A Message From the Principal’s Office:
Dear Chesterbrook Families:
With just a few more weeks left of our 2014-2015 school year, we are keeping busy right up to the start of summer camp! Please see our school calendar and stay tuned to upcoming announcements regarding what’s in store this month and throughout the summer! We are looking forward to our annual End of Year Spring Concert and Art Show on Friday, June 5th at 5:00pm. The children have been working diligently on their performaces, as well as their class art pieces for the silent art auction. Artwork will be displayed in advance for those interested in bidding. The art auction will close at the end of our festivities on Friday, June 5th. We are also getting ready to celebrate our Kindergarten Graduates on Thursday, June 11th as they continue their educational journey into elementary school. And Dads – please join us on Friday, June 19th during drop-off time for Donuts with Dad.
With warmer days upon us, we will be spending more time outdoors. Please be sure to dress your child accordingly. It is also a good idea to check your child’s cubby to make sure their extra change of clothing is weather appropriate, and if any replenishments are needed. For safety reasons, children must wear closed-toe shoes. You are welcome to send in water shoes for your child to wear during water play activities. In addition, we are asking that parents to send in sunscreen with a signed form for us to apply as needed. Parents are requested to apply the first sunscreen application prior to arrival. The teachers will then reapply later in the day as needed. Please provide a labeled water bottle for your child to keep here throughout the week to help stay hydrated throughout the day.
Please check your child’s mailbox/folder for important information and forms being sent home. Recently, families continuing with us through the summer should have received the 2015-2016 Parent Handbook along with additional 2015-2016 tuition forms, and 2015-2016 Academic Calendar. We encourage you to take a few minutes to look over the information, complete the forms, and return them to the front desk. Be sure to review page 3 of the Parent Handbook for important updates. (Note: Our next teacher in-service day will be Election Day, Tuesday, November 3rd, 2015.)
As a reminder, please return the Summer Camp forms so that we may plan our summer and staffing accordingly. Summer Activity Fees can be paid on-going and are due by Friday, June 12th, along with any outstanding Registration Fees. We are still accepting registrations for swim lessons at PSC/Highpoint for children ages 4 and above. Please see Jenell or Pam for further details if interested. Summer Camp Calendars and Camp T-shirts will be distributed Friday, June 5th for families who have returned forms.
St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital recently called to thank us and our families for the generous contributions and support received. With the monies raised during our Trike-A-Thon, we helped to completely cover the costs of chest x-rays and two lung studies for 2 children, which was a tremendous help to the children and their families. Many thanks to all!
Lastly, I would like to formally welcome Ms. Evelyn Campbell to our Chesterbrook Academy family. Evelyn joins our Toddler-Beginner Team as an experienced caregiver with many years of working with children from Toddler and Two Year Olds, to Three Year olds and School Age Summer Campers. She recently moved into the Chalfont area and is a great addition to our growing classrooms in these age groups. Please join me in welcoming Evelyn to our school!
Congratulations to all of our Kindergarten Graduates and Happy Father’s Day to all of our wonderful dads!
Jenell Hilton
Upcoming Events:
Friday, June 5th: End of Year Concert and Art Show/Auction – 5pm
Thursday, June 11th: Kindergarten Graduation
Friday, June 12th: Move-up Day/Last Day of 2014-2015 School Year
Monday, June 15th: First Day of Summer Camp
Friday, July 3rd: School Closed in observance of Independence Day Holiday
From the Education Department
25 Books to Enjoy with Your Child
– Recommended Reading Adventures for Summer –
Whatever your child’s age, it is important to continue shared reading experiences even during summer. Reading together frequently has been shown to have a profound positive influence on vocabulary acquisition, speech development and listening skills.
Below are some age-appropriate books to read with your child this summer.
