Grant News!! EQIP Grant November 2005

Some of you may have noticed on our sign “We got our Equip Grant” and now you may be asking yourselves “What is an Equip Grant” ? We are very excited about this great news. Suzanne Gabli spent a lot of time working on writing a Proposal to the State of Michigan asking for our center to be considered to receive state funding to put towards new play equipment or new resources for our center. This was not an easy task and Suzanne took the project on among all the other projects she had going in her life and found a way to make this happen. We were one of 21 centers to be picked across the state because they saw that we offer Quality Child Care and that we had a vision and plan for taking care of our children and the type of facility we want to have for our students and families. The $3,460.00 will benefit all of our programs, from Infant to School Age. We want to Thank the State of MI and The Michigan 4C Council for this Grant. We also recently found out that that we will be one of the last groups to receive this funding since it has now been eliminated from the State budget. Please feel free to ask the staff any questions regarding this or if you would like more information. Next time you see Suzanne, make you sure to commend her on a job well done.

Newsletter November 2005

It is official! Fall is here which means the hustle and bustle of the holiday season is quickly approaching us. The students have been really busy at the center. They enjoyed their visit form the Highland Fire Department and enjoyed being firefighters for the day. A BIG Thank you to all the families that brought treats for the gift basket. It was greatly appreciated by the fire department. The children also had their Halloween pajama party. What fun it was to see all the teachers and students in their ‘Jammies’. What a fun day by all. We did have our Open House on October 18, and I would like to thank the families that took time out of their busy schedules to share some time with us. It is always great to have interaction with our families.
We are excited to let you know that we now have a Parent Resource Center. You will be able to check out books on early Childhood Education, Reading, Child development and books about death. This is a great resource for you. Please see staff if you need assistance.
The students will be working on a special “Thankful” project that will be ready in time for the Thanksgiving Holiday. This is a special project and we can’t wait to share it with you. Please make sure you take some time to really enjoy the Thanksgiving holiday and enjoy all the things we have to be thankful for. I truly wish all of you a very Happy Thanksgiving.
Mrs. Tracy

Newsletter August 2005

Can you believe it is back to school time already? Summer is flying by and the start of the school year will be here before you know it. In case you don’t know, Huron Valley Schools start back up on Tuesday, September 6th, 2005. Building Blocks will start back up with our young preschool and preschool program also on September 6, 2005. We believe in a Plan for Learning and a creative curriculum to stimulate a child’s curiosity and natural love of learning and exploring. We are very excited about our program this year. We have put a lot of research, resources and time in our planning for this years program. Each week the students will be working on a new theme such as ‘Down on the farm’, we will incorporate our literacy, math, science, sensory, and language into each theme. We will have a color, number, and shape of the week. We will also start a new program called “Kids of Character”. This program will teach the students the importance of kindness, sharing, integrity, honesty, and all the important traits that we want children to learn and pass onto others.
The computers are a big asset to the children. I have watched the children really enjoying them. We have a great variety of educational software. The students have really enjoyed them, especially our series of ‘Magic School Bus’.
We will be working on having the children become more responsible for themselves by having them practice tying their shoes, getting themselves ready, and helping the teachers at the center. The Preschool classes will now have daily responsibilities. Starting in September each morning during morning meeting 3 students will be chosen to help with tasks of the day. The student’s names and daily job will be added to a job chart. The students will be selected to help their teachers tell the class when it is time to clean up, water the inside plants, and help with snack time. We are very excited for this learning opportunity. It will help them learn the importance of being responsible. We hope these traits will encourage them to help more at home.
Please read the general housekeeping section of this newsletter. It will review important information like bus routs, vacation time, re-registration fee, schedule changes and your child's supply needs.
You may have noticed that we have a comment box on the porch; We value your feed back and we strive to give your child the best care. We invite you to . . . Send constructive criticism, praise, ideas for improving our services, etc. Close communication between parents and staff is vital.
We have “GREAT” big news! Building Blocks Preschool Daycare Center is celebrating our 1 year anniversary. We are so proud that you have chosen us to be a part of your family and your child's care. We love watching your child grow in an engaging & loving environment. On Friday, August 19th we will have a celebration gathering from 4:00- 6:00 p.m. It has been a wonderful year, please stop and take a moment to enjoy some treats while picking up your child.
I hope you enjoy the rest of your summer and I look forward to watching all the wonderful things that your child will experience this next year. I just want to take a moment to say THANK YOU! to the Wightman family for their generous donation of computer software and resources. We really do appreciate it. As always, if you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to let me know. Mrs. Tracy

