Children's Center Preschool Serving the Los Feliz, Hollywood, Silverlake , Atwater communities
  • Newsletter

  • Sep11

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    Newsletter- Beginning the Year

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Dear Parents,

    The time has finally arrived and we are looking forward to seeing you and your children next week. We have been busy getting the room and yard ready. Ty, Maya, and I look forward to getting to know the new children and to seeing our familiar ones.
    This note contains lots of information that hopefully will make the beginning of the year easier. First the logistics, then some thoughts about first days with new children and the process of separation, which is really about transference. Children will begin this week on their regular day rather than everyone beginning this  Monday. If you planned for Monday, it is fine to come but otherwise just start on your child’s first day.
    LOGISTICS
    • School begins at 8:45 am. It is a big benefit to all children if they arrive on time. Please try and have your child at the school no later than 9 am. Socially and emotionally, they join in and enjoy the program when they start at the same time as the others. We really appreciate your help with this!
    • School ends at 12 noon for morning children. New parents should come a few minutes earlier to ensure their children are one of the first being picked up, otherwise the children begin to worry when they see everyone else leaving.
    • All new children, even the ones who will normally stay in the afternoon, will leave at noon until they have completed the separation process. This generally involves just a few days depending on the child’s previous experiences.
    • The Parent Handbook is online, listed as one of the headers of the website, www.kidslovepreschool.com. It has loads of information about the school, especially the details of day to day life.
    • The Department of Social Services requires that a child be signed in as you arrive and out when you leave. The sign in/out sheet is on the small table as you enter. They REQUIRE the time, your printed name, and your signature.
    • Please send your children in play clothes that can get dirty and wet. Our program involves water and sand play, art of many kinds, and snack that involves children pouring their own juice. We encourage children to get actively involved.
    • In that spirit, we ask that you bring 2 full changes of clothes, one for inside, one for outside. If you child is recently toilet trained, please send several pairs of underwear and pants, just in case. The first few days can be a learning time for getting to our bathroom on time. Please also send a bathing suit for the, hopefully, really warm days when we put out the wading pool.
    • Please apply sunscreen to your child BEFORE  you come to school. That way, your child is ready to play. We found that it is easier when parents apply it when they first arrive, it can be a struggle as the children are ready to play and their friends are waiting for them. We apply sunscreen on children before they go out after rest time in the afternoon. Whole Foods Market has a mineral based sun block if you are looking for one that avoids the major chemicals.
    • Lunch is at 12 noon, just after the morning children leave. We have space in the refrigerator for lunches. We have a NO NUTS Policy at the school, due to allergies. We will reassess this policy once the school is full, to see if it is still needed.
    • Please send your child with a very good breakfast. School, especially first days, are hard work for children and they burn through a bowl of cereal very quickly. Hungry children are not coping children. We serve snack about 10:15 am and it is very nutritious with fruit, whole grain breads or crackers, and a protein such as cheese, yogurt, or hummus. However, children do not always eat the snack, especially when they first start and are not comfortable yet, and their breakfast is an important part of helping them through the morning. Thank you for your help!
    • A school roster will come out at the end of the week when the schedule is settled. It is for parents use only and is to remain confidential.
    • Parent Potluck and Chance to Talk and Ask Questions- Wednesday, October 6th at 7pm. ( not Sept 23rd as it conflicts with a temple service). Parents only. Please sign up for an item to bring when the sheet comes out on the sign out table. Read More | Comments

  • Jul16

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    July Parent Newsletter

    Posted in: Family events, From the Director, Newsletter

    The summer weather has begun with a bang. We have gone from gray drizzles up into the 90′s. We are now starting outside in the morning. Please put sunblock on your children every morning; we will reapply when we go outside in the afternoon.

