Picture Day Schedule

SPCNS Picture Day

 

Monday February 25, 2013
    Mrs. Christman's Two-Year-Olds    
    Mrs. Jones Four-Year-Olds
    Mrs. Callaway's Four-Year-Olds

Tuesday February 26, 2013
    Mrs. Christman's Two-Year-Olds    
    Mrs. Hall's Three-Year-Olds
    Mrs. Gianakas' Three-Year-Olds

Wednesday February 27, 2013
    Mrs. Crossett's and Mrs. Vallejo's Big Room
    Mrs. Kozy's Three-Year-Olds


* Please Dress your children appropriately *

February Chapel Stories for 4-Year-Old Classes

Chapel Story Time

Jonah

This month, the children in Mrs. Callaway's Mrs. Crossett's and Mrs. Vallejo's classes will be attending a monthly chapel time where they get to hear Bible stories and learn about values.  These classes will be held on January 16 and January 30, at which point the children will be hearing the story of Jonah and the whale.

This Chapel Story Time is presented to the children by volunteers from the Shadyside Presbyterian Church.

Recommendations for sick children

Parenting presents many different challenges, especially for those of us who are new to the "club."  These challenges become even worse when we are dealing with a child's illness.  SPCNS is dedicated to serving the needs of children and our hope is to be able to provide you with support as you navigate this magnificent task of parenting.

The winter months present some added challenges, as we face many viruses and illnesses.  We must remain vigilant and do whatever we can to help prevent the spread of disease amongst our children.  Therefore, we wanted to share with you some general recommendations to guide you when your child is ill.

If your child presents any of the following illnesses or symptoms, please keep your child at home.

• Illness that prevents the child from participating comfortably in activities
• Illness that results in a greater need for care than the staff can provide without compromising the health and safety of other children.
• Fever, lethargy, irritability, persistent crying, difficulty breathing and/or other manifestations of possible severe illness.
• Persistent abdominal pain (continuous for more than two hours) or intermittent abdominal pain associated with fever, dehydration, or other systemic signs or symptoms.
• Chicken Pox (Varicella): exclude until the sixth day after onset or rash or sooner if ALL lesions have dried and crusted.
• Diarrhea or stools that contain blood or mucus.
• E. Coli or Shigella infection: exclude until diarrhea resolves and two stool cultures are negative.
• Head lice: exclude until child is free of lice and nits.
• Hepatitis A virus infection: exclude until one week after onset of illness or jaundice (if symptoms are mild).
• Influenza or influenza-like illness: exclude as long as fever is above 100 degrees Fahrenheit in an unmedicated state.  Additional exclusions may be necessary for documented novel strain or pandemic influenza based on state or federal guidance.
• Impetigo (Streptococcal infection of the skin): exclude until 24 hours after treatment has been initiated.
• Measles: exclude until four days after onset of rash.
• Mouth sores: exclude if associated with drooling, unless a physician has determined it is not a communicable disease.
• Mumps: exclude until five days after the onset of parotid gland (located around the ear) swelling.
• Pinkeye or purulent conjunctivitis (pink or red conjunctiva with white or yellow eye discharge, often with matted eyelids after sleep or eye pain or redness of the eyelids or skin surrounding the eyes): exclude until examined by a physician and approved for re-admission, with treatment.
• Rash (with fever or behavior change): exclude until a physician has determined it is not a communicable disease.
• Rubella: exclude until seven days after onset of rash.
• Scabies: exclude until after treatment has been completed.
• Strep Throat (streptococcal pharyngitis): exclude until 24 hours after treatment has been initiated.
• Tuberculosis: exclude until a physician states the child is not infectious.
• Vomiting: exclude if vomiting occurs two or more times in 24 hours, unless the vomiting is determined to be caused by a non-communicable condition and the child is not in danger of dehydration.
• Whooping Cough (Pertussis): exclude until five days of the appropriate antibiotic therapy has been completed.

