Christmas Break – No school December 22nd to January 2nd , school will resume on January 3rd
CHRISTMAS PJ PARTIES – DECEMBER 16TH, 20TH, 21ST
Christmas is our favorite time of year! We are looking forward to enjoying warm cocoa, sharing our favorite Christmas stories and having fun in our Christmas PJs. Please have your little one come dressed in their Christmas PJs! Please email if you are interested in volunteering at the party or if you can help from home or if you can send in a special snack for the kids to share.
INCLEMENT WEATHER:
We follow the Tahoma school districts lead when it comes to weather delays or closures. Due to our morning schedule if the school district has a late start we will not have class that day.
GOATS:
Our little goats have arrived and are settling in nicely to their new home. The children have really enjoyed having them become part of our preschool family and it is wonderful to see them playing together. “Earl” and “Sherman” have been so gentle with the all of the students and love it when they visit them in their barnyard. If anyone has any additional leftover pumpkins please feel free to bring them. Earl and Sherman would love an extra treat!
WINTER CLOTHES:
With the temperatures starting to drop we want to make sure all the kids are well equipped for the chilly weather as we make a point to go outdoors on most days. If possible, please provide a clearly labeled pair of mittens and a hat in a clearly labeled plastic bag to be left at school for the winter months. Or if you are sending your kids to school in snow gear, please make sure it is clearly labeled to prevent any mix ups.
*When deciding to go outdoors we follow the National Health and Safety Performance Standards Guidelines for Early Care and Education Programs. You can find more information on their guidelines at: http://cfoc.nrckids.org/StandardView/3.1.3.2
PICK UP/DROP OFF:
Please make sure you are pulled all the way forward to allow for the cars still coming up the driveway to have room.
DURING DROP OFF: The first 3 cars in line can get out and bring their child to the door, once those three cars have pulled forward the next 3 cars can pull up and drop off.
DURING PICK UP: Please make sure you are pulled all the way forward. It is ok for everyone to get out at one time and come up to the Preschool. Please no u-turns continue all the way through the roundabout and remember that the gravel road is 10mph or less. For the safety of everyone, please do not drive your vehicles in the grass. The fall brought our lovely region a fair amount of rain making our grassy areas extremely damp and muddy. We are working to make pick up and drop off run as smooth as possible for everyone. We want to thank you all for being so patient and understanding during our first year and helping us work through some of our logistic kinks.
DIAPERS: If your child is currently in Diapers or Pull Ups please remember to periodically send in additional refills.
Merry Christmas!!!
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10 Reasons Why You Should Read to Your Kids
As a parent, reading to your child is one of the most important things you can do to prepare him with a foundation for academic excellence.
From earlymoments.com
1. A stronger relationship with you. As your child grows older, he’ll be on the move—playing, running, and constantly exploring his environment. Snuggling up with a book lets the two of you slow down and recaptures that sweet, cuddly time you enjoyed when he was a baby. Instead of being seen as a chore or a task, reading will become a nurturing activity that will bring the two of you closer together.
2. Academic excellence. One of the primary benefits of reading to toddlers and preschoolers is a higher aptitude for learning in general. Numerous studies have shown that students who are exposed to reading before preschool are more likely to do well in all facets of formal education. After all, if a student struggles to put together words and sentences, how can he be expected to grasp the math, science, and social concepts he’ll be presented with when he begins elementary school?
3. Basic speech skills. Throughout toddlerhood and preschool, your child is learning critical language and enunciation skills. By listening to you read One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, your child is reinforcing the basic sounds that form language. “Pretend reading”—when a toddler pages through a book with squeals and jabbers of delight—is a very important pre-literacy activity. As a preschooler, your child will likely begin sounding out words on his own.
4. The basics of how to read a book. Children aren’t born with an innate knowledge that text is read from left to right, or that the words on a page are separate from the images. Essential pre-reading skills like these are among the major benefits of early reading.
5. Better communication skills. When you spend time reading to toddlers, they’ll be much more likely to express themselves and relate to others in a healthy way. By witnessing the interactions between the characters in the books you read, as well as the contact with you during story time, your child is gaining valuable communication skills.
6. Mastery of language. Early reading for toddlers has been linked to a better grasp of the fundamentals of language as they approach school age.
7. More logical thinking skills. Another illustration of the importance of reading to children is their ability to grasp abstract concepts, apply logic in various scenarios, recognize cause and effect, and utilize good judgment. As your toddler or preschooler begins to relate the scenarios in books to what’s happening in his own world, he’ll become more excited about the stories you share.
8. Enhanced concentration and discipline. Toddlers may initially squirm and become distracted during story time, but eventually they’ll learn to stay put for the duration of the book. Along with reading comprehension comes a stronger self-discipline, longer attention span, and better memory retention, all of which will serve your child well when he or she enters school.
9. Acclimation to new experiences. As your child approaches a major developmental milestone or a potentially stressful experience, sharing a relevant story is a great way to help ease the transition. For instance, if your little one is nervous about starting preschool, reading a story dealing with this topic shows her that her anxiety is normal.
10. The knowledge that reading is fun! Early reading for toddlers helps them view books as an indulgence, not a chore. Kids who are exposed to reading are much more likely to choose books over video games, television, and other forms of entertainment as they grow older.