JANUARY 2010IN THIS NEWSLETTER
- Rhonda Cohen, Cherry Preschool Inclusion Director, and Laurie Levy, Cherry Communications Coordinator and Founding Director, write about Reflections on Inclusion
- Kendra Morrill, Cherry Preschool's Board President, updates families about Board Happenings.
- Alissa Chung, Cherry parent and child psychologist, shares information on The ABCs of Discipline.
- Shirlene Ward, Cherry Preschool's Financial Manager, shares a Financial Snapshot.
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JOIN THE BOARD!
Parents, would you like to get more involved
with Cherry? Please consider joining the Cherry Preschool Board for
2010-2011. Even though it's only January, we are beginning
our search to fill next year's open board positions, which are listed
below. Keep an eye out for nomination forms, on which you
can nominate yourself or another parent to serve on next year's board or
to chair one of our many committees. If you have any questions about
serving on the board, any of our current board members would be happy to
talk to you about their experiences. Cherry would not be the special
place it is if it weren't for all the dedicated parent volunteers who serve as
board members and committee chairs each year. We need you!
2010-2011 Cherry Preschool Board positions that
will be open:
Cherry's Jubilee (2 co-chairs needed)
Fundraising (1 co-chair needed)
Treasurer-Elect
Volunteers CoordinatorPlease contact me if you have questions or want to nominateyourself or someone else. Thanks! Lynn Fiedler2010-11 Board President847-869-5091blfiedler@ameritech.net
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NEEDED FOR THE GYM: SMALLER BOXES & SHEER FABRIC
Thanks to your great response we
have many wonderful large boxes for our gym transformation. We now need medium and smaller boxes,
as well as some sheer fabric pieces, to help ignite the children's
imaginations. In the past, pizza
boxes, gift boxes, and smaller boxes have helped to fill those large boxes with
fun things to support creative play. Sheer fabric is also a great addition to the fun!
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TO ALL WHO MADE OUR CONCERT A GREAT SUCCESS!
For our 7th annual
concert and second Shellie Keir Nixon
Children's Concert, Jeanie B! and the Jelly Beans gave
Cherry a heart-warming, toe-tapping, kids-dancing-in-the-aisle performance.
This concert honors the memory of Shellie Keir Nixon, our beloved music teacher
from 2002-2008.
We give special thanks to Shellie's family who dedicated a
portion of the Shellie Fund at Cherry
Preschool to support the Children's Concert. Her husband Harvey was
unable to attend but we were delighted her daughter Hannah, son-in-law Jason,
and grandchildren Gabriella and Charlie were at the concert to help us
celebrate Shellie's life and special relationship with Cherry.
A huge thank you to event chairs Alissa Chung and Michelle Musburger. They skillfully put together a
well-organized, fun-filled event. Thanks, also, to their committee: Kim Barbaro, Patience Dennison, Bibi Frederick, Laura
Glenn, Julie Irving, John Lister, Rhonda Peterson, Lauren Sinai,
Shana Stein, and Courtney Winkler.
Thanks as always, to
Cherry's administrative staff for all of their help and support and especially
to Financial Manager, Shirlene Ward, who did an amazing job with
the financial aspects of the event. Finally, thanks to all the Cherry families and friends who
bought tickets and attended the concert. It was truly a terrific morning
MORE THANK-YOU'S
- To Laura Olsen-Perkins & Andrea Quintana for bringing the November Sharing Tree food to Family Focus
- To Erin Fingerhut & Erin Maxen-Lewis for delivering our donated toys to Family Focus
- To Soo Shin Hyung & Jaime Thome for bringing the December Sharing Tree donations to Teen Baby Nursery
- To all Cherry families who donated items for our Sharing Season and sponsored families from Early Head Start
- To Tim Harwood & Jeanette Hollingsworth for shoveling our sidewalks and ramp
- To Mary-Luz Toledo-Trevino for the donut treat she brought for the staff
- To Sue Felts for coordinating the open house for prospective families
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WELCOMING OUR NEW FAMILIES
We are delighted to welcome five new families to
Cherry Preschool. You will be receiving complete listings for these
families and some corrections for previous listings to add to your Directory
next week via your child's cubby.
Our New Parent/Child Class
Eli and Zachary Bachochin
Parents: Robyn & Matt Bachochin
Mari Frigo
Parents: Amy Gabbert & Angelo Frigo
Jayden Lee
Parents: Yong & Jin Lee
Grace & Jane Lynch
Parents: Marie & John Lynch
Anderson & Emily Schirer
Parents: Yoko & Jeremy Schirer
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INCLUSION SUPPORT GROUP For families of children with special needs and/or receiving support services.
