
The Sandcastle Times- Jan. 2025
"Building Strong Foundations for Lifetime of Learning"
HAPPY NEW YEAR!!
A message from Holly Bevilacqua, COO
Happy New Year! We hope this newsletter finds you well and that you had a joyful holiday season. On behalf of all the staff at Carelot, we want to express our sincere gratitude for your generosity during the holidays. The gifts and goodies you shared with us were delightful, and we truly appreciate your thoughtfulness.
The new year is a great time for resolutions, not just for adults but for our little ones too! We encourage you to take this opportunity to teach your children simple yet impactful habits, such as making their beds, brushing their teeth twice a day, or helping out with dinner preparations. It's a wonderful way to instill positive habits early on.
At Carelot, we value your feedback, and there are several opportunities for you to contribute. Please take the time to assist us with the question of the month, conference forms, and surveys. Your input is invaluable in shaping and enhancing our programs.
We are excited about the upcoming year and look forward to creating wonderful memories with all our staff, families, and children. 2025 is set to be a fantastic year, and we're grateful to have you as part of our Carelot family.
We appreciate your ongoing support and involvement in making Carelot a nurturing and enriching environment for our children. Here's to a fantastic January and a year ahead filled with growth, learning, and joy
FAMILY- TEACHER CONFERENCES
As we step into 2025, we want to keep you informed about some important upcoming events. Our teachers are gearing up for parent-teacher conferences in our Centers. Please take a moment to complete and return a conference form using the links below! We understand your busy schedules, and we'll do our best to accommodate and schedule conferences the last couple weeks of January. This is one of two times a year that we share with you written progress of your child's growth and development. You can choose between in-person, telephone or virtual conferences with your child's teacher.
Reminders:
Time to get that Flu Shot! Please be advised that it is the Connecticut State Law that all children attending child care have a seasonal flu vaccine if they are between 6 to 59 months by December 31st, 2024. All children should have the vaccine to return to child care for the new year. If your child turns 6 months after 12/31 they will be required to get a flu shot.
Label and Date all of your child’s snack and lunch items. Place items in the labeled bins in your child’s classroom. This is a NAEYC requirement and also for the safety of the children. Thank you for your help! Permanent markers are available in all classrooms for your convenience when labeling!
Change of Clothes: If you haven’t done so already, please make sure your child(ren) has an appropriate change of clothes and thicker blankets for a nap. In order to play outside in the snow, each child will need snow boots, snow pants, hats, and gloves. Parents, don’t forget that going outside is an important part of our curriculum. As the weather gets colder, it is important to send your child in with a warm coat, hat, and mittens/gloves daily. Snow pants and a pair of snow boots are required as well once it starts to snow.
Scheduled Hours: Please follow your contracted hours for your child’s care. Our teachers are scheduled until a specific time and need to go home to their families as well. If you need to make a change, stop by the office so we can make the necessary adjustments.
Survey Results
Due to a lack of response, we cannot offer an accurate assessment.
We will be sending the survey out again for families to complete at a later date
Results on what we received- Questions that some families answered IDK or NO
- I talk with a teacher about my child at least once a week (or every day if my child is a baby). Procare Family App is a direct means of communication between families and staff on a daily basis. Pick-up and drop-off time is also key time for parent/staff communication
- The teacher asks about things that are important to our family and uses this information to help my child grow and learn. The all about me form as well as daily interactions between staff and families at drop off and pick up are tools that are used to learn information. Also, the family feedback form we use for parent/teacher conferences.
- I am invited to take part in classroom activities and events. Families are encouraged to volunteer in the classroom - check out the family volunteer board in your child's classroom. Carelot also invites families to all events such as Holiday Parties, Back to school nights, Family night and Community events that Carelot participates in to name a few.
- I am comfortable with what my child is learning and how my child's progress is measured. I have the opportunity to discuss what is learned and how it is measured. Families are able to schedule a teacher meeting at any time during the year, however, we conduct formal Family/Teacher conferences in January as well as in June. Child Portfolios are also kept on each child and available at any time for a family to review and see their child's learning progress.
- I receive written reports about my child at least twice a year. These reports are conducted at our family/teacher conferences in January and in June. Families receive a summary of the conference with details discussed.
- The teacher and program work with me to meet my child's individual or special needs and help me get other resources within the community when needed. Our community board offers an array of community resources and our teaching staff works together with families when a child is observed needing additional instruction or would benefit from outside resources.
- The program helps me get to know other families in the program and encourages us to support each other. On several occasions throughout the year, Carelot holds events that encourage families to participate. These events allow families to meet one another. Family Nights, Harvest Festivals, Trick or Trunk events, Parade events, and more.
- The program staff helps me learn about community events and resources that can help my child and family. Our community board offers an array of community resources and our teaching staff works together with families when a child is observed needing additional instruction or would benefit from outside resources.
- When program evaluations are completed, I receive information about the findings. This is information from survey results - We share via our family newsletters and anytime a family requests the results.
Question of the month "What do you feel is the most important aspect of a childcare program?""
