November Newsletter

From apple and pumpkin-themed activities to leaf hunts and more, we’ve enjoyed all sorts of autumn fun and learning throughout October. During the month of November, we will embark on a journey of fostering connections and celebrating family traditions as we nurture the spirit of Thanksgiving and togetherness. Our students will engage in activities that inspire gratitude and kindness by sharing personal experiences and learning about the importance of giving back to our community.

Thank you for entrusting us with the care and education of your children. We look forward to another month of joy and learning!

Next Coffee & Conversation: 12/02 - 12/06

Sincerely,

Principal Ashley

‘Tis the season! Our annual Holiday Giving initiative is a way for students to spread cheer this holiday season while developing an appreciation for what they have, showing gratitude towards others, and seeing the positive impact of their actions. This year we are collecting items for the Senior citizens and children & teenagers in foster care through the The Fund of Alexandria's Child. More details to come via Links 2 Home. Thank you in advance for your partnership and generosity.

November is Native American Heritage Month. It is a time to honor their culture, accomplishments, and contributions. When children acknowledge and appreciate diverse cultures, they are helping to build a community of belonging and inclusion. We will be celebrating in our classrooms by reading books about Native Americans, making a traditional meal, and exploring nature which is an important part of the Native American culture!

Do you know a colleague who has recently had a baby, a friend in need of care who just relocated to the area, or a family member who is seeking a new preschool for their child? When you refer a friend and they enroll, you’re eligible for a free week of tuition. Ask us for details!

Are you interested in joining our Parent Ambassador Team? Email us for more information on our upcoming school & community events!

Nov. 1st - Scholastic Book Fair Ends

Nov. 8th - Parent Surveys End

Nov. 11th - Closed for Veteran's Day (Professional Development Day)

Nov. 18th Week of Gratitude

Nov. 22nd - Family & Friendsgiving: Pies with Parents

Nov. 22nd - Family Progress Reports are available

Nov. 25th - School Portraits Day

Nov. 27th - Early Dismissal at 12:00pm

Nov. 28th & 29th - School Closed for Holiday

Dec. 2nd - Coffee & Conversation Week

Dec. 24th & 25th - School Closed for Holiday

Dec. 31st - Early Dismissal at 12:00pm

Jan. 1st - School Closed for New Year Holiday

*Nov. 18th - Dec. 22nd - Giving Initiative: The Fund of Alexandria's Child

*Dec 23rd - Jan 7th - School-Age Winter Camp

We kindly ask for your support in ensuring prompt arrival each morning, as it’s essential to your preschooler’s success! Our daily learning begins promptly at 9:00 a.m. with Morning Circle, setting the foundation for an engaging day of exploration and connection. Arriving on time allows your child to settle in, prepare for the day, and participate fully in our classroom community.

Late Morning Arrivals

If you anticipate arriving after 9:30 a.m., please notify us in advance via Tadpoles or by contacting the Admin Team. This helps us coordinate with your child’s teacher and our cook, Ms. Selena, to ensure your child’s needs, including lunch preparation, are met seamlessly.

Afternoon Drop-offs and Returns

For students aged 12 months to 5 years, naptime occurs between 12:30 p.m. and 2:30 p.m. To minimize disruptions during this restful period, we strongly encourage avoiding drop-offs at this time. If an afternoon drop-off during naptime is unavoidable, please coordinate with your child’s teacher to ensure a smooth and quiet transition.

Starting at 2:30 p.m., we will no longer be able to accept drop-offs or returns. At this time, we begin planning the release of our staff for the day based on classroom ratios. If you are in need of afternoon care, simply contact the Admin Team at 807AdminTeam@nlcinc.com to confirm availability and we will be happy to work to accommodate your needs.

Infant/Toddler Families

As a licensed child care center, we must maintain strict teacher-to-student ratios throughout the day. If you plan to arrive later than usual in the morning, please inform the Infant & Toddler Team in advance. This helps us anticipate your arrival and ensure proper coverage.

Early Arrivals

If your child typically arrives at 8:30 a.m. but you’d like to drop off earlier one day, please let us know via Tadpoles. Our staff schedules are staggered to align with student arrival and departure trends, and early communication helps us prepare to welcome your child.

Thank you for your continued support in creating a smooth, welcoming start to each day. Our top priority is ensuring the safety and well-being of every student, and your communication helps us achieve this goal effectively.

Here at Chesterbrook Academy, we provide healthy and nutritious meals and snacks that follow USDA guidelines for all children while at school. We do not allow outside food or drinks to be brought into the center except for the following conditions:

1. Food allergies/medical reasons that require child to have different food than what is provided on the menu. Parents and School Administration must meet in advance to create and sign off on Modification Request Plan.

2. Special events/occasions that are pre-approved in advance by a member of School Administration.

Modification Requests/Plans

If your child has food allergies and/or medical reasons that require your child to be served food other than what is provided on our menu while at school, please submit an email to school administration with your request and documentation. A member of School Administration will contact you to discuss and talk through next steps which may include information from child’s doctor, medication and allergy forms (as needed).

Special Events

CBA recognizes that there are special events and activities that take place during the school year where families will participate and contribute by bringing in outside food into the school.

When outside food is brought into the school, the procedures below must be followed.

Procedures for Parents

Ask/notify the Principal or Assistant Principal in advance to determine if there are any students with food allergies in the class.

If there is a student(s) with food allergies in class, please avoid bringing in food containing those allergens or provide an appropriate substitution.

