2017 May Newsletter

May 2017

calendar

May 3—Prospective Parent Tour, 9:30 a.m., Welcome Center at the Family Commons May 6— Peachtree Family Festival, Peachtree Presbyterian Preschool, rain or shine, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.

May 8 to 12— Last week of Peachtree Afterschool May 11 and 12— Mothers’ Visiting Days, 11:15 a.m.

May 15 —Chapel, 9:20 a.m., Sanctuary, MWF Pre-K, M-F and MWF Three-yearold Classes May 16 —Chapel, 9:20 a.m., Sanctuary, Five/Six and M-F Pre-K Classes

Dear Parents, It was fun to see so many parents, teachers and friends of the Preschool at Springtime in the City. The Peachtree community raised a record amount of money for the new inclusion program. We’ll report on the final amount in the June newsletter.

We look forward to celebrating this school year at the Peachtree Family Festival on May 6. This day is long anticipated by many children and full of great family activities, food and art.

Miss Jane

May 19— Last Day of School June 5 - 8— Vacation Bible School June 12 - 16— Camp Peaches - Week 1 June 19 - 23— Camp Peaches - Week 2 August 21 - Welcoming Parties for MWF and WF classes, 9:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

Saturday, May 6 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m.

(Rain or Shine)

August 22 - Welcoming Parties for T/Th and M-F classes, 9:30 a.m. 12:00 p.m.

August 23, 24 - First Days of School

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Parents, It is hard to believe that another wonderful school year is coming to a close! The Preschool is blessed to have such loving, creative teachers, administrators and parent volunteers. It is truly a wonderful community, and one that gives our children a strong foundation, celebrating each child and their uniqueness!

Thank you to the current Parents’ Council members and volunteers whose efforts made this school year such a success. The Parents’ Council appreciates everything the volunteers do to make the Preschool a special place for our children and families.

As the year wraps up, we have one more fantastic event - Peachtree Family Festival! This is a day of fun for our kids, and it is one that you don’t want to miss!! Special thanks to all of the parents volunteering during the event and on the planning committee! A big thank you to our Peachtree Family Festival Chairs - Christina West and Stacey Noell. Great job ladies!

The 2017-2018 Parents’ Council is forming now, and there is still plenty of space for anyone interested in getting involved. Want more information on what the Parents’ Council does or would like to serve next year? We’d love to talk! Please contact Rebecca Blanchette at rblanchette23@gmail.com/646-417-2772. Thanks in advance!

The Parents’ Council

teacher appreciation It finally feels like spring, and we showed our teachers a little love with frozen yogurt and a plethora of toppings. Special thanks to Cooper Jobe and Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt on Roswell Road for donating the frozen yogurt. The fun toppings were donated by our sweet committee. Thank you to Morgan Smith, Christie Wright, Whitney LaPointe, Susan McArthur, Alyssa Davis, Allender Durden, Lauren Tucker, Rebecca Blanchette, Ashleigh Byrne, Stacey Noell, Janett Park, Carrie Brune, Meredith Manning, Jennifer Williams, Heather Ansari, and Whitney Mulwee.

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chapel The Closing Chapel services will be on Monday, May 15, and Tuesday, May 16 at 9:20 a.m. in the Sanctuary.

Donations of deodorant for the City of Refuge are greatly appreciated. Children will bring their donations to Chapel and place in a wagon at the front of the Sanctuary.

may blessing May I be fair to others and make this world a better place.

If I see someone being treated unfairly, may I go to help them.

If I see someone in need, may I share with them what I have.

For I believe that You will bless me.

I believe that your goodness will shine on me like the morning sun.

Amen

Isaiah 58:6-8 Join the conversation via:

@PtreePresPreschool

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play - parents’ corner on clay Let’s talk play - open-ended play that will engage your child and offer flexible thinking! There is nothing more engaging than natural clay. Playing with clay is not only a fulfilling activity; it has great benefits to your child’s development.

1. Motor Skills: Children pound, pinch, flatten, tear, poke, squeeze, roll and bend their clay into all sorts of shapes and sizes. Clay is an excellent way to strengthen large and fine motor skills 2. Creative Problem Solving: Playing with clay stimulates children’s imaginations. Children playing with clay can experiment with building techniques and adapt along the way.

3. Therapeutic: Clay, like water and sand, has a natural appeal. Clay is wonderful tactile medium that can be very calming for both children and adults. Manipulating clay can be an outlet for children to physically convey their emotions and to reduce stress.

4. Self Esteem: Children are easily able to mold and shape clay. The clay is quick to give into their fingers, and they feel in charge of the medium, giving them the confidence to communicate their vision. Once children learn to express their personal visions in clay, they can become empowered in ways that go far beyond the art room.

5. Pride & Accomplishment: Children derive a sense of personal accomplishment from finishing a clay project.

There are many ways to offer clay. Get your child to think, wonder and experiment. Try placing block of clay in the center of your play area and watch what happens! Let the child freely explore it. When introducing a new material, it makes sense just to wonder with your child by posing questions like: What is this material? What do you know about it? What can you do with it? How can we find out?