PLEASE JOIN US FOR OUR NEXT MEETING
TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9
7:00 P.M.
KAELAN'S COMMUNITY ROOM
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REMINDERS FROM TEACHERS
 BACKPACK OVERLOAD! Please empty your child's
backpack regularly to remove his/her art and important notices from the
preschool. Also, please monitor the contents of the backpack. Some
children are bringing so many toys and lovies that we have a hard time closing
the backpack and they have a hard time carrying it. Also, small items are
easily lost, resulting in frantic searches and tears. In general,
bringing 1-2 special (and not too large or too small) items should be
enough. Tell your child it's the Cherry rule!
SNACK SUPPLEMENTS WANTED!
Our snack offerings are limited due to the no
peanut policy, the amount of storage space available for items that need
refrigeration, and what is available at Sam's Club. At this time of year,
the children start to get bored with snack offerings. Snack supplements
would be very welcome (enough for the whole class). Some popular items
are: Cut up
vegetables
- Clementine
oranges (or other seasonal fruit)
- Bananas
- Small
yogurts
- Plain mini
bagels with cream cheese
- Individual
applesauce
SHOES AT SCHOOL
Please leave gym shoes, slippers, or last summer's
crocs in your child's cubby so s/he may change into them and not have to wear
boots in the classroom or gym. |
CHERRY BLOSSOM JUBILEE
Saturday, April 17
The Jubilee is Cherry's biggest
fundraiser of the year and always a great party. The event will offer a silent
and live auction, raffle, light fare, music and more. It's an opportunity
to share an adult evening out with other Cherry parents and staff while raising
money to support our fabulous school. The proceeds from the Jubilee are
used for scholarships, the inclusion program, and improvements to the facility. Some questions you can
start asking yourself are.... - Do you have
an item or skill that you can donate to the auction?
- Do you know
an area merchant that would make a donation?
- Are you connected
to a desirable service or company?
- Can you help
with auction set up on the day of the event?
Past donations that have
sparked lots of interest included: -
Tickets to
sporting events, concerts or theater
-
Vacation
homes
-
New
electronics
-
Parties
hosted at individual homes
-
Personal
skills (interior design, massage, handyman)
-
Wine, beer
or champagne
We are also looking for a computer-savvy parent who can evaluate the possibility a wireless connection at the Levy Center. If you can help, please contact Kara Mann (below) ASAP.
For more information or to volunteer,
please contact one of us. Thanks
ahead of time and we are looking forward to a spectacular Jubilee!
Holly Brady
hh_brady@yahoo.com
Kara Mann
karamann1@comcast.net
Jubilee Co-Chairs
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1418 Lake Street
Evanston, IL 60201
(847) 492-1213
cherrysch@aol.com
www.cherrypreschool.org
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REFLECTIONS ON INCLUSION
By Rhonda Cohen & Laurie Levy
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 THE
DELICATE BALANCING ACT OF INCLUDING CHILDREN WITH SPECIAL NEEDS &
ENABLING THEM TO REACH THEIR
POTENTIAL
We
are all familiar with Martin Luther King's "I Have a Dream" speech:
I have a dream that one day this nation will
rise up and live out the true meaning of its creed: "We hold these truths to be
self-evident: that all men are created equal"...I have a dream that my four little children will
one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their
skin, but by the content of their character.
Parents
of children with special needs also dream of the day their children will be
judged not by their delays, differences, or disabilities but by the content of
their character. Ensuring the legal
right of children with special needs to a free appropriate public education in
the least restrictive environment is the great civil rights battle of the 21st
century. King also said, "A right delayed is a right denied," and the right of the child with special needs to be educated with his
or her peers in an appropriate community of children has been delayed long
enough and must no longer be denied.
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FROM CHERRY'S BOARD PRESIDENT
By Kendra Morrill
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UPDATE ON BOARD HAPPENINGS
Happy
2010! I hope everyone had a
relaxing, peaceful, and fun-filled winter break and an easy transition back to
school. We've only been back a few
weeks and already the semester is in full swing.
Registration
Returning
families should have received registration packets for the 2010-11 school year
upon returning from break. Please
remember that the deadline for turning in your registration forms is Friday, January 29 at 9 a.m. It can seem overwhelming to make your
program choice now for a class that begins nine months from now. I hope you take comfort in the fact
that every class and teacher at Cherry, though unique, is equally wonderful,
and that the entire Cherry staff works hard to provide your children with the
best preschool experience they could possibly have.
