Happy Holidays

On behalf of our entire staff, we want to send warm wishes for a happy holiday and a healthy new year! We have had such a wonderful year and are looking forward to 2018! All programs will be closed December 25, 2017-January 2, 2018. We will re-open on Wednesday January 3, 2018.

Happy Holidays!!

Conferences

This morning our toddlers combined two of their favorite things- blocks and dinosaurs! One of our toddlers built a home for his dino.

We've been seeing so much creativity and growth during the first half of our school year. Our programs will be offering Family/Teacher Conferences the first week of December. Please see your child's teacher for specific sign up information. We look forward to sharing our observations and documentation with you.

Taco Thomas

Taco Thomas is the newest addition to the Barnes Pre-K Family! Our Pre-K teacher, Ms. Danielle, was awarded a grant to support a classroom pet! He is a bearded dragon and his name was selected by the students.

This is such an enriching learning opportunity for the class. Children will learn responsibility in helping to care for Thomas. They will learn science and math information about what he eats, or what his habitat is like. They are learning new vocabulary words, and enjoying new dragon based stories.

We hope Taco Thomas is enjoying his new life in Pre-K!

September

We can't believe September is almost over! Our first month of school has flown by!! Take a look at some of the things we have been up to:

Professional Development

Our teachers are required to attend 16 hours of professional development each calendar year. This includes a variety of safety trainings (CPR, First Aid) and early childhood trainings (workshops, and conferences). Before the first day of school, our teachers participated in a few team building activities, shared music and movement activities and learned policy updates. These opportunities are so important! Our next professional development day is Tuesday November 7, 2017. All programs will be closed for students with staff still reporting. We look forward to learning new ideas and enhancing our skills.

2017-2018 School Year

The 2017-2018 school year is quickly approaching! We cannot wait to spend another fun filled year with your child! The first day of school can sometimes be a little hectic. We have a few tips to hopefully make your first day easier:

• Start talking with your child about the first day of school. If you are excited, your child is likely to be excited as well.
• Practice your morning routine before the first day. If your child has had a different schedule during the summer, you may want to practice going to bed early or waking up early. 
• Create a consistent drop off routine. Maybe you'll give two hugs and one kiss before you say goodbye. Maybe you will help your child sign in, and give a high five. Whatever you decide, we recommend saying goodbye and letting your child know you will be back after school instead of slipping away or using distraction. Drop off will get easier every day.
• Double check your supplies. Label everything with your child's name or initials. This will help ensure that your child will have the items intended for your child. It will also help prevent items from getting lost or going home with the wrong family. Bottles for the infant room should be labeled with your child's name, date and contents. A supply list is posted on our website.
• Send in a lovie. If your child has a special blanket, or stuffed animal that helps them feel safe, you can send it in. You can also send in a family photo so your child can see you all day long. 
• Check in on your child. If you are feeling nervous about the first day, feel free to call your child's teacher or send an email to see how they are doing. Your child's teacher will also send an update to all parents around nap time with pictures and news about the day.

Please make sure your paperwork is complete and up to date including your child's health appraisal. Please call the Preschool Office if you have any questions regarding the updated enrollment paperwork or handbook- 432-3809. Billing questions can be directed to 432-3067.

We can't wait to see everyone starting on Tuesday September 5, 2017.

Rosco the Clown

Today we had a visit from Rosco the Clown! We enjoyed his silly magic show.

Rosco pulled bananas out from behind our ears, chickens out of hats and read us a few silly stories! He even turned our Preschool Prep teacher, Ms. Kim, into a bunny!! Thank you Rosco for sharing your joy and laughter with us this morning!

Summer

The Summer Program at the Barnes Early Childhood is in full swing! Our students have been busy playing and learning both inside and outside!  Weekly water days are enjoyed by all ages. Our summer program runs through August 24, 2017.

Last Days of School

Goodbye 2016-2017 school year! You flew by! We can't believe today is the last day for our elementary programs, and tomorrow is the last day for our Barnes program. What an awesome school year! Thanks for learning and laughing with us.

