Winter 2024 Biscuit's Bulletin

BISCUIT'SBULLETIN

SAINT ANNE'S DAY SCHOOL ALUMNI NEWSLETTER

Dear Day School Community,

Together It’s what makes the Day School so special - how we are and what we do together. In this edition of Biscuit’s Bulletin, you will find photos and stories that offer a glimpse into the school's activities and the many ways we play, celebrate, explore, discover, learn, and serve together every day You will see children, educators, and parents engaging in experiences that build knowledge, excitement for learning, and community.

This issue features an article about the Art and Science Studio, providing a sweet example of how children are introduced to the big idea of the scientific method through the playful exploration of nature. You will also see vignettes of classroom experiences where children and educators connect with each other through the sharing of holidays, customs, and culture We celebrated, gave thanks, took time for reflection, and served the community with offerings of love and kindness. Please follow us on Instagram (@stannesdayschool) for amazing photos and more descriptions of this winter's many classroom and schoolwide experiences

We are especially pleased to share a Family Feature on the Loyds. This article is the perfect example of the impact that Saint Anne’s Day School has had on the lives of children and families for decades You will learn more about MP (POPs Age Level Rep) and Jay (Day School Advisory Council member), who attended the school as children, and what brought them back as parents Thank you to the Loyd family for sharing their story and for the many ways they support the school

Finally, don’t miss the updates on upcoming events, including our first-ever Day School Dash on March 16th It’s not too late to register for a morning of family fun; there will be games, coffee, and Chick-fil-A! And our biggest event of the year, the Spring Soiree, is right around the corner. Tickets go on sale this month; see the enclosed QR code for details

Thank you for everything you do to make the Day School a magical place. Decades of impact show that what we do together makes a difference in the lives of young children and their families Take care

Rhonda

GivingThanks

Saint Anne’s counts its families among its many blessings From Toddlers to Transitional Kindergarten, classes celebrated the end of autumn with work around Thanksgiving and the meaning of the season. Some classrooms hosted feasts with friends while others taste tested apples, played in the leaves, and explored fall foods and findings. Here the children share some of their sentiments of gratitude.

What does it mean to be thankful?

“It means you love something. Loving somebody.”

“I’m thankful for the wind. I like how it breezes, and if you’re too hot it makes it better.”

“I love the leaves because they are colors, and I can jump in them!”

“I’m thankful for the trees. They grow leaves, and I like to make things with them.”

DaySchoolHappenings

(Clockwise from top left) Happy Diwali! In November, Pre-K’s Window Room celebrated the Festival of Lights by decorating diyas (lights) and creating rangolis (colored sand designs) Friends also shared goodie bags of traditional Indian treats.

December’s Cultural Arts invited members from the Chastain Quartet to play stringed instruments and teach the children how the musical props work

The annual Christmas Program continued its traditions with carols and bell playing from Pre-K and Transitional Kindergarten.

December’s fundraisers include the annual Book Fair and Wreath Sale, which collectively earned over $8,000!

Ash Wednesday and Valentine’s Day fell on the same day this year. Children received ashes and learned about the Lenten season

(Above) During the Book Fair children enjoyed Muffins with Mom, Donuts with Dad, and storytime with Santa Claus.

Clockwise from top left:

January kicked off with Winter Specials: Tinkergarten, Spanish, Ballet and Tap, Play Ball, and Cooking.

February’s Cultural Arts -- Piccadilly Puppets -- presented “Once Upon a Time in China.”

Classes also celebrated the Lunar New Year, learning more about the Chinese culture and customs.

What a treat it is to have real life firefighters visit school for story time! Atlanta Fire and Rescue taught us about fire safety, and we even got our own helmets to take home.

February happens to be National Children’s Dental Health Month, and former Saint Anne’s family, Dr. Stacy Piedad with Buckhead Pediatric Dentistry, taught us about the importance of caring for our teeth.

