October Newsletter

Where did September go?!  Time is going by too fast!

In October, we have some fun things planned!  Our school theme for the month is "Ocean Commotion."  And there are tons of fun activities to go along with our curriculum!

We will be learning about the letter Ss, Oo and Dd.  While we are learning the letters, I will also be introducing the sounds they make using the "Jolly Phonics" system they use in kindergarten at Bel Air.  Each letter/sound has a hand or body gesture to go with it.  It is just something extra your child can associate the sound with and will help them remember our sounds!  It is been very effective with Logan this fall in kindergarten.  He is already reading some three letter words with the 13 letters they have focused on this month.

Our numbers for the month are 3 and 4.  And we will be learning about the triangle. And of course our colors are blue and purple to go with our ocean theme!



I am really working on recognizing and writing (or tracing) names with the 3 and 4 year olds.  The first step to doing this and recognizing their name.  I have names on our cubbies, names on our chairs at the lunch table, etc.  Make sure you are working on ALL the letters in your child's name since 3 out of 4 of the boys all start with J, they really struggle with whose is whose!

Once they can recognize their name, then I have them practice tracing it.  Typically, I will use a marker and write it myself, then have them write over it.  It is very important that they start working on holding a pencil or marker correctly...with their fingers not their WHOLE hand.  As they start tracing the name correctly, then I switch to a lighter colored marker, or start dotting their name, making them work a little harder to do it on their own.  We always do it with an uppercase letter at the beginning and then the rest are lower case.  It doesn't make sense to teach it one way (all uppercase) and then make them learn it a whole new way before school!



CALENDAR:
Wednesday, Oct. 5- Travel Tots 11:10-12:10
Tuesday, Oct. 11- OCEAN SHOW AND TELL!   
Friday, Oct.14: Music Class 11:00-11:30
Wednesday, Oct. 19- Travel Tots, 11:10-12:10
THURSDAY, OCT. 20-CLOSED FOR MEA
FRIDAY, OCT.21- CLOSED FOR MEA
MONDAY, OCT. 24- CLOSED FOR VACATION DAY
Monday, Oct. 31- HALLOWEEN PARTY- Come dressed in your Halloween costume for a fun party.  PLEASE BRING A BAG WITH CLOTHES TO CHANGE INTO AFTER OUR PARTY.

The beginning of a new era!

Over the last 5 years, I had such a great group of kids, most of who started at 18 months. Now that first batch is all grown up and is loving their new school adventures! I have filled all my spots now with new children! Which means starting back over with the diaper and Sippy cup stage! We now have 4 kids 2 1/2 or under! It is fabulous to have a new group that will grow together and be great friends! Luckily we have Maggie, Jack, Talon, Jeovanni and Justin to teach them the ropes! There will even be three girls now in the next week!

This week, we are having show and tell day on Tuesday. Your child may bring anything from home that they would like to show to their friends. It will be left in their cubby, other than during show and tell and possibly a special play time afterward.

Extra clothes bins will go home today to put fall/winter clothes in. Please return them tomorrow full of 2 changes of clothes for your child.

Since we have some new families here now and lots of holidays coming up in the the next few months, I just wanted to remind people of the days left for the year that daycare is closed and you are responsible for finding your own care.

Thursday, Oct. 20*
Friday, Oct. 21*
Monday, Oct. 24
Thursday, Nov. 24*
Friday, Nov. 25*
Monday, Dec. 26*

*paid days

Then there are 4 remaining UNPAID vacation days left for the calendar year. As of now, I am planning on using them Dec.27-30. Which would make me closed the whole week between Christmas and New Year.

If you are using direct deposit for your tuition payments, I will adjust the days that are unpaid automatically for you. Otherwise subtract $30 a day from your weekly check for unpaid days.

MENU:
Monday-meatballs, green beans, grapes and milk
Tuesday- fish sticks, carrots, fruit cocktail and milk
Wednesday- macaroni and cheese, bananas, mixed veggies and milk
Thursday- French toast sticks, ham, applesauce, corn and milk
Friday- peanut butter sandwiches, apple slices, carrots with dip and milk

Have a great week!

Week of Sept. 19-23

Last week we had a great picnic at the park!  Despite the chill in the air, we ran around plenty to stay warm!  We played hide and seek, pirates and princess, tag... a little of everything!

All the kids loved walking to pick Logan up from school, and talked about how they can't wait to go to school too!

They all loved comparing who brought what for their lunches...and peanut butter and jelly was the STRONG favorite!

