SAVE THE DATE!
SHELLIE K. NIXON
CHILDREN'S CONCERT
FEATURING JEANIE B! AND THE JELLY BEANS Saturday, January 16, 2009 10:00 AM Ryan Family Auditorium in Northwestern University's Technological Institute
(2145 Sheridan Rd.). We are very fortunate to have our very own Jeanie B! and her four-piece band, the Jelly Beans. Don't miss your chance to see the Parents' Choice Recommended and Parent to Parent Adding Wisdom Award winning performers and join other Cherry families as they dance in the aisles.
The critics love her but her biggest fans are her music students at Cherry!
Look for ticket order forms in your children's cubbies. Tickets go on sale Monday, November 30. Don't hesitate to buy your tickets-this concert will sell out! Proceeds from the concert and Jeanie B!s CDs and t-shirts will benefit Cherry Preschool. Please invite friends and family-tickets make a great holiday present.
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HOLIDAY PARTIES
SAVE THE DATE
Come & celebrate the holiday season with the families of your child's classmates. Please make sure your child has a parent or special adult guest! Watch for an invitation with the time.
12/14 3 AM Orange Room
12/15 4 PM Orange Room
T/Th Transition Green
PM Green
12/16 M/W Transition Rose
12/17 4 AM Red Young 3 Yellow &
Orange
PM Purple, Red, Blue, &
Yellow
12/18 5 AM Pre-K Purple &
Blue
3 AM Yellow
Clase
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To Abi Shay for donating cardboard blocks to the Yellow Room.
TO THOSE WHO HELPED WITH THE APPEAL:
- Whiz Iiames-Damutz, our Donations & Appeals Chair, who helped organize everything.
- Katie Smith, who was a tremendous help in so many ways on the appeal - she deserves a HUGE thanks!
- To our "authors": Debbie Boileve, Rhonda Cohen, Maggie Hessler, Kendra Morrill, & Shirlene Ward.
- To our Communications Coordinator, Laurie Levy, for creating the State of the School Report and for helping to prepare the appeal materials.
- Finally, many thanks to the Cherry community for your kindness and generosity!!! We will update you on our progress in the next newsletter.
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SNOW BUSINESS...YES, IT'S COMING! EMERGENCY CLOSING INFORMATION
We try to make decisions about school closings the night before, if possible, so parents may make alternate plans. We also try to stay in sync with the Evanston public schools. Sometimes, it is not possible to do these things. The heavy snowfall may occur during the night, or we may disagree with the decision of the Evanston schools because we think the weather is too harsh for preschoolers or the driving/parking is unsafe.Your child's teachers will attempt to call you about any school closings. We will also send out an all-school email alert. Sometimes, however, people are not home or answering machine messages and email do not get checked in time. You may also find out about school closings through the EMERGENCY CLOSING CENTER: call 847-238-1234, or go to the website: You may also obtain this information on the radio - AM stations WGN (720) or WBBM (780) - or on all of the local TV morning news broadcasts.
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CHERRY WEAR ORDERS
DUE BY DECEMBER 1!
You still have time to order Cherry Wear!
- Girls' ruffled shirt
- Kids' t-shirt
- Embroidered winter hat
- Beach tote
- Adult zip fleece jacket
All with logo depicted above.
Questions? Please contact Celia Kobus by email ckobus@avantesolutions.com
or by phone: 312-961-2148.
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MARKET MONEY GIFT CARDS THE HOLIDAYS
We are also going to have a special order date on Monday, Nov. 30th to accommodateanyone wanting to order gift cards for the Head Start families. If you want to order gift cards for the holidays, the deadline is Friday, Dec. 4th. Forms and retailer lists are on the wall next to the office door or on the website: Questions? Call or email Kristi Schlax at 847-602-6654 or kristischlax@comcast.net.
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GIFT WRAP SALE
Thanks to all who ordered gift wrap. Our total sales thus far are $7,407.50 (87% of our goal). It's not too late to help us hit our target. Order online now through January:- Go to the "Support a Fundraiser" or to the "Seller Section."
