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Dear
Families,
This past fall we embarked on a process to become NAEYC accreditation. NAEYC, which is also known as the National Association for the Education of Young Children, has been providing programs with NAEYC accreditation for over 80 years. NAEYC accreditation represents the mark of a quality early childhood program and is based on a wide array of developmentally appropriate standards, materials, and curriculum that makes sense for young children- all things we do and have in our nursery school.
Many programs struggle to meet the rigorous requirements of NAEYC. Our program, which we consider to be excellent, is using this accreditation mostly to confirm and prove that in fact we were already doing many things right, that are teachers are wonderful, our families are active members of our nursery school, and that community, and performing mitzvot, is extremely important to us! Many of the things that we value here at our school are the same things that NAEYC defines as an "excellent program."
In order to earn the right to consider ourselves a NAEYC accredited program and get NAEYC's stamp of approval, we needed to complete many steps. First, we needed to enroll in a "Self Study." This portion of the process gave us the opportunity to look at our program and figure out whether or not we measured up to NAEYC's standards (which we did). To demonstrate this, our teachers worked tirelessly to create a Classroom Portfolio, a way to share the work with people at NAEYC and our community. We also needed to create a Program Portfolio. This program portfolio highlighted many of the goals for our program. Both of these portfolios have been a year-long endeavor and will be completed just as the school year is coming to a close. These portfolios are large binders showcasing the work of the teachers, the classroom, and the children. No names have been mentioned, but many pages show beautiful images of the children working in different areas of the classroom, conversations the teachers and children have had together this year, and the high level of parental involvement we have at the school. These portfolios will be housed in the classrooms for years to come. If you have a moment, please ask your child's teachers to share this with you...you will surely be amazed at the work that has gone into creating this immense piece of art.
The next part of the process is called Candidacy. During this process we are asked to define our philosophy, why we should be accredited, and share certain pieces of our portfolios. After turning in the candidacy materials, NAEYC will set up a visit in the fall to observe our classrooms, review our portfolios, and document what s/he sees.
In the candidacy portion of this process, we are asked to share results from both teacher and parent surveys. Both teachers and parents are asked to fill out an anonymous survey about our program. The short parent survey will be administered next week and the week after in our common space. A table will be set up with surveys and pens for you all to fill them out. Please note, these are confidential, anonymous surveys. If you would like to download the survey yourself, please email Felicia at fgordon@jccmanhattan.org for a copy (unfortunately we cannot attach it to this newsletter). Otherwise, please fill out a survey next week or the week after.
Thank you so much for your help. We are so very excited by this process and are anxious for our visit this fall. We strongly believe that NAEYC will immediately see what we see - a wonderful program that meets the needs of our children, families, and community.
If you would like to learn more about NAEYC, please visit www.naeyc.org. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Shabbat Shalom,
Felicia
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| Mitzvah Opportunities |
- Hope for Kai - Kai Anderson is a five year old boy with a rare form of leukemia. To cure his illness, he will need a bone marrow transplant. Several bone marrow donor drives have been organized for the coming weeks. Please visit http://hopeforkai.com for more information and to become a bone marrow donor.
- Book Donations to the Library - We are delighted to have received a number of books donated the School's impressive and wonderful Library. If you haven't yet done so and would like to mark your child's birthday in this way, or some other significant event in your family, we'd love to be the recipients of your child's favorite book or story. The book will be book-plated (we have a wonderful bookplate designed especially for us) in your child's name to mark the honor and donation; if you would like to contribute to the growth of the library in this way please email Tanya Goldfarb - tanya@tananddan.com or Beth Ain - beth_ain@yahoo.com. If your child's birthday/or the event you wish to celebrate/commemorate has already passed, please don't worry, we would love to acknowledge it in this way if you would!
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| Other Announcements |
- PRE-ORDER YOUR YEARBOOK TODAY - Enjoy this wonderful keepsake that's sure to bring smiles to you and your child for many years to come. 1 for $36, 2 for $70 and 3 for $100. Save on multiple copies for siblings, grandparents and memory boxes! ORDER NOW! E-mail buyjccyearbook@gmail.com to reserve your copy. Include your name, phone number, child's name/class and number of yearbooks that you'd like to order. All proceeds help support the Parents Association.
- Nursery School Field Day - Please join us on Monday, June 8th in Riverside Park at 74th Street from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm for our annual field day celebration (siblings welcome). Lunch will be provided, as well as music with Jen and sports with Coach Darren. Please have your child wear the appropriate color t-shirt.
