Letter from Sue
TCNS Director, Sue Gaertner
“So much of me is made from what I learned from you,
you’ll be with me, like a handprint on my heart.”
From the song, ‘For Good’.
Dear Parents,
I believe that children are like sponges and they reflect what they see. They learn compassion and generosity by example.
As teachers of young children we have the highest obligation to always be aware of the huge impact we have on the lives of our students.
We need to be models of kindness and patience.
We need to be gentle and reassuring.
Perhaps most of all, we need to treat each precious child with loving care and respect.
We are leaving our handprints on their hearts and we can never forget the awesome responsibility that brings.
The best part of being a nursery school teacher is that we, the teachers, are made from what we learn from the children.
They teach us about the wonder that is in the world all around us.
They teach us about the healing powers of laughter and the joys of making new friends.
They constantly remind us of the need to keep our eyes open and our minds open.
Each child at TCNS leaves their own unique handprint on our hearts.
To see the world through your child’s eyes is a privilege we are very grateful for.
On behalf of the teachers I thank you for choosing Trinity Nursery School and for allowing us to share in your child’s development.
We are committed to the ideal that each child is special and unique and so very, very, precious.
Please contact me if you ever have any questions, comments, or concerns.
You can reach me via email at sue@trintywimette.org; at the office at 847-217-2202, or on my cell at 847-217-2202.
I need your feedback to ensure that we are doing all we can to make Trinity a loving and nurturing place where your children can grow and flourish.
To a great year!
Sue
The Chair’s Corner, October 2011
By Christine Quinn
Hello and welcome back to all the returning families and a big welcome to all the new ones!
Well, the cicada sounds are gone, and now as I sit and type this note I hear silence. A new season is here (and the kids are sleeping, YES!). This quiet sound makes me realize fall has arrived!
And school is back in full swing (another YES!).
A couple of weeks ago, I walked my son Joe, a very nervous and not so happy 5-year-old, to his first day of kindergarten. I could relate to how he was feeling.
While, he moved on to a new school and left all his Trinity buddies (and he made great friends at TCNS!), I too, would miss not going to see some of my Trinity friends on a daily basis. So when we were walking to his new school, I felt nervous and not so happy too!
Thankfully, I have Veronica, who is in the 3s this year, so I will see some old friends and make new ones as well. In fact, after Joe’s first day at school, we headed over to Trinity to pick up Veronica in the playground from her “meet and greet”. There we were – one kid and a mom skipping because we were so excited to come back to TCNS!
Excited because it’s a great place to be!
Throughout the year your children will flourish – by learning with fabulous teachers, making new friends, and being in such a loving and warm environment.
While that’s happening, you’ll have the chance to meet new friends and learn too! Sue and the TCNS Parent Advisory Board do a great job in keeping us all connected and involved. Thank you to everyone who is volunteering on the Board and with many of the TCNS endeavors!
In fact, The TCNS Parent Advisory Board is already working hard and held its first meeting September 14th. As everyone made introductions and mentioned why they joined the board – the word “connected” kept getting repeated.
“Philosophers and scientists agree: if there is one element that is the key to happiness, it’s having strong relationships with other people,”
The Happiness Project. I completely agree that staying connected especially as a parent is so important!
And, while we all know (and the new families will experience) that Trinity is a great place for our kids to make new connections, learn and build relationships – it’s also a great place for us – the parents!
There are numerous opportunities for us not only to be with friends and make new ones – but you’ll have opportunities to learn as well.
For fun and seeing and meeting friends, you can attend the Open House pizza party on October 2nd and the Friendraiser” on October 14, where the goal of the evening is to see old friends, make new friends, and have fun!
And, you can attend parent workshops, the Annual fundraiser (a fun night out on February 25th), class parties, numerous fun events with and without kids (that you can bid on at the Benefit) -- and of course, you can always come by to visit your child’s class, Miss Sue or attend a Parent Advisory Board meeting: TCNS door is always open for us!
In addition to all the events, you can stay connected “virtually.” While we are not “paperless” yet (because many parents requested to receive information via paper), TCNS has a great communications team in place.
This year – in addition to our public relations efforts (thank you Kimberly Newman!), you will get an E-News, be able to check out http://trinitychurchnurseryschool.shutterfly.com (thank you Julie Bonnette!) AND, receive email alerts (thank you Sue!) to visit our new Blog: www.tcns1024@blogspot.com
(thank you Marla Smith!).
