Students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas Collect Donations and Prepare Gifts for Children in Other Countries
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students assemble donated gifts and write letters to children in need around the world
MILPITAS, Calif. (Nov. 2015) – On Nov. 20, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students at Merryhill Preschool on Corning Avenue in Milpitas prepared 80 gift packages of toys, art supplies, books, school supplies and more to send to children around the world as a part of Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is an international humanitarian organization that sends care packages to children in third world countries. The packages, along with handwritten letters from the students, will be sent to children in countries including Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The gifts were donated during the school’s Operation Christmas Child drive this month. In the classroom, students have been exploring global citizenship and working to create friendships in other parts of the world. Through this experience, they will learn the importance of helping children in need during the holiday season.
Milpitas students send holiday gift boxes to needy children around the world
Milpitas Post
POSTED: 12/11/2015 03:50:45 PM
Merryhill Preschool student Jonathan James Moore helped prepare 80 gift packages of toys, art…
Students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas prepared 80 gift packages of toys, art supplies, books and more on Nov. 20 to send to children around the world through an international humanitarian organization.
The group, called Operation Christmas Child, delivers care packages to children in Third World countries. The packages, along with handwritten letters from the students, will go to children in countries including Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The gifts were donated during the school’s Operation Christmas Child drive in November.
In the classroom, students have been exploring global citizenship and working to create friendships in other parts of the world. Through this experience, they will learn the importance of helping children in need during the holiday season.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org.
http://patch.com/california/milpitas/students-merryhill-preschool-milpitas-participated-water-conservation-project-earth-day
Water Conservation Project
Please join us in congratulating our students on their Water Conservation Project which made the Milpitas Patch on April 30, 2015. Our teachers are constantly challenging our students to find solutions to our community problems. This helps our students become productive members of society. Please click on the link below to see the post.
Merryhill’s Facebook Page
Our students are continuously posted on our Facebook page! Please share with your friends and family.
https://www.facebook.com/merryhillschool
Kind Regards,
Lucy Nunez,
Principal
Reminders:
Parent Videos & Photos
If you are video-taping or taking pictures at our school they must be only of your child. Please do not post videos or pictures of other children as it is a violation of their privacy. If you have accidentally posted pictures or videos of other children, please remove them immediately. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Nut-free School
We have a nut-free policy at our school. Please keep all peanut items at home. We have children with severe allergies.
Medication and Sunscreen Policy Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that our medication policy states that we can only administer medicine that has been prescribed by a doctor. We cannot administer over the counter medication without a doctor’s note with explicit instructions on how to administer it.
Regarding sunscreen, if you would like your child’s teacher to apply sunscreen throughout the summer months, please complete the “Sunscreen Authorization Form” located in the front office. We ask that you bring your child in their own sunscreen and apply a coat of sunscreen before they come to school. All sunscreen will be applied after nap unless noted differently by a parent.
Referral Program
Refer a Family, Get a Week Free!* Do you have friends with children in the area? If you refer your friends to Merryhill and they enroll, you could be eligible to get a free week of tuition! *After three months of enrollment. Only applicable for full time students.
Automatic Withdrawal
No checks necessary! Enroll in our Automatic Payment Program and never write another check for your monthly tuition or pay another late payment. Tuition can be automatically deducted from your checking account. You can find more information about ACH in the front office. Let us help you sign up today!
News from the Education Department
Linking Learning with Nature
Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. Now is a great time for children to explore these environmental changes happening in the world around them.
Not only are children curious about nature, but research shows that it has a profound influence on their problem solving skills, creativity, imagination and cognitive ability. Because of this, our teachers incorporate nature in all aspects of our Links to Learning curriculum.
Below are ways we connect learning with nature, as well as activities you can do with your child at home.
INFANTS/TODDLERS:
In the classroom: After reading a book about springtime, teachers bring children outdoors to explore and investigate objects in nature. The children have fun crumbling leaves, smelling flowers and looking at clouds.
At home: Take tummy time outdoors and allow your infant to explore different sights, sounds and textures. Encourage him to move and grab things by placing objects just beyond his reach. For toddlers, ask questions like, “Who made that chirping sound” or “Can you point to the flowers?”
Recommended reading: Wake Up! Wake Up! A Springtime Lift-the-Flap Book by Kathryn Davis, Welcome Spring by Little Scholastic
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom: Our Beginners read books about seasonal changes, then bring the story to life by going outdoors to find real-world examples.
