May Newsletter

Director’s Corner

Spring is really here at last! We are all giving a sigh of relief as we enjoy warmer days. The bulbs have sprouted and pollen has filled the air. Despite allergy suffering, spring is good. I know the children have waited a long time to hear “you don’t need your coat today; it’s too warm!” The children love every minute they are running around on the playground rejoicing in the warmth of the sun. It’s been a long time coming.

As we enjoy the warmer days, we are reminded that the end of the school year is drawing close. As we welcome new families and say goodbye to our graduating families, we are reminded that Spring Knolls is a community that changes every year. Each family brings to the community its strengths and interests. We prosper and grow based on the wealth of diversity, talents and hard work that our Spring Knolls parent body has brought together for the past 59 years. It’s a unique community and our children benefit from the Spring Knolls experience. We welcome the new families to Spring Knolls and wish the graduating families a wonderful new start in their children’s new schools.

We are off to a great start for the new school year. Our telephone directory is nearly completed, thanks to Erika Sparks. Our committee list is almost completed, as well. Please make any corrections ASAP. The co-op schedule is being developed. Having this paperwork finished by the end of the school year will help us start up quickly in the fall. Thanks for all your help in making this happen.

We have a wonderful parent body joining our school next fall. I look forward to working with all of you.

If you have any questions or concerns please call me at 301-650-0086.

Until next time,

Fern

Inside this issue:

Upcoming Events                                page 2

News from the 2s                                page 3

News from the 3s and PM classes        page 4

News from Pre-K                                 page 5

Rock-n-Romp Fundraiser                    page 6

Auction Committee                              page 6

2008-2009 Tuition                               page 6

Newsletter News                                  page 6

From the President

April is marked by two big events for the school, the auction and the finalization of our organization for next year.

First, our spring auction, on April 12, was a smashing success. Not only did we raise more than $19,000, but we also showed that we know how to throw a party. Even if we didn’t have to raise money, we’d still want the party. The hard work by the Auction Committee really showed – thank you! And the generosity of the Greer/Stingley family in opening their home created the perfect atmosphere for the party. The contributions of time by so many of you ensured the event went smoothly. Your contributions of auction items gave us a wealth of things to bid on. And of course, (how to put this delicately?) your competitiveness, greed, lust, covetousness, what have you, egged on by auctioneer Bill Barbieri, made for a rollicking good time.

Second, we’ve done most of the administrative work of getting ready for next year. We developed and passed the budget and tuition, recruited Board members/committee chairs, assigned everyone to committees, finished the membership paperwork, and published the draft school calendar. The new tuition rates are listed on page six of this newsletter. At our May Board meeting (Wednesday, May 21, 7:30 pm), the current Board will hand the baton to the new Board.

Thank you for your expressions of appreciation. It’s been a privilege to lead the school these last three years. We’ve reached a level of stability and continuity that allows us to think seriously about our long-term aspirations. I think you can look forward to the leadership of Rachel Schaffer (President), Deborah Irvin (Vice President), and Eric Allen (Treasurer), along with the returning and new members of the Board.

Finally, you may insert eloquent and profound valedictory remarks here. Or plan your beach trip. Thank you.

Stuart

Soon to be Immediate Past President,

Spring Knolls Board of Directors

		Upcoming Events

Fri., May 9 Fri., May 16 12:30 – 1:00 pm Wed., May 21 10:00 am – Noon Wed., May 21 7:30 pm Thur., May 22 Thur., May 29 6:00 pm Fri., May 30 7:00 pm Sat., May 31 1:00 pm Fri., June 6 Sat., June 7 9:00 am – 1:00 pm		RSVP for May 16 Parent Discussion Group Parent Discussion Group with Janise Allyn Smith Community Helpers Day/Trucks Day Board Meeting Scholastic Book Orders Due (last order of the year) PreK Graduation, Skits and Dish to Pass 3s and PM Classes Art Show Rock-n-Romp Fundraiser (see page 6) Last Day of Classes Big Clean Up

Parent Discussion Group with Janise Allyn-Smith

Friday, May 16, 12:15 – 1:30 pm

Topic: “You’re Not My Friend Anymore!”

