Hello Little School Families,
May is a busy time of year. Here’s what’s coming up soon.
Spring Green-Up (and Clean-Up) this Wednesday, May 11. Lots to do to transition into a new season. Come spend an afternoon with friends and teachers for a little tidying up! If you have tools—rakes, clippers, whatever—please bring them, too. We’ll bring a snack for the kids. Stay for as long or as short a time as you like. Please join us after school any time between 3:00 to 5:30 pm.
Black Fly Ball, May 21. The Little School’s 10th annual fund raiser. Live auction…great food…dancing…good company…and no black flies! Come support our school. And, we definitely need volunteers, so please let us know if you can help by signing the sheets posted on the “Parents as Partners” bulletin board (on the left as you come into the school building).
More dates to remember:
Parent-Teacher Conferences (Thursday, May 26) - The Little School is closed for conferences.
Memorial Day (Monday, May 30) - The Little School is closed.
Celebration Day (Friday, June 10) – The last day of school.
Summer Camp (June 20-July 29)
Have a great weekend! And Happy Mothers’ Day!
Leah
(added 5/9/11)
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings Little School Families,
Black Fly Ball (May 21) is just three weeks away! Now is the time to sign up to help with the ball. Beforehand, we need your help with setup and afterwards for knock down. Sign-up sheets are posted on the “Parents as Partners” bulletin board (on the left as you come into the school building). We also need: baskets, buckets, tubs—anything that will hold a few items for the auction. And please pick up a few posters to distribute around your town. Thank you for your help!
Summer Camp Registration - Looking for a creative and fun environment to engage your kids this summer? The Little School summer camp brochure and registration forms are available at the school or by emailing Leah at admin@littleschoolvt.org.
Unlike many other day camps in our area, The Little School offers a program for younger children (ages 3-7 years). The camp day runs from 9 am to 3 pm, and flexible weekly sessions accommodate your summer vacation plans. Camp begins June 20th and ends July 29th. Each week has a particular theme. Lots of arts and crafts, water play, storytelling, and science and nature exploration are just some of the many activities your little ones can choose from. Summer camp is an opportunity for your child to continue the connection with his or her school friends throughout the summer, make new friends, and it’s a great transition into fall enrollment for any incoming three-year-old. For more info and materials, stop by the school, email Leah or call 802-824-3405
More dates to remember:
In-Service Day (Tuesday, May 3) – The Little School is closed for teacher training and planning meetings.
Parent-Teacher Conferences (Thursday, May 26) - The Little School is closed for conferences.
Memorial Day (Monday, May 30) - The Little School is closed.
Celebration Day (Friday, June 10) – The last day of school.
Summer Camp (June 20-July 29)
Have a great weekend!
Leah
(added to site 5/2/11)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings Little School families,
This message brings wishes for a enjoyable and warm Spring Break along with info on some events coming up when we return...
Second Step: A Workshop for Parents on Thursday, April 21, 5:30 pm. First, we'll have enjoy pizza with the kids, then at 6:00 pm Apple Room parent Loretta Murphy will lead a workshop for parents about "Second Step," the social-emotional curriculum we use here at The Little School, and that school counselors at both Chester-Andover and Flood Brook Schools. Discover ways you can support your child's social and emotional growth and development, and come away with calm-down techniques and problem-solving strategies you can use at home. Be sure add your name to the sign up sheet in your child's classroom, so we can plan for pizza and for child care.
Black Fly Ball on Saturday, May 21. Join us for the premier party of the spring! Black Fly Ball will be a fun and gorgeous garden party. And all Little School families receive complimentary tickets. That's right! You can enjoy a fantastic auction, great music and delicious food--AT NO CHARGE! You'll be receiving your invitation and more information soon. If you would like to help out with preparations or on the day of the Ball, there's lots to do, and we'd love to have your assistance (we really need it--it's what makes the Ball such a success). We'll be sending out more information soon about ways you can help. If you're interested, please give Stephanie a call, or stop by her office in the Rainbow Room.
And a couple of other dates to remember in May: School is closed on May 3, Inservice Day and May 26 (Parent-Teacher Conference Day).
Have a wonderful week!
Leah
(added to site 4/12/2011)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings Little School families,
This email update comes a bit early in case we have a snow day tomorrow (it's not looking good...). I've attached a copy of the latest edition of The Little School newsletter, which includes not only news of all the engaging activities and learning your children have been involved in over the past month, but also an announcement of an interesting and fun event next month--a Parent Workshop AND Pizza Party. It's on Thursday, April 21st, the week after we return from spring break. There'll be a pizza dinner, a great workshop for the grown-ups and play time with child care for the kids. Apple Room parent Loretta Murphy, who is the school counselor at Flood Brook Elementary School, will share information and lead a discussion about young children's social/emotional growth &
development, and Second Step, a social-emotional curriculum that is part of our overall curriculum here at The Little School, and which also used in the elementary schools. Please join us for a great discussion, great pizza & (for the kids) great play time!