At home: Help make your child aware of the seasonal changes going on around him. Talk a walk with him and ask questions such as “Why do we see flowers growing now?” or “What do flowers need in order to grow?” Encourage him to use his creativity when answering.
Recommended reading: Over in the Meadow by Olive Wadsworth, Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom: Students plant seeds in their school garden and learn about the importance of caring for them. Through this activity, they practice math skills such as measuring, sorting, counting and making predictions.
At home: Set up a bird feeder outside a window that your child can easily see. Let him help you fill it with birdfeed. As the birds come to eat, ask your child to talk about them. “What color are they?” “Are they big or small?” “What are they doing?”
Recommended reading: Little Seed by Eric Carle, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):
In the classroom: Pre-K and Pre-K 2 students explore the sounds they hear in nature while playing outdoors. They then use recycled and natural materials, such as string and pine cones, to make their own wind chime.
At home: Reuse junk mail for a fun arts and crafts activity with your child. Encourage him to look through flyers and magazines to find words and pictures that he recognizes. Then, ask him to create a collage by cutting and gluing them to a piece of paper or poster board.
Recommended reading: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, About Springtime, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to think creatively and imaginatively about the world around them. By setting this foundation, children build confidence in their own unique thoughts and maintain a thirst for learning as they enter elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director
April 2016 News
Welcome to Spring weather!
Preschoolers learn very differently and are constantly in need of opportunities to expand their brain development. Therefore, our curriculum offers those opportunities year round. We still have some limited spaces available if parents have younger children or friends who would like to join. We do have a great parent referral program.
Holidays
We have no holiday closures for April 2016.
Links to Learning
Our new Links to Learning 2014 curriculum was a huge success this 2014-2015 school year increasing the common core skills in our classrooms.
April Monthly Themes
Snack Menu
Our “Wellness” curriculum component is using the following website at http://www.choosemyplate.gov/kids/ to ensure the nutrition of our students. Please look for our snack menu please let us know if you have any suggestions for our snack menu or would like recipes for home use.
Credit Cards
Soon we will be able to take credit cards (Visa, Mastercard, and Discover) at Merryhill school. A consent form have been emailed to all parents. Please return them if you are interested.
New Method of Communication
Soon we will be using a new method of communication with our parents. We will be doing more email communication with our daily reports, pictures, etc. Please return the forms that were emailed as soon as possible. We are planning to go live with this program starting May 1, 2016.
Celebrations
Celebrations help our students meet our learning component in “Community and Environment”. If you would like to share a family tradition with our students, please let us know. Embracing diversity is a social skill that will help our students in the long run when traveling or building friendships.
Thank you to those who participated in our “St. Patrick’s Day Party” and “Easter Party”. A smilebox will soon be coming out via email for parents who were not able to attend.
Celebrate NAEYC’s Week of the Young Child™ April 10 –16, 2016!
Week of the Young Child will be April 11-15, 2016. For more information on WOYC please click on this link: https://www.naeyc.org/woyc
The Week of the Young Child™ is an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) celebrating early learning, young children, their teachers and families.
We will have special visitors and events planned for our parents here at Merryhill.
Monday, April 11, 2016– FIRE SAFETY/WATER DAY- The Milpitas Fire Department will be here at 10:00 am along with their fire trucks to show the students fire safety. Students can wear their favorite fire safety attire. In the PM we will have a water day (conservation style). Please bring an extra change of clothes, towels, water shoes, and plastic bag for wet clothes.
Tuesday, April 12, 2016– HEALTHY DAY/TACO TUESDAY-This fun, food-themed day is about more than just cheese and salsa. Cooking together connects math with literacy skills, science, and more. With the rise in childhood obesity, you can encourage healthy nutrition and fitness habits at home and in the classroom by creating your own healthy tacos and then share the recipes and photos of your creations on NAEYC’s Facebook page or post to Twitter using the hashtag #woyc16.
Wednesday, April 13, 2016-FAIRY TALE DAY/WORK TOGETHER WEDNESDAY- Preschool Puppet Assembly featuring “The Three Little Pigs” at 10:40 am. Dress up as your favorite fairy tale character. In the afternoon, the students will be working together to build their own fairy tale town. When children build together they explore math and science concepts and develop their social and early literacy skills. Children can use any building material–from a fort of branches on the playground to a block city in the classroom, or a hideaway made from couch pillows at home. Build and share pictures of children’s creations on NAEYC’s Facebook page or Twitter using the #woyc16 hashtag.
