November’s Newsletter – Giving Thanks!

November Newsletter – 2015

November is a symbolic month for giving thanks, exploring family traditions, and learning about the lives of the Native Americans and Early Colonists who lived before us. We plan to explore the lives of the people who inhabited this land in our past. We will also share our own family traditions and just how much we have to be thankful for.

The entire school will be creating and celebrating with a Thanksgiving feast of their own on Wednesday, November 25th. We will prepare a menu, cook our meal, and dine with our friends and teachers at TLC. It will be quite interesting to see what kind of menu they come up with.

This is a wonderful conclusion to our November curriculum.

The children enjoy dressing as Native Americans, Pilgrims, and turkeys as they participate in this fun event. Goody donation sign-up sheets will be located on our daily sign in sheets. As always, we appreciate all donations. Without your help our events would not be as successful.

Thank you to all of our families who helped us raise money through our fundraiser.

From our family to yours have a safe and happy Thanksgiving!

Dates to remember:

• Nov. 3rd               No public school, Teacher’s professional day (TLC open)
• Nov. 6th               Early Release, Elementary, Parent conferences
• Nov. 11th             No public school, Veteran’s day (TLC open)
• Nov. 13th             Early release, Elementary, Parent conferences
• Nov. 2oth             Early release, Elementary, Parent conferences
• Nov. 25th             Early dismissal, All schools
• Nov. 25th            TLC Thanksgiving feast

*Nov. 26th & 27th Public school and TLC closed for Thanksgiving

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Room news

Busy Bees

The Busy Bee’s had a great month in October.  We started talking about our new season and all that goes along with it.  We will continue to learn about the changes in our seasons along with some other pertinent subjects. We will be exploring the following topics: Five Super Senses….tasting, touching, smelling, seeing, hearing. Community Helpers….police, fire, doctors, dentists, nurses, teachers, mail carriers etc.

Time for Thanks…..Thanksgiving, Native Americans, Pilgrims, harvest foods, family, prep for our feast. Bring a toy day is Friday.  Please keep toys from home all other days. We will be going outside every day when weather permits….please remember to send the kids with warm clothes, jackets, hats and gloves are just around the corner.

• The letters this month will be G, H, I.
• The numbers are 7 and 8.
• The color is brown.
• The shape is rectangle.

Always feel free to speak to Deb or Christine if you have any questions or concerns.

Little Tykes

Little Tykes had a great October as our children continue to develop the crawling and walking skills. This is a big month we will be celebrating Carson and Darren’s first birthday. This month we will be exploring our five senses. We want to wish all of families a happy thanksgiving.

Amy and Lisa

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Little Rascals

The holiday season is quickly approaching. Halloween has come and gone and the Little Rascals had a blast during their Halloween party and thoroughly enjoyed the Clubhouse spooky trail!

Thanksgiving is around the corner and we will be having our annual feast on Wednesday 25th- please be on the lookout for a sign-up sheet in the front lobby as we get closer to the date. Also, we will be closed on Thanksgiving and the following Friday.

This month’s topics are:

• The Five Senses
• Community Helpers
• Thanksgiving & Native Americans
• The letters G, H, and I
• The numbers 7 and 8
• The color brown
• The shape of the month, rectangle

It is getting colder out so please be sure to pack labeled weather appropriate clothing and to send your loved ones in with coats.

As always, if you have any questions please come to Mellissa or Sophia

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Small Fries

October was full of spooky fun in the small fries. We had so much fun at our Halloween party. Thank you all for the donations that helped to complete our celebration. We also enjoyed a special visit from the Hopkinton Fire Department at the end of the month. November will bet getting us all in the spirit of giving thanks. We will be getting the room decorated and our bellies ready to gobble til we wobble at our annual TLC kid’s feast where we have a huge lunch of some of our favorite foods. There will be a sign up sheet by the sign in desk for donations and we thank you in advance for all your generosity.

This month’s topics include:

• The Five Senses
• Community Helpers
• Thanksgiving & Native Americans
• The letters G, H, and I
• The numbers 7 and 8
• The color brown
• The shape of the month, rectangle

Please remember outside time is an important part of our day so make sure to send warm clothes now that cooler weather has arrived as well as keep your child’s extra clothes updated in case of messes. We hope you all have a great November and a very Healthy & Happy Thanksgiving with your families.

-Stefanie & Ashley

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Clubhouse

Although October is coming to an end, the children have been waiting patiently, but eagerly for our Halloween party/ Haunted Trail. This month we have focused on the evolution of dinosaurs and how they became extinct. With that being said, the children have learned the cycle of leaves and the reasons to why leaves die and fall off trees. We have focused on a very important topic this month which was about Fire Safety. The children learned what to do in case there were ever to be a fire and the following steps and exits to take in case there were ever to be put in that situation.