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PARENT EDUCATION COLUMN
By Alissa Chung
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THE ABCS OF DISCIPLINE 
One of the most frustrating aspects of being a parent is
trying to implement good discipline.
Sometimes a child may turn around and repeat the bad behavior the very
same day. Or sometimes the child
will react with great indifference to the consequences imposed. Or will completely tune out the
thoughtful parent explanation such that the parent sounds like she is the voice
in the "Peanuts" cartoons.
Sometimes these things will happen even when a parent has done
everything right. But sometimes a
little tweaking of the discipline technique can make a big difference.
The first tool in the
parental arsenal is, for lack of a better word, the lecture. This is the part
where we carefully explain to our children what they did wrong and why it was
wrong...
After the lecture, the
go-to technique of many parents is the time-out...
As children progress
through preschool and beyond, the loss of valued items or privileges becomes a
more effective discipline method...
The flip side of removing
privileges is the behavior chart...
While all of these
discipline techniques can be extremely effective, they are all challenging to
implement in public...
If a child does not seem to be responding over a significant
period of time, it might be helpful to sit down with a professional and figure
out why. Are there mixed messages? A misuse of techniques? An overreliance on one method? Or does the child have some challenges
that make certain behaviors beyond his control and therefore not really issues
of discipline at all? Remember
that testing limits and misbehaving are actually essential parts of development. And remember that supporting one another
as parents who deal with these tests on a daily basis is an essential part of
being a member of the parenting club.
READ COMPLETE ARTICLE
If you have any
particular questions or dilemmas that you would like me to address in
future columns, please feel free to e-mail me at alissakchung@ygmail.com, or leave a note in the office (it can be anonymous). I keep all communi-cation that is directed to me completely confidential. |
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FINANCIAL SNAPSHOT
By Shirlene Ward
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MORE IMPORTANT THAN EVER
Fundraising is an important part
of what Cherry parents contribute to our school - it pays for about 15% of the
cost of our preschool program. We have a variety of fundraising programs for
you to participate in so you can decide for yourself the best way to support
the school. No one is expected to
do everything, but in these tough economic times, we need
everyone to give as much time, effort, and (if able) financial support as possible. Keep an eye on
"The Bottom Line" to see how your hard work and contributions are
paying off for Cherry!
THE BOTTOM LINE
Here's what we've earned...
2009-2010 Fundraising Goal = $110,000
Budgeted through January 31, 2010, $65,058
Net Fundraising Income as of January 13, 2010, $59,662
Gift Wrap = $3,677 to date, budgeted to earn $2,900
Market Money = meeting expectations
For June through January we earned $8,400
(On pace to hit our target of $13,000)
Cherry Wear = $532 (budgeted to earn $1,600)
Shellie K. Nixon Children's Concert Concert = Net as of January 13: $2,150, with additional income to be counted
(budgeted to earn $3,500)
DONATIONS:
Annual Appeal = $28,995 (budgeted to earn $22,000)
Inclusion = $7,050 (donated by families of children in the inclusion program to
go toward the salary of aides, budgeted at $18,000)
Volunteer Alternative Donation= $2,450 (budgeted $5,300)
Evanston Community Foundation Grant = $4,000 ($4,000 budgeted)
Staff Appreciation Donations = $1,100
(not budgeted)
Other donations = $1,800 (budgeted $3,400)
As you can see, we are on our way! However, we need to exceed
our goal to fund program and building improvements and award staff bonuses.
Many thanks to all who have contributed financially and/or with your valuable
volunteer time!
THE ANNUAL APPEAL
Our annual appeal been successful! To date, we have earned $28,995, which
exceeds our budget of $22,000. Our thanks and appreciation go to all of
those who have contributed so generously.
These funds are used to support
our outstanding community outreach and inclusion programs. This
year, we have increased our scholarship budget to over $57,000, which has been
allocated to support the education of 35 children. We are hoping that
ongoing contributions will allow us to sustain these programs, which are an
integral part of the Cherry philosophy and our caring community.
Another important way to raise
funds is through grants from organizations, corporations, family foundations,
and community foundations. If you know of an individual, foundation, or
organization that might be interested in supporting Cherry and our programs,
please contact Whiz Iiames-Damutz at whiziiames@yahoo.com or by phone at 847-733-0510.