Some other dates to remember: School will be closed for spring break, April 11-15.
Leah
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Greetings Little School families!
We really appreciate your ongoing patience with all the the weather-related inconveniences--school closings, mucky sidewalks, wet snow clothes, and more. This morning our phone system was knocked out for several hours, so it took awhile to return messages--thank you for your patience with that, as well.
Thank you to everyone who returned your enrollment forms. We're beginning to receive applications from new families, and we're welcoming visitors to check out our program and meet The Little School teachers. We're eager to let the community know that now is the time to apply for next fall. Please spread the word, if you know some one who might be interested. I've attached a copy of a poster publicizing our school. If you would be willing to take one or two to post in your community, please let me know.
And a special thank you to Taylor Barton (Apple student Riley's dad) and Stephen Zuckerman (Sunshine student Serra's dad) for your technical assistance today with our tempermental telephone system and photocopier.
Have a great weekend!
Leah
P.S. A couple of reminders... The Little School is closed next Friday, March 18th, for an in-service day. We'll also be closed the week of April 11-15 for Spring Break. (Last week's email update had the wrong dates.)
__added to site: 3/14/2011____________________________
Hello Little School Families,
Attached to this email update is a copy of the February newsletter. The Little School’s copier/printer needs some repairs, so we can’t give you a paper copy until next week. If you would like us to send a newsletter to someone you know, please let us know, and we’ll be glad to mail them a copy by email or snail mail.
During our stormy snow days, we received a couple of calls with questions about The Little School’s closing, so here’s a reminder about our school closing procedure: The Little School will close for severe weather when Flood Brook Union School cancels classes. If Flood Brook delays opening, The Little School will open at 10:30 a.m. Flood Brook posts its closing on its website, www.floodbrook.k12.vt.us. We also announce closings and delays on our phone voicemail and call families who do not have students at Flood Brook.
Coming up soon. . .
Sparkling and Sprinkles (Friday, February 11th, 7-9pm at Gallery on the Green, Weston) Please join us for a Valentine's Day sparkling wine and dessert tasting, hosted by Meditrina Wine and Cheese (Chester, VT) desserts donated by A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe in Mount Holly. Contact Christine Anderson (875-3733) to reserve your space. Benefit The Little School while enjoying some bubbly!
Mid-Winter Break, February 14 -18, school will be closed.
Registration for next school year is right around the corner. It’s time to begin planning for next year’s registration, and telling your friends and neighbors that The Little School registration for fall 2011 is almost here. Current families will be able to register starting the week of February 21st, when we return from mid-winter break (February 14-18). On March 4th, we’ll open registration to the broader community. Questions? Please ask Leah or Stephanie!
Have a great weekend!
Leah
(added 2/7/2011)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hello Little School Families,
First, greetings from Stephanie, The Little School’s new associate director. . .
Monday, January 10th was my FIRST day at The Little School. I spent my day squishing oobleck in the Rainbow Room, eating lunch in the Apple Room, and helping with snow boots in the Sunshine Room. Thank you for making me feel so welcome. I will be at The Potluck Supper on Thursday but if I don’t see you there, come say hello, my office is right off the Rainbow Room.
As Stephanie reminds us, please come to our mid-winter Family Potluck Supper this Thursday, January 20th at 5:30 – 6:30 p.m. Cook up a favorite dish or just pick up a package of disposable utensils or a beverage. Please join us for some warm company on a cold winter’s night. Fun for the kids, and for grown-ups, too!
More tax information. Last week I sent out The Little School’s employer ID number (03-6032192) to file for child care tax credit. This week, I’ve attached a flyer from the state, which provides information about filing.
Thank you for your donations to The Little School’s holiday food drive. Jes is in the process of organizing and transporting a generous collection to area churches. We bring the food after the holidays, which is when church food shelves tell us it is most needed.
STARS recognition: We’re pleased to announce that Vermont Child Development Division renewed The Little School’s five-star rating in Vermont’s Step Ahead Recognition System (STARS) for child care, early education and afterschool programs. STARS recognizes the accomplishments of programs above and beyond state regulation requirements. To earn five stars, the highest rating, programs must demonstrate numerous markers of quality in five domains—education, family services, regulation compliance, administration and program practices. According to Vermont STARS, “these programs are dedicated to operating at high standards, offering parents, children and colleagues a respectful, yet professional environment. These programs have shown a commitment to the profession and a
willingness to stand as a model of that profession.”
