New this year we are having a parent night to familiarize you with what goes on when you are not here and some of our goals for the fall. Due to our limited space we have divided up the nights; Monday, Sept. 13th will be Butterfly Room Parents (3yrs and up), Tuesday September 14th will be Baby Room parents, and Wednesday, Sept. 15th will be Dinosaur Room Parents (age 2). We are asking that at least one parent attend and please no children.

Grandparent breakfast is scheduled for Monday, September 13th from 9-10am. We invite all grandparents to come join us and see what your grandchildren do each day! Please RSVP by Friday September 10th.

We are closed Monday for Labor day but just a reminder if your child is scheduled to attend that day please include that amount in your payment. Thanks.

The themes for the month of Septemeber are All about Me, Friends and Family, Nursery Rhymes and Autumn. The letters we will introduce are W,N and M.

Have a good month!

First things first, we have a field trip planned for this Wednesday April 14th to the Butterfly House in Faust Park. I would love for the 2-5 year olds all to be able to join us. However to do that I will need a parent volunteer to go/drive. If you are able to join us please let us know as soon as possible. The alternative will be to just take the 3-5 year olds and the two’s  will stay back with Ms. Kristian. We will need a sack lunch and the cost is $4. It should be a nice day to enjoy a sack lunch in the park!!!!

Next, we will be getting an incubator this week in preparation of the chicken eggs. The eggs will arrive on the 20th of april and will take about one week to hatch if all goes well. This is such a wonderful experience for the children and we will keep you posted on the events. If anybody is interested (or knows of someone who would be) in providing a home for the chickens when we are finished please let us know. Thanks.

Scholastic book orders are due on Tuesday April 20th. If you have not received an order packet there are many floating around the room. Just ask. It is a great way to expand your library at a reasonable price and help us expand our library as well. Just choose the books your interested in, total your order, write a check to scholastic books, and return to school.

I hope everyone has been working extremely hard on that fundraiser. We are in desparate need of a sink in our classroom so we really hope you have asked friends and family. Orders are due by Thursday April 22. Please let us know if you have any questions.

A couple reminders…As warmer weather approaches the children like to wear sandals, however, it is in their best interest to wear tennis shoes to school. They will spend more time playing and less time dumping their shoes out:) Also, now is a good time to make sure that your child has an appropriate change of clothes for the season. If you could take the time to initial your child’s clothes that would be extremely helpful and cut down on the lost and found items!

Also worth mentioning…We have noticed many children coming in hungry these days at 9:00. I think it is very important for children to start their day off right with breakfast so I will not refuse a child food. The reason breakfast ends at 8:30 though is because part of the expense of before care covers the cost of breakfast. I ask that parents make an extra effort to allow time for breakfast at home when possible. If your child gets to school at 9:00 and still needs breakfast will you please let a teacher know.  Thanks for your help!

If you see a new face around we have a high school student volunteering after school. Her name is Brie. She is a senior at St. Elizabeth Academy. She is very lively and playful with the kids. We are happy to have two extra hands.

You may have notice a few sanitation changes in our center. We are trying to decrease the amount of germs in and out of the center to keep the children and their families healthier. As a result we are encouraging the children to establish a new habit of washing hands when entering the building in the morning and when leaving in the evening. If you could help by gently reminder your child to wash hands at these times that would be helpful. Thanks.

Ms. Michele will be babysitting once again on Friday March 12 from 7PM - Midnight. If you are interested sign-up by the parent board.

Mr. Russ has been playing his guitar and harmonica while we sing and dance. The kids really enjoy this time. His next visit is scheduled for Thursday, March 18.

The field trip for March has not yet been set. We will inform you as soon as it is finalized.

Links have been added to our website. There are some resources on social and emotional development in children. We have really focused on this area this year so these are articles to help parents continue their growth. Take some time to check out the links.

We have quite a list of improvements that we would like to make to the center. As a result we applied for a grant to help with the monetary costs of such improvements. The items that we are looking to improve in the next year are extending the sidewalk from the side to the porch and around the fence to make a track, improve playground equipment, install a stove with hood, install a sink in the butterfly room, purchase new table and chairs for infant/toddler room, and replace chairs in preschool. I know this sounds like a great deal but it doesn’t hurt to aim high:) We are having a fundraiser to help with a small portion of this cost. It is a catalog fundraiser so you can sell to friends, family, neighbors, co-workers, etc. You know the ones whom you’ve purchased items from in the past:) It is completely optional but we would love as much participation as possible to help us reach our goals. The fundraiser packets will be available for pick-up on March 25th. There will be someone at school to answer any questions you may have about the fundraiser. The products in the catalog are mainly food items and candles. The top seller will recieve a free day of care!!!!

