Parent Mentor Newsletter

Check out the May 2015 Issue of the Parent Mentor Newsletter here.  

Eileen is a great resource for parents in the Independence community!  Check out the newsletter and feel free to contact Eileen at anytime.  

End of Year Party Info

Preschool End of Year Party

Family & friends of preschoolers are invited to celebrate.  

Friday, May 22, 2015

 11:00 - 1:00

Kiwanis Pavalion & Liberty Park  

Please arrive by 11:00.  We will begin with our certificate ceremony by 11:15 followed by lunch and playground fun afterwards.  We will have picnic and ceremony regardless of weather.  Lunch including pizza, drinks, and snacks will be provided.  

Questions please contact:  tkieser@independence.k12.oh.us 

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Please return RSVP by Thursday, May 7th.

Spring Party Info

Our Spring Party and Egg Hunt will be on Thursday, April 2nd @ 10:15am and 2:00pm.  

On Thursday, please send your child in with 12-24 plastic eggs, filled with a treat (An example treat: a sticker, a tattoo, etc. - nothing elaborate! All packaged candies must be NUT FREE. Please no chocolate - it melted last year when the eggs sat in the sun!) 

Also, please remember to send your child with a basket or container for the egg hunt. 

Happy Spring! :-)

Visit the sign up link here .  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0445a8af2aaaf85-spring

SPRING FLING WEEK

Monday - Favorite Team Jersey Day
Tuesday - Spring Splash Neon Day
Wednesday - Work Out Wednesday
Thursday - Hoppy Hat Day

Parent Newsletter

Please visit the link below for the Parent Mentor  News March issue. 

https://files.ctctcdn.com/cb5253ff001/8ccf1c46-b845-4274-b6e7-0e05cf0b74fa.pdf

Dental Health Week

Check out the photos from today's Dental Health lesson.  Thank you Rockside Road Dental for visiting! Visit the PICTURE tab above to see all the photos  in the Jan/Feb album.

Pictures have been added!

Jan/ Feb Class Pictures

Parent Mentor Newsletter

You can find the latest Parent Mentor Newsletter at this link:

https://files.ctctcdn.com/cb5253ff001/7f7f234b-ac76-4948-8742-766b3f934588.pdf

Check out these Preschool Events

Greetings from the Orange Branch of Cuyahoga County Public Library. We are asking that you inform your parents of two upcoming sensory programs we are offering at this branch library. The only way we can be successful is with the support of the various community outreaches so we hope you will support us by advertising.

Sensory School-Age Program / Registration required.

Join us for a program geared for children who are developmentally at the kindergarten to grade 5 school-age level and specifically designed for children with special needs and their families. The program incorporates hands-on activity stations and social interaction.

Saturdays January 17^th & February 14^th / 2:00 p.m.

Inclusive Yoga for Families / Registration required.

Grades K – 3

Join occupational therapist and YogaKids apprentice Barbara Paulett-Long as she leads two yoga sessions for children with special needs. We will have fun exploring our senses using yoga while learning to relax our bodies. A parent/legal guardian must stay with the child and sign a release form before the program.

Thursdays, January 22^nd & 29^th  / 6:30 p.m.

In advance, thank you for your support. Our address and contact information is below.

Debbie Archibald

Deborah Ann Archibald, M.L.I.S.

Children's Librarian

Cuyahoga County Public Library Orange Branch 31300 Chagrin Blvd./Pepper Pike, OH 44124-5975 p 216.831.4282/f  216.831.0714 www.cuyahogalibrary.org 

Preschool School Announcement for Monday/Wednesday next week

To help show our spirit for OSU please have your child wear Ohio State/Buckeye/red on Monday.  Go Bucks!

Also, a reminder that Wednesday is pajama and pancakes day.  Please have your child wear pajamas or you can send them in their backpack and they can change at school.  We will be making pancakes that day…yummy!

Holiday Fun Week

IPS is having a Holiday Fun Week next week. Here is the schedule:

Mon: Wear your holiday accessories (ties, hats, bells, etc)

Tue:  Dress like your favorite holiday character (snowman, reindeers, etc)

Wed:  Wacky Winter dress/  PJ Day for Preschool

Thurs:  Red/Green Day
            Holiday Parties
            Preschoolers will not be participating in the caroling.  If you would like have your child participate, please let me know before Thursday and we can make arrangements for you to "sign your child out early with the office and your child will meet you in the foyer at 2:15.  Please beware that they will miss the holiday party in our classroom if they attend the caroling.  


Happy Birthday to Josh!

Oh and in the spirit of holiday madness ......we bring to you hearing and visions screenings and practicing a few of the school safety drills.

Happy Holidays to you and your families!

This week in preschool....

We will continue our Winter Holiday Theme this week.  Our letter of the week is Xx.  This letter has two parts to it's letter sound (k-s) and it is usually found at the end of words like fox.  

A great story you can read at home is Gingerbread Boy and there are lots of fun activities to incorporate.

Gingerbread Man  read aloud is here. (Note it is a bit long for younger students.)

Gingerbread Man story is here.  Shorter version but it doesn't have audio.  It has a great number concepts game at the end.

