DECEMBER 2011 NEWSLETTER

We wish you all a Pleasant Holiday Season, and a Happy & Healthy New Year!

Important December Dates:

• Public School Students
  Wednesday, December 7th is a Half Day for the Public Schools. Thank you for your prompt response to the survey Kindergarten Forest Ranger & Cowpoke Parents!

• Holiday Closures
  Young World will be CLOSED on both Monday, December 26th & Monday, January 2nd for Christmas and New Year’s observances.

• Nursery School and Pre-K Reminders
  Neither (9:00-11:30) Nursery School nor (8:30-11:30) Pre-K will be in session December 26th–January 2nd. The week of 12/26/11 is a tuition free week for those students.

• Holiday Survey
  In order to grant time off to our staff during the holidays, we need accurate class counts.  So, we are surveying ( most of) our families. Individual surveys have been distributed to most groups for the week of 12/26/11. Please return these surveys via the Tuition Box by December 9th. One brief reminder – tuition free vacation time is only granted AFTER 5 months of enrollment – please see your Parent Handbook for more information. Thank you for your prompt response!

Safety First
Our Parking Policy is first and foremost a Safety Policy. As such it is very important that it is adhered to. We ask that parents NEVER park in the back of our building. With our large staff of 17, there is absolutely no room in the back parking lot for parents to park. Please remember parking for parents is along Main Street only. Our back lot is strictly reserved for staff. When parents park in the rear of the building it interferes with staff coming to work which puts the safety and supervision of the children in jeopardy. The parking lot is also our pathway to and from the playground so for obvious reasons cars driving in & out are cause for concern. As always at Young World – SAFETY FIRST! 

December Curriculum
Please be sure to take the time to read the weekly theme sheets and class notes this month, as I’m certain you will find them enlightening. All throughout the month of December your children will be learning about how children of other cultures and countries celebrate the holiday season. Many interesting tidbits regarding these celebrations will be posted for you to read. If your family has any special traditions please share them with your child’s teacher. She may be able to incorporate them into the curriculum.

Notes and Phone Calls
Communication between home and school is important. If you have news to relay to your child’s teacher or a question or concern you would like to address, please jot her a note and leave it in the tuition box or give her a call. Naptime is a convenient time for the teachers to make/receive calls. Just a reminder, the teachers do post daily, weekly, and monthly information that pertains directly to their class. Please take the time to read this information so you can stay abreast of happenings at school. Thank you!

Outside Play
Winter weather will soon be upon us. Please remember we will continue to play outside even when the temperature drops. It is a good idea to label your child’s winter wear (hats, boots, mittens, snowpants, etc…) with his/her name to avoid mix-ups.

Extra Clothing
Reminder – Please continue to check the extra clothes in your child’s cubby; underwear, socks, pants, and a shirt are necessities. Thank you! 

CLASSROOM NEWS

WOW! The holidays are just around the corner.  Last month the Book Worms discussed all of the things we’re thankful for and how to say “Thank You” in different languages.  We also chatted about healthy treats and not-so-healthy treats.

This month we will talk about all of the holidays and ways to celebrate them.  We will also learn about what animals do during this season: migrate, hibernate, or adapt, by making our own cave to hibernate in.

LOTS of birthdays this month: Logan on the 15th, Adrien on the 16th, Samone and Liam Z. on the 19th, and Clara on the 31st!  Happy Birthday to all of you! 




 
In December The Little Critter classroom will be fun and festive for the holiday season with decorations to make, songs to sing and bells to ring, yummy treats to make and eat, and lots to learn about the many customs and traditions that make the holidays special.  We will also keep very busy working at Santa’s Workshop, traveling by plane, train, or mini-van to be home for the holidays or taking The Polar Express to the North Pole! 

The M,W,F Critters will take time to learn about some of the many holiday celebrations from around the world.

The T,Th Critters will spend time exploring the joys of the holiday season and focus on home and family.

We wish Kate Happy Birthday on the 5th!  We would also like to say “Welcome” to our new T,Th friends Carson, Everest, and Gian Carlo and “Goodbye” to our friend Noah.  We wish you well in your new classroom!


 



It seemed like November came and went so quickly!  The Goldfish kept very busy talking about nutritious foods, learning about Pilgrims and Native Americans, and continuing to observe the characteristics of Fall.  Thanks to all of you who contributed to our food drive for The Community Center.  It was a huge success and, I’m sure, appreciated by all who received.

Through the entire month of December we will be exploring holiday celebrations from around the world.  If you would like your child to share any special traditions that you celebrate at home, please write them down and we will be glad to share them during Circle Time.  We will enjoy special snacks from Mexico and Germany and learn the story of Hanukkah and its traditions.  We will also talk about the importance of giving and sharing and work on special Christmas projects.  Please keep an eye on the sign-in table for information about our own Goldfish Christmas celebration.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ALL!






In November The Forest Rangers really enjoyed and got into learning about and role-playing the first Thanksgiving.  We found out where all of our ancestors came from and discovered that some of our families came from the same country!  After asking The Forest Rangers what they enjoyed the most, some responses were: Jaiden liked “the Pilgrims”; Ella liked “the Indian clothes”; Sophia and Camden liked “making the hats”.  A favorite for all of our Forest Rangers was the wetu (a Wampanoag house) that we made in our Housekeeping area.  The day before Thanksgiving we were all very thankful that we had our Pre-K friends as well as our Kindergarten friends join us for lunch when we made Shepard’s Pie with turkey to share! 

December activities began after Thanksgiving. The Forest Rangers are bubbling with The Holiday Spirit!  We have been busy like Santa’s elves creating art to decorate our room and making gifts for our families!  We have already begun sharing what our families have done and will do in preparation for the holidays.  In our room we will compare these to traditions from countries around the world.  We will read about, talk about, have activities about, and role-play about Christmas (Santa and Baby Jesus) and Hanukkah. December is looking to be an exciting, Energy filled, and fun-filled month!

We will end the month by preparing for The New Year and celebrating Chase’s birthday on the 31st!






December is filled with one special day after another for The Cowpokes!  December 5th-6th marks Saint Nicholas Day in many European countries.  December 7th is a Half-Day of Public School.  You can be certain that The Cowpokes will use the extra time that day to work on gifts for their families!  December 12th is Poinsettia Day which is followed by Lucia Day -a Swedish celebration- on December 13th. December 15th is Show and Tell.  This month’s theme is “Red and Green”.  Las Posadas begins on December 16th.  Sundown on December 20th marks the start of Hanukkah and December 21st is the first day of Winter.  The Cowpokes will have their holiday party on December 22nd – watch for details!  December 24th is Christmas Eve. December 25th is Christmas of course.  The 26th brings us a day off from Young World, Boxing Day, the beginning of Kwanzaa, and the start of Public School vacation – which means extra time at Young World! Last but not least, December 31st is New Year’s Eve.

Did we mention the Music Days or this month’s birthday?  Happy Birthday wishes go out to Brianna on the 24th & Seth is our New Year’s Birthday on January 1st!

HAPPY HOLIDAYS TO ONE AND ALL! From J.P., Shelby, & Mona