Also, we wanted to welcome our newest friend to our school family…Xavier. We are excited to have him! He will be with us on Tuesdays and Thursdays.

Thank you to the “Stars” this month. Atom and Georden had a chance to display their photos and we loved talking about them. Too cool!

Mr Russ has agreed to play his guitar, sing and dance with us again. He is coming next on Tuesday, February 16. If you are interested in checking out his website it is posted under links. Thanks Mr. Russ for all the fun!!!!

Valentine’s day is right around the corner. We typically celebrate with a “sweatheart dance”. Basically that is a time for kids to learn different styles of dance. We encourage them to dance with all friends. They may dress up if they so chose. Then we finish with a restaraunt style lunch. The children may also bring valentines to exchange on this day. All kids are welcome to join us on Friday February 12 from 11 am-1 pm. Please let us know if your child will be coming that day so we can accomadate.

Our next preschool field trip is planned on Wednesday, February 24 at Monkey Joe’s. The cost will be $7/child and no lunch is needed. They do not allow outside food so we will eat pizza there. We are planning to leave around 9:45 and returning at 1:30. Children must have socks to play on the equipment. If you would like to check out the website it is www.monkeyjoes.com

We wished Atom a happy 4th birthday in January. We enjoyed the yummy cupcakes and celebrating your birthday together. Also, a big thanks to Atom’s dad for bringing us some real cool stuff during reptile week. He brought a turtle shell, snake skin and some salamander’s for us to check out!

Thank you to all the stars last month. It was so nice learning more about Riyah, Cole and Katie. Thanks for spending extra time with us and having fun things for us to do!!!

Just a quick note to let you know that we are still involved with the Child DayCare Asociation (CDCA). A few consultants have been in our preschool so if you notice them they are just there observing to help improve our program. The first program is focused on social and emotional development in children. The other is helping with accreditation and grants. These are great programs that we are happy to be a part of. We are currently trying new things to see what works for our environment. The infant/toddler room will be rearranged. Spots in both classes are being constructed for individual space. We will encourage a child to go there as a safe zone when they need time to themselves. This is not to be used as punishment but rather a place for a child to go to have some alone time. I wonder if any of the teachers will use it:)

February has typically been the time of year where we sit down with each family and look at progress of your child and set goals for them. We ask that you set aside some time for this. We find that it is a really helpful process and assures that we are trying to accomplish the same objectives. Please look for a sign-up sheet starting next week. We would like every family to participate so please let us know if you have difficulty making set times.

Reminders….

Show-n-Share is every Wednesday. Please encourage your child to bring ONE toy from home that they are willing to share with their friends. We ask that you refrain from weapons and movies. Thanks for your help!

Just a policy reminder since this is the cold season. When your child has a fever of 100 degrees or above we ask that you keep them home. In doing so we also ask that your child does not return to school until they have been fever free for 24 hours without the use of ibuprofen or acetaminophen. Fever is a good indicator for illness but behavior tells us too. Please monitor your child for illness before bringing them to school in the morning. If we work together we can keep illnesses to a minimum! Thanks for your cooperation.

Lastly, it is one of goals this year to get the kids and school more involved in our community. If anyone has any thoughts on ways to do so we would love to hear them. Thanks for your time.

We hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable holiday season. Thank you to everyone for helping out with the party, bringing in goodies and how about that cake!!! Thank you to Caylie’s grandma for making our Christmas cake. We will make sure to post a picture soon in case you missed it. It was awesome.

Our Winter/Spring session theme list is now ready. It is a good way to keep posted of what is going on at school. It is also posted in the calendar section of our website for your convenience. Our January field trip will be Thursday, January 14 to the Martz Train Exhibit. This is during trains week and the kids will really enjoy a close up view of model trains. All parents/grandparents are welcome.

New in 2010….
    * Show and Share has moved to Wednesday so that everyone gets a chance to participate.
    * Parents paying with cash will be issued a receipt by the teacher on staff
    * To accommodate each family’s needs we have issued a “technology survey” to let us know how you would like to receive your information from Busy B’s. Please return ASAP

End of the year tax statements will be issued to every family by January 31st.

To check out the dates Busy B’s will be closed for 2010 click the link on the right at the home page

Thanks to our stars last month:  Gretchen, Abby and Maesa. It is really enjoyable getting to know you!