Please note that we will follow these guidelines as well when determining if a child needs to go home from school.  If any of the above mentioned symptoms is noted, we will consult with our staff RN.  If it is determined that the child needs more care than can be provided by our staff or the child is showing symptoms associated with a possibly contagious illness we will contact a parent or caregiver to come and take the child home for care.

We hope that this information is helpful to you, and as usual, if you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact us.

News for week of January 7-11

Week of January 7-11 2013

Volunteer Opportunity Help in the Classroom on an ongoing basis Do you find yourself wanting to change your routine but are not quite sure what you can do with your limited time?  Do you love being with children and get energized by them?  Then, perhaps it's time for you to consider volunteering in one of our classrooms. If this sounds like an interesting proposal and you can commit to a couple times per month, please speak with Mrs. Lang about this amazing opportunity or email her directly at director@shadysideschool.org.

Security and Emergency preparedness. Review of Emergency Procedures We take very seriously our jobs as protectors of the well-being of each and every child who walks through our hallways.  We periodically review and revise all of our emergency procedures (first aid/CPR, fire drills, etc.) to ensure that all children are safe while in our care.  In the wake of last month's violence in the Newton CT public school, we will review security and emergency procedures.  Staff and Trustees of the Nursery School, in coordination with leaders from the Shadyside Presbyterian Church will take an in-depth look at our current procedures, as well as those of some other schools, and we will provide a summary of our results and recommendations. We encourage you to share your thoughts, input and concerns with members of the Board or Mary Lang, our Director, as we take on this magnificent task.

Mrs. Jones' Class All about the letter "K k" This week we will continue to work on our winter projects.  The children will be making mittens, snowmen, fingerpainting with ivory snow and making snowy, glittery pictures. This week we will also begin talking about colors and shapes and identifying the letters of our names.

Chapel Story Time Jonah This month, the children in Mrs. Callaway's Mrs. Crossett's and Mrs. Vallejo's classes will be attending a monthly chapel time where they get to hear Bible stories and learn about values.  These classes will be held on January 16 and January 30, at which point the children will be hearing the story of Jonah and the whale. This Chapel Story Time is presented to the children by volunteers from the Shadyside Presbyterian Church.

Big Room Happenings Sparkle and Crunch... Winter's here! This week the children will make constellations of their own imagining and tell us a story about what they see.  We'll also read Snow Bears, a version of the Three Bears retold by Jan Brett with and Arctic setting.  We'll ask the children to tell us about their favorite part and draw what happened.  We'll make a painting of the Northern Lights, too.  The letter of the week is "K k." On Friday January 11 we will have a "show and tell" day.  Please help your child to choose an object or picture to talk about with their classmates.

Mrs. Callaway's Class All about the letter K k Kennywood is theme for the week.  We will make some kites, and read some books about kindergarten.

News from Mrs. Hall

A most blessed Orthodox Christmas for all who hail from Russia, Eastern Europe and the Middle East!

This week we will craft "winter coniferous trees" to decorate our bulletin board and we will read The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein.  We will also set up a polar village.  On Thursday we will chat about crystals and make a snow man for our portfolios.  The story will be Snowmen at Night.  This coming Friday, we will have a visit from "Klondike" the Polar Bear.  We will also make a gingerbread man out of sand paper and paint it with cinnamon sticks.  Along with this activity will be the book Gingerbread Baby by Jan Brett.

This is the last chance to add change to the jar for the "Heifer International" project.  Once all donations are collected, we will count them and the children will get to help decide what they want to "purchase" with the money.

Parent/Teacher conferences will be held the first week of February.  Sign-up sheets will be available on Friday.