As November creeps around the corner, the children are looking forward to:

• Five Senses
• Community Helpers
• Native Americans
• Thanksgiving

Please check your mailboxes daily. As the weather begins to change and it is getting cooler outside, all children must bring appropriate outside attire including jackets with them. We wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Mellissa and Jeff

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Krusaders           

October was a very busy month. Halloween was enjoyed by all. Thank you for your contributions to our Halloween party. We welcomed a new friend to our classroom- Isaiah. We also had an exciting visit from the Hopkinton Fire Dept. They told us all about fire safety.

In November we learn about:

• Our super 5 senses
• What jobs our community helpers do
• Time to give thanks
• Native Americans/Pilgrims and their role in our first Thanksgiving
• Letters of the month: G, H, I
• Numbers: 7 & 8
• Color: Brown
• Shape: Rectangle

Please make sure your child has appropriate clothing for the season and spare clothes as we go outside daily as weather permits.

Lauren and Melody

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Tiny Tots

Happy Harvest! The Tiny Tots would like to welcome Liam and Ella into our classroom. We have been working hard learning our shapes and colors at circle and doing finger plays to songs to help with the ability to listen and follow through. Many of our toddlers are using new words every day and it’s exciting to hear what they have to say!

This November we will be focusing our five senses, people in the community, Native Americans, and giving thanks. We had a blast at our Halloween party and want to say thank you for helping us have a variety of party snacks to eat! Please make sure your child has extra weather appropriate clothes in their cubbies including socks.

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Throwback to 2012’s Thanksgiving Feast!

June 2015 Newsletter

June is a big month for us! It marks the end of another school year at The Learning Center of Hopkinton.

Graduation & Awards Ceremony: Please join us for our annual Preschool graduation and Awards ceremony on Thursday, June 18th promptly at 5:30.

• We will be having a Nautical theme this year. The kids can dress in any Nautical type clothing, like clothing with anchors or fish, or blue or red stripes with boat shoe etc.
• Children in the Little Tykes room are asked to be picked up at 5:15 and are welcome to stay but we’d like their teachers to participate in the ceremony.
• The toddler classrooms will be walking in procession right before the preschoolers as we begin the ceremony.
• Toddler parents are asked to be available to collect their child before the ceremony begins.  Families can bring in lawn chairs and set them up any time after 5:00 pm.
• Parking for the event will only be available across the street.

We look forward to seeing all of our families at this wonderful event.

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A sad goodbye: The Learning Center is very sad to announce that Jenna Fitzgerald will be leaving us after 8 years. Jenna has made a tough decision to go back to school and further her education. We are very proud of Jenna and wish her the best of luck in her future. Her last day will be July 31st. Jenna will truly be missed and we know she will miss her kids very much. Congratulations, as well!

Team Zack Attack: We would like to sincerely like to thank everyone who generously donated to team Zack attack. We were amazed by all of the support. We received over $1500.00 and the kids did amazing! Zack was truly thrilled to see all of your donations to help find a cure. The children had a great sense of pride and accomplishment participating in this event.

Congratulations High School Graduates: Congratulations High School Graduates: We are so proud of Horrigan, Brooke Martin, Angela Thomas, Megan Barnes, Samantha Stanley, and Jeffrey Grandinetti in graduating High School. They will be college bound in the fall. We will miss you all!

Water bottles: Please help us protect the environment! Send in a reusable water bottle for our child to use daily in the playground or classroom.

Upcoming events

• June 5th – High School graduation
• June 12th – Early release, Elementary
• June 18th – TLC Graduation, 5:30 sharp, Family BBQ follows
• June 26th – Last day of Public school, Early dismissal
• June 29th – Summer  program begins
• July 3rd (Friday) – Closed for Independence Day
• Happy 4th of July – Happy birthday, America!

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Busy Bees

This month we will be getting ready for graduation….lots of practice and the excitement is building.  We look forward to the summer field trips and a lot of fun in the sun. Our focus is on:

• Wild wild west
• Fantastic Fathers
• Graduation!

Please remember to sunscreen the kids before dropping them off.  Lunches on field trip days need to be in a brown bag.  Bathing suits are needed for our beach days as well as beach towels.

Debbie and Melissa

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Clubhouse

I hope everyone had a wonderful Mother’s Day! May was a busy month between Mother’s Day, learning about different transportation’s, the zoo, different types of bugs and walking for Trishy’s cousin Zack. You can say the clubhouse kids were busy! The kids loved watching the caterpillars transform into beautiful butterflies as well as waiting eagerly for the duck eggs to hatch. Now that May is quickly coming to an end and June will be here, the clubhouse kids are getting ready for graduation as we prepare our song and dance.

