A Note from The Director March 2015
Dear Interfaith Families, A school is truly great when parents and teachers work together in partnership on behalf of the children. That is exactly what happens here at Interfaith Child Development Center. Here at ICDC, we are blessed with a Parent’s Club, under the fabulous leadership of Shannon de la Paz, which works tirelessly to do so very much for our school. The Parent’s Club sponsors many fundraisers throughout the year, including the ‘Mixed Bags’ event we just completed. The funds raised go towards a great many things, including educational materials and equipment for your children to enjoy in their classrooms and on the playgrounds. Several times a year teachers are treated to special meals and treats that let them know how very much they are appreciated. And did you know that funds raised by our Parent’s Club also support teachers in their professional development, so they can bring the very best in early childhood practices into the classrooms to enrich YOUR children’s experiences?
On Friday night, March 6, between 5:00 – 7:00 p.m., Parent’s Club will host the biggest fundraising event of the year, our ‘Under the Sea’ Silent Auction and Family Night. The Auction Committee, chaired by Mary-Kathryn D’Agostino, has been working since the beginning of the school year planning, organizing and collecting auction items to make the evening a memorable one. Your children have been busy creating beautiful decorations that will help transform our Great Room into an underwater adventure. Much fun awaits the children in their classrooms, so please plan on attending and help support our extraordinary school. I look forward to seeing you all on Friday evening; it is going to be GREAT FUN!
Warmly, Julie Oudin
IMPORTANT DATES Please see page 2 for the many important dates this month. ICDC Newsletter
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Health & Safety
Flu versus Cold At this time of year, quite a few children are coming down with runny noses, cough and fever. How do you determine if it is a cold or the flu? According to the guide from Children’s Health Network (www.childrenshealthnetwork.org), the following symptoms may help distinguish the two: If the onset is sudden with high fever, achy muscles, decreased appetite, chills and the child appears very tired, most likely this is the flu. If the onset is slow, with low fever or no fever at all, mild tiredness, no headache, normal appetite, no chills or achy muscles, then this is mostly likely a cold. If you suspect your child has the flu, call your doctor. A simple test can determine if it is the flu. If your child is prescribed antibiotics or antiviral medication, throw away his or her toothbrush, start the medicine and then, when it is completely finished, throw that toothbrush away and start with a new one to avoid re-infecting your child. In all cases, rest, fluids and comfort will help. Your child may return to school when he or she is no longer coughing, sneezing and has had no fever for 24 hours without the use of fever reducing medication. Georgy Redifer, R.N. School Nurse
No Parking on Rush Haven Attention ICDC Parents! We have had numerous complaints from neighbors about people parking on Rush Haven Drive in front of our school. Rush Haven is a “No Parking Zone” and there are signs there indicating so. If you continue to park on Rush Haven, you run the risk of being ticketed or towed by the police. Please be especially careful about where you park your car during Silent AuctionFamily Night! Feel free to utilize the church parking lot.
March 2015
Important Dates
Thurs. & Fri.
Spirit Days – wear your ICDC T-shirt
March 6
‘Under The Sea’ Family Night and Silent Auction
March 9-13
Rodeo Round Up
March 16-20
Spring Vacation- No Partial Day Preschool, School Day and MDO classes
March 16-20
Kindergarten and School Age Mini Camp
Enrichment classes will not meet during the Spring Vacation, March 16-20, 2015. All classes will resume the Source: following week. Children’s Health
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Curriculum Corner
It's time to dust off your boots and cowboy hat for Rodeo Week. All week we will be having different activities to celebrate this annual event. We will be having a mini rodeo in our great room March 11th-13th .
This month in the Science Lab, our little scientists will be exploring and learning about weather. We will be doing experiments and making predictions about wind and rain. Our scientists will be learning about the water cycle, so be sure to ask them about their learning in the science lab! These are some books you can read at home with your scientist: Millicent and the Wind- Robert Munsch The Wind Blew- Pat Hutchins Amy Loves the Rain- Julia Hoban The Rain Came Down- David Shannon Listen to the Rain – Bill Martin, Jr. and John Archambault
Library Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss! Theodor Seuss Geisel (Dr. Seuss) was born on March 2, 1904 in Springfield, Massachusetts. He attended Dartmouth College in New Hampshire before going on to write over 40 beloved children’s books. Dr. Seuss’s books are famous for their bright colors and whimsical characters, their fun, imaginative, magical style, and the moral lessons they teach. His books are fun to read, and fun to listen to . . . because they are filled with rhyme! Many of us grew up with these books, and have gone on to read them to our children. So grab your favorite, snuggle up to your child(ren), and ENJOY!
ICDC Newsletter
Mark your calendar… our amazing Book Fair is April 8-10, 2015. Books are available for all ages.
