Summer at DCCC is always a busy time but it is also full of lots of energy. Making new friends and welcoming new summer teachers is exciting. We are always so happy to hear that the children transitioned well to their schools and wish our summer teachers the very best as they return to col- lege or venture out to find a permanent teaching job. Welcome to the new school year here at DCCC! We hope to post our updated waiting list on our website within the next few weeks. The center was closed on August 11 th and the teachers spent their day clean- ing their classrooms, completing some online training and taking part in an Open House at the end of their day. All the children have seemed to adjust very well overall to their new rooms and in some cases to their very first experience in group care. The first two weeks we wipe some tears and hold some hands and after that it is all good. These kids really are happy and we want them all to especially feel safe here. We welcomed a few new student workers and some returning ones as well that will be working in the afternoons. A new substitute was also hired to help out when teachers need to take off. More details to be shared as they start this fall. We are excited to announce that we have been chosen to take part in the SPEC Program (Supporting Positive Environments for Children). The Cen- ter will be working with a core team of teachers on this approach to creating a safe and productive learning environment where teachers can teach and all students can learn. The center has an Advisory meeting Scheduled for September 20 th at 4:15. Our first Parent Meeting will be held on October 24 th at 4:15. All families are welcome to attend our Parent Meeting! Have a great month! -Gina VanKirk, Director Dates to Remember: September 20– Advisory Committee Meeting October 4—Infant/ Toddler Portraits (& siblings) October 5—Preschool/ Kindergarten Portraits October 16-November 1—Parent/Teacher Conferences October 24—Parent Meeting 4:15 p.m. October 26—Class Fall Harvest Parties From the Director’s Desk Dickinson College Children’s Center September 2017
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Transcript
Summer at DCCC is always a busy time but it is also full of lots of energy.
Making new friends and welcoming new summer teachers is exciting. We
are always so happy to hear that the children transitioned well to their
schools and wish our summer teachers the very best as they return to col-
lege or venture out to find a permanent teaching job. Welcome to the new
school year here at DCCC!
We hope to post our updated waiting list on our website within the next few
weeks.
The center was closed on August 11th and the teachers spent their day clean-
ing their classrooms, completing some online training and taking part in an
Open House at the end of their day.
All the children have seemed to adjust very well overall to their new rooms
and in some cases to their very first experience in group care. The first two
weeks we wipe some tears and hold some hands and after that it is all good.
These kids really are happy and we want them all to especially feel safe here.
We welcomed a few new student workers and some returning ones as well
that will be working in the afternoons. A new substitute was also hired to
help out when teachers need to take off. More details to be shared as they
start this fall.
We are excited to announce that we have been chosen to take part in the
SPEC Program (Supporting Positive Environments for Children). The Cen-
ter will be working with a core team of teachers on this approach to creating
a safe and productive learning environment where teachers can teach and all
students can learn.
The center has an Advisory meeting Scheduled for September 20 th at 4:15.
Our first Parent Meeting will be held on October 24th at 4:15. All families
are welcome to attend our Parent Meeting!
Have a great month!
-Gina VanKirk, Director
Dates to
Remember: September 20–
Advisory Committee
Meeting
October 4—Infant/
Toddler Portraits (&
siblings)
October 5—Preschool/
Kindergarten Portraits
October 16-November
1—Parent/Teacher
Conferences
October 24—Parent
Meeting 4:15 p.m.
October 26—Class Fall
Harvest Parties
From the Director’s Desk
Dickinson College Children’s Center
September 2017
Fundraiser Update……
Our sandwich sale was a big hit and we made $494 for the Center! Thank
you for participating! They will be here for pick up on Thursday, Septem-
ber 7th from 3-5:30 pm.
Coming Soon….. Be ready to register your Giant card to connect it to our
center on September 11th! * Don’t forget to get the Shoparoo app, so your
receipts can earn our school money!
Keep collecting those Box Tops!
Promotion Motion will be the buzz word in September! Your kids will be
talking about it, they will be participating in it, and you will have a letter
coming home to explain it, with labels to fill out. Be on the lookout! It
leads to our big Turkey Trot!!!
Spring 2017 Trike—a—Thon Total Amount Raised: $2,390!!
Because of your generosity this past spring, we were able to raise twice as much for St. Jude’s as we did in 2016. It means a lot to DCCC that you are willing to contribute to our Center fundraisers and then contribute to others who need help as well. THANK YOU!!
Patients in all 50 states and around the world are treated at St. Jude and no family every pays St. Jude for anything. Ever. The research conducted at St. Jude has helped push the overall survival rate for childhood cancers from 20 percent when the hospital opened in 1962 to 80 percent today. This would not be possible without volunteers and support from people like you.