Next months themes are:

• Wild, Wild, West
• Fantastic Father’s
• Graduation

Just a friendly reminder, please remind your children to bring their water bottles with them now that the weather is finally getting warmer. Happy Father’s Day to the lovely fathers out there!

Melissa and Jeffery

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Krusaders

The Krusaders had a very busy month last month. They enjoyed their trip to the zoo and exploring all of the animals that we had learned about that week. We had lots of fun making loving projects for our Moms as well as learning about transportation and creepy crawly buggies.

June is going to be a very busy and special month for the Krusdaers! All of our friends will be graduating on June 18th at 5:30pm! We will continue to practice for graduation every afternoon and we are looking forward to this special day. We will also be celebrating our Fathers this month and reviewing what letters, numbers, shapes and colors we learned this year!

We have had a great year with your child and will miss them greatly as they all venture off to Kindergarten!! We would like to thank you for your support all year. Have a safe and happy summer!

Lauren and Melody

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Small Fries

We hope everyone is enjoying the warmer weather as we happily slide into summer.

The children are spending a lot of time outdoors so please make sure  that you have returned the sunscreen  permission  sheet.

The Small Fries had a great month learning about insects, zoo animals and transportation. The most fun was making special treat for our mommies.

June is going to be a very exciting month as we prepare for graduation.  Our children will not be performing  but will be walking in with our teachers  to find our families.  This year is a nautical theme so please have the children dress accordingly.  There is a donation list by the sign in sheets if you would like to bring something it would be appreciated.

We are also looking forward to making special treats for our daddies. Shhhh…it’s a secret but you are going to love them.

Please be sure that your child has weather appropriate, labeled spare clothing.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak with Christine or Ashley.

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Tiny Tots

Hope everyone enjoyed their Mother’s day and Memorial Day!

In the Tiny Tots we would like to say goodbye to spring as we move into summer. If you could please switch out the extra clothes as we prepare for summer that would be wonderful. They will need extra shirts, shorts, bathing suit, swim diapers and towels. Please remember that the bugs are out again and the children will need plenty of sunscreen and bug spray.

Tiny Tots also would like to say goodbye to Sophia as she gets ready to move up into the preschool classroom. We will miss her dearly. We would also would like to welcome our  new addition to Tiny Tots classroom, Dylan whom we are excited to have join us.

We look forward to getting ready for graduation which will be held here on June 18th at promptly 530pm. The theme will be nautical so please dress according. We look forward to seeing everyone there. There will be a family BBQ right after the ceremony. If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to contact either Miss Stephanie or Miss Erin.

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Little Tykes

With summer quickly approaching, The Little Tykes will soon be enjoying the outdoor weather. Please send in swimmy diapers, bathing suits and hats to enjoy water play. June 18th please join us for our annual graduation celebration. It starts 5:30 sharp Please have your child picked up by 5:15. Grab your lawn chairs and family members and join us for all the fun!

Amy and Lisa

Parents Newsletter: April Newsletter 2015

TLC is celebrating the Week of the Young Child April 13-17. The theme is “Celebrating our youngest learners”. This is a time to recommit ourselves to ensure that each child experience the type of early learning environment at home, at child care, at school, and in the community that will promote their early learning. TLC is proud to be part of your family.

Last year we were very thankful to our families in helping us build “theme boxes” for the children. We had a great turn out and a year later the children are still enjoying these boxes. This year we will celebrate a different event every day.

• M: Monday will be Music Monday, where we will sing dance and learn through music.
• T: We will have our annual book swap Tuesday, April 14^th. Jenna does a great job putting this event together where children can swap each other for books they have already gently read.
  • Please bring in your selections by Friday the 10th!
• W: Wednesday is work together Wednesday. The children will learn team-building activities.
• Th: Thursday is Arsty Thursday. The children will make classroom banners and self-portraits.
• F: We would like to have a parent breakfast on Friday, April 17^th from 7:00-8:30. Parents can “Take 5” and have a light breakfast with their child. Please join us for coffee, juice, muffins, & donuts. Each classroom will be making items for this event.

Teacher Appreciation Day
We would like to take time to appreciate our Educators. Thursday, April 16^th will be teacher appreciation day. We truly value our educators at The Learning Center of Hopkinton. Their dedication shows every day when we see those happy smiling faces in the classroom.

Summer Plans
Trish is hard at work finishing our summer plans. We will be passing out all of the information as soon as possible. We have several new trips this year and we are very excited.

WISH LIST for theme buckets!
Last year we created our “theme buckets” and everyone was very generous in helping us fill them. We would like to do some refreshing this year and are asking for your donations. The children thoroughly enjoy using these boxes and use them daily. I am posting our wish list on the parent bulletin board and appreciate any help you can give.

