The beginning of the school year is an exciting time for The Children's School community. We look forward to welcoming our faculty back to campus on August 31st and our families on September 8th.

STAFFING UPDATE
We are pleased to welcome four new teachers this year: Carwai Seto, Kim Lohnas, Jennifer Edstrom and Meghan Hanebutt.
 
Carwai will teach mathematics and science in the Nelson Middle Years Program. She received her B.A. in chemistry from Princeton and her Master's in Education from Lesley University in Boston. She was a teacher in Baltimore and, most recently, at the Blue Oak School in Napa.
 
Kim will teach elementary science in the Science Clubhouse. She received her B.S. in biology from Towson University and her Master's in the Art of Teaching degree from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland. She taught fifth grade science and social studies in Baltimore and worked as a scientist in Colorado and Alaska before coming to TCS.
 
Jennifer Edstrom will be the visiting art teacher for the Nelson Middle Years Program this fall.  Jen is a graduate of Wellesley College and in addition to running Edstrom Educational Consulting, Jen has taught art for the past several years at Evans School.
 
Meghan will be a student teacher in the fifth grade classroom for the first half of the school year. She is pursuing a Master's degree in Elementary Education at Wilmington University in Delaware. Working in the classroom with a master teacher is part of her program's requirements and TCS is happy to help train the next generation of teachers. Please make sure to join us in welcoming our new teachers!
 
While we are excited to have these teachers join our faculty, we also have some unfortunate personnel news to share. As you know, this has been a difficult economic year across the nation and here in San Diego. The Children's School has been lucky in some respects - last school year we set fundraising records in both the Annual Fund and Fun Night. However, the school budget is heavily dependent on tuition revenue, and our enrollment numbers are not as high as we had hoped for the upcoming school year.
 
In order to balance our budget and to ensure the school's continued viability, it was necessary to cut an administrative position. This was an incredibly difficult decision to make, and I am very sorry to share with you that the director of communication position has been eliminated for the upcoming school year. Tammy Black worked tirelessly to improve internal and external communications at TCS during the past six years and she will be greatly missed. We know that the entire school will feel this loss both personally and professionally, and we wish there had been another alternative.
 
The administrative team will take on some of the tasks that Tammy so beautifully managed. Emily Williamson, who directs our Kids' Club program, will also be taking on additional office responsibility. Emily has worked at TCS on and off since 2002 while pursuing her undergraduate and graduate degrees. She will work in the office from 10:00 to 3:00 and  supervise Kids' Club from 3:00 to 6:00.

BACK TO SCHOOL REMINDERS
Is your family ready for school to start? Here are a few things to keep in mind as September 8th approaches:

• Please be sure that your child's health and emergency have been turned into the office. These forms must be submitted before the school year begins, or your child will not be allowed to start school on September 8th. Please call Marilyn at 858-454-0184 if you have any questions about these forms.
• Marilyn is working with our vendors to finalize the school lunch program. This program will begin the week of September 14th and parents will soon be able to sign their children up for school lunches on our web site. You will be notified before school starts when this form is open online.
• Summer reading and supply lists are up on the school web site. Please be sure that your child has all of his or her materials and is ready for a terrific first week of school!
• Transitioning to the school schedule can be difficult for children who are used to staying up past bedtime and sleeping in.  Now is the time to gradually transition your child back into an earlier bedtime. Pediatricians recommend that children get a full nine to ten hours of sleep.
• Don't forget to pack a water bottle and hat for your child to keep at school - remember September is still warm in La Jolla!

BEFORE SCHOOL BEGINS
It's almost time for a favorite back-to-school tradition: Sneak-a-Peek! Whether your child is moving to a new part of the TCS campus or your family is new to TCS entirely, we invite you to come to campus before school starts for a Sneak-a-Peek session.
 
On Friday, September 4th, teachers in toddlers through second grade will open their classrooms so that younger students may visit the classrooms, greet their friends and teachers, see their cubbies and enjoy some time to get comfortable in the classroom.
The Sneak-a-Peek schedule is:

• 11:00 to 12:00 - Toddlers and Preschool
• 1:00 to 2:00 - Prekindergarten through Second Grade

There is no formal program for these sessions - feel free to drop by anytime during these time periods.
 
While we do not offer a formal Sneak-a-Peek time for students in third through seventh grades, these teachers are happy to meet with students and their families during the week of August 31st. Please email your child's teacher directly to schedule a convenient time.
 
Finally, each classroom will have a back-to-school family social event during the first two weeks of September. These events will provide time for you catch up with old friends, make new friends, and develop a sense of classroom community to kick off the school year. Members of the administrative team will be on hand at each of these events to answer any questions you might have. Teachers will be emailing information about your class's gathering next week.

We are looking forward to another terrific year at The Children's School and are so happy to count your family among ours. Enjoy your last few weeks of summer and we will see you soon!
 

Best,
Molly