A Note From Our Principal
Thank you all for your participation in our Kids Helping Communities initiative this summer! We are grateful for the opportunity to watch our students serve others these past few weeks and appreciate the role you all had in this. We still have a few more weeks of summer and our teachers are hard at work preparing our classrooms for the new school year.
As we enter into August we have five more Splash days planned. Please remember to apply sunscreen every morning and we will reapply it throughout the day. Restock cubbies for weather appropriate clothes and school items. Please label everything.
Lastly, I will be on vacation starting on August 1st and return on Wednesday, August 10th. Please reach out to Natasha.Clemens@discoveryisle.com for anything you need. I know Natasha and our wonderful group of teachers will keep things running smoothly until I return. I look forward to seeing you all when I return.
Thank you for all your love and support, please don’t hesitate to reach our if you need something.
Sincerely,
Splash Day Fun Continues!
Please have all children dressed in their swimsuits, sunscreen applied and water shoes (or additions set of shoes that can get wet). They will also need sunscreen for us to reapply and a towel to dry off and dry clothes to wear after they are done. Please check cubbies to take home all wet items at the end of the day. Thanks so much for the help!
Save the Date for Back To School Night
We are so excited to be able to host an in person “Back to School Night”. This will allow parents to come into the classroom and see all the awesome things that happen in class during the day. You will get to meet all our staff and explore the school. The teachers will go over their classroom policies and procedures and answer any questions you have on the new school year’s expectations. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 28th from 6:00pm to 7:00 pm. This is so exciting to be able to welcome our families back into the classrooms.
Cubby Refresh
As a reminder, please make sure to refresh the spare clothing in your child’s cubby. Take home anything that no longer fits and leave a spare set of well-fitting, weather-appropriate clothes. Also check expiration dates for sunscreens and meds.
Important Dates
8/6/22- Open House for new enrollment 10:00am to 1:00pm
8/1-8/9- Christy’s vacation- out of the office
8/15/22- Last classroom transitions- everyone will be in their new classes.
Note: Lots of Spirit and Splash days this month so check out our calendar of fun!
New On Our Preschool Blog
How Our Literacy-Rich Classrooms Foster a Love of Learning
Our teachers inspire a love of reading and language every day by creating a child-centered, literacy-rich environment where stories, letters, and words are consistently introduced to students. In our classrooms, materials are labeled with photographs and words, vocabulary development is paramount, and children’s writing attempts are apparent.
Below are a few ways we introduce language and literacy in each of our programs.
Infants (0-1 year)
Language and literacy education begins with our youngest learners. Our teachers establish this foundation with our infants by looking at picture books, reenacting stories using puppets, and reciting nursery rhymes. Teachers take the learning outdoors by encouraging infants to explore sounds heard. For example, teachers may ask, “Do you hear a bird chirping?” or “Do you hear the leaves crunching while we walk?” Through these activities, infants learn about the sounds and structure of language, pre-literacy skills that influence their later success in reading, writing, and speaking.
Toddlers (1-2 years)
Toddler teachers turn reading books into an interactive experience by using dialogic reading. In dialogic reading, teachers engage the students as storytellers and ask questions about the story. For example, the teacher may point to a dog in the book and say, “What is this?” The student may respond, “Dog,” and the teacher will further the conversation by saying, “Yes! That’s a brown dog. Can you say brown dog?”
Beginners (2-3 years)
Teachers in our Beginner classroom design learning experiences that provide students opportunities to recognize their first name in print. For example, they may place students’ first names in the sensory bin with other sensory materials and encourage students to find their name. Our classroom management systems are another way Beginner students learn to recognize their first name in print. Students place their picture, labeled with their first name, by the center they wish to explore.
Intermediates (3-4 years)
As opposed to teaching one letter per week, our teachers discuss letter names and provide opportunities for students to hear specific letter sounds. Prior to reading the book Strega Nona, the teacher may ask, “What letter makes the /s/ sound? What letter makes the /t/ sound? Let’s see if we can hear other words that sound like /s/ and /t/!” While reading, teachers also assist students in connecting new information to what they already know by saying, “This looks almost the same as _____” or “Have you ever _____?”
Pre-K (4-5 years)
Our Pre-K teachers incorporate many activities throughout the day for students to practice language and communication skills. During group discussions, teachers provide time for students to process what they hear and to share their individual thoughts. While exploring centers, teachers ask open-ended questions to encourage multiple responses. For example, they may say, “What would happen if ____” or “What else could you do here?” Teachers create meaningful and authentic language experiences by encouraging students to read together to find answers, create labels, and write lists and thank you cards.
