Week 2: June 4 – June 7, 2012 (4 days)

Week 3: June 11 – June 14, 2012 (4 days)

Hours: 9:00 – 12:00 all classes

Who: Children from our current programs or who are enrolled for next year’s youngers and olders classes

Teachers: Mrs. Charlotte Cole, Mrs. Joanne Yanchek, and Mrs. Lisa Santoro, Mrs. Fran Saitta, Mrs. Marcia Horner

Cost: $100 for Week 1 $130 for Week 2 $130 for Week 3

Concept: The theme for Week 1 will be “Art Expressions”, for Week 2 “On Safari”, and for Week 3 “Americana”. There will be projects, activities, outside play, water activities, snack…and lots and lots of fun

Registration: You may register for any or all of the three weeks. If there are more registrants than openings, we will have a lottery by family on May 8th. Depending on enrollment, we will consider combining classes.  Please see Marge for a registration form.

Please register by May 7, 2012.

What an interesting spring??!!  But isn’t it great to see everything blooming!      

There is a lot that happens between now and the end of the year.  So, here is a list of dates for the end of the year:              

• March 30   Butter Braids Delivery (pick-up on 3/30, 4/2 or 4/3)              
• April 6-15   Spring Break – no school              
• May 2 (raindate May 3)   Olders classes trip to El-Rich alpaca farm              
• May 9 (raindate May 10) Youngers class trip to Anderson’s farm              
• May 15   Spring Open House/Ice Cream Social and End-of-the-Year Ceremony  (6:00 p.m.)              
• May 16   Annual Meeting of the Corporation and election of new board              
• May 22 (raindate May 23)  End-of-the-year picnic              
• May 25  Last day of school               
• May 30  Summer Camp starts          

We still have openings in our olders, youngers, and Terrific 2′s and 3′s classes.  If you know of anyone who would be interested, please have them contact me.  Thanks!      

The theme for summer camp will vary by the week:  Week 1= Art Expressions, Week 2 =On Safari, Week 3=Americana.  You will be able to sign up for one, two or three weeks.    Camp will start on May 30th.  Information and registration materials will come out soon.      

The Butter Braids sale was a success.  The school earned almost $500.  Many thanks to all who participated or made a donation.  With a non-profit school, this really helps!    

Thanks to all who drove on the planetarium trip and made this a fun excursion!!                    

Parent-teacher conferences also went very well.  If you would like an informal follow-up conference before the end of the year, please arrange this with your child’s teachers.      

We’re so glad that the weather warmed up so that we can spend more time on the playground.  Can you help us with a couple of things?  When you come for pick-up, if there are still children on the playground, please wait outside of the gate until we get the children inside.  Please remember to close the gate to the playground when you enter or exit. Please watch your children when you’re on the playground after class, as it’s so easy getting caught up with talking to other parents.  Also, please have your children follow the same rules that we do during school hours.      

I will be on vacation the week of April 2-5.  I will have my Blackberry, so if there is service, I will be reachable by cell phone and e-mail or you can contact Joanne Yanchek or Kate Metelitsa if needed.      

You paid April and May’s tuition when you registered your child.  So, there is no tuition due this month or next month!      

As ever,  

Marge

Students enjoyed a visit from Dr. Katelin Johnson to talk about Dental Health Month

DENTAL HEALTH SHOW

February was Children’s Dental Health Month!  Dr. Katelin Johnson (with the help of Mrs. Debby Johnson, an ex Haytown teacher) did a puppet show and video on children’s dental health on Tuesday, January 31^st.   I am sure that you were hearing much buzz from your children about brushing their teeth and following what Dr. Katelin says to do – very cute!

WALLABY TALES ASSEMBLY

Travis Gale, of Eyes of the Wild, visited us on Thursday, February 23^rd for an 11:00 assembly.  The children adored him – he’s so funny and informative.  He brought a rabbit (which everyone got to pet, if they wanted), a coatimundi, a Fennec fox, an alligator, and a wallaby.  The children were enthralled.  There are photos in the hallway.

OPENINGS FOR NEXT YEAR

We have openings for all of our classes for next year.  If you know of anyone interested in our school, please have them contact me.  If there is anyone with financial concerns, please let me know.  Thanks!