Not only will the Blog give you updates about TCNS but you can also obtain information about various happenings in our community. And, it’s so EASY to sign up for email alerts – just visit www.tcns1024blogspot.com and type in your email in the space provided.
Also, you can check out TCNS out on Facebook! (Thank you again Julie Bonnette!). And, you will still receive a hard copy of the TCNS newsletter (thank you Christine Ferdinand) in your child’s cubby.
Someone asked me the other day what my “goals” were for the year as Parent Board Chair. It’s my hope that this year, I can help TCNS continue its great efforts in keeping us all connected – and the community at large connected to us so we can recruit more families and raise needed funds for our school. And, of course as I've said before --have fun along the way!
Wear Your Trinity Spirit!
Did you know that Trinity has great T-shirts and sweatshirts! They come in white, blue and now… ..PINK!!!
Stop by Sue’s office to check them out!
Fall Phone Conferences
Fall phone conferences are scheduled for mid October.
One of your child’s teachers will be calling to discuss your child’s adjustment to school.
If you have any questions or concerns please be sure to share them with us at this time.
The calls will be made during the school day.
You will receive a specified calling time and date via your child’s mailbox.
If you need to change your assigned time please let your teacher know as soon as possible.
If you would like to be called on your cell or work phone, please communicate that to your teacher.
We look forward to chatting with you!
Observation Days
Please tell your family, friends, and neighbors about Trinity’s Observation Days for prospective parents.
They are November 3 & 4.
Parents will have the opportunity to meet the Director and teachers, visit the classrooms, tour the building, and ask questions.
Reservations are necessary and interested families may call the school office at sue@trinitywilmette.org, or contact our Registrar, Betsy Crosswhite, at thecrosswhites@yahoo.com
The Pumpkins are Coming!
Each year, Trinity United Methodist Church sponsors a pumpkin patch as a fundraiser for the church.
It's hard to miss--starting Sunday, Oct. 2, the church lawn on Lake Avenue will be filled with pumpkins of all sizes, as well as corn stalks, fall corn, and any number of other fall decoration items for sale.
If you're in need of pumpkins, want to support a good cause, or are just looking for a great place to snap a few fall pictures of the kids, please stop by.
Profits from this year's Pumpkin Patch will be used to fund mission projects both locally and globally.
Thank you for your support!
Fall Friendraiser
Our Fall Friendraiser will be Friday, October14 at Buffalo Wild Wings in Evanston. Join other Trinity parents for food, drink, music, and FUN!! Send in your RSVP today!!
Dates to Remember
Oct 10
No School Columbus Day
Oct 12
Parent Ad. Bd. Mtg.
Oct 24
Parent Workshop
Oct 27
Halloween Festivities in 4’s
Oct. 27
Halloween Festivities in RTG
Oct. 31
Halloween Festivities in 3’s
Ready-Two-Grow
All of our new Ready Two Grow children love school! Thus far, we have not experienced any tears or real separation issues from anyone! From the moment your children walk into the room, they are engaged, curious and ready to play!
The children all like to explore different areas of the room, but the water table and play dough table are a big hit! After all, who doesn’t like the squishy feel of play dough between their fingertips!
During circle time, we have been singing a name game so the children are able to learn all of their new friends’ names. They have such pride when their name is called and get to stand up, grinning from ear to ear. We have taken “Old Joe” for a walk and have clapped, stomped and yelled hurray when learning “If You’re Happy and You Know It”. We can tell they are a group that loves to sing!
Snack time is the favorite activity thus far. We have had strawberries with whip cream and blueberries, which they loved! The kids are great about waiting for all their friends to be served before starting to eat. They are learning the Trinity poem.
We have implemented our job chart with just the line leader and of course the children are learning how to form in a line. Walking to and from the playground in a line takes time, but they are doing such a great job learning the ropes! The weather has cooperated, allowing us to enjoy the playground. The children are having fun in the sandbox and riding the horses.
It is amazing how quickly the children have become acclimated with the routine of their school day and to each other! They are slowly forming friends and understanding what it means to take turns. Again, we are so impressed with your children and can’t get over how eager and excited they are to attend school!
