Orange Day will be Friday October 12th  (please have the kids wear orange clothes)

Pumpkin Picking
We will be continuing our tradition of going to the pumpkin patch in Holbrook again this year.  The kids have a great time and get to pick a pumpkin to take home .  In the past we have gone on a Friday and walked on our own to the patch but this year I will be looking into booking a scheduled field trip so we can get a hay ride too   As soon as I know the date, I will be asking for parent volunteers to accompany us.

Halloween Party
We will be having our annual Halloween Party on Wednesday October 31st.  Children should be sent to school that day with their costume in a bag.  We will only be wearing them when we go Trick or Treating next door.

Upcoming Holidays and Vacation Time
We will be closed Monday October 8th for Columbus Day  & Monday November 12th for Veteran’s Day

We are also closed November 22nd & 23rd for Thanksgiving
Vacation Week is December 24th through January 1st .  We will be taking the Monday before New years to make up for missing Yom Kippur this year.

Request for supplies
We will be needing old magazines for a project we will be working on soon.  If anyone has old magazines they would like to donate, we would appreciate it .

Yellow Day
Please have the kids wear something yellow on the 20th.  We are going to have the brightest day ever!

Welcome Jordan Family
We have a new addition to our group.  Evan is 16 months old and very sweet!!  He appears to be enjoying himself and the kids love him

Birthday Lists
If you haven’t already given me a birthday list for your immediate family members, please do

Special Days in September
September  6th  Miss Caitlin’s 2 year Anniversary
September 10th  Brodie’s 3rd Birthday
Deepak’s Mom’s Birthday
September 20th  Yellow Day

Here we are, going into the last month of the summer. Themes run all throughout the year, but the summer tends to be a bit laid back in the curriculum. This month our main focus will be dinosaurs. This is a great unit and all the kids love learning about these huge prehistoric creatures. Tons of fun to be had  Our color is purple and our letters are Q, R, and Z.

Pool party

We will be having an end of the summer pool party at Nana Sandler’s on Saturday August 25^th at 12:00. This is the only day that we’ll be able to do it, so if it gets rained out we’ll just have to look forward to next year . We’ll have a barbecue and everyone can bring something. I’ll post a sign up sheet, a couple of weeks before, on the cork board.

Expectations for last year preschoolers

This includes Jin, Deepak, Austin, Madison, and Emma

All children should have a well developed routine, but it becomes more important as they enter school. I want to take this opportunity we have in our last year together to help prepare the children and also the parents to ensure a successful transition into kindergarten. A good night sleep is essential in ensuring the children are going to school ready to learn. They should arrive at school no later than 9:00 AM. Some homework will be given on occasion that will enhance some of the skills your child is working on. It wasn’t very long ago that Bri started school and I remember feeling a bit overwhelmed at the new responsibility I had. Helping our kids develop good work habits and independence in learning can be challenging at times, but so important in helping the kids have a positive educational experience. School should be looked at as the most important aspect in your child’s life and everything else revolves around it.

Be sure to wish Jin a happy 4^th birthday on August 16^th !!!

First off, I hope everyone had a wonderful vacation! Brianna, Shay and I went to NJ, Delaware, DC, and Maryland from 7 AM Saturday morning till 1:30 AM Thursday morning. Then Bri and I were off again at 7AM Friday morning to go to Six Flags NE. We stayed in Springfield Friday night. It was quite an adventure, we had a blast! I have lots of pictures to share with the kids . If any of you have any pictures to share, of things your family enjoyed together during the week, please share them. If you send in prints, they will be used for scrapbooking. If you e-mail them, they will be put into a slideshow.

Now we need to get down to business…

In light of recent economic changes, I will need to increase your daily rate. The quality and standards maintained at my home necessitate these changes.

The daily rate is changing from $45 a day to $50 a day; this will add an extra $25 onto the full-time rate. This change will be in effect as of September 1^st.

Lastly, I’d like to let you know that I will be planning an end of summer pool party at Nana Sandler’s. I’m looking at the last weekend in August. I will figure out the exact day and time and let you know ASAP .

As we embark on the new school year, I have many plans to help develop the age-appropriate skills and goals necessary to prepare our kids for continued success in learning. I am very excited to have the opportunity to help enrich their education and social skills. I’m really looking to being with all my little friends again and enjoying our time together.

Sincerely,

Miss Rachel

This month our themes are butterflies, zoo animals, and construction. Our letters are M and N. Our colors are black and gray. Our shape is hexagon.

Welcome Mairead

Our newest addition to the group, Mairead is 4 months old. The kids love her already ?

