September News

From the Principal's Office

Dear Merryhill Families, 

What a wonderful summer we had! I can’t believe that it is over already, but I look forward to a magnificent 10-11 school year.

We are going to have a very busy September. Grandparents day is coming up and once again we would like to have our Merryhill grandparents come and read to the students. If your family members would like to come and read please speak to Bridget or myself. We also hope that they can all make it to our Grandparents Ice Cream Social on Sept. 17th at 3:30 p.m.

This month we will celebrate Back to School Night on Sept. 2nd  from 6:00 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. This is a great opportunity for you to meet your child’s teacher and learn more about our Links to Learning Curriculum. Please attempt to find child care; however, your attendance is important to us, so please feel free to bring your child if necessary.

We have started our Scholastic Book Club orders again. This is a great opportunity to support our school. We accrue points with each order that we use to get books for our school library.

This  month we will be celebrating National Occupation Week from Sept. 27th to Oct. 1st. We would love to have parent presentations everyday that week. This is a 15-20 minute talk about your career and what you do at work. Please speak to Bridget or myself if you are interested in presenting.

Hope you all enjoy an Stupendous September!

Amber Saavedra -Preschool Principal

Upcoming Events

September

Sept. 2nd - Back to School Night at 6:00 to 7:30 p.m.- Parents only please

Sept. 6th- School Closed In observance of Labor Day

Sept. 8th- Scholastic Book Order due by 9:00 a.m.

Sept. 11th- Patriot Day-Wear Red, White & Blue

Sept. 12th-Grandparents Day

Sept. 13-17th- Grandparents Story time at 10:00 a.m.

Grandparents can sign up to come and read to our students

Sept. 17th- Grandparents Ice Cream Social at 3:30 p.m.

Sept. 20th- Johnny Appleseed Week

Sept. 22nd- First Day of Fall

Sept. 27th-Oct.1st- Occupation Week-parents will be coming in to do presentations on their chosen profession

October

Oct. 11th- Columbus Day

Oct 13th- Scholastic Book Order due by 9:00 a.m.

Oct. 16th- National Boss’s Day

Oct. 18th-22nd - Red Ribbon Week

Oct. 29th- Fall Class Parties and our Costume Parade 10:00 a.m. and 3:30p.m.

Oct. 29th -- Fall Festival 3:30 to 5:30 p.m.- this is a fun event for the whole family!! Games, pumpkin patch, prizes and lots of fun!

Oct. 31st- Halloween

Reminders

Our School is a

PEANUT FREE zone

We have many students

With peanut allergies.

 Please make sure

Your child does not bring

Peanut products to school.

From the Education Department

Raising a Confident Preschooler

It is hard to resist the eager smile and willingness to learn that comes with normative 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 over 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, Director of Curriculum and Instruction/East

For Parents

Merrybear is looking for fun and adventure this school year!!

Please speak to Bridget or Amber to set up a time for Merrybear to visit with you and your child

School Shout-outs

-Thank you to all our families who participated in our fun summer dress up days and events. Together we create such a fun learning environment for your child.

-Thank you to the Peres family for the toy car donations.

-Thank you to the Hokerson-Brun family for all the cool puzzles.

-Thank you to the Eaton family for the amazing school supplies.

Reminders

•   Merryhill School has a family referral plan.  By referring a family to our school you are eligible for a free week of tuition.  To learn more please see the office staff.
•   Art Files- please remember to check them at least once a week to pick up any correspondence between the office and/or teachers, along with your child's exciting art work.
•   Links to Learning Files- please check these once a month. When you see the folder standing up take the contents home and lay the folder back down.
•   Remember to supply your child with a crib-sized sheet and blanket every day for naptime along with an extra full change of clothes.