Re-registration
Thank you to our families who have sent in their paperwork. If you have any questions please feel free to contact the office. This registration process is to hold their spots for the upcoming 2015-2016 school year. We are a year round program so their current spot continues through the end of August. We cannot hold spots during the summer. If you have activities for your child please see us so we can work out a plan. If you are planning on not returning is September please let us know as soon as possible so we can plan to use your deposit appropriately.

Busing information
For full information on school busing application please click here and follow the steps on the HPS Transportation website. Deadline is May 1!

Important Dates:

• April 3rd (originally no public school for Good Friday) is now a school day due to 6 snow days used
• 4/3 – Annual egg hunt!
• 4/13-4/17 – Week of the Young Child
• 4/14 – Book Swap – Please bring in your selections by Friday the 10th!
• 4/16 – Teacher Appreciation Day
• 4/17 – Parent breakfast & early release day (Elementary)
• April 20th – TLC closed – Boston Marathon!
• April 20-24 – April vacation (all schools)
• Bus transportation deadline is May 1 – friendly reminder!
  • Please go to the Hopkinton school website under transportation for all the info – link above!

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Little Rascals

We had a great month talking about healthy eating habits and activities that get our hearts going, Dr. Seuss and his amazing books, the awesome changes to the outdoors that spring brings, as well as the holidays Saint Patrick’s day and Easter.

This month we will be going over the topics:

• In my garden
• Our beautiful Earth
• Viva la Mexico
• The letters V, X, and W
• The numbers 17 and 18
• The color yellow
• Our shape of the month, oval

We will also be celebrating the Week of the Young Child from the 13th-17th of this month. We’ll kick off our week with Gerry for Music Monday, followed by our class book swap on Tuesday. For the book swap we are asking that your child pick 3 books from home they are willing to part with, in return for 3 “new” ones! Please bring in your selections by Friday 10th. On Wednesday we will work together as a class for a team building activity. The class will get artsy on Thursday. For Family Friday we will have our annual parent breakfast from 7am-8.45am ~ take a moment to enjoy breakfast with your special one!

If you have any questions, please ask!

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Clubhouse Kids!

What a blast we had in March! Between reading Dr. Seuss books as a class, hoping for Spring weather to come our way with artwork, discussing different ways to be healthy, and setting out traps for those pesky leprechauns, the Clubhouse kids have been busy!

This months topics are:

• In my garden, discussing how things grow and plant needs
• Our beautiful Earth, exploring ways we can preserve our planet
• Viva la Mexico, learning about Mexican culture

Also we will celebrate the week of the young child from the 13th-17th of this month. We will have Music Monday, book swap Tuesday, Work together Wednesday, Artsy Thursday, and Family Friday.

For our class book swap we are asking that your child pick 3 books that they are willing to part with, in return for 3 ‘new’ ones! Please bring in your selections by Friday 10th!

Thank you!
Clubhouse Crew

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Busy Bees

Happy Spring! The Busy Bee’s are ready for the warmer weather and the fun activities that go along with this long awaited season.

We will focus on:

• In my garden… flowers, gardening, seeds, roots, veggies, tree’s, watering cans
• Week of the young child…self-portraits, parent breakfast April 17, book swap April 14, unity class project, music appreciation….
• Our beautiful earth…. earth, recycling, clean air and water, earth day
• Viva la Mexico…. flag, Cinco de Mayo, Mexican hat dance, culture
• The letters v, w, x.
• Numbers 17, 18
• Color yellow

Shape oval

It’s going to be a fun month! The kids are doing great and have been getting many reward stickers on their charts for good behavior at circle and throughout the day.

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Krusaders

Last month was a fun month for the Krusaders. We tried hard to catch a leprechaun with our homemade trap! The leprechaun left us signs of his presence but could not be caught.

April will be a fun month as well!

• We will learn how to plant a garden and talk about what seeds need in order to grow into trees, flowers and vegetables.
• We will be looking for Easter eggs and maybe catch a glimpse of the Easter bunny.
• We have lots of activities planned for Week of the Young Child. We will be doing self-portraits, a book swap, and end the week with our annual parents’ breakfast.
• For Earth Day we will be exploring and sharing ideas on how to keep our earth clean and the effect recycling has on our earth.
• Mexico will be highlighted this month as we discover the customs and traditions of our neighbors.
• Our letters of the month will be V, W and X. Numbers – 17 and 18. Color and shape of the month are yellow and Oval.

Please remember to bring weather appropriate clothing as the weather and temperature are changing daily.  We hope everyone has a wonderful April!

