BACK TO SCHOOL 2011-2012

UPDATED 8/15/2011

***Several factors have combined to make it difficult to hold Back to School on the originally planned evenings. First, the neighboring store experienced a flood and this resulted in the wall and floor in one of our classrooms having to be replaced. I thought we would be able to get it taken care of it by now, but my estimations were wrong! Second, I have received quite a few phone calls from parents unable to attend because our nights are conflicting with other Back to School nights in the elementary and other schools. And last of all, my family has all contracted some 24 hr flu bug over the weekend. It has been spreading through them each one by one and unless it skips me (which I’m hoping for), I’ll probably get it last and be unable to attend my own party! So here is the new schedule…

Dear Parents,

It’s that time of year… Back To School! You are invited to the new school building located at 462 South Main Street in Spanish Fork for our Back to School Night (see schedule below). Come meet the teachers and get acquainted with our new school. See you soon!

- Miss Jamie

Back To School Night(s)

For all MORNING students

An Open House will be held,

Tuesday, August 23rd, 2011

From 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

For all AFTERNOON students

An Open House will be held,

Wednesday, August 24th, 2011

From 6:30 pm to 8:30 pm

A couple of things to note…

*Please bring a copy of your child’s immunization records (if they are not immunized, please write a letter saying so and sign it). Thanks!

* Please come prepared with September tuition. Also, I’m getting quite a few calls about paying for the whole year up front. It is not required, but it is an option. I give a 10% discount if you pay for the entire year up front. (Just take the monthly payment and times it by 9, then take %10 of that off and you will have the correct amount). Come prepared to pay this at Back to School Night.

*If you absolutely cannot make it to the open house on your assigned evening you are welcome to come the other evening if it works better. You will probably miss meeting your teacher (unless it's me), but this way you will at least get all the forms filled out and tour the school. Thanks!

*If you have not purchased a backpack for your child already, please consider purchasing one of the recommended back packs. (check the website for more info… www.littlereaderspreschool.com)

Clear Tote $6.00

Large Blue Backpack $12.00

I have searched long to find the perfect preschool backpack and I think these are as close as I can get... the backpack is actually my fave, but I wanted to have two options in different prices to cater to everyone (and yes, it only comes in blue). I have actually had quite a few problems with backpacks in the past and am hoping to solve them with these. If you really don't like them, please try to follow these guidelines when choosing your own:

*Must be large enough to fit a 9x12 folder in it without scrunching or folding.

*Must have working zippers and straps.

Most of the problems I've had come from those two things, but there are a couple of other things that I thought were cured with the "clear" bags. First, parents will not miss what comes home with their kids and backpacks will get emptied and the projects brought home will be shared. Second, toys and other fun objects will not accidentally get brought into the school with the children (many a precious toy has been lost or broken when brought to school, as well as disrupting class).

If you would like to order one of the two clear bags, please email me at littlereaderspreschool@gmail.com and I will put the order in and hopefully have it for you to pick up at Back to School Night. Thanks!

WHEN CHOOSING A PRESCHOOL... PICK A WINNER!

Choosing the right preschool for your child is important...

*Our small class size of 12 equals more individual attention for your child. This allows the teacher to interact with the children on a more individual basis and more easily assess and meet the needs of each child.

*We provide a safe, comfortable, and clean environment for your child to learn and play inside and out.

*Our curriculum has been carefully and thoughtfully researched and put together to maximize your child's learning experience.

*We feel that our "3 days in a row" school week provides your child with a routine that they will respond to with ease. With this type of schedule, Monday is the only day that we, as teachers, will have to spend time helping the children to readjust from their time off. If you are signing up for our "2 day course", click here for details!

*We believe children respond best in a positive environment. We praise our students freely and often. While discipline is important and used when appropriate, we believe that the more "yes" responses a child hears, the better they will learn. Good self esteem goes hand in hand with motivation to learn.

*We recognize the importance and value of free time and creative play for children. Pretend play teaches preschoolers so much about life and emotions. They mimic the things that they see adults do and practice the skills that they will need later in life. Preschoolers need the freedom to create their own world through imaginative play and make sense of their world by acting out what they see.

*We provide the children with play materials that encourage them to use their imaginations and think creatively. All of our toys were purchased with this purpose in mind.

*Our classroom is filled with books, books, and more books! We believe a classroom should be filled with meaningful print which is then utilized in storytime, play acting, and readily available to the child for touching, seeing, hearing, etc... We teach the children to value books and give them a head start to a lifelong love of literature.

*We incorporate important social lessons into our daily routine such as, sharing, listening, and self control. Children perform better when they know what is expected of them.

*We are mothers ourselves and promise to give your child the love and care that they deserve, and that we would expect for our own children, while they are under our tutelage.

(A Spanish Fork Preschool)

JUMPING FOR JOY...

Ooooh, I am SO excited to announce that Little Reader's Preschool is GROWING... which also means that we will be MOVING! It's a big decision that I have been agonizing over for weeks, all the while fielding almost daily phone calls and emails from potential clients, whom I've had to put on a wait list or turn away for this fall (I filled up my 24 spots for Fall in only 3 weeks this year)!

