Community Matters Messenger- Preschool Summer 2013 Issue

Summer Issue Hello, and Happy Summer to you all. I hope that everyone is enjoying the summer all while keeping safe in the heat, sun and at the pool.

We have been off to a great start this summer with our Playschool Summer Program. It is amazing to see so many preschoolers enjoying the camps, meeting friends and having fun. Thank you to all the parents for investing in your child's social development.

It is interesting to see how fast children transition; we have had some children that this is there first experience in a camp setting. The first couple of days were a little difficult, however children adjust easily through encouragement and excitement. Talking about things in advance with children and allowing them to ask question helps them be at ease when trying or visiting something or someplace new. Whether it is coming to camp, staring preschool, swim lessons and dance class; it is important to let them now where they are going, maybe even visit a few days before they are to begin, find a friend that may be a

ttending as well, ask to meet the teacher, and definitely ask them what their expectations are. As an adult we have expectations of our children or how we think something should be; as I always say children are people too (just smaller).

Thank you for taking a moment to catch up on the Preschool Program and please don’t hesitate to contact me at any time via email at s.jurjevic@manassasparkva.gov or by phone at 703.335.8872.

Sincerely,

Sue Jurjevic

Preschoolers love to imitate parents and older siblings; however they are at a different stage of development to accomplish all that those older than them can do. We provide activities that are based on their development level to either grow or strengthen them physically, and socially.

It is important to make time for play.

High energy activities get children’s heart rates up and muscles flexing, which in turn helps keep them awake and more active as well as more attentive when it comes to learning!

Physical Activities

There are many benefits to being active as a Preschooler:

Swim Lessons 4 Day/Week, 2 Day/Week and 1 Day/Week Classes Available Only $45/ 8 week Session!

- Body Awareness - Balance - Locomotion - Gross and Fine Motor Skills - Coordination - Spatial Relationships - Rhythm and Timing - Flexibility - Safety Rules and Etiquette in Play

In our summer camps our Campers s are learning to communicate with their peers trough play, games, and lessons. Making friends is essential for their social skill development.

Biddy Ball Registration is OPEN Registration Ends Last week of Nov. $65/M; $70/R; $75/NR Preschool Power Plays Basics of Hockey - Begins 1/8-2/14 $55/M; $60/R; $65/NR

Story Power Hour Wednesdays—10a-11a 10/9 $8.00

Our additional programs are designed to build their developmental and social foundation. They also provide parents with an opportunity to meet new parents, friends, have a swim in the pool or simply have ME time.

Social Activities For Parents:

Social Activities For Kids:

Tuesdays—11:30a- 1p

Lunch Bunch

12/3;12/10;12/17

Tuesdays—12:30p-1p

$20/M; $25/R;$35/NR

10/8-10/29 $40/ M $45/R; $50/NR

Monday “Me” Time Mondays—11a-12:30p 12/2;12/9;12/16 $20/M; $25/R;$35/NR “To Do List” Tuesday

No Fuss Mess Art Thursdays—10a-11a 1/9-1/30 $50/M; $55/R;$60/NR No Fuss Mess Art Thursdays—10a-11a 1/9-1/30 $50/M; $55/R;$60/NR Lil Lab Coats Thursday— 2/6-2/27 $50/M; $55/R;$60/NR

Taming Tantrums 1. Try to Remain Calm. Shaking, spanking, or screaming at a child only tends to make the tantrum worse instead of better. Set a positive example for children by remaining in control of yourself and your emotions.

2. Take a Deep Breath before you act. Take at least fifteen- thirty seconds to decide how you will handle the tantrum. Four possible ways to deal with a tantrum include: Distract - Try to get the child's attention focused on something else. If he screams when you take him away from something unsafe (like your purse), offer him something else to play with.

Remove - Take the child to a quiet, private place to calm down.

This should be a quiet "cooling down" place that is away from other children.

Ignore - Older children will sometimes throw tantrums to get attention. Try ignoring the tantrum and going about your business as usual.

Hold - Holding an "out of control" child calmly is sometimes necessary to keep him from hurting himself or someone else. You might also say something like: "I can see you are angry right now, and I am going to hold you until you calm down. I won't let you hurt me or anyone else." Preschool children are agile and strong. Turn your head to the side so that you are not hit in the face and sit cross-legged on the floor if possible. Often this approach can be comforting to a child. Children don't like to be out of control. It scares them.

