Primary Focus

"Smooth Sailing: Navigating Transitions with Your Child"

Transitions throughout the day can be challenging for children, especially those who thrive on routine and predictability. Whether it's moving from playtime to mealtime or getting ready for bed, helping your child transition smoothly can make a big difference in their day-to-day experience. Here are some tips to make transitions easier for both you and your child:

1. Creating Routines: Establishing consistent routines can provide a sense of stability and security for children. Try to keep daily activities like waking up, mealtimes, playtime, and bedtime consistent. When children know what to expect, transitions become more manageable.

   Previewing Countdown: Before transitioning to a new activity, give your child a heads-up. Let them know in advance that a change is coming. For example, you could say, "In five minutes, it will be time to clean up and get ready for dinner." This gives them time to mentally prepare for the transition.

   Engage in the Process with Them: Instead of simply telling your child what to do during transitions, involve them in the process. For example, if it's time to clean up toys, make it a game by racing to see who can pick up the most toys the fastest. By making transitions fun and interactive, you can help your child feel more motivated and empowered.

   Use Visual Clues or Songs: Visual cues and songs can be powerful tools to signal transitions. You can create a visual schedule using pictures or drawings to help your child understand the sequence of activities throughout the day. Additionally, incorporating songs or rhymes for specific transitions, like a cleanup song or a bedtime lullaby, can provide a clear signal that it's time to transition to the next activity.

By implementing these strategies, you can help your child navigate transitions more smoothly and reduce stress and frustration for both of you. Remember, every child is unique, so feel free to experiment with different techniques to find what works best for your family. With patience, consistency, and a little creativity, you can turn transitions into opportunities for growth and bonding with your child.

Pre-K Focus

In many ways today, all of us, including our children, live in a world where instant gratification is the norm (access to streaming video content, gaming apps, etc., right on our phones and iPads). Preschool children are egocentric and their ability to wait is very much developing. One of the primary goals of our PreK program is to encourage our students to self-regulate. Patience is an important life skill that helps children regulate their big emotions and handle challenging situations. Self-regulation can counteract impulsivity and inclination to make poor behavior choices. Patience improves our physical, emotional, and social health.

Every day in the PreK classroom we provide opportunities to practice waiting. For example, students need to raise a quiet hand to share at circle time or wait their turn with an activity or toy. We support this skill by noticing and giving praise, for example, “Thanks for waiting so calmly for your turn to talk” or “You waited patiently while I was helping another friend.” If you are interested in learning more about strategies and the value of practicing patience, please read the attached article.

Patience Is Learned: Here's How to Teach Your Kids to Wait

Beginner Focus

To many parents, their toddlers’ bedtime can be the hardest part of the day. In an article titled, “A Child’s Need for Sleep,” which can be found in the Harvard Medicine Magazine, Elizabeth Gehrman states that sleep is essential to learning, memory formation, emotional regulation, and physical and mental development. Essentially, growth is taking place during your children’s sleep phase. There are many things you can do to make this more pleasurable for both you and your little one. Sleep should be a relaxing and soothing time for both of you. Here are some tips on ways to prepare for bedtime and make the quality of sleep your child receives much more efficient. Pediatricians recommend limiting all screen time at least an hour before desired bedtime. Keeping consistent routines teaches your child what is expected of them each day. Reading, white noise machines and even soft textured blankets all can be a positive aid in helping your child fall asleep and stay asleep.

 The following article shares even more helpful tips to make bedtime an enjoyable time for everyone at home.

 Read more here:  https://www.babycentre.co.uk/a7687/establishing-good-sleep-habits-18-to-24-months

By the Beginner Teachers: Ms. Alexander, Ms. Cerrato, Ms. Rodriguez and Ms. Okoro

Curriculum Corner

The month of December was filled with lots of exploration, magic and curiosity for our friends in Beginners. We introduced ice and snow themes and snow animals. We read many books about these themes, with our favorite being "Penry's Great Adventure." 

Towards the end of the month, we shifted our focus more towards holidays around the world and Christmas. We made many wonderful Christmas crafts and gifts for our loved ones. We learned popular songs around the world and really tried to grasp the concept of what Christmas is about- being together, celebrating one another and about Jesus being born. 

Since we only have 16 school days in December, the Nursery classes have been focusing on spreading Christmas cheer through making ornaments and crafts, singing Christmas songs like “Jingle Bells” . We learned about the true meaning of Christmas, as we watched the Stars perform in the Christmas pageant.

This month in the Lions class we learned about winter weather, and the holidays Hanukkah and Christmas. We made and lit a Lego menorah which we 'lit' each afternoon and read books about Hannukah.  In addition to hearing the story of Christmas in chapel and the Stars' pageant we talked about how we celebrate in our homes. In addition to our regular math, literacy, and science activities we were busy elfs making presents for our families.