CHERRY DONATION CARDS ARE IN THE OFFICE
Donations can be made in honor of a
special person or occasion and can make a lovely gift throughout the year for
birthdays or anniversaries. There
are appreciation cards available in the office to advise the "honoree" of your
contribution in his or her name.
Thank you to those parents who have designated Cherry as the recipient
of donations as birthday gifts for their children and to all families who made
donations to our Staff Appreciation Fund in honor of their child's teachers.
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KUDOS TO EILEEN HALPERIN!
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WINNER OF CHILDCARE NETWORK OF EVANSTON EARLY CHILDHOOD AWARD!
We are very proud to announce that Purple Room teacher, Eileen Halperin, will be honored by Childcare Network of Evanston on March 7th for her career in early childhood education. Eileen is part of Cherry's founding staff and has taught preschoolers for over 25 years. Throughout her career, Eileen has been a dedicated, caring,
creative, and skilled teacher who has touched the lives of countless children
and families in our community.
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CHERRY ALUM WINS SPECIAL SCHOLARSHIP
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ABOUT ELICK THOMPSON,
2009 CHERRY SCHOLARSHIP
RECIPIENT AND 1996 GRADUATE OF CHERRY PRESCHOOL
Left: Elrick
(bottom row, right) in 1995 with Cherry teachers Rhonda Cohen, Eileen
Halperin, & Julie Schiller.
Rhonda is now Cherry's inclusion Director and Eileen teachers in the
Purple Room. Right: Elrick in 2009
Elrick attended Cherry Preschool for two years, first in the
3 Afternoon Yellow Room Class (1994-95) and then in the 4 Afternoon Multi-age
Orange Room Class (1995-96). Rhonda
Cohen, Cherry Preschool Inclusion Director, was one of Elrick's teachers that
second year. She recalls that,
while Elrick was still working on following classroom routines, he was an
endearing child who was always eager to please. Rhonda recalls Elrick was sweet, charming, and full of
personality. It is no surprise
that he has done so well because he was a very determined and energetic
preschooler.
With the help of the Warren "Billy" Cherry Scholarship Fund,
Elrick started college at Northern Illinois University in the fall of
2009 with the goal of teaching
math after he graduates.
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KEEP YOUR CHILDREN SAFE
As the weather worsens, we receive reports each
year of people doing incredibly unsafe things: -
Leaving children unattended in cars
-
Allowing children to cross Lake Street and enter
Penny Park on their own with the adult watching from the car or curb
-
Opening the door into traffic on Lake Street to
remove a child from the car Darting across the street
with children in front of traffic
Even if you never would do these things, consider
the possibility that someone who drives your child may. Please do not
assume a sitter, nanny, friend, or relative unfamiliar with the area around the
preschool would observe all of the precautions necessary to ensure safety and
discuss this with them.  Please use your best judgment about whether it is
reasonable for you to bring your child to preschool on a bad weather day.
Think about factors like having to carry a baby or your ability to drive here
safely. It's OK to miss preschool if conditions are too harsh. On bad weather days, please take your time, stay as
calm as possible, and be careful out there!
PARK LEGALLY
Bad weather brings out the worst
in all of us. Patience is hard to come by when just going to the grocery
store becomes a huge undertaking. Despite this, PLEASE DO NOT PULL INTO
OR PARK IN THE STAFF LOT OR IN ANY ILLEGAL SPOT.
PLEASE SHARE THIS INFORMATION (AGAIN!) WITH YOUR
CAREGIVERS, AS SOME OF THEM STILL DO NOT ABIDE BY THESE RULES.
UNDER THE WEATHER?
At this time of year, there are many illnesses
going around and children who come to school sick are sure to share their germs
with their classmates and teachers. Some of these illnesses can also be
especially dangerous to the many women in the building who are pregnant, and to
baby siblings. Sick children at school can also mean a sick staff - an
unhappy outcome for all of the children. For these reasons, please be
extra cautious about sending your child to school if s/he seems "under the
weather" or not 100% following an illness. Please follow the "24 hour
rule" following a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea. Basic consideration for the
health of others is really appreciated. And remember, sick children don't
have much fun at school!
KEEPING THE FLU AWAY - Wash your hands often with soap and water.
- Stay home when sick with a fever and/or cough.
- Don't share eating utensils or personal things.
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LUNCH PROGRAM OPENINGS
Morning Lunch:
Monday - 3 openings
Tuesday - 3 openings (girls only)
Afternoon Lunch:
Tuesday - 1 opening (girl only)
Wedneday - 3 openings (girls only)
Thursday - 4 openings (girls only)
Call or email the office to enroll your child.
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