Make a Gingerbread Man Online Game

Mrs. Kieser will not be in the classroom on Monday, Dec 8th.  Mrs. Synek will be the substitute. 

Happy Birthday to Miss Lorrie on Tuesday!

Don't forget Santa Shop is this week.  The preschoolers will be shopping on Thursday (9:45 AM Class and 1:15 PM Class).  If you would like your child to buy gifts for parents/siblings/grandparents please send in $ and the Santa Shop form.  The limit is 6 gifts per child.  You are welcome to send in $/forms any day this week and we will hold onto them until Thursday.  There will be plenty of volunteers to help you child with the Santa shop.  However, if you wish to help your child you are welcome to come in but please go directly to the Santa Shop area when you arrive.  


Preschool Parent Teacher Conferences also continue this week on Thursday/Friday.  Reminder notices with your date/time will be sent home on Tuesday.

Make a Christmas Tree

Many people have requested the website that the kids used to make their Christmas tree today.  You can find it here:  http://www.abcya.com/christmas_tree.htm

Preschool Turkeys in the News....

Check out the article and picture featuring our Thanksgiving Feast.  Thank you again to our room parents Amanda and Jen for organizing this wonderful event.

http://www.cleveland.com/independence/index.ssf/2014/11/independence_primary_school_pr.html

Winter Holidays

We will spend the entire month of December on Winter Holidays. This is such an exciting time of year for our little ones and they have much joy and cheer!

Our letter this week is Qq for queen.  We have been busy little elves making lots of crafts! We started learning some holiday songs so if you hear us singing some silly Santa songs you know where we learned them.

Miss Lynn, Miss Kathy, and Miss Melody came to visit us from the Cuyahoga County Public Library.  The kids loved the Sensory Story time activities they shared.  Be sure to check out what the Independence Library has to offer for your preschooler.  

Sensory Story Time is designed for children with different needs, including those with autism, down syndrome, sensory processing disorder, speech/language delays, cognitive impairments, AD/HD and other special needs and challenges.  Check out an article about it here or visit the library's website (search events: sensory story time.)

Reminder: Parent Teacher Conferences are coming up....some are this week on Thursday/ Friday and some are next week on Thursday/Friday.  Reminder slips for this week were sent home.  

Winter Holiday Party sign up is here:  http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0445a8af2aaaf85-preschool

SAVE THE DATE

December 9, 2014,"Non-invasive approaches for children with selective eating or sensory disorders".

Karen Porter, OTR/L from Galvin Therapy Center and John Seleck, Chef from University Hospitals Ahuja Medical Center will be on hand to discuss healthy eating habits and strategies for children. City of Independence Civic Center, December 9, 2014 from 6:30-8:15 pm. RSVP to Eileen Hawkins at (216) 524-0424. FREE of Charge.

Thanksgiving Feast Video

The video is finished!  Please feel free to send the link to your family and friends.  

http://vimeo.com/112934097

Click the link above or the picture below to watch the video.  Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving Feast 2014 from Tara Gruskiewicz on Vimeo.

November Picture Album...

Pictures  have been posted under the PICTURE tab above.  You can also view the album by clicking on the title below.  Happy Thanksgiving!  Feast video coming soon.....

November Class Pictures

Parent Mentor and Autism Society Info

Hopefully some of you had a chance to chat with Eileen Hawkins at our Thanksgiving Feast today.  Eileen is a Parent Mentor for the Independence & Cuyahoga Heights.    What is a parent mentor?  A Parent Mentor is the parent of a child with a disability that is employed by the Educational Service Center as a mentor to help school districts and families by providing training, support and information services.  Eileen is also the the president of the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland.  She is a wonderful resource and has lots of opportunities  to offer parents and children (including parent support groups). You can reach her at: Eileen.hawkins@esc-cc.org

 

Check out this upcoming event right here in Independence....it is for any child with any disability or a sibling.  

Annual Autism Society Holiday Party

Friday, December 5, 2014

6:30 - 8:45 PM

Free of Charge - All are welcome RSVP a must!

 

Please join The Autism Society of Greater Cleveland for our Annual Holiday Party. This event will be held onFriday, December 5, 2014, from 6:30 PM till 8:45 PM at The City of Independence Old Recreation Building, 6200 Elmwood Drive (Pete Wisniewski Pkwy), Independence, OH 44131.

We will have music, crafts, games and more.  The Autism Society will provide Pizza, Salad and Bottled Water. We are requesting that each family that is attending the party donate soda, juice or desert based upon the first letter of your last name.

If your Last Name begins with:

A-H:   Please bring a twelve pack of soda to share.

I-O:    Please bring a box of juice boxes to share.

P-Z:    Please bring a desert to share.

Every child, teen or adult with autism or any type of disability and their siblings will receive a gift from Santa. RSVP is required. 

There is no child care  at this party.  All children must be accompanied and supervised the entire time by a parent or guardian over age 21.

Please click here to RSVP.

Visit the Autism Society of Greater Cleveland webpage here.

Spirit Wear Week

Please wear your I-Pride, blue/gold, or Blue Devil gear next Monday and Tuesday!