- Enter Cherry Preschool's School Account number 0056739 to give Cherry credit for your purchases.
- Online orders will be delivered directly to your home. Orders over $70.00 receive free shipping.
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SAVE THE DATE FOR THE CHERRY BLOSSOM JUBILEE
Saturday, April 17
Join us for the preschool's biggest fundraiser, an elegant adult evening of food, drink, auction, raffle, & a good time to be had by all! We are still looking for a check-out chair. Please contact Holly Brady at: hh_brady@yahoo.com or Kara Mann at: karamann1@comcast.net if you are interested,
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PRIORTY REGISTRATION
Returning
children (including Transition, Clase, & Parent/Child classes) and
younger siblings will receive a priority registration packet for next
year's classes soon after school resumes in January. The entire
procedure, including when to return the forms & fees, is outlined
in the packet. Class offerings, costs, and age requirements will be
clearly described. Camp forms for this summer's program will also be
included for children who are the appropriate age. Please
read about the program offerings described below. When you receive
your packet, it is very important that you read the material as soon as
it arrives, as there are specific due dates for registering.REGISTRATION QUESTIONS?Debbie,
Rhonda, or Maggie will be happy to meet with parents to discuss any
questions they may have about registering for next year's preschool
classes. Just call or e-mail the office for an appointment. They can
also provide you with the name and number of a parent who would be
willing to share his/her perspective with you.
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1418 Lake Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 492-1213
cherrysch@aol.com
www.cherrypreschool.org
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FROM OUR DIRECTOR
By Debbie Boileve
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 THE VALUE OF PLAY We would like to thank the parents and staff members who were able to join us for our recent seminar on the value of play. This is a subject that is near and dear to our hearts at Cherry Preschool. Many young children across the nation are being bombarded with developmentally inappropriate curriculum because their schools are feeling pressured by parents, school boards, and standards-driven expectations in the early grades of elementary school. We have held on strongly to our belief that young children learn best through the context of play. At our seminar it was wonderful to listen to varying perspectives that all supported the same cause. I would like to re-cap some of what we shared for those of you who were unable to attend...
During the 1970's and 80's, Israeli psychologist Sara Smilansky did notable research on the impact of socio-dramatic play on cognitive and social-emotional development. She...concluded that their ability to engage in socio-dramatic play was linked to many skills important to school success. These skills included: better verbalization, richer vocabulary, higher language comprehension, better problem solving strategies, more curiosity, a better ability to take on the perspective of another, better control of impulsive actions, more group participation, more empathy, more innovation, greater imagination, longer attention span, and better social-emotional adjustment...
Two of our Cherry teachers ... Bea Douma from the Red Room and Anne Donoghue from the Purple Room livened things up with their presentation. They began by leading us through a tricky version of Head and Shoulders. This activity woke up our bodies and our brains and gave us a glimpse at how much learning is actually involved in every activity we do at preschool. The teachers continued by showing hands-on examples of materials that strengthen a variety of readiness skills. They also prepared an informative handout describing the skills developed in a Cherry Preschool classroom. If you would like a copy of this handout, please stop by the office or click here...
At Cherry Preschool, we believe parents have the power to influence policies in their children's schools by educating themselves in the importance of play and making their feelings known to their school administrators and school boards. Parents need to be vocal and passionate about this cause and should not be afraid to voice their opinion. If you want to learn more about the importance of play-based
learning, here are some articles:
Go to the Alliance for Childhood website:
Another interesting article from the George Lucas Foundation website Edutopia:
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FROM CHERRY'S BOARD PRESIDENT
By Kendra Morrill
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SUPPORTING CHERRY PRESCHOOL!
It's hard to believe that we're only a month away from winter break! Like every fall, this has been a busy one for our board. We've already had several fundraising events and our Parents' Night Out, with more events scheduled for the winter and spring; Cherry's Jubilee planning is well underway; we've begun working on next year's budget; and our Annual Appeal mailing has gone out...
Because this is the Season of Thanksgiving, it seems like the perfect time to give thanks to some of our parent volunteers as well as the entire Cherry Board and all of our families for their constant, tireless, zealous efforts to leave Cherry a better place...