Children often say “You are not invited to my birthday party” or “You’re not my friend.” Often parents are shocked or embarrassed when they hear their child say such statements. Learn what to say or do to help your children through these divisive moments – and understand why they are happening. Join us for our last SK parent discussion group of the year.

Please bring a bag lunch.

RSVP by Friday, May 9 for attendance and childcare.

Parent Conferences

Parent conferences are scheduled this month. Please look for the sign up sheet in your classroom.

Change of Clothing

Now that the weather is warm, your children will need a new change of clothing. Please place labeled clothing in your child’s cubby.

Trucks Day

Trucks Day is scheduled for Wednesday, May 21, 10:00 am – 12:00 pm. Please look for information about this special day. We usually have policemen, fire fighters, an ambulance, construction trucks, a recycling truck, and an ice-cream truck. The children love this event. PM class, please join us with your parents at 11:00 am.

News from the 2s

Hurray for May! We are all ready for the beautiful sunny days that are sure to be in our future. The warmer days will also allow us to walk to our new favorite place, Woodside Park. The kids are enamored with all the choices that they have there. They go non-stop. It is always so much faster walking to the park than walking back to school from it…

We had so much fun learning about “mariposas” and caterpillars. The children loved singing the Mariposa Ole song and stuffing our poor little “hungry” caterpillar. Our egg carton caterpillars are so cute. Who knew that caterpillars enjoyed juice, broccoli, beans and rice, ice cream, and leaves? The Baby Bumblebee song was a hit when we were learning about these honey-making insects, especially when it stung us! The kids liked the beehive finger play and counting the bees. Alma and some of the kids caught a bumblebee one day in the classroom. We examined that bee – now dead – and let the kids feel it. They were fascinated.

Our classes loved planting beans and grass seed. It was really neat to watch our seeds grow in the Ziploc bags. The kids were amazed that they could see the roots. The grass seed people were so funny. Some children even mowed their grass by cutting its “hair.” This was an excellent opportunity to have the children put their fine motor skills to good use. Every morning there was a race to water the grass seed. Scooping, sorting and filling containers with seeds/beans, yet another fun, fine motor challenge. Making our “seed maracas” and using them to “jam” to our favorite tunes brought great joy to the classes. We also got to taste some seeds.

Our kids are really blossoming. They have moved away from solitary/parallel play to more interactive play. They are beginning to converse with one another and take part in more imaginary play. There are a lot of “love/hate” relationships going on at this time – which is normal. The kids are still very egocentric and it is kind of funny to watch them take a toy from a friend just because they “wanted it.” This is when we tell them to remember to ask for things when they want a turn. It’s really wonderful to see how generous they can be with each other. They are capable of sharing at times. At least now, they can see that it hurts another’s feelings, whereas in the beginning of the year they were wonderfully oblivious! We are encouraging them to “use their words” instead of screaming or crying. It will take some time, but it will sink in… some day. We encourage you to continue with playdates this summer. Maybe both classes can meet weekly at a local park to aid with class unity.

In May, we will have some "field trips" to Rafael's class to get our kids ready for next year. Our classes will go when the 3s are outside, so they can explore the room. We may even swap teachers so the kids can have a circle time with “Mr. Rafael.” We will have an actual field trip for both classes on May 15 to Brookside Nature Center for a reptile and amphibian puppet show; afterwards we will go on out for a walk by the pond with a naturalist.

Thanks again for your ongoing help and support. Thanks to Howie Schaffer for coming in the class as a volunteer. He showed the children his trumpet and guitar, played both for the kids and even let them play as well. A big thanks goes out to Karen Jones who put the finishing touches on the pots for the auction.

Yay for spring!

Lourdes and Mandy

News from the 3s and PM Classes

We only have a few more weeks of school to go. It seems incredible that the same children who cried on the first day because they didn’t want to stay are now crying because they don’t want to leave! Over the past month, the children and parents have been watching and waiting for the butterflies to emerge. It was a great success. The children have now set the butterflies free and I hope that their wishes all come true!