INFANTS
Welcome Summer by Jill Ackerman & Nancy Davis
Dear Zoo: A Lift-the-Flap Book by Rod Campbell
Splish, Splash, Baby! by Karen Katz
Llama Llama Sand and Sun by Anna Dewdney
Baby Loves Summer! By Karen Katz
TODDLERS (ages 1-2)
Maisy Grows a Garden by Lucy Cousins
Monkey Ono by J. C. Phillips
1, 2 at the Zoo by Sue DiCicco
Get Happy by Malachy Doyle & Caroline Uff
The Pout-Pout Fish by Deborah Diesen & Dan Hanna
BEGINNERS (ages 2-3)
Flashlight by Lizi Boyd
I’m a Shark by Bob Shea
Little Owl’s Day by Divya Srinivasan
Biscuit Visits the Big City by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
Island Counting 1, 2, 3 by Frane Lessac
INTERMEDIATES (ages 3-4)
Mouses’s First Summer by Lauren Thompson
Curious George Goes to the Beach by H.A. Rey
Over in the Ocean by Marianne Berkes
Commotion in the Ocean by Giles Andreae
The Little Mouse, the Red Ripe Strawberry, and the Big Hungry Bear by Don Wood
PRE-K/PRE-K 2 (ages 4-5)
Blueberries for Sal by Robert McCloskey
How to Hide an Octopus by Ruth Heller
Berenstain Bears and Too Much Vacation by Stan and Jan Berenstain
Froggy Goes to Hawaii by Jonathan London
P.J. Funnybunny Camps Out by Marilyn Sadler
By experiencing a literacy-rich environment, both at school and at home, our students are prepared to become successful, confident readers in elementary school and beyond.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education
Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction
For Parents and Teachers
With the start of a new school year, it can be challenging to remember all of the things, we as parents need to do. Here are a few important reminders to be aware of:
Tuition is due on Friday for the upcoming week. Let us help make life a little easier, and save yourself from writing checks by signing up for the Automatic Payment program. We have forms available at the front desk for those interested.
Please sign your child in and out each day at the front desk. If you are not sure what to do or where to look, please do not hesitate to ask.
Please do not hold the door open for individuals you do not know or recognize. Anyone who is supposed to be here will understand and thank you for it!
Check your child’s mailbox/folder at the end of each day for important notes and information coming home.
Our two in-service days of the year are on Election Day and President’s Day. Our school will be closed on these dates for our staff to attend required training.
Tune into 6ABC.com or Channel 6 News for information on school closings and delays. Please refer to the For Parent and Teachers below as well for further details.
All children are required to have an updated and current physical on file. Children up to the age of 2 years are required to have an updated Health Assessment Form completed at each well visit. Children 2 years of age and older are required annually. Forms are available at the front desk and on our school website under Forms and Policies.
Enrollment paperwork will be required to be updated periodically to remain in compliance with our state regulations and licensing. Be aware of information coming home of forms that need to be updated. We appreciate your understanding and cooperation to make sure that we meet and exceed the requirements.
In addition to all the efforts we are making to ensure a year of tremendous growth for the children, we are striving to make life easier for parents! We encourage you to check out our school website for updates. On this site you will find our school calendar, menus, newsletter and more.
From the Desk of Donna Miller, Executive Director:
Spring 2015
Dear Infant Parents.
Chesterbrook Academy Schools are the industry leaders in providing strong early childhood programs for their children. We are constantly evaluating our current operational practices and identifying new ways to continue to keep our children safe and healthy.
This communication is to make you aware of two initiatives that your school will be implementing in the upcoming months. The first initiative is to educate our families on recent information and trainings associated with safe sleep practices. We will then share the Safe Sleep Practice that Chesterbrook Academy is adopting. The other initiative is one that will improve our current bottle feeding practice.
The Safe Sleep initiative is in place for all of our new infant families as of April 2014. They will be educated on the Safe Sleep Practice at the time of enrollment. They will also be asked to sign the document which shares that they understand and will adhere to the expectations of the Safe Sleep Practice. All of our infant staff were trained on the procedure and have a certificate of completion on file. New infant teachers hired after April will be trained on both the Safe Sleep Practice and Bottle Feeding and Labeling System. Our safe sleep practice includes the elimination of any and all soft items in the crib. Soft items would include stuffed animals, dolls, mobiles, bumpers, blankets and lovies. Our rooms are kept at temperatures that are warm enough for the babies. However, if you would still like your child to have some type of outerwear, i.e. blanket, the Association of American Pediatrics recommends a sleep sack. Your teachers and management team will be providing an orientation over the next month or so and the expectation is that by the end of June our current families will be managing by the new practice as well.