Newsletter for week of November 5, 2012

 

November 5 - 9 2012

Speech, Language and Hearing Screenings: The Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania will be offering speech, language and hearing screenings for children in our Three-, Four-, and Five-Year-Old classes on November 5, 6, and 7.  The cost for these screenings is $20 (made out to Easter Seals).  We encourage you to enroll your child in these early screenings, as it is crucial that difficulties be caught early in order to ensure greater success. For a permission form, please visit our blog by following this link: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7909454653889192745#editor/target=post;postID=9063319942957779195  News from the Director of Communication I hope you are enjoying this new system of communication as much as I am.  It certainly allows us to keep you up-to-date with everything that's happening in the Nursery School. We are still noticing that a few of the addresses we are sending to are bouncing back.  Please check with your spouse/mate to see if they are also receiving these notices.  If not, would you please ask them to send us a request to be added to the list?  We want to ensure that all parents know about what is going on in our school.  Additionally, if you depend on a grandparent, nanny or any other adult for transportation of your child to and from school, please ask them to subscribe to this email list.  We will be sending all of our school notifications (including school closings) via this method. I have encountered some difficulties with what I thought was a perfect solution to our emergency closing notifications.  I was hoping to start doing this via texting, however, the information I found on the internet for sending texts was not completely accurate.  I still have to do some more research before this service can be made available to our family.  Please hang in there as I try to figure it all out.  In the meantime, continue to check the local television stations and your email in order to get closing notifications. Thank you, Sara Berg Christmas Wreath Delivery   Thanks to all those families who orders Christmas wreaths.  Your orders will go a long way in helping a child to attend our Nursery School next year. Wreaths will be delivered the week of November 26 and can be picked up that same week at the Nursery School. The Board has ordered some extra wreaths for those folks who forgot to place their order.  If you are still interested in purchasing a wreath, please check with one of the Board members the week of November 26. Friday November 9, 2012 - Teacher in-service.  No school for children. Cold Weather Reminder As we near winter and temperatures start to dip, we wanted to remind you to please dress your children appropriately for the weather.  One of the children's favorite times is going outside to play.  Classes are usually outside for half an hour.  This is too long a period of time for a child to be out there without the appropriate gear. Please remember to send your child to school with a hat, coat, and mittens or gloves.  Dressing them in layers is preferable, as they can remove the layers as they become active outside, therefore being better able to control their body temperature.  Labeling your child's belonging with their name is very helpful for the teachers.  It is very difficult for them to keep track of everyone's belongings if they are not clearly marked with their names. Mrs. Callaway's class Mrs. Callaway's children had a very exciting visit with Henry's dad, who is a policeman.  They had a chance to try on all his gear and even got to sit inside his police car.  What an awesome and exciting experience! This week in Mrs. Callaway's class they will be learning about the letter E.  You will hear many thumping Elephants around the corridors of the Nursery School.  They will also examine pictures of the different layers of the Earth and electrify the room with science experiments.  They will also talk about what is an "Election" and will take a vote on what to have for snack.  They will also have an exciting Bible story lesson with Mrs. Camp for their bi-monthly Wednesday Chapel days, where they will be learning about Moses and "using their words."   What's happening in the Big Room? This month the children of the Big Room will be focusing on Thanksgiving, families, friends, food and feasting. The letter of the week is the letter "F f".  This week the children will focus on families by drawing family portraits.  Doll houses will be featured on the block rug.  Look for the family banner project background paper coming home at the end of the week. Creative Movement Class   During the whole month of November, the children in Creative Movement will be introduced to the dance "Oates and Beans and Barley Grow".  They will have lots of turkey games and movements.  They will also hear  Farmer Grey's horse farm stories and have lots of fun recreating the sounds and movements that go along with it. Mrs. Hall's class    The weather put a pause on some of our deep focus on apples, yet -Hurray!- the applesauce will go on - we expect Thursday. The remarkable detail is that the  applesauce-making device was found in an antique  shop  from the French Colonial pre- Louisiana Purchase era, in a little Mississippi River Town called St. Genevieve,Mo.,where my sister-in -law grew up.  Most artifacts in those antique shops date back to the 1700's. It will be interesting for the kids to work with equipment pre-dating  the birth of the country-which still turns out "knock your socks off" good applesauce from par-boiled cut up apples. They will get to churn the mixture through the sieve,season with sugar and cinnamon, and bring home a baggy full . Tuesday ,we"ll wrap up our harvest /Halloween season with  an activity to make a cut out Loch Ness cutie pie monster for our portfolios, and we will end the week with a Richard Scarry  Apple Car for his Lowly worm character. This week, I'll explain our age appropriate project for the month of November to the theme of Giving Thanks/Taking Care of others.  Tied to this theme is the fact that this month is also National Adoption Month.  So, I  shall put a huge jar outside the classroom where we will collect loose change.  This money will help us to partner with children in villages across the world by purchasing shares of livestock through Heifer International.  The Children in our class will get to pick out their favorite animals while children far away will get to feed and care for.  This project will carry us close to the Christmas Holiday  Break.  All are welcome to drop their spare coins in the jar near the Marks Room.  Still focusing on apples, we will learn of the legend of the little apple core house, we will study scientific facts pertaining to growing apples from seed to harvest, we will look at ways of processing apple products, and we will learn yoga movements such as being an apple pie, or picking apples from an apple tree in autumn (Mrs. Hall will play the role of the apple tree full of ripe apples).  Come and take a look at our decoupage Fall Trees we made last week! Mrs. Jones' class The letter of the week in Mrs. Jones' class is the letter E.  Elections, Elephants, and Experiments will be alphabet themes for the week. The children will also begin their Thanksgiving projects this week.  Activities will include making Indian necklaces from dyed pasta and making a giant turkey for their class bulletin board. Mrs. Gianakas' class As we begin our unit on Native Americans we will: - create sand art  - use finger paint to draw symbols of nature and work on developing fine motor skills - have a drum circle using drums as well as other percussion instruments to explore   rhythm and a steady beat