Finally, remember The Little School will be closed this Monday for Martin Luther King Day.
Leah
(Added 1/19/2011)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Hello Little School Families,
And welcome back to school after what I hope was a joyful holiday break.
Some news for the new year… I'm very pleased to announce our new associate director will join The Little School staff next week. An experienced educator and supervisor, Stephanie Racz has worked in both public school and private settings, including most recently Currier Memorial School in Danby and Rutland Head Start. Originally from Connecticut, where she taught for over 15 years, she has lived in Vermont since 2001. Stephanie brings knowledge, skills and experience in both education and administration that will be great assets to our program. She’s looking forward to meeting you all!
Opera Theatre Workshop. Coming up next week for the Apple Room children are mornings at the opera at the Weston Playhouse on Tuesday and Wednesday. They will see Mozart’s “The Magic Flute,” performed by the Opera Theatre Workshop in a special version created for children. The Apple Room children have been listening to a CD of the opera during rest time, so the beautiful Mozart music is familiar to them.
Family Potluck Dinner. Please join us for our first potluck dinner of the new year on Thursday, January 20th at 5:30 p.m. Shake off those winter blues and enjoy some great food! The Little School potlucks are always delicious and fun.
Tax time is coming. If you file for the dependent care deduction, you will need The Little School’s employer ID number: 03-6032192.
Some reminders:
The Little School will be closed Monday, January 17th for Martin Luther King Day.
Please continue to bring in extra clothes, just in case. And, if you have extra extras that you can give for us to keep at school to lend to children who run out of their own extras, we’d really appreciate the donation.
Leah
(Added 1/10/2011)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Little School Families,
First, a huge thank you to everyone who took part in The Little School’s Christmas in Weston fund raiser. It was a great success—The Little School gained lots of funds and lots of good will. Your help really made a difference.
Parents as Partners. There are plenty of Parents as Partners (PAP) opportunities available. Remember to check out the PAP bulletin board, or ask Robin and she’ll set you up. Look for new options coming soon.
Holiday Food Drive. Our The Little School food drive is a long-standing tradition. In the past, some families have generously brought gifts for their children’s teachers during the holiday, and we hope instead that you will consider participating in our holiday food drive instead. A collection box for nonperishable food donations is now out in our hallway.
School break reminders. The Little School will close for a winter break from Thursday, December 23, through Friday, December 31.
Snow days. The weekend weather forecast includes the possibility of snow on Sunday, so this message includes a reminder that The Little School will be closed when Flood Brook Union School cancels classes. If Flood Brook delays opening, we’ll open at 10:30 a.m. Of course, we don’t know if that will happen, but if it does, we’ll announce the closing on our voicemail and call those of you who don’t have children at Flood Brook. You can also check the Floodbrook website (www.floodbrook.k12.vt.us).
(Added 12/13/2010)
________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
Dear Little School Families,
It was wonderful to get together with you this week for parent-teacher conferences. Every one of our meetings offered a rich, thoughtful discussion—and enjoyable, too. We learned a lot! Thank you so much for sharing your time and ideas with us. For those of you who were unable to set up a conference this week, please don’t hesitate to ask your child’s teachers to meet at another time. We’ll be glad to accommodate your schedule.
Coming up soon are some fantastic and fun events, organized by Little School board members/parents Christine Anderson (Apple & Sunshine Rooms) and Maggie Sevin (Rainbow Room). There are lots of ways to get involved…
Christmas in Weston 2010 -- Saturday December 4th @ 11am. Weston’s "An Old-Fashioned Christmas Festival" will go throughout the day and into the evening hours, featuring: Santa, sleigh rides, children's activities, refreshments, raffles and more at the Vermont Country Store and other locations throughout the town of Weston. This year, The Little School will play a large role in the Christmas in Weston festivities, and we invite you and your families to come out and enjoy the fun! Our theme this year will be Evergreens Galore! We will have a retail display outside the school, consisting of wreaths, evergreen door swags and potted Alberta Spruce. Inside, visitors can warm up with a hot cocoa and sample dessert treats from A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe in Mt. Holly. We will be selling Vermont-made Ann Clark
cookie cutters, raffling off a tower of hand decorated Christmas cookies, glitter pine cones for the children to create and tons of Holiday decor and good cheer!