Ducklings
Page 3 Dickinson College Children’s Center
We are so pleased to report that our five new infants, ranging from 3 to 9 months, have experienced a success-
ful three weeks of adjustment! Over the coming weeks and months, we will welcome 3 more young infants
into our classroom. Some are working on tummy time; some just beginning to roll over; some sitting and one
very mobile little girl crawling rapidly and standing up on her two feet! We all have our own individual pref-
erences and schedules for feedings, sleeping and playing, so we have a very flexible schedule in the infant
room at this time. We take advantage of the beautiful last weeks of summer, getting outdoors and playing on a
mat in the shade twice a day. The infants seem to love this calming activity, sleeping outdoors, or watching
the clouds shift overhead and listening to the happy sounds of chirping birds and the playful preschoolers next
door.
During the month of September, we will continue to work on getting to know each other gradually. It
takes time and patience to begin to understand each other and to build those trusting relationships! We will
listen to stories and songs; look at board book pictures; explore sensory books; take nature walks to detect the
early signs of autumn; listen to nursery songs and lullabies; manipulate keys, rattles & chew toys. Some of us
will begin to experiment tasting pureed foods. And there will be lots of floor play and exploration!
You will receive a newsletter and lesson plan by email each month during the course of this year. You
will also find a hard paper copy of the Infant lesson plan in your classroom bin and one posted on the hallway
bulletin board. Lesson plans are developmentally based and for infants, activities revolve largely around basic
care activities. Because there is a wide developmental range in the infant room, you may see activities on the
plan that are not necessarily appropriate for your child. The plan is designed to cover the individual needs and
goals of each child.
Please remember to label all of your babies’ belongings, especially bottles. Continue to monitor dia-
pering supplies in the hallway bins and please keep them well stocked. Remember to maintain a supply of ex-
tra outfits …costume changes occur frequently in the infant room!
Just a reminder that Center policy requires that children be dropped off before 11 am. The extenuating
circumstance that would preclude adherence to this policy would be a scheduled doctor’s appointment, so
please let the classroom teacher know if your baby is scheduled to arrive late due to a doctor’s appointment.
We also wish to remind parents to please close doors and baby gates behind you when you enter the
infant classroom. We have one very active crawler and others fast approaching the crawling stage. For safety
sake, to avoid pinched fingers or escaping little ones, please take care to close doors behind you.
Please send in family photos of anyone and everyone important in your baby’s life: parents, grandpar-
ents, siblings, cousins, aunts, uncles, pets, friends, etc. Babies love to look at photos of their families. These
family photos will be hung in the classroom. As the babies get older, they begin to recognize and point to fam-
ily members in photos. Such images from home can help to ease the transition from home to daycare.
We warmly welcome you all to the Duckling Room and we look very much forward to a wonderful
year together.
SANDY, LYNN, TORY & JODY
Dickinson College Children’s Center Page 4
Looking ahead to September we will spend time exploring all of the skills that we have. We will clap
while we sing songs, practice waving, show how we use the sign language we know, and learn a few new
signs. We will also use our gross motor skills to crawl and walk over a pillow maze, ride the bikes on the
playground, and throw balls. We will keep coloring and finger painting, as well! ~ LACI & ALISHA
Yellow Pups
Reminders: Please label all items in lunch boxes
Please make sure your child has appropriate foot-
wear for the playground Place labeled bedding on cots Monday mornings
Bags must be hung in the hallway.
We are off to a fabulous start as yellow puppies! Our first three weeks were spent getting to know each
other and adjusting to a new routine. A few of us are still taking short morning naps, while the rest of us
are exploring the room and exploring art. We sang many songs and read lots of books as we got to know
each other. “Itsy Bitsy Spider”, “Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star”, and “If You’re Happy and you Know it”
can make any morning a little brighter! We also discovered that the playground is so much fun to explore.
We love the climbers, the kitchen, and the grass that tickles our fingers!
Dickinson College Children’s Center Page 5
Yellow Honey Bees
Welcome new Puppies! Every one is settling in well to the routine of the room. Drop
offs may still be a little hard for the next week or two, but it will get easier. This month will be focused on
“All about Me” as we sing “Head, Shoulders, Knees, and Toes” and “If You’re Happy and You Know It”.
The teachers are still getting to know the children , their families, likes/dislikes, temperaments, and personali-
ties. Please bring in 4-5 family pictures so we can hang them up around the room. We will be incorporating
art time more regularly with crayons and paint and making handprints. Gathering (circle) time will have us
introducing a short book time.
