April 2016 - White Wing School

White Wing News
April 2016
Learn, Share, Discover, Play, Grow
DIRECTOR’S CORNER
As I watched the snow fall last week, I found myself lamenting
about the New England weather. I thought enough with the snow
already! I want warm spring weather. Eventually I drifted off to a
happier place. No, not an island in the Caribbean or the children’s
favorite songs -BOOTS! As I hummed the song, I realized I could
sum up the past month’s weather through the children’s footwear.
Of course, there were shoes, sneakers and slippers. But what an
assortment of boots! There were snow boots, Hello Kitty boots,
flowers, frogs, ladybug and firefighter boots, black, pink, yellow,
red, and purple rubber boots, cowboy and cowgirl boots, fancy
fashion boots and horseback riding boots. Surprisingly, there were
Crocs, and sandals too! Hopefully, after this week, the only footwear needed are sneakers, shoes, and the occasional rain boot!
While on the topic of footwear, I would like to remind everyone that
warm weather is also scraped knee weather. I know the children
love their flip-flops and sandals but they are not the safest choice
for recess. The combination of running children and the less
supportive footwear lead to an increase in falls, tears, and
Band-Aids. We encourage the children to wear sneakers, shoes,
or athletic type sandals. So, if your child tells you, “Mrs. …said I
should wear shoes or sneakers.” Mrs. …. did just that.
Wishing you a warm, healthy, and happy spring!
Cathy Seavey (Interim Director)
2016—2017 REGISTRATION
Registration for the 2016-2017 school year is underway and now
open to the public. Currently, there are limited openings in all
classes but they are steadily filling up. If you would like to ensure a
space for your child, please register as soon as possible . We ask
that you remind friends and family who are considering White Wing
to register now as well.
Along with class registrations, we are registering for Early Morning
Drop off, Stay and Play, and Discovery Programs. The sooner you
register for these programs, the better we are able to meet your
family’s needs.
Please contact the office if you have questions or concerns about
any programs or your child’s placement for next year.
58 Lowell Street
Nashua, NH 03064
Phone:603-882-1041
Fax: 603-546-0378
Email:
[email protected]
April—White Wing Art Exhibit
April 17—Early Childhood Fair—Nashua Library
April 18—Nashua Senior Tap Dancers
April 19&21– Kindergarten Parent Teacher
Conferences
April 20—Time To Clay 11:30—3:00
April 22—Earth Day Activities
April 28—PAWWS Meeting—Caitlin Clarks 10:00
April 25—29—Spring Break
New Programs for 2016-2017
We are excited to share news of two great options
available at White Wing School for this fall. Both were
inspired by parent requests. One is for our 2 year olds
and another is the perfect solution for your
scheduling challenges!
Two Plus Class: For those of you who have asked
for a 3 day program for 2 year olds we have added a
Two Plus class. It will be held on Monday, Tuesday,
and Wednesday mornings from 8:45 to 11:15 am. It is
just right for those two year olds who are ready for a
little more time with friends!
Tiered Afternoon Sessions: In response to a number of requests for more flexible afternoon
programming, we have arranged for tiered Stay &
Play sessions for our 3 and 4 year olds. We will
continue our regular Stay & Play so that families who
would like to pick up children with the Kindergarten
dismissal carpool at 2:00 pm will still have that
convenience. Our two new options are:
Stay & Play Extension which continues activities
with friends from 2:00 to 3:30 pm day. Dismissal is
flexible. Parents sign out their children from the
classroom to allow for individual pick up times prior to
3:30 pm.
Stay & Play Full Day which continues until 5:30.
Parents sign out their children from the classroom
between 3:30 and 5:30 at a time that best fits their
schedules.
Additional information about fees and times will be
sent home this week.
Luckily the children and teachers returned well rested
from their Winter Break for there was much to do in
March. There was Dr. Seuss to celebrate, visits from community members, Open House, a field trip and play practice for some!
On March 2, we celebrated Theodore Geisel's—Dr.