Newsletter June 2005

It is an exciting time at Building Blocks. We are kicking off our great summer program ‘Camp Wahissa’ for our school age kids 5-12 on June 13th. We have a whole summer of fun planned for all of our students. I am really excited about Camp Wahissa which means “a Happy Place’ in Cherokee and it truly fits for Building Blocks. Our center has become such a wonderful place to be for families and staff. During the summer our center will still continue to offer a structured program in which literacy, math concepts, science, art, and letter recognition will still be focused on. We will also continue to have fun cooking, playing in the drama area, and taking advantage of the great outdoors. We are very excited about our Wacky Wednesdays and Water Fun Thursdays. The students will now have opportunities to work on the newly installed computers and learn many exciting things from them. We are excited about turning the computer into a computer LAB. The summer also tends to be a time when we are a little bit more laid back and tend to go with the flow a bit more. Please let me know if your child’s schedule will be changing and if there are any upcoming vacation plans. This is important for several reasons. We like to keep consistency as much as possible; it helps children become more established in terms of keeping to a schedule. Also, there maybe times that we can occasionally allow staff to have some additional time off. Please let me know if you have any questions and I will be more than happy to assist you.
The children really enjoyed their pizza party and I hope you are all enjoying your book bags. Next year I really hope to surpass our goal and all the children will have a book to take home with them.
We are very proud to announce that the following students have graduated from Building Blocks Preschool Program and will be entering Kindergarten in the fall; Rowan Marchie, Alyssa Davies, and McKenzie Hofmann.
Great job guys! Just a reminder, you will be receiving a sunscreen permission slip with this month’s newsletter. Please return it with your child’s sunscreen as soon as possible. If we do not have a permission slip for your child, sunscreen will not be able to be applied due to the State of Michigan rules and regulation.
As always, if you have questions or concerns, please let me know! Let’s make it a great summer! Mrs. Tracy

Pop Confetti Un Birthday 2005 what fun

POP Confetti Un Birthday 2005

Un Birthday Party 2005

Presents!! Yea!!

Snack time June 05

Tracy Kelly -Director

Our Director Tracy Kelly.

April 2005 Letter from Director

March was national reading month and we all worked very hard on reaching our goal of reading 150 books. We feel it is very important that children are read to on a daily basis and find that they look forward to sharing this special time with us and you. If you forgot to bring in your ‘reading log’. Please bring it in and as soon as we reach our goal we will have a pizza party for the whole center! What fun!
Have you noticed our art room has a new look? The art room is now our “Literacy Room”, this room is now much more appropriate for morning circle time with our Young Preschool and Preschool classes. The doors allow for much less distraction and the children have more opportunities for large motor skill activities. For example, the children have enjoyed using the balance beams, row boat and large blocks. They have also been able to use flannel board and have a quiet area for a book nook. Please check it out! Also, please make sure you wipe your feet really good or take off your shoes to help reduce traffic dirt in the center. A cleaner center is a happier center.
A huge thank you to all of the families that attended our first Easter egg hunt on Saturday March 26, 2005. Fun was defiantly had by all and we enjoyed being able to see all of you on a “Stay Home” day. Please let us know what you thought!
Spring is defiantly in the air! As they say “April showers bring May flowerers”, Please make sure to keep an eye on the weather. We still may need snow pants and boots due to wet and muddy playground conditions. Parents, if your child has gone home with Building Blocks clothing due to accidents or spills, please make every effort to get it back to us. We really would appreciate it. We have received several more center evaluations and are very pleased with all of the positive response! A huge kudos goes out to the great staff for doing such a wonderful job of teaching and caring for your children. Please do not hesitate to ever let me know of questions and concerns regarding your children.

We are getting ready for a fun filled summer program and we are very excited about Camp Wahissa, our Kids Day Camp program. See page 4 for more info.

To all our families that have been here from the beginning. We appreciate all your support over the past 8 months.
As always, communication is key. I am here for you.
Thank you, Mrs. Tracy