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March News

A Message From the Principal

Warm Weather is upon us! Now that the snow is melting and the sun has come out we will be trying more and more to get the children outside. Please make sure when dressing them in the morning you are keeping in mind the time their class is schedule to go outside so that you can provide the right outerwear. If you need a copy of the schedule or to know when that is please ask the teachers we are glad to help!

Our Month of March has many exciting events. Themes for the coming weeks include Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss; Transportation over Air, Land, and Sea; Ireland Expedition/Do you see the Rainbow?; Myths, Legends and Fairy Tales; and Spring is Excellent. Visit our Calendar page to see more!

Other Monthly Details
We will have a Rainbow Party on the 17th to celebrate St. Patrick’s Day. There are sign-up sheets next to your classrooms for items to bring for our special day.

We scheduled our first Parent’s Night Out. Looking forward to seeing those signed up to participate on Friday, March 13th. Please bring your payment via check to hand in when you drop the children off that evening.

Our Intermediate and Pre-K families are invited to participate in the annual Science Fair held at our Kid’s Campus on March 24th from 6:15-7:15. Teachers are planning some very fun projects around a Space Theme. Come and have hands-on fun with your youngster.

Early Bird Registration
For currently enrolled families who want to ensure their space is secure and accounted for in our staffing plans for the fall we are having a limited time savings opportunity on the annual registration fee. If you have not turned in your check for ½ off the regular price as well as the paperwork that registers you for the fall then you will want to do so by the 20th to take advantage of this savings.


 

Reminders

THANK YOU to those of you who have been trying very hard to make sure you are following these protocols:

  • Please make sure you are driving slowly through our parking lot while families are dropping off and picking up small children.
  • Please do not allow anyone to enter the building without their door code for the safety of all inside.
  • Please make sure you are not leaving children unattended in vehicles.
  • We do have children in the building with very severe peanut allergies. Please monitor items being brought onto school grounds for possible allergens.
  • Please wash hands when entering classrooms and have your children do so also.
  • Like us on Facebook to see all of the fun and exciting things happening at Enchanted Care!!

Tuition
Tuition is due the weeks of March 2nd, 16th, and 30th. Please make sure that your account is current with the tuition cycle. There will be a $25 late payment fee assessed to all payments made after Wednesday of the tuition week. If you are interested in our automatic withdrawal program, please stop by the office to pick up an authorization form.

WITHDRAWAL/CHANGE OF SCHEDULE Policy
You must give us four weeks’ notice in writing prior to withdrawing your child from the school. If you wish to return after withdrawing your child, space is not guaranteed and you must pay a new registration fee and deposit applicable to new enrollees. You must also give us four weeks’ notice prior to reducing your child’s attendance schedule and two weeks’ notice prior to increasing your child’s attendance schedule.


From our Education Department…

Developing Confident Future Readers

March is National Reading Month, so it is a great time to reinforce how important it is to expose children to books from an early age. We engage all of our students in language and literacy activities every day throughout the school year.

Research has shown that reading aloud to children has a profound influence on their speech development and listening skills. Reading allows children to experience the wondrous world depicted in books, and thrive on the interaction with adults.

Below are age appropriate activities that we implement in our classrooms to get children excited about reading, as well as recommended books to read with your child at home.

INFANTS – Linking sensory and reading experiences

In the classroom: We introduce language and literacy beginning with our infants, by consistently speaking, reading and singing to them. Teachers choose interactive books with bright colors, different textures and pop-up designs to help stimulate infants’ growing sensory awareness.

Books to read at home: Pat the Bunny by Dorothy Kunhardt, Fuzzy Yellow Ducklings by Matthew Van Fleet and Baby Danced the Polka by Karen Beaumont

TODDLERS – Rhyme and repetition

In the classroom: Toddlers enjoy hearing the same books read over and over again, because they are able join in as the stories become more familiar. Teachers read books with rhyme and repetition, such as Goodnight Moon, and vary their voice each time they tell the story. The change in tone gives children a chance to hear different sounds, and encourages them to practice making the sounds themselves.

Books to read at home: All Fall Down by Helen Oxenbury, Where is the Green Sheep by Mem Fox and Big Red Barn by Margaret Wise Brown

BEGINNERS – Engaging the imagination

In the classroom: Around age two, children begin to develop a love for the world of imagination. It’s important to engage children’s imaginations and encourage them to participate in shared reading experiences. A picture walk motivates children to rely on pictorial clues to decipher the story’s plot and make predictions. Before reading the story, the teacher and student flip through the book, and the child is encouraged to make predictions about the characters and plot. The teacher then reads the book aloud with the student. When finished, the child is asked to relate his predictions to the actual outcome of the story. For example, “Now that you know what happened, why was the elephant wearing a tutu?” or “What would you have done if you were the elephant?”

Books to read at home: If You Give a Mouse a Cookie by Laura Numeroff, Corduroy by Don Freeman or Bark, George by Jules Feiffer

INTERMEDIATES – Exploring the wider world 

In the classroom: As our Intermediates are introduced to the Citizens of the World component of our curriculum, they read about different places, cultures and traditions in books. Books help children understand and enjoy learning about the diversity of human experience. During circle time for example, we may read a story about children living in another country, in a different type of house and wearing different types of clothes. Afterward, the teacher connects the story back to what the children know by asking, “What does your house look like?” and “Who lives in your house with you?”

Books to read at home: Abuela by Arthur Dorros, So Much by Trish Cooke and On Mother’s Lap by Ann Scott

PRE-K/PRE-K 2 – Nonfiction Adventures

In the classroom: Children are naturally fascinated by the lives of real people and the world around them.  Our teachers cultivate this fascination by exposing students to nonfiction books. For example, the class may read both a fiction and nonfiction book about animals. Afterward, they are encouraged to compare and contrast the two books and discuss what was accurate in the fiction book.

Books to read at home: Stellaluna by Janell Cannon (fiction) and Bat Loves the Night by Nicola Davies (non-fiction)

By experiencing a literacy-rich environment, both at school and at home, we instill a love of reading and provide the foundation for our students to become successful, confident readers in elementary school and beyond.

– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education

 

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