Seuss birthday. How did we celebrate a beloved
author’s birthday? The right way of course! All classes gathered together for cake and the singing of “Happy Birthday”. The Cat in the Hat would have liked that! Throughout the month, the classes read a variety of Dr. Seuss
books. Some of the classes kept track of the books they
read at home. While there is no official count, all combined I think the children documented over 300 books! I
suspect the number is even higher. We had many guest
readers join our classes. The children enjoyed having
parents and grandparents share their favorite books with
the class.
We were fortunate to have visits from many community
members in March. Our first visitors were Dr. Chow and
her associates. They taught us about making healthy dental snack choices, brushing, and flossing. Dr. Chow also
shared with us that it is okay to have a sweet treat every
now and then but brush afterwards. In the middle of the
month, the Nashua Seniors Saints Harmonica Group visited us. While there were quite a few
harmonicas, the
seniors also introduced the children to other musical instruments. There was an accordion, fiddle, mouth harp,
spoons, and unbelievably, a saw. Along with experiencing
instruments, the children and seniors had a rousing sing-a
-long. It was magical watching the two groups interact.
Our last visitors were Teddie and his handler Miss Melanie. Teddie is a Reading Assistance Dog. He loves to go
into schools and have children and teachers read to him.
The children were amazed by Teddie’s circle behavior.
April is a shorter month for us but it is still a busy one.
Along with classroom activities, the children will
participate in an art exhibit, be entertained by the
Nashua Senior Tap Dancers, and celebrate Earth
Day. They also begin music with Mrs. Blodgett again.
In addition to school day activities, PAWWS has
planned an afternoon with Time to Clay .
With Much Appreciation
We would like to thank PAWWS for all their support
and efforts during March. They were busy coordinating and implementing the Potluck Dinner, Texas
Roadhouse Fundraiser, and the Hop-a-thon.
We would also like to thank our families for their
support. Without you, the Potluck Dinner would not
have been as delicious and the fundraisers not as
successful. Working together, we make White Wing a
great place for our children.
The biggest social event of the season was Open House
and the Potluck Dinner on March 16. The children were
excited to share the evening with their parents, brothers,
sisters, grandparents, aunts, uncles, and friends. The
teachers enjoyed seeing the children and their families.
Throughout the month, Kindergarten was busy practicing
for their upcoming play, The Little Red Hen. Choruses of “I
can do it by myself.” and “I’m a lean mean steel eyed fox”
were heard as they travelled up and down the hall. Luckily, they were able to take a morning off from practice to
visit Parkers Maple Barn. While it was fun learning about
the maple syrup process, the pancakes were the highlight
of the trip!
Of course, we had a visit from a leprechaun or two. What
mischief we found in our classrooms. Overturned chairs,
green toilet water, papers and books tossed about. We
also found necklaces, tattoos, and gold coins!
March was a great month!
Page 2
Stay and Play
Stay and Play currently has limited openings on
Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. There are also
openings on Tuesdays and Thursdays.
Stay and Play is a great opportunity for children to
extend their day with their school friends. It is also an
excellent opportunity for those children having a longer school day next year. Not only does it give them a
chance to become acclimated to a longer day but to
work on their lunch box techniques.
If you would like to register your child or need additional information, please contact Mrs. Coumas.
White Wing News
White Wing Art Exhibit
The children and teachers are excited to announce the first White Wing art exhibit. During the
month of April, we will be exhibiting our artwork at the Church’s Art Gallery. The art gallery is
located in the hallway outside of the Dining Room.
Each program has an assigned week to exhibit their work. Both the Two Year Old and Three Year
Old programs displayed their work during the first week of April. The Four Year Old Programs show
their work the second week. The Kindergarten exhibit is the third week. The fourth week of April will
be a combination of all programs.
We invite you to drop in and view the exhibits with your child. If you intend on visiting the gallery,
we ask parents of our morning classes to visit between 11:00 and 11:20. Kindergarten parents
please visit between 1:30 and 1:50. You may dismiss your children early and have them join you.
These times should prevent inference with our carpools. If you think, you will overlap carpool,
please park at Margaritas. Discovery Parents may visit when they pick up at the end of the day. If
you are unable to visit at these times, please call the office to set up a time. We hope you are able
to visit.
Earth Day
On Friday, April 22, White Wing
School will celebrate Earth Day.
As part of our celebration, we will
plant seeds, swap books, create
a recycled art masterpiece, and
sing to Mother Earth.
