Holly Oak Childcare Center
FALL 2014 GOSSIP
From our director:
I am very excited to start a new Quarterly Newsletter!
Staff Birthdays
Miss Sandee: September 7th
Miss Cathy: September 26th
Miss Chris: October 18th
Miss Ethel: November 24th
The children and staff seem anxious for fall weather to arrive. Please make sure to update your child’s cubby and emergency bag clothing with seasonal clothes.
We have just ended our Fall Fundraiser. Thank you to those families who were able to participate. The success of our fundraisers helps keep tuition costs down. If you have any ideas for new fundraisers and are able to help, please let us know your ideas.
Don’t forget we host Trunk or Treat on Halloween with our annual parade of children in costumes. When choosing your child’s costume, ensure they can walk and see while wearing it. Please send in your child’s costume with your child in the morning. They will be put on after naps. Parent help around 2:15-2:30 would be much appreciated. Check out our sign up list and please refer to the letter on the Parent Board for Trunk or Treat guidelines! Please feel free to invite additional family members to see the kids as there is always plenty pizza and treats to share.
November brings Thanksgiving and our annual Thanksgiving Breakfast on the morning of November 26th at 9:00 a.m. All are welcome, but for additional family members outside of the immediate family a donation of $5.00 per person is requested. Thank you and we look forward to sharing breakfast and fun with you.
As you may or may not know, the center offers a referral credit of $50.00 to families for each new child that begins at the center that was referred by you! We have openings in our Infant, Toddler, and Pre-K classrooms. Spread the word!
With the fall season here and winter approaching, along may come the inclement weather. For all center closings, delays, or early dismissals you may check Snowwatch or listen to WDEL 1150AM or WSTW 93.7FM. With any luck, it will be a calm winter!
As always, I am available for any questions or concerns. You can call, see me at the center, or email me at . Your feedback is always welcome! --Miss Cheryl
Upcoming Events
October 31st: Halloween Party 3:00-4:00 p.m.
November 26th: Thanksgiving Breakfast 9:00-11:00 a.m.
November 27th & 28th: Closed for Thanksgiving
From our board:
Some parents may not know that HOCCC has an executive board that is necessary as a non-profit institution. The board functions to oversee the direction and the overall functioning of the center. We also vote on monetary and ethical issues as needed. At the last meeting, the board approved a new staff recognition program. Quarterly, all staff is invited out to dinner on the center. The board hopes this will serve as a small token of appreciation for the outstanding care provided to our children and also serve to enhance camaraderie. –Christina Asuncion
Pre-Kindergarten Room news:
The hot lazy days of summer have been replaced with "Back to School" hustle and bustle and cooler weather. The children in the PreKindergarten room have been busy learning basic skills necessary for kindergarten. We welcomed a new classmate, Cameryn Welch, to our classroom. Cameryn was excited to share facts about herself and family during our first week, "All About Me"; and her classmates have happily embraced her into the group. Our class still has some open spots for new classmates, and we welcome anyone who would like to join.
The class jumped right into early reading skills. The children have begun weekly cutting homework to help them master letter sounds needed for reading, as well as enhancing fine motor skills. Work on letter sounds A-H will continue before taking a break during December for the winter holidays. So far, the weekly themes have coincided with the letters of the week. We began the alphabet journey with a theme about Africa. The girls made beads, safari prints, and learned to say some words in Swahili. All week, Mya could be heard exclaiming "jambo!". Phoebe and Cameryn enjoyed playing the grassland animal matching game during center time. Mya and Brooke also loved munching on the yam fries that we cooked using African spices.
This year, the children will continue learn a little about each continent; including the topography, animals, countries and cultures. The class will also continue to relate our learning to our own location on the map. We found Europe next on our map. We enjoyed a tea party when we learn about England for letter "Ee".