Maggie is being a great sport about being the only girl until we can find her a couple fellow princesses!  She does her job and tells these boys who is the boss!!

This week we have a pretty uneventful week!  Friday we will be celebrating Aidan's 8th birthday after school with treats!  Our Travel Tots class from this week was re-scheduled for last week!

MENU:

Chicken Nuggets, pears, peas/carrots and milk

Deli sandwiches, carrots with dip, strawberries and milk

Ravioli, garlic bread, apple slices and milk

Sloppy Joes, green beans, oranges and milk

Beef Stroganoff, mixed veggies, peaches and milk

HAVE A GREAT WEEK!

Week of Sept. 12-16

TALON IS BACK!  The kids were so excited to have Talon back to play with them!  Even though he has spent so long away from them (with limited mobility might I add!)  he jumped right back into our fun!  It is great to see that he made such an awesome recovery!

The school year is off to a great start!  Both boys are loving their teachers and getting used to their new schedule and HOMEWORK!  I did hear from the lady at the bus company and they are going to be making changes to the bus routes by the end of this week, whether or not that means there will be a stop in my drive way is yet to be seen!  So for now, continue with me walking EVERYONE down to the bus stop in the morning!

Thursday we are going to do a picnic in the park, as long as the weather cooperates.  We will walk down to Hansen around 10:00/10:30 play for a while, walk over to the school to pick up Logan, then head back down to the park to eat our food before heading back to my house for nap time!  So send  a bag lunch with your child's name on it.  DON'T FORGET SOMETHING TO DRINK!

Menu:
Monday- Pizza, apples, corn and milk
Tuesday-Pancakes, sausage patties, applesauce and milk
Wednesday- Spaghetti, garlic bread, pears and milk
Thursday- PICNIC at the park!
Friday- Hot dogs, baked beans, fruit cocktail and milk!

Can't believe summer is over and winter is getting ready to move in.  Not quite ready for this again!

Busy Week This Week! (September Newsletter!)

Sorry for the delayed posting once again this week, with the short week, back to school, travel tots and multiple interviews the week has gotten away from me!

This week, we had Travel Tots on Wednesday and the kids loved talking about Italy!  Of course the favorite topic was their food!!!

Friday, we have Music class from 10-10:30!

MENU:
Tuesday-Tacquitos, corn on the cob, oranges and milk
Wednesday- Corn Dogs, grapes, carrots and milk
Thursday- Grilled Cheese, canteloupe, green beans and milk
Friday- Macaroni and Cheese, bananas, mixed veggie and milk!

We have had a great week diving into our new theme for the month!  And Dominic is doing great adjusting to his new daycare!  It is great that we still get to see Mallory regularly when she comes to help pick her brother up! 

Talon is now cast free and looking forward to getting back to daycare starting on Monday!

I also ahve filled one of my open spots with another little guy, his name is Levi, he is 21 months old and will be joining us full time by the end of the month!

I still have 2 spots open for ages 2 and up. so if you know of anyone looking for childcare spread the word!  There may even be a referral bonus in it for you (DOUBLE IF IT IS A GIRL!)
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SEPTEMBER NEWSLETTER

This month we are all BACK TO SCHOOL!  We took it easy over the summer really enjoying the nice weather we had, but we are back to the routine of our morning school time!  Our theme for the month is "OUR AMAZING BODIES!"  We will be learning all about our different body parts, what we use them for, and ways to keep them safe!  The colors are PINK and BROWN, the letters are Pp, Cc and Aa.  The shape is the cirlce and our numbers are 1 and 11!  I will be sending home music CD's by the end of the week!

CALENDAR:
Wed. Sept. 7- TRAVEL TOTS, 11:15
Fri., Sept. 9- MUSIC CLASS, 10:00
Thur., Sept. 15- PICNIC AT THE PARK!  Send a bag lunch for your child!
Wed., Sept 21- TRAVEL TOTS, 11:15
Sat., Sept. 24- AIDAN TURNS 8!  We will celebrate on Friday afternoon
Tues., Sept. 27- SHOW AND TELL DAY!  Bring anything you would like to show!

Thank you to everyone for helping me adjust our schedule a little bit in the morning so I can walk the kids down to the bus stop.  We will continue that schedule as it seems to be working great!  Thanks again!

I will be sending home bins by the end of the month to swap out summer clothes for the dreaded warmer items. 



*Check the forecast and dress your child for the weather each day as it changes so much!