Registration for 2016-17 - Hartley Nature Preschool

Registration for 2016-17
It’s already time to think about preschool for next fall! Applications for Enrollment and a
how-to letter will be going home with all children the week of December 7.
The application calendar is as follows:
Family Night
at the UMD
Planetarium
pg. 2
Winter
Weather
Closure
Reminders
pg. 3
Montessori at
a Glance
pg. 4
December 7—January 29, 2016
Enrollment Applications accepted for returning families, waiting list families, and the general
public. Applications must be complete and include the $50 application fee.
February 19, 2016
Class placement notification by or before this date
March 1, 2016
Non-refundable deposits are due (applied to May 2017 tuition payment)
Late Applications
Applications received after January 29 will be considered in the order received
Application Procedure
To enroll your child at Hartley Nature Preschool, please complete the Application for Enrollment
form and submit it with the $50 non-refundable application fee no later than January 29, 2016. A
new application for enrollment must be made each school year. If necessary, a lottery will be
held to ensure fair placement among returning families and/or for popular classes. Priority for
enrollment is as follows 1) currently enrolled and returning children, 2) siblings of currently
enrolled/alumni children, 3) children on the waiting list, 4) general public. An effort will be made
to grant each family’s first choice for class days and times whenever possible and as is best for
the make-up of preschool classes (ie balance of genders, ages, etc ). Notification of class
placement will be given by or before February 19, 2016 via mail and a follow-up email A nonrefundable deposit equal to one month’s tuition will be due by March 1, 2016 to hold the
placement. The deposit will be applied to the May 2017 tuition payment.
New for 2016-17!
There are some changes to our preschool offerings for the 2016-17 school year. We are going to
try having all of our classes be mixed-age so we will not offer the T/TH morning 3 year olds only
class. We’re going mixed-age because of the many benefits we see for all ages of children in
mixed-age classrooms, including, among many other benefits, leadership opportunities for
returning and/or older children and benefits to language development for all children. We’ll see
Hartley Nature Center
how it goes next year and we can always bring the 3 year olds only class back in the future if
3001 Woodland Ave
families want it back.
Duluth, MN 55803
218.724.6735
We are also going to be offering full-day options for care in addition to our half-day offerings.
www.hartleynature.org
These full-day classes are designed to remove the barrier of mid-day transportation for families
who otherwise cannot attend Hartley and for families who want the practice of a longer day for
children in their year before heading to kindergarten. We anticipate that demand for the full-day
option will be high and we may have to do a lottery for enrollment into the full-day program. We
will have 2, 3, and 5 full day offerings.
December 2015
Volume 2 #8
Family night at the UMD Planetarium!
Calling all families! Join other preschool
families at the UMD Planetarium on Tuesday,
Dec. 15 and/or Wednesday, Dec. 16 to see
the stars and planets up close! This is a great
opportunity to have a fun night out as a family
and to help us build on our December theme
of space and the night sky. Each night will be
one hour total made of two different 30
minute shows.
Cost: $1/person
Location: UMD Planetarium (map) at the
corner of College St. and University Dr. Parking
at metered lots A and B. Meters free after
6:30pm.
Dates: Tues. Dec. 15 and/or Wed. Dec 16
Time: 5-6 pm
Snack Idea
Pancakes
Pancakes are a great, nut-free, easy, tasty snack to
send to preschool! The recipe below is Ms. Kaitlin’s
dad’s pancakes, the best ones in the world
according to Ms. Kaitlin!
Mark’s 1 cup pancakes:
1 cup milk
1 egg
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
1 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 tablespoon sugar
Variations:
Send a little container with berries, whipped
cream, jam, sun butter, maple syrup, or other tasty
toppings! At home (not at school!) enjoy adding
nuts to your pancakes or top with peanut butter .
We’re getting Strider bikes! Watch
for an announcement (and lots of
great pictures) when we get our
fleet of Strider bikes for preschool!
www.miamisci.org
Solstice Pajama Day
We’ll celebrate the Winter Solstice at preschool
with a pajama day on the following days:
M/W PM:
Dec. 16
T/TH AM
and PM:
Dec. 17
M/W/F AM:
Dec. 18
Have an idea for an article? Contact your
child’s teachers with your idea and get signed
up to have your article appear in a future
OWL.
Want to see more pictures of our preschool day?
Check out our social media sites:
Twitter: @hncpreschool
Instagram: hncpreschool
We also have a website with lots of great
information, forms, and pictures! Check it out at:
http://hartleynaturepreschool.weebly.com/
December 2015 OWL 2
Nature Nook
WHAT: A fun weekly program for kids
(ages 2-5) with an adult, for story
time, an art project and a hike.
WHEN: Mondays 10:00-11:30
COST: $4/child for members
$7/child for non-members
Check out our upcoming books online at
www.hartleynature.org
And join us for a new adventure
each week, all year long!
Sing-a-long Song
The Sun is in the Sky
December Events
Dec. 2, 16 Open Skating at the Duluth Heritage
Center— Free open skating for the whole family. 6:308:00 pm. Limited skates available for rent.