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Bridge and 2's: Red
- 3's: Blue
- Pre-k: Green
- Our Classroom 5 bunny needs a home - We are looking for a family or group of families to take the rabbit and cage for the summer (June 5th - September 3). Mr. Callie-Hops is a friendly rabbit who can stay in his cage most of the time, but he does need the chance to occasionally get out and run/hop around the house. It would not be advisable to have him in a house with other large pets such as cats or dogs and he should be kept inside. We provide bedding and food. We can deliver the rabbit and the cage if necessary to an apartment in the city. If you are interested or have further questions please email Joyce Portnoy Eisman at joyceportnoy@aol.com.
- Cookbook - Available next week: JCC Nursery School Cookbook! Place your order today! The JCC Nursery School cookbook will be available the end of next week and is available for sale at $18 with all proceeds benefiting the nursery school scholarship fund! A great Mother's Day gift! With over 415+ recipes from our community and local restaurants including Eretz, Josie's, 'Cesca, Levana, Fairway Cafe, Sambuca, and Salumeria Rosi to name a few it is likely to become a must have for your kitchen! To reserve your cookbook(s) please send an email to buyjcccookbook@gmail.com with your name, phone number, child's name and class and the # of cookbooks you would like to order! When purchasing your book(s) please think about purchasing one for your classroom or for the school.
- The Parents Association Needs You - The Parents Association is looking for enthusiastic, dedicated and community-oriented volunteers to help support and lead various school events in 2009-2010. If you'd like to raise your hand or learn more about what opportunities exist, please feel free to contact Lauren Finster, PA Co-chair at landv@nyc.rr.com.
- Final Newsletter of the 2008-2009 School Year - We Need Your Parent Voice! The final newsletter of the school year is being put together now, and the editors would love to have parent volunteers for articles. If you would like to share your experience as a parent at the nursery school, please consider contributing a personal article for the newsletter. Articles will be due to Abby Rothschild (abbymythreesons@aol.com) by May 18th, and the newsletter will be distributed during the last week of the school year. Articles should be approximately 500 words. We love reading about personal experiences; please do share yours!
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| Exmissions Information |
- ERB Testing - We have started our spring ERB testing season. If you are planning on applying your child to an ongoing private school this fall (meaning your child would start kindergarten in 2010), or if you would like to apply to Columbia Grammar or Riverdale for Pre-Kindergarten for the fall of 2010, you need to sign up your child up for the ERB test. If you are interested in having your child tested for the ERB this spring, you can register online at here.
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| Other JCC Programming |
- Havurah 2009-2010 - Hands-on Jewish Learning for Children in Grades K-5 Havurah, the Hebrew word for community, is a unique program, designed to nurture the early years of your child's Jewish education. Havurah is a fun, interactive, and supportive environment that allows children to learn, play, and grow. At Havurah, we help children make even stronger connections with old friends and generate new ones as they continue to develop their Jewish identity through a wide array of informal learning experiences. The program will run from October through mid-May. The K-3 Havurah program will meet on Saturdays from 3-5 pm. The JCC is offering a special Early Bird tuition discount for Havurah K-3rd Grade, $1550 per child for those registering from May 17 through August 14. After that date, tuition for the 2009-2010 year will be set at $1700. Tuition for the Havurah Fourth and Fifth Grade program is $450 for members and $500 for nonmembers. In-person, online and phone registration will be available as of Sunday, May 17. For further information, please feel free to contact Jacqueline Marks at jacq.marks@gmail.com or Carolyn Singer at csinger@jccmanhattan.org or 646.505.4403.
- Make a Splash - The JCC's Pre-Summer Mini Swim program, is designed tohelp children ages 4 to 9 years old make their summer swimmingexperience much more enjoyable. The program is forchildren that might be new to the water (beginners), or for those thatneed to brush up on their swim strokes (intermediate), or for those thatwant to work towards passing the deep water test at camp (advanced).Small classes of 5 children to 1 instructor. Offering 4 separate sessions. $165 JCC member /$265 non-member per session. For further information please contact Kathy at kmorgenstern@jccnyc.org.
- Childbirth Education with Bella Birth and Baby - Join us for an informative class for you and your partner as we prepare you for labor, birth and the postpartum period. Sessions are taught by an experienced Lamaze certified childbirth educator. 4 Thursdays, May 21st - June 18th (except May 28th), 6-9 pm, $300/$350 FPABIR02W9
- Summer House at Our House - Dance into summer on the JCC's sunny rooftop playground! Jam with your family to Rock-a-Baby, Music for Aardvarks & Louie Miranda, cool off with some frosty ice cream and snatch up our special summer giveaways. Bring friends, and show them what you love about the JCC! Best for families with children 6 and under. Advanced registration preferred. Sun, May 31, 10 am-noon, Free FFNSUM00U0
- Fall Family Life Registration is coming soon - Sunday, May 17th - Members Only Priority Registration. Wednesday, May 20th - General Registration.
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