Bulldog Buddies Bulletin

Hello Bulldog Buddies Families,

Happy October 1st! I hope our Bulldog Buddies have enjoyed the beginning of the year, are making connections with their teachers and friends in class, learning a lot and having fun in preschool! Everyone did a great job on our first eLearning Day. Thank you for sharing photos, completing Bingo sheets and sharing your projects that were completed at home. We will have a couple more opportunities this month to connect with you. We are looking forward to our first family engagement activity of the year, the Nature Exploration at Lemon Lake. Everyone will start off in a small group with their teacher for a literacy activity, move to the scavenger hunt and finish up their day at the pavilion to make a sun catcher, bird feeder and explore items found in nature! When we are all finished, you can stop by the new playground at Lemon Lake! Also, parent/teacher conferences are on October 24th. Classroom teachers will be reaching out to you via ParentSquare to sign-up. This is a great opportunity to get an update on how your little one is doing in preschool and your chance to ask any questions that you might have. The partnership between home and school is so important and we thank you for partnering with us! Happy fall!

Sincerely,

Kristy Elsey

We'd like to extend a huge thank you to the Crown Point Community Foundation for the donation for gross motor and literacy supports for our preschool program. Check out our little learners riding around on their new trikes and reading one of the new books each classroom received. Thank you for supporting early learning!

We love celebrating our student's birthdays! We know that it is a very special day for them. Due to food allergies, please do not send any food items in for your child's celebration. If you'd like to bring something for each classmate, we suggest a small non-edible item. Examples may include playdoh, fidget, bubbles, chalk or a sticker. You can also donate a book to your child's classroom library or game to their classroom in their honor!

Young adults from our 18-22 Program have started volunteering in various Bulldog Buddies classrooms. This is a great opportunity for everyone involved!

Our preschoolers learned a lot during our All About Me study. It was fun to see how we are alike and how we are different. We learned about ourselves and our friends, our feelings, and our families. During the last week we learned about how we can learn using our five senses.

We will be completing a Tree study during the month of October. The children will engage in hands-on explorations to learn about trees and to figure out the answers to some of our questions about trees:

• What are the parts of trees?
• How do trees grow and change?
• What grows on trees?
• Who lives in trees?
• What kinds of things are made from trees?

If you can take a “tree walk” with your child, please carry a bag with you to collect things that have fallen, such as leaves, bark, acorns, twigs, flowers, fruit, seeds, pine needles, or pinecones. Bring these or other tree related items to school and we will use them in a variety of ways throughout the study.

October 24, 2024 is an eLearning Day for elementary schools, including preschool. This day is dedicated to Parent/Teacher conferences. Our goal is for all parents to attend a conference to discuss your child's progress on this day. Teachers will send a sign-up through ParentSquare. Please mark your calendar with your conference time. We will also send home activities for students to complete during the eLearning Day.

Reading aloud is one of the most important things you can do with your preschooler. The best way to encourage your child to become a successful reader in the future is to read aloud now! Children who have been read to regularly develop a love for reading that is critical for their future in school and in life. There are so many additional benefits of reading together. Children who are read to often develop:

• A larger vocabulary
• Story comprehension skills
• Increased attention span and listening skills
• Knowledge of letters and sounds

Aim to read 20 minutes a day (the 20 minutes doesn’t have to be all at one time). Many books take just a few minutes to read, so squeeze them in whenever you can. As your child’s attention span grows, you’ll be able to read longer books. Reading at bedtime is a great habit to form with your child.

Monthly tuition fees are loaded on the 15th of the previous month and due by the 1st of every month. Please check your child's PowerSchool account for balances due. Payment can be made online or at the school office. Failure to pay by the 10th of the current month will result in your child not being able to attend preschool until the balance is paid in full. The first preschool tuition payment will be due by September 1st. We ask that you pay the supply fee during the month of August.

Supply Fee - $65 yearly fee for all students in preschool

Monthly Tuition - $180/3 days per week, $300/5 days per week

The Free & Reduced Application can be found here: https://www.cps.k12.in.us/district-departments/food-services. If you have any questions, please contact the preschool office at (219) 663-4330.

CPCSC offers a Birth to School Program for children 0-5 years old that reside within the Crown Point Community School Corporation boundaries. We offer a Little Learners series that includes a baby class (0-12 months), toddler class (13-24 months) and little learners class (25-36 months). Imaginarium classes are for children ages 0-5. If your child is already attending Bulldog Buddies, you can also be a part of the Birth to School program. All Birth to School classes and events are free. For additional information, please check out our website at www.cps.k12.in.us/bts. If you have specific questions, please contact our Birth to School Coordinator, Jamie Kalk at jkalk@cps.k12.in.us.

October 14th-18th - Fall Break, no preschool classes

October 24th - Parent/teacher Conferences, eLearning Day (no preschool classes)

November 5th - eLearning Day, no preschool classes

November 27-29th - Thanksgiving Break, no preschool classes

December 24-January 2nd - Winter Break, no preschool classes

January 7th - Classes resume

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