    Our New Teacher

    Most of you have met our newest teacher, Maya Haywood during her first week. If you haven’t yet met her, please introduce yourself.  Ty and I are just thrilled she is part of the team.  She holds a California Professional Clear Multiple Subject Teaching Credential and a California Professional Clear Specialist Instruction Credential in Special Education. She also holds a Clear Cross-Cultural, Language and Academic Development Certificate. Her background and teaching experience is in humanistic and constructivist education that incorporates art-making (painting, collage, jewelry, photography) and academics with an emphasis on self-expression. She also has extensive experience with non-violent communication and conflict resolution in both typical and and emotional disturbed settings.

    Parent Handbook

    There is a new parent handbook available on the website. If you are a new parent, please read it. It is the best source of information about the school; many of the important items about policy and operating procedures are available there. Returning parents are encouraged to review it as there are some changes. I created a table of contents that hopefully will help you find what you need easily.

    Shoes and Extra Clothing

    We need your help. It is very important for safety reasons that children come in shoes that are securely on their feet. Tennis shoes are ideal. Children are able to be more independent if the shoes have closures they can do, such as velcro. Please do not send your child in loose sandals, flip-flops, boots, clogs, ballet slippers, etc. They are not appropriate for the many activities we do outside. Trikes, rock walls, skateboard swings, and the climbing structure are an important part of the curriculum for children’s physical development. We want your children to participate in everything.

    Also, we are now keeping two changes of clothes for the children, one inside and one outside. With the warm weather coming, an outside set makes for easier changes. Please check you child’s boxes. We have left the incomplete outside boxes inside on top of the new cubbies. For some of you, clothes changes may occur fairly often. Please replace the clothes after they have been brought home. Thanks!

    Parent Gathering

    On Tuesday, August 3rd, at 11:45 am, we will have a potluck lunch for parents to join the children and teachers. If Tuesday is not your child’s usual day, they are welcome to spend the whole morning and lunch time with us. It will be a chance for parents to get to know each other.  The children who stay for rest will head off to rest time at 12:45; the other families will head home.  There will be a pot luck sign-up sheet at the sing-in table. We hope you are able to join us. Please remember that we are a no nut school in order to prevent allergy problems.

    Parent Roster

    Under separate cover, I will be sending out a parent roster. It will help you set up family get togethers and play dates. Please treat it confidentially and for your use only.

    We look forward to a great summer together!

    Deborah, Ty, and  Maya

  • Jun16

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    June newsletter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Kindergarten Celebration

    On Thursday morning at 11:20 am on June 24th, we are having a celebration lunch for children who in September will be going to Kindergarten. We will have it in June because there are changes in several kids lives and they may not be at school at the end of summer. Also it will make more sense to do it before a number of new, young kids start.

    Summer Break

    Summer break will begin on Friday, June 25th and we will return to school on Tuesday, July 6th. Monday the 5th is a legal holiday. During that time, the temple will be fixing the temple roof and the ceiling and carpet in my about- to be office. My office in part will be in the room at the end of the hallway, just around the corner from the jog to the right. It will be great for parent talks, a teacher’s lounge, and  place for parents to hang out during the separation process.

    Warm Weather Curriculum

    Warm weather has encouraged lots of water play. Please send changes of clothes and check boxes regularly. We have also been exploring water in the classroom; we have watched eye droppers drop color make their way down clear bottles of water, then added other colors to see the change. We have out pouring trays with many tall, short, fat, flat, and varied  containers. Through experimentation and guided discussion with us, children  continue to learn the concepts of size, capacity, volume.  They learn to estimate amounts and predict what will happen as they pour from one container to another. This skill is one of the many aspects of children that develops over time. In a mixed age group. children play side by side and learn at their own pace and level; they also learn from each other as the experimentation goes on.  We will create tubes with bubbles to play with and the water table will have tubes, funnels, bottles, and turkey basters to experiment with. We have a rainbow of bottles out with our beautiful rainbow book, Hawaii is a Rainbow by Stephanie Feeney. We are also exploring different weights and heights by sorting bottles filled to different levels. We will repeat these concepts with other materials such as cornmeal  and wet sand. Over time, children start to grasp how different variables affect the materials. These are very important math concepts.

