perfect for preschool! (Ages 3 - 5)
• Romper’s list of 31 Children’s Books Featuring Black Characters includes fiction and non-fiction stories. (Ages 3 - 5)

Activities

• Artist and author Faith Ringgold uses folk-art and quilting styles to illustrate her children’s stories. Ringgold has written many books for kids, including three books for very young children: Counting to Tar Beach, Cassie’s Colorful Day, and Cassie’s Word Quilt. As a companion activity, make a story quilt together using squares of fabric or paper. Find this activity and four others inspired by Black artists at We Are Teachers.
• Learn about George Washington Carver, a pioneer in agricultural science. Carver is known for his work with peanuts, soybeans, and sweet potatoes. Young botanists can grow their own sweet potato slips with this fun experiment!
• Space enthusiasts will enjoy learning about Mae Jemison and Neil Degrasse Tyson. Check out Mae Among the Stars by Roda Ahmed and talk with children about what might be needed for a trip to space. This could be a great imaginary play prompt as well! The book Look Up With Me by Jennifer Berne, with an introduction by Degrasse Tyson himself, offers an introduction to the astrophysicit’s life and fun facts for budding astronomers. Invite children to share what they know about space and make your own meteor paintings!
• Paint portraits inspired by contemporary artists Kehinde Wiley and Amy Sherald. Wiley, who painted the portrait of President Barack Obama, and Sherald, who painted the portrait of First Lady Michelle Obama, both have beautiful and distinct styles. Invite students to explore their paintings. What do they notice about them? What colors and shapes are used? Children can use art materials of all colors and shades to create self-portraits or portraits of important figures in Black history. (The book Parker Looks Up by Parker and Jessica Curry is perfect companion reading!)
• Learning about Black history means learning about the ongoing fight for freedom and justice against the forces of racism and oppression. This article from NAEYC shares helpful books, activity ideas, and topic questions for having these conversations with young children.
  
  

Resources

• Explore the National Museum of African American History. The Smithsonian museum in Washington D.C. has online access to the collection. The website even features a section dedicated to Early Childhood Education!
• EmbraceRace, The Conscious Kid, and Learning For Justice have book lists, articles, guides, webinars, and more to support your school community’s antibias education goals. You can also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
• If you are noticing a lack of diversity in your classroom toys and materials, check out these lists from Colours of Us featuring dolls, puppets, puzzles, and more!

We have scheduled our next school-wide community event for Saturday, February 26 - 8-10 am at the Thinkery Children's Museum. The Thinkery offers a special program called 'Baby Bloomers' for visitors ages 0-3 and their families, providing caregivers and early learners the chance to experience the children's museum together. They host two storytimes and free play that support the social, emotional, and cognitive development of the earliest learners.

The program is free to families during this exploration time, but is currently closed until Austin is out of Stage 5 Covid restrictions. We are hopeful this program will be back in session by the end of February and will keep you posted about this event.

Last year, SDDS hosted our first ever summer camp for elementary-aged students (6-12) The camp was such as success that we will be again hosting 2 week sessions throughout the summer starting on Monday, June 13. For more information on our session themes and pricing, see below or visit the 'Attend' section of the day school website. If you have older siblings and are looking for a fun and convenient opportunity for your older children this summer, look no further! Only 20 openings are available and spots will fill up fast, so be sure to register soon!

8:00 am - 4:00 pm M-F Starting June 13, 2022
After care available from 4:00 - 5:30 pm

Registration is OPEN for all summer sessions. All camp sessions are hands-on and promote
imagination, collaboration and FUN inspired by kids! Weekly immersive on-site field trips are
​planned for all sessions.

"So Satisfying" Sensory Camp - June 13-24

Miniatures & Giants - June 27 - July 8

Games Galore - July 11 - 22

Austin Maker Camp July 25 - Aug 5

Registration Fee - $50

Camp Fee per child - $300 / week

After Care - $100 / week

10% sibling discount

If there is anyone available this month to take 2 large boxes of books to Half Price Books and use the refund to choose some books for your child's classroom, we would be most appreciative of your help.

SDDS has some spots to fill in our 2 - 5 year old classrooms and we want to reach out to you, our biggest fans, and reward you for your referrals. That’s right! When someone you refer enrolls at SDDS, you’ll receive a $250 discount on your next month’s tuition!

Our enrollment application now has a question added so your friends and neighbors can let us know you referred them to SDDS. Once they’ve enrolled, you’ll receive the discount for each family you referred after the end of their first month.

Now that more people are retuning to the office and looking for care, it’s a great time to let them know how wonderful it is to be part of our SDDS community! If you have questions about our new referral program, reach out to Leigh Moss for more info!