A Note from The Director October 2014
Dear ICDC Parents, In the short time I have been at Interfaith Child Development Center, I have been struck by the incredible diversity of our families. What a rich community this is! I first arrived at ICDC in May when we were in the midst of celebrating “International Week” and I was literally in awe of how many parents, grandparents, and special friends visited our classrooms, sharing their culture and experiences from around the world. In an increasingly global society, this is a wonderful asset to have.
It is my hope that every week can be “International Week” at ICDC! Those of us who comprise the ICDC family represent a variety of backgrounds – religiously, ethically, and culturally. And while we don’t request that information on your enrollment forms because we want to be respectful of privacy, we welcome it in our school. We welcome it for two reasons: first, because by sharing your backgrounds with us you enrich our curriculum; and second, because it helps us to be more culturally sensitive and responsive to you.
So, please do share with us. Teach us about your customs and traditions so we may learn and be more representative of who you are. In the evening on December 8, in anticipation of the Winter Holidays, we will be having a workshop for teachers to explore some of these multicultural issues. If you would be interested in joining us to share more about your cultural heritage and the holidays your family celebrates, please give me a call or send me an email to let me know. Warmly, Julie Oudin, Director
IMPORTANT DATES Please see page 5 for the many important dates this month.
ICDC Newsletter
Health & Safety
The beginning of the year has gotten off to a great start and at ICDC, your child’s health and safety is our number 1 priority. This month we would like to focus a review of ICDC policies about parking lot and car line safety as well as some car seat tips. Parking Lot Safety Please do not park directly in front of the door to walk your child to class. Parking there blocks in other cars and causes traffic problems in the parking lot. Do not park in red curbed areas. We can be fined if cars are found parked in these areas. Please do not leave children under the age of 7 years waiting in the car in the parking lot while you pick-up your child inside of the building. Car Line Policies and Safety •Display the green sign with your child’s name and class number while in car line the whole time until you leave our parking lot. If you have lost it, please let the front desk know if you need another one. •Please put your car in “park” or preferably turn the engine off as we pick-up or bring your child to your car during car line. •Please do not pass the car in front of you if you are waiting for that car to load in children. •We cannot place any children into cars if there is not a car seat or a booster seat for each child. In Texas, children under the age of 8 and height of 4’11 MUST be in a car seat or booster seat. Car Seat Tips Did you know that 7 out of 10 car seat are not installed properly? How long as it been since you have assessed your child’s car seat and checked for proper fit? For more information you can go to www.safekids.org for a parent check list on car seats. If you are interested in having your car seat inspected, there will be a Car Seat inspection event on Saturday, October 4 from 9am-12pm at Walmart on 9235 North Sam Houston Pkwy E, Park Lakes Landing, Humble, TX 77396. Check www.safekids.org for future events. You may also contact the Harris County Sheriff Department to make an appointment at 281-537-1606 for the 17117 Cali Dr., Houston TX 77090 location.
Many thanks as always to our wonderful Parent’s Club Thank you to our Parent’s Club for organizing our School Spirit Day at Chick-fil-A and providing our teachers with such a delicious lunch. It was appreciated by all and was a wonderful way to celebrate our 38th birthday! The children were treated to a special snack of popsicles, which they loved! And finally, we want to extend a special thank you to all those who took part in our Parent’s Club T-Shirt and Decal Fundraiser in September. We look forward to showing our school spirit in style! ICDC Newsletter
Curriculum Corner Science Lab
This month, our ICDC Scientists will investigate the concepts of sinking and floating through some hands-on experiments. They will make predictions about whether or not an object will sink or float, and then they will do some experiments to find out if they were correct. We will also have some fun using our five senses to explore sounds, smells, and textures. Here are some books you might want to read to your little scientist: Floating and Sinking by Karen Bryant-Mole Who Sank the Boat? by Pamela Allen My Five Senses by Aliki The Five Senses by Nuria Roca
September was National Literacy Month! Whoops! While I am a month late in sharing that September was National Literacy Month, it is never too late to focus upon the importance of reading aloud to children, both at home and at school. Mem Fox, author of many beloved picture books for children, believes that parents can bond with their children through reading. According to Fox, “The book will initiate conversations that go for miles, on this detour and that.” In choosing books for small children, remember that rhyme, rhythm and repetition are incredibly important. Take a look at some of Mem Fox’s favorite titles, and cuddle up with your young one, and READ!
ICDC Newsletter
People of ICDC Happy Fall Y’all! I am Dana Becker, a parent and teacher at Interfaith. All three of my children have or are attending this amazing school. I have taught kindergarten for 16 years and have loved every minute of it. After the birth of my youngest, my husband and I decided that I should stay home and be a crazy stay at home mom instead of a crazy working mom! Now, with my oldest entering 3rd grade, my middle starting Kindergarten and my youngest excited to be attending Pre K in Ms. Joanna’s class here at Interfaith, I wanted to get back into teaching! I was so happy that a position opened up to work with Ms. Bobbie in P19, who lovingly taught my middle child. I love being a part of the Interfaith Family and love working in the Library with all the wonderful books that have been donated throughout the years. I cannot be happier to be where my children have grown to love school!
A Very Special Thank You We want to extend a very special thank you to two of our teachers and their husbands:
Janie and Jesse Marroquin Rose and Rex Everett for their generous donations to Interfaith. Thanks to their kindness and generosity, we were able to invite Oasis for Children to come entertain the children on Tuesday, September 23 in honor of our School’s 38th birthday! Oasis performed Movin’ and Groovin’, a fabulous interactive experience involving music, movement, magic and puppetry. The children loved it (and the teachers had a pretty good time as well! ) We hope to invite Oasis for Children back in the spring to entertain our MWF children!
Thank you again, Ms. Rose and Ms. Janie!
ICDC Newsletter
ICDC Parent’s Club From The President Thank you to all of our parents who completed the Parent’s Club registration form at the beginning of the year and generously gave your $10 donation! All of the funds given to Parent’s Club benefit our children, teachers and school. All of the time given by Parent’s Club board members, committee members and other contributors is given strictly on a volunteer basis. We are so thankful for each and every one of you! You’ve got SPIRIT – Yes You Do!!! Thank you for showing your school spirit and supporting ICDC with your t-shirt orders, decal orders and joining us at our first Spirit Event with Chick-fil-A!! More details to come as to amounts earned for our school… !!! We will begin our annual Innisbrook fundraiser on October 13th! Please take a look at the catalogs when they come home with your child. There are some great gifts, holiday gifts and wrapping papers at all prices. For every dollar spent, 50 cents comes back to ICDC and your children can earn some SUPERHERO prizes for items sold! The 2015 Silent Auction is still several months away but we are already working hard to make it a great success. Be on the lookout for flyers that will come home in the coming months with details about the event. If you or someone you know would like to donate an item, purchase ad space in the event program or volunteer to help at the event, please let me know! Thank you for your continued support! Shannon de la Paz skdelapaz@gmail.com 713/851.1411
November 2014
Important Dates
Thurs. & Fri.
Spirit Days – wear your ICDC T-shirt
October 2-3
Classroom Group Pictures
October 7-10
Individual Portraits
October 20-21
Vision, Hearing, and Speech Screening for Four-Year-Olds
October 30
Parade of Costumes and Classroom Parties for T/Th Partial Day Preschool and School Day
October 30
Classroom Party T/Th MDO
October 31
Parade of Costumes and Classroom Parties for M/W/F Partial Day Preschool, School Day, M-F School Day, Partial Day Preschool, and All Day Preschool Classes
October 31
Classroom Party M/W/F MDO Class
ICDC Newsletter