Thursday, April 14, 2016-BIKE/COMMUNITY DAY- Trike-A-Thon (Bring your bike day) Our students will be helping to raise money for other children in need at St. Jude’s Hospital. Students can bring their bikes to school along with their safety gear. They will be provided with snacks and water bottles for their adventure. They will be riding in the morning at 10:15 am and in the afternoon at 3:15 pm. Parents are invited to come.
Friday, April 15, 2016 SAFETY DAY/FRIENDSHIP ARTSY FRIDAY- The Milpitas Police Department will be here at 10:00 am. Students can wear their favorite safety police attire. In the afternoon students will be challenged to think, problem solve, and create open-ended projects using their hands while developing their creative, social, and fine motor skills. Projects will be posted at our local Starbucks in May 2016.
Earth Day 2016
Earth Day is Friday, April 22, 2016. Our service project will consist of trying to find ways to conserve water while growing vegetation. Our students have taken the challenge to find out which environment takes less water while growing vegetables, fruits, and plants. They will be scientifically researching their theory and will report their finding on Earth Day 2016. We would like to thank our young students who are globally making a difference at such a young age. We need to teach them about water conservation today so that they may have enough resources as they get older.
Fundraiser
Reminder: Savory and Sweets is due this Friday, April 8, 2016.
Mini-Kickers Soccer Classes
Bollywood Classes
**Please note: session three was cancelled due to not enough enrollments.
Bollywood Classes will do three sessions: Session 3- March 17, 2016. The times will be from 10:15 to 10:55 am. However, on days where it may conflict with other events we will move the class to 11:00 am.
You are welcomed to pick up a flyer in the lobby and sign up at www.bayareagurukul.com.
MILPITAS, Calif. (FEB. 1, 2016) – Pre-kindergarten students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas donated non-perishable food items to benefit the Second Harvest Food Bank. The students learned about hunger awareness and what kinds of items were appropriate to donate through story time with the Second Harvest Food Bank turkey mascot. Following the event, students donated the bin full of food to the organization, which will benefit members of the community.
Second Harvest Food Bank of Santa Clara and San Mateo Counties has become one of the largest food banks in the nation, providing food to nearly a quarter of a million people each month. The Food Bank mobilizes individuals, companies and community partners to connect people to the nutritious food they need.
http://patch.com/california/milpitas/students-merryhill-preschool-milpitas-collect-donations-prepare-gifts-children-other-countries
Students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas Collect Donations and Prepare Gifts for Children in Other Countries
Pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students assemble donated gifts and write letters to children in need around the world
MILPITAS, Calif. (Nov. 2015) – On Nov. 20, pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students at Merryhill Preschool on Corning Avenue in Milpitas prepared 80 gift packages of toys, art supplies, books, school supplies and more to send to children around the world as a part of Operation Christmas Child. Operation Christmas Child is an international humanitarian organization that sends care packages to children in third world countries. The packages, along with handwritten letters from the students, will be sent to children in countries including Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The gifts were donated during the school’s Operation Christmas Child drive this month. In the classroom, students have been exploring global citizenship and working to create friendships in other parts of the world. Through this experience, they will learn the importance of helping children in need during the holiday season.
Milpitas students send holiday gift boxes to needy children around the world
Milpitas Post
Students at Merryhill Preschool in Milpitas prepared 80 gift packages of toys, art supplies, books and more on Nov. 20 to send to children around the world through an international humanitarian organization.
The group, called Operation Christmas Child, delivers care packages to children in Third World countries. The packages, along with handwritten letters from the students, will go to children in countries including Mongolia, the Philippines, Indonesia and Bangladesh. The gifts were donated during the school’s Operation Christmas Child drive in November.
In the classroom, students have been exploring global citizenship and working to create friendships in other parts of the world. Through this experience, they will learn the importance of helping children in need during the holiday season.
For more information about Operation Christmas Child, visit samaritanspurse.org.
http://patch.com/california/milpitas/students-merryhill-preschool-milpitas-participated-water-conservation-project-earth-day
Water Conservation Project
Please join us in congratulating our students on their Water Conservation Project which made the Milpitas Patch on April 30, 2015. Our teachers are constantly challenging our students to find solutions to our community problems. This helps our students become productive members of society. Please click on the link below to see the post.