From the very first day of Pre-K, the group began to count the days of school. We are learning to group numbers by 10 as we count to 101. Each day the calendar helper adds a straw to our counting pockets. The children predict the color straw that will be chosen. Cameryn has the best guesses. She always seems to choose the correct color! We need to play the lottery with her predictions soon! The class has already bundled one group of ten, and will be on our second bundle by the time you read this article! On day 101, our big Dalmatians poster will also be filled with spots, and we will celebrate all that we have learned so far. During calendar time, the children are learning to count, pattern, do some basic addition, and learn some math vocabulary. Don't be surprised if you hear the words, "sum" and "equal". Phoebe loves to use the word, "equal", and has transferred it to play time with our balance scale.
Some of our upcoming themes include Cake and Candles, Dogs, Cats and other Pets, Fall Days and Great Gourds. In November, the class will focus on North America. We will learn about the animals of the forest, Native Americans, and the Pilgrims. We will make sure to tell you about all we have learned in a play during our Thanksgiving Breakfast. The class will also celebrate two birthdays in November: Mya on November 19th and Brook on November 20th, 2014.
So you can see, there are many great opportunities for fun in learning in the Pre-Kindergarten classroom. Stop by and check us out sometime! --Miss Jennifer
Infant Room news:
The Infant Room teachers and babies have been very busy! With lots of guidance, our children are successfully accomplishing their developmental milestones. Jane S. has become very vocal and loves to smile. She also has discovered her hands and feet. Bryce B. has learned to roll over and scoot around the play area. Sophia G. has found freedom! She’s learned to crawl and loves it. Dorian P. recently learned to walk and is very proud of himself! He’s also known throughout the center for his big adorable grin. Mason K. joined our fun group. He is getting to the know the other children and enjoys chasing Sophia in the play yard. Welcome Mason and family! Rylie B. has increased her vocabulary and boy she has a lot to say!We can't forget Milan R. who just graduated from the room and is enjoying her new freedom in the Toddler Room. --Miss Lenora
Toddler Room news:
The Toddlers had a great start to the new school year. September was full of friendship fun! We had a teddy bear picnic and celebrated our friends. During October, we will learn all about fall. We will enjoy activities about spiders and bats and create our own class pumpkin. Stop in and check it out. We are very excited for our Trunk and Treat and picnic dinner on Halloween. We can’t wait to see what we all dress up as! In November, we will learn about turkeys and the ABC’s. We will gobble and strut like a turkey and know that turkey starts with “T”. We will also celebrate Thanksgiving with our annual breakfast. –Miss Sandee
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
September: Miss Sandee and Layla D.
October: Miss Chris
November: Thomas B.
Preschool Room news:
The children and teachers in the preschool room are very excited that autumn has arrived and look forward to many fall activities and themes. We have already been enjoying some fall inspired themes. The children enjoyed learning about how apples grow. We investigated the inside and outside of apples using our five senses. We also made an apple pie. The children had fun learning about the autumn colors of red, orange and yellow, scarecrows, leaves and fun fall books. October will be full of spooktacular themes and activities! We traveled to Germany to read Grimm's fairytales and wonder throw the Black Forest. We will celebrate the bewitching season with a ton of scary activities that the little ghouls will surely enjoy. Night creatures, pumpkins, witches, vampires, ghosts, candy, werewolves, are just a few. November we will travel to Canada to learn about our neighbors to the North. We will travel back in time to learn about the first Thanksgiving. --Miss Liz
HAPPY BIRTHDAYS!
Sienna: November 14
Alana: November 20
Andrew: November 23
Jacob: November 30
Miss Ethel’s Afternoons:
For the month of September, the children enjoyed making apple trees and apple prints. With October and November approaching, the children can look forward to pumpkins, owls, spiders, turkeys, and leaf projects. We also play games in the afternoon. The children love playing Hot Potato and Under the Blanket! Hot Potato is the classic game played with a stuffed animal instead of a potato. Under the Blanket is a center favorite. The group sits in a circle and one child goes and hides their eyes. The teacher then picks a child to hide under the blanket. Once the child is hidden the other child is invited back to open their eyes. The child gets three guesses to try and figure out who is missing from the circle! Lots of fun and giggles!
