Director's Message
We have kicked off a new school year and are excited to focus on experiential learning and helping the children grow through hands-on experiences. We have introduced new materials and routines that are helping us get to know each other and work together as a community.
I would like to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work of our teachers, who have been diligently learning new systems to ensure great communication with families and create a safe and fun learning environment for the children. Thank you parents for your patience while teachers are learning 1 Core Class. We hope you are enjoying the added connection we have when using this tool.
Program Highlights
Engagement Activities
The last few weeks teachers have been helping everyone get to know each other and how to use our spaces. Children have been learning the colors of the rainbow by playing games and creating works of art. Pine class played games with finding different color counting bears and collaging multi colored paper on elephants. Elm class played games of patterning beads and did collaging with multi colored paper as well. Oak Class made rainbows gluing red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple squares to learn about the order of colors you see in a rainbow. Oak class also practiced their cutting skills by cutting out paper crayons of different colors. We are also learning about community helpers such as doctors, nurses, firefighters and veterinarians.
Professional Development
Before school started teachers spent time arranging their classrooms and training on all the new Happy Hall pieces. The training included experiential learning, 1 Core Family app use, Life Skills, curriculum planning, assessment and portfolios and budgets and ordering. We learned a lot together and practiced new skills. We hope you are feeling the benefits of the changes.
Community Events
Park Day! September 21 from 10:00am-12:00pm. We would like to offer you an opportunity to come and play in our yard and get to know the other Happy Hall Dolores Way families on a Saturday morning. We will have some light snacks and water. Teachers will not be here to supervise the children so please stay with your child and enjoy some playtime! This event is not mandatory but we encourage you to come and make new friends while watching your children play with their friends! RSVP by Sept 17 using the Google Form at go.happyhall.com/DW-parkday-rsvp
Student Achievements
We have introduced a big piece of our social emotional curriculum. We create a culture where children are honored, empowered, feel safe, and enjoy building relationships. We do this by practicing our Life Skills.
Throughout the day, we include activities and daily group discussions that allow students to practice and demonstrate Life Skills. Staff will randomly recognize students for practicing life skills throughout their day. Staff will explain what action and life skill the student demonstrated so they recognize the life skill they have practiced and then they can add a dot to our Life Skills board. Oak has a rainbow, Elm has balloons and Pine has a bubble gum machine. Each of our Life Skills is associated with a color so once their colorful displays are full of dots we will celebrate with a rainbow party. You may start hearing these life skills at home: Caring, Patience, Responsibility, Flexibility, Cooperation and Effort. It is great if you use them as well so that the children become familiar with their meaning.
Reminders
As a reminder, please remember that only staff and students are permitted on the classroom carpets. This helps keep our classrooms clean. However you are always welcome to come into the admin office to speak with the director.
Don’t forget to arrive by 9:05 AM. Circle time starts at 9:10am and we need to have limited interruptions so that we can keep the children focused on the learning happening. We will unlock the doors no later than 9:35.
For birthdays we are still happy to enjoy the traditional pizza party and even a bounce house. However we are hoping to move away from sweet treats like cupcakes. We will be adding a fun birthday crown for them to decorate and wear for the day. Please check in with us when planning for the big day.
Looking Ahead
September 13 is Back to School Night. This is a virtual event. It is also a minimum day and students must be picked up by 1pm. We will not have nap time and will have quiet activities from 12:15 pm until children are picked up by 1pm. We will send out the google calendar invites soon however here is the tentative schedule
Elm Class 2:30-3:15 pm
Oak Class 3:30-4:15 pm
Pine Class 4:30-5:15 pm
Back to School Night aims to introduce you to the curriculum and daily schedule, establishing clear communication methods and expectations.
Big Kicks Soccer Demo Class for all children: Wednesday, September 11 at 10:30am
Big Kicks Soccer Season Starts Wednesday, September 18
Picture Day - Wednesday, September 25 - All children are encouraged to come and take a picture. If your child’s schedule is Tuesday, Thursday only, please bring your child between 8:30am and 11 am dressed for their picture. We will move them to the front of the line so they can take their picture and then they can go with you.
In October we will invite you to Learning in Action. This will not affect your child’s schedule and will be in the classroom. We will showcase the classroom and learning environment, demonstrate the learning that occurs during circle time and discovery time and give you an opportunity to see the work displayed throughout the classroom. The tentative schedule for this is
Pine Class October 15 3-4pm
Elm Class October 16 3-4pm
Oak Class, October 17 3-4pm
Stay Connected
Check out our photo galleries:
Thank You!
Thank you so much for the patience and support you have shown while we have been settling into the new school year. We are so happy to be getting to know everyone and are excited for a great year.
Shelley Marquz
Program Director
Happy Hall @ Dolores Way