We want to remind you about the fantastic opportunity to share your feedback and possibly win a $25 tuition credit.
Don't forget to submit your answers! It's a quick and easy process. Just click the link below and share your thoughts with us.
Your input is invaluable in helping us enhance our programs. We believe that with your insights, we can continue to create a nurturing and enriching environment for all our children.
Thank you for taking the time to contribute to our ongoing efforts to assess and improve our policies, procedures, curriculum, and more. Your participation plays a crucial role in shaping the future of our programs.
We look forward to receiving your answers and appreciate your dedication to making Carelot the best it can be!
December Winner: Jordan Lumbra from Brooklyn! Thank you!
Staff Inservice Day
Tell your family and friends
Communicate with ease
PTO news....
Upcoming events:
Fundraiser: Popcorn- Date to be determined
Giving Tree
We hope this message finds you well and filled with the warmth of the holiday season. We are overjoyed to share the incredible news that, with your generous support, the PTO sponsored 15 families this year, making their Christmas exceptionally special.
Your donations, both in quantity and spirit, were truly overwhelming. Each contribution played a crucial role in bringing joy, smiles, and holiday magic to the families we were able to support. Your kindness has made a significant impact on their lives, and we cannot thank you enough for your generosity.
It's heartening to witness the community coming together to spread cheer and make a positive difference in the lives of others. Your collective efforts have created lasting memories for these families, and the smiles you've helped create will be cherished for a long time.
Thank you for embodying the true spirit of giving and for being a beacon of light in our community. Your kindness has not only made this holiday season brighter but has also exemplified the power of compassion and unity.
As we reflect on the past year, let's carry this spirit of generosity into the new year, continuing to support and uplift one another.
Wishing you a joyful and prosperous New Year!
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Thanks for all of your continued support
We are always looking for new ideas for fundraisers if you have an idea drop by the office and share it with us. Helping out with committees is easy, there are many ways to help!
Stop a Bad Day in it’s Tracks!
You know those days. The kids are cranky and pushing all of your buttons. When you feel this happening, try these ideas to regain
control of the situation and salvage the day:
* Stop everything, sit on the floor and read some quiet books with your kids.
* Give your child a warm bath.
* Put on some soft, gentle music and encourage everyone to relax.
* Turn off the television and turn down the lights.
* Talk about how you all can change the mood in the house. By staying calm yourself, you can keep the situation from accelerating.
Curriculum updates
Happy New Year! December at Carelot was nothing short of magical, filled with festive learning and creativity. Here's a glimpse into the wonderful activities that unfolded in our vibrant community:
Diverse Holiday Exploration: Our little ones embarked on a journey of discovery, learning about various holidays celebrated around the world. It was a joyous time of cultural exploration, fostering understanding and appreciation for different traditions.
Heartfelt Gifts for Families: The spirit of giving was alive at Carelot as our children poured their creativity into crafting special gifts for their families. We hope these tokens of love brought warmth and joy to your homes during the holiday season.
Staying Connected: We hope you stayed well-informed about your child's activities through kid reports, our active Facebook page, and our website. Your engagement is crucial to creating a connected and supportive Carelot community.
Upcoming Events: As we step into January, be sure to check out our calendar of events for daily activities across classrooms. This month, we're diving into an exciting month-long lesson on "Winter Wonderland." Get ready for a month filled with frosty fun and educational adventures!
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Family Events were a blast all around Carelot!
All around Carelot- Curriculum Updates
Outdoor Play & Snowy Days: Outside play is part of our everyday curriculum. We love it when it snows!!! Snow clothes and boots are necessary to go out and play on snowy days. We ask that you bring in snow pants, a warm coat, hat, mittens, scarves, and boots. These keep the children nice and warm and dry when snow is on the ground! We can't wait for some snow!!
Keeping us Healthy: Please review your family handbook about illness and exclusions as we head into the upcoming months. Covid has brought challenges and we must be extra cautious to prevent the spread of infectious diseases. We have been working hard to reduce the spread of germs and we greatly appreciate your help to keep all of our children as healthy as possible.
Kindly return your conference forms to the teachers this month so you can schedule your conference/stay up to date on your child's academic/developmental progress.
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Fun activites to do at home!
Have an indoor campout
Get creative when staying home!
Make a snowman when there isn't any snow!
Wish list items- Drop off at any Carelot location
We are always looking for gently used toys! Our classrooms love new items and sharing with friends! Think of Carelot when cleaning out after the holiday. We would be happy to give you a donation letter to use with your taxes.
We love: Gently used toys and puzzless, dry pasta, dry beans, shaving cream, dry rice, Toilet, and paper towel tubes. Any old working Ipads, iPhones or tablets, or toys your child has outgrown for our classrooms! Recycle!
Carelot Children's Center, Inc.
"Building Strong Foundations for a Lifetime of Learning"
Providing education to Children ages 3 months to 12 years!
Email: adminassist@carelot.net
Website: www.carelot.net
Location: 315 Flanders Road, East Lyme, CT, United States
Phone: 860-739-1993
Facebook: facebook.com/carelotctr