What's Happening at SPCNS this week?

 

October 22-26 2012

News from the Director of Communication New Communication System As we've mentioned in the past two weeks, we've had some difficulties with our emails to some of you being flagged as spam.  We've decided to start a new system of communication by subscribing to Constant Contact, a web-based email service which will hopefully allow us to communicate without any glitches.  This newsletter is our introductory communication to you via Constant Contact.  In order for us to communicate efficiently and without any further problems, we need your help.  We need you to add the email address associated with this email to your contact list, add us as a "safe sender", and do not flag our emails as spam.  If you do not want to receive further emails from us, simply click on the "unsubscribe" link provided for you at the top of this message and we will make sure to remove you from our list. Additionally, if you are receiving this email at a work address, please request from your employer that they list us as a "safe sender."  This will ensure that our emails will reach you. If your family relies on the assistance of grandparents, nannies, or other adults for bringing your child to and from school, please share this newsletter with them, as it contains important information that could help them to make your child's day easier.  Additionally, encouraging them to subscribe their email address with us will ensure that they receive our newsletters on an ongoing basis. We hope you enjoy our new way of communicating.  As always, your feedback is very important to us, so please let us know how we are doing. Thank you, Sara Berg Christmas Wreath Sale Order forms due Friday October 26 The Board of Trustees is selling beautiful evergreen wreaths as a fundraiser for our Scholarship Fund.  Decorate your home, a loved one's nursing home, a cemetery plot, or give a gift to someone special while helping a child to experience our nursery school.    Order forms may be obtained at the office or on our blog at: http://spcns.blogspot.com/2012/10/wreath-sale.html Notes: Wonderful Wednesday begins on October 24 Check the Lost and Found bin located between the Nazareth and Bethlehem rooms   Halloween can be a scary time for some children, and we want to keep our Nursery School a safe place for everyone.  Therefore, we have adopted a "no costumes" policy for Halloween.  Each of the classrooms will host a special celebration and will do special projects in preparation.  We ask that you explain this policy to your children and ensure that they do not come to school wearing costumes or masks of any type. The teachers would love to have you volunteer in their classrooms for special projects.  Why not consider volunteering to be a "story scribe", or talk to the children about what you do for work? Sharing a special talent, a family holiday, or cultural custom is a great way to get the children excited about the world around them.  Please contact your teacher about ways in which you can make a difference in your child's learning.  Mrs. Christman's Twos Separation on its way... The task of separation seems like a daunting one, especially if you are two-years-old.  Mrs. Christman and her crew of assistants have been hard at work in their attempt to make the children comfortable with school and build enough trust with them to allow their parents to go out of their sight. Now that most of the children have accomplished this important milestone, they can start focusing on the hard stuff of nursery school: play.  Fall time is a great time for learning and exploring.  Leaves are great for raking, learning colors, and developing the sense of touch.  Sensory stimulation is an important part of development at the age of two.  The children will experience different smells and sounds as they explore their outdoor environment. Preparing for Halloween will be  a main focus, as the teachers help the children to deal with their fears through stories and songs.  The children will prepare for their Fall/Halloween feast by creating pumpkin place mats, with which they will also learn about shapes and space discrimination (where do the eyes, nose and mouth go?). What's happening in the Big Room? Monsters, monsters everywhere... This week the children will make monsters of their own.  They will dictate words for their "Monster Story" to the teachers.  what a great way to talk about whether monsters are real or pretend! This week the children will also have a visit from a representative of the Carnegie Library who will come to read special stories to them. School-Wide Service Project: The children will be making Halloween cards for the Senior Citizens who participate in the Meals on Wheels project through the EECM. Mrs. Callaway's Class The Letter C We welcome Mrs. Callaway back from her world travels.  We can't wait to hear all about her adventures... Colors of the rainbow will brighten our room, and crystals will shine on our science table.  We will discover how primary colors can mix to make new colors.  We will explore with colors at the light table, and discover connections all around us.  