Our December field trip has been planned for next week to visit Santa’s cottage at the Oakland house in Affton. I talked to Santa myself and he is really looking forward to a visit from his friends at Busy B’s. We will leave by 9:45 and return by 11:45. The cost is $3. On that note, Santa also dropped off a book called Elf on the Shelf. The book includes an elf that is watching over the children and reports back to Santa every evening. When he returns he always sits someplace different in the school. The kids get to try to find him every day.

The kids have been requesting a pajama day for quite some time so we are going to have one on Tuesday Dec 22 and watch the Polar Express. The kids may wear their PJ’s to school for the day.

Just a few policy reminders….We ask that if your child will not be at school for their scheduled days to please notify the teachers. This is very helpful to us as we plan the day. Also, remember that if your child is absent or school is closed for holiday that payment is still due for those days. We appreciate your help with this.

Our Christmas party is scheduled for Wednesday December 23 at 3:30 - 4:15. We will have a list up soon of things to bring to help with the party. Also, Santa usually leaves toys for the school at our party. If anyone is interested in donating a gift to school please drop off by December 18. We will post a list of ideas for anyone interested but anything is welcomed. With that in mind, now is also a good time to clean out closets and toy bins and as always we gladly accept unwanted toys! The children will also be doing a school activity. They will exchange names and each child will make a small gift while at school to give at the party.

Ms. Michele will have babysitting again on Friday December 11 from 7PM - 12AM. This might be a good time to get some Christmas shopping started/completed. The cost is $20 and the kids enjoy running around at school!!!!

Miss Bridgit will be on vacation (finally!!!) the week after Christmas from Dec 28 - Jan 1. If you have any problems this week please talk to Miss Michele or Miss Kristian they will be more than happy to help! Also, Please let us know of your child’s plans for the Christmas holidays so we can staff accordingly. Thanks for your help! We are closed on Christmas eve and Christmas day as well as New Year’s Day.

We want to thank the stars of the week for last month. Thanks to Marlee and Kandace. It was fun checking out those pictures!

Happy Holidays

The Social and Emotional Development class I am taking is complete. Now comes the part were I will be implementing these things in the classroom. The first two things that I would like to focus on are identifying feelings and conflict resolution. Identifying feelings seems like an easy concept but I think it is something that can be overlooked. This can be acheived by saying statements such as “You look frustrated, Can I help?” or “Wow, You are excited!” Talking outloud about your own feelings as they happen can be helpful, too!  Conflict resolution are ways we can solve our problems without getting upset. A few that we presently use are asking for the next turn or asking a teacher for help. I would like to incorporate a few more to help them out this month.

I will be out on Thursday and Friday, November 12-13. I am having minor surgery on my shoulder to fix some torn cartilage. It will require me to be  in a sling for at least 3 weeks. As a result of this, we will have some teacher’s switching hours. Ms. Michele will open for a few weeks and Ms. Kristian will be closing. This is so I alsways have help when I am there. I will work the middle shift so I will still see most of you. Also, Due to the fact that field trips require a great deal of physical effort getting car seats and children loaded in the car we will need to cancel our November field trip to the Planetarium. I am sorry to do this but I feel this is best for the kids and my shoulder:)

Picture Day is coming. You should be receiving information and a permission form to complete. If your child comes on Wednesday they will have their picture taken on that day. All other children will have theirs on Thursday. If you have any questions about this day please don’t hesitate to ask.

Ms. Michele will be babysitting once again on Friday Nov. 13th. Babysitting is from 7PM - 12AM. The cost is $20. This is designed for parents to have an adult night out while the kids enjoy a fun evening at school.

Reminder that we are closed on Thanksgiving.

Thanks to Jade, Jacob and ms. Michelle for being our “Stars of the Week”. It is so nice to get to know you a little more. Thanks for sharing!

I have some unfortunate news to pass along. Donnie and Anna’s dad got sick two weeks ago. He had to have surgery and is on the way to recovering. It will be a three month process until he can get back to work. As a result, Donnie and Anna will not be back to school for the time being. Keep Don in your thoughts and prayers.

This week we will discuss Fall and the letter M. Our main focus when working on the letter each week is letter recognition and beginning sounds. Then as they progress (usually four’s and five’s) we work on formation of the letter. Ways to encourage what they are learning would be to point out the letter either on signs as your driving or in books as your reading.

Hope everyone has a good week. It looks like we may need jackets in the AM!