    Yard Additions

    If you have not been out in the yard recently, please have your child give you a tour. We have added several new things. There is a new play structure, currently being called the down house because the platform above the slide and rock wall is called  the tree house or the up house. We have added two different kinds of building blocks that can be put together to create many kinds of structures. There is a red wagon with sides and a new “big wheel”, for lack of a more accurate term. The garden has plants growing; we currently have green beans, cucumbers, french beans, basil, an Italian round squash, a tomato, and sunflowers that are just finishing up and are about to become bird food,. The big sandbox now has a river running through it on days that are warm enough for the hose.

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  • Apr19

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    Mid-April Newsletter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Dear Families,

    Tomorrow, there will be a visitor at the school who will be sharing his crystals with us. John Gibbon, a long time family friend of Stephen’s and mine, has been dealing in crystals for many years. He will be showing the children a variety of crystals and talking about them. Afterward, we will be growing both sugar and salt crystals.

    This goes along with the children’s interests in rocks and crystals at the school as well as our emergent topic that we will be discussing for the next few weeks. It could roughly be called “Very, very old things that are related to the earth.” We have been talking about the solar system, rocks and crystals, dinosaurs ( which we will be expanding on more next week ), and bugs that have been around since prehistoric time, aka cockroaches.

    Paralleling the “earth” study has been the garden and bird action. We harvested our potatoes and the kids have decided to steam some and make mashed potatoes with the others. The sugar snaps are a big hit so we will have that snack tomorrow. We planted more radishes and are also starting carrots. The radishes are so satisfying as they have started to sprout after

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  • Apr5

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    April Newsletter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Dear Families,

    New Families

    We are delighted welcome two new families into the school………Please remember that phone numbers are only for the personal use of the families for school related business. We are also delighted to say that fall enrollment is going well and ironically, most of the new children are boys. We should be about balanced next year.

    New Teachers

    This April will see several changes. Over the Spring break, we were fortunate enough to find two excellent teachers for the school. One will be a permanent addition to the school and one will become a permanent sub( the way Rebekah used to be). Allison, our permanent sub, will be joining us in the mornings beginning next Tuesday. She will be teaching Tuesday through Friday morning for the remaining weeks of April. Melissa will begin the change in her schedule late next week and will be teaching in the afternoons starting the weeks of April 20th and 27th. She will then be going on her maternity leave. We will miss her greatly, thank her for her many contributions to the school and the children, and wish her, Todd, and their baby boy well. We will have a goodbye/happy baby party at school for her but are working on the date. Read More | Comments

  • Mar6

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    March Newsletter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Dear Parents,

    Pictures from school

    I am so glad that everyone enjoyed the pictures of the fire fighters’ visit; it was a great morning. Check the wall of the preschool as you come in the door to see a more complete set of pictures. The children have been actively playing firefighters ever since.

    It has come to my attention however, that I may not have sufficiently clarified the use of the pictures that come from the school. The pictures are for the use of the school families and may be sent to relatives to show them what is happening at the school. However, you may remember that each of you signed a consent form that stated how the pictures may be used. A few parents asked that their children’s pictures be used only in internal family communication and not be used on Facebook or the website. Therefore, please do not post school pictures on Facebook or other social networking sites. If you have, please just remove them so we collectively can respect the needs of our group. Thank you for your care in this matter.

    Ty, our teacher

    We are delighted to have Ty with us as a teacher and she will now be teaching Tuesday though Friday mornings with Tuesday and Thursday until 3 pm. After the spring break, she will remain until 5 pm on those days.

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  • Feb19

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    Mid-February Newsletter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Dear Parents,

    We really enjoyed the Valentine’s gathering on Thursday; thank you all for joining us. I will send pictures in a different email.

    Website- Hooray!

    We have launched our website. It is www.kidslovepreschool.com. We encourage you to check it out. Comments are welcomed. We would also like you to let all of your friends and family know about  the site so they can become aware of our school. They can see and learn about what we are doing. Word of mouth and personal recommendations are the very best way for our school to grow. Thank you!