Clockwise from top left:

HappeningsContinued...

Throughout the month of February, classrooms had conversations around the importance of Black History Month and celebrating the achievements of the Black and African American communities. Discussions around musicians, artists, inventors, and other changemakers throughout history are some of the ongoing individuals and their accomplishments being studied.

Nesting Room

different colored eggs in relation to skin color the eggs may appear different on the outside but are the same on the inside.

Someofourdreams:

“I have a dream about people to be respectful.”

“I have a dream to be nice and loving.”

“I wish I could make everyone be nice and helpful, so they can’t fight and be mean to each other.”

experiments with

Window Room studies MLK, Jr.’s “I have a dream” speech and how he advocated for peace.

Sun River’s Mixed media peace signs made from various art materials and loose parts.

MardiGras&Valentine‘s

No February is complete without Saint Anne’s annual Sweetheart Breakfast. This year parties moved to the classrooms where each child shared in a Valentine’s activity with their sweetheart, a special person in their lives. The yearly Hearts for Heroes campaign continued spreading love by giving Valentines and goodies to local heroes, reaching staff at CHOA, Northside Hospital, and Fire Stations No 5 and 26 Additionally, Mardi Gras was also observed with a bead parade, King Cake, and dance party.

AnnualFundCampaign

Dear Day School Family and Friends,

Saint Anne’s Day School and Enrichment Programs continues to be a leader in Reggio-inspired pre across the country. With our deep experience in inquiry- and play-based learning and our application of best practices in early childhood education, the Day School creates joyful, rich cognitive and social learning experiences for the young children we serve.

Through a vibrant parent association and a culture of collaboration, the school has been on a steady path of growth. In addition to building our community from within, the school has been forging new relationships with schools across the southeast who are exploring aspects of the Approach or are interested in redefining how Reggio practices are implemented in their schools. In all our endeavors, we are strengthened by our history and energized by the prospects of our future.

As with our past successes, the future we envision will only be possible through the continued support of our community. Friends, alumni, past parents, staff, church members, and our incredible Parent’s Association (POPs) have made our school the magical place we all know and love - and is what will propel us forward. In 2022, generous donations to the Annual Fund and other fundraising initiatives allowed us to invest substantially in our people and programming. Together, we:

Dedicated over $100,000 to enhancing building and grounds security, ensuring our spaces feel warm and inviting to children while providing comfort to parents and staff

Provided more than $40,000 in financial assistance to families demonstrating need so that our school is accessible to young families

Committed $60,000 in improvements to the Outdoor Classroom and playgrounds, including the installation of a new piece of play equipment and updates to the POPs Tree House

Hosted guest specialists from as far away as Canada and as close as The Schenck School to support the development of our educators, investing more than $35,000 in the practices, curriculum, and materials that make our learning community both inspiring and impactful

Totalinvestedin institutional improvements: $235,000+

These are some of the investments that were necessary to keep the school and its programs up-to-date and operating as expected But they are only the beginning of what will be required to continue creating unique experiences and maintaining the standard of early learning that Saint Anne’s Day School and Enrichment Programs has long been known to provide

Our school has a well-known history of service to the community, providing over 57 years of inspiring and innovative preschool education for the children of growing families That remains unchanged What we have seen, however, are the changing needs of these families Business opportunities born out of the pandemic have led to more flexible work situations for parents - and greater expectations of preschools With people increasingly working remotely and dictating their schedules, parents are looking for more variety in school hours and enrichment built into the day Understanding those needs, the Day School has expanded its programming, providing the flexibility families require This includes five-day options for younger children, a diversity of after-school programming, and extended-day options for our beloved summer camp

To expand our programs further and provide more enrichment opportunities, we must meet the requirements of state licensing This means updating classrooms that serve our youngest children with special diapering areas and possibly adding a restroom While these improvements seem minor, they will be costly, and they will have a major impact on our programs and on the families we serve.