OUR ANNUAL APPEAL
Along with Cherry's Jubilee, the Annual Appeal is crucial to our fundraising success and brings in a significant portion of our fundraising income each year. One way Cherry families have helped us raise money for the Annual Appeal is by sharing the letter and State of the School Report with grandparents and other family and friends who may be interested in supporting the school. Please direct anyone who may be interested to Cherry's website:
Happy Holidays!
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INCLUSION PROGRAM NEWS
By Rhonda Cohen
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DEVELOPMENTAL SCREENINGS JAN.27 AT CHERRY FOR EVANSTON RESIDENTS
SPPAC (Services for Pre-Primary Age Children) is an agency of Evanston/Skokie District 65 that provides developmental screenings & services for children over three whose families or teachers have concerns about any aspect of their development (speech, language, cognitive, social/emotional, behavioral, fine and/or gross motor skills). To participate, parents need to complete a brief form that we have in the office. Space is limited for the screening at Cherry, so complete and return the form as soon as possible. You may also call SPPAC directly at 847-859-8588 to schedule an appointment for your child at their site in the Hill Early Childhood Center. Other school districts have similar screenings. If you have any questions about the screening process and/or whether your child should participate, please contact Rhonda in the office.
INCLUSION SUPPORT GROUP
Do you have a child with special needs? - Does your child receive speech, occupational, physical or any other kind of therapy?
- Would you like to meet and talk with other parents in the same situation?
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT MEETING
MONDAY, DECEMBER 7
7:00 P.M.
KAELAN'S COMMUNITY ROOM
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PARENT EDUCATION COLUMN
By Alissa Chung
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DISCIPLINE: GOING BEYOND
TANTRUMS & TIME-OUTS
As a child psychologist and a parent, I find that the word "discipline" comes up with great frequency when parents discuss their every day struggles. When asked what people mean by discipline, however, I get a wide variety of responses. Some people think about the consequences of bad behavior (more akin to a punishment), whereas others are thinking about how to teach a child the way that they want him to behave. Sometimes it has to do with managing tantrums, and sometimes it has to do with what triggered the tantrum in the first place. The common underlying theme, however, is how to get children to listen and to remember the lessons from one time to the next. To that end, people employ strategies ranging from reasoning, to good behavior charts, to time outs, to loss of privileges, to spankings. Are any of these techniques effective, and if so, which ones are best?
Although the definition has started to drift over the years, the actual word "discipline" means to teach. It is important to remember that the goal of discipline, therefore, is to show a child what is the right thing to do (and ultimately why). The parallel goal would then be to teach why the behavior that the child did was not desirable or correct. Punishment is a different idea. It has to do with suffering consequences or penalties for the wrong choice. Sometimes a punishment can help a child to learn the intended lesson, and sometimes it is just a consequence that tells the child that the parent is angry...
In the next article, I will be talking more specifically about nuts and bolts issues -- implementing different methods of discipline (loss of privileges, time outs, behavior charts...) and also about different scenarios (public places, play dates...). If you have any particular questions or dilemmas that you would like me to address, please feel free to e-mail me at alissachung@yahoo.com, or leave a note in the office (it can be anonymous). I keep all communication that is directly to me completely confidential.
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PARENT/TEACHER CONFERENCES
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FOLLOW UP, FINAL THOUGHTS, & UPCOMING MEETINGS FOR 2-DAY CLASSES
Thank you for attending the recent fall Parent/ Teacher conferences for our 3, 4, & 5-day classes. We hope you found the information helpful in giving you a clearer picture of how your child is functioning thus far at preschool. If you felt you needed more time to discuss issues raised in your conference or you had any problems or concerns following the conference, please let Debbie or Rhonda know. We would be happy to arrange a time to talk, either with you alone or including your child's teacher.
