From Kathy’s Desk
March 2016
Don’t be fooled. Winter is not over yet. Just enjoy the little reprieve we have at the moment! We sure had fun with our Ski/Snowboard program. Thank goodness for snowmaking machines. March is a long month but we have a lot planned to keep the kids busy…
APPLICATIONS FOR 2016-17
The deadline for turning these in is March 16th. Please observe this deadline if you are able. It really helps us with the budgeting and staffing process. We did have a waitlist this year we were not able to get most families off it.
CURRICULUM
January’s Old Hollywood theme was really interesting. The kids watched some old movie clips and listened to some of the music from that era while creating all sorts of interesting projects. During March, our theme will be Brazil. It is a country rich in culture and we plan to experience a lot of it over the next few weeks.
EARLY RELEASE: THURSDAY, MARCH 10th!
The Minnows and Barracudas are planning a special event for those who attend this day: The Olympics Come to PEDP! Sharks will be taking a field trip to Laser Quest. Make sure that you have communicated your child’s plans for the day and turned in your permission slip and payment ($20) if necessary.
FIELD TRIPS
The Explorers group has two trips scheduled for this month:
March 15th – The Commonwealth Museum (I found this on Chronicle! Great program.)
March 29th – Rock Spot Climbing
CLASSES
The Tennis program has three more sessions. The kids are really having a good time with this and learning racket skills at the same time.
There are still a couple spots left in Kids Cooking Green for the Minnows (Grades K/1). This class will be held on three Tuesday afternoons starting March 29th. Please note that registration for this class must be done online through Kids Cooking Green. The link is http://events.r20.constantcontact.com/register/event?oeidk=a07ebtmj7513e3ba210&llr=iw76p6iab
We’ll offer a 5-week session of Kids Cooking Green for Barracudas in May. Registration for that will open soon.
MUSICAL
All children in the musical should be practicing their lines/songs several times a week if not every day. Tickets for “Grease” will go on sale March 21st. It’s going to be a GREAT show!
PARENTS NIGHT OUT
We are planning one of these evenings for March 18th if we have enough interest. (We need at least 20 children to make a go of it.) Information will be sent out this week.
PROGRAM CLOSURES
NO SCHOOL OR PEDP on Friday, March 25th in observance of Good Friday.
REQUESTING YOUR COOPERATION
There has been an increase in parents calling the office and asking for their children to be called to get ready prior to their parent’s arrival. With 150+ students enrolled in our program, our afternoons are very busy and answering so many non-emergent phone calls has made it increasingly more difficult to service the children and assist the staff. We appreciate that some of the students take a little longer to get ready than others, so we will make a concerted effort to ask our staff to hurry the children along once the child has been called for dismissal.
SPRING VACATION PROGRAM
This program is scheduled for April 19-22, from 8:00 AM – 5:45 PM. Information about signing up will go out mid-March.
MINNOW MESSAGE from Kim Ryan, Minnows Coordinator
A busy February ends and an even busier March begins! The Minnows are nonstop and enjoying every minute of it!
The Early Minnows have learned some of the ins and outs of Old Hollywood this month. They have made their own movie posters, made clapperboards to direct their own movies, learned about Shirley Temple and tasted the delicious drink named for her. Most recently, Mr. Sean showed a clip of an old Charlie Chaplin movie called The Eating Machine. Mr. Sean explained about silent movies and pressed play. The minnows LOVED it! Take a look on You Tube to watch a clip! Look for exotic animals, Carnivale projects, jewelry, masks and more coming home as children learn about Brazil! The Minnows will also make and taste a popular Brazilian dessert called Brigadeiros. They sound delicious!
The Late Minnows have also had a busy month with projects, cooking and skiing! Tennis has also started on Tuesdays and so far it’s a hit. Kids Cooking Green is coming later this month. Also in March is the start of the Learning League Basketball. This is a great opportunity for kids to practice their basketball skills without the pressure of scoring or winning. They play kids from other Newton after school programs with the same level of skill. See Miss Joanne or Mr. Derek if interested in signing up!
The late Minnows also have clubs on Thursdays this month. The clubs are as follows:
Miss Heather: Cats, Cats, Cats!
Mr. Derek: Music!
Miss Nancy: “You CAN Do It!” (Crafts with tin cans)
Mr. Chris: Comic Strips
Miss Kim: Minute to Win it!
Lots to choose from! Parent conferences are still underway, so if you haven’t signed up and would like to please let me know! Did you know the first recorded St. Patrick’s Day parade was held in NYC in 1762? La fheile Padraig sona dhaoibh! (Happy St. Patrick’s Day!) Feel free to contact me at kim@peirceedp.com
BARRACUDA BUZZ from Joanne Malouf, Barracudas Coordinator
The Barracudas fit a lot into the short month of February. The group, along with the Minnows, had a great time bowling on the Early Release Wednesday. The kids cheered each other on as they rolled or lobbed the bowling balls down the alley. For the Old Hollywood theme Laurie and the kids made their own handprint squares for the Hollywood Walk of Fame. Rachel and her science group made colorful play dough and saw first hand how colors mix to form different colors. In music, the kids and I made maracas from plastic eggs and popcorn kernels. The popcorn kernels made a nice maraca sound. The Friday before vacation the Barracudas had another team building activity. We warmed up by passing a hula hoop around the circle while kids were holding hands. The kids gave helpful ideas of how each could get the hoop over them in order to pass it to the next person. Then Chris led the group in a bridge challenge. The kids were in three different groups with each group having to get their entire team across the gym. The challenge? Each group only had a limited amount of hoops to use as their bridge. Teams worked together by sharing hoops, picking up the last and passing forward so the bridge could continue and by encouraging other that they could make the “jump” to land at the end. It’s been great to see the Barracudas work together and interact with kids that they may not know as well. More activities like this will be scheduled for the Barracudas over the remaining months of the school year. As always, you can reach me at joanne@peirceedp.com
SHARK TALES from Rachel Bastarache, Sharks Coordinator
February for the Sharks was quite busy with play practices in full swing on Mondays, Skiing and an Explorer trips on Tuesday, and Tennis starting on Wednesdays. It’s no surprise another month has flown by so quickly. While exploring our Old Hollywood theme, the Sharks have been doing some great craft projects with Ms. Maggie. She taught them about one of my favorite movies, “Singing in the Rain”, while incorporating a really beautiful watercolor project. Also she introduced them to the child star Shirley Temple, showing them clips from some of her movies and teaching them how to make her classic drink! Swimming in the long month of March, the Sharks will be focused on our new theme with activities that will incorporate their beloved sport Futbol (soccer), amazing music and delicious foods. On Thursday, March 17th we will be having a St Patrick’s Day special event! Details will be coming soon.
There are still some parents that have not signed up for a parent conference yet. Please let me know if scheduling is an issue. Please don’t hesitate to contact me with any questions or concerns at rachel@peirceedp.com
Happy Leap Day!
Kathy
