FEBRUARY Dayspring Preschool Newsletter 2017 Greetings from the Director On January 27th, the Dayspring children share with one another the crafts and costumes they had made during class time in recognition of the Chinese New Year. The children enjoyed marching together around the bike path to celebrate the lunar “Year of the Rooster”! Our monthly theme for February is “Love Makes the World Go’ Round”. It will be highlighted with a month long celebration of hearts and acts of kindness! Valentines will be exchanged in each classroom for Valentine’s Day on Tuesday, February 14th, and Wednesday, February 15th. The children will be celebrating with special “heart activities”. Priority Re-enrollment for current Dayspring families is here! Beginning on Friday, February 3rd, parents will receive their Priority Re-enrollment forms for Summer 2017 and/or Fall 2017-18. These forms are due back to the front desk by Friday, March 3rd. If you have any questions about the process, please speak with Janice. Thank you. As you enter or depart Dayspring with your child, we ask that children walk (not run) while they are in the lobby and hallway. This is important; not only for safety reasons, but it also aids in helping children develop appropriate “school-readiness” behavior. For safety reasons, we would also ask that younger siblings are not left alone at the fish tank as parents walk their Dayspring child to class. All children are to stay with an adult while in the lobby area. Please remind children to look at the fish tank only, and not try to lift the tank cover, pump, or to pull on anything that is connected to the fish tank. Thank you for your help. Next month, from March 20th -31st, Dayspring will be scheduling Parent-Teacher Conferences. Information and conference sign-up times will be placed in your parent files in late-February. Smiles always, ~ Janice Letters of the Week for February: 1/30-2/3: Ll 2/6-2/10: Mm 2/13-2/17: Mm 2/20-2/24: Nn (closed 2/20 for President’s Day) 2/27-3/3: Oo Calendar Upcoming Events: Priority Re-Enrollment Period for current Dayspring families: Feb. 3-March 3: On February 3rd, current Dayspring Preschool families received their Priority Re-Enrollment form for the upcoming Dayspring Preschool Summer Program and 2017-18 Fall term. Please return your priority re-enrollment form to the front desk by Friday, March 3rd. This is a great help to us as we prepare for summer and the upcoming school year. If you need another form, please ask at the front desk. Re-Enrollment confirmation letters will be sent out beginning March 14th. Tuesday, Health Smiles Circle Time at Dayspring Preschool: February 7: On Tuesday, February 7th, Danville Pediatric Dentistry joined the classrooms during circle time to share information about healthy eating, oral hygiene, and good brushing habits. Each child received a new toothbrush and information sheet for parents. Tuesday, Valentine Activities at Dayspring: February 14: Valentine hearts will fill the classrooms during the month. Valentine’s Day activities are planned for Tuesday, February 14th and Wednesday, February 15th. Children are invited to bring 24 (signed with your child’s name only) Valentine cards to school, in a zip lock bag, by Monday, February 13 th. Please send Valentine cards only (do not attach treats Thank you for not sending candy with the Valentines .

Monday, PRESIDENT DAY HOLIDAY; Dayspring Preschool CLOSED February 20:

Saturday, “Mardi Gras Party” hosted by Danville Congregational Church February 25: Dayspring parents are invited to attend the DCC “Mardi Gras Party” on Saturday, February 25th at 6:30pm. Put on your beads, feathers, masks, and dancing shoes and join us on for a night to remember! This is an adult-only event only. Tickets are $35 per person and childcare is available. Please contact Joyce Klassen (DCC member) with event questions or to sign up for childcare.

March 20-31: Dayspring Preschool Parent/Teacher Conferences: During the weeks of March 20th – March 31st, Dayspring Preschool families will have an opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher for a parent-teacher conference. Information regarding conference times and sign ups will be available in your parent files in late-February. Please note: families who joined Dayspring Preschool after January 1, 2017 will have an opportunity to meet with their child’s teacher for a parent- teacher conference during the month of May. Dayspring’s Upcoming 2017-18 Program Dates: The SRVUSD has revised the district’s school year Instructional Calendar for next year. Dayspring will continue to pattern its school year on the SRVUSD schedule. For your information, please note the following:  Last day of the 2016-17 Dayspring school term: June 1, 2017  Dayspring Summer Program for 2017: June 12- July 28, 2017  Orientation Day for Dayspring Fall 2017-18 school term: August 15, 2017  First day of Dayspring Fall 2017-18 school term: August 16, 2017  Last Day of Dayspring 2017-18 school term: June 1, 2018