August News 2022
A Note From Our Principal
Thank you all for your participation in our Kids Helping Communities initiative this summer! We are grateful for the opportunity to watch our students serve others these past few weeks and appreciate the role you all had in this. We still have a few more weeks of summer and our teachers are hard at work preparing our classrooms for the new school year.
As we enter into August we have five more Splash days planned. Please remember to apply sunscreen every morning and we will reapply it throughout the day. Restock cubbies for weather appropriate clothes and school items. Please label everything.
Lastly, I will be on vacation starting on August 1st and return on Wednesday, August 10th. Please reach out to Natasha.Clemens@discoveryisle.com for anything you need. I know Natasha and our wonderful group of teachers will keep things running smoothly until I return. I look forward to seeing you all when I return.
Thank you for all your love and support, please don’t hesitate to reach our if you need something.
Sincerely,
Christy Lang
Splash Day Fun Continues!
Please have all children dressed in their swimsuits, sunscreen applied and water shoes (or additions set of shoes that can get wet). They will also need sunscreen for us to reapply and a towel to dry off and dry clothes to wear after they are done. Please check cubbies to take home all wet items at the end of the day. Thanks so much for the help!
Save the Date for Back To School Night
We are so excited to be able to host an in person “Back to School Night”. This will allow parents to come into the classroom and see all the awesome things that happen in class during the day. You will get to meet all our staff and explore the school. The teachers will go over their classroom policies and procedures and answer any questions you have on the new school year’s expectations. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 28th from 6:00pm to 7:00 pm. This is so exciting to be able to welcome our families back into the classrooms.
Cubby Refresh
As a reminder, please make sure to refresh the spare clothing in your child’s cubby. Take home anything that no longer fits and leave a spare set of well-fitting, weather-appropriate clothes. Also check expiration dates for sunscreens and meds.
Important Dates
8/6/22- Open House for new enrollment 10:00am to 1:00pm
8/1-8/9- Christy’s vacation- out of the office
8/15/22- Last classroom transitions- everyone will be in their new classes.
Note: Lots of Spirit and Splash days this month so check out our calendar of fun!
New On Our Preschool Blog
How Our Literacy-Rich Classrooms Foster a Love of Learning
Our teachers inspire a love of reading and language every day by creating a child-centered, literacy-rich environment where stories, letters, and words are consistently introduced to students. In our classrooms, materials are labeled with photographs and words, vocabulary development is paramount, and children’s writing attempts are apparent.
Below are a few ways we introduce language and literacy in each of our programs.
Infants (0-1 year)
Language and literacy education begins with our youngest learners. Our teachers establish this foundation with our infants by looking at picture books, reenacting stories using puppets, and reciting nursery rhymes. Teachers take the learning outdoors by encouraging infants to explore sounds heard. For example, teachers may ask, “Do you hear a bird chirping?” or “Do you hear the leaves crunching while we walk?” Through these activities, infants learn about the sounds and structure of language, pre-literacy skills that influence their later success in reading, writing, and speaking.
Toddlers (1-2 years)
Toddler teachers turn reading books into an interactive experience by using dialogic reading. In dialogic reading, teachers engage the students as storytellers and ask questions about the story. For example, the teacher may point to a dog in the book and say, “What is this?” The student may respond, “Dog,” and the teacher will further the conversation by saying, “Yes! That’s a brown dog. Can you say brown dog?”
Beginners (2-3 years)
Teachers in our Beginner classroom design learning experiences that provide students opportunities to recognize their first name in print. For example, they may place students’ first names in the sensory bin with other sensory materials and encourage students to find their name. Our classroom management systems are another way Beginner students learn to recognize their first name in print. Students place their picture, labeled with their first name, by the center they wish to explore.
Intermediates (3-4 years)
As opposed to teaching one letter per week, our teachers discuss letter names and provide opportunities for students to hear specific letter sounds. Prior to reading the book Strega Nona, the teacher may ask, “What letter makes the /s/ sound? What letter makes the /t/ sound? Let’s see if we can hear other words that sound like /s/ and /t/!” While reading, teachers also assist students in connecting new information to what they already know by saying, “This looks almost the same as _____” or “Have you ever _____?”
Pre-K (4-5 years)
Our Pre-K teachers incorporate many activities throughout the day for students to practice language and communication skills. During group discussions, teachers provide time for students to process what they hear and to share their individual thoughts. While exploring centers, teachers ask open-ended questions to encourage multiple responses. For example, they may say, “What would happen if ____” or “What else could you do here?” Teachers create meaningful and authentic language experiences by encouraging students to read together to find answers, create labels, and write lists and thank you cards.