Pond Infants and Toddlers: Reminders for the week of May 21, 2012.
May 17, 2012 by Jamie Halliday · Leave a Comment
Hello Families,
Listed below are some reminders for the week:
The children will be practicing safety with a fire drill on Tuesday, May 22.
Parent-teacher conferences will be held on Tuesday, May 22 and Thursday, May 24.
Seema will be celebrating her Birthday on Thursday, May 24. Happy Birthday, Seema!
Have a great week!
-Pond I/T Staff
Pond Infants and Toddlers: Reminders for the week of May 14, 2012.
May 10, 2012 by Jamie Halliday · Leave a Comment
Hello Families,
This week the children will exercise their bodies with Tammy Holley on Thursday, May 17 at 10:30 and 11:00!
Enjoy your weekend!
-Pond I/T Staff
Young Fives April 2012 Classroom Happenings
May 4, 2012 by Leanna Holman · Leave a Comment
Hi Everyone,
April was a fun and very busy month in the Young Fives classroom. The children were very interested in birds and to build on this interest we found a website of a real Eagle’s nest. Watching the Eagle Cam, we were able to see the Mom and Dad eagles take turns sitting on the nest which had 3 eggs inside of it. Throughout the month we saw the eggs hatch and watched as the eaglets changed during their first few weeks. The children all decided that baby eagles (eaglets) are so cute and fluffy! On the playground, we used large sticks to build with. The children used the sticks to create a large eagle nest and then climbed inside and pretended that they were the baby eagles. During small group we used clay, fake grass and other materials to make our own nests and eggs. Many children worked together to make eggs to put in their nests. One group of children made 36 eggs for their clay nest! We also looked at a real robin’s nest with eggs in it that was found on the playground! We talked about how the robin’s eggs were different from the eagle eggs and how baby robins would look different then baby eagles.
Key Developmental Indicators:
Engagement: Children focus on activities that interest them.
Use of resources: Children gather information and formulate ideas about their world.
Cooperative play: Children engage in cooperative play.
Speaking: Children express themselves using language.
Counting: Children count things.
Art: Children express and represent what they observe, think, imagine, and feel through two-and three- dimensional art.
Observing: Children observe the materials and processes in their environment.
Natural and physical world: Children gather knowledge about the natural and physical world.
Thank you,
Ms. Leanna
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- The mommy eagle (Yidam) flys around the nest calling to her babies.
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- Yidam, Charlie and Trent work together to create an eagle nest with the big sticks on the monkey bar playground.
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- Madison looks at the eaglets (Trent and Charlie) in their nest.
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- Charlie stands by the empty eagle nest they built.
Pond Infants and Toddlers: Reminders for the week of May 7, 2012.
May 3, 2012 by Jamie Halliday · Leave a Comment
Hello Families,
This week, Edwin will be celebrating his first Birthday! He will turn one on Saturday, May 12.
Happy Birthday, Edwin!
Carrie will also be off on Friday, May 11. Her substitute will be Krystal.
Have a great week!
-Pond I/T Staff
Director Notes
May 2, 2012 by Laura Griswold · Leave a Comment
Successful Month of the Young Child (MOYC)
I would like to thank the families for making Teacher Appreciation Week so special for the staff. What a wonderful couple of weeks it has been with the treats, massages, cards and kind words. It was evident by the smiles and extra energy that teachers were feeling proud to be Early Childhood Educators.
HighScope Conference
HighScope is our chosen curriculum and we are so fortunate to have the HighScope Research Foundation located nearby in Ypsilanti. The national conference is this week and we are taking advantage of this local educational opportunity. Many of our teachers will be taking a day to go to the conference. We know how valuable ongoing training is for any field, especially education. We appreciate your support and encouragement.
Spring/Summer Menu
It is that time again where we switch from the fall/winter menu to our spring/summer menu. Please note that we rotate weeks and that the dates are listed on the bottom for easy reference. Microsoft Word – GH All Center SPRING.SUMMER
School-Age Contracts
School – age contracts have gone out and are due back by June 1st. Any contract turned in after June 1st will be subject to a $50 late fee. Please be sure to communicate any schedule changes you may have for the upcoming school year. Please note that we serve Northside, King, Thurston and Logan Elementary schools for before and after school care.
Community Outreach
We had great success with our Seed Starting Squad. Many families were able to observe the progress over several weeks as our seeds sprouted in the makeshift ‘lobby green house’! They grew so fast we were able to bring them back to Project Hope with positive results. Now our Young Fives group has undertaken trays of seeds. It has been a great partnership and we are happy to be a part of the Ypsilanti based community garden.
The Mini March for Cystic Fibrosis was a great success. Classrooms throughout the center marched around the neighborhood in honor of children who find it difficult to move their bodies. It was a wonderful way to show how children can make an impact. We were able to raise over $1000. Thank you all of the families who sponsored our children and helped to make a difference.
Happy Spring -
Laura
Railroad I/T May Dates
April 30, 2012 by Megan Haight · Leave a Comment
Be sure to mark your calendar for the following dates in March!
