Direct From the Executive Director
Ricci Wasserman M.A., P.D.
Greetings and happy summer to all.
I always start off this July newsletter extolling the beauty and excitement of the June graduations but fear that I might sound redundant. On the other hand each year is unique and so wonderful. The air is filled with smiles and excitement. So many of our graduates have shared our lives since they were in our baby rooms. Their siblings attended or attend our school. We have all enjoyed seeing these children and their families grow and develop. For us, that’s the Hokey Pokey (what its all about). So I must start the July newsletter here each year.
Another topic I have brought up over the past 26 years of Prime Time is sex in the preschool. Summertime and sex education in the preschool often go hand in hand. Four and five year olds are very observant and verbal. They notice the anatomical differences between the sexes as summer clothing covers less. Not only do they notice “regular” folks but pregnant ones as well. They have all sorts of questions and often blurt them out at most inconvenient times. Often parents are embarrassed by the questions and floored by the challenges of wise and appropriate answers.
I have always felt that if we properly acknowledge and name ALL body parts for children from infancy they will be free to talk about their bodies with adults. We can’t run away from their questions so, by opening a dialogue early-on, we establish trust. I support the idea of only telling them when they ask and, in a language they can understand without too much technicality. They will ask for more information as they go along. Good luck, this is a 20 year challenge.
Next, I wanted to address our September price increase. We typically have a 5% annual increase that coincides with most staff salary reviews (staff comprises 70 % of our budget), benefits, rent increases etc… We will have this increase in September but we will continue the 5% incentive for parents who pay by check. Please check with the office to see your new tuition. While you’re at it, please update your child’s medical, your telephone and emergency contacts and e-mail address. Having these e-mail contacts have made it SO much easier to keep in contact with you. Many of you forward our newsletters to your family as well so we all keep in touch. Excellent!
Lastly, since January 2009 our Regional Educational Director, Nancy Nathanson, B.S. has been working with her center based educational directors to update our curriculum. She will be rolling it out this fall and will speak of it at our Back to School meetings. We are very excited about the curriculum and are eager to see it being implemented. See you in September.
Direct From the Director
Nicole Olsen
It is hard to believe that this is our last newsletter for the school year. We thank you for entrusting your children to us. We have enjoyed working with all of the children in our care and have seen growth, development and skill acquisition in all of the boys and girls. We successfully ended the school year with report cards and parent teacher conferences. The children who are enrolled in kinderdance with Ms. Mirna had participated in the end of the year dance recital. This was such a special night for all the children and their families. Each child took all of what they learned and did a wonderful job at performing in front of everyone. Great job kids! I would also like to thank Ms. Mirna for her time and dedication. Job well done!! Stay tuned for Ms. Mirna’s toddler program this summer.
For the month of July we have plenty of fun activities planned! I would like to kick the summer off by welcoming all of our new camp children. This summer will be our first official summer camp here at the Hoboken location. Ms. Alisha has planned a lot of fun trips and has included many special activities into her summer themes. If your child has signed up for field trips, activities or both please refer to our camp calendar each week. If your child is less than 5 years of age please refer to the Yellow calendar. If your child is between the ages of 5 -10 years old refer to the Green calendar. We will also be sending out e-mails on a week to week basis reminding you of the upcoming events. Each child must wear a Prime Time camp T-shirt to each trip.
In August we are planning a big bash for our one year anniversary here at the Hoboken location. As we get closer to the date we will update you on what we have planned for this special event. At the end of August Ms. Alisha will be taking her maternity leave and Ms. Milly our new pre-school teacher will be taking over until Alisha comes back. Miss Milly is joining our staff from our Edgewater School where she helped train Alisha. We wish Ms. Alisha, the baby and her family the best and will miss her during her leave. I would also like to remind all current families to stop at the front desk and let us know if your child will be attending Prime Time come September. Space is limited and we need to know in advance how many spots will be available for prospective families.