The puppies are enjoying singing songs such as Old McDonald, Bumble Bee, ABC’s, and Twinkle, Twinkle
Little Star. Going out side is one of our favorite times of the day! Pushing lawn mowers, poppers, and going
down the slide along with riding cars are some of the activities they look forward to. We are having fun ex-
ploring the room, but Cars and blocks seem to be the favorite places to be.
Please don’t hesitate to ask questions or address any concerns with us.
REMINDERS:
~ During drop-off and pick-up please make sure the gate and door are closed.
~ Please bring 4-5 family pictures for our Family Wall
~ Please label lunch containers
~ Grapes, cherry tomatoes, and hotdogs should be cut into quarters
~CATHRYN & DONNA
Welcome Yellow Honey Bees to your new classroom! The children have
been a joy and are transitioning nicely into the routine of our room.
This month our theme will be “What I Know”. This theme will be great for the children; and us as well.
We will get a better understanding of what the children know and do not know. We will be using books,
folder activities, and songs to learn colors, shapes and counting. We will learn the first letter of our name; as
well as some beginning concepts of opposites.
Play is an important part of your toddler’s day. We will continue to learn about the toys in our classroom.
This is a great time for them to get to know us; as we are on the floor playing with them.
We love to walk with the children. Please continue to send them to school with good walking shoes. We
incorporate our science goals of learning about plant and animals during our walk time.
Craft time is our favorite. We will do many crafts this month using shapes and color.
DCCC has asked that we remind all of our families that we are a peanut and tree nut free facility. Also,
please make sure that lunchboxes and food containers have labels.
Thank you so much! We look forward to a great year!
~BARB & MICHELE
Blue Puppies
Page 6 Dickinson College Children’s Center
Blue Busy Bees
The blue bees have had a great start to the year talking about ourselves and sharing our likes and dislikes.
Ms. Cassie and Ms. Jody are learning about each child so we can help your child succeed and do their best in
the blue bee room. We are really getting to know each other’s names by singing “The More We Get Togeth-
er” and “Who Is Here Today?” The Blue Bees love looking at each other’s fami-
ly pictures, so keep them coming if you have not had a chance to bring pictures
in. We are working on learning to use our words with to tell our teachers and
peers what we want and need. Other areas that we are working hard on are using
the potty, learning to clean up our toys when playtime is over and washing our
hands (using soap, scrubbing and then rinsing all the soap off before we dry with
a paper towel.) As a parent, you can help with the handwashing by making sure
to have your child wash their hands each morning before beginning to play in
the Blue Bee room.
In the month of September, the blue bees will be talking about colors fo-
cusing on the primary colors, letters focusing on the ones in our names, numbers
1-10, shapes and opposites. We will also talk more about caterpillars and butter-
flies as we watch our caterpillars grow, go into chrysalis, emerge as butterflies
and then we will release them outside. We are excited to have the caterpillars in
the room. Please be sure to check the daily activity schedule for special happen-
ings that may occur in the room related to the topics that we are talking about.
For example (when we talk about colors each day will be a different color and
we will wear that color to school).
Family Reminders:
*please be sure to wear close-toed shoes for outside play
*all children must have a helmet to ride bikes, if your child does not have one,
please bring one in
*please provide utensils in your child’s lunch
*be sure to fill out your child’s daily sheet upon arrival at school
*be sure to have your child wash their hands before they begin play upon arrival
~JODY & CASSIE
Dickinson College Children’s Center Page 7
Yellow Bear Cubs
teddy bears will
spend a lot of Sep-
tember getting to
know their friends
and families, how
to be caring, and
what pets and peo-
ple’s needs are through our Pets unit!
~MANDY
Everyone is doing such a nice job set-
tling into the rules and routine of the day!
We will be starting our rainbow chart that
will help us visually monitor our choices
throughout the day! We will be starting our
PATHS Program, which will help us identi-
fy our feelings and learn to use our words
for problem solving and complimenting as
well! I will be sure to explain these pro-
grams more thoroughly as we go through
the month!
Our preschool
thematic units will be
lasting a few weeks
long and touch on
several concepts. The
Blue Bears
Welcome to the Blue Bear room! We have all officially gotten to know each
other and have begun to build on old and create new friendships. We have enjoyed
our first few weeks talking about our new environment and what and who we find
here. We have learned about rules and how they keep us and the things around us
safe. We finished up the month of August talking about ourselves and finding similar-
ities and differences about each of us.
