A Message from the Principal:
Dear Merryhill Families,
March is upon us and sadly we didn’t see much wet weather this Winter. However, we are excited to watch Spring arrive!
Daylight Savings Time has arrived and it is time to Spring forward one hour. Make sure to set your clocks on March 7th when you go to bed.
Parent Reports will be available for pick up on Thurs. March 5th. You can pick up your copy from your child’s teacher or ask us at the front office. As always, Parent-Teacher conferences are available upon request.
Watch the classroom doors for our St. Patrick’s Day party sign ups. Make sure your child wears green that day. We look forward to seeing what the pesky leprechauns have in store for us this year!
Next month will be very busy! We will celebrate the National Week of the Young Child April 12th – 18th. Week of the Young Child is a week filled with exciting events so watch the front board for information. We will be having our school carnival on Saturday, April 18th from 10 to 1. You will want to put this on your calendar because it is a great family event!
Please make sure your child has a full set of extra clothes, weather & size appropriate, in their cubby. We do not have any extras in the school anymore. If you would like to donate some extra to the school they will be greatly appreciated.
We are looking forward to a Magnificent March!
Blanca Prieto-Preschool Principal
Important Dates:
March
- March 2nd- Dr. Seuss’s Birthday
- March 2nd- SCHOOL CLOSED for Professional Development Day
- March 5th- Parent Reports are available-see your child’s teacher for your copy
- March 6th- Last day for Priority Registration for the 15-16 School Year! Save $50.00 off registration
- March 6th- Show your school spirit- P.J. Day!
- March 8th- Daylight Savings Time begins-Spring Forward one hour
- March 17th- Classroom St. Patrick’s Day Parties-watch classroom doors for sign-ups-Remember to wear green
- March 20th- First day of Spring
- March 21st- Open House for new start parents-send your friends and neighbors to check out our school
April
- April 13th- 17th -Week of the Young Child-we will have special events everyday
- Sat. April 18th- School Carnival 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.—Wonderful Family Event!!
- April 22nd – Earth Day Celebration Ladybug Release at 11:00 a.m.
- April 23rd- Administrative Professional Day –We Celebrate Jandé’s hard work!!
- April 24th- Book Orders Due
Reminders:
We no longer have extras for when children need nap supplies or clothes after accidents.So please make sure your child has supplies in his/her cubby at all times.
- Be sure to get your tuition in on time, all payments are due before noon on Wednesdays to avoid the $25 late fee.
- Remember that we close at 6:00 p.m., and half-day students need to be picked up promptly by 12:30 p.m. Any students picked up late will be charged $1 a minute per our tuition policy.
- Make sure to supply your child with a crib-sized sheet and blanket everyday for nap time, along with an extra full change of clothes in their cubby.
- I would like to remind everyone to please take a moment each week to check the lesson plan for upcoming activities. Also, the “This is what we learned today,” posted in the classrooms is a great way to follow up with your child about their day.
- Art Files– please remember to check them at least once a week to pick up any correspondence between the office and/or teachers, along with your child’s exciting art work.
- Links to Learning Files– please check these once a month. When you see the folder standing up take the contents home and lay the folder back down.
- Merryhill School has a family referral plan. By referring a family to any of our Merryhill schools you are eligible for a free week of tuition. To learn more please see the office staff. Send your friends/family on Sat. March 29th for our Open House to learn how to enroll their child.
- Our School is a PEANUT FREE zone-We have many students with peanut allergies. Please make sure your child does not bring Peanut
- Going on a trip? Merrybear is our school mascot and he loves to spend time with his friends. If you have a trip planned this summer or maybe just a weekend of fun, then Merrybear would love to join you and your family. Please speak to Blanca to set up a time for Merrybear to visit with you and your child.
Classroom Corner
Click Here for Infants, Toddler A & B and Beginner A
Click Here for Beginner B, Intermediates, Pre-K and Pre-K 2
News 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
March News
A Message from the Principal:
Dear Merryhill Families,
March is upon us and sadly we didn’t see much wet weather this Winter. However, we are excited to watch Spring arrive!
Daylight Savings Time has arrived and it is time to Spring forward one hour. Make sure to set your clocks on March 7th when you go to bed.
Parent Reports will be available for pick up on Thurs. March 5th. You can pick up your copy from your child’s teacher or ask us at the front office. As always, Parent-Teacher conferences are available upon request.
Watch the classroom doors for our St. Patrick’s Day party sign ups. Make sure your child wears green that day. We look forward to seeing what the pesky leprechauns have in store for us this year!
Next month will be very busy! We will celebrate the National Week of the Young Child April 12th – 18th. Week of the Young Child is a week filled with exciting events so watch the front board for information. We will be having our school carnival on Saturday, April 18th from 10 to 1. You will want to put this on your calendar because it is a great family event!
Please make sure your child has a full set of extra clothes, weather & size appropriate, in their cubby. We do not have any extras in the school anymore. If you would like to donate some extra to the school they will be greatly appreciated.
We are looking forward to a Magnificent March!
Blanca Prieto-Preschool Principal
Important Dates:
March
April
Reminders:
We no longer have extras for when children need nap supplies or clothes after accidents.So please make sure your child has supplies in his/her cubby at all times.
Classroom Corner
Click Here for Infants, Toddler A & B and Beginner A
Click Here for Beginner B, Intermediates, Pre-K and Pre-K 2
News From Our Education Department
Developing Confident Future Readers
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