Hands are the most important clay tool: squeeze, poke and pull. Allow your child to explore sensory connection by sinking hands and fingers into soft, malleable clay. Use new words to describe the sensation.

From Reggio Emilia, I have learned to pay close attention to the extraordinary insights and ideas of children that happen in every moment. Have a notebook with you and write what you see or take pictures to record what your child’s creation. Try this activity inside and outside; it has a different impact on the end result.

Add all kind of materials to accompany the clay: spoons, cups, muffin tins, natural materials, rocks, pinecones, acorns, play cars, peg people - the list is endless.

Enjoy the activity!

“Nothing lights up a child’s brain and emotions like play” Cecilia Nast Sarah’s Mom

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sustainability WHAT IS THE DIRTY DOZEN AND CLEAN FIFTEEN? The Environmental Working Group (EWG) releases a yearly report that provides shoppers with a guide for pesticides in produce. EWG singles out produce with the highest pesticide loads for its Dirty Dozen list, as well as highlighting the produce that is least likely to hold pesticide residues in its Clean Fifteen list. These can be a great resource for deciding how to spend money at the grocery store. If you are trying to save on your bill, these lists will prioritize when you really need to buy organic versus conventionally grown produce.

The latest update reports that USDA tests found a total 146 different pesticides on thousands of fruit and vegetable samples examined in 2014. The pesticides persisted on fruits and vegetables tested by USDA - even when they were washed and, in some cases, peeled. Key findings include: Dirty Dozen • More than 98 percent of strawberry samples, peaches, nectarines, and apples tested positive for at least one pesticide residue.

• The average potato had more pesticides by weight than any other produce.

• A single grape sample and a sweet bell pepper sample contained 15 pesticides.

• Single samples of strawberries showed 17 different pesticides.

Clean Fifteen • Avocados were the cleanest: only 1 percent of avocado samples showed any detectable pesticides.

• Some 89 percent of pineapples, 81 percent of papayas, 78 percent of mangoes, 73 percent of kiwi and 62 percent of cantaloupes had no residues.

• No single fruit sample from the Clean Fifteen™ tested positive for more than 4 types of pesticides.

Visit this site: https://www.ewg.org/foodnews/index.php to see the full report, and additional details.

MAY DATES TO REMEMBER: This year the Preschool will recycle the green school bags. The school bags will be collected during carpool the last two days of school. All names and carpool numbers will be removed. The bags will be recycled into fabric for various uses.

Also, please bring in this year’s carpool hang tags to be recycled for next year. We will collect at carpool the last two days of school.

Enjoy life's simple pleasures!

Camp Peaches 2017

June 12-16 and June 19-23 9:15 a.m. - 1:15 p.m.

Registration for Camp Peaches www.peachtreepresbyterianpreschool.org

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Peachtree Family Festival (formally known as Spring Fling) is Saturday!

GAMES! PETTING ZOO! MOONWALKS! CHARACTERS! FOOD TRUCKS! BAKE SALE! May 6, 2017 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.

(Rain or Shine) BUY YOUR BRACELETS ONLINE at www.peachtreepresbyterianpreschool.org Spring Fling is a parent run, all volunteer event!

Don’t forget to sign up for your shift!

For more information, please contact Stacey Noell or Christina West at (peachtreefamilyfestival@gmail.com)

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peachtree family festival The Peachtree Family Festival committee would like to borrow your child’s motorized car (Barbie Jeep, Escalades, etc.) for the Race Track. Fully charged cars can be dropped off during carpool on May 4 and 5. If you can’t bring your car to school, please contact us for pick up.

Stafford Weber (stafford.weber@gmail.com) or Charlene Revell (cerevell@gmail.com).

Admission Information Admission to the event is free.

Ticket Bracelets are $25 ($75/family max; under 2 free) and include everything except the food options

The Five/Six Classes - Even Chickens Have Birthdays!

The Mosaic and Tapestry classrooms worked together to create a birthday celebration for the chickens. The daily life with animals gives children opportunities to care for another living being. We see children as role models, treating animals with kindness and compassion. We believe their actions are founded in a deeply rooted, automatic caring ethic.

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classroom spotlight - photographers in the creek room “Taking an image, freezing a moment, reveals how rich reality truly is.� Ansel Adams What happens when children become the photographers?

The children in the Creek Room have been honing their abilities as photographers. In an effort to understand each child a little better, the teachers invite the children to take on the role of photographer. Throughout the week, the class photographer documents the daily life in the classroom. By analyzing the photos with the children, the teachers noticed that the young photographers worked with the same concepts as professional photographers: perspective, scale, foreground and background, light, and composition. The children showed their creativity as well as their technical skills through the work. The photographers captured visible signs of friendship, empathy, and ongoing work in the classroom. The teachers also noticed that the children, as subjects, displayed focus, kindness, joy, and a great sense of humor. By giving visibility to their work on the class website and in the classroom, the teachers strive to highlight the children’s strong abilities.

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