Dear Families,
It is such an exciting time year, but especially so for those of us who work with young children. The stories we hear of mischievous elves, festive holiday parties and shows, wish lists, and special family traditions are heartwarming. Classrooms are busy baking and wrapping, singing and dancing, and sharing in special snacks and activities. The theme of light that is shared around the world during this time of year is also a prominent feature in many classrooms, as we work hard to embrace and share the spirit of togetherness, caring, and giving. We will culminate our exciting season together this Friday with festive school wide sing-a-longs on Friday, December 21st at both 11:15 AM and 1:15 PM. Please feel free to join us for some music and fun, even if your child does not come to school on Friday… ALL are welcome!
CURRICULUM DAY
We had a fabulous Curriculum Day together as a staff earlier this month. Thank you for allowing us to gather as a group for learning and training together. A large part of our day was devoted to reviewing criteria and standards for our upcoming NAEYC Reaccreditation visit later this school year, which signifies our dedication to a high standard of excellence in the early childhood field. Our year-long theme of “Embracing Change” was lso explored by sharing transition tips and strategies in classrooms. Making successful transitions is one of the most important behavior management aspects of a teacher’s classroom strategies “tool kit”. Reducing transitions, and keeping children informed of what is expected of them, makes them eel safe and in control, leading to successful behaviors and learning experiences.
HOME TOUR THANKS
Even though we have moved on to the December hustle and bustle, the success of the Home Tour is still in our minds. We are enormously grateful to the GCS Board for leading such a remarkable event and facilitating such a fabulous day for the community and the school. We can’t thank staff, families, room parents and the community enough for all of the amazing help. Whether it was baking, touring, volunteering in a home, or contributing to classroom baskets… everyone had a role and pitched in together, and the results were amazing! With the final numbers in, the tour brought in almost $24K for our school. As you all know, our budget does have a short fall each year; and we rely on fundraising to make up that gap between income and expenses to keep tuition increases to a minimum, while maintaining our high standards. Again, thank you!
BOX TOPS
Thank you for clipping and saving your box tops for GCS. We collected 1950 + 62 bonus box tops for this point in the school year. Our fundraising will soon be receiving a check for $277.90. Don’t stop saving, as we continue to collect all year long.
GIFT IDEAS
There are still a few dove ornaments left for any last-minute needed gift ideas ($10 each), and don’t forget to purchase your Portrait of Me Calendar ($6 or 2/$10). They are such a nice keepsake of children’s development. Bonnie can help you with either at the front desk.
THANK YOU!
Thanks to Julia Borger Green for decorating our entranceway in November, and to Kate Engstrom for the decorations in December.
We’d like to thank the following for food & beverage contributions for our December Curriculum Day: Kathy Bellorado, Kara Dumont, Kristine Fox, Donna Haggerty, Leslie Howard, Elizabeth Ly, Shelby Morris, and Mairead Orpen.
We’d also like to thank Donna Haggerty for Pull-Ups and to Shelby Morris for a donation of paper. Thanks, too, to the following families who provided delicious holiday cookies & treats for the staff: The Bach family, the Glazier family, the Narayan family, the Novak family, the Petelle family, the Pezzuto family, and the Quinn family. All are being thoroughly enjoyed by the staff!
DATES TO REMEMBER
Friday, December 21st
Holiday Sing-A-Longs
11:15 AM & 1:15 PM
December 24th – 31st
Holiday Recess
NO SCHOOL
January 1st
New Year’s Day
NO SCHOOL
Monday, January 14th
Board Meeting
7:30 PM
Monday, January 21st
Martin Luther King Day
NO SCHOOL
Hoping all of your holiday wishes come true!
Linda Kosinski, Director
