A Note from The Director February 2016
Dear Interfaith Families, I want to express my sincerest thanks to you for attending our Parent-Teacher Conferences last month. It takes collaboration between both parents and teachers to offer the best educational experience for your children. We are so grateful for your continued support and involvement in your child’s early childhood education. With a limited amount of time for each conference, it is sometimes difficult to address all questions and/or concerns. If you feel that an additional conference is needed, please do not hesitate to contact your child’s teacher. We want to ensure that all concerns are addressed and that you have an understanding of your child’s progress thus far in the school year. I am excited to share with you that 45 of our teachers and staff attended the Preschool Teachers Adventure Conference at the end of January. This was a wonderful day filled with fun and learning. Our teachers spent their Saturday gaining knowledge in areas such as science, music, and literacy, and came away with exciting ideas and activities to implement in their classrooms. As we begin registration for the 2016 – 2017 school year and for the upcoming summer, I ask for your patience as we implement a new process. Our hope is that it will be a smoother process and that there won’t be such a long wait time as what you have experienced in the past. As with any new process, there may be a few issues that we need to work out. Please know that we will do our best to get your children registered as quickly as possible. We are looking forward to having your children back with us this summer and in the year ahead. Kindest regards, Lisa Whittle Director
IMPORTANT DATES Please see page 5 for the many important dates this month.
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Curriculum Corner Science Lab This month in the Science Lab, our little ones will be busy, busy learning all about keeping their teeth and heart healthy. Children will participate in activities that alleviate any fears they have about visiting the doctor or dentist. They will practice brushing and flossing teeth and will use a real stethoscope to listen to their heart! Children will learn about healthy foods to eat that are good for their teeth and bodies. The Science Lab will also have some great books available for our children. Going to the Doctor by Anne Civardi How Many Teeth by Paul Showers My Body by Scholastic Healthy Snacks by Mari C. Schuh
Literacy News This past weekend many of our teachers (45!) attended the Preschool Teachers Adventure Conference. This conference offered workshops for both Directors and Early Childhood Professionals. Many topics were covered from science, music, literacy, math and the power of play! It was a wonderful day of learning about young children and their development. In the library this month there are many books to reflect the many themes in February at ICDC. There are books for Dental Health, Valentine’s Day, and books about keeping our hearts and bodies healthy. Max’s Valentine by Rosemary Wells Plant a Kiss by Amy Krouse Rosenthal Bear’s Loose Tooth by Karma Wilson How Do Dinosaurs Get Well Soon? By Jane Yolen and Mark Teague
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Health & Safety February is National Children’s Dental Health Month The month of February is national Children’s Dental Health Month. The American Dental Association has designated “Sugar Wars” as their campaign slogan. This month long national health observance brings together many educators, healthcare providers, and dental professionals to promote the benefits of good oral health to children.
5 Ways to Prevent Kids’ Tooth Decay • Care Don’t Share – Don’t share utensils with your child or “clean” a pacifier by putting it in your mouth. You can transfer cavity-causing germs to your child. • Eat Healthy – and drink fluoridated water. • First Dental Visit – no later than 1 year old. • Use Fluoride Toothpaste – as soon as teeth come through the gums. When kids can brush their own teeth, have them brush 2 x 2 – 2 minutes, 2 times per day. • Seal Out Decay – Ask your dentist about applying sealants to chewing surfaces of teeth. *Learn more at MouthHealthy.org, brought to you by the ADA American Dental Association
Please refer to the Important Dates section of this newsletter for important registration dates. If you need additional registration forms or a copy of the letter that was sent home in January, please stop by the front office. We will be happy to give you additional copies.
If you have friends that are interested in registering their children, we will open registration to the public for both the summer and the 2016-2017 school year on Saturday, February 20th at 8:00 a.m. We are implementing a lottery system this year. Interested parents will need to arrive at 8:00 a.m. and fill out a ticket and registration form(s). The order in which we draw the tickets will determine a person’s place in line for registration. If openings in desired programs are available, then we will register their children. If not, then the children will be placed on our waiting lists. Prospective parents can call on Feb. 19th to check the availability of our programs.
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Preschool Psychology Corner by Anise Flowers, Ph.D. and Angie Hays, Ph.D. Who we are We both studied Clinical Child Psychology at LSU under the same professor, at different times. We met last year at a Texas Psychology conference and discovered that we both live in The Woodlands. Also, Anise’s son, Tucker, and Angie’s daughter, Allie, were born only 3 days apart. Without planning it, we both enrolled our children in the T4 class at ICDC, attending on different days. With so many coincidences, we were destined to become fast friends! In addition to caring for Allie and her new baby, Christopher, Angie has a private practice in Conroe. Anise teaches Assessment workshops for a test publisher. We are so excited about this opportunity to contribute to the ICDC newsletter. Managing Transitions A common challenge for parents of preschool age children is transitioning from one activity to another. Every day, we need to move from playtime to mealtime, or bathtime to bedtime, and many more. There is also the ever present hurdle of just getting dressed and out the front door on time! Transitions can easily result in our little ones displaying BIG emotions like anger, sadness, and crying. Some techniques that might be helpful include: Time warnings: Giving several warnings can be helpful to prepare children. For example, “we are going to take a bath in 10 minutes.” Then you can repeat at 5 minutes, 2 minutes, etc. (And the nice thing with young children who can’t tell time yet is that you don’t have to be exact!)
Counting: Counting to 10 or 20 can give children a short window to finish an activity. For example, “I’m going to count to 10 and then we are turning the water off.” (Anise’s son loves to wash his hands forever!) In addition to preparation for a transition, this technique has the added bonus of helping young children learn to count.