April 30-May 4: High Scope Conference (See below)
May 1st: Paul’s Birthday
May 1st: Tammy Holley 10:15 and 10:45
May 4th: Megan Off in afternoon
May 8th: Megan Off in afternoon
May 11th: Sandra Off at 2:45
May 14th: Tammy Holley 10:15 and 10:45
May 14th: Meena’s Birthday
Week of May 14th: Parent Conferences (Look for sign up sheets this week!)
May 22nd: Fire Drill 10:15 a.m.
May 25th: Sandra Off
May 28th: Gretchen’s House Closed
May 30th: Tornado Drill 4:15 p.m.
May 31st: Tammy Holley 10:15 and 10:45
The High Scope Conference is taking place from April 30th to May 4th. Each of the teachers will be out for either a half day or full day attending the conference. Those days are:
Monday: Sandra
Tuesday: Julie and Whitney
Wednesday: Chrissy
Thursday: Megan and Jessica
Friday: Denise (morning only)
Pond Preschool – May 2012 Dates
April 30, 2012 by Harmony Smargon · Leave a Comment
Happy May! Now that we are moving into some warmer weather, please be sure that your child has a sun hat to wear outside and water bottles to help them stay hydrated. We will continue to use sunscreen on the children twice a day, and in between when needed. Also, be sure you check your child’s cubby for weather appropriate clothing. I am pretty sure it is safe to take home all winter gear. We will wrap up the month with Parent-Teacher Conferences. The sign-up sheet is on the door to the left of the daily sign-in and out sheets.
- 5/1 – 5/4 – High/Scope conferences (schedule changes emailed to you & posted on Hot Spot)
- 5/11 – Kristen off/Danielle opens
- 5/11 – Happy 5th Birthday Meera!!
- 5/13 – Happy 4th Birthday Nico!!
- 5/14 – New friend Aditi starts! Welcome to Gretchen’s House!
- 5/17 – Tammy Holley Time (bring tennis shoes to wear)
- 5/22 – Fire Drill – 10:15a.m.
- 5/22 – 2/24 – Parent/Teacher Conferences. Sign-up now posted on the door to the left of daily sign-in and out sheet.
- 5/25 – Harmony off/Kristen Closes
- 5/28 – Gretchen’s House Closed for Memorial Day
- 5/29 – Kristen off/Harmony open/Danielle close
- 5/29 – Tammy Holley Time (bring tennis shoes to wear)
- 5/30 – Tornado Drill – 4:15p.m.
- 5/31 – Caroline’s Last Day – we will miss you!
Looking ahead to June: We will have several children leaving to join the summer camp program, and children that will transition to Preschool from Water’s Edge. We will also begin planning field trips for the summer months. We always welcome you to join us on field trips.
–Harmony
Railroad I/T Cystic Fibrosis Mini March
April 26, 2012 by Megan Haight · Leave a Comment
The Railroad Toddlers headed to the condos to march in support of a cure for cystic fibrosis! Jessica made ribbon shakers for the children, which were moving throughout our trip. While visiting the condos, the older toddlers encountered the preschoolers on their march and the younger toddlers saw a duck in the pond.
A variety of KDIs were on display that morning. While decorating our banner, the children explored art materials, listened and responded, took initiative, and played with others. During the marches, the children moved with objects, observed from a different viewpoint, described what they observed, and formed relationships with their peers.
Thank you to all of the families who contributed to our mini march! The teachers and children enjoyed getting outside and soaking up the sunshine, while spreading awareness of cystic fibrosis.
~Megan
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- The children colored our banner!
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- Young Toddlers (with David and Lena) set off for their march.
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- The Older Toddlers stop to look around….
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- An attempt to get a photo of the Toddlers in front of our sign
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- Laine shakes her ribbon stick!
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- Stopped to look at the ducks, Lena peeks around David to get a good look!
Pond Infants and Toddlers: Reminders for the week of April 30, 2012.
April 26, 2012 by Jamie Halliday · Leave a Comment
Hello Families,
This week the staff will be taking time to attend a High/Scope conference in the Ann Arbor area. Listed below are the teachers and the dates that they will be gone:
Monday, April 30: Katie = Carrie/Clare
Tuesday, May 1: Misty = Deb/Shelby
Wednesday, May 2: Jamie = Sunita
Thursday, May 3: Carrie = Sarah K./Clare
The toddlers will also be exercising their body with Tammy Holley on Monday, April 30 at 10:30 and 11:00. We will also be celebrating a first birthday in the Cozy Cove this week. Supriya turns one on May 5 – Happy Birthday, Supriya!
Thank you and enjoy your week!
-Pond I/T Staff
Railroad Infants Outdoors!
April 25, 2012 by Megan Haight · Leave a Comment
The Infants have been spending more and more of their day outdoors! The weather has been so nice, and they are taking advantage of it. When the playground is empty, they are able to explore without the big kids. They have gone on wagon rides, explored the sandbox, and even helped Sandra sweep!
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- KDIs: Experiencing from a Different Viewpoint, Playing with Others
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- KDIs: Nonverbal Communication, Moving with Objects
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- KDIs: Moving Parts of the Body, Exploring Objects
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- KDIs: Relationships with Peers, Listening and Responding