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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 Tonya Paschalis, and I’m somewhat of a rarity in The Woodlands---I’m a native Texan! I was born in Dallas and moved to the Houston area as a toddler. My father was a church Music and Education Minister, who also taught music in public schools, and my mother was a Junior High and High School English and History teacher, who now teaches college classes in English, Literature, and Writing. I grew up with a love of both music and literature, and I am an avid reader. I can’t go to bed at night without reading for at least a few minutes! As a child I played both piano and flute, but my real love was singing. As an 8th grader, I nervously auditioned for the vocal department at Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts, and I was thrilled to be accepted. For me, HSPVA was the best of both worlds---it was, and still is, an educational environment with a strong emphasis on academics, mixed with three hours a day of instruction in the arts from teachers who were/are passionate about what they teach. Though I love many types of music, and love performing classical choral music, I felt called from a young age to be a teacher; specifically, a teacher of young children. I received my Bachelor’s degree in Early Childhood and Elementary Education from Baylor University, and immediately got a job teaching 1st grade. The next year a Kindergarten position became available at my school, and I jumped at the chance to teach Kindergarten! I taught for several years and then decided to become a stay-at-home mom after the birth of my oldest daughter. It was a tough decision to leave the classroom, but I felt so fortunate to have the opportunity to be at home with my kids while they were young. I moved to The Woodlands in 1997. My son was born in 1998, and another daughter in 2002. I became involved in all three of my kids’ schools as a room mom and a classroom volunteer, and I also tutored friends’ kids and taught VBS at my church. My older daughter joined The Woodlands Swim Team in 1999, my son in 2003, and my younger daughter in 2006, so I jumped in to volunteer there, too! I joined the team’s Social Committee in 2001, and have chaired or co-chaired that committee since 2010. Party planning for a team of 300+ hungry swimmers is quite a challenge! During my time as a stay-at-home mom, I also became involved in a local charity event known as, “In The Pink of Health.” This event is sponsored by Memorial Hermann Hospital: The Woodlands, and raises funds for breast cancer awareness programs, for patient education programs, and for mammograms for underserved women in our area. I was honored to serve on that committee with several community leaders, including Dr. Ann Snyder, from 2001 to 2008. Our fundraising efforts over the years were so successful that Memorial Hermann now hosts similar events at their locations all around the Houston area. In 2011, I was a single mom excited about returning to teaching, and my friend and neighbor, who was then the President of ICDC’s Parent’s Club, told me of an opening here at ICDC. I taught in the Three’s program for three years, and am so excited to be teaching a Pre-K Four’s class this year with the wonderful Miss Lindsey. I have learned so much here at ICDC, and I am proud to work with such a wonderful group of talented and caring teachers!
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ICDC Parent’s Club From The President
Many Thanks! Thank you to everyone who participated in our MIXED BAGS DESIGNS sale! With your generous purchases, we were able to raise a little over $5,200! That’s wonderful! Our orders should arrive soon! Thank you to Rachel Polsky for chairing our Mixed Bag event! Thank you, also, to all who came out for our Spirit Night with Which Wich! We were able to raise $150 for our school! Parent’s Club also sponsored a teacher and staff appreciation luncheon during our Spirit Day and they loved it and were just so appreciative! A special thank you to Lesley Work for working so hard on all our awesome Spirit Days! Our next one will be in April.
Please join us… Our annual Silent Auction and Family Night – Under the Sea – will be held on Friday, March 6th from 5-7 pm at the school. Please come and enjoy the classroom receptions, fun games and the amazing auction and raffle items!
All fundraisers and events that are planned serve to enrich the school experience for our children, support the school and its staff with proceeds going directly back to support the school through enrichment items for classrooms, teacher luncheons, teacher scholarships for continuing education and so much more.
SAVE THE DATE- the Scholastic Book Fair is coming in April! April 8
th-10th
ICDC will host its annual spring book fair. Please come and browse the great selection of books! Our teachers will have wish boxes filled with their favorite books for purchase for their classroom and to give you great ideas for your children!
Thank you for your continuous support of our school! We couldn’t do it without you! Shannon de la Paz skdelapaz@gmail.com skdelapaz@gmail.com
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March 6th, 5-7pm The 2015 Silent Auction is almost here, please join us for a fun family night with lots of great items to bid on. Please find below a few of our featured items, we have well over 100 great items up for grabs so please look out for the auction booklets coming home this week.
1) Bring Napa to You! - Taste the classic wines of Napa Valley and California. Multiple varietals and vintages included. This is a private tasting party, with appetizers, for 12 people 2) Golf with a Pro - Test your skills in a round of golf for three at Carlton Woods with PGA Tour pro and ICDC parent Roland Thatcher. 3) Ride and Stay in Style Enjoy the use of a convertible BMW for the weekend and a luxurious night’s stay in an Executive Room, Waterfront View, at The Woodlands Waterway Marriott together with brunch for two at America’s on the Waterway 4) Let’s go Shopping -Free valet parking for 1 year at The Woodlands Mall, along with a $200 gift card. 5) Crash Into Me… Tickets to see Dave Matthews Band at the Pavillion. Includes four reserved club seats and parking passes. Concert date is May 16, 2015. 6) Houston Rockets Autographed Basketball 7) Front Row Parking at ICDC for 6 months!
Auction Night Raffles $10 per ticket or 6 for $50 1) $500 Neiman Marcus Gift Card 2) $300 Nordstrom Gift Card 3) Round of Golf for 4 at Carlton
RAFFLE TICKETS ON SALE NOW! Ask at the front desk iPad Air 2- 64 GB with WiFi $25 per ticket
$2 per ticket, 3 for $5 or 6 for $10 1) Frozen Basket 2) Thomas the Train Basket 3) Lego Basket ** Credit cards will be accepted for raffle transactions on March 6 that total $10 or more **
iPod Touch- 32 GB with Phillips Docking Station $15 per ticket * Only 100 tickets sold for each item Winner does NOT need to be present to win Winner will be drawn at 7 pm on the night of the auction Tickets available at ICDC front office *
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