In order to make this month special for the children, each child will have a special day to celebrate them. I will post a calendar in the classroom and ask them what type of activities they would like to do on their day. Some children have indicated that they want to visit the Pre-K class. This is going to be a very special time because some of the children are having a hard time with the idea of leaving the 3s class and moving to a new classroom. This suggestion offers us an opportunity to help the children get to know their new teacher and all her great qualities. Some of the children in the PM class would like to do activities with dinosaurs, horses, art or just “hang around.”

We will have one more field trip to Discovery Creek on May 12 to learn about the “tropical tree house.” This will be a journey to the tropical rainforest of Central and South America. We will meet live rainforest residents, take a hike through Discovery Creek forest and compare it to a tropical rainforest. I will provide directions to Discovery Creek on the day of the trip.

Our last field trip will be to the bowling alley in White Oak. The AM class will be going on Thursday, May 29 at 10:00 am, and the PM class will be going on Tuesday, June 3 at 1:00 pm. We will be practicing with our toy bowling set to get used to the game. I will provide directions to the bowling alley on the day of the trip.

During the last two weeks in May, we will also be preparing for our annual Art Show on May 30 at 6:30 pm. This is an opportunity for parents to share in their children’s pride in their artistic accomplishments. As we prepare for the show, we will be discussing famous artists such as Michelangelo, Georgia O’Keefe, Pablo Picasso, Diego Rivera, Monet, Jackson Pollock and Henri Matisse. At the Art Show we will share some wine and delicious appetizers prepared by the parents (AM and PM). Please feel free to invite your friends and relatives to this exciting exhibit prepared by our young artists. I hope to see you all of you there!

Due to our extended butterfly unit, we will be learning about planets, rockets and other space-related topics during the last week of April. We will create our own solar systems, including our plant Earth. And what the heck – we will even make our own rocket ship!!!!!

We say goodbye to Japan and jump over to Mexico where we will celebrate Cinco de Mayo. We will be learning lots of interesting things about Mexico and, of course, sampling some Mexican foods prepared right in the classroom. During May we will also be making something special for Mother’s Day. And last but not least, we will be studying about the Middle Ages with castles, costumes and art projects.

Upcoming Events

Tuesday, May 13 AM Class: Discovery Creek

(leaving around 9:30 am)

Thursday, May 29 AM Class

Bowling Alley

(leaving around 9:30 am)

Friday, May 30 AM & PM Classes: ART SHOW

6:30 pm

Tuesday, June 3 PM Class

Bowling Alley

(leaving around 12:30 pm)

As always, I want to thank all the parents, sitters and aides who helped to make our April activities a success. I have enjoyed working with you and appreciate your support. If you have any ideas or contributions to our upcoming units, please feel free to share them with me.

Rafael

News from Pre-K

April was a busy month. The main unit for the month was the solar system. We learned some very interesting facts that boggled our minds and the minds of the co-oppers. The children learned that the first four planets are made out of rock and the last four are made out of the gas. Saturn is so light it could float if you found an ocean big enough. A day on Mercury is longer than its years! And then there are facts like: there are hundreds of thousands of other solar systems with hundreds of thousands of stars in each one! There are lots of strange things to learn about. One of our favorite photos was a picture of a star-making cloud burst. It was taken by the Hubble satellite. It is strange to see stars pop out of the huge colorful cloud mass. At the end of our unit, we took off into space. We wore our air tanks and squashed together to get into the spacecraft. When we arrived in space, we jumped out of the space craft and carefully held onto a safety cord so we would not float away. When we landed again, we were greeted by cheers and had a parade around the room. Space is a pretty neat place to be. Thanks to all the parents who sent in “new” solar system books. They were very helpful.

During April, we started practice skits. The children loved it! They have learned basic stage techniques: facing the audience, projecting their voices, learning where to stand, etc. We learned that the audience is an important part of the performance. They support our performance and are crucial in determining if we are successful at acting out our parts. They make keen critics: “we can’t hear you;” “we can’t see your face- turn to the side.” They’re good! On May 1 we will perform nursery rhymes for the parents as well as some songs. The children are patient and wait for their turn. They do a great job!

This month we discussed the importance of preserving trees and the value it has to the animals and people of the earth. We read The Great KapokTree and The Lorax to emphasize the value trees have in our life. We will study the rain forest and eventually work our way into undersea creatures.