TERRIFIC THREE’s
Our 3’s are having a great start to the year! Ever center is popular – especially the water table and house center. Imaginations are soaring, from pretend safaris to pretend trips to Target! During Circle-Time we have been singing our friendship songs, apple songs, and riding our favorite horse, Old Joe!
We love to create books with your children using a question or a photo as a prompt. We take great care to write their words exactly, grammatical errors and all! Later, these “mistakes” will prove to be treasures as you get to see first hand the growth in your child’s language skills. Watch for our first book to circulate to your home very soon!
Our favorite project thus far has been the paper mache apple! Some of the kids literally wanted to bathe in the glue/water mixture, while others looked at the concoction and said “No way!” But even our more timid kids helped wrap the newspaper and everyone will paint their apple. Add a coat of Modge Podge applied by the teacher and voila!! You have a work of art worthy of the finest display shelf!
Looking ahead, we will have a SPOOKtacular time preparing for our Halloween festivities!
We’ll act out lots of fun Halloween stories and songs!
Be prepared for your kids to cackle like a witch and yell “BOO!!” like a ghost!
We love to scare you, but don’t worry; we’ll make it all better with a hug!
More about Halloween will arrive via a separate flyer.
Here’s to more great weeks in our 3 / 4 Program!!
FABULOUS FOUR’s
We extend a special welcome to Owen, Ethan, Jaxon, Iris and Isabel who are new to Trinity. We know you’ll enjoy it as much as all of us old timers do!
As you know by now, the children have settled in and are reacquainting with old friends and making new ones. They are becoming comfortable with the routine and necessary limits and rules as each day brings new experiences and discoveries. We love singing “Make New Friends” as well as “Getting to Know You”.
The room is filled with the sights and sounds of happy children as they gather in the house center to play “family”; work together making a zoo out of big blocks and wild animals; share their Lego creation or draw and glue at the art table. Mrs. Lezama and I witness creative problem solving and are always there to offer help and encouragement. We are thrilled to see how confident the children have grown over the summer and always welcome their willingness to share in front of the class. Judith has charmed us with her sweet singing voice of a couple of songs she learned in children’s choir.
The children enjoyed drawing pictures of their family which were laminated for use as placemats. We had lots of interesting conversation and recall after reading The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Gray Bridge and illustrating it with water colors. Check out our bulletin boards to see their artwork. We’ll also be reading Rumplestiltskin and just WISH that the straw we glue on our pictures could be turned into gold!
This is the time of year we normally see lots of bees, so we’ll learn more about their hives, their stages of life and their search for nectar to make honey. Don’t be surprised to see your child dancing a figure eight while singing “Buzz, buzz, buzz goes the honey bee…”. The African fable of Abiyoyo is a great lead in to Halloween, and we’ll ready our room with orange and black, and haunted houses. A friendly, spooky ghost usually hides a special treat for us that we find at the end of a candlelit hallway. Then it’s back to the rug to sit around the fireplace and tell spooooky ghost stories!
We’ll start our “Special Days” soon where we honor a child by choosing his/her picture out of the Special Day Bag. That child then has a week to prepare, with his family, a poster of pictures of people and events that have meaning to him/her. We’ll also send home a sheet of questions to answer with your child for ease of conversation. The poster doesn’t have to be anything grandiose – we’re not grading on neatness or creativity! We have found that the children do have fun compiling it with older sibs or mom or dad.
We have begun using Spanish words and phrases and counting. Thankfully, Mrs. Hampton did a lot of this last year with the afternoon 3’s, so she can guide us in our foreign language experience.
One of the songs we’re learning is called “Los Colores” and is sung to the tune of “Are You Sleeping”. I mentioned to Tori that I had the song stuck in my head and would probably be singing it the rest of the day, to which she replied “So you think it’s catchy?”
Indeed I do!
At the art table a few weeks ago, someone was drawing a tunnel, and I mentioned that my dad used to honk the horn on the car whenever we would drive through a tunnel. Ethan, who just moved here over the summer, said “My mom always gets honked at when she’s at a stop light.” I asked why someone would honk at her, and he said “she was reading a map. She got honked this morning”. Too cute and we so understand how that happens when you’re trying to learn your way around town!
Our energetic fun-filled days always end with a respectful Pledge of Allegiance and singing “God Bless America.” PERFECT!