We will collect, create, and collage new creations after taking a nature walk around the corner. On Wednesday the children will have a special visit from a representative from the Carnegie Science Center with a presentation called "Hello Robo." Mrs. Jones' Class Colors, colors everywhere! This week, as we explore the letter C, Colors of the rainbow will brighten our room.  We will discover how colors can mix to make new colors, explore with the light table and discover surprises all around us.  As a part of our colors unit, the children will tie-dye their own T-shirts (Please remember to send in a white T-shirt with your child this week).  We will also enjoy all the fantastic colors of the Fall season.  This week we will continue our Halloween projects.  We use this opportunity to discuss what kinds of things are scary for children.  We will read stories about monsters, shadows, and other Halloween themes.  We will also turn our fall trees into a monster forest. On Wednesday the children will have a special visit from a representative from the Carnegie Science Center with a presentation called "Hello Robo." What's the Board of Trustees up to? The Board has a busy few months coming up.  During this time of year, the Board focuses special attention to raising money for our Scholarship Fund.  These scholarships help to fulfill our school's mission of making our program accessible to all children, regardless of their family's income.  In order to raise funds, the Board is holding the Christmas Wreath Sale and a Scholarship Letter Drive.  Please help us to fulfill our mission by donating to this very important cause. Look for our Book and Gift sale coming after Thanksgiving.  This is a great way to pick up some Christmas gifts while helping the teachers with their "discretionary fund."  This fund allows the teachers to purchase classroom materials that help to enhance the children's learning experience. Additionally, the Board will be hosting our annual Christmas Sing, to be held on Friday December 14.  If you would like to help the Board with any of these tasks, please contact Amy Shorkey, president of the Board. Mrs. Kozy's happenings Can we say Halloween? This week the children's librarian from the Carnegie Library will pay us a special visit and share some new books with us. Art:  We hope that the children will let us paint their hands so that we can make handprint monsters.  We will also make Halloween countdown chains and magic white crayon water color ghosts. Stories: Please note that although the names of these books sound a bit scary, they are all kid-friendly and very age appropriate.  Go Away Big Green Monster, Harry and the Terrible Whatzit, Ghosts in the House. Songs and Fingerplays: 5 cute and cuddly monsters, 5 little ghosts, bones, as well as last week's songs and fingerplays. Math: Counting pumpkins Mrs. Hall's Class Wolf spider week This week in Mrs. Hall's class will be all about spiders, leafs and everything Fall and Halloween.  While learning all about spiders, the children will make fuzzy spiders with sparkling silver webs.  They will sing "Itsy Bitsy Spider" and the theme song from Charlotte's Webb. The children will read Leaf Man, by Lois Ehlert, will collect leaves and make a leaf man, just like the one in the book.  They will also make fall trees out of rice paper trunks and tissue paper leaves. Then the children will learn about a pumpkin festival in Nova Scotia by reading the book Pumpkin People, by S. Lightburn.  They will then decorate pumpkins and gourds with paint. Please remember to send in a pair of spoons labeled with your child's name.  These will be used as percussion instruments to play and dance to the tune of "Dem Bones" during our Harvest/All- Saints/Halloween part on Tuesday the 30th. Mrs. Gianakas' Class Autumn and Halloween This week in Mrs. G's class will be all about autumn and Halloween.  The children will have a Fall leaf scavenger hunt.  They will learn about colors, sorting and shapes and make art projects with leaves.  They will be reading the book Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman and act out the story.  Gourds and pumpkins will be available at the science table to be used for comparing weights, shapes, sizes and patterning.  Shape scarecrows will offer further opportunities to talk about shapes as we try our hand at putting together some scarecrows.  The children will cut out fringe to create the look of tattered clothing. Thursday October 25th will bring about a simple Halloween celebration.  We would encourage you to sign up to contribute to the celebration.  A sign-up sheet will be posted outside the classroom.  Please keep in mind that due to the fact that some children may be sensitive to costumes and masks, we will keep our party costume fee. Speech, Language and Hearing Screenings: The Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania will be offering speech, language and hearing screenings for children in our Three-, Four-, and Five-Year-Old classes on November 5, 6, and 7.  The cost for these screenings is $20 (made out to Easter Seals). For a permission form, please visit our blog by following this link: http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=7909454653889192745#editor/target=post;postID=9063319942957779195

