Friday, June 14, 2013

                       Joytimers!

   What a great grand finale!

Joytime wants to thank everyone who helped make it possible and participated in all aspects in our fun day!

Hope all who can will join us in the Lake Forest parade(August 7th) wearing a Diamond Jubilee T-shirt.

T-shirts will be available all summer!
Call Ms.Kathleen at 847-234-1969

Thursday, May 9, 2013

Dear Parents,

    As our final year winds into Spring-we are getting ready to celebrate our Jubilee June 8th alumni party.Our annual "Art Show"will be exclusive class by class on your childs last day of school.Parents are invited to join us for the last 45 minutes of their childs class.


   T-Th a.m. Will be May 28th at 11 a.m.

    M/W/F a.m. Will be May 29th at 11 a.m.

    M-Th p.m. Will be May 30th at 2:45 p.m.
        (Graduation also will be held)

Tuesday, April 30, 2013

Dear Parents,
     It's always hard to say good-bye to all "our" children at the end of the year;but this year is extremely hard,being our last year and last newsletter.We have had a wonderful year and look forward to our final weeks with joy and enthusiasm(and hopefully sunshine)!

   We started the month discovering who pops out of eggs besides chickens.We enjoyed hunting for hidden eggs (inside).And lots of artwork.

   Our journey took us to the oceans and seas that surround our globe and the creatures that live below them.We even contemplated what it would be like to live under the sea.

   We then ventured into space-discovering our place in the solar system in the vastness of outer space.We became astronauts blasting to far away planets or pilots flying near space.


   We honored Mother Earth with the three "R"s(recycle,reuse& reduce) and can crushing.We talked about how we could take care of the Earth and took the Earth Pledge in honor of Earth Day.

  We ended the month with a dinosaur roar!We discussed how many types of dinosaurs roamed the earth long before people;enduring an unsettled world including volcanoes which we are still enduring today.We experimented with our own volcano and the 5 year olds even ate a volcano!

MAY INTEREST UNITS:
April29-May3     Dinosaurs

May 6-10.....Mothers,Fathers & Families

May 13-17.....Rainbows

May 20-24.....Healthy Bodies

May 27-30.....Last week celebrations

MAY DATES:

May 21.....Library visit for the M/T/W/Th class.

May 27.....NO SCHOOL-Memorial Day

May 28.....Last day of school for the T/Th class

May 29.....Last day of school for the M/W/F class

May 30....Last day for the M/T/W/Th class

Monday, April 1, 2013

Dear parents,
  March according to our school calendar,had more "lamb" than "lion" days which was nice,even if they weren't all that warm!

  We observed weather closely as we considered rain,sun,fog,clouds,snow and we learned the sun is "always up there",no matter what the weather is like.That's hard to believe some times.We also explored some "crazy" weather possibilities,as classes painted with "mud" or discovering "cloudy with a chance of meatballs" and "oobleck".

 Green week celebrated green,of course,with food and discovering that blue and yellow makes green.Green week also coincided with "welcome to spring" as we say goodbye to winter and look for signs of spring during our neighborhood walks and on the bike trail.

  We also are watching the ongoing process of "evaporation" and the continuous circle of the water wheel,plus catching rain water to measure the inches that had rained.

  Traffic congestion on Maywood Road has increased.We think Joytimer's dropoff/pickup would be facilitated if drivers for Joytime would pull up at least to the street light.We can see you and send the children acroos the lawn.Having your child enter your car on the CURB SIDE helps promote safety habits.The other alterative is to pull into the park driveway,get out and walk over to meet your child.Reminder:PLEAS DO NOT BLOCK THE DRIVEWAY NEXT TO JOYTIMES DRIVEWAY!Thanks.

APRIL INTEREST UNITS:

April1st-5th.....Who popped out?
April8th-12th.....Oceans/Seas
April15th-19th.....Space
April22nd-26th.....Earth
April29th-May3rd.....Dinosaurs

END OF THE YEAR DATES:

May 27th......NO SCHOOL-Memorial Day
May 28th.....Last day of school for the T/Th a.m. class
May 29th.....Last day of school for the M/W/F a.m. class
May 29th.....Last day graduation picnic for the M/T/W/Th p.m. class



PLEASE NOTE:

1.March words:Spring,oobleck,vortex,evaporation,shamrock,leprechaun,lion,lamb.

2.We may continue to need boots in April,depending on the weather.Also clothing suitable to the temperature is desirable.

REMINDER:Diamond Jubilee Alumni Party June 8th 11-5 p.m.

Do you remember-
merry-go-round rides
tubing and big wheels on Joytime Mountain
P.J.Day
Summer in Winter day
Popcorn Man!
Rainbow cookies
and on and on and on!!!

