REMINDER WE ARE CLOSED FRIDAY NOVEMBER 19 FOR STAFF DEVELOPMENT

WE ARE ALSO CLOSED NOVEMBER 25-26 FOR FALL BREAK

WE HOPE THE START OF YOUR HOLIDAY SEASON IS A GOOD ONE!

Dear School-Age Families,

I would like to take the opportunity to introduce myself. My name is Robert Olson and I am excited to be your child’s school-age teacher for the 2010-2011 school year at Sycamore Run. I am from Chagrin Falls, OH and am a senior at Ohio University. I am majoring in Middle Childhood Education with concentrations in math and English. I started at Sycamore Run as a work study participant with the school age children and hope to pick up where Drea left off.

Earlier this month, over half of the children completed one of the most important milestones of his or her life – the first day of school! I am looking forward to working with you and your child in toward reaching their full potential. We will have many wonderful experiences and opportunities to learn and grow in the days ahead.

I believe that communication is the key to a great parent-teacher relationship. I encourage you to contact me if you have any questions or concerns at any time. You can send me a note, email me at ro357307@ohio.edu or call/text me at (440) 364-1380. I will post updates on the blog to update you on what we have been doing in the class as well as outdoor play.

I am looking forward to a wonderful and exciting year with you and your child!

Sincerely, Robert Olson

(I apologize for the delay in this posting. I got a little behind. -drea)

Anniversary Party!

This Saturday, October 2, is our anniversary party. We have been open for FIVE years now! There will be a jumpy castle, live music, and lots of new and old friends. So bring your favorite dish to share and join us for some fun! The party starts at 6 p.m. We can't wait to see you!

We will be closed Friday September 17 hope everyone is safe

"It's kind of like raining leaves huh?" -Jaxon

My friends are very excited about the leaves falling! There are so many trees in our backyard it's like a storm of leaves every time the wind blows. We have already been jumping in leaf piles which is great fun by the way :).

Our first two weeks of school have been great! We have been getting to know our new friends Julianna and Jonah, getting used to our routine, and settling in to our classroom. Something new in ALL the classrooms are the digital frames. We will be uploading new pictures every week so please be sure to check them out.

Our theme for the month is self. We started "My favorite..." books yesterday with our favorite color page. There were many green and purple pictures, such fabulous colors. The letter we will be exploring is the letter Aa. We will have lots of chances to begin familiarizing ourselves with what a capital and lower case A looks like and also what kind of sounds the letter can make. Some of my friends have been practicing writing the letter all by themselves.

Our shape of the month is a circle. We practiced drawing a circle on Monday, you can see our pictures on the wall by the dramatic play area in our classroom. My friends noticed that circles have no sides, it just "goes round and round." Next week we will go on a scavenger hunt to find things that are shaped like a circle in our school and outside. I can't wait to see what we find :).

I want to check in and let you know that THURSDAYS are show and tell days. For this upcoming show and tell I would like all of my friends to bring something that is their favorite from home, it can be a toy, a picture or a favorite blanket.

Also, it is going to start getting mushy and cold out there and as long as there is no severe weather we WILL continue to head outside so please be sure to send rain boots, extra socks and spare clothing. You are welcome to bring a pair of slippers for inside time just please be sure to label all of your child's belongings.

If there are any questions please check in with me! Thank you so much for reading! -Drea

*Increase the Peace*

Infant Fall Class

Welcome all to the infant room!

My name is Hannah McConnell. I am new to the infant room at Sycamore Run but am not entirely new to the center. I have a degree in Early Childhood Education from Hocking College and have spent a lot of my student teaching here at Sycamore Run. In doing so, I fell in love with the atmosphere it provides for both children and parents. I have two children of my own one of whom you will be seeing in the infant room Rylee and my son Noah who is upstairs in the preschool class. I bring the same love to the classroom and to your kids that I would my own.

I am very excited to begin in the infant room. This age group allows for some extreme exploration. Our plan is to investigate the world we live in using our senses. From visuals to sounds to texture the world is new to our class and the room will provide for ample exploration of all five senses.

I would like all parents to note that in our classroom is a marker board above the sink. Here is where you will be able to check when your child ate, slept, had their diapers changed etc. I will also use this board as a way to leave you notes as to what your child did/accomplished that day as well as things they need in the classroom. Feel free to stop in at any time throughout the day. I believe a good flow of communication between parent and teacher allows for a better experience for all involved. Thank you for reading.

-Hannah

Fall Preschool/PreK Class

Fall is almost here!

Many of you know who I am but for those who don’t my name is Andrea Adame but everyone calls me Drea. I moved to Ohio five years ago and have been working at Sycamore Run a little more than three and half years. I have a degree in early childhood education and really enjoy working with kids. I am very adamant about exposing my students to different cultures, teaching tolerance, and creating a safe loving atmosphere for your kids to grow.

This fall our preschool and prekindergarten will be combined but please be aware that I have worked in both classrooms before and will create an environment that is developmentally appropriate for each age group both academically and socially. Our first theme for the year is Self. We will be learning about our environment, our friends, and most importantly ourselves. Creating community in the classroom is very important and makes the year run smoother.

