EVENTS AT A GLANCE
- Parent Conferences – [February 1 – 28]
- Valentine’s/Sibling Celebration Day – [February 13 & 14]
- President’s Day Observed – [February 19] CLOSED
- Chinese New Year Celebration – [February 27 & 28]
- Upcoming Friday Nights Out [January 26, February 9, February 23]
SAY HI TO OUR NEWEST TEACHER
Next time you drop off you students, feel free to say hello and introduce yourselves to our newest teacher, Ms. Alejandra Flores. She is assisting in our Spanish multi-age classroom.
Alejandra Flores graduated from the University of Arizona in 2013 with a degree in Early Childhood Education and a minor in Spanish Literature. Ms. Flores did her student teaching in second grade at Carrillo Elementary School in Tucson, Arizona where she regularly conducted home visits with her students and their families as part of an outreach program. She also taught pre-kindergarten students at Maldonado Elementary in Tucson where she worked closely with her students to ensure they had the foundation in phonics to become emergent readers.
She recently moved to San Diego from San Francisco where she taught Preschool at The Community Preschool- Grace Cathedral, where she provided a diverse experience for children ages three to five years old and their families. While teaching at the school she incorporated the Project Based Learning method in which students gain knowledge and skills such as critical thinking/problem solving, communication, collaboration, and self-management. Previous to that experience Ms. Flores taught Spanish at Chesterfield Day School in Saint Louis. Her time at CDS was an opportunity for her to combine both of her passions Spanish and teaching and create an environment where student are learning and exploring their creativity.
Ms. Flores has also done humanitarian work in Africa teaching English for six months to children living in Namibia. She is very excited to join the Lingua Natal Community and bring all of her previous experience and create an amazing learning environment for the children.
NEW CLASSROOM THEMES
With the new year come new themes to our classrooms, and our classroom subjects. In science, the students will be discovering and studying the Rain Forest. During the geography lessons, students are learning about North and South America, and during language they are discussing the topics of food groups and healthy eating.
SHUTTERFLY GROUPS
We wanted to remind all parents that we are using Shutterfly to share lots of things! In our Shutterfly groups we share news, information, pictures, videos, important dates, contacts, room parents,volunteer sign-up sheets, class lists and parent contact information.
You have probably received an email with the subject line “Lingua Natal added you as member of the site ….”. Please add this email from Shutterfly to your email contacts. If you are already a Shutterfly member, you just need to sign in to have access and if not you will need to create an account.
We hope that you like what you see. Don’t hesitate to let us know if you have any issues accessing the site or if you would like to contribute to projects on the site and/or help us keep the site robust with continuous new information and photos.
NEWS & ANNOUNCEMENTS
♦FALL 2018 PRIORITY REGISTRATION
Priority registration for all current students will run from February 1 thru February 16, 2018. This is an opportunity to secure your child’s spot, and your preferred schedule before registration is opened to our wait-list and the public. (click here)
♦SPRING AND SUMMER REGISTRATION
Registration for Spring and Summer Camp programs will go live on our website as of February 16, 2018. Stay tuned!
♦FEBRUARY COFFEE WITH LENA
This month’s scheduled coffee with Lena has been cancelled. We had a great one earlier this year, and will do another before the year is over, but the one in your handbooks that is scheduled for February 24 is cancelled.
IT'S COLD AND FLU SEASON
With this yea’r s flu season being especially dangerous, and a few cases of hand, foot, and mouth disease going around; we are asking that you refrain from bringing your children to school if they have a runny nose, fever, or any suspicious rashes.
We do sanitize the school daily, and maintain the temperature below 70 degrees to minimize infection and the spread of germs, but we need to also remain very vigilant so we ask that you please keep your children at home if they exhibit any of the aforementioned symptoms.
Thank you!
FEBRUARY CELEBRATIONS
On Februrary 13 & 14 we will be celebrating Valentine’s Day. There’s no need to bring Valentine’s cards or goodie bags, but you can feel free to do so if you choose.
At the end of February (27th & 28th) all classes will be celebrating the Chinese New Year. Send your children in red clothes on these days in the spirit of the celebration.
FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Did you know that the right brain develops first? It does so by the time children are four years of age. The left brain, on the other hand, doesn’t fully come online until children are approximately seven years old; hence the first seven years being recognized as such a critical period in child development.
The left brain’s functionality is one of language, numeracy, literacy, analysis and time. It is the logical, calculating, planning, busy-bee part of us that keeps us anchored in the pragmatic world, and in past and future. The right brain, on the other hand, is responsible for empathy, intuition, imagination and creativity. It is where we wonder, dream, connect and come alive.
Understanding this we can better appreciate why play is so important in child learning and development, and why we need to be extra careful with the amount and timing of academic agendas created for children; with how much we emphasize product—what kids have accomplished at school—versus process—who they are becoming and what they feel in their explorations. That the right brain develops first is pertinent information for those in the field of education, as well as parents, regarding what is developmentally appropriate…(READ MORE)