YOUNG 3 AND TRANSITION CONFERENCES
These meetings will take place in January - please see specific dates on the calendar. Some parents wonder why we wait that long. There are several reasons: Logistically, it is not possible to find the time or space to do them on our November conference dates. In addition, the teachers feel November is a little too early to know enough about children who only come twice a week. Many of the children are still adjusting to preschool; as they become more comfortable, their true personalities will emerge. Ideally, we would like to be conferencing in December, but the holidays make that month too difficult for both parents and teachers. Thus, we come to January. Since the children are returning from a two-week break, we like to wait a few sessions until they have readjusted before we disrupt the routine for conferences.
On your child's conference day, there will be no school for your child's class. Instead, the teachers will be meeting with each family individually for a formal conference. You may bring your child and the classroom aide or a sub will watch him/her for the duration of your conference only.
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WE ARE THANKFUL FOR...
In the Blue Room classes, the teachers asked the children what they are thankful for, and here are some of their answers:
- a hug
- my mommy & daddy
- my pet fish, Silver
- my friends
- my dresses and cat
- people
- T.V.
- my sisters
- my brother
- Cherry Preschool
- everything!
In this spirit, we want to thank our amazing teachers...
The Cherry teachers and inclusion aides are truly remarkable! Their professionalism shines in so many ways. The teachers devote so much time, energy, and caring to get off to a good start each school year. It is remarkable how much extra planning and attention it takes to help the younger children achieve a smooth transition from home to school. The time and care the teachers put into all aspects of planning, from the individual child's needs, to curriculum, to preparing for Parent/Teacher conferences, is really amazing. In so many ways, staff members demonstrate how much they value the happiness, growth, and development of every child in their care. They come together and support one another in times of joy and sorrow. They are more than colleagues - they are an extended family.
The Staff Appreciation Fund was established to enable the preschool to give our staff year-end bonuses. Anyone wishing to make a donation to this fund, either as a gift to the preschool's annual appeal or as a gift to honor a specific teacher, should contact the office.
You may also donate online: To make your donation online, please enter the staff member's name(s) on the PayPal memo line.
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SHARING HOLIDAY TRADITIONS
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PLEASE JOIN US FOR
OUR SHARING SEASON
We recognize that celebrating holidays is an important part of children's lives. Many young children, however, are over stimulated by all the shopping, advertising, TV shows, and preparations that lead up to the December holidays. It seems that every year, the stores begin their holiday hype earlier and earlier. That's why we purposely keep our activities focused on other things and our schedule as normal as possible!
While we don't "teach" holidays, we do want to validate the children's feelings and experiences in a developmentally appropriate manner. Thus, we invite parents to come to school and share their holiday customs and traditions (books, stories, foods, etc.) This way, the children learn that there are many different ways to celebrate and that we value and respect each family's culture and traditions. Talk to your child's teachers soon if you would like to come in and share some of your holiday traditions with us. Thanks!
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STAY HEALTHY, SAFE, & WARM!
- Especially
as we are starting to see cases of H1N1 (swine flu) in our commuinity
& with the seasonal flu season approaching, PLEASE
KEEP CHILDREN AT HOME IF THEY ARE "UNDER THE WEATHER." Also, please do not bring sick siblings into the building -- call the office for help in these situations.
Thanks!
- Now
that it's getting colder, PLEASE DRESS CHILDREN APPROPRIATELY FOR
OUTDOOR PLAY. Hats & scarves help. Snow pants are needed if it
gets colder or there is snow on the ground. Mittens (attached to
jackets) are much better than gloves. And, if you are buying new
winter boots, make sure they are easy for your child to slip on.
Children may leave slippers or extra gym shoes in their cubbies at
school to make things easier when we enter the winter boot season.
Don't forget to label all of their outerwear.
- If you have one, PLEASE LEAVE YOUR CELL PHONE ON
when you leave the building. That way, you are easily reached in the
event there is an emergency. Also, don't forget to inform the office
if your emergency phone numbers have changed.
- Remember the going outside rule: 28 is GREAT!
If the temperature, combined with the wind chill, is 28 degrees or
higher, we will be going out. The office staff checks this via the
internet 15 minutes before we are due to go out & will pull the
flag if it's too cold.
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