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

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

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

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

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

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)

• 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

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

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