New to the Dayspring Preschool Staff: Ms. Preeti: Preschool  Earlier this month, Preeti joined Ms. Kelley (AM) and Ms. Louise (PM) in classroom 2. She is very excited to be part of the Dayspring Preschool teaching staff! . Preeti has been a preschool teacher and has worked in programs with Bay Area young children since 2014. She earned a BA degree for Education in India, and holds a MA degree in Early Child Development from Mills College. Preeti is enthusiastic and passionate about working with young children. Join me in welcoming Preeti! DAYSPRING CLASSROOM HIGHLIGHTS: Classroom 1: “The Orange Owl Room” In January, the children began the New Year by exploring rain. On one occasion, the children in the Fishies Room had a chance to experience the sight and sound of rain. They heard the pitter-patter of the raindrops falling on the roof, and watched the windy rainfall on the play yard. We feel fortunate to have the use of the Great Hall, which gives us the opportunity to use our gross motor skills each day. The children enjoyed being “weather helpers”, and identifying the daily weather during their circle time. Favorite art projects included making weather charts, painting umbrellas, and creating art clouds. In addition to exploring the letters “Ii, Jj, Kk”, the children also made headbands, shakers, and lanterns to carry during our Chinese New Year’s parade. The children enjoyed walking over the bubble wrap, which made the sound of “popping fire crackers”. It was a lot of fun! During the month of February, the children will continue practicing their cutting skills, as well as recognizing and identifying number, color, and shapes. The letters “Ll, Mm, and Nn” will be highlighted. The children enjoy sharing an item brought from home that begins with the Letter of the Week. February will also highlight the festivities of Valentine’s Day. There will be fun heart theme projects planned and Valentine’s exchanged for Valentine’s Day. It is truly a pleasure to have your children in the Orang Owl Class. We enjoy watching their growth, hearing their laughter and conversations, and being a part of their learning adventures. Classroom 2: “The Green Gecko Room” During January, the Green Gecko classroom was transformed into a winter wonderland. The children learned about the North and South Poles, the various animals that live there, and how cold it is in these places. To get a sense of life at the Poles, the children played with snow in a sensory tub, painted with ice, created penguins, and even built igloos! By using rock salt, the children created channels in large blocks of ice. They then used colored water to demonstrate the movement of water through the ice. Our class focused on other types of weather as well, as the children took turns being a “weather watcher”. The weather watching skills were put to good use as the children learned about different kinds of weather; such as snow, hail, rain, thunder and lightning. February will be a very busy month. We will start the month by learning about the groundhog. We will discuss the facts and traditions of Groundhog’s Day, as well as discuss the science concepts of shadows and seasons. In class, our theme for the month is “Love Makes the World Go Round”. Lessons will focus on kindness and expressions of love, such as making Valentines. The children will make special Valentines bag in class, which will be used to collect valentines from their friends. There will be a focus this month on large motor skills as the children work to master an obstacle course, the balance beam, and yoga poses. Thank you Green Gecko parents for your continued support of our classroom Letter Sharing. This sharing activity gives the children a wonderful sense of pride. Classroom 3: “The Purple Parrot Room” The month of January was a busy one in the Purple Parrot Room. During January, our monthly theme was “Weather Watchers”. The children enjoyed exploring the weather that occurs at this time of year. Creative activities focused on rain as well as snow, snowmen, snowflakes, and drawing dictation pictures of snowy destinations. A 3-D class board displayed the children’s “Ten in a Sled” artwork of their family members sledding in the snow. The class conducted various science experiments; a favorite one involved the use of oranges to explore the principles for sinking and floating. Our 100 days of school found the children counting by 10’s, sharing 100 snack items, and doing a variety of sorting games to reach the quantity of 100! The children are continuing to review both upper and lower case alphabet letters, numbers, shapes, and patterns. During the month of February, we will read the book “Pocket Full of Kisses” by Audrey Penn. The children will be counting by 2’s, 5’s, and 10’s, graphing objects, making AABB heart and bead pattern necklaces, playing word game puzzles, and beginning to recognize some sight words. They baked muffins for “Mm” week, and will bake special cookies as we celebrate Valentine’s Day!