 CONFERENCES

Parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for this Friday, March 2 and Monday, March 5.  If you haven’t scheduled one and would still like to, please stop by the office to schedule a time.

 PAYPAL

For convenience, you can also pay tuition through Paypal.  You can access this through our website:  www.haytownnurseryschool.org   Paypal does charge for this, so there is an additional fee each time you use it.

YARD SIGNS

One of the most effective and least costly ways for us to advertise is through the use of yard signs.  These yellow beauties are available in the office and would look great on your propertyJ!  Stop by if you are willing to put one in your front yard – doesn’t matter if you are on a main street or a side street.  As a caveat, thetownshipofCalifonwill not allow yard signsL.  Thanks for your help with this!

 ADDING A CLASS/LUNCH

In case you were wondering, yes, you can add lunch (for the Younger class) and Fantastic Fridays (for Younger or Older class) at any time.

 SUMMER CAMP

We are happy to announce that we will be doing summer camp again at Haytown. Details (including dates) will follow!

 BUTTER BRAIDS

Back by popular demand, we will be doing the Butter Braids fundraiser again this year.  Delivery will be the week before Easter/Passover.   Look for further info soon. 

SPRING BREAK

Our Spring Break will be the week after Easter.  So our last day of school will be on Thursday, April 5^th and our first days back will be on Monday, April 16^th. 

SIGN-IN/OUT SHEETS

Thanks for your cooperation with the sign-in sheets.  I so appreciate your assistance!

SNOW DAYS

So as I am typing this, it is snowing.  We will see if it sticks.  People are asking about the last day of school, but I am hesitant to say for sure until we get through March and possible snow storms.  As of right now, we are looking at May 25^th but additional snow days will add to this.  Then we will have summer camp after that.

 NOTES

Here are some helpful hints for helping get your child ready for kindergarten.  However, these are ideas not just limited to the older children because they are skills that the children start working on when they are in the younger class. 

Truly, one of the things that will help children is their self-help skills – can they walk (not be carried) in and out of school, have they learned to separate easily, can they take off and hang up their own coats (unassisted),  can they find their own coats, put them on and zip them up.  Can they dress themselves in the morning.  Can they do things independently within the classroom or at home.

It’s important that children learn to hold a crayon/pencil/marker with the tripod grip –not a fist grip.  Use short pencils (possibly from golf) or shorter pieces of crayons to promote this if children are gravitating to the fist-grip.  What also helps children is the use of scissors.  If the children are having trouble with the muscles associated with this, have them use play dough/clay, use tongs to pick up objects, use clothes pins, string beads,… – things to help strengthen the hand muscles.

They encouraged reading to your child – every day – for at least 15 minutes.  Stop while you are reading and ask your child to predict what will happen next or ask them to retell the story to you.

Talk to a child with “rich” language. 

Ask your child “what if” questions (like what if all the trees were blue?).

Give your children 3 step directions.

Encourage your child to stay with an activity until it is finished.

If you are working on an alphabet letter, try finding it in context – on a cereal box, on a sign, in a book that you are reading.  Say the sounds, show them the letter and trace out the shape of the letter – that way you are appealing to the visual, auditory and kinesthetic aspects of learning.  You can trace it in rice or flour or bird seed or shaving cream, too.

It is very important that a child be “part of a group”, able to interact with and actively engage with other children.  Besides school, schedule play-dates.

You want “can-do” children who want to learn, who can sit and listen and attend to a story, who actively engage in learning, who can approach and interact with a group, and who can also pursue learning independently.

Don’t forget that children really need outside play time – for coordination, nature, large muscle skills, social skills…

As ever,

Marge

          If you didn’t get to come in and observe during classroom visitation week, we would love to have you come in at another time.  Almost any time is okay, just check with the teachers.

          We are still doing registrations for next year.  We take registrations until our classes fill.  If you know of anyone who is interested in our school, please have them call or e-mail us.

           February is Children’s Dental Health Month!  On Tuesday, January 31^st  , we will have Dental Health Shows with Dr. Katelin Johnson.  She’ll show a DVD about dental health and do a puppet show with Mrs. Debby Johnson. 

