Dear Parents and Guardians,

I hope you and your family have a wonderful and restful holiday season and are as eager as I am to welcome 2025! Registration for the 2025-2026 school year is currently underway. We plan to expand our program to include a Pre-K class for September. Please let me know as soon as you can if you plan to return in September, 2025. We had our first open house in mid-December. I am excited to share that several parents have already registered for the upcoming school year. Our next Open House will be on Thursday evening, January 23rd, beginning at 7:00 PM.

The start of a new year correlates with our classes starting a new unit of study. This month the Tiny Stars will be exploring “seats.” The seats in the classroom, around the school, in your home and outdoors will shape this investigation. What seats help us travel from place to place? How are seats the same and different? Think of all the special seats a baby uses! Think of all the seats that involve toys.

The Little Stars and Rising stars will be learning about exercise. As they explore the different ways to move their bodies, they will improve heir gross motor skills, balance, and coordination. Additionally, they will continue to work on alphabet recognition, pre-writing skills and beginning phonics. Number concepts, patterns, measuring, shapes, and spatial relationships are incorporated throughout this investigation. They may hear words including, balance, flexible, agility, abdomen, and triceps. Will the next Olympian be from your child’s class?

Please take special note of the highlights for the month:

January 2 – Students return to school, tuition due

January 6 – Church attendance, Epiphany 

January 8 – Vasilopita Cake cutting (Nut free) 

January 17 – National Popcorn Day 

 January 20 – Martin Luther King Jr Day – School closed 

January 23 – Open House, 7:00 PM 

January 30 – Church Attendance for 3 Hierarchs Day

The Department of Health and New York State required all students (under age 6) to have the annual influenza vaccine by December 31, 2024. To ensure compliance with this guideline, please make sure you provide the school with documentation that your child received the vaccine. Warning letters from the Department of Health will be sent out to those who have not complied with this requirement. By law, lack of vaccination will exclude your child from returning to school. Additionally, 3- and 4-year-olds are required to have proof of a dental check-up by February 1st.

As the weather gets colder, it is imperative that you send hats and gloves to school every day as the children will continue to have outdoor activities. Scarfs can be a choking hazard to young children and are prohibited.

As always, I thank you for your continued support and cooperation. Please remember to complete the registration from as quickly as you can to help us plan for an incredible 2025/2026 school year.

Respectfully,

Cathy Helfrich, Education Director