March has arrived with occasional warm days that promise spring. February was an intense month and our children grew in knowledge as they explored Pete the Cat, Bears, past Presidents and the of course our zany Dr. Suess.
The month of March takes most classes outside. Ms. Leslie and Ms. Sarah continue to help our youngest children with the exciting process of learning. The children will explore the concept of opposites as they compare and contrast the world around us!
Our three year olds will begin the month with an in-depth analysis of several nursery tales. The Three Pigs, The Three Bears, and The Gingerbread Man highlight this unit with much puppetry and cooking. We even grow a beanstalk for Jack to climb! The threes end the month with Little Red Riding Hood and homemade bread baked by the Little Red Hen herself!
The four year olds discover the world of Beatrix Potter. After they are thoroughly entranced by Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit and Jeminiah Puddle Duck, they have a marvelous English tea party. We have a good bit of fun with this unit while introducing the children to some excellent literature. Because Beatrix Potter’s books are so delightfully illustrated, reading her stories to your children at home will help reinforce her world in their minds.
Ms. Diane’s Prek students will study about our feathered Birds of Prey. You will be truly impressed with the depth and scope of your child’s knowledge as he/she learns to identify several species of our feathered friends. The study ends with a fantastic bird party –pass the worms, please.
The Kindergarten class will now take a trip back in time to the age of reptiles and study dinosaurs. These budding paleontologists learn to identify close to twenty-five dinosaurs before attending a dinosaur hunt at the end of the month. This is one of our favorite studies and the children love it.
In Spanish the children will be learning about clothes. You may hear our child say I need my la Caquetá y el abrigo (coat and sweater) as we finish winter and enter spring.
Spring Break is from April 13th-April 17th. We will have our annual egg hunt on April 9th and 10th. Your child’s teacher will communicate to you when they are planning their hunt. Please send in an empty basket or bag, labeled with your child’s name on the appropriate morning. Pretend grass is fine, please no candy or stuffed animals. We will close at the end of the day Friday, April 10th for Spring Break. Both student and teachers will take a well-deserved vacation before returning for the final busy weeks of School.
Ms. Karen will be putting together our Spring Program again this year. The big event will take place on April 7th and 8th. . Class performances times are listed below. It’s the Kindergarten and MDO parents turn to provide goodies for the grownups on the porch.
Many of you have inquired about our summer program that is offered at Beach, Bellamy, Broad Bay and Greenbrier Manor. It is a wonderful program patterned on the school year and adapted for the summer. It offers continued play, academics, socialization and crafts. The children have plenty of opportunity to use the computers, dress ups, easels, puzzles, games and train sets. The summer registration form is attached. Enrollment is limited, so please return the registration form if you are interested.
We will use the InfoSnap online enrollment procedure for our summer program registration. It will remain a two-step process. Step one is the submission of the summer pre-registration form and fee. Step two is the online submission of the InfoSnap registration form. We will need the preregistration form and fee before you submit your online registration.
It looks like a full and fun month. We are two thirds through the year, and the growth in the children is incredible. They have learned a tremendous amount in these past months. We feel so fortunate to have such a rewarding job. Your children bring joy in so many ways!
Registration for next year is going well. It is satisfying to know that so many of you are pleased with Beach Manor’s program. Thank you for all your support and cooperation. Without your smiles and encouragement my job would be so difficult. Instead, it’s a joy! Openings are still available in some of our classes even though I have opened registration to the general public. If you intend to register your child for next year and haven’t yet done so, I urge you to turn in your form along with your registration fee immediately. The only way to be sure of a place next year is to turn in both the registration form and the registration fee.
Many of you have asked questions about our kindergarten program. I realized that when most of you initially register at Beach I go into great detail about the three year old program or the four year old program, but often kindergarten comes as a wonderful surprise. Our kindergarten program continues the phonics instruction begun in the four year old program .It includes a very strong short vowel reading, writing, and spelling curriculum that leads to long vowel usage in the spring. The children learn to recognize and write numbers to 100 and beyond; they learn math facts to 20, graphing, fraction recognition, and how to count money. The joy of the program, however, is the incredible amount of information the children learn in their unit studies (constellations, musical instruments, and dinosaurs, children around the world, the human body, and other very hands on science studies.). The goal is, as always, to enhance their self-esteem. Having so much knowledge about their world gives them tremendous self-confidence. They acquire the skills needed to put them at the top of their first grade class. Your response so far for next year is gratifying.
INCLEMENT WEATHER POLICY. Although our inclement weather policy states that we will close if the public schools close, sometimes it is not necessary. It all depends on the roads and the power conditions. Be sure to check our website under “Special Announcements” at www.manorschools.com. Of course, if your neighborhood conditions are even slightly questionable, stay home.
Please return any clothes your child may have borrowed from school due to accidents or playground mishaps. We’re getting low on our supply of spare socks, underwear, and pants. It helps so much to have a change of clothes in the bottom of your child’s book bag.
Check coats and jackets. Sometimes a child grabs the wrong coat on his way out the door. So many jackets are similar and make ownership difficult to distinguish. PLEASE WRITE YOUR NAME ON THE LABEL!!!
Just a quick reminder of our illness policy: children with a fever will be sent home immediately. Children are not to return to school until they have been fever free for twenty four hours. Do not give your child medicine in the morning to bring down his/her temperature and send him/her to school. The only way we can contain these illnesses is by keeping the sick children at home.
Thank you for all the help and support. Sincerely, Chris
DATES TO MARK ON YOUR CALENDAR
Lion’s Club Testing- Vision…………………….. March 4/5
Class and Pony pictures………………………… March 24/25
Spring Program…………………………….. April 7/8
Spring Break………………………………… April 13-17
SCHOOL CONFERENCES …………………. May 12(Open for all day
MEMORIAL DAY…………………………….. May 25 (school closed)
KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION………….. June 5
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL …………………….. June 12
SUMMER PROGRAMS AT………………….. June 15- August 21
(BEACH, BELLAMY, BROAD BAY AND GREENBRIER)
FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL……………………. September 8
MARCH 24TH—Ms. Sarah, Ms. Leslie, Ms. Annie, Ms. Diane, Ms. Heim
MARCH 25TH –Ms. Karen D, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Harden, Ms. Kristen D, Ms. Kelli, Ms. Sharon
Ms. Leslie, Ms. Sarah, Ms. Annie, Ms. Harden, Ms. Keli, Ms. Diane
Ms. Karen D, Ms. Jennifer, Ms. Kristen D, Ms. Sharon, Ms. Heim