Big Oak BulletinJune/July 2008
Big Oak Child Care Center 2030 Winnebago Street Madison, WI53704
608.249.3991
Upcoming Events:
July 4 – Center Closed, Fourth of July
July 22 – Board Meeting, 7:00 p.m., Big Oak
Notes from the Board:
The humidity is up, so summer must be here! Let me start thismonth by thanking Liz Amundson (aka Julian's mom) for
pulling off a veryproductive spring work day. Thanks also to all those who helped out, especially Jason Sailing (aka Julian's dad) for handing out the donuts. I think work days are one of the hardest things for us as parents to get done but it really makes a difference, for both the physical space and our little community. I don't think you can really say you've had the full experience until you've cleaned out the Big Oak basement on a Saturday morning. Thanks everyone!
Some of the items discussed at the May Board Meeting:
2008 -09 Budget
The budget committee reported back and we were able to finalize next year's Big Oak budget.
Contract Committee
Every spring the Board forms a committee to negotiate a new teacher contract for the following academic year. We work with the staff's negotiation committee to balance the center's financial position with rewarding and retaining our top notch staff. The greatest asset of any child care center is its staff, and Big Oak is an excellent example of that principal.We are looking forward to another successful year of negotiating. If anyone has any questions about the bargaining process or the contract please feel free to talk to one of us on the committee.
Contract committee members: Andrew Carne, Amy Covey and Karen Nelson
CONGRATULATIONS 2008 GRADUATES! Good luck and we hope to see you at camp!
Next Meeting:
All Board meetings are open to any Big Oak family member that would like to attend. Next month’s meeting will be on July 22 at Big Oak.
See you under the Oak
Andrew Carne
Big Oak Board President
Center Wide Notes:
There are some summer staffing changes to note. We welcome Jessica Valdes back to Big Oak. Jessica will be joining Valerie in the afternoons in the Preschool. Cynthia will be leaving Big Oak to work with Walker at Orton Park Camp and then off for a relaxing vacation. We look forward to her return in the fall. Dani will also be joining Orton Park Camp for the last half of the summer. During this time, Heather Reimer will be working with Megan. Jimmy Nelson will also be joining us as our summer floater. Please introduce yourself and welcome our new staff members to Big Oak!
Diebold Labs, our neighbors to the north, have some stinky trash! Please know that the smell is that of rotten food. We are currently working with them to curb the smell. Please see Ann if you have any questions.
General Information
In the event that some unforeseen event occurs and Big Oak’s door is not open at 7:00 a.m., here are two contact numbers:
1. Ann Fox 239-1929
2. Lori Pape 240-9185
Please label all of your children’s belongings. Children may bring one small toy to share with their friends. Please make sure the toy will fit in their cubby.
Big Oak driveways are for staff parking only. Please park on the street when dropping off or picking up your child.
Please note that both Big Oak’s policies and the Wisconsin state licensing standards are always available for review in the entryway.
If you need to reach your child’s teacher after office hours, you may call the Big Oak cellular phone (213.3108). Please reserve use of this number for immediate concerns.
Just a reminder, Big Oak closes at 5:45. Parents and children need to have left the building by this time. Our staff are paid until 5:45 and our insurance is in effect until 5:45. If you need extra time to dress your child and/or gather materials please plan accordingly and come earlier. Thank you for your cooperation in this regard.
Due to safety reasons, please remember children must be supervised and accompanied by a parent at all times within the center. Parents/Guardians are responsible for their children before they are signed in and after they are signed out.
Please remember that Big Oak classrooms are a “Shoe Free Zone.” Please provide indoor only shoes or slippers for your child to wear at Big Oak. Outdoor footwear should remain in the front entryway. We will also require anyone entering Big Oak classrooms to remove their shoes. Thank you for your cooperation and help keeping Big Oak clean.
Preschool News:
Welcome to summer! June is a month full of changes here at Big Oak. On June 13th, our kindergarteners-to-be graduated from Big Oak. We welcome Nathan and Emily from the older toddler room and two new classmates, Sebastian and Ian.
In keeping with a low-key, summertime atmosphere, there will be several changes to the program. One, field trips will be local and a bit more spontaneous, such as Hawthorne park and walks around the neighborhood. Watch the parent bulletin board for specific dates of travel. Two, small groups will reconvene in the fall, when all permanent staff are present. Three, lesson plans will focus more on general goals and less on specific COR items.
The preschool summer staff will include Valerie, Paula, and Jessica. Cynthia will be at Orton Park Camp. Please introduce yourself to Jimmy, our floater for the summer.
Older Toddler News:
Summer is finally here and the OT’s are getting excited! We are going to take this opportunity to explore color and our environment with all of our senses. This means we will be spending more and more time outside so please remember to make sure there the your child has both appropriate summer-like clothes, as well as at least 2 or each item. We play with lots of water outside and will need to change once in the air conditioning. Also, there are a few children who still need sunscreen forms. Please bring them ASAP!
We would like to welcome our newest additions to our room! Rama and Ancha from the Younger toddler room and Shane will be joining us full time. Also, Nathan is moving up to the preschool and we wish him luck in his new classroom. Dani will be at camp for a large portion of the summer. During that time, Heather will be joining Megan. Please introduce yourself to her!
We are currently searching for screw-top baby food jars for a class project. If any family has them and could bring them in, that would be fabulous!
Liz Amundson, mom to OT Julian, is also a Librarian at Madison Public Library's Central Library. In her role as mom and librarian, she's got a monthly email list of 'Books for 2 Year Olds' that you can get directly to your email inbox. The list is 'clickable,' meaning you can place a hold to pickup the book(s) at the library of your choosing directly from the email. Take a look, if you like (scroll down a smidge and click signup to do so, or just view the list):
Younger Toddler News:
Summer is here at last! We will be spending much more time outside and our water is table is open. Please bring extra clothes for your child.
Some learning experiences planned this month include exploring a watermelon, a picnic snack, walking to the market for Popsicles, and a bubble dance.
This month we will also be learning a new song:
One baby turtle alone and new
Finds a friend and there are two
Two baby turtles crawl down to the sea
They find another and then there are three
Three baby turtles crawl along the shore
They find another and then there are four
Four baby turtles go for a dive
Up swims another and then there are five