Center Newsletter

Will the groundhog see his shadow? Unfortunately, I think we will all know sooner or later. With that in mind please make sure that your child has appropriate winter clothing as we go outside as long as weather permits.

Did you know that February is Library Lover’s month? What a great time to celebrate and snuggle up with a good book to read to your child(ren).

Year-end tax statements are available. If you have not received one yet, please let me know so I can get that to you as soon as possible. Thank you.

Just a friendly reminder On Monday, February 17th. Stages will be closed for our teacher in-service and staff training day. We will reopen on Tuesday, February 18th with our normal hours of operation. Thank you in advance for your cooperation.

I would like to wish a very Happy Birthday to:
Chloe C. 2/2
Linnaea F. 2/9
Miss Corrin 2/14
Miss Julie 2/17

In closing I would like to thank all the staff and families of Stages Strongsville for making me feel so welcome! I am excited to be here and look forward to continuing the great experiences that are going on here at Stages!

Have a great month!!

Infant Newsletter

Happy February! Heart Day is coming very soon and we hope everybody has a happy, healthy heart to start this new year. Our babies continue to grow and sometimes it seems like they are growing too fast! It is amazing to watch how each one is developing. Colin is always on the move and likes to wait for the door to open so he can try to explore the hallway. Zoey will stand by the door and wait for it to open so she can blow kisses to every visitor. Dan loves to sit up in the Bumbo chair and watch all the action going on. Dan is also talking up a storm lately. David enjoys playing with the balls by throwing them and chasing them as he yells, maybe he is cheering himself on! And Linny is officially taking a few steps all on her own and will be walking before we all know it.

Last month we made some fun and fabulous snowflakes to warm up our days. This month we will be creating some colorful “heartwork.” An activity that may be fun for babies is collecting snow into different cups then adding food coloring. You and your child can watch as the color changes and spreads into the snow. This is a wonderful opportunity to explore while using the sense of touch and a chance to bring the outdoors in!

Have a great month!!

Toddler 1 Newsletter

We hope everyone had a safe and fun holiday season and that 2014 is off to a good start! What a busy month our class just had. We made lots of wonderful artwork like Santa’s, wreaths, reindeer, and snowflakes. We were focused on the holidays and the cold weather we have had. Emma is chatting more and more. Gavin just loves throwing and kicking balls. Braeden enjoys listening to story time. Reicher shows interest in big vehicles like the school buses and garbage trucks we see driving outside our window each day. We welcomed back Tilly in January and observed that she loves to help Miss Cathy clean up. We also enjoyed welcoming Sahana back at the end of last month. We miss Colin who is at home spending time with his new baby sister, Ivy.

During the month of February we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. We have lots of fun heart themed projects coming up. This month we will continue to focus on winter weather and exploring different shapes.

Have a great month!!

Toddler 2 Newsletter

We have been working very hard on our “Valentine’s” theme in Toddler 2. Our beautiful artwork and festive room are proof of that! We have been busy making lots of purple, pink and red themed art. Our class had lots of fun when we made pink Cool Whip art, they thought it was tasty too! We will continue to focus on our theme of “Love” through art and stories. We will be talking about who we love and what it means to show someone you love them.

We would like to wish Chloe a very Happy 3rd Birthday! She just moved up to the Preschool room. Caleb has been doing great at spelling his name and practicing forming his letters. Misha and Henry have been having a great time playing airplanes together. Kevin really enjoys circle time. He especially likes when we sing songs. And Rylan has been enjoying playing in the sensory table. The whole class has been doing a fantastic job at potty training. Keep up the good work!

Next month we will be switching to a St. Patrick’s Day theme. Be sure to stop in the classroom and check out all our green and rainbow themed art we will be working on.

A fun activity you can try at home is to make “squish bags.” Take a zipper bag and fill it with clear hair gel and food coloring. Reinforce the seams with some masking tape or tape it down to a table. The toddlers will love this fine motor activity!

Have a great month!!

Preschool Newsletter

Hello parents! Can you believe how quickly January went by? It was an exciting month full of learning and exploration. Our theme was “The Human Body.” We discovered that if we pinch our nose while we eat, we cannot taste our food. We also learned that every day we use our five senses. We conducted experiments, created self-portraits, and learned all about “ourselves” in the process.

Cole showed the class how clever he is. He counted all his fingers as well as all his toes. Well done, Cole!

February will be a month of exploring emotions. We are going to continue with new weekly treasure hunts involving numbers, letters, colors, and shapes. We will be talking about emotion and focus on how we feel and why. We will also learn how we can influence how others feel.

I want to thank everyone for helping with your child’s treasure hunting. I hope this is sparking interesting conversation at home.

Have a great month!!

Pre-K Newsletter

I hope everyone has been enjoying 2014 so far! I know the Pre-K class sure has. We may have been stuck inside with the cold but we have made the best of it. We were finally able to go outside a couple days last month. The kids had an absolute blast in the fresh air. They had fun going down the slide, running around in the snow, building snowmen, and throwing snowballs at each other!

The month of January flew by. We spent most of the month focused on the winter season, and the animals that live in the winter and how they survive the harsh weather. We also discussed hibernation and made our own caves. We had so much fun using blankets and sheets to create the caves. The class thought the activity was so cool! We did a lot of fun, hands-on art projects as well. We made snowmen using all different kinds of materials. We practiced cutting out and tracing circles to make the snowmen’s bodies. They are hanging up in the classroom so be sure to check them out! We also talked about what our favorite thing about winter is. Sylvia said “making snowman.” Kamden told us if he were a snowman, he would eat hot chocolate!

The kids had a chance to play with snow inside the classroom. We even put paint and paintbrushes in the snow to make it change colors. Another great addition to the sensory table was ice. The class enjoyed seeing the ice melt and turn into water. Our “winter wonderland” theme sure was tons of fun!

For the month of February our focus will be on “The Human Body,” “Health and Nutrition” and finally a week on “Love.” We will learn all about our bodies and how they operate. We will also learn what it means to eat healthy and be healthy.

A great activity to do at home during the cold months is family art time. You can make snowmen like we did by using materials you find around the house to create them. Get everyone involved and make a whole snowman family!

Have a great month!!