Swim Gear

I’ve been asking parents to bring in swim diapers as needed for the kids who aren’t potty trained. I ask each parent to buy a package for everyone to share. I’ll let you know when it’s your turn ?

Field Trip

We are planning a trip to the Franklin Park Zoo one June 22nd. They have a nice butterfly exhibit that I think the kids will really enjoy. We will plan on spending most of the day at the zoo enjoying all it has to offer. Chaperones are needed; please let me know if you’d like to join us. The price of admission will be $10 for adults and $5 for children over 2. I will bring snacks and lunch for everyone ?

June Birthdays

Brianna will be 8 on the 5th

Emmett will be 3 on the 20th

Deepak will be 4 on the 26th

Nicer weather is upon us and I really look forward to utilizing our outdoor space as an ongoing learning environment. The curriculum is focused on the wonders of nature. We’ll be learning about bugs in general and more specifically ladybugs and spiders. We’ll also be having fun with birds, flowers, and bubbles. Our letters this month are B and P. Our shape is rectangle and colors are rainbow.

Sun Protection

We are going to be outside more in the upcoming months. Sun block will be applied to the kids a half hour before we go out in the morning and again in the afternoon. I have a supply of Coppertone bug and sun which I will use unless you have something else you would rather me use, and then you would need to supply me with a bottle of that. A large part of the yard is shaded, but until the leaves bloom, we don’t have any. If you want your child to wear a hat when outside please send one to keep here. We will not go outside when temperature and humidity levels are too high for young children. Water is frequently offered in the hot weather as well.

Fiesta Friday

Friday May 4^th we will be celebrating Cinco De Mayo. We will have Mexican food, enjoy Mexican music with our homemade maracas, and play games. If anyone has a sombrero hat we would love to borrow it 

Mother’s Day

We will help the kids make Mother’s Day gifts they will be proud to give to their special mom.

Story time with Karen Mitchell
Karen is from CPC and she will be coming to read to us and do an activity with the kids on Thursday April 5th. We are also planning on doing our Easter egg hunt on this day also.

Liam’s 1st Birthday
We are going to be celebrating Liam’s birthday on Friday April 6th. We have lots of fun planned for this big event.

Cat in the Hat’s 50th Birthday Celebration
Friday March 2nd we will be celebrating Dr. Seuss’s birthday and the 50th anniversary of the Cat in the Hat. We will be playing games and reading books and having green eggs and ham for lunch, of course

Farewell Grace
As you are all aware, Grace is going to be leaving us to help mommy get ready for the babies. Her last day will be March 9th. We will all miss her very much. A party will be held in her honor on that day?.

St. Patrick’s Day
We are going to have a party on March 16th. Hopefully we’ll get a visit from a leprechaun?. Everyone should wear green that day.

Golden Weddings Party
Basically I felt the need to have another party! Every other Friday this month we were having one, so I came up this one. It goes along with our letters G and W and our fairytale theme. Don’t they always get married and live happily ever after!

Austin’s Birthday Party
We will be celebrating AustinÕs 4th birthday on March 30th.

March Birthdays
Miss Rachel – 11th
Austin – 31st

Valentine’s Day
All month we will be encouraging the children to express kindness and love to their friends and family.  ValentineÕs Day is Wednesday the 14th.  We will be having a party, of course.  If you would like your child to participate in the card exchange please send him/her with cards for everyone in our group.  Let me know if you need a list of names.

Literacy Project
We are going to participate in project 236.  Please check out this link to read more about it. http://www.seussville.com/CITH_50th/
The Cat in the HatÕs 50th birthday is March 2nd.  We are going to be doing Various Cat in the Hat activities throughout the month to gear up for the big day

Important Dates
February 6th – Miss CaitlinÕs Birthday
February 7th – Workshop at 6:30
February 14th – Valentine’s Day
February 19th – CLOSED for President’s Day
February 22nd – In Honor of the letter H, we are going to have Hat Day.

Important Dates
I will be collecting from you dates for birthdays of immediate family members and anniversaries so we can add these to our calendar. The kids will enjoy surprising you with cards and or gifts for your special days. ?

Parent Workshop
I am hosting a parenting workshop on the evening of February 7th presented by Community Partnerships for Children. This should be a fun and informative event. I hope you all will be able to make it. A flyer will be posted on the cork board along with a sign up sheet.

January Birthdays
Madison’s 4th Birthday – 21st
Emma’s 4th Birthday – 19th
Tom’s 3rd Birthday – 19th
We will have a Birthday Bash on Friday the 19th to celebrate all three together

Tiny Treasures will be closed Monday January 15th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day