Lauren and Melody

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Tiny Tots

March was a great month for the tiny tots! We all had so much fun celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday and St. Patrick’s day with plenty of silly rhymes and leprechaun mischief. We also have been preparing for spring to arrive and making the room look colorful with springtime art projects as well as Easter eggs, bunnies and baskets.

April will hopefully give us some warmer weather and melt the snow so we can enjoy our play area once again. For now we have been going outside when the weather allows and have been playing with bubbles and getting creative with chalk, drawing and making up games to play.

This month’s themes are:

• In my Garden
• Week of the Young Child
• Our beautiful Earth & Viva la Mexico
• We will be focusing on learning the letters V, W & X
• The color yellow
• The shape oval

We hope you all had a wonderful Easter and start to spring. Keep thinking warm thoughts and hopefully all this snow will be gone soon!!

Stefanie & Erin

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Small Fries

Happy Spring everyone, hopefully we will all start seeing some warmer weather.

The Small Fries enjoyed so many things in March.  We learned all about Dr. Seuss – ate green eggs and ham and even had a visit from the Cat in the Hat. The Leprechauns came to visit and played many tricks on the children of TLC.

We have also been doing many projects to learn about Spring… we will continue this through April.

• The Small Fries say a sad goodbye to Mia as she transitions into The Little Rascals’ room; we know she will continue to thrive.
• We welcome Jonathan into our room.
• We will be celebrating Easter this month and hope to have a visit from the Easter Bunny.
• We will be learning about our earth and gardening.  The most exciting part if April will be celebrating Week of the Young Child. There will be special activities for everyday, culminating in a breakfast for the parents to enjoy with their children.

Please make sure your child has weather appropriate labeled clothing every day.

As always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to us!

Thank you,
Christine & Ashley

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Little Tykes

Hello parents,

Thoughts of warm weather surrounds us as spring has arrived. April brings many changes for the little tykes. We say goodbye to Jonathan he will be joining the small fries enjoying his days with new friends and exploring new adventures! We want to welcome Darren, Andrew, and Carson to the Tykes baby nest!

We are looking forward watching you grow and achieve new milestones!

Happy Easter!

Amy & Lisa

March 2015 Parent’s Newsletter

TLC March Newsletter 2015

March 2015 – The Learning Center of Hopkinton

We hoped everyone enjoyed February vacation week. We saw quite a few families on vacation. We hope you were somewhere warm avoiding the snowy weather we had here.

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Keep an eye out to see if our lucky Leprechaun has paid us a special visit. The Clubhouse classroom will be busy designing special traps to try and catch one.

Thank you!

We appreciate everyone’s patience with our decisions to be closed on those days we had treacherous weather. The decision is made to ensure everyone stays safe and off the roads if necessary. Our goal is to stay open but we rely on the local weather predictions and our plowing crew to try to make the best call for everyone. Who knows when the melt down will begin? It will be a while before we see green grass!

Re-registration

Re-registration packets will soon be available to be picked up in the office. Please see Melissa or Jen for your family’s packet. Please fill out all of the information for each child, as everything needs to be updated.

Let’s Sanitize Your Extra Clothing

There have been quite a few illnesses reported in the center. The teachers and assistants have been working hard washing toys and sanitizing all other areas. Please make sure to take your child’s sleeping bag home regularly to be washed. If you have any questions on our health policies please feel free to ask.

Welcome back Stefanie! Welcome Carson!

We would like to welcome back Stefanie from maternity leave and welcome baby Carson to the Little Tykes classroom.

Dates to remember:

• March 13^th Early release – all schools (Thursday)
• March 17^th St. Patrick’s Day celebration

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Busy Bees

March is here and the hope of spring is on all our minds!  We had fun in February despite the crazy snow days and now look ahead to what we will be doing this month.

• Groundhog Day
• Silly Dr. Seuss (Always a fun time!)
• Lucky Leprechauns (What mischief will they cause this year?)
• Spring has sprung (seeds, flowers, weather changes)
• Bunches of Bunnies

It is so great to watch your kids learning and growing with each new season and the topics that we cover.  If you have any concerns or questions always feel free to speak to anyone at TLC.

Debbie, Katt, Colleen

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Small Fries

We had a great month learning about dental health, love, Presidents and other countries.  We hope you all enjoyed the special cards made with love by your children.

This month we are looking forward to a great lesson about Dr. Seuss.  We hope the cat in the hat visits us and brings green eggs and ham! If we get lucky maybe the leprechauns will visit the Small Fries and bring us some gold.

The Small Fries can’t wait to learn all about what happens in the spring.  Hopefully the lesson will come with some warmer weather.

We also will be preparing for the Easter Bunny. The Small Fries would like to see him hopping through the fields as we close in on March.

Unfortunately the class has not been able to make it out much this winter due to the frigid temperatures. We are hoping that the weather will begin to warm up so we can be outside more.