The structural work described above is the most immediate project but not the only. If you are reading this letter, you are already a supporter. Your gifts of time, talent, and treasure over the years have made the Day School a model of early learning. Please join us again this year in our efforts to continually move the school forward. Your contribution is an investment in our future and helps ensure that Saint Anne’s Day School and Enrichment Programs continues to provide young and growing families the preschool community they need and deserve.

Thank you for supporting Saint Anne’s Day School and Enrichment Programs. You can donate to the Annual Fund now and any time by scanning the QR code provided, or you can go to the Day School website at www saintannesdayschool com/support-saint-annes

Please stay in touch! We invite you to follow us on social media to keep up with the incredible experiences and joy that are part of the Day School every day. You can find us on Instagram @stannesdayschool or Facebook @saintannesdayschool.

Again, thank you We appreciate you Be well and take care

Sincerely,

Rhonda Mitchell Director

“

When you lend your time, talent, and donations, you are helping benefit our school and our children in a profound way. Your support helps to provide a range of continuing education opportunities for our teachers and staff, so that we can remain a leader in providing a Reggio Inspired education to our children.”

SaintAnne'sScholarshipFunds

Judy Eckardt Scholarship Fund

Judy dedicated her life to making a better world for children. She was an inspiring teacher who used her many talents to create a thirst for learning in all of her students Judy loved life and instinctively knew how to help others see the joy of learning new things She touched every teacher, parent, and child who called her friend and/or teacher

The treasured memory of Judy Eckardt lives through the Judy Eckhardt Memorial Scholarship Fund

Ryan Grand Scholarship Fund

Ryan Grand (12/6/1989 - 11/15/2011) enrolled at Saint Anne's Day School in 2000 when he was 6 months old and continued through his Pre-K year. He loved his time at Saint Anne's so much he continued to come back to the school during his high school and college years to work as a Summer Camp counselor Some of his closest and earliest friendships were established at Saint Anne's and continued throughout his life Because of his strong connection with the Day School, Ryan's family and friends established the Ryan Grand Scholarship fund

Martha Isler Memorial Fund

Martha loved children and had a passion for teaching She had a Master's Degree in Elementary Education and taught at various elementary schools around Atlanta before coming to Saint Anne's as a teacher. She was a gifted educator and had several students who stayed in touch with her into their adulthoods

Martha's daughter, Maggie Isler Killgore attended Saint Anne's as a child and her four children have also attended, with her youngest currently enrolled Martha was a very active grandmother and could be seen weekly at Saint Anne's, bringing her grandchildren to school or picking them up in the carpool line.

Because of her deep affection for Saint Anne's Day School, her family and friends created the Martha Isler memorial fund Martha died on July 22, 2021

Edith M. Smith Memorial Fund

Edith was a much loved teacher of the Twos and Threes at Saint Anne's Day School for 41 years She was an outstanding storyteller and could capture the hearts and minds of all ages with her stories. She was a member of Saint Anne's Church and an active participant in the school's Chapel services Often she was approached by her now adult students with fond memories of their time at the Day School Edith's 3 children and 4 grandchildren were all alumni and gave many hours of volunteer service to the school

Edith Smith died on December 5, 2018.

Georgia Wimberly Pierce Memorial Scholarship

In 2007, when Georgia was almost three years old, she passed away while vacationing with her family The families and friends of the Pierce family created the Georgia Pierce Memorial Scholarship fund in her honor Since 2008, the funds raised annually for the scholarship are allocated toward the total amount of financial aid distributed each year Photo:ChildreninGeorgia'sMemorialGarden

Elizabeth Zucchero, Parent and 2023 POPS Chair

AnnualFundDonors

A special thank you to the following donors. Please note this list does not reflect anonymous contributions