3. Wait until the Child Calms then communicate. It's difficult to reason with a screaming child. Insist on a "cooling down" period, and follow up with a discussion about behavior. Use this opportunity to teach the child "okay" ways to handle anger and difficult situations. With practice, pre-

his favorite food Bananas and tells us jokes about bananas. Shane tells spends weekends with his best buddy “Grandpa� and he is always excited to tell us about his adventures on Monday mornings.

We are truly happy to have the Shane Carney started at Manas- Carney family as part of our presas Park community Center pre- school. school in the spring of last year.

Shane’s love of learning and affectionate nature helped him fit into the class easily. It has been a pleasure for the staff to watch him grow and learn. He has become an example to other children on how to communicate their want and needs and has developed a flair in art. He enjoys painting and mixed media projects. He has mastered cutting and loves to Benita Turner started in out Prepractice. Shane often talks about school Class in Fall of 2011. Benita

schoolers can learn: 4. Comfort and Reassure the Child. Tantrums really scare and embarrass most kids. Often, they are not sure why they feel so angry and feel rather shaken when it is all over.

Preschoolers will also understand that their friends may have witnessed their tantrum and be uncomfortable. They need to know that you disapprove of their behavior, but that you still love them.

5. Take A Minute To Relax- When our children throw a tantrum especially in public we get very tense. Take a minute for yourself and try to calm down and reassure yourself that you are making good parenting choices.

Tantrums are normal part of growing up and every child has them at one time or another .

has been a role model for our preschoolers often reading to them during story time. She has created her own books that often are shared with her classmates. She often talks about her Mom who goes to the Congo in Africa to write articles about the culture and the people. Benita is a true pleasure to have in class, she takes exceptional care of our younger students by showing them the ropes.

Benita will be going to kindergarten in the fall and we will miss her terribly. It is a pleasure to have the Turner family as members of our Manassas Park Community Center.

Preschool Calendar:

Preschool General Information

free. If your child would like to Our last day of Summer Camp is Au- bring their own snack the item gust 23rd. The teachers will have a must be in its original package few weeks off to prepare for the fall. with an ingredients label, peanut and tree nut free.

See you then.

One-Time Yearly Registration Fee: $55.00 (Registration Fees are NON- Orientation Dates: REFUNDABLE!) Tuesday, August 6th @ 1p 4&5’s meet M-F 9:00am-11:30am Thursday, August 8th @ 1p 3 Bears 3:00pm

meet

M/W/F

12:30pm-

Session Fees: 4&5 Years Old: $190/month 3 Bears: $140/month Orientation Session: Fall 2013-2014 Orientations are scheduled for August 6th and 8th at 1:00p. Prior to orientation, you must bring in the completed registration form, payment agreement, a copy of your child’s immunization record, health physical form and a birth certificate. All children must be potty trained.

Location: Manassas Park Community Center To reserve your space contact Sue Jurjevic - via phone at 703-335-8872 or via email at s.jurjevic@manassasparkva.gov

How can I help my child prepare for preschool? Help them establish a routine of laying out clothes for the next day placing their Preschool Open House– back pack in a place that they will remember. Getting to PreSeptember 5th @ 9a- Noon school and arrival; have them First Day of Preschool– September 9th carry their own backpack and allow and encourage them to Frequently Asked Questions follow the routine of arrival to What if I want my child to participate school by taking off coats, turning in other programs that you offer at the in notebooks and putting their Community Center? i.e. Lunch Bunch, back packs away.

Monday “Me” Time, or “To Do List” Tuesday, or dance. We encourage What do we do in Preschool? We your child to participate in these ex- use a child centered approach to tra activities for more socialization early childhood development. and for more time for you. We will be We use hands on activities to enresponsible to take your child to the courage a love of learning. We next program and pick them up from also use daily routines to encourtheir program and take them to class. age independence and responsibilities.

What are the requirements for my child to participate in the Preschool What is our approach to disciPrograms at the Community Center? pline? Our approach is we disciChildren must be between the ages pline through redirection and a of 3-5 not yet enrolled or attended focus on self discipline. We focus Kindergarten and must be potty on teaching empathy and retrained. spect for others and their property.

What if my child wants to bring their own snack to Preschool? We do provide snack following USDA guidelines and that are peanut and tree nut