* As the weather gets nicer, please make sure your child has labeled weather appropriate outerwear every day.

As always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to Christine or Ashley.

Thank you!

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Little Rascals

It is hard to believe just how much snow we got in February! The Little Rascals are hoping nicer weather is on the way as spring approaches.

The Little Rascals had a great time on pajama day and loved stuffing their new teddies. We also had a blast at our valentine’s party! Thank you for all of our lovely valentine’s gifts!

This month we will be focusing on the following topics:

• Dr. Seuss
• Lucky Leprechauns
• Spring has sprung
• Healthy Hearts
• Bunches of Bunnies
• The letters S, T, and U
• The numbers 15, and 16
• The color GREEN
• Our shape of the month, SQUARE

Thanks,

Jenna and Sophia

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Krusaders

We are ready to March into spring!

We had a busy February. The Krusaders learned about past and current Presidents and had fun delivering Valentine’s to our friends. We are all anxious for winter to end and start a little warm up.

This month we celebrate Dr. Seuss and maybe have some green eggs and ham. We will be on the lookout for some mischievous little leprechauns. We will also learn some tips on how to keep your heart healthy.

We are anticipating spring’s arrival and hopefully see signs of spring on our walks outside. We look forward to watching trees and flowers budding.

• Letters of the month: S T U
• Numbers: 15 & 16
• Color: Green
• Shape: Square

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Tiny Tots

In the month of March, I would like to welcome back Miss Stefanie who we missed very much! I would also like to welcome Jody from the Little Tyke’s room as she enters our toddler room. We would like to say goodbye to Fred who is now ready to move up into the Busy Bees preschool room. Fred will be missed by all his friends and teachers.

We had a fun month learning about dental health, our Presidents and countries around the world. We hope everyone had a great Valentine’s Day and received lots of hugs and kisses.

Focus areas for March:

• We are looking forward to a great lesson on Dr. Seuss and we hope that leprechauns come to visit us in the Tiny Tot’s room! They may even bring us gold and some good luck this month.
• Tiny Tots can’t wait to learn all about what happens in the spring time. We are hoping we can start getting the nicer weather soon so we can start heading into spring and start seeing the flowers bloom and hearing the birds chirping in the trees.
• We look forward to preparing for the Easter bunny as well. We hope to enjoy an Easter egg hunt.

If you have any questions or concerns please contact Miss Erin or Miss Stefanie

Thank you!

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Clubhouse

Last month’s topic kept us busy and the Clubhouse thoroughly enjoyed discussing countries around the world and talking about their heritage.

This month we will be:

• Celebrating Dr. Seuss’ birthday
• Catching some Lucky Leprechauns
• Welcoming spring
• Discussing Healthy Hearts
• Getting ready for Easter

Thankfully the weather is beginning to look up, so the Clubhouse will be enjoying some much needed outdoor time. Please remember appropriate outdoor wear!

Thanks!

Your Clubhouse family

February Newsletter

February Newsletter 2015

Happy Valentine’s Day!

We have been busy preparing for an exciting month revolving around dental health, Hearts & Hugs, Presidents and it’s a small world.

• The letters of the month will be P, Q, and R along with the numbers 13&14.
• February is Dental Health month. This is a good time to brush up on good dental health habits. We request that all preschool parents send in new toothbrushes and check on their toothpaste supply.
• On Friday the 13th we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. Each class will celebrate by swapping valentine cards, playing games, and enjoying Valentine snacks.

Dates to remember

• 2/6/15 = Early release / Elementary school
• 2/13/15 = Valentine’s Day party
• 2/16/15  = TLC closed for President’s day
• 2/16/15-2/20/15  = February School vacation week

Important Notes

• Valentine’s Day: Please remember old tissue boxes or a box for your child to decorate for valentine’s day; Each teacher will share your child’s valentine’s day plans for Friday, Feb 13 but ** Please remember to address your Valentine’s to “to my friend” ** This way everyone gets one without fail!
• February Vacation: Please keep us informed of your February vacation plans so we are properly staffed
• Winter Fundraiser: Thank you for your help selling Aunt Annie’s for our winter fundraiser. All order forms are due February 4th.
• Re-Registrations: ‘Tis the season! Registrations are due March 28th.
• Evaluations: All evaluations need a parent signature! Please contact us with any concerns!
• TLC Party Central! Coming soon… TLC will be hosting parties and renting out the clubhouse building for your family events = No mess. No stress. Lots of fun! www.tlcpartycentral.com

Re-registration: TLC will be having its annual re-registration starting the beginning of next month. Please stop by the office to pick up your child’s re-registration packet. Please go over your paperwork thoroughly and fill out all sections. Everything in your child’s file needs to be updated annually. This registration process renews their spot for September. TLC is yearly program. Your child’s spot continues through the summer. If you need to change your regular days for the upcoming school year please make a note of it on your form and we will do our best to accommodate these requests. If you have any questions please see Jen or Melissa. All registrations are due March 28th.