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Joytime is open today March 5th!
Dear Parents,

  During February we celebrated friendship and encouraged lots of "friendly" activities.Our children seem to be on their way to understand what being a friend means,caring ,sharing,cooperation and respect.We feel that helping relationships and feelings grow is one of the most important things we do at Joytime.We try to be "children of peace" and to follow Rule #1:Never hurt anyone on the outside and never hurt anyone on the inside,an ongoing goal throughout the year.We enjoyed making lots of kinds of valentines and had fun being a "mail carrier" on Valentine's Day.

  The letter "P" helped us celebrate Presidents,as we discussed what a president does,how Washington and Lincoln lived and traveled,including discovering that Lincoln was born in "Hodgenville",Kentucky!Purple,with purple clothes,purple food and art work.And how red and blue mixed together makes purple.Pajama Day was wonderful spending the day in our P.J.'s on our giant bed,including snacks of pancakes & pizza.The M/W/F a.m. and M/T/W/Th p.m. classes also enjoyed a visit from a staff member of the Lake Forest Library who read and told bedtime stories.

  We finished the month with alphabet and number recognition(via games,puzzles,songs) art work and even alphabet and number counting snakes.

MARCH INTEREST UNITS:

1.March 4-8.....Real weather

2.March 11-15.....Crazy weather

3.March 18-22.....Welcome to Spring/Green

MARCH TO MAY CALENDAR:
March 23-April1.....NO SCHOOL:Spring Break School resumes on April 1st.

MAY 27.....NO SCHOOL:Memorial Day

May 28.....Last day of school for the T/Th a.m. class

May 29.....Last day of school for the M/W/F/a.m. class

May 29.....Last day graduation picnic for the M/T/W/Th p.m. class

June 8.....Diamond Jubilee Open House (more info later) 

PLEASE NOTE:
1.February words:Valentines,friends,presidents,alphabet,numbers,dissolve,sink,float and peace.

2.The M/T/W/Th class will continue to recognize their own telephone number and address during March.You can help by working with your child also.Many children know their phone number now.

HAVE A WONDERFUL SPRING BREAK.Kathleen Hodgen

Tuesday, February 26, 2013

Change of home number for Alex Andrasz

M-Th p.m. class (Elana/Albert) 224-636-7210

Monday, February 4, 2013

                   Joytime Diamond Jubilee Year

   Mr.Hodgen-resident "Grandfather" to decades of Joytime children was an important element of our school.Though mostly behind the scenes as head maintance man,bookkeeper,ect.He frequently came in to greet the children and give high fives and the children looked forward to his appearances!The graduating class of 2001,generously presented Joytime with a popcorn machine and Mr.Hodgen lovingly became known as "Mr. Popcorn Man" when he would put on the popcorn hat and apron.Mr. Hodgen was more than owner of Joytime,he was a beloved part of our school and still missed today!

Sunday, February 3, 2013

  Dear Parents,
   We welcomed the new year by considering some of our companions on Spacecraft Earth.Our "after Christmas"tree was decorated in rice cakes with lard and birdseed,plus cherrios chains.We observed many birds and squirrels dining on our patio.We also enjoyed watching the squirrels who come to our window to dine on corn we put out.We also had a discussion about how January was named (after the mythical Janus,who has two faces,one for the old year and one for the new year).

  The Tuesday/Thursday class have name cards now to start recognizing their own names.We also celebrated the color blue with stories,water table and art.The M/W/F a.m. and M/T/W/Th p.m. classes learned about Martin Luther King Jr.and his dream.We are discussing how to be peaceful people. (In all the classes.)

  We are hoping for more snow days!We hope to play in it,shovel it and tube down "Joytime Mountain".Inside we also enjoyed hanging snowflakes,painting with "snow",lots of snow work including pictures with "popcorn snow" lots of snow songs.We look forward to more fun in the snow.

  PLEASE NOTE:

1.PARENTS:With cold and flu season upon us,just as a friendly reminder.If your child has a persistent cough or runny nose,play it safe for others and PLEASE KEEP THEM HOME.Thank you.

2.Please respect our arrival and departure times.If you have a special need to be early or late,please call in advance.If someone new is bringing your child(dad,grandparents,sitter,ect)please tell them not to come to the door untill it is opened.We have had several occasions of children arriving early,or people leaving before their child is inside(the biggest no-no).For your child's safety please see that she/he is entering school before you leave.Gentle reminder:We encourage our children to get into their cars on the CURB side for their safety,as Maywood Road sometimes can be quite busy.

3.The ground hog has predicted an early spring,but winter will be with us still for awhile.Please provide your child with appropriate outdoor clothing,boots,mittens,hats,ect.A jacket is not sufficient.Please help us all enjoy the winter outdoor time.Reminder:Afternoon children need to come fully dressed as we continue to go out first in the winter,weather permitting.

