A Message From the Principal’s Office:
Dear Merryhill Families,
March has arrived and it’s so wonderful to know that Spring is right around the corner! Soon the signs of Spring will be all around us at Merryhill as the trees begin to blossom and the warmer weather approaches. The children will begin to notice the signs of Spring as they search the skies for rainbows and use their imaginations to find pictures in puffy clouds.
March also bring us Nevada Reading Week where we will explore literature and celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. One of the most important things you can do to develop early childhood literacy skills is to read aloud to your child. Pick up a book and read it to your child. Then another. Then another. The benefits of such a simple activity are endless.
Priority Registration ends on March 2nd. Be sure to register early to reserve your child’s spot for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. Many classrooms are currently full and we anticipate full enrollment again next year. Don’t lose your spot and register now!
Nina Taylor, Preschool Principal
From Your 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
Parents and Teachers
Yearbook
Yearbooks are on sale! Please reserve yours ASAP as quantities are limited. If you would like to personalize your yearbook with your child’s picture and name, please order no later than March 27th. In addition, if you have any pictures of the First Day of School, Halloween, Holiday Show and Valentine’s Day Dance, please feel free to email them to Maria.Zaccheo@nlcinc.com.
Sick Policy
Please remember to adhere to our sick policy. In order to maintain a healthy environment for our children we require children to be home 48 hours symptom free. This policy will be strictly enforced. Thank you in advance for considering the health and safety of all of our students.
Registration
Please be sure to reserve your child’s spot for the upcoming 2015/2016 school year. The last day to receive the $50 discount for early registration will be on Monday, March 2nd.
Important Dates
- March 1st – Tuition Due
- March 2nd – Dr. Seuss’s Birthday
- March 2nd – Nevada Reading Week
- March 7th – Merryhill PTO Wine Tasting and Silent Auction
- March 8th – Day Light Savings Begins
- March 11th – Spring Portraits for rooms 1, 2 & 3 (free dress)
- March 12th – Spring Portraits for rooms 4, 5, 6 & 7 (free dress)
- March 13th – Spring Book fair begins
- March 17th – St. Patrick’s Day
- March 20 – First Day of spring
- March 26 – Last Day of Spring Book Fair
- March 27th – A visit from the Librarian
- March 30 – Spring Break Begins No School for rooms 2, 4, 5, 6 & 7
Coming Up…..
Silent Auction & Wine Tasting
Our PTO is hosting their Annual Silent Auction & Wine Tasting Event. The event will be held on March 7, 2015 at 6:00pm at the Cili’s @ Bali Hai. Any last minute donations would be greatly appreciated. If you plan on attending, please purchase your tickets no later than Thursday, March 5th. We can accept cash, check or credit cards.
March News
A Message From the Principal’s Office:
Dear Merryhill Families,
March has arrived and it’s so wonderful to know that Spring is right around the corner! Soon the signs of Spring will be all around us at Merryhill as the trees begin to blossom and the warmer weather approaches. The children will begin to notice the signs of Spring as they search the skies for rainbows and use their imaginations to find pictures in puffy clouds.
March also bring us Nevada Reading Week where we will explore literature and celebrate Dr. Seuss’s birthday. One of the most important things you can do to develop early childhood literacy skills is to read aloud to your child. Pick up a book and read it to your child. Then another. Then another. The benefits of such a simple activity are endless.
Priority Registration ends on March 2nd. Be sure to register early to reserve your child’s spot for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. Many classrooms are currently full and we anticipate full enrollment again next year. Don’t lose your spot and register now!
Nina Taylor, Preschool Principal
From Your 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
Parents and Teachers
Yearbook
Yearbooks are on sale! Please reserve yours ASAP as quantities are limited. If you would like to personalize your yearbook with your child’s picture and name, please order no later than March 27th. In addition, if you have any pictures of the First Day of School, Halloween, Holiday Show and Valentine’s Day Dance, please feel free to email them to Maria.Zaccheo@nlcinc.com.
Sick Policy
Please remember to adhere to our sick policy. In order to maintain a healthy environment for our children we require children to be home 48 hours symptom free. This policy will be strictly enforced. Thank you in advance for considering the health and safety of all of our students.
Registration
Please be sure to reserve your child’s spot for the upcoming 2015/2016 school year. The last day to receive the $50 discount for early registration will be on Monday, March 2nd.
Important Dates
Coming Up…..
Silent Auction & Wine Tasting
Our PTO is hosting their Annual Silent Auction & Wine Tasting Event. The event will be held on March 7, 2015 at 6:00pm at the Cili’s @ Bali Hai. Any last minute donations would be greatly appreciated. If you plan on attending, please purchase your tickets no later than Thursday, March 5th. We can accept cash, check or credit cards.