Evaluations: When you receive your child’s evaluation – please read them over, sign them and return them as soon as possible. Please feel free to speak with child’s educator if you have any questions or concerns or would like to set up a conference.

Aunt Annie’s fundraiser: Thank you for your help selling Aunt Annie’s for our winter fundraiser. All order forms are due February 4th. If you need a new form, please ask the staff.

Tuition payments: Please remember that monthly tuition payments are due on the 29th of each month. Weekly payments are due on Thursday for the following week. We appreciate you getting your payments in on time.

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Little Rascals

The Little Rascals had a blast in January! We learned about why animals hibernate, migrate, or adapt and what kinds. We also had great time in our make shift cave, as well as discussing space adventures and some of our favorite nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

This month we will be exploring:

• Sparkling Smiles for dental health month
• Hearts and Hugs
• Presidents on Parade
• It’s a Small World (countries around the world)
• The letters P, Q, and R
• The numbers 13 and 14
• Our shape of the month, heart

Please send in a shoebox or tissue box that we may decorate for our Valentines. Please send it in by February 6th. Also we will be closed Monday 16th for President’s day.

As always, feel; free to come to us with any questions or concerns!

Thank you,

Jenna and Sophia

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Small Fries

Happy Valentine’s Day!  We hope you all have a great day filled with hugs and kisses from your little ones. There have been many changes in the Small Fries classroom over the past month.

• We need to say goodbye to Averey,  Lexi, Aislynn, Srinika and Walter as they move up into preschool rooms.  We know that they are more than ready and will enjoy all the new learning experiences.
• Welcome to all of our new friends: Sam, Penelope, and Will..  We look forward to watching them thrive in their new environment.
• We will be learning about dental health, Valentine’s Day, Presidents and different cultures this month.

The weather continues to be cold so please be sure that your child has weather appropriate, labeled every day. As always if you have any questions or concerns please feel free to speak to either Christine or Ashley.

Thank you!

Christine & Ashley

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Krusaders

We had a fun learning about hibernation and cold weather living. We also had an adventure in space and recited some nursery rhymes and fairy tales.

• In February, we will have a chance to learn about caring for our teeth and healthy habits.
• Valentine’s Day is coming up and it gives us an opportunity to show our love to family and friends. More detailed plans to follow.
• This is also the month to recognize all of our past and present Presidents and what they have done to keep our country strong and safe.
• This month we will discover some of the smaller countries that help make up our world.
• Letters of the month: P,Q,R
• Color: Pink
• Shape: Heart

The weather has been cooperating with us and we have been enjoying some needed outdoor time. The kids had a great time sledding. Just a reminder to bring in snow gear every day. They should have hats, mittens, coats, boots and snow pants. We try to get out every day.

So much snow!  Any questions please feel free to ask!

Thank you!

Lauren & Melody

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Clubhouse

We hope everyone enjoyed having a few snow days, and had some help with all the shoveling. We have broken in our new building and the Clubhouse are very happy to have a space of their own.

• This month we are talking about keeping our teeth healthy and great ways to do it.
• We will also celebrate Valentine ’s Day. ** Please remember to address your Valentine’s to “to my friend”. It helps with remembering all of our friends. We will send out a list soon.
• At the end of the month we will be learning about all of our Presidents and countries around the world.

During this wonderful snow we were able to enjoy time outside and our favorite sledding. In order to fully enjoy the outside everyone needs the proper winter gear every day. Please remember boots, winter coat, hat, gloves, and snow pants. Extra socks and pants could come in handy too.

Thanks and Happy February!!

Sophia, Jeff, Katt & Erin

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Tiny Tots

Happy Valentine’s Day everyone!

Lets’s give a warm welcome to Miss Amy into our Tiny Tot’s classroom.  We are happy to have you here. We have said goodbye to Finn who has moved to the Little Rascal preschool class. As Finn left we welcomed his little brother to our class.

What’s happening with Tiny Tots?

• Groundhog day! Winter will be around for another 6 weeks, yah for us.
• We will be learning a ton this month, all about dental health, Valentine ’s Day, Groundhog day, Our Presidents Countries all around the world and their cultures.

As always feel free to contact either Erin or Amy with any questions or concerns that you may have.

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Little Tykes

The Little Tykes room would like to say a sad good bye to Boden and William as they leave us and move up to the toddler rooms. We know they will have fun growing and exploring their new classrooms.