Speech, Language and Hearing Screenings

The Easter Seals of Western Pennsylvania will be offering Speech, Language and Hearing screenings for our children in the three-, four-, and five-year-old classes.

It has been well-established that early identification and treatment of speech and language problems positively impacts literacy development and reduces length of time in speech therapy by years.

We encourage you to take advantage of this affordable service, as it can make a big difference in your child's future.

Screenings will be held at SPCNS on November 5, 6 and 7th.  
The cost is $20 (make checks out to Easter Seals)

Please print and complete the permission slip below and turn in to your child's teacher by Monday November 5.

Wreath Sale

Kindergarten Information Night

Families with children approaching kindergarten age are encouraged to attend a Kindergarten Information Night organized by the JCC's Early Childhood Development Center.

Date:       Tuesday, October 23
Time:       7:00 pm
Where:     JCC, Squirrel Hill - Levinson Auditorium
                 5738 Forbes Avenue
                 Pittsburgh, PA 15217

The program is free and open to the community.  Refreshments will be served.

Participating schools: Carriage House Children's Center, Community Day School, Ellis School, Hillel Academy, JCC Clubhouse After-School Program, Pittsburgh New Church School, Pittsburgh Public Schools, Pittsburgh Urban Christian School, Sacred Heart, Shady Side Junior Academy, St. Edmund's Academy, The Campus School of Carlow University, Waldorf School of Pittsburgh, Winchester Thurston, Yeshiva Schools.

For more information please contact Kelly Gable-LaBelle at 412-521-8011, ext. 209.

An angel in heaven...

Dear friends, I am very sad to inform you that Mrs. Marilyn Jones' son, Ned, lost his battle this past Tuesday. Ned was a gentle soul who had been a part of our lives since Mrs. Jones started working with us over 25 years ago. Many of the children who walked our hallways had the pleasure of meeting Ned. He so loved the children of our school. Mrs. Jones, along with her husband and three daughters, would greatly appreciate your prayers. This has been a difficult battle for them all, and the love and support of our school community mean a great deal to them. The Jones' will have a memorial service for Ned the Saturday after Thanksgiving. We will provide you with more information as it becomes available to us.