In the Loop
The Little Angels Learning Center Newsletter
June 2013
Don't forget . . .
- Tuition is due on the 3rd of each month. A $20.00 late fee will be enforced. Please place your tuition payment in the black lockbox across from the office on the wall. Tuition prices are also listed along with LALC closing dates.
- LALC will be closed on Thursday, July 4th for Independance Day and Friday, August 23rd for Teacher Inservice Day.
- No Parent Advisory Commitee Meeting this month.
New Tuition Rates Start in July
Happy Birthday to YOU!
- Joey N. will be 4 on the 4th.
- Jonathan P. will be