A Treat from Miss Cathy:
Apple Pie Baked Apples
Ingredients:
- 1/2 recipe homemade pie crust
- 1 teaspoon cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon (15ml) warm water
- 5 large, perfectly round apples (I prefer Granny Smith or Honey crisp)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon milk
- homemade salted caramel sauce, for drizzling(optional)
Directions:
Prepare the pie crust, including allowing it to chill for at least 1 hour. I usually prepare it the night before and leave it in the refrigerator until the next day when it's time to begin the apples. The colder the pie crust, the better.
Make the apple filling: In a very smallbowl, mix the cornstarch and warm water together until smooth, creamy, and the cornstarch has dissolved. Set aside. Peel and dice 1 apple.In a medium saucepan over medium heat, cook the apple pieces, cornstarch/water mixture, cinnamon, and sugar.Stir constantly for 5 minutes. Switch to low heat and allow to simmer for 5 minutes. Remove from heat, stir in the vanilla, and allow to cool for 20 minutes.
Assemble: On a floured work surface, roll out thepie dough. Turn the dough about a quarter turn after every few rolls until you have a circle 10-11 inches in diameter. Cut into fourths, as if you were cutting a pizza. (Pizza cutter works best here!)Then, cut each quarter into 1/4-inch wide strips. I like to chill the strips as I cut out the apples. I suggest putting them on a large cutting board and placing in the fridge. Remember, you always want your pie dough to be COLD.
Preheat oven to 375F degrees.
Slice off the tops of the 4 remaining apples. Using a spoon (or melon baller), dig out the core. It doesn't have to look perfect. Spoon the prepared apple filling into the cored-out apples. You may have some filling leftover - it's great warmed up over vanilla ice cream. Lay 3-4 strips of the pie dough on top of the apple. Then, working with one new strip at a time, alternate weaving it over and under the doughstrips already in place. Repeat until the top of the apple has been covered in this lattice style crust. Using asharp paring knife, trim excess pie crust around the edges. Repeat with remaining apples and pie dough strips.
Place apples into an 8-inch or 9-inch square baking pan or pie dish-- really any size baking pan works. In a small dish, whisk the egg and milk together. Lightly brush the tops with egg wash. I sprinkled a little bit of cinnamon on top of the egg wash before going into the oven- this is optional. Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the crust is browned and the filling is bubbly.
If desired, drizzle each with salted caramel. We eat ours with a knife and fork and vanilla ice cream on the side. These apples are best enjoyedimmediately. Store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.
Miss Ginni’s Craft Corner:
Candy Corn Mason Jars
You will need:
-Mason Jars
-White, Yellow, and Orange Balloons
-Scissors
Instructions:
- Cut off the skinny stem of the balloon.
- For the white and yellow balloons, also cut off the rounded end. For the orange balloon leave the round end intact.
- Pull the balloons over the mason jars so that the white is on top, yellow is in the middle, and orange is on the top, just like a candy corn!
**Only trim a little bit off of the ends. You want to have as much wiggle room as possible with the balloons and the colors should overlap. Leave the bottom of the orange so it fully covers the jar.
Candy Corn Pretzel Kisses
You will need:
-circle or square shaped pretzels
-candy corn
-Hershey kisses
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 250 deg F.
- Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. Align the pretzels on the sheet. Unwrap the kisses and place one on each pretzel. Stick in the oven until the kisses begin to melt down (about 4 min).
- While the Hershey kisses are melting in the oven, get your candy corn ready.
- Remove the pretzels from the oven and gently press a candy corn down on each one.
Let the pretzels cool completely and the chocolate set for about 10 minutes in the refrigerator.
Fun with Miss Amanda!
Candy Corn Cups
Place pineapples in the bottom of a clear cup for the color yellow. Use peeled and separated Clementine oranges in the middle for the color orange. And for on top, cover it all with whip cream for the color white! Enjoy!
Pumpkin Game
Collect different sizes of pumpkins. Count all the pumpkins. Put them in order from smallest to largest. Measure the smallest pumpkin and the largest pumpkin. Use a ruler or unifix cubes to measure. You can even use string to measure its width and then use the ruler or cubes to see how the long the string is!