Now it is time to welcome some very cute and charming babies. Hello to James, Grady and Andrew. We are all excited to watch friendships flourish and grow into caring, happy, and capable toddler!

With all of your child’s new schedules underway, please feel free to call and ask any anything. We are always here for questions, concerns or adjustments.

Happy Valentine’s Day from the Little Tykes!

Lisa, Amy and Melissa

Preparing for Kindergarten

Preparing Your Child for Kindergarten

The “back to school” buzz has started but if your child has never been to school outside of TLC, we can help.

And let’s face it, beginning kindergarten is a huge milestone for you and your child, but your child may not understand how “big” this is! It’s our job as parents and teachers to prepare them for it in many ways. Always remember that you are the parent and need to do what is best for your child – even if it’s harder on you!

Starting school means changes in their daily routine including being away from familiar surroundings, learning new rules, and following directions from other adults. It’s natural to have doubts and fears about change. Here are a few tips:

1. First, talk to your child about what they can expect but always remember that these talks about going to kindergarten should be simple and exciting!
2. If you know your class list, reach out to a few friends to arrange a play date the week before school. This will get the kids excited and when they see each other at school it will provide comfort – if needed.
3. If you have any concerns, don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher. They always respond and have been so great to work with.

 A few other things we can share:

• Manage expectations: In kindergarten, children learn more about social skills than academics (but as a parent, don’t fret – they learn about the ABC’s too!) but instead of drilling your child in the academics, it’s important to focus on how to be a good friend, respecting teachers, how to talk to and play with others, and to follow directions.
• Group activities: Try to encourage your child to participate in group activities whenever they occur. If you know they are reluctant to join in games or activities, try simple games like “Pin the Tail on the Donkey” or “Musical Chairs” at home.
• Talk: Simply put, talk to your child about their expectations and what they want to get out of kindergarten. This is more for you – it will give you a baseline of where your child is emotionally and mentally but also give them a way to share any fears that you can address.
• Self-awareness: Besides learning to be aware of others, children who begin kindergarten need to be aware of their own self. Help him / her memorize basic information such as the correct spelling of their name, age, address, and phone number. When asked this information in school, the confidence they gain will be so exciting, he / she will forget all about the jitters! Your child should also be able to name his or her various body parts. This way, he / she won’t be caught off guard when children or teachers ask these questions. Praise what they’ve learned and respect what they don’t. It’s important that they know that every child won’t know these things.
• Take a tour: If you haven’t already, don’t shy away from taking a tour of the school. If you’re headed to Center school, give them a call and they will be more than accommodating… they love the kids and with a new principle, this will be a good opportunity to show your child around. * * * At the very least, show them the playground and remind them that school is fun!!

If you have any other concerns, please don’t hesitate to ask for our help. We love your children and you! Congratulations on such a huge milestone.

Hopkinton School calendar: http://www.hopkinton.k12.ma.us/cms/lib4/MA01001785/Centricity/Shared/2013-2014%20SCHOOL%20CALENDAR%20-%20voted%203-7-13.pdf

Important Center School information:

Lauren Dubeau, Principal
11 Ash Street, Hopkinton
Tel: (508) 497-9875
Absentee Call in: (508) 497-9876

 

Planning for Kindergarten

Planning for Kindergarten 2013-2014

As you plan for your child’s leap into kindergarten, TLC can help with the transition. We work closely with all schools to make sure the graduates this year (June 13 is our graduation ceremony) are excited, fears are diminished and ready for the next phase.

But, that doesn’t mean they still aren’t part of the TLC family! As many of you know, TLC offers a fantastic Wrap-Around Kindergarten Program for half day and full day kids. We just ask you to reserve early for this program!

Our Kindergarten wrap-around program is the most popular program, designed with the first year student in mind. Hopkinton Public schools offer some half day programs with a schedule switch for every child halfway through the school year.

If your child is in half-day kindergarten, they will be enriched with the Kindergarten wrap-around program. If your child is in full-day kindergarten, they will be placed in the Clubhouse program (where the wrap-around kids will go with their peers once full day is over). Or if your child is in full-day and you need after-school care, TLC’s Clubhouse is perfect for your  needs!

The Wrap-Around program is similar to the Clubhouse, but with some additional learning, enforcement and emotional support as they work through this transition. The children engage in a multiple of learning centers involving math, science, creative writing, art, and dramatic play. These centers are explored at the child’s own pace and reinforce the skills they are learning in elementary school. Our goal is to help these students make a smooth transition into their academic future.

What’s more, your child’s slot is reserved for the exclusively for full day use when needed for holidays, school vacations and summer. The program is designed by meeting your child’s interests and needs through theme related curriculum and stimulating comfortable environment where learning is fun and creativity is the rule.