August 1, 2014
Dear Parents:
The children have been enjoying summer camp and all of the fun activities we have provided for them. We would like to thank Johanna from the Child Care Council for providing us with the 3D Art program, the children made such great things! We would also like to thank Toby from Party Kingdom for providing us with a Big Splash as we had fun on the water slide! We have been busy discussing summer, the beach, summer fruit and summer snacks… our favorites are ice cream and watermelon. They have been playing musical instruments, having a lemonade stand, dressing as superhero’s and singing summer songs too!! The children are looking forward to more fun activities this month!!
REMINDER: HICCUPS THE CLOWN IS VISITING MISS DAWN’S AUGUST 5th!!!
This month we have planned a Touch Tank, Happy Feet, Patulous – the different catapillar, Hiccups the Clown, favorite color day, show and tell, stuffed animal day, pajama day, Treasure Hunt, ice cream day, crazy hair and sunglasses days, a Pizza party and more!! The children are looking forward to all of these fun activities!!
Our picnic’s have been a great success!! The children love eating outside on beach blankets and singing summer songs. PLEASE send in a sandwich on picnic days as it is easier for the children to transport and eat outside.
Everyday at circle time we will be reviewing numbers, letters, colors, shapes and our daily songs, we will also be learning about fish, summer fruits, insects and the beach. We will be doing sand art and tasting all kinds of summer fruit. The children also enjoy doing music, movement and exercise everyday and they are really doing well and they love to do their projects too! Our number & alphabet writing is progressing along wonderfully. The children love to come up during circle time to write their name and letters.
Miss Dawn’s Child Care Summer Camp is in full swing!! The children truly enjoy it! Hopefully everyone will participate in this wonderful event for it to be successful. Please look for the Camp Calender as well for all of our exciting August events.
We would like to offer a wonderful camp setting without the outrageous cost of camp. We will be creating an atmosphere of exploration, discovery, and excitement. Our aim is to provide an atmosphere for your children filled with wonderful memories that you both can share forever.
Some of the fun filled Camp Activities that the children will be doing are:
- Party Kingdom, LLC.– Sports, bowling, bouncer water slide, tumbling, parachute, bubbles & more.
- Hiccups the Clown – A clown will come to visit with us. She will be doing magic tricks, face painting and animal balloons.
- Happy Feet – Story time with a soccer ball.
- Arts & Crafts – The teachers will be making all kinds of wonderful ceramics, paper mache’, tie dying, 3D Art and more!
- Exercise/Dance – The teachers will show the children some basic exercise and movements.
- Music & Movement – We will be singing and dancing with the children using all kinds of fun instruments.
- Marine Science & Environmental Education – Touch Tank – during this unique and fun activity the children will learn about local marine fauna in a hands-on way when the marine educators bring a touch tank full of live sea stars, shellfish, crabs, snails, and fish right to Miss Dawn’s.
- As well as, Treasure Hunts, Carnival Day, Pizza Party, Obstacle Courses, Crazy Hat Day, Ice-Cream Parties, Picnics, Magic Shows, Water Fun and more!
The cost of camp will be an additional $50.00 a month per child for July and August. The additional camp cost will only be for the months of July & August. Please submit your Camp fee as soon as possible in cash in a separate envelope for both months. The fee will help to cover the cost of all the great activities and special lunches we will be having.
Summer Camp will run July 7th – Aug. 29th. We hope that everyone will participate. Our desire is to give the children an action packed safe and happy summer.
Miss Dawn’s is excited to announce that we are opening up a full time Infant Room and will have capacity for 8 infants!!! We are also restructuring the 3 and 4 year old classes and combining them to provide a new and stimulating environment for them. By combining the 3’s and 4’s, this will allow younger students the stimulation of older children, who in turn benefit from serving as role models. In a mixed-age class, children can always find peers who are working at their current level. The children will stay in the same class for two years with most of the class returning the next year, which allows the classroom culture to remain quite stable. Working in one class for two or three years allows children to develop a strong sense of community with their classmates and teachers and also allows all children the stimulation of their peers.
“Soviet psychologist Lev Vygotsky was an early proponent of mixed-age learning. He thought that the best way for children to learn was through interaction with older, more competent children who could set good examples for cognition and behavior. Hanging out with older children pushes younger ones to learn more than they would be capable of learning on their own. Jean Piaget, believed that children learn best from peers close in age, well-matched in knowledge, skills, and power. With their peers, children can learn to solve problems organically and to practice playing a variety of roles in solving them, rather than always being guided in how to fix things by an older, more experienced child. In mixed-age classes, older children have opportunities to practice leadership skills and prosocial behaviors, like helping and sharing (Derscheid 1997; French et al. 1986).
Mixed-age classrooms might also have the benefit of muddying age-based comparisons and competition between children because there is likely to be a naturally wide range of skills and abilities within the class. As a parent, it is hard to fret that your child is behind the curve if there is no real curve. And teachers might be more likely to work with children where they are, focusing on their individual interests and skills rather than expecting the entire class to move linearly through milestones and achievements. Plus, mixed-age classes make it logistically easier to keep the same teacher with a group of kids for several years, maybe decreasing the stress of abrupt classroom and teacher changes for young kids (Whaley and Kaplan 1992). Mixed-Ages also relieves the stress of moving to a new school or classroom and attachment to friends…. As we feel, the priority is that all of the children are in a place where they are happy and feel safe, have lots of opportunities to play solo or with other kids, and that they grow in confidence in social situations.”
We are pleased to announce Miss Claudia is coming back this September to the 3 and 4 year old room!!! Miss Claudia is excited to be back this fall with her fresh ideas to share with the children and to co-teach with Miss Christine. As always our Pre-K / 4 year old class will continue to follow the Preschool Curriculum to get them ready for Kindergarten. Welcome Back!!
If anyone would like to donate tissues, we have been going through so many boxes. We appreciate it!
If you are interested in Direct Deposit from your bank it is now available, please contact Dawn for further information.
Please be sure to watch or check online Channel 12 News or call the schools voicemail, and we now we have an automated phone message for any days we will be closed or for important information.
Reminders:
- Please pick your children up on time. If you will be late, please advise the staff as soon as possible – thank you.
- Tuition payments are due on the first and no later than the 10th of the month unless otherwise arranged. Full Tuition price is due each month, there is no price adjustment when your child is absent, school closings or vacations. After the 10th, a $35 late charge will be applied.
- Please call if your child will be absent or if you are running late.
The hot weather is here!! The children will be going outside twice a day and we will be continuing our water play. Please dress your child appropriately and label ALL items that are brought to the school and also bring in an extra change of clothes too. To ensure safety please have your child wear sneakers everyday, no crocs or flip flops, as they are not safe for the playground. Please bring in a bathing suit, towel, suntan lotion, insect repellent, water shoes, wipes and a summer change of clothes; shorts, tee-shirt, socks, and underwear (if needed) for your child.
Miss Dawn’s website has been updated with the new 2014 closings so please check it out at: www.missdawns.com. Please feel free to email a wonderful review at missdawnschildcare@gmail.com if you haven’t already and your child will receive a surprise! Thank you so much to all of the wonderful parents who have written a testimonial for us, it is greatly appreciated!
Thank you for your cooperation. Have a wonderful Month and Happy Birthday to all of the children born in August!
For the children who are going to Kindergarten this September we wish you the very best and will miss you dearly! Don’t forget to come back and visit us! Enjoy the rest of your summer!!
Sincerely, Miss Dawn, Miss Christine & Staff
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