Choices: Anytime you can give a preschool child a choice it helps them feel more in control. “Do you want to brush your teeth first or put on your pajamas?” Rituals: Daily routines and songs, like a Clean Up song for picking up toys, can also increase cooperation with transitions and teach children what to expect from day to day.
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Other Notes February 2016
Important Dates
Thurs. & Fri.
Spirit Days – wear your ICDC T-shirt
February 2
Registration for Full Day and School Ager Programs for 2016-2017
February 3
Registration for MDO and School Day Programs for 2016-2017
February 4
Registration for Partial Day Program for 2016-2017
February 5
Registration open for all programs for the 2016-2017 year
February 6
Open House and School Tour for new families (10:00am and 11:00am)
February 8
Registration for Full Day and School Ager Programs for Summer 2016
February 9
Registration for Summer Camp Program
February 10 - 12
Registration open for All Programs
February 11/12
Classroom Valentine Activities
February 15
Full Day and School Ager Programs Only **No class for MDO, Partial, and School Day Programs
February 15
Registration for Legacy Families
February 16
Open House and School Tour for new families (7:00 p.m.)
February 20
Registration open to the public for Summer 2016 and the 2016-2017 school year
February 25/26
Dad’s Day
March 4
Family Night and Silent Auction
ICDC would like to invite all dads to their child’s classroom on February 25th or 26th. Teachers will send out more details regarding the specific date/time in the coming weeks. If Dad cannot make it, we would love to have a grandfather, uncle, or mom attend in Dad’s place. We hope that you’ll be able to join us for this special time in your child’s classroom.
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People of ICDC Each month our Parent’s Club will be highlighting some of our teachers in the newsletter. This will give you a chance to get to know the ICDC staff a little better. Hi, my name is Amanda Reyna Wilkinson. I was born in Houston into a large family. I am child number five out of six and I am the baby girl. We moved into Conroe before I started elementary school. My parents have been married for over forty years and their love has shown me the kind of love that I hope to have forever. I consider myself to be family oriented. I have been married to my husband, Chris, for four years and we have been together for eleven years. We love spending our time together. We enjoy going on walks, out to eat, taking trips, and having “family time” with our dogs. My husband is a photographer and I enjoy assisting him with his shoots. After I graduated from high school I attended school for dental assisting and I have kept up with my certification ever since. A couple of years ago I completed my Child Development Associates for Infant/Toddlers. This summer I will be celebrating my 10th anniversary here at Interfaith. I work in the school day ones program, also known as Mother’s Day Out. I have been working in the same class with my coworker, Amy, going on nine years. I enjoy the age group and watching them grow. I am happy here at Interfaith and look forward to meeting you and your kiddos.
My name is Julie Fisher. I am the bus driver and floating substitute. I grew up in Kingwood, but was born in Tulsa, Oklahoma. After high school I earned an Associate's Degree and started a career as a computer administrator. Sadly, I was laid off after eight years. I switched interests and developed skills as a baker. I worked for a Kingwood bakery for two years. I then went to school to learn how to drive 18 wheelers. After realizing that wasn't for me, I started working for Humble ISD as a bus driver. I enjoyed it, but was looking for more interaction with students. I'm so glad I found ICDC! I have a cat named Belle and a new puppy named Daisy. My parents still live in Kingwood. My brother lives in Austin. I always heard about the joys of teaching from my mother who was a kindergarten teacher and is now a published picture book author. She still knows her arts and crafts! I look forward to my driving and time spent with the students at Interfaith.
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ICDC Parents Club From The President Our next FUNdraiser with MIXED BAGS DESIGNS will begin on February 8th and run through the 19th. Mixed Bags has a wide variety of fun and functional bags for the spring/summer and also kitchen & home items – bowls, cookie presses, mommy and me matching aprons, and so much more! Please check your child's school bag on Feb. 4th and 5th for more information on this fabulous fundraiser! Our next spirit day will be held with Chick-fil-a in Alden Bridge on February 11th. Chick-fil-a makes it super easy to dine in or drive through so all you have to do is swing by that day with your family, pick it up and enjoy! Details coming soon… Please join us for our annual Silent Auction and Family Night – Deep In the Jungle – the evening of Friday, March 4th at the school. All auction items are donated from each class, the community and parents of the school. This is our biggest fundraiser of the year!! If you or someone you know would like to donate something or volunteer to help at the event, please contact our auction chair Gina Lee ASAP: leegina05@gmail.com Our next parent’s club and silent auction meeting will take place on February 10th at 1:30 pm in Room P-18. Please come! We would love to have you. As always, thank you for supporting our school! Mary-Kathryn D’Agostino mkdagostino@sbcglobal.net
LAST CHANCE!!! If you or your business are interested in donating an item or taking out an ad in the auction program for the upcoming ICDC “Deep in the Jungle" Silent Auction & Family Night please see the front desk at the school for the appropriate paperwork asap. FINAL DEADLINE FOR INCLUSION IN THE AUCTION BOOKLET IS FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 5TH We will accept donations until March 3rd.
WIN ONE MONTH’S FREE TUITION (For one child only. Must be used by December 2016.)
RAFFLE TICKETS ON SALE STARTING MONDAY, FEB 8 In conjunction with this year's “Deep in the Jungle" Silent Auction & Family Night we will be selling raffle tickets for the chance to win one month’s free tuition. Limited number of tickets available. Tickets will be available at the front desk of the school or through a Parents Club Board Member until they are SOLD OUT. Winner will be announced at the March 4th Silent Auction & Family Night. Winner does NOT need to be present to win. Do not miss out on this opportunity to WIN!!
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