From the Principal's Office

Dear Merryhill Families,

Well – it’s here! By IT, I mean many things, really: fall, the official start of the school year, and the calm before the holiday season. As of September 1, there are only 114 shopping days left until Christmas… and only 121 days left in 2010!

Are you ready for what the end of the year has in store? Me neither. But, it’s nice to know we’re all in it together.

I’ve decided to make an “old year’s resolution” this year. It’s like a New Year’s resolution, except for the time of year. My resolution is simple: slow down and actually enjoy the fall season!

Are you with me?

Calendar of Events:   

September 2010 

September 2010 Curriculum

Beginners:

Sept. 6-10: Fire Engines

Sept. 13-17: Review Favorite Book

Sept. 20-24: Peace at Last

Sept. 27-30: The Wolf’s Chicken Stew

Intermediates:

Month of September: Home, Store, Restaurants

Pre-K:

Month of September: All About Us/Families

Teachers and Parents:

Important Message:

We recently had a choking incident at the school. The incident occurred during the children’s lunch time when a child began choking on a grape. The child is fine, but one of the teachers needed to perform the Heimlich maneuver to dislodge the grape, and Ms. Sandy had to call 911.

This incident was scary, but it is a good reminder to us all. Please remember to be vigilant in packing your children SAFE food. Certain foods create a greater choking hazard, especially anything in big chunks, uncut grapes, and uncut hot dogs. Please remember to cut food into small pieces! Teachers will also continue to supervise children’s eating to prevent choking.

Thank you!

Little Musicians:

Exciting News! We now have a music class at Merryhill School. The class will meet every Wednesday from 10:15-10:45 a.m. The first class will start as soon as a minimum of five children sign up. So, sign up soon so we can get it started!

Reminder:

Please label all jackets and personal belongings with your child’s name!

Young Rembrandts:

Please remember to sign up for this wonderful drawing class, if you’re interested.  We need a minimum of five children signed up, or the class will not be held! Please support this enriching class and keep it running!

Coming Up:

September 6

School Closed for Labor Day

September 7

Happy Hollow

 “Go Wild” Show @9a.m.

September 13-24

School Fundraiser

From our Ed Department

Raising a Confident Preschooler

It is hard to resist the eager smile and willingness to learn that comes with normal preschool development. As parents, we are always eager to continue to foster and bolster our young children’s love for learning and enthusiasm to demonstrate their developing abilities. Often times, we ask ourselves what we can do to continue to encourage our children to engage, to try even in the risk of failure, and to believe in themselves; in other words, we constantly question what we can do to help raise a confident child. Confidence is a trait that is nurtured and taught, and there are certain techniques and approaches which are built into our Links to Learning curriculum, which can easily be adapted at home as well.

Begin with a set, predictable routine. When children know what is happening in the world around them and when activities follow an expected order, children can focus on skill-building. Preschool children are easily distracted by disruptions, so a routine that is carefully adhered to allows for children to instead focus on attempting and practicing new skills.

Praise small accomplishments, but praise with purpose. Children need to hear that they are doing things correctly and need acknowledgement for steps made towards accomplishing a goal.  For example, a child may not be able to independently complete a 10 piece puzzle, but he does deserve a specific praise for his ability to put the edge pieces in, such as “You did a great job working on the edge of the puzzle. You can almost do the whole puzzle by yourself. Would you like me to help you with the middle pieces?” Along those same lines, it is imperative that praise is given with purpose. Being often told “Good job!” without a reference to what he did correctly will cause these words to lose efficacy. We need to be sure to praise specific behaviors and to note these in our acknowledgement of steps made towards a goal.

Encourage and model persistence. It is normal for preschool children to become upset and frustrated when they cannot do something themselves or do it correctly. Rather than do it for them, model and encourage them to try again. For example, a preschooler who knocks over his block tower as she stacks the top block should be responded to with a “You almost did it! Let’s try it again together!” This teaches the preschooler that failure is ok and can be used as a step to try once more.

Be a safe base. Often preschool children surprise us with their hesitancy to try something new, even activities they have previously engaged in. Despite the disappointment you may feel in your eagerness for your child to engage, allow your child to warm up to the activity when he or she is ready. By not pushing or forcing a choice, you allow your child to feel comfortable in his or her own skills and readiness when he or she is ready.

Lastly, Model confidence in yourself. Children learn from what they see and hear. Be mindful of the comments you make about yourself and others and your own persistence in the face of failure. A child who hears his parent self-praising or who sees his parent make a mistake and try again will learn and model that same confidence.

                 Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East

Automatic Payment Program
It’s here and it is working great. If you have not already signed up, please pick up an information packet and a registration form. You never need to write another check for tuition, worry about forgetting the checkbook or discovering that you already wrote the last check so the book is empty. No more late fees! Last but not least, you save yourself time and the paper. Sign up now! How it works is you give me the form, I enter the information into the computer and then there is a week for a test run. If all goes well than the following week on Monday evening the payment will come out of your account. It’s as simple as that.