ITEMS OF INTEREST:
1.January words:Happy New Year,Janus,snow,snowflakes,artic,Antartica,Eskimo,Inuit,crystals,experiment and Peace.

2.Our "Summer in Winter"days were enjoyed by all.We played with Florida sand and shells,dipped in the pool and had a summer picnic on our blankets,including Popsicles.What a day,while the cold wind blew outside.

FEBRUARY INTEREST UNITS:

Feb.4-8.....Valentines and friends

Feb.11-15.....Valentine celebration

Feb.18-22.....Presidents & the color purple

Feb.25-March 1.....Fun with alphabet & numbers & Pajama Day(more info later)

FEBRUARY TO MAY CALENDAR:

Feb.13th and 14th Valentine's Day observed.Children may bring in Valentine's.Please DO NOT address them.

Feb.13th...M/W/F a.m. class Valentine's day will be observed.
Feb.14th....T/Th a.m. class and M/T/W/Th p.m. class Valentine's day will be observed.

Feb.18th...NO SCHOOL-PRESIDENTS DAY

March23rd-April 1st....Spring Break
                                  School resumes Monday April 1st.

May 27th ....NO SCHOOL-MEMORIAL DAY

May 30th...Last day of school for the T/Th a.m. class and for th M/T/W/Th p.m. class

May 31st....Last day of school for the M/W/F a.m. class

Friday, January 11, 2013

                              Joytime Diamond Jubilee Year!

This sixieth year heralds the celebration of all our children's achievements and also the retirement of this venerable Lake Forest institution.With the graduating class of 2013,Joytime will officially say thank you and goodbye to our families and friends who have susutained and nurtured us through the years.

The Hodgen family and staff of Joytime Preschool have so enjoyed nurturing and educating three generations of North Shore children.Cooperation,collaboration and seeking peaceful solutions to problems large and small have been at the heart of our philosophy and what we have strived to teach our students.

In our newsletter and on our blog,watch for installments of our Joytime retrospective as well as preparations for our Alumni Open House Grand Finale.Mark your calendars for June 8,2013;families are invited to drop in,visit with old friends,and wish your Joytime clan good cheer and best wishes for the future.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

  Peaceful New Year to us all,as well as a happy,healthy and prosperous one.Since the new year will not bring us these things at all the same times,we hopefully will work together to maximize the opportunities that we do have.

  We look forward to January and to having fun in the snow.We like to slide down Joytime Mountain,build snow people and enjoy the outdoor time.We do not stay out for long peiods,but find that we all love the outdoor time if we are adequately dressed.

  December's activities were conductive to the ongoing sharing process,with gift making for others,decorations for the home and discovering some of the many ways in which people celebrate this wonderful season.Since the giving of gifts is a part of most celebrations,I am hopeful the gifts your children received reflect creative and constructive play.

INTEREST UNITS:
Jan.7-11.....Welcome to New Year/Blue
Jan.14-18.....Snow-Real and Pretend
Jan.21-25.....Peaceful Classroom/Summer in Winter Days
Jan.28-Feb.1.....People & Aniamls in cold places

PLEASE NOTE
1.Reminder:Due to the increase in peanut allergies,Joytime is asking parents when sending in snacks to check labels for peanut oil or when baking.Do not send any treats containing nuts or peanut oil.
2.Car safety:We have had several instances of children heading into the street when coming to their car.If the curbside door is open,this can be avoided.An accident would be a terrible tragedy.Please DO NOT pull forward after your child has been allowed out of the school door.This too,could cause an accident.
3.Winter dressing:(weather permitting)All afternoon children are asked to arrive fully dressed for outdoor play,as our outdoor period is at the beginning of the afternoon.Morning children can carry snow pants,if desired and will wear them home.
4.New envelopes:We start the new year with new envelopes.How long can we recycle them and make them last?

ITEMS OF INTEREST:
1.December words:Customs,Hanukkah,Kwanza,Las Posadas,Christmas,celebrations.
2. Summer in Winter days.January 24&25th.(more information later)
3.Updated name lists will be sent out in the middle of January.
4.We will remain OPEN on Martin Luther King day to observe his birthday and his peaceful philosophy.
5.Picture days will be January 29&30th.Reminder will be sent out closer to the date.

Jan.-May Calendar
Feb.18th-Presidents Day -NO SCHOOL
March 23rd-April 1-Spring Break-School starts again on April 1st.
May 27th-Memorial Day -NO SCHOOL
May 30th-Last day for the T/Th a.m. and last day for the M/T/W/TH p.m. class
May 31st-Last day for M/W/F a.m. class