Classroom 4: “The Blue Butterfly Room” In the Blue Butterfly classroom, we enjoyed starting 2017, as weather watchers! The children observed the cold temperatures that were experienced during the month. The children enjoy playing inside the Great Hall when it was too cold to be outside. During “Jj” week, the children enjoyed tasting different flavors of jam, and then they made a graph to show their findings. The children learned how to use the terms more than and less than. For our alphabet “Letters of the Week”, the children reviewed the phonetic sound of each, and then practiced how to write the letters. The children have begun to read the following sight words; I, it, and is, and use the words in simple sentences. February will focus on the letters “Ll through oO”. The children will continue to practice writing numbers, building number sets of 1 to10, and making a variety of ABB and ABC patterns. The children are identifying their first and last names, learning their addresses, and learning to write their birthdates. It is going to be a busy month of celebration, as we prepare for Valentine’s Day by making our Valentine bags and heart decorations! We are also planning learning activities that will assist us in completing assessments for the parent conferences in March.

Parent’s Corner: “ Mathematical Learning in Young Children” Mathematics is more than numbers; it also involves geometric concepts, pattern recognition and generation, measurement processes, and analysis of data… Contrary to long-established developmental continuums, young children often demonstrate rather amazing mathematical learning. While their understanding may be incomplete, their potential for learning mathematics can be quite exciting. Children potentially do mathematics everywhere! Children constructing in the block center model their understanding of the attributes of geo- metric shapes. Children gathering enough materials for an art project demonstrate their concept of number and one-to-one correspondence. Children acting out a restaurant scenario and calculating the bill represent numerals and their understanding of numbers and operations. Children deciding on a fair way to share materials during outside play demonstrate their ability to divide numbers or time into equal groups or intervals. Children participating in the daily class routines, counting the number of students in the group, or the number of days until a big event are modeling their counting strategies. Children deciding which of the class pumpkins are the biggest and expressing dismay when the heaviest ones don’t sink are using measuring concepts for their experiments. All of these examples are common occurrences in early childhood settings, and provide an opportunity for the assessment of mathematical learning. (Source: “Assessing Mathematical Learning: Observing and Listening to Children”, Juanita V. Copley)

Be aware: This time of year is often Head Lice “Season”: Please note….THERE HAS BEEN NO ACTIVITY OF HEAD LICE AT DAYSPRING. Head lice has been reported at neighboring elementary schools, and we wish to share the following information regarding head lice with our Dayspring families. Head lice are a nuisance and can be common among young children and school age children. Being proactive in identifying and treating lice properly can help to minimize it. A regular head check during the season is suggested. It is an easy process, and can be done while sitting with your child (ren) to watch TV or to read a book. Here is some additional information:  Head Lice symptoms usually are visible 1-5 days after exposure.  The primary symptom is an itch scalp or itchiness to the back of the neck at the hairline.  Lice can be identified with the presence of nits (eggs) that are attached to the individual hair shaft.  Nits look like flacks of dandruff, but cannot be easily "flicked" off of the hair; rather it sticks to the hair shaft, and is best removed using a special lice comb.  Sharing of hairbrushes, hats, barrettes, scarves, (Halloween costumes), and/or other items that come in contact with the head are likely to spread head lice.  When lice or nits are present, treatment is required. A child who experiences head lice must be both lice and nit free before returning to Dayspring. Special Reminders:  Parents, please remember to contact the school if your child is ill. This allows us to monitor for any illness patterns, and notify classroom families. Thank you for following the Dayspring’s health/illness policy. Our policy helps to prevent the spread of illness, and helps the children and teachers at Dayspring Preschool to stay well.  Please remember to write your child’s name on ALL ITEMS brought to school. It is much easier to return missing items that have been labeled.  Lost and Found items will be placed near the front desk.  Please drive slowly and safely as you enter and are in the preschool/church parking lot. Please remember to ALWAYS hold your child’s hand as you are walking with them to and from your car. Please help keep our children safe! Thank you.  Please watch that your children or their older siblings do not open the Front lobby door when exiting. The door is heavy, and pinched fingers can occur. Thank you.