The children need to bring in one
gently loved book to contribute to
the book swap. For the art project, they need to bring in
one small to medium sized recyclable item. Please no
glass. To celebrate one of nature’s most beautiful
wonders, the rainbow, we are dressing like one. Each
class has a designated color or two of the rainbow:
Room 1– Purple, Room 2– Green and Blue,
Room 3– Yellow and Orange and Room 5 - Red.
,
We invite you to join us as we as we end our day with a
sing-a-long. The sing-a-long will begin at approximately
11:15. Weather permitting it will take place in the upper
playground. If Mother Nature is not cooperating, we will
gather in the auditorium.
Parent Teacher Conferences
Parent Teacher conferences for our Two Year Old, Preschool, and PreK classes are in May. Please mark your
calendars for the following days:
Mrs. Kupchik— 2 Year Olds: May 10, 12, 17, 19
3 Year Olds—May 18
Mrs. Rowe–
3 Year Olds & 4 Year Olds—May 16 &
18
Mrs., Seavey- 5 Day Class May 18
You may call the office to schedule your conference
beginning on Monday, April 18. Mrs. Kupchik,
Mrs. Seavey, and Mrs. Rowe look forward to meeting
with you.
Mrs. Rowe and Mrs. Seavey are pleased to announce
another year of summer camp. Our current PreK,
Preschool, and Kindergarten children are invited to join
them for a fun filled week.
Due to the extended school year, camp is only one
week this year. Camp will run the week of June 13. The
hours are 8:30 –2:30. Additional information, medical
release forms, and registration forms will be sent home
shortly.
April 2016
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PAWWS
(Parents @ White Wing School)
This month, PAWWS will be hosting another fun event for
the children and their families. They arranged for Time to
Clay to come to school one afternoon. The children
always love creating pottery for themselves and their
families. Additional information and order forms will be
sent home.
Sadly, we say farewell to many of our current members
at the end of this year. We wish them well as they begin
the next phase in their children’s education. There will be
a lot of happy PTOs in the area come September.
With the loss of so many members, we are currently in
need of members who are willing to be more active in the
planning and implementing of our fundraising and social
events. It is not necessary to attend every meeting. Much
of the legwork can be done from home via phone and
email. PAWWS is an integral part of White Wing School.
Through their fundraising efforts, monies are raised to
purchase classroom supplies and playground equipment,
fund enrichment opportunities, and social events for our
school. We encourage moms and dads to consider
joining PAWWS.
The next PAWWS meeting/get-together is scheduled for
Thursday, April 28 at 10:00.They will meet at Caitlin
Clarks home, 9 Ayer Street, Nashua. Children are always
welcome.
At this get-together/meeting, they will be busy planning
the Teacher Appreciation Luncheon and other end of
year activities. Along with planning events for the rest of
this year, they are starting to plan for next school year
too.
For questions about PAWWS, please contact Caitlin
Clark at [email protected].
Hop-A-Thon
The Hop-A-Thon is an exciting event for the children. You may
be surprised to learn that the children take it very seriously.
Some practice throughout the week, others set personal goals
and returning participants try to beat their previous year’s
number of hops. But mostly there is a lot of laughter and bunny hopping around the room. This year was no different. They
all came to hop and hop they did! We look forward to learning
our total number of hops. The children love Hop-A-Thon week.
CARPOOL SAFETY
Over the past few weeks, we noticed an increase in traffic on
Grove Street during all of our carpool times. Not only is there
more traffic but some cars are traveling fast. We would like to
remind you to check your mirrors and peek over your left
shoulder before pulling out of the carpool line. Also, if you
need to exit your car, please check then too. Grove Street is
usually such a quiet street that it is easy to forget that it is a
public road.
Box Tops for Education &
Campbell’s Soup Labels
Thank you to all the parents & students
who have been sending in their Box Tops
for Education & Campbell’s Soup Labels.
Every little bit helps! Please keep sending
them in throughout the remainder of the
school year.
EARLY CHILDHOOD FAIR
We invite you to join us at the Early Childhood Fair. Nashua
Public Library will be hosting the fair on Sunday, April 17,
from 2:00—4:00. There will be family
activities and demos in the Children’s
Room and the Music/Art/Media Wing.