    Facebook

    Our Facebook site has been up for awhile. Please check us out at Children’s Center Preschool. Become a friend.  Invite others to be a friend. Make a comment. We appreciate your support!

    Health Heads Up

    There are several children who have a fever and respiratory symptoms. Almost everyone has had congestion, coughing, and runny noses. Please help the children with a good night’s sleep and a nutritious breakfast.

    Curriculum theme

    While we will continue to do post office activities, our theme is a continuation of it- community workers. We will be talking more about doctors, nurses, dentists, and hospitals.  Then in the beginning of March, fire fighters. On March 4th, the fire department, barring a real fire to attend to, will be bringing at least one truck to show us. The children will see a fire fighter suit up in all of his gear, including oxygen tank and mask. We will be preparing for their visit by reading books, getting out the fire fighters outfits, hoses, and hats outside, and talking about what we already know about fire fighters. Then we will write a series of questions to ask the fire fighters when they visit. We’ll take lots of pictures and create a book for the school to remember the visit and what they told us. We may also have a poilce car and police officers visit.

    We regularly do fire drills at the school. This is an excellent time for you at to create or review a fire drill plan for your family at home. The kids will be capable participants .  At school, we have a special bell that we  only ring in case of fire.

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  • Feb1

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    February Newlsetter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Greetings parents,

    This letter is especially fun to write because it is filled with lots of good news and fun things to look forward to. The school is growing and evolving. A Valentine’s Day Breakfast, new teachers, licensing, curriculum, a new website and Facebook.

    VALENTINE’S DAY BREAKFAST- On Thursday, Feb. 11th at 8:30 to 9:30ish, parents, grandparents, and special others are invited to join us for breakfast and a valentine’s making fest.  We will provide all the supplies and food ; you come and make valentines with your children. Come create your own alongside your child, visit with other parents, and get ready for the holiday in a relaxed way. Stay the full hour or 10 minutes, whatever you can make work.

    PRESIDENT’S DAY HOLIDAY- We are closed Monday, February 15th for the holiday.

    HELLO TY-As of this Tuesday morning, there will a new teacher with Melissa and me on Tuesday and Thursday. Her name is Ty Armstrong. She is a lovely woman who was referred by both Melissa and Rebekah from their LACC classes in child development. She has also been a teacher at the UCLA Child Development Center. She has visited the classroom and worked with the children for a morning and popped by on a couple of other occasions. The children responded to her so well. We are thrilled to have her and plan on expanding her hours as we enroll more children until she is full time.

    One of the parents asked if our teachers had fingerprint clearances and other documents. Let me reassure you; all teachers have been cleared by the DOJ, the FBI, and The Child Abuse Index. They have formal transcripts on file, TB clearance, endless paper work and references.

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  • Jan1

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    New Year’s Newsletter

    Posted in: Newsletter

    Dear Families,

    I hope this note finds you all well and having had a lovely holiday season in spite of the challenges this year has brought with it.

    Important Dates

    Jan. 4th- School resumes on  at 8:30 am. Thank you all for your extra efforts at promptness; the group has benefitted from starting together in the morning.

    Jan 18th – Monday- No School- Martin Luther King Day

    Jan 19th- Parent Education/ Potluck Dinner- postponed earlier- Topic- Social and Emotional Growth of Children and Parenting- Potluck /Sing-up on the sign in table

    Talking About Families- January  Curriculum

    We will begin the year talking again about families. This time we are going to create family trees and talk about a bit about family history and origins. We have such a wonderfully diverse group and it will fun to look at the countries of family origin. We would appreciate it if you sent us information about your family tree- grandparents, aunts, uncles, and great grand parents if you know about them. Also, where do these family members come from heritage wise. I know we have Thailand, Philippines, Guatemala, other Hispanic, Croatian, and many more backgrounds. We will use the map and other ways of depicting backgrounds.

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