Prior to the event, the fundraising committee could use some volunteers to help pull this all off! We have three dates scheduled in the days leading up to the event for volunteers to get some Parents as Partners time as well as just come out and enjoy some Holiday Fun and camaraderie!
Wednesday, December 1st -- Come to the Rod and Gun Club (about 1 mile north of the Weston village) to help with Evergreens Galore! We will be decorating wreaths and making & decorating evergreen door swags after school drop off. Bring a hot cup of coffee and join us!
Friday, December 3rd -- Join us at The Little School anytime after 4:30 pm to help Deck the Halls! We will be trimming trees, hanging wreaths and doing the setup for Saturday's event.
Saturday, December 4th -- Our crew will be at the school beginning at 9 am to do early preparations for the day. We will need volunteers throughout the day to sell our evergreens and other goodies, help visiting children with the pinecone glitter craft, sell raffle tickets and refreshments and just be there with holiday spirit as we welcome visitors to the school!
If any of this sounds enticing...contact Maggie Sevin 824-5080 or Christine Anderson 875-3733 to signup. There will be a volunteer signup sheet in the hallway...so look out for that and sign up! We thank you in advance for all your valuable time and help!
Cookies Cookies! Another exciting fundraising program will begin next week. A seasonal selection of hand-decorated sugar cookies will be hitting some local retailers next week and all retail proceeds will benefit The Little School. A Dozen Eggs Bake Shoppe in Mount Holly bakes and decorates gorgeous sugar cookies of all shapes. (www.adozeneggs.com) These cookies will be for sale in Chester, Ludlow, Londonderry and Belmont...look for them at Meditrina Wine & Cheese (Chester), Ivy on the Green (Chester), Londonderry Pharmacy, The Garden Market
(Londonderry), Belmont General Store, Ludlow Cooking Company and the Gallery on the Green (Weston). You will find a great selection of the cutest turkeys, maple leaves and pumpkins in two sizes.
Stop by and grab a few or tell some friends and the proceeds will go directly to The Little School’s programs. We will update you as more retailers are added to the program and as the cookie designs change with the seasons and holidays. In addition, we will have a limited number available for you to buy directly from us as another way to support our school...contact Christine Anderson, 875-3733, if this is something you might be interested in, and she can get you some more info. Not only are they fabulous to look at, they taste great, too!
Thank you! Finally, thank you to all of you who give your time and energy in a multitude of ways at The Little School. Many of you have been helping with day-in-day-out but important jobs like laundry. And a special thank you to the Decker family (Apple Room) for trucking off the debris and trash behind our building. Our parking area now looks very presentable. A big thank you, too, to the Donnelly’s (Sunshine Room) for putting up the weatherizing plastic on our windows. It makes a huge difference during the winter months. Please check out the Parents as Partners (PAP) bulletin board for more PAP opportunities—and if you don’t see something you’d like to do, please know that Robin plans to post new jobs soon. Or, suggest something you'd like to
do & we'll make it happen!
(Added 11/29/2010)
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Hello Little School families & friends,
The cold, gray November-y days this week are a reminder that winter is around the corner. The chilly weather also reminds us about snow days and winter clothes.
Snow Days: Whenever Flood Brook School closes or delays opening due to inclement weather, The Little School follows suit. That is, we are closed when Flood Brook School is closed, and we open at 10:30 a.m., when Flood Brook School opens late. Closings are posted on the Flood Brook website (www.floodbrook.k12.vt.us). We also announce closings and delays on our phone voicemail and call families who do not have students at Flood Brook School.
Winter Clothes: Chilly November is a good time to remember to purchase your child’s snowsuit and boots, if you haven’t done so already. Here are some ideas from Little School staff, who have clocked zillions of hours getting children dressed to go outside to play in the winter:
· Buy the correct size—big enough to last through the winter but not so big that your child gets overwhelmed by his or her snow clothes or trips over too-large boots. Try clothes on your child before you buy them.
· Choose clothes with large zippers that children can manage by themselves. If available, choose snow pants with vest-style tops instead of suspenders, which are harder to fasten, or pick a one-piece snowsuit.
· Attach mittens to jackets with clips or strings through the sleeves. Buy multiple mittens—children often lose them.
· Always keep extra clothes at school—shirts, sweaters, pants, socks, underwear… everything. It’s a good idea to keep a pair of shoes or slippers at school, if you can.
· LABEL EVERYTHING!
Even though winter weather means more time getting ready to go outdoors, we really enjoy playing in the snow. We go outside every day unless the temperature falls below 15o F. (taking wind chill into account) or it's raining hard. So, please make sure your child has his or her snow suit every day in the winter. An important part of our winter curriculum is learning self-help skills to get dressed independently. It’s great if your child can practice these dressing skills at home, too.