Kindergarten Enrichment
From the Desk of Miss Byrd
What a great start to our year!
What a great bunch of kids!
We’ve been busy!
We’ve worked on writing our names with
a capitol at the front and in all lower case.
We’ve learned new games, created
our units of study, and went on our first field trip!
Our field trip to the firehouse was fantastic!
Firefighters Dan and Ryan showed us around the firehouse and the fire trucks!
We learned that they wash the fire trucks
every day!
They sleep there
overnight and take turns cooking the meals.
They don’t have a firedog but would like one.
We left with fire hats and vivid imaginative
play of fighting all sorts of fires around the Trinity playground!
A big thanks to Jon Peterson for being
an extra adult for us!
I look
forward to lots of adventures with this group!
From the Desk of
Mrs. Dashiell:
Our KE morning
children are so enthusiastic and delightful!
They love learning, creating
beautiful artwork, writing, and sharing stories and ideas.
They enjoyed making our “On Cloud Nine”
booklets.
The children drew and wrote on puffy clouds about what makes them
happy, their families, their best dream, and what they would like to become!
We read “Miss
Mingo and the First Day of School.”
Miss Mingo, the teacher, is a flamingo, who
wishes to get to know her new class.
She has each animal student tell why they
are special.
Ask your child how many teeth an alligator grows in his lifetime;
the length of a narwhal’s left tooth; or why flamingo’s feathers are pink.
Each week, the
children will write a word of their choosing for the letter of the week, which
they slide onto rings on a card.
At the end of the year, they will bring home their own special words
from A to Z.
We love singing,
skipping, and dancing to “On the Good Ship Lollipop,” “Singing in the Rain,”
and “Animal Crackers in my Soup.”
We are learning
about trees and animals of the forest, reading about bears, bobcats, bunnies,
cougars, coyote, deer, foxes, eagles, and owls.
Please come to visit and see our bulletin board of beautiful
painted woods filled with animal friends.
In October, we
will be begin science experiments and make our room ready for Halloween.
We can
hardly wait for our party and treasure hunt!
Thank you for
sharing your children with us.
Like Miss Mingo, we are enjoying learning the
special and wonderful things about them.
Kids
Say the Darnedest Things!!
Josh
L. was playing with the animals when I struck up a conversation.
Josh, what is your favorite
animal? An African porcupine was
his answer…. because they look cool!! Really?
Is he 3?
Jenna
C. and Alec F. were sitting together at the table and chatting as they played
together. Suddenly, Jenna sneezed,
and in her adorable voice said, "Alec... what do you say?" Alec looked up and
said..."Huh? What are you
talking about?" Jenna
replied..."I sneezed Alec, you should say bless you." Again I ask… is she 3???
For
more Kids Say the Darndest things…..please visit our blog. Find out who can fit SO MANY goldfish
in his mouth…
you wouldn’t believe it!!
Easy
Money!!!!
Thanks
to the ingenuity of 2 great TCNS Moms, we will be able to make money by grocery
shopping!
Dominick’s has a
program called e-scrip, which allows us to earn 1% of all your grocery
purchases.
All you need to do is
register your fresh values card with us – that’s all!
April Cesaretti is leading this
effort.
Thank you, April!
We know that the numbers will add
UP!
Thank you also to Amy
Martin!
Amy is laying the
groundwork to bring the grocery dollars program to TCNS. Then we can earn money shopping at
Jewel also.
The extra money will
be used to enhance the experience of ALL the children in our care.
A final note from Sue
Dear Trinity Family,
As many of you know, our family suffered a
tremendous loss on August 24th when my 10 year old nephew, Mason Parrish, lost
his battle with a rare and incurable childhood brain tumor. He fought
bravely for eight months and through it all he inspired us with his strength
and amazing attitude.
Our family is tremendously grateful to you, our
TCNS community, for helping make this unbearable situation more bearable.
I cannot adequately express the thanks in our hearts for the love and
support you expressed to us during
this past year -- whether it was in the form of meals, donations for expenses, presents for Mason and Max, cards, hugs,
and good wishes – your expressions of love empowered and strengthened us. You showed us that we were not alone
and it made a huge difference.
On behalf of the Gaertner and Parrish families,
thank you so very much.
I assure
you that we will carry your kindness with us forever… like a handprint on our
hearts.
With Love and Gratitude,
Sue