This month the Lambs class focused on artic animals, ice and snow, and what to wear during the winter time. We performed melting ice experiments and created several art projects making our own artic animals. We identified sounds and objects that start with the letters I, P, and T.  We also discussed the different holidays in the month of December. For Saint Nicholas day we left behind little candy canes for the children to find and for Christmas we decorated our classroom Christmas tree together!

The Stars have been so busy since returning from Thanksgiving Break.  They rehearsed and performed the Christmas Pageant on December 14 for their families and the whole school. We are so proud of all their hard work! The Christmas Cookie Café opened and the Stars are working cooperatively serving cookies and hot cocoa, while learning about spending and counting money. We displayed the world map for the Stars to see where they live and which countries we are exploring in our holidays around the world theme. They are learning how to say “Merry Christmas” in Swedish, French, Spanish and Italian. They have also learned that Santa Claus is referred to as Father Christmas, Pere Noel, Tomte, or Babbo Natale in other countries. The Stars especially enjoyed sampling cookies from around the world and playing the Dreidel game. In addition, they have been busily making beautiful Christmas presents for their families.

Nursery Focus

Ah the "terrible two's" ...Between the ages of 24-36 months can be a very challenging time for parents and educators alike. But it is also a very important opportunity to model and teach self regulating those "big" emotions. The attached article emphasizes how important it is to validate the child's feelings but also how crucial it is to be consistent in letting them know that there are appropriate and inappropriate ways of expressing them. Our job as educators is to guide them towards choosing more appropriate ways of expressing all of the emotions that they navigate in their little toddler world.

Read more here

Music with Ms. Melinda

Each week in music class, your child will participate in a variety of activities that will not only allow them to explore music, but will also help build curiosity, self-expression, listening skills and self-control. 

  Class always begins with a “Hello” song and many songs are included in our time together. A song might help explore a concept such as fast/slow, quiet/loud, or it could be used to encourage solo singing. The singing voice is your child’s first instrument and should be given as much attention in these early years as the speaking voice. 

 There are plenty of movement activities in music class. We move to the steady beat of a drum or dance freely around the room. Some songs or recorded music encourages us to move like animals or use our bodies to show how the music sounds. 

  Active listening activities are used to focus the children’s attention on a specific sound. We might imitate it after listening. The sound usually relates to a song or movement activity to follow.

  Playing instruments is a favorite part of every class. We use rhythm instruments such as bells, sticks, shakers, or drums at least once in each class. Sometimes we play along with a song or recorded music. Other times we might keep a beat or use instruments to make sound effects or tell a story.

  Group circle games and dances are included in classes as well as rhythmic chants and finger plays. Activities will vary weekly, but there is also a great deal of repetition so that children can become comfortable with the songs and activities. It is a great pleasure to hear “Let’s do it again” from the children! 

Curriculum Corner

The Beginners, Nursery and Primary children are exploring the Rainforest. Math and reasoning skills include sorting, measuring, sensory play, life skills and number play. Language and Literary activities include book discovery, story play, communication, active listening and pictures and letters. Music and Dance includes group dance, rhythm patterns, coordination, sounds and signs, and creative moment. Art and Drama include painting, sticker art, dramatic play, collaging and coloring. Did you know that a Rainforest is one of the most diverse and biologically rich ecosystem on Earth? There is so much to explore. Follow your individual class activities on Brightwheel.

This month the Stars have been working on Pumpkin STEAM activities. The Stars weighed, measured and visually compared an assortment of pumpkins. They estimated then counted the seeds by 10’s up to 100 seeds. They discovered that even little pumpkins have more than 100 seeds. The Stars also sequenced the life cycle of the pumpkin and we are still observing it outside as it decomposes. Their room was beautifully decorated with pumpkins the children painted.

Primary Focus

Sharing is an important developmental milestone. It teaches collaboration, cooperation, and teamwork. Children learn to see things from a different perspective. Sharing is also a great way to create new friendships amongst peers. As educators and parents, we implement this in the classroom and at home by modeling, guiding, and praising turn taking. The introduction of cooperative games helps children begin to learn how to share appropriately. Try this at home by playing board games and figuring out puzzles with your child. Rolling balls back and forth is a great way to share amongst children who are in the toddler ages. 

Learning to share is a marathon; it is not a sprint.  In the words of Daniel Tiger, "You can take a turn, and then I'll get it back." Your child will be well on their way to achieving this lifelong skill.

For more information and resources, we highly recommend Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood Life Little Lessons from PBSkids.org, 

https://pbskids.org/learn/lifes-little-lessons/sharing/

Primary Teachers: Erin West, Gina Ferreri, Tiffani Miller, & Valerie Long

Scholastic Book Fair

October 14-18

We kick off this year’s Book Fair at the Running of the Rams on Saturday Oct. 14. During the week, the Book Fair will be located in the Lobby. The Fair will also be open for Grandparents Day on Monday October 16.

By supporting the Book Fair, you help CCEP earn Scholastic Dollars to purchase books and educational materials for our school. Unable to make it to the Book Fair in person or trying to find books appropriate for an older child? Shop the online CCEP Book Fair to find even more titles!