It was tricky business figuring out how to get all I wanted and still keep tuition where I wanted it- affordable, of course. I'm going with $85 for 3 day and $65 for 2 day! Finally, just this week, everything just fell right into place.

I am feeling so blessed right now.

I have leased a wonderful space on Main Street in Spanish Fork. It's about 4 times the size of my school currently(1700 sq ft)!!! I plan to hire a teacher or two and fill it right up with cute kids.

Starting in FALL 2011 we will be offering 2 and 3 day classes. I'm still not loving the traditional split schedule (M/W/F and T/Th) so I've decided to continue with M/T/W and then add a Th/F class.... make sense (click here for more details and explanation on the schedule)? I really think the kids are able to grasp the concepts we are teaching so much better when they are taught on consecutive days. THIS MEANS THAT I HAVE OPEN SPOTS!!! Call or email to reserve yours today! I will, of course, be reserving the first pick to my wait list, but with all the new changes I now am able to guarantee all of those and add more!

Now for the fun part... the decorating! Let me paint you a picture of our new digs... First, there is a lot of parking - YAY! The inside is open, well lit, has high ceilings (I love the feeling you get with high ceilings), 2 huge classrooms, 2 bathrooms, an Arts & Crafts room, and a BIG open space that is just perfect for an indoor play area!

A little paint, some wood floors, a willing husband/handyman, and quite a few shopping trips to Ikea, Pottery Barn Kids, The Land of Nod, etc... and we'll be IN BUSINESS!

Remember this??? Just a small sample of my BIG IDEAS, can't wait to get started!

disclaimer** these are not actual pictures from the school, they are pictures from magazines that I am using for inspiration in the preschool remodel.

SPREAD THE WORD! I am also going to be teaching a Kindergarten Prep Course this summer (space will be limited), as well as getting together Summer Mini Camps and classes! I'll be getting the info. up ASAP on that. If you are interested in more details call me at (801) 623-1150 and we'll chat!

(Preschool in Spanish Fork)

SUMMERTIME

I am planning on holding the camps at our new location...
The address is 462 South Main Street in Spanish Fork!
It's right across the street from the Fairgrounds. Pics coming soon!
Summer 2011 schedule


ATTENTION!!! Only MORNING SESSIONS ARE AVAILABLE FOR ALL CAMPS AS OF MAY 14th, 2011!!! When you send in your enrollment form, please only check the MORNING SESSION. THANK YOU!









If you are enrolling more than one child in camps or one child for more than one camp the fee is $45 per camp, make sense? Email with questions!

EMAIL littlereaderspreschool@gmail.com to sign up!

summer fun for kids in Spanish Fork

December Highlights...

We enjoyed a fun and relaxing PAJAMA DAY! Hot Cocoa and our favorite books made the day a big hit with the kids...

We used different SHAPES and COLORS (plus a little glitter, always a hit with the kids) to decorate our Christmas trees...



Preschools in Spanish Fork, Utah

WEEK TWO highlights...

On TUESDAY we introduced CIRCLE TIME...

We start out the day with free time in which the children can choose to play with toys, puzzles, magnets, etc... or they can choose to draw pictures or play with play dough. Then we all work together to clean up and meet on the red rug for Circle Time!





During Circle Time, we review the month, day, and year and sing our "Months of The Year" song (which is basically "January, February, March, etc..." set to the "Macarena" complete with actions). We introduce or review the letter/sound of the week, choose a color, shape, and rhyming words for the day. One child is then chosen to be the "weatherperson". The weatherperson looks out the window and changes the weather dial on our wall to fit the weather of the day. We finish up the Circle Time calendar by counting out our gumballs in the jar together.




Next, the children find their "Name-o-saurus" on the wall and look to see if the "special heart" has been placed next to their name! Each day, the special heart is placed next to a different child's name designating them the Flag Leader for the day. We then have the Flag Leader come to the front and lead us in The Pledge of Allegiance. After this, Miss Jamie plays "My Country Tis of Thee" on the piano and the children march around the rug singing as they follow the Flag Leader.

On WEDNESDAY we walked to Centennial Park...


After we got back, we fingerpainted with PUDDING our LETTER OF THE DAY, which is A - the children learned to make a lowercase "a" by first making the letter "c" then adding the line!

Preschool in Spanish Fork, Utah

Highlights from WEEK ONE...

On TUESDAY (the first day of school) we read the story "The Kissing Hand" by Audrey Penn. Each of the children found a handprint made by their parent(s) and placed a "kiss" on it. We talked about our worries of leaving Moms and Dads while we are at school and we talked about the fun we will be having each day at school. In art we made handprints to take home for our parents to have. The rest of the time was spent getting to know each other and the preschool surroundings better.

On WEDNESDAY we read "How Do Dinosaurs Go to School" by Jane Yolen and introduced each child to their "Name-0-saurus". Each child's name was placed next to a different dinosaur on the wall. We then had each child stand up one at a time and take a turn finding their "Name-o-saurus" on the wall as we chanted "Dinosaur, Dinosaur, ONE, TWO, THREE... who's that dinosaur standing next to me"?. This helped each child recognize their written name. In art we made dinosaur hand puppets to take home (with our names on them of course)!