Our next field trip is to the Harvest Bakery in Rockville on Wednesday, May 7. We still need more drivers.

During April, we introduced many new songs and movement activities: Duke from York, Blue Bird Blue, Little Seeds, and Hi, My Name is Joe. The favorite is Blue White Planet by Tom Knight. The children are proud to sing about our planet. The children have a great thirst for music and song. It’s a pleasure to work with them.

During May, we will continue to study about keeping our earth clean. We will talk about how to reduce garbage and learn about recycling. We will also do a unit on undersea creatures.

This month we started preparing for parent conferences. Please look for the sign up sheet on the classroom door.

Our graduation Picnic Dinner will be on Thursday, May 29 at 6:00 pm in the Pre-K Classroom. We will start promptly at 6:00 pm for skits, songs and an art show. Hope to see everyone! Sign up sheets will be distributed toward the end of the month.

Until next time,

Fern

End-of Year Spring Knolls Fundraiser: Rock-n-Romp Concert!

McGinty's Public House (downtown Silver Spring)

Saturday, May 31, 1:00 pm

We're excited to be able to organize one last Spring Knolls fundraiser this year – a Rock-n-Romp concert at McGinty's in downtown Silver Spring to celebrate the end of the school year!

Rock-n-Romp is a kid-friendly concert series started six years ago by Debbie Lee (Natey, 3s). Many of the best local musicians and bands come out to play for the all-ages crowd. These bands play the same sets they do in the clubs, just turn down the volume a bit to keep it kid-friendly. The shows are a great way to share the kind of music you listened to BEFORE you had kids WITH your kids, and everyone has a great time. It didn't take long for the word to get out to music-loving parents about the concerts, and there are now Rock-n-Romp shows happening in Austin, Baltimore, Boston, Memphis and Philadelphia!

Bands playing this special SK Rock-n-Romp include:

XMC (featuring Sofie's dad – 3s class),

Kid Goat (www.myspace.com/kidgoat).

McGinty's Public House, 911 Ellsworth Drive, www.mcgintyspublichouse.com

(Be sure to use the massive FREE parking garage on Wayne Avenue!)

$7 for adults, kids under 12 always FREE (adults must be accompanied by a child for admission).

If you have any questions (or if you're interested in helping put on this special concert), email Debbie (debbie@rocknromp.com) or David (david@davidblee.com).

For more information about Rock n Romp, go to www.rocknromp.com or www.myspace.com/rocknromp.

This is going to be a great way to end the school year!!!

Spring Knolls Fundraising Committee

Auction Committee

This year's Auction was a HUGE success and the committee would like to thank all of you for your support! The donations from the community, families, and friends were amazing this year and allowed us to earn more than $19,000 for our wonderful school. Our top business donors were thanked formally in the Silver Spring/Takoma Park Gazette on April 23. The party during the auction was a ton of fun with delicious food, live musicians, and yummy beverages. So, if you missed it this year, make sure you attend the 2009 Auction. You'll have a blast and come home with some excellent prizes!

Tiffany Disrud (Carter, 3s)

Auction Co-Chair

2008-2009 Tuition

The tuition rates for the 2008-2009 school year are:

	Full Co-op	Ltd. Co-op	Non Co-op
2d2s	$159.00	n/a	$261.00
3d2s	$217.00	n/a	$318.00
5-day classes	$331.00	$427.00	$525.00

Newsletter News

The June issue of the newsletter will be the last of the year. Publication will resume with the start of the 2008-2009 school year in September. So, if you’ve got committee news that needs to go out before the break, or a picture that’s just begging to make it to print before school ends, send it our way.

Please remember to send all items to the newsletter e-mail address, and not to Diane’s address (it’s pretty crowded in there, and those pictures take up a lot of mailbox space).

Deadline for June Newsletter: May 23

Send items to: sknewsletter@comcast.net

Diane Gross (Derek, 3s)

Mara Parker (Mateo, 3s)

Upcoming

Events

RSVP for May 16 Parent Discussion Group

Parent Discussion Group with Janise Allyn Smith