• Any food items brought into the school must be:
• Store bought/commercially prepared
• In the original sealed container
• Ingredient’s label must be on the product and must be legible

Our school is a Peanut-Free/Tree-Nut Free environment. No foods containing peanuts and/or tree nuts are allowed. Tree Nuts include but are not limited to: walnuts, cashews, almonds, Brazil nuts, macadamia nuts, pine nuts, chestnuts, hazelnuts, pistachios, pecans.

Other common food allergens to be aware of and avoid bringing into the center when possible include milk, dairy, egg, wheat, soy, shellfish, fish, and sesame.

Gratitude, kindness, giving, and appreciation are essential values for toddlers and preschoolers as they shape their emotional and social development. Learning to express gratitude fosters a positive mindset, while kindness and giving build empathy and help children form meaningful relationships. Appreciation teaches respect for others and the importance of acknowledging effort, creating a foundation for strong, compassionate interactions as they grow.

Introducing toddlers to math concepts through games, songs, and puzzles are just some ways to spark curiosity and make learning about colors, shapes, numbers, and other important math concepts fun. Our Links to Learning curriculum combines learning with play, introducing toddlers to geometry and relationships, problem-solving skills and reasoning, simple counting, shapes, colors, and more through interactive and hands-on activities. Continue the learning at home with these fun games and math activities that will inspire your little ones to discover the magic of math!

Shapes with Cars

Does your child love playing with cars? Then we have the perfect activity for color recognition and sorting. Supply your child with colored cars and ask them to drive their car to the matching “parking garage.” Your parking garage can be anything from a colored piece of construction paper to a colored bin.

Puzzles

Puzzles are a timeless and simple way to help toddlers develop spatial awareness and problem-solving skills. There are shape-sorting puzzles, stacking puzzles, large floor puzzles, and more that are sure to excite and challenge your toddler. Consider getting a number puzzle to begin exploring number recognition. You can even make a puzzle! Print out a picture, cut it into pieces, and ask your child to put them together.

Hopscotch Number Line

If your child is in their second year of toddlerhood, this one’s for them! Using chalk, draw a line on your driveway or sidewalk. Draw 1 - 5 short lines intersecting the first line to create a number line and label the numbers. Encourage your child to step or hop along each number, counting as they go.

Stacking/ Building with Blocks

Stacking blocks helps toddlers learn about measurement by exploring height and length, improves their spatial reasoning as they fit blocks together, and teaches balance by showing them how to stack without toppling over. Count with your toddler how many blocks they are able to stack. Insider tip: Toddlers love knocking down their block towers! Go ahead and celebrate this fun cause and effect relationship with them, then encourage them to build again!

Fingerplays and Songs

Toddlers love to sing and be silly! Do you know “Five Green and Speckled Frogs,” “Sally the Camel,” or “One, Two, Buckle My Shoe”? These are perfect to sing and say with your little ones to help them understand counting concepts as well as begin counting on their fingers. A quick internet search will pull up plenty of resources!

Water Play!

Yes, this one’s a bit messy but it’s also so fun and will keep your toddler busy for quite some time. Fill a large bin with water and give your child different types of containers to experiment with volume and measurement by filling and pouring. Discuss concepts like full, empty, and more or less.

*Never leave your child unattended during this activity.

Counting Nature Walk

Go on a nature walk collecting items like leaves, stones, flowers, etc. Count them together as you collect or after your walk. Again, discuss more or less, and sort your findings into categories.

Math Storytime

It’s likely that you already read books with your child, so why not incorporate math into storytime? There are wonderful books that are fun and teach math concepts. Read “Mouse Paint” by Ellen Walsh to learn about colors, “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” by Eric Carle to teach counting, and “Round Is a Tortilla: A Book of Shapes" by Roseanne Thong to learn about shapes.

Fall is a wonderful season to engage preschoolers with fun and educational facts! Here are some age-appropriate tidbits for little learners:

Leaves Change Color

• Leaves change color in the fall because they stop making chlorophyll, the green pigment that helps them make food. When the chlorophyll fades, we see the other beautiful colors like red, orange, and yellow that were hiding all along!

Animals Prepare for Winter

• Many animals get ready for winter during the fall! Squirrels gather nuts, and some animals like bears eat a lot to gain weight for hibernation, a long nap they take through the cold months.

Pumpkins are a Type of Fruit

• Pumpkins are actually a fruit because they have seeds! Fall is when pumpkins are ready to be picked, and they’re used to make pumpkin pie and to carve into jack-o'-lanterns.

Birds Fly South

• Some birds migrate, or fly south, to stay warm in the winter. Geese are one of the most well-known migrators, and they often fly in a "V" shape to help each other along the way!

Cooler Weather Helps Plants

• Some plants grow better in cooler weather, like carrots and potatoes. Farmers plant these in the fall because they love the cool soil.

Scarecrows Help Farmers

• Scarecrows are placed in fields to keep birds from eating crops. Birds are afraid of the scarecrow’s shape, thinking it’s a person!

These facts can make the fall season feel even more magical for preschoolers, blending learning with the natural wonders all around them!

Our Enrolled Family Survey launched in October. If you have not received the email, please let us know so we can request that it be resent. The survey provides the opportunity for you to give us feedback anonymously on our strengths and areas we can work on. The survey closes November 8.

In today’s connected world, many families turn to online reviews to learn more about the reputation of schools. Just a reminder that you can find our school on Facebook, Google, Yelp and other online directories. We’d love more families like yours, so please consider spreading the word about our school.

Email: 807adminteam@nlcinc.com
Website: Kingstowne.ChesterbrookAcademy.com
Location: 6200 Interparcel Rd, Alexandria, VA 22315
Phone: (703) 921-9600

Schedule a Meeting: CLICK HERE