Dec. 4 Free Friday at the Children’s Museum—
First Friday of the month. 5:00-7:00 pm. Check out the
Duluth Children’s Museum for free
Dec. 9 Squad Car Storytime— 3:45 pm in Youth
Services @ the Duluth Public Library
Dec. 27 Open Skating at the DECC—Free open
skating for the whole family at the DECC or Amsoil
arenas with games and music. 3-5 pm. Bring skates.
Dec. 16-18 Pajama Day at preschool to celebrate
the Winter Solstice
Dec. 28-31 Hartley Nature Center Holiday Break
Camp— Half-day camps for ages 4-9 at Hartley.
Jan. 1 Happy New Year!
Ongoing
The sun is in the sky.
The sun is in the sky.
Hot and bright, it gives us light.
The sun is in the sky.
The moon is in the sky.
The moon is in the sky.
Round and round the earth it goes.
The moon is in the sky.
The stars are in the sky.
The stars are in the sky.
Twinkling bright they shine at night.
The stars are in the sky.
Wednesdays Main Library Storytime— Baby and
Toddler time 10:15 and Preschool time 11:15
Tuesdays Mount Royal Library Storytime—
Preschool story time 10:15
Wednesdays West Duluth Library Storytime—
Bedtime story time 6:30 pm
Reminder:
No preschool Dec. 21-Jan. 1 for
the winter holidays. See you on
January 4th.
Happy New Year!
Winter Weather Closure Reminders
Winter weather is headed our way. Here are some reminders about how winter weather closures work for HNP.
HNP follows the Duluth Public Schools District #709 for severe weather related closings including school
closures, two hour delays, and early closures. The closure, early closing, or two hour delay will be broadcast on
local radio stations and on the following TV stations and their websites: WDIO, KBJR, and KDLH-Fox 21 News. There
will NOT be a separate statement saying the HNP is closed; you can assume we are following whatever ISD #709
says. In the event that ISD #709 decides to close early due to severe weather, HNP will also close early. Staff will
notify preschool families via telephone and email that the preschool is closing early. The children must be picked up
within one hour of an official school district closing by a parent/guardian or other authorized person. Of course,
use your best judgment if ISD #709 is not closed, but you feel it would be dangerous to get to preschool.
If you get stuck or in an accident on the way to pick up your child, CALL Hartley right away. We will make a
plan with you to supervise your child until they are picked up by you or another authorized adult.
3 OWL December 2015
Kindergarten Options
Many preschool parents are already thinking ahead to the many kindergarten options in Duluth. Neighborhood
school? Charter school? Montessori? Homeschool? There are many options. We’ll cover the options in a series of
newsletter articles throughout the year. Hartley Env. Ed. Intern Emma Richtman starts off our series below.
Montessori at a Glance
by Emma Richtman
The Movable Alphabet: To help the child with the
analysis and exploration of language. This also
helps to prepare the child for reading and writing.
montessorischoolathome.blogspot.c
om
orlandomontessoritraining.com
My name is Emma Richtman and am currently an education intern here at Hartley through December. I
have had the pleasure of conversing with many of your children over the past few weeks. Recently I have also had
the opportunity to connect with a few of you on Montessori education. Prior to Hartley I was living in Stillwater,
MN working as an environmental educator at St. Croix Montessori. Having spent six years working in a Montessori
environment I realize with a nontraditional approach to education the Montessori philosophy can be a bit
overwhelming when first researching the topic. My hope is to highlight some of the major aspects of the
Montessori Philosophy in a way that is a bit more digestible.
The Montessori Method was developed by Dr. Maria Montessori in 1907. She observed through working
with children that each child constructs their own personality and has a unique preference for the manner in which
they learn. Additionally she noted that the characteristics of the mind change as the child develops. By offering a
learning environment that supports these needs not only does learning come more easily but it is more
spontaneous and exciting.
Montessori is a non-traditional was of learning. Each classroom exists in a “prepared environment.” The
room is designed to meet the different developmental needs of each child. It is divided up into four major areas:
practical life, sensorial, mathematics and language arts. The furniture and materials are designed to support the
child’s psychological and physical needs. The Guide (lead teacher) helps each child choose purposeful and
meaningful “work” based on what they are interested in. Work refers to any material in the classroom in which the
child has received a presentation from the guide on. Within any presentation, the guide shows the child exactly
how the material is used. Once they have been shown the material, they may “work” with it as many times as they
desire as long as the material is being used properly and respectfully. The more presentations a child has had to
more materials they can choose to work with.
The Trinomial Cube: At the primary level it is intended to
strengthen spatial relationships. Comprised of 27 pieces
that when formed together build a cube, it also develops a
predisposition to understand math. Later on in elementary
the child will learn the formula for the cube of (a+b+c)3.
With a unique combination of mixed ages, the classroom is a highly social environment. Children learn at a very
young age to work within a context of freedom with responsibility. Older students act as role models. This helps
develop a sense of community and belonging. I have worked with many wonderful students in the Montessori
environment. I have seen firsthand the benefits of having a Montessori education. Students have a greater level of
creativity, independence and collaboration.
There are two AMI (Association Montessori International) Montessori schools in Duluth. Many Rivers
Montessori and Montessori School of Duluth . They each offer toddler, primary and elementary programs. Many
Rivers will soon be adding a middle school as well. Both schools offer tours to families that are interested. You
would be able to sit in and observe in a primary or elementary classroom and see the Montessori method in action.
December 2015 OWL 4