Wednesday, February 15, 2012

Kindergarten Registration is happening RIGHT NOW! If your child will be 5 years old by November 1, 2012 then they are eligible for Kindergarten in the 2012-2013 school year.
Entering Kindergarten is a very exciting time in your child's life, talk with them and help ease anxieties they may have about the transition. Help them understand that they are growing and have mastered skills that have prepared them for this next chapter! Some children can have a fear of the unknown, help this by having your child visit the school they will attend.

The following is PeeWee's Goals of Pre-K, please use this as a guideline to assess your child's readiness for Kindergarten. I have also attached a checklist I found online to give you another version of what your child's Kindergarten teacher will be looking for!


Goals of Pre-K

At graduation, our Pre-K teachers would like children to be able to:

General Attitudes/Behaviors:
1. Be able to separate from parents in a reasonable manner.
2. Attend for 10 minutes at a child selected task.
3. Follow simple directions (1 or 2 steps).
4. Have had experiences sharing and interacting with other children.
5. Ability to verbalize needs.
6. Positive attitude towards books and reading.
7. Positive attitude towards writing.

Reading
1. Have book handling experience and be able to hold book in proper reading position.
2. Participate in conversations/discussion of books.
3. Go to kindergarten with a rich background of literature, nursery rhymes, poetry, songs, and drama.
4. Recognize first name and last name.
5. Sit quietly for 5-10 minutes to listen to a story.
6. Know that a group of letters make up a word.

Writing
1. Have frequent experiences with scissors, crayons, markers, pencils, chalk, paper, etc.
2. Write their own name.
3. Draw a simple illustration and be able to describe it.
4. Write name using a left to right progression.


Language Skills
1. Can say whole name, parents name, and address.
2. Can speak in complete sentences of 5 or more words.
3. Can name common objects and body parts.
4. Understand spatial concepts; on, over, under, in, out, up, down, etc.
5. Tell real-life and fantasy stories.

Listening Skills
1. Can listen to entire story.
2. Can repeat a 3 digit sequence; i.e., 4-5-6, 8-4-1.
3. Can follow a two command direction; touch your toes and turn around.

Fine Motor Skills
1. Cuts with scissors.
2. Uses paint and glue correctly.
3. Holds crayon or pencil correctly.
4. Has had experience coloring.
5. Can draw a recognizable person.

Gross Motor Skills
1. Can catch and throw a ball.
2. Can walk on a line.
3. Can balance on one foot for 10 seconds.
4. Jumps in place.
5. Hops 5 feet on each foot.





Visual Skills
1. Can name 8 colors.
2. Can recognize 4 basic shapes; circle, triangle, rectangle, square.
3. Can identify same or different objects by size, shape, and/or color.
4. Can put together an 8 to 10 piece puzzle.

Math Readiness Skills
1. Can count orally to ten.
2. Count from 1-10 using manipulative and demonstrating the concept of one-to-one ratio.
3. Traces numerals from 1-10 using various mediums (shaving cream, sand, finger paints, crayons, etc.).
4. Knows meaning of first and last.
5. Arranges up to 4 objects in order from smallest to largest.
6. Match, name, and repeat patterns using objects (e.g., a pattern of red-blue-red-blue).
7. Uses size words when talking about objects (e.g., small, large, many, few, big, little).

Science Readiness Skills
1. Describe what happens to ice when it melts.
2. Observe and describe the characteristics of a solid (e.g., ice, rock, Popsicle).
3. Identify plants as living things and rocks as non-living things.
4. Aware that the earth is composed of land, air and water.
5. Identify that plants need the energy from the sun to grow.

Reading Readiness Skills
1. Can say alphabet.
2. Knows the difference between a letter and a number.
3. Knows the letters in their name.
4. Know the sounds that at least some of the letters make.

Social and Self Help Skills
1. Respects authority.
2. Take turns in social situations (e.g., waiting your turn to talk).
3. Uses “please,” “thank you,” and “excuse me.”
4. Does not interrupt.
5. Capable of interacting with other children.
6. Is able to finish a task.
7. Is able to use words to solve a conflict and not the body.
8. Knows how to line up properly.
9. Knows the difference between an inside and an outside voice.
10. Compare daytime with nighttime.
11. Identify school days and non-school days.
12. Look at a picture of a person at work and tell something about the type of work done.


Our goal is to have a well-rounded program that meets the physical, social, emotional, and intellectual needs of each child.

The following are skills that can be reinforced at home or through preschool experiences:

MOTOR SKILLS
Run Jump
Walk a straight line Hop
Throw a ball Clap Hands
Build with blocks Complete simple puzzles
` Opportunity to use scissors

LISTENING & SEQUENCING
Follow simple directions
Pay attention
Repeat a sequence of sounds
Recognize common sounds in environment (ex. Door bell)
Repeat a sequence of oral directions

PERSONAL HYGIENE
Wash and dry hands
Cover mouth when coughing or sneezing
Wipe their nose
Administer to own needs in the bathroom
Button and zip clothing
Put on and take off own jacket

SOCIAL AND EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Express self verbally
Identifies other children by name
Can be away from parents for 2 to 3 hours and separates easily
Takes care of own belongings and helps put toys away
Joins in family conversation
Gets along with other children
Recognizes authority
Shares with others

Kindergarten Readiness Checklists

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

Parent Survey

Please take a moment and fill out our parent survey. This will help us see where we are excelling and where we need to make improvements! Thank you for your time!