          On Thursday, February 23^rd, we will be having an assembly at11:00 with Travis Gale of Eyes of the Wild.  Travis will bring in small animals for the children to learn about and possibly touch.  Our Terrific 2’s and 3’s are welcome to attend this with a parent.

          On Thursday, March 15th, we will be going to the RVCC planetarium as a whole school.  The show is at11:00 a.m.  A separate information sheet and permission slip will follow.  Sorry, but siblings are not allowed on this field trip, as per the planetarium’s request.

          Parent – Teacher conferences will be held on Friday, March 2nd  and Monday, March 5^th.   Sign-up forms will be sent home.  Please return them to me.  I’ll post the schedule in the hallway.

          Our spring break follows Tewksbury’s calendar this year.  So, the last day of class will be on Thursday, April 5^th.  Classes will resume on Monday, April 16^th.

 HEALTH

          This is the time of year for a lot of colds and viruses as well as other assorted “crud”.  The best advice is to keep children home when they’re sick and try to keep healthy:   hand-washing and healthy eating and sleeping habits.  Also remind your children to keep their fingers out of their mouths and noses.  I would also encourage the use of a hand-sanitizer like Purrell or use wipes.  We use them in the classrooms and would encourage you to use it after the children have any exposure – like supermarkets (and carts), public doorknobs…  Thanks for being so good about keeping your children home when they’re sick!

 ODDS AND ENDS

          Our Lost and Found collection is growing.  Please check the larger coat rack in the hallway for trinkets, treasures, clothing…

          We are also still collecting plastic screw-on caps for recycling through Aveda – we have recycled 4 boxes of those this year – about 20-25 pounds worth!!  These are plastic (non-bendable) lids found on shampoo, beverage, detergent, flip-top, and pharmaceutical bottles (not metal, margarine, yogurt, lotion pump, or spray pump tops).  What a great way to help your children understand recycling and saving the earth.

 As ever,

Marge

The concert is part of the Haytown Open House, offering families a unique opportunity to visit the school, meet the faculty and current students, and have fun with one of New Jersey’s premier children’s entertainers.  Big Jeff is an award-winning children’s performer who delights audiences with his blend of humor, learning, and contagious enthusiasm for music.  To learn more about Big Jeff and hear a sample of his music, visit bigjeffmusic.com.   

Concert starts at 11am, Haytown Open House begins at 12pm

Call (908) 832-5645 for more information

• Scholastic Books is doing very well.  We’ve gotten many new titles to add to our library.  Many thanks to Sandra Somers!!!
• Tuition ($350/$439/$455) is due on the first of the month.  There is a $5 late fee if it is paid after the 10th of the month.  Please let me know if there is ever a problem with paying the tuition – I would be glad to work out an alternate payment plan with you.
• There is still room in our Fantastic Fridays program.  It runs from 9-12:00 and includes about 1 ½ hours of phys. ed, story, snack, outside/free play…  It is taught by Fran Saitta.
• In spite of the power outages, in spite of not having school for a week, the fund riser turned out to be a great success!!  Many thanks to those who came and for our very, very hard-working board of directors!
• Please remember that if the weather turns bad, you can always pick up your children early or not send them to school.  We all have a variety of cars and driveways!
• The Thanksgiving Feast was incredible.  The children were amazingly polite and well-behaved.  Many thanks to all those who sent in food or helped out on that day.
• We are still collecting the caps for Aveda.  We have already sent in 3 boxes of tops – about18 pounds worth!!!
• A note about teaching/using sign language:  From Parents magazine,  “Experts say that teaching children this age the signs for words and the alphabet can help with letter recognition and build their vocabulary.  Kids just think it is fun.”  It also adds (along with Handwriting Without Tears) a kinesthetic component to letter sounds – in addition to the visual and auditory.  So that aids many children who learn primarily this way.
   
  HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!!!

1.  Older Basic:

 2. Olders With Fantastic Fridays:

 3. Youngers Basic:

 4.  Youngers with Lunch Only

 5.  Youngers with Lunch + Fantastic Fridays

 6. Younger Basic with Fantastic Fridays -

7. Terrific Twos & Three’s:

Thank you for your support.