In addition to the on-site Fair at the school, you can also shop the Bookfair online via the CCEP Scholastic Books website. The Online Fair begins October 11 and runs until October 24. There is a huge selection of books available online, making shopping easy for children of different ages. Just like the on-site Fair, your purchases help us earn Scholastic Dollars. All your online purchases will be shipped directly to you (with FREE shipping on book-only orders of $25 or more).

Shop Online

The Book Fair needs your help to succeed. We are looking for parent volunteers to help with book sales. Please sign-up here to volunteer.

A quote in the CCEP faculty workroom is an important reminder that we should provide students opportunities to be independent. It says:

When you:

Cut it for me,

Write it for me,

Open it for me,

Set it up for me,

Draw it for me or

Find it for me,

All I learn, is that you do it better than me

One of the primary goals of our PreK program is to enable our students to be more independent. Initially, we offer a great deal of support and build considerable time into our school day to accomplish this objective. One of the ways we strive to accomplish our goal is by providing consistent classroom routines that students learn to follow. As they understand what is expected of them, over time our students are able to meet these expectations with little to no prompting. Offering choices to our children is another way to facilitate independence. It helps them develop problem solving skills, practice cooperation, and fosters creativity. Being independent builds self-esteem and autonomy. They feel successful and confident when they learn to do things for themselves, even (perhaps especially) when they persevere through the challenges of acting independently.

If you are interested in learning more about the value of providing young learners with opportunities to be independent and to read more about ways to facilitate independence in your preschool aged child, please visit https://childmind.org/article/how-to-build-independence-in-preschoolers/.

PreK Teachers: Mari Schubert, Lisa Tuleya, and Annie Williams

Family Chapel

In the hallways I can hear the children singing their thanksgiving as they sit together for lunch. We sing in chapel too, because singing is a custom in ours and in many religious traditions. Singing unites the bodies assembled and embeds words and concepts deeply in the mind and heart.

The children have already learned to enter the chapel with an age-appropriate level of reverence, looking, listening, and speaking to connect with God. We share stories and songs and are learning to pray together. For the younger classes, prayer is simple and led by a single voice. For the primary and Pre-K classes we pray the Lord’s Prayer so that they will learn it through the year.

When you join us for Family Chapel, it helps them if you fully participate by entering quietly and taking “it” in rather than connecting with friends. Sing with your children, learning the hand signs to make with them. Pray with them and settle into a moment of peace and belonging.

Fr. Michael and I look forward to welcoming you and appreciate the gift and blessing of worship each week with your little ones

Mother Ruth

Holiday Camp Packages

Holiday Camp offers child care to our working parents on specific days that the school is not in session. The day is filled with learning, arts and crafts, indoor and outdoor play, and possibly a nap in a mixed age group setting. We provide snacks and a lunch but parents are welcome to pack a lunch. Regular school hours are observed. It may or may not include early and/or after care depending on need.

We offer two packages. Sign up by September 1st for the lowest price. Individual days are available as space is available. Please contact Ms. Hultz for registration.

A Welcome from Ruth

It brings me great joy to welcome children and families as our 18th school year gets underway at CCEP. I’ve been here for 17 of those years, and our Interim Head of School, Denise Gilliam, has seen all 18, welcoming children and helping them find their safety and joy in our community.

Your children will meet me in chapel each week, along with Michelle Galdames, the parish minister for children and youth, and the Rev. Michael Kurth, our associate rector. We love telling the Bible stories, singing songs, and helping your young ones learn the practice of prayer.

As the rector (a CEO priest), it’s my responsibility to provide oversight for all the ministries of Christ Church, including CCEP. I support the Board of Trustees and the Interim Head of School in their administration. You will meet me at preschool events and family chapel, which we hold once a month so that you might share the experience of worship with our community alongside your child. As a pastor, I serve both congregation and preschool – I’m here for you should you need a listening heart and a prayer partner.

The start of school can be an anxious time for the whole household. Here is a blessing as you send them off—

Child of my heart, may the blessing of God go with you today to keep you safe, and make you glad and good as you learn and play.

Remember who you are and whose you are, and let the light of Christ guide you and bring you home. Amen.

Head of School Welcome

 I am sure you all are busy squeezing out the last bits of summer fun. As we wind down summer camp this week, we are also gearing up for the start of the new school year. I am embracing this new experience as Head of School. I have every intention to continue in the same spirit of love and dedication to our preschool community that I have always held.

I look forward to you meeting our new school administrator, Jen Fordham. She has been amazing to work with and her experience gives me confidence that she is a great fit. You will meet familiar and new staff at Meet and Greet Your Teacher. We have five new teachers out of sixteen. One who is actually returning from a year off of being a new mother. The new teachers come highly recommended with a passion for nurturing children.

In now my eighteenth year at CCEP, there has not been a year that I wasn’t proud to be a part of this amazing community. I am very excited about the growth and possibilities that await us.