ANNE
SULLIVAN
SCHOOL
NEWS
June, 2010
Notices
Last Day of School:
The last day of school will be Friday, June 18, 2010. A statement will be sent at the first of
the month for these three weeks.
Summer
Session: The summer session will
start Tuesday, June 22, 2010. The
children will transition to their new classrooms during the summer session. If your child is transitioning to the
kindergarten, no bedding is necessary as the children do not nap in that
classroom. The last day of
the summer session is August 6, 2010.
School Closed Monday, June 21, 2010: The school will be closed
Monday, June 21, 2010, for transition so the teachers can prepare for their new
students.
Tuition Reminder: The tuition raise will go into effect
for the summer program, June 22, 2010:
Summer Break: The school will be closed August 9-13, 2010,
for summer break. No tuition will
be charged for this week. The first day of the Fall Session is Monday, August
16, 2010.
Independence Day, School Closing: The school will be closed
Monday, July 5, 2010, for Independence Day.
The Outdoor
Classroom
According to many child development specialists, such a Lev Vigotsky, at
4 or 5, a child s ability to play creatively with other children is a better
indicator of his/her future academic success than any other indicator, including
vocabulary, counting skills, or knowledge of the alphabet. In addition, these specialists contend
that dramatic play is the training ground where children learn to regulate
themselves, to conquer their own unruly minds and to develop important habits of
self-control. No wonder Finnish formal
schooling begins at the age of seven and up until then, early childhood
experiences are play-based. By the age of twelve, however, Finnish children
outperform children in all other industrialized countries in reading, math and
science skills.
With
the advantages of play in mind, as well as the child s growth and development,
Anne Sullivan Summer Program provides ample opportunities for learning. The
Outdoor Classroom, in the beautiful, shaded play yard and grounds has gardens,
sand play areas, water tables, pipes and troughs, dramatic play areas, climbing
structures, art easels, and movable equipment such as crates, tires, wheel toys,
logs, and different kinds of blocks, so that the children play creatively
contributing to their future academic success.
HAPPY
BIRTHDAY
Austin Ben K. Liam Vincent
Greyson Harrison Samantha Maya Hannah
Kayden Andrew
Andrew H.
Julia
News from the
Classrooms
Sunshiners Blossoming
Recent research has demonstrated that high quality child care has long
lasting positive effects on the children who receive it. When they reached high school, children
who attended preschool scored higher on tests for cognitive and academic
achievement than peers who didn t attend child care. In other words, the good start those
children received in preschool stayed with them along their lives.
The Sunshiners are about to finish a year of growth and learning. They feel confident and proud of their
mastery. Many of them have formed
closed friendships. They are
growing in independence due in part to an increased vocabulary and the ability
to verbally relate with adults and peers.
What s more, they are evolving social beings who love to come to school
and be with friends. What a great introduction to school these children have
experienced. The advantage of
participating in a social, enriched and stimulating environment pays off even
years later when these children are compared with children who did not have
these opportunities. The preschool experience is a time of great growth and
opportunity, and we hope these children continue to have this advantage all
along their school years and beyond.
Ms. Gladys
Expanding Our World-Learning from Others in the
Kindergarten
The
Kindergarten class had a very special visitor, Ms. Frida. Ms Frida has been blind since birth.
Even though she can t see with her eyes, she can read. She reads Braille with her fingers which
she demonstrated by reading us a story.
The children listened and watched intently as the story unfolded and her
fingers glided along the page.
Next, she wrote each child s name in Braille by punching dots in a
card. Without eyesight she was able
to read and write!
Ms. Frida s enthusiasm and joy at sharing with the children was
contagious. Everyone wanted to know
more. Ms. Frida took out her cane
and extended it. She then
demonstrated how it helps her when she walks not to run into anything. She told us how, by using her cane, she
can walk to the supermarket by herself.
Later in the yard the children tried walking with their eyes closed and
using a stick to guide them. The
final touch was when Ms. Frida showed some of the modern technology which she
uses. Each of the children got a
chance to use her color-detector device.
This instrument told the child the color of a piece of clothing. She also showed us her Braille watch
that allows her to tell time. Hearing, watching and talking with Ms. Frida
opened a wonderful new area of understanding for all the students and the
teachers as well. Thank you Ms.
Frida!
Ms. Mary
Cooperation in the Rainbow Room
This year the Rainbows helped prepare for the Open House. It was exciting
to see how much the children learned when they were involved in the whole
process. One of the projects was a
life size cut-out figure of each child.
The children laid on a large piece of paper while the teachers traced
around their bodies and cut it out.
Then the children took over.
Each child drew a face on the cut-out of their body and then colored it
to suit their fancy. Once the
figures were dressed the children selected some of the works they have done over
the year and pasted them however and wherever they wanted. There was a lot of
cutting, but they were very happy to help.
The most important thing about all this work was the children s response.
The day of the Open House they were very happy to show their work to their
families. They were able to go through the room showing and describing
everything. The children really knew what they were talking about because they
had participated in the process.
When children are encouraged, their self esteem grows, and they develop
as human beings more secure and more knowledgeable of their strengths. When
children are free to create, they develop their mental skills, they learn
planning skills and problem solving, their thought process and imagination
develops. They learn to make
choices, and their vocabulary grows. Children also learn to share materials and
ideas, they can assist each other and their social skills develop.
It was incredible to see them working with so much detail. They were very
concentrated on what they were doing. Because the cut-out figures were
life-size, there was not enough room on the floor for everybody to work at the
same time. They solved the problem
by working in small groups and taking turns with the floor space. Maya decorated her whole figure with
markers and when she was asked to paste her works on she expressed her concern,
But the dress is going to be covered and it is very pretty. The solution was to
put very little glue on one edge of the work so she could take them off later to
show the pretty dress.
Ms. Berta
This school is
open to all children regardless of race, creed, ethnic background, gender, or
disability. (State License
#330901543)
.