Parent-teacher conferences are this Wednesday, November 10th. We’re looking forward to hearing from you about how you think things are going, and will share with you what your child has been working on at school. If you are unable to make an appointment on Wednesday, we’ll be glad to set up a time on another day. Just ask your child’s teachers.
The Little School will be closed on the following days:
- November 10 – Parent-teacher conference day
- November 24-26 – Thanksgiving Break
- December 23-31 – Winter Break
Leah
October Newsletter:
As educators, The Little School staff are always learning. In order to support chil-dren's development and learning, we need to engage in our own development and learning-- we must continually update our knowledge and skills.
Last month at The Little School included several days devoted to professional devel-opment activities, as we attended confer-ences out of town and in-service training here at school. For this month’s News teachers share with you what they’ve been learning at these special professional devel-opment events.
The Little School educators learn much from classes, workshops and trainings, but professional development takes place day after day in the classroom. Effective teaching requires analysis and reflection, trying new ideas, taking risks, and listening to and learning from children, families and colleagues. Our professional development requires that we con-tinually reflect, question and collaborate. We enrich and deepen our understanding and practice when we share different perspectives with others. Given the complexities and dif-ficulty of teaching young children with a broad range of abilities, characteristics and inter-ests, it is essential that we learn from the expertise and wisdom of colleagues and parents.
The high quality of The Little School’s education program rests squarely on the capabil-ity of our teaching faculty. Our accrediting organization, the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC), tells us that to meet “the mission of assuring the provision of high quality early childhood programs for young children, it is necessary to have a highly competent workforce in the early childhood field. Professional development is the path to achieving this goal.” At The Little School, we agree with NAEYC that each one of us has an obligation to pursue ongoing professional development. That’s why we take travel to Burlington to attend workshops or take time on Tuesday afternoons to share our experiences and perspectives, exchange ideas and give and get support.
We thank you for supporting The Little School teachers’ professional development—and the quality of our work—by accommodating our in-service days in your schedules, and, most importantly, by sharing your knowledge as a parent. Two of the underlying Touchpoints assumptions are “The parent is the expert on his/her child,” and “All parents have some-thing critical to share at each developmental stage.” We value highly your expert contributions to professional develop-ment at The Little School.
Warmly,
Leah
A Note from the Director’s Office
As a parent, you are really your child‘s most important—and best—teacher. The teachers at The Little School spend only a few hours a day with your child. You, on the other hand, have been with your child from before he or she was born to this moment, often 24/7. You have been part of the most significant learning in your child‘s life—his or her first steps or first words or, later, riding a tricycle or reading a book with you at bedtime. You definitely qualify as the world‘s greatest expert on your child‘s learning and education.
At The Little School, we recognize your expertise and encourage you to appreciate and use your knowledge of your child‘s capabilities to help her grow and learn. We strive to cre-ate a partnership with you to support your child‘s development.
Many strategies are necessary in the process of creating teach-ing partnerships: for example, encouraging two-way communication, creating a welcoming environment, making time to talk together, offering opportunities for net-working and support, and asking for information about your goals, culture, interests and experiences.
Teaching partnerships take many forms and each family has its own way of participating, which might involve parents with teachers or parents with other parents. Some of you enjoy coming into the classroom to do a special activity with children, such as cooking, creating art, gardening, teaching a language, or going on a field trip. Others take part in the teaching partnership by informally dropping by to participate in the classroom, especially at the beginning of the day and at the end of the day during Kids‘ Club.
You can help us develop curriculum by exchanging curriculum ideas, donating learning materials, sharing family and cultural information, and other ways.
Another way that parents participate in a teaching partnership is by doing educational activities at home. You support your child‘s learning and feelings of competence by offering resources such as old clothes for dress up, art materials or blocks. You sing together, tell stories, read books. And, most important, you can listen and let your child share his or her ideas, creations and enthusiasm without criticism or judgment.
Nurturing your child‘s learning at home and at school is the focus of our parenting workshop series, Enhancing the Home-School Connection,. which starts Monday, February 11th. Come as a family to an evening designed with special activities for both children and parents. Families will first enjoy a simple dinner together. Then children will have fun with friends in the Sunshine Room while parents partici-pate in a workshop next door in the Apple Room. The evening will end with children and parents reuniting during a special parent-child music and story time. We're looking forward to seeing you there!
Warmly,
Leah
Click here for the latest Little School Newsletter
Newsletter-2008-01-31.pdf
November 17.pub
| 