For those joining us in the summer, we will see you on Monday June 19th at the Barnes Early Childhood Center. Our program hours will remain the same, 7:15am-6:00pm. We are looking forward to soaking up the sun with you this summer.

Gardening

Our Barnes Pre-K class has been busy in the school garden. The Pre-K students, along with their teacher Ms. Sam, have been weeding, watering, planting, and spending time in the garden. The students grew flowers and plants inside their classroom and are now ready to transplant them out into nature. This is an awesome learning experience for the class! We are always seeking donations to help our garden grow. Our currents needs are: child sized gloves, a watering can, and yard waste bags. Thank you for supporting our garden!

Sunshine

We have been enjoying the sunshine and warm weather by making the outdoors an extension of our learning space! In addition to free play time where students can run, climb, swing, and hang out with friends, we have been bringing our learning centers outside. Outdoor learning activities include things like a nature scavenger hunt, the sand and water table, drawing pictures at the picnic table, using the parachute and playing large group games. Throughout the rest of the school year and summer, we will be maximizing our time outside. Please be sure to send in sunscreen and a water bottle for your child!

Month of the Young Child

Last month we celebrated the month of the young child with an emphasis on family culture. Each student in our program is a member of unique culture and brings with them new ideas, thoughts and traditions. We want to celebrate the ways we are different, and the common threads that we all share. Our month was divided into 4 focus weeks. We spent time learning about the various traditions families in our program have. We also spent time looking at maps and pictures from our neighborhood, our state and our world. We listened to music from a variety of time periods and cultures. Lastly, we invited family members in to our program to share something from their family culture- a language, a song, a recipe etc.


We really enjoyed getting to learn more about each family. Thank you for sharing your items and resources with us.

Author's Tea

Pre-K students at Maire invited friends and family to join them for an 'Author's Tea' this morning. Students have been working hard to author and illustrate their own picture books. The morning began with tea, hot coco, lemonade and various treats to share. After, students read their books with their loved ones. Each student wrote an author's biography about themselves too! Families were able to color a tea cup, play a tea-cup stacking game, and a take a photo together at the selfie station. We are so proud of the amazing work done by our students and their pre-k teachers!

Dr. Seuss

Yesterday we celebrated Dr. Seuss's 113th birthday! Classrooms read a variety of Dr. Seuss books including Green Eggs and Ham, and Hop On Pop. We talked about the silly rhyming words and interesting illustrations in each book. Classrooms also celebrated by painting some of their favorite Dr. Seuss characters, and patterning that famous 'Cat in the Hat' hat.

Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!

“You have brains in your head. You have feet in your shoes. You can steer yourself any direction you choose.” -Dr. Seuss 

Happy Valentines Day

Happy Valentines Day! Today, we enjoyed celebrations of friendship and kindness in our programs. Children passed out valentines to each other and enjoyed tasty snacks. We are participating in the Great Kindness Challenge this month which correlates perfectly with Valentines Day! We want to show love and respect to ourselves and others. We wish you all a very happy day.

Curriculum

We had a great time meeting and talking with families last night at the Preschool Fair. Many families were interested in learning more about the curriculum of our program. All of our early childhood programs from infancy through 5 years old follow an emergent curriculum with aspects of Highscope.

Emergent curriculum lends itself to play-based learning. The goal of emergent curriculum is for our teachers to respond to the children’s interests and generate lesson plans based on these things. It is open-ended, providing a wide canvas for the learning process. It is individualized, allowing for our teachers to interact with and expand upon each child’s questions and interests. It is process-based, enabling our teachers to give considerable attention to the quality of how learning is happening.

We encourage anyone with questions about our curriculum, tuition, hours or enrollment to call the preschool office. We'd be happy to talk with you about the variety of programs offered through the Grosse Pointe Public School District.

Applications

The application period for enrollment in the 2017-2018 Child Development and Preschool Program is currently open. If you are interested in enrolling your child, please submit an online application by Friday Feb 3, 2017. Detailed information about the application process is available on our website. Click here for more information.

Representatives from our program will also be at the Grosse Pointe Library Preschool Fair on Wednesday Feb 1, 2017 at 6:00pm to answer questions and meet with families.

If you have questions regarding any of our programs, please contact the Preschool Office.