Laura Almquist

Laura Anderson

Lydie and John Anderson

Kristin Baynes

Kathy Bennett

Emily Breece

Lynn Brentnall

Emily Brown

Sarah Buchly

Alina Buzea Yusufji

Elaine and Tom Christopher

Sarah Cook

Loreen Costa

Rebecca Cummiskey

Connor Davidson

Alison Davidson

Grace Davis

Katie Dick

Daisey Dominguez

Mike Dunlap

Allison East

Caroline Engram

McNeish Familiy

Elizabeth Ferguson

Gause Foundation:

Gause, Evans, Childress

Lindsey Glass

Kate Hall

Charlotte Hassett

Danielle Hutlas

Oliver Iselin

Annie Jamison

Support

Anusha Kamineni

Kerri Kelly

Mary Kibler

Larmore Family Foundation

MP and Jay Loyd

Maddox Family Private Foundation

Emily Marsh

Michael McCullar

Sephonia Milford

Mary Catherine Millkey

Charlotte Mills

Camille Mitchell

Rhonda Mitchell

Emma Moore

Yuri Morton

Laura Mullins

Jennifer Nestor-Cardwell

Emily and Jason O’Rouke

Taylor Olson

Shalini Orunganti

Winnie Pannell

Erised Quintas

Win and Katie Rollins

Tena Sarabia

Melissa Sebel

Alexa Shoemaker Brooks

Sisk Family

Jan Stewart

Yeme Thomas

Shantate Watkins

Kristin Watts

Alexandra Waldon

We asked for your support and participation in the Annual Fund campaign, and you responded! Because of generous contributions from parents, Advisory Council members, educators, and friends of the school, we are on track to reach our new Annual Fund goal. Our goal has been $25,000 in past years, which has taken most of the year to raise. This year, we set a BIG GOAL of $50,000 to match our BIG PLANS to expand programming, and we were halfway there at the halfway point of the year, with $25,420 raised. This is tremendous! Thank you for your support.

95% of Day School & Enrichment Programs staff contributed to the Annual Fund to date.

ClassroomFeature:NestingRoomintheStudio

Studio Educators Grace Mantle and Lindsey Glass share an experience from the Nesting Room Threes. They emphasize the children’s observations and wonderings during an outdoor and indoor adventure.

On a blustery Monday, we ventured outside on an expedition! Of course we know nature is all around us, but on this day we wanted to encourage friends to collect whatever they might find. We investigated three main areas of our school: the playground, the woods by the parking lot, and the grassy knoll across from the big playground.

We took buckets, shovels, and our thinking caps, and started by asking the children: “What's on the ground?” Our first finds were different kinds of rock in the washed out part of the big playground Some were on the surface of the dirt, but others were only peeking out and had to be dug up. Hayden and Anna Frances found sticks to dig around larger rocks and pry them up. Anna Frances said, "This rock is big like a fish's mouth!"

The children also focused on the sandbox. Because it had rained over the weekend, they were able to collect some standing water they found, as well as wood chips, sticks from trees, pinecones, and leaves Their excitement was palpable: outside, on a mission, and everything is treasure

Another group ventured to the big woods near the top parking lot We found moss growing, and Chilton acted as the moss foreman while Everett was the rock leader While digging, we found lots of things in the soil to closely observe. Hollis and Callan found a moth that looked exactly like tree bark. Ms. Lindsey found a worm, and Grace, Callan, and Everett found some tiny mushrooms growing just underneath all the leaf cover that had fallen from the nearby pines and magnolias. Everett encouraged all his friends not to step on the tiny mushrooms:

“Fairies live there.

Let's not hurt them, and keep them safe."

A third group visited the big grassy patch beside the big playground and was intent on digging with shovels We found lots of different sizes and kinds of rock: some shiny, some with layers, and some almost clear Rio focused on digging up moss while Alice collected leaves and tiny seeds that had fallen from the trees. Rowan looked at everything closely with his magnifying glass. On our walk back to the school we stopped to see if any camellias had fallen off their bushes, so we could collect them for our moms and dads.

Back in the classroom it was time to put our experiment hats on. We talked about asking "what if?" questions and forming a hypothesis We started working with a funnel and the big bowl of wood chips and water our playground explorers brought inside What would happen if we dumped the water and wood chips in the strainer? Does the water drip through? If so, how quickly? Why do you think the water is moving slowly? Why do you think the water looks dirty? Would you drink that water? What would happen if we dumped sand on top of the wood chips and then poured water over it? Does the sand stay with the wood chips or move with the water into the catchment underneath?

Hayden quickly noticed sediment in the dirt was beginning to settle in a layer at the bottom of the glass vase Why do you think the dirt is separating from the water? He mentioned the word "gravity" – because the sand is heavier than the water!

What happens if we pour water through the sand we collected that has wood chips in it? What if a wood chip blocks the path of the water through the funnel? Will the sediment continue to settle at the bottom of the water? Will the water look dirtier or cleaner tomorrow?

Showing our Woods group the experiments we did with the playground group and explaining their hypothesis, we decided to sort the wood materials and arrange them layer by layer in a big glass vase

We started with a layer of rocks then sand, dirt, moss, leaves, sticks, and pinecones. We talked about how underneath our feet it isn't only one kind of dirt. The earth has layers, and those layers help humans by filtering our water, absorbing quick rains, and storing water it is safe for us to drink.

Glug glug glug! In goes the water, and everyone crouches to watch as the water fills each layer Some moves faster through, and others it takes time to fill We notice some things like dirt, sand, and moss are able to absorb water while water runs off other things like leaves What happens when the earth is full of water? It overflows! Water always needs somewhere to go.

How quickly does water move through a funnel on its own? Very quickly – because there isn't anything the water has to move through or around. How quickly does the water move through sand filled with rocks and wood chips? Slowly, the water only drip drip drips! What about through only sand that is dry? The water moves fast, creating a whirlpool, and carries the sand with it Look, you can see that the sand is separating from the water at the bottom of the jar! Why? The sand is heavier than the water!

From Left, Studio educators Grace Mantle and Lindsey Glass

FamilyFeature:TheLoyds

Margaret Parham (MP) and Jay Loyd have the unique experience of both having attended Saint Anne’s as children. Currently they have two children enrolled in the Toddler and Threes programs.

How long did you attend SA?

MP -- 3 years in the Day School, Jay -- 2 years in After School.

What is your favorite memory from Saint Anne’s school programming?

MP: While memories from that age are more in the form of stories and pictures, there is something about the friends and love from the Day school that I still remember today The first time I walked the halls as a parent I was immediately filled with warm hugs and memories of crafting and having fun with friends and teachers, many of which I still keep in touch with today.

Jay: I'll always remember playing football and kickball on the side field after school with my friends - we would come straight from school and go and play as hard as we could, and it was fun every day.

Did you always plan to send your children to Saint Anne's?

While it was on the top of our list, we wanted to ensure we sent our children somewhere where they could be themselves, be loved and learn every day. Our three-year-old started school in the middle of Covid, so we were not able to tour and had to go with our gut. In talking to friends and other Day School parents we knew that Saint Annes still had the warm hug of a culture that we both remembered, and we couldn't wait for our children to experience the magic While it is hard to explain, there is just something special about the Day School and the impact it has on your family.

What has been your favorite memory as a parent at the Day School?

MP: Watching my two, very different, children find their comfort zone. From the moment the car door opens, and they hear their name, they get a bout of confidence that makes my mama heart so happy There is just something special about almost every teacher and employee knowing your child, greeting them with a hug and calling them by name, and that is hard to find!

Jay: Getting to see all the kids interact with their friends and meeting other parents and staff at Fall Fest is always a lot of fun and something I look forward to

What is your favorite thing to do as a family?

We love a good park! Being outside and letting the children explore is good for the soul. Everyone is free, happy, and laughing.

Right Photo: MP during her Saint Anne’s preschool days, circa 1992.