Merryhill’s Facebook Page
Our students are continuously posted on our Facebook page! Please share with your friends and family.
https://www.facebook.com/merryhillschool
Kind Regards,
Lucy Nunez,
Principal
Reminders:
Parent Videos & Photos
If you are video-taping or taking pictures at our school they must be only of your child. Please do not post videos or pictures of other children as it is a violation of their privacy. If you have accidentally posted pictures or videos of other children, please remove them immediately. Thank you for your cooperation in this matter.
Nut-free School
We have a nut-free policy at our school. Please keep all peanut items at home. We have children with severe allergies.
Medication and Sunscreen Policy Reminder
Just a friendly reminder that our medication policy states that we can only administer medicine that has been prescribed by a doctor. We cannot administer over the counter medication without a doctor’s note with explicit instructions on how to administer it.
Regarding sunscreen, if you would like your child’s teacher to apply sunscreen throughout the summer months, please complete the “Sunscreen Authorization Form” located in the front office. We ask that you bring your child in their own sunscreen and apply a coat of sunscreen before they come to school. All sunscreen will be applied after nap unless noted differently by a parent.
Referral Program
Refer a Family, Get a Week Free!* Do you have friends with children in the area? If you refer your friends to Merryhill and they enroll, you could be eligible to get a free week of tuition! *After three months of enrollment. Only applicable for full time students.
Automatic Withdrawal
No checks necessary! Enroll in our Automatic Payment Program and never write another check for your monthly tuition or pay another late payment. Tuition can be automatically deducted from your checking account. You can find more information about ACH in the front office. Let us help you sign up today!
News from the Education Department
Linking Learning with Nature
Spring is here! Flowers are blooming, days are getting longer and the weather is getting warmer. Now is a great time for children to explore these environmental changes happening in the world around them.
Not only are children curious about nature, but research shows that it has a profound influence on their problem solving skills, creativity, imagination and cognitive ability. Because of this, our teachers incorporate nature in all aspects of our Links to Learning curriculum.
Below are ways we connect learning with nature, as well as activities you can do with your child at home.
INFANTS/TODDLERS:
In the classroom: After reading a book about springtime, teachers bring children outdoors to explore and investigate objects in nature. The children have fun crumbling leaves, smelling flowers and looking at clouds.
At home: Take tummy time outdoors and allow your infant to explore different sights, sounds and textures. Encourage him to move and grab things by placing objects just beyond his reach. For toddlers, ask questions like, “Who made that chirping sound” or “Can you point to the flowers?”
Recommended reading: Wake Up! Wake Up! A Springtime Lift-the-Flap Book by Kathryn Davis, Welcome Spring by Little Scholastic
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3):
In the classroom: Our Beginners read books about seasonal changes, then bring the story to life by going outdoors to find real-world examples.
At home: Help make your child aware of the seasonal changes going on around him. Talk a walk with him and ask questions such as “Why do we see flowers growing now?” or “What do flowers need in order to grow?” Encourage him to use his creativity when answering.
Recommended reading: Over in the Meadow by Olive Wadsworth, Mouse’s First Spring by Lauren Thompson
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4):
In the classroom: Students plant seeds in their school garden and learn about the importance of caring for them. Through this activity, they practice math skills such as measuring, sorting, counting and making predictions.
At home: Set up a bird feeder outside a window that your child can easily see. Let him help you fill it with birdfeed. As the birds come to eat, ask your child to talk about them. “What color are they?” “Are they big or small?” “What are they doing?”
Recommended reading: Little Seed by Eric Carle, Planting a Rainbow by Lois Ehlert
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5):
In the classroom: Pre-K and Pre-K 2 students explore the sounds they hear in nature while playing outdoors. They then use recycled and natural materials, such as string and pine cones, to make their own wind chime.
At home: Reuse junk mail for a fun arts and crafts activity with your child. Encourage him to look through flyers and magazines to find words and pictures that he recognizes. Then, ask him to create a collage by cutting and gluing them to a piece of paper or poster board.
Recommended reading: And Then It’s Spring by Julie Fogliano, About Springtime, Not a Box by Antoinette Portis
We provide many opportunities for our preschoolers to think creatively and imaginatively about the world around them. By setting this foundation, children build confidence in their own unique thoughts and maintain a thirst for learning as they enter elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD – Director