Reminders
*The children love playing in the sprinklers at the park! But because it can sometimes get slippery and they can step on hard objects, we ask that you bring in water shoes for your child. These shoes not only help protect their feet, but also give them more traction when running on wet ground. In addition please provide a towel and bathing suit for the summer months. Make sure they are labeled and taken home regularly.
*Please check your child’s mailbox and bin every day. In these mailboxes you’ll find: important notices, children’s artwork and educational articles.
*If you are picking up your child and his/her class are in the park we kindly ask that you have the teacher escort you back to the school with your child. If the teacher is not able to leave the park due to ratios management will assist you. This policy has been implemented for the safety of your children.
*For currently enrolled children session fees will be applied to your account starting with July’s tuition if you have signed up for camp trips, activities or both. These fees are paid monthly and can be included in your month’s tuition.
*Please let us know if you are going to be on vacation. On your child’s classroom door we have vacation sign up sheets. This will help me accommodate time off for staff that plan on taking their own vacations.
Special Days
July
7/1 - Forth of July Parade
7/3 - School Closed
7/8 - Caribbean Day
7/21 - Vanilla Ice Cream Day
7/30 - Travelin Tumblers for 2yrs olds
August
8/3 - Watermelon Day
8/5 - Hat Day
8/10 - National S’mores Day
8/19 - Puppertonia (ages 18months-2.5yrs)
8/26 - National Pet Day (bring a picture of your pet or your favorite stuffed animal)
8/31 - Baseball Fan Day (wear your favorite team jersey)
Assistant Director/Parent coordinator Corner
Melissa Daidone
I’m sure you will agree that we are all ready for some hot DRY weather! All the rain we have gotten has been wonderful for our environment but has really got me wishing for the warm summer to begin! This will be the last edition of the Coordinator’s Corner since June 22nd I began my new venture as our Assistant Director!! I must say the transition was very bittersweet. I’m thrilled at the chance to grow and learn with Prime Time but am also sad to see Christine leave after all that we have shared. I want to wish her and her family, all the best as they move into their new home! I would also like to extend a warm thank you to all the families who have congratulated me and wished me well in my promotion. I look forward to continuing working closely with Nicole and Alisha to help keep our school running efficiently and still maintain our open communication with our family partnerships! The open communication that we have with you all is what really helps us bring you the type of school you desire.
I am looking forward to implementing the new safety vests for park usage. I feel that they will be much safer and easy to distinguish when the kids are in the park. It will also help in colder months as they will fit over each child’s winter coat. Your child’s safety is very important to us!
Lastly I will be revamping our e-mail system, updating all the classroom e-mail directories with even the possibility of changing e-mail servers. I will keep you posted on any changes. Please e-mail me with any questions or concerns Melissa.Daidone@yahoo.com
Regional Education Director
Nancy Nathanson, BS
LOVE & LEARN
The delightful children’s classic, Caps for Sale is a good reminder that much like the monkeys in the story, children imitate our behavior. When we shout in anger, tenderly comfort a child, cringe at the sight of a spider or put away our dirty clothes in the hamper, our children are likely to follow our example.
Children also live up to our expectations. If we expect a two year old to be terrible, they will be. If we expect a six year old to make good choices, they will. Adults make a huge difference in how children approach life. How do we help them to learn self-control? Do they trust us? Do they feel competent? Or are they angry…jealous… fearful…restless…frustrated…lacking in self-esteem? These and other emotions and behaviors take a long time for children to develop – starting at birth.
The question then becomes, what can parents do to encourage our children to become responsible, self-controlled adults? When we look at ways for children to be healthy and strong emotionally, we must first have a fundamental understanding of child development and common behaviors. With this knowledge as a basis, we can enable children to develop self-control by exercising the following behaviors ourselves:
*expecting them to act a certain way
*setting reasonable and positive expectations
*respecting their feelings
*trusting them to succeed
*offering them good choices
*talking about problems calmly
Children need a consistent, positive approach to become emotionally mature. Consistency and clarity about acceptable and unacceptable behaviors are essential components of this disciplinary style. Expressing pride, confidence and love toward our children will enable them to learn to trust us. By implementing this “Love & Learn” approach as parents, we are giving the priceless lifetime gift of emotional good health to our children.
