A Note from The Director December 2013
Dear Interfaith Families, With the fast approaching holiday season, our common theme for our children will be the spirit of giving. Many of our classrooms are already busy making holiday cards for seniors and community volunteers in our area. We had several ICDC classrooms do artwork for Veterans. We also had several classes sing and perform for Senior Living Homes in The Woodlands. You might also start a new holiday tradition with your child, such as making cookies to give an elderly neighbor. Or, make birdseed balls or other “gifts” for the birds in your backyard. Through acts of kindness our children will associate the holidays as times for being thankful and remembering others. A special thank you to all our wonderful Interfaith parents for what you do everyday with your children. We all parent differently, but creatively. We parent from our personalities, from our heads and hearts, from happy times and sad times. We parent from tips from books, or some days just winging it. We’re just so thankful to have such amazing parents partnering with our staff to provide the best environment possible for our children, now and for their future. It’s a pleasure to know you! May you have a happy and healthy family filled holiday season! Best wishes to you from all of us at Interfaith. We are truly blessed to have you as part of our Interfaith family. Warmest regards, Bobbie Hrycushko, Director
December 2013
Important Dates
Thurs. & Fri.
Spirit Days – wear your ICDC T-shirt
December 16-20
Holiday Parties for All Classes
December 23 -January 3
Winter Holidays- No Partial Day Preschool, School Day, and MDO Programs
December 23
Special Hours - Open at 6:30 a.m.
December 24-January 1
Center Closed
January 2
All Day Classes Resume
January 6
Partial Day Preschool, School Day, and MDO classes resume
ICDC Newsletter
Close at 5:00 p.m.
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Health & Safety
This month we will focus on car-line safety. Car-line is a very busy time at our school. Although we are trying to get children out of their cars and to class as efficiently as possible, we must remember that safety is our number one priority. Below are some important things to remember in order to promote car-line safety: This month Please ensure that vehicle doors are completely closed before driving away. This is especially important in vans that have the automatic sliding door. We ask that this door be completely closed before driving away from car-line. • Make sure that you are not parking in a “no-parking zone”. These areas are indicated by red paint and the words ‘no parking’ on the curb and are designated for emergency vehicles only. In the event of an emergency, it is essential that this area be readily available for the fire department. • Cars must be placed in park during car-line. Before we assist your children out of the car, we do ask that you place the car in park to prevent the vehicle from rolling forward. • Please refrain from using your cell phone in the parking lot. This helps to eliminate any additional distractions to ensure the safety of our children. If we all work together and remain mindful of our actions in the parking lot, we can continue to keep ICDC a safe place for everyone! I hope that everyone has a safe and joyous holiday season! Lindsey Johnson, RN ICDC School Nurse
Choosing Safe Toys
Below are some guidelines to follow in order to help you pick toys which are best suited for your children:
Read the label prior to buying the toy. Show your child how to properly use the toy. Ensure that all toys and parts are larger than a child’s mouth to prevent choking. If it can fit into a film canister, it is a choking hazard. Watch out for sharp points or edges and toys made from thin plastic or other material that may break easily. Be sure toys are age appropriate. Be careful when buying crib toys. Strings or wires that hang in a crib should be kept short. They may pose a serious strangulation hazard when a child begins to crawl or stand. Remove crib gyms and mobiles as soon as your child can push up on his or her hands and knees.
ICDC Newsletter
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ICDC Newsletter
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People of ICDC Each month our Parent’s Club will be highlighting one of our staff in their newsletter. This is a great way for you to learn more about our wonderful teachers and staff. My name is Erin Geerlings, I have had the pleasure of teaching at Interfaith for six years. Originally, I began as an assistant, but I grew to love helping our great kids. I then decided to commit myself full time to developing the wonderful children who come through these doors every day. I grew up in Chicago, (yes, a Bears fan) one of four children to loving and dedicated parents. I was lucky enough to excel in competitive ice skating. I skated throughout my childhood , and eventually became a national and international competitor. I was an alternate for the 1994 Winter Olympics in pairs figure skating. I then coached little ice skaters for 10 years. Later, I moved to Houston after having two beautiful children in California. I now have a blended family with my wonderful husband who has two children of his own.
I truly feel blessed to care for these little ones who walk into Interfaith every day, and I take great pride in the work I do to prepare these little ladies and gentlemen for the road of life. .
Holiday schedule for the enrichment classes: • • • •
D is for Discovery Science: last day-December 2/4, 2013; resumes January 27 / 28, 2014 Music by Mary: last day-December 17, 2013; resumes January 7, 2014 Boni’s Dance: last day-December 18; resumes January 8, 2014 Playball: last day- Week of December 16; resumes Week of January 6, 2014
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ICDC Parent’s Club From The President
Thank you, again, to each and every one of you for supporting our school by participating in our T-shirt and decal sale and Innisbrook fundraiser! Parent’s Club has been able to donate a portion of the amount of money raised towards a playground improvement for our toddler playground. The school will be replacing the ground covering with new synthetic grass, which should be complete by the end of November! Parent’s Club also provided our teachers and staff with an appreciation breakfast on November 21st! Our teachers and staff are so important to us and we wanted to take the opportunity to give thanks and celebrate them. Thank you also to our room parents for organizing our classroom basket donations for the silent auction! The baskets look amazing and we couldn't do it without our parents! Thank you for your generous donations! Our Silent Auction and Family Night will be held on Friday, February 7, 2014. So mark your calendars now to attend this fun, family event! The holidays are quickly approaching and so is the Holiday Teacher/ Staff Appreciation Brunch! This is our chance to show the teachers and staff at ICDC how much we appreciate them and everything they do for our children. The brunch will be held on Thursday, December 12th. There are many opportunities to participate- you may sign up to bring food or volunteer to take food from cars during carline at the 8 o'clock and 9 o'clock hours, set up or help at the brunch or lend hot plates/ chafing dishes for the day. If you choose to bring food or lend serving dishes please make sure that you label them clearly with your name, your child's name and your child's classroom so that they may be returned to you in a timely manner. Sign-up sheets will be available in the school foyer soon! Please join us in celebrating our ICDC staff!! Last but not least, a special THANK YOU to one of our very own parents Rodney Cook with Pure Healthy Eatery for sponsoring our very first Spirit Day!! With this event we were able to raise $633 in proceeds with ICDC receiving $63! This is wonderful! If you have any questions please contact me at skdelapaz@gmail.com or 713/851.1411. I hope you and your families have a wonderful Thanksgiving! Shannon K. de la Paz ICDC Parent's Club- President
A Special Thank You Our proud A12 Pre-Kindergarten Class is displaying their Box Tops for Education collection sheets. A big thank you to them and their families for support of this wonderful school wide project! Our school has been able to purchase playground activity equipment and various school enhancements through the Box Tops for Education Program. Families collect and turn into our front office product labels from Campbell and General Mills. ICDC Newsletter
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