There are a few things you should be aware of. Right outside the door in the hallway entrance is a white board. The board will provide reminders, updates, and our wish list so please be sure to check it regularly. Inside of the classroom there is a calendar board that shows our projects, themes, and special events. I will also be posting newsletters and photos here on the BLOG so come back often.

Your child will need:

-Packed lunch (please label lunch boxes and bags)

-Morning and afternoon snack

-Blanket and small pillow (if possible initial tags)

-Extra clothing/shoes

Classroom Wish List:

-Tissues

-Wipes (Clorox and baby wipes)

-Mixed Music CDs (The Beatles, Elvis, Billie Holiday. These are just some classroom faves that are now scratched L)

Book Wish List:

No David! by David Shannon

There Was An Old Lady Who Swallowed A Fly

I know this is a lot of information so if you have any questions please be sure to check in with me. Thank you so much for reading and I look forward to getting to know your children this school year! -Drea

*increase the peace*

Fall Toddler Class

Hello Parents!

As we all know summer is fast ending and fall is starting, and with fall comes our new school season. As some of you may know I will be the new toddler teacher. My name is Timarie Francis and I am originally from Troy, Ohio. My husband and I moved to Athens last summer and I have been with Sycamore since January. I have been working with children as an instructor or a teacher since the age of 16 and I am still loving it! I am currently finishing my Bachelor for Early Child Education at Ohio University and should be finished this year!

The toddler class focus

With changing the teacher come changes in the classroom and the focus of that class. Our plan at Sycamore is to prep the students to become people who can interact positively with peers and teacher and to have a good communication between each. The toddler class is the first step in those skills.

· Develop a sense of our bodies and the space around it, how to take care of that body and control over it

· Learn to use “Our Words” to tell our friends, parents, and teachers of our wants and needs

· A focus on sensory activities. We will be focusing on a different bodily sense each day in our classroom

· Developing skills in fine and gross motor activities

What we need from parents

Our classroom has needs for it to run both smoothly and effectively below is a list of required items for the class followed by suggested items.

Required:

· At least two boxes of tissues (with fall comes runny noses)

· A bag of wipes and a stock of diapers if applicable to your child

· Extra underwear if you child is being potty trained

· Extra clothing for when we get messy and for colder weather

Suggested

· Pictures of your child to hang around the classroom, these pictures should include family, friends, and pets

· A comforting item from home that they could snuggle during cot time

· Extra shoes

Thank you for taking the time to check in on our blog and remember to look for displays around the class that shows what experiences you child has been having and less for completed projects!

Increase the peace –Timarie Francis

Where did it go?

Summer, that is. We find ourselves at Sycamore Run, among stray beach towels, broken flip flops, popsicle sticks, and glitter. Though the school age kids are in full force with almost two weeks of school behind them, we are left sweeping up the leftovers of summer and preparing for our academic year. Oh and what a summer it was, possibly one of the best in the history of Sycamore Run. Such a bold statement you say? Well here is a sort of photo recap for your viewing pleasure!

(p.s We are closed this Friday September 3-September 6. Happy Labor Day see you Tuesday!)

ROCK ON! IT'S SUMMER!

SCHOOL AGE DAY CAMP

INFANTS ENJOYING THE SHADE :)

FRIDAY = OPEN STAGE

HARVESTING YUMMY GOODNESS FROM TRUE HARVEST GARDEN

WHEW WHAT A SUMMER!

Happy Birthday!

Summer Birthday Celebrations So Far :)

Bye Butterflies!

I hope everyone is staying dry during these wet soggy days. I have been a little lax on my posts so this one will be full of fun pictures of our past weeks at school.

First off we were so happy when our butterflies emerged from their cocoon. It was very exciting. We celebrated by learning a new butterfly song, adding butterfly wings to our dramatic play area, and making handprint butterflies. Through this process we talked about life cycles and transformation. This is always a favorite for me as a teacher because the kids are just so amazed. :)

We then sent our butterflies off into the world. Here is a video of our goodbye.

When the weather has been nice we have been enjoying project, snack and sometimes lunch outside. There are new things to see everyday from our beautiful flowers growing on the hill to the cool new additions to our playground. A special thanks to our friends at Eco Mow for the cool Sycamore Tree stumps they donated. We love to climb and mix potions on them! :)

Recently the rain has been keeping us indoors. Some days we get lucky and the rain holds out for a few hours. When that happens we go out and make mudpies, splash in puddles, and keep on the look out for rainbows! We do our best to make it outside everyday so please try to send your child extra clothes and shoes. It's hard to resist those puddles!

Now some indoor fun from forts to bubbles.

Last but not least our friend Audrie is moving away. We wish her family the best of luck and lots of love. Please write to us. You will be missed Audrie!

P.S. The Nelsonville Music Festival is this weekend. Some of the Sycamore Run staff will be volunteering in the kids area. Come by and see us! -Drea and Chelsea

*increase the peace*