January News

We hope you all had a
wonderful holiday.

Thank you to all the parents for your thoughtful and generous wishes at Christmas.

The winter weather has arrived.
We do not go outside unless the temperature is 20 degree or higher.
Those little hands and ears still need gloves and hats.
We need snow pants and boots to play in the snow.

SPEAKING OF PARKING
IN WINTER WEATHER...

Alternate Side Parking Program:
The Village's Alternate Side Parking Program
is in effect from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m., seven days a week,
after 2" or more of snow accumulates on the pavement.
The snow removal program is a minimum
two day operation. To learn if the program is in effect,
please tune to 1660 AM - the Village of Skokie's
Advisory Radio station, call 847/675-SNOW (7669)
or tune to SkokieVision cable on channel 17
for Comcast customers and 25 for RCN customers.

Research tells us:

	********	Reading aloud to children is the single most important activity for building understanding and skills for reading success.

	********	Growth in vocabulary and oral language use is related to reading.

	********	Children acquire knowledge of letters through reading.

	********	Phonological awareness is related to reading success and begins to develop through traditional rhymes and word games.

	********	Reading to your child as bedtime is a wonderful way to end the day and a great cuddle time.

	********	Celebrate when your child shows the ability to hear rhyming sounds, predicts story lines and is able to spot simple sight words. It's a wonderful journey to take with your child.

PLEASE REMEMBER:

If you should change your phone number
at home or work or cell please notify us.

If you have a cell phone, please give us the number.

Medical News

Hand washing is the single most important thing
we can do to prevent the spread of germs.
As simple as it sounds, there are suggested procedures
from the National Health and Safety Performance Standards
for proper hand washing which we all need to be
aware of and to teach our children. Suggested procedures include:

1.	Turn on water.
2.	Moisten hands with water and apply liquid soap to hands. This is the hard part for children. They will apply sop first and then add water, thus rinsing off the soap.
3.	Rub hands together vigorously until a soapy lather appears and continue for at least 10 seconds. Rub areas between fingers, around nail beds, under fingernails, and back of hands.
4.	Rinse hands under running water until they are free of soap and dirt. Leave water running why drying hands.
5.	Dry hands with clean, disposable, single-use towel.
6.	Turn off faucet with disposal towel.
7.	Throw the disposable paper towel into a lined trash container.

There is a fun little song to sing with children when washing hands.

		(tune: Row, Row Row Your Boat) Wash, wash, wash your hands Play this handy game. Rub and scrub, rub and scrub, Germs go down the drain.

If your child receives a shot
during a doctor's visit,
please get a note from the doctor,
so our medical records are
always up to date.

JUST A REMINDER...

At the recommendation of the Health Department we will
not administer over the counter medication without a note or fax
from the children�s doctor. Prescription medication must be in the
original container from the pharmacy. If your child should require
medication the doctor can often prescribe the dosage twice a day,
so that you are the only person administering the medication.
Our new policy takes effect immediately.

Thank you for your understanding.

Early Years
is a newsletter to provide busy parents with practical ways
to promote school readiness, parent
involvement, and more effective parenting.
Click here to read the January Edition.
(You must have Adobe Acrobat to open this newsletter)

Our Holiday Program was Wonderful!
It put each and every one of us into the Holiday Spirit!
Over 220 parents and friends joined us
and enjoyed a reception afterwards.
Our music classes will begin again the first
week of January. The Class is presented by
Music Scholars.

January Birthday List
Sydney V. January 12^thAndrew B. January 20^thBianka K. January 23^rd
Kayla H. January 28^th^{HAPPY
BIRTHDAY!!!}

Some New Year Resolutions...

1.	Throw out nonessential numbers. This includes age, weight, and height.

2.	Keep only cheerful friends.

3.	Keep learning: learn more about the computer, crafts, gardening, whatever. Never let the brain get idle.

4.	Enjoy the simple things.

5.	Laugh often, long and loud. Laugh until you gasp for breath. And if you have a friend who makes you laugh, spend lots and lots of time with HIM/HER.

6.	Surround yourself with what you love: Whether it's family, pets, keepsakes, music, plants, hobbies, whatever.

7.	Cherish your health: If it is good, preserve it, if it is unstable, improve it.

8.	Tell the people you love that you love them, at every opportunity.

9.	Never go to sleep angry.

10.	Keep smiling: to those you know and those you don't.

WHAT'S HAPPENING...

Our Teddy Bears, the two's ...
Happy New Year!
We'll start off January talking about snow, snowflakes and ice.
We will welcome some new friends, Jenna, Mireya, and Natalie.

The Bunny Bunch, the threes ...
Happy New Year from the Threes!
During the month of January we will have a week of winter sports,
we will talk about the different types of winter sports like
hockey, basketball, ice skating, snow boarding, skiing, and sledding.
We might even do a little ice fishing.
We will learn fun things about penguins and polar bears.
We will end January with a unit on stars, constellations, space and planets.
We will also continue with our letter recognition.

In our 4's, our Junior Kindergarten ...
December was full of fun and celebrating the holiday season.
We started the month off with celebrating Hanukkah.
We played the dreidel game and made our own dreidels to take home.
We learned about the traditions with the Menorah and gold coins in a gelt bag.
The next week, we learned about the sights of the holidays.
We made Christmas stockings, Christmas trees and reindeers
made from our own hand prints and footprints.
Our big events were our wonderful Holiday Concert.
It proved to be an evening full of singing, smiles and laughter.
We are so proud of the children! We also had a visit from Mrs. Claus
who gave us many good stories to listen to. The final week was short but sweet.
SANTA CAME TO TINY TOT! What a great month!
January of the New Year, 2010 should prove to be filled with outdoor snow play
and many activities indoors about the beauty and fun of Winter.
We will learn about the animals who live in snowy climates all over the world.
We will learn about health and safety in the wintertime
and how to have fun even in the wintery cold weather.

Our 5's, our Kindergartener's...
It was such a busy time this month! We had so much FUN!
We learned about our five senses, what parts of our bodies
are responsible for them and how to keep those parts healthy.
We talked about holiday traditions, especially the gingerbread man
and why he doesn�t want to get wet�
We learned how holidays are celebrated around the world
and how wonderful it is to give our thoughts
and love to the people close to us.
Our holiday concert was a big success!
We performed for our parents at the concert that
Tiny Tot and Music Scholars organized together!
We were thrilled to show off our talents!
Then Ms. Claus came to visit Tiny Tot and tell lots of stories
about the North Pole and how the things are so hectic
during the holiday preparations.
Eventually, we had a visit from Santa Claus himself.
He asked about our wishes for the holidays
and made sure that we all have been very good.
In January we will start a new year full of fun, learning,
and good memories. We will make a smooth transition
talking about how we imagine a perfect winter.
Then we will talk about community and we�ll try
to explore as many different careers as we can!
We are looking for anyone who is willing to come and talk
about their job. We would love to hear all about it!
We will also have a workshop from a bank and learn more about money.
Furthermore, we will talk about what freedom and equity are.
We will also learn everything about the hibernation process
and animals that go through it.

From the bottom of my heart
I want to wish you all Happy Holidays, Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!
I will welcome you all back on January 4th
for another exciting month together!

You can now print our Registration Form.

Happy New Year !