We have really enjoyed learning all about our beginning tools for our Get Set for
School curriculum as we met Big Line, Little Line, Big Curve and Little Curve with
our wood pieces. We will use and talk about these pieces all throughout the year. We
have even met another friend that we will see a lot of Mat Man. These new “friends”
will be great tools to make us great and aware when we are writing our letters.
In September we will switch gears a little and talk more about family and pets
that we find at our homes. During our study we will learn about how to care for others
and pets, what each eats and what makes a great pet. Pets are a big part of our families
so learning good care is important.
Along with our pets we will meet some more new friends when we introduce the
PATH lessons. The PATHS lessons will happen every week and will take us step by
step through each one of our feelings and we will learn that each feeling is ok. Some are comfortable and
others uncomfortable. By the end of the year we will know how we feel with each one and what to do with
those uncomfortable feelings. September is going to be a busy and fun month!!! \~ANGE & KENDRA
Page 8 Dickinson College Children’s Center
I cannot believe that September is here! We have had a great few weeks
here in the bunny room. We have settled into a great routine and have
had a fun few weeks getting to know each other. The first few weeks in the classroom, we fo-
cused on welcoming each other, routines, and friends and family. I am still looking for family
pictures from a few of you. If you are not sure if you have brought or sent one please let me
know and I can tell you. Thanks!
Now that we have a strong foundation in those areas, we will be moving on
to our clothing unit for the first several weeks of September. We will use
this unit to discuss different occupations, community
helpers and fire safety. It will also allow us to talk
about shapes, colors and patterns. In September, we
will also really begin using our new kindergarten readiness journals to
practice our pencil grip, crayon control, and start writing letters. The
kiddos are so excited to be able to start practicing writing. (We will not
be starting our letters with the letter A. We start with the letters that
are the most developmentally appropriate and easiest to form. Meaning that they are made
up vertical or horizontal straight lines.)
Reminders:
Please make sure you are checking your child’s mailbox located in the hallway right out-
side the door for important information from us and the office as well as the weekly lesson
plans.
Please make sure you are checking your child’s extra clothes bins to make sure they have
clothes (shirt, shorts/pants, underwear, socks, etc). It also might be helpful if your child
has a sweatshirt to keep in their cubby as the weather is kind of all of the place with tem-
perature.
Please make sure your child’s heat up is in the heat up bin in the lunch box refrigerator.
Also make sure the heat up container is labeled as well as the lunch boxes.
~BRITTNEY & SONDRA
Bunnies
Kindergarten Dolphins
Page 9 Newsletter Title
Miss Sarah and I are really enjoying getting to know all of our new kindergarten
students and are so happy to welcome them and their families into our kindergarten
family. We had a great little kindergarten get-together with students and their fami-
lies on August 30. The kids all had fun playing together, and it was a great chance
for parents to get to know each other and to welcome the families of Avery, Harper, Benjamin, Layla, and
Charlotte, who are brand new to the center.
Our hope for this kindergarten year is to create a family away from home in a room filled with love, re-
spect, and kindness where our learners are respectful, helpful, responsible, and excited about learning.
During the first few weeks of kindergarten, our class has been working on establishing class rules, practic-
ing routines, and creating a sense of class community. Friendship will be one of our themes for the
month of September as we practice kindness, respect, and peaceful conflict resolution skills. We also in-
troduced our "Fill Your Bucket" character-building program. The children earn pompoms to put in their
own individual buckets in our classroom for showing kindness and respect to others through words and
deeds. When a bucket is "filled”, the child will be recognized by the class and will receive a "bucket fill-
er" certificate to take home.
In September, we will also continue to work on learning and practicing our letter-sound-action associa-
tions and will continue to improve our name printing skills. We'll also begin journaling each day and will
work on rhyming, proper letter formation, sight words, patterning, categorizing, shapes, and numbers....
just to name a few! September will also bring on a study of living things. We will learn about what all
living things need to survive, and will watch the way they grow and move. We will explore our garden
and learn about parts of plants and what plants need to survive. We will compare, collect, and taste vege-
tables from the garden and will hunt for little garden invertebrates who happen to be crawling, hopping,
and flying among them. The children are encouraged to bring in garden invertebrates that they find in
their own gardens at home as well for closer investigation. We hope to create a cricket habitat in our
classroom, watch the metamorphous of caterpillars into butterflies, and continue daily observations of our
hermit crabs pets!
At the end of September, we will be studying about healthy habits. We will practice proper hand washing,
and will learn more about germs, nutrition, and fitness.
Toward the end of September, we will also begin our Color Days. The kindergartners are encouraged to
wear as many things in the designated color each day. They will be graphing the number of items in that
color each day. Please refer to the Kindergarten Calendar for designated days.