Question of the Month!
What do you like most about the summer?
Raptors
Katie - The hot sun
Colin - Play with my friends in summer camp
Nella - I like to go camping
Tyler - Playing outside in the pool
Zachary - Sunscreen
Laura - Going to the park
T-rex
Dallas - I love to go to the beach
Ryan A - I like to go to my aunt’s house to see the hummingbirds
Michael - I like summer because the sun is out
Kailey - Mommy and Daddy take me to the beach
Colin - Play baseball and ride my bike
Sava - Butterflies are all over
Emma - I can put on my gloves and touch bumble bees and other bugs
Angles 1
Jack - I like to plant
Evan - I play with my toys
Ellie - Go to the park with Ben
Jonas - Plays with daddy’s shoes in the sun
Educational Corner
Alisha Rogers
In May, the preschoolers went to Paramus Catholic High School to see an Alice & Wonderland theatre show. They seemed really in tune and some children were able to tell their parents that they remember Alice having a tea party in the play. I also had Musically Yours come in for a demo to see how the children will respond. Musically Yours is a unique music program where children learn musical concepts such as dynamics, tempo, note values and much more. We are considering offering this program as an additional enrichment program for our toddlers and preschoolers. We will keep the families informed of our decision.
Finally in June, report cards were distributed for the second quarter of the school year. I hope that everyone had an opportunity to meet with his/her child’s teacher to discuss their students’ development. Please keep in mind that we are constantly observing your child throughout the year. This information is vital to you so that you are aware of how your child is progressing physically, cognitively, emotionally and socially. The next report card night will be in January 2010.
We had a continental breakfast to celebrate Father’s Day and I was happy to hear that they enjoyed it and were appreciative of being able to spend some extra time with their children at drop off.
The summer is finally here and all I could think about for the last couple of months was the fun and exciting activities we have planned for the summer. We kicked off the first day of summer camp with a picnic in Stevens Park. The afternoon was filled with fun ice breaker games and some sport games as well. The children enjoyed getting to know new friends and for some they already knew each other.
~Sneak-A-Peak~
The infants have been going outside more often with the nicer weather. When they are outside they get to see and explore their environment. They also have been engaging in more art and sensory activities. The children have been enjoying the exercise saucers we provided for the play area which facilitates building their gross motor skills and body coordination. Children learn best when they are able to discover concepts on their own. At Prime Time we strive to foster students development through hands on activities, respect, and communication.
“The most influential of all educational factors is the conversation in a child's home”
William Temple, Sr. quote
Happy Birthday to the following children
July
Erica M - 7/3/00 Tristan S - 7/14/07
Rohan J - 7/5/04 Amanda O - 7/17/02
Cristina L - 7/7/07 Elan H - 7/25/07
Itay K - 7/8/05 Andrew K - 7/29/08
Benjamin H - 7/8/06 Malina F - 7/30/05
Noam L - 7/9/07 Katie P - 7/30/05
Logan R - 7/10/08 Kavi U - 7/31/05
Nella C - 7/11/05 Jason S - 7/31/04
Anirudh V - 7/12/07 Lucas M - 7/31/03
August
David J - 8/2/06 Logan N - 8/23/06
Carlotta D - 8/5/06 Owen G - 8/23/04
Ayden J - 8/7/08 Matilda T - 8/24/07
Katie L - 8/14/08 Brooke B - 8/28/07
Aidan H - 8/14/07 Ido S - 8/28/06
Tia T - 8/14/06 Micah S - 8/30/06
Lucas B - 8/15/06
Elizabeth K - 8/22/05
Happy Birthday to the following staff members
July
Chris G - 7/23
August
Jocelyn B - 8/16
Yashin M - 8/24
