Bulldog Buddies Bulletin

Hello Bulldog Buddies Families,

March is National Reading Month—a wonderful time to celebrate the love of books and literacy with our preschoolers! At Bulldog Buddies, we make reading a daily part of our routine, helping children build essential early literacy skills. This year, we’ve also incorporated a phonemic awareness component into our whole-group instruction. This program helps children develop important pre-reading skills like rhyming, blending, and identifying letter sounds—all in a fun and engaging way!

Here are some fun ways you can support literacy at home:

📖 Read Together Daily – Even just 10–15 minutes a day helps build vocabulary and comprehension.

📚 Make Reading Fun – Use silly voices, act out favorite books, and let your child choose what to read. Let your child pick out books that excite them. Many libraries also have story time sessions!

🔤 Explore Letters & Sounds – Play with rhymes, sing alphabet songs, and point out letters in everyday places (like cereal boxes or street signs).

🗣️ Encourage Story Conversations – Ask your child questions about the story and let them retell it in their own words.

Most importantly, keep reading and having fun! Whether it’s a bedtime story, a favorite picture book, or even reading signs at the park, every little moment counts. Together, we can help create a love of reading for our preschoolers!

Happy Reading!

Kristy Elsey

We are starting to plan for the 2025-2026 school year. Please complete the interest form below if you are interested in your child attending the Bulldog Buddies preschool program next year (2025-2026). Completing this form does not guarantee your child a spot within the program; however, it is the first step in that process. You will receive additional information from my office as the year progresses regarding registration.

Bulldog Buddies Preschool Interest Form 2025-2026

Information for current Bulldog Buddies preschool students that will be 5 by August 1, 2025 and going to kindergarten next year.

There are several English/Language Arts Early Learning Standards that we focus on in preschool. The three areas of development in the English/Language Arts standards include developing communication skills, early reading skills, and early writing (or pre-writing) skills.

1. Communication: Communication involves listening and responding, using gestures and words, and being able to engage in conversations.
2. Early reading: Early reading skills include recognizing letters, playing with sounds and rhymes, understanding how print and books work, and participating in story time activities.
3. Early writing: Early writing skills include making scribbles or marks (and progressing to writing letters), telling a story, drawing a picture to represent a story, and writing to communicate.

Parents and caregivers help build children’s brains and vocabulary through everyday interactions that involve lots of talking and reading. Back and forth conversations or interactions are crucial right from the beginning (at birth!). If you’d like to learn more, talkingisteaching.org is a great resource!

Check out some highlights from the Exercise Study!

We enjoyed our Exercise Study and learning all about types of exercise, equipment we use, and places to exercise. We wrapped up the study with lots of discussion and activities related to all of the ways we can keep our bodies healthy and strong.

The Pets Study is next! Children often talk about their pets or pets that they would like to have. We will be working together to answer the following questions:

• What kinds of animals are pets? What are some characteristics of pets?
• Where do pets live?
• What do pets eat?
• How do we care for pets?
• How do pets make us feel?

As we study pets, we will learn concepts and skills in the areas of literacy, math, science, and social studies. We’ll also develop fine motor skills and problem solving skills through hands-on activities.

We’d love your help gathering pet-related materials for the children to explore. Here are some suggestions if you’d like to send something to school: pet food containers, books or pictures of pets, samples of pet food, new items like pet food dishes, water bottles, collars, leashes, or pet toys.

Tuition Payment Schedule:

• Fees are loaded on the 15th of the previous month and due by the 1st of each month.
• Payments can be made online via PowerSchool or at the school office.
• If payment isn’t received by the 10th of the month, the child will not be allowed to attend preschool until the balance is cleared.

Supply Fee:

$65 per year for all preschool students, payable in August.

Monthly Tuition Rates:

3 days/week: $180

5 days/week: $300

Free & Reduced Program:
The application for free/reduced tuition is available on the Food Services page.

For questions, contact the preschool office at (219) 663-4330.

The Birth to School Program at Crown Point Community School Corporation (CPCSC) provides free classes and events for children aged 0-5 who live within the district boundaries. Here’s a breakdown of the program offerings:

Little Learners Series:

• Baby Class: Ages 0-12 months
• Toddler Class: Ages 13-24 months
• Little Learners Class: Ages 25-36 months

Imaginarium Classes: For all children ages 0-5

Children already attending Bulldog Buddies can also participate in the Birth to School Program. For more details, visit the Birth to School Program page, or reach out to Jamie Kalk, the Birth to School Coordinator, at jkalk@cps.k12.in.us.

March 11th - eLearning Day, no preschool classes

March 24-28th - Spring Break, no preschool classes

April 18th - Good Friday, no preschool classes

May 22nd - Last day of preschool for AM classes

May 23rd - Last day of preschool for PM classes

Kristy Elsey, Assistant Director of Elementary Education

Email: kelsey01@cps.k12.in.us

Charissa Leestma, Preschool Specialist

Email: cleestma@cps.k12.in.us

Christine Johnsen, Preschool Treasurer

Email: cjohnsen@cps.k12.in.us

Website: https://preschool.cps.k12.in.us/

Location: 720 Summit Street, Crown Point, IN, USA

Phone: 219-663-4330