Please click the link below


Family Time

A child's family is the most important influence on how they see themselves and the world around them. Making time together as a family each day is critical to the stability a child needs. One great way to make time together each day is to ensure the family dinner.

During dinner please ask your child how their day went, this is a great time to encourage language and communication skills. It also gives your child a time when they can show off what they have learned to you without being asked. Be sure to share good things about your day with your child too. Let them know what you do while you are away from them, this makes them feel important in your life. Give your child a chance to share their thoughts and feelings with you, ask about their wants, needs and fears. You might be surprised what a young child is picking up on, and what they are concerned with.

The following article goes over the importance and long standing effects having family dinners can have on a child's life.


http://www.keyvive.com/featured-stories/bring-back-the-family-dinner-how-family-dinners-make-healthy-families/

Tuesday, January 31, 2012

February 2012

Dear Parents, February 2011

PeeWee will be closed on Monday Feb.20th for Presidents day. This is a paid holiday as noted in your contract.

Please make sure that you check that your child’s extra clothes to make sure they are size and weather appropriate.

Our Valentines Day Celebrations will be on Tuesday February 14th, please check in you child’s class for party information!

Kindergarten Registration Information:

If your child will be 5 years old by November 1, 2012 they are eligible to enroll for kindergarten this fall. Registration is this month!

All Paradise Unified School District Schools will be having their orientation meeting on Feb 9th at 6:30pm at their individual sites. Registration will begin Monday, February 13rh. If you need help figuring out which school zone you live in please speak to Kim in the office,.

Achieve Charter will begin taking applications for their lottery on February 1st. Applications will need to be turned in by February 29th and the lottery will be held Friday, March 2nd.

Children’s Community Charter will have their parent night on Wednesday February 1st at 6:00pm in Room K and the lottery will be held Friday, March 2nd.

It is VERY important to get registration taken care of early to secure a spot in a class for fall. Late enrollments often end up in overflow classes which can have a lot of confusion at the beginning of the year.

PeeWee Staff

Wednesday, January 25, 2012

Investing In Our Children

Many are asking the question "Why should we invest in Early Childhood Education?" Timothy J Bartik writes a blog called investinginkids.net. Timothy answered this question in the following article.

How will investing in kids pay off in the short-run?

I’m continuing to do a series of posts that provide brief answers to questions I’ve received about early childhood programs.

Today’s question: “How will investing in kids pay off in the short-run? The major benefits of investing in early childhood programs would appear to occur 20 or 30 years in the future, when former participants in these programs have joined the labor force and entered their prime earnings years.”

Short-run benefits of early childhood programs include cost savings due to a reduced need for remedial programs in K-12, such as special education.

Another important short-run benefit is that high-quality early childhood programs are increasingly important in attracting parents with valuable skills to a state.

We already know that parents care about school test scores in choosing a location. We know that from evidence from the housing market on what increases housing prices. Of two otherwise identical houses, the one zoned to an elementary school with the higher test scores will sell for more.

Even if parents don’t know about the availability and quality of early childhood programs, higher quality early childhood programs will attract parents and drive up property values by raising elementary school test scores.

If one takes the known effects of preschool on school test scores, and the known effects of school test scores on property values, each dollar of annual spending on preschool will raise property values by $13. That increase in property values represents parents voting with their feet.

A state that can attract parents will experience both increased property values and a better quality labor supply in the short-run.


For further information on this topic please visit Timothy's Blog!

Kindergarten Registration Information!

It’s kindergarten registration time!

All Paradise Unified School District Schools will be having their orientation meeting on Feb 9th at 6:30pm at their individual sites. Registration will begin Monday February 13rh.

Achieve Charter will begin taking applications for their lottery on February 1st. They will need to be turned in by February 29th and the lottery will be held Friday March 2nd.

Children’s Community Charter will have their parent night on Wednesday February 1st at 6:00pm in Room K and the lottery will be held Friday, March 2nd.

Please make sure to make note of these dates, as they are very important in the registration process!

Thursday, September 24, 2009

Preschool Schedule Breakdown

Pre-K Class Schedule


8:00 Center Time – Centers include different activities for children to work on small motor, math & language skills such as lacing, building, patterning, writing, cutting, tracing, color & shape recognition.

8:30 Snack – Snack time is a great time for children to work on table manners and nutrition. We serve healthy breakfast oriented snacks each day.

9:00 Circle Time- Circle time is where the children work on language and listening skills through music and reading. This is the time where the classes do the calendar, question of the day, songs of the week and letter of the week. The children also work on spelling their names.

9:30 Recess and Free Play- Recess is the time for large motor skill enhancement. We have a large playground with bikes, climbing structure, gravel for digging, grass for running, covered awning for games when it rains and of course THE BOUNCE HOUSE!

10:00 Circle time and curriculum (art, math, science, music, language arts, cooking, social studies, health & safety) This is where we really focus on the letter of the week and work on creative skills and expression through mediums such as painting, drawing, coloring etc.

11:00 Lunch- Lunch is provided by the parent, we have refrigerators and microwaves in each classroom.

11:45 Recess and Free Play

12:30 Nap (not required but an available option for any child enrolled in our program.)

2:30 Afternoon Snack

3:00 Afternoon activities such as center times or creative projects, these are child initiated where they can choose what they would like to do.



Please note this is used only to structure our day. There may be times when one activity will take more or less time than scheduled. Also we are open at 6:30am and close at 6:00pm for extended care needs!