Happy New Year!  We hope everyone enjoyed the holiday vacation and is rested and refreshed for the 2018 Spring Semester!  The children are busy back in their classrooms and are happy to be with their friends and settling into the routine.

As we start the new year, we would like to bring your attention to a few important reminders:

• The importance of being on time! We know getting back into the school routine presents its own sets of challenges, especially in the morning, but it is very important that your children arrive on time to school.  Children who enter the classroom late miss the ritual of the work day which makes them feel uncomfortable and without a sense of order for how to begin their day.  Additionally, it is important for children, as they grow and develop in all areas of life, to develop the habit of punctuality.  If you are struggling with your morning routine to get to school on time, please feel free to reach out to your teachers for advice on how to structure the morning.  As a reminder, below are the drop-off times for each grade level.  Please note that while there is a grace period for the morning drop-off, it is important that you remain in your window of opportunity as these are implemented to create a flow of traffic and to respect the AMI guidelines of a 3-hour, uninterrupted work period.

Elementary: 8:00am

Primary: 8:15-8:30am

Toddler: 8:30-8:45am

Pick-Up For the Children’s House: Please be mindful during afternoon pick-up to pull your car forward to allow space for passing cars.  Additionally, if you are not the first 3 cars in line, we ask that you please remain in your car before coming to sign your child out. 

• Sickness:  As the cold weather persists, we ask that you please be extra sensitive with your children and any symptoms they may be experiencing.  In an effort to keep everyone healthy, and in compliance with California State Licensing, if your child is experiencing any of the following symptoms, we ask that they stay home and remain symptom free for at least 24 hours before returning to school:

Fever, diarrhea, vomiting, nausea, drainage from nose, severe cough, unusual color to skin or eyes, stiff neck and headache, difficulty breathing or wheezing, complaints of any pain, seeming to be abnormally tired and in need of rest.

Thank you and we look forward to another wonderful semester together!

Vacations and the Young Child

By: Vivian Dubovoy Perlo

Winter break is here! Many families are looking forward to spending some special moments together. I wanted to share with you some suggestions to keep in mind when you have a young child at home:

• The first and most important thing to remember is that children live in the moment; they might have to be given some time to warm up even to our closest relatives. Children do not develop the sense of time (e.g., “yesterday”, “in one hour”, “you will see them again tomorrow”) and therefore benefit greatly from knowing how their day will be like. Prepare your child; let him/her know who you are going to meet, if they are to be seated at a restaurant or who you will receive at home. If you have photos to show that would be even better.

• Children thrive on routine and vacation time is characterized by the change of flow. Children eventually learn about this switch of schedule during vacation times but it is hard to grasp for a younger child; this doesn’t mean skipping the activities but altogether trying to respect their routine as much as possible. If you are traveling remember to bring some item that makes them feel at home elsewhere, like a book you read at night, a blanket or a favorite toy.

• Children love to help and it is a great way to keep them busy and involved. Let them help in setting the table, preparing food and welcoming guests. These activities help the child getting used to the guests at the house and also allow family to get to know your child better without him/her having to perform for them.

• Keep your expectations real; if your child feels overwhelmed by too many adults this is not going to change just because we want them to be in their best behavior. As adults, we have a better idea of how we want to spend our vacation time or holiday season, but for the child being offered our time, patience, understanding and love is the best way to spend their vacation time.

• Don’t overload your days as this is usually the trigger to more emotional moments; children and parents at the end of the day are tired and feeling overwhelmed. Plan activities according to what your child can manage (e.g., going to the Zoo and looking at the elephants or the gorillas) and also activities you enjoy yourself.

• For the young child it is important when planning a trip to remember they need to touch, climb and move. Try to avoid places where they need to stand in long lines and remember the real world is interesting enough for a child under the age of six. Try to keep your trips based on reality and not fantasy as children need tangible experiences to make sense of the world around them (e.g., going for a walk, smelling the flowers, collecting stones, building a sandcastle).

• Be mindful that if you traveled to visit family or friends or welcomed guests at your home, that your child will need some time to get used to going back to the routine; especially when loved ones leave. Children are very sensitive to change and do not comprehend fully at this time the concept of saying good-bye (as opposed to the everyday bye-bye) and many times keep looking for the guests or relatives. Showing them pictures of the activities you enjoyed together might help them ease through the transition.

… filled with much love, joy and blessings!

Ms. Vivian

We have just about 24 more hours left in our Annual Giving Campaign!  Please help us reach our goal of 100% participation by tomorrow!  We are currently at 78%!  We are relying on each of YOU!

CLICK HERE to make a difference!

Dear Parents,

As you may have noticed, we have a big box in front of the school that looks like a present.  We are collecting warm coats and jackets and will be donating them to children and families who are in need of a coat this winter.  The boxes will be here until Monday, December 11th, so please help us in supporting others this holiday season!

Dear Parents,

What an eventful few days we have had since returning back from Thanksgiving Vacation!  Tomorrow, during our Parent Education Night, you will have the opportunity to visit the “next step” classroom.  Meaning, those of you who have children in Toddler will have the chance to tour Primary, those who have children in Primary will have the chance to tour Lower Elementary and of course, those of you who have children in Lower Elementary will tour Upper Elementary.  This is a wonderful opportunity to see “what’s next”!

Well, the children also want to see “what’s next”!  So, as some of your Primary children may have shared with you yesterday, the older Primary children have been taking a tour in the afternoon to see the Lower Elementary classroom.  In the next few days and weeks to come, we will be scheduling more tours with the Primary and Elementary children so that they can begin to see the link between not only the classrooms but the materials as well; thus, one day creating a beautiful, seamless transition from one environment to the next.

Please enjoy a few snapshots of some of the children taking a tour.  We look forward to sharing more with you tomorrow night!

Thank you to those families who joined us last Saturday at “Paint for a Cause”.  It was such a wonderful event and we appreciate your support!  Now, MISD has a beautiful handprinted bubble for the community to admire!  Please enjoy some of the photos taken from the event.  If you weren’t able to join us, but would still like to purchase a bubble please visit Paint For a Cause at The LOT on any of the following dates: 

• Wednesday, November 29th from 3:30-5pm
• Sunday, December 3rd from 12-2pm
• Wednesday, December 13th from 3:30-5pm
• Saturday, December 16th from 10am-12pm
• Monday, December 18th from 3:30-5pm