The second initiative is to add a color-coded labeling system to our bottle feeding procedure. Your child will be assigned a specific color. Their cubby tag, crib label, daily sheet and bottles will also be identified by that color. We will begin by purchasing the materials and then assisting you with the labeling process when you drop off. Our ultimate goal will be to pass onto you that responsibility when you are comfortable. The labeling system supplier that we are purchasing from will be provided to you, so in the event you may want added supplies beyond what we give you, there is an avenue to do so. We will also have breast milk labels available for all families so those specific bottles can be identified.
As with any major initiative, we are looking for your compliance and assistance in implementation to provide the best care for our children and families. Please feel free to share your thoughts and suggestions with your school management team so that we may better meet your needs as we roll-out this initiative.
Sincerely,
Donna Bonfiglio-Miller
Closings & Delays
Dear Chesterbrook Families and Staff,
For your reference, we thought it would be helpful to remind our families and staff of how to find out about our school delays and closing information. We do our best to maintain our regular operations, but occassionally there are times when we need to open late, close early, or possibly close the school due to extreme weather and/or school conditions.
Please tune to ABC 6 for our school delays and closings. You may also find this information on the ABC 6 website at: www.6abc.com and on any wireless device with internet access. In addition, you have the option to sign-up on the 6 ABC website for email alerts, dismissals and delays that are posted. We will be listed as Chesterbrook Academy – Chalfont.
For your reference:
If school is delayed one hour, CBA will open at 7:30 a.m.
If school is delayed two hours, CBA will open at 8:30 a.m.
As a reminder, please do not leave your vehicle running unattended with or without children. This is a serious violation and safety hazard that we want all of our families to avoid. Thank you in advance for your understanding and cooperation. Your safety and that of your children and our staff is important to us.
For Parents
Parent Referrals
Dear Chesterbrook Academy® Community: If there’s one thing parents love to do, it’s talk about their children’s successes.
When friends ask you about your child’s experiences at Chesterbrook Academy, what type of success stories do you share? Do you mention the personal and educational discoveries your child is making thanks to our advanced curriculum? Do you talk about the new levels of self and social confidence your child has gained thanks to our encouraging atmosphere?
Whatever glowing reports you deliver about how your child is growing with his or her education, we couldn’t be more appreciative. In fact, we’d like to show you just how thankful we are for your endorsements. Now when you tell other parents about our school, you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador.
For every new child you refer who enrolls at our school for three months, you’ll receive an Ambassador Certificate for one FREE week of tuition for your child*. (Part-time enrollments will receive $100 tuition credit)
It’s our way of saying thanks for doing what comes naturally – singing the praises of your child and sharing your experiences with the Chesterbrook Academy difference.
If you have any questions about how you can become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador, or if you’d like any additional certificates or flyers, please don’t hesitate to call me directly at 215-997-9085.
P.S. – All parents want the very best education possible for their child. If you think your family has that, spread the word and become a Chesterbrook Academy Ambassador. Thank you to all of our families who have referred our school to new families!
Box Top News & Chesterbrook Academy Logo Wear
Help Support our school with Box Tops! Collected Box Tops can be left at the front office or in the Campbell Soup bin by the front desk. To learn more, go to the following link: http://www.boxtops4education.com/
We are very excited to announce the launch of our new NLCI logo wear online portal through the Queensboro Shirt Company. The Queensboro Shirt Company is our preferred vendor for all logo wear, apparel, and accessory needs and is a one-stop-shop for all NLCI branded items. As an NLCI parent, you are invited to purchase items through the exclusive Chesterbrook Academy – Queensboro website and take advantage of our very special pricing plan. Simply follow this link, follow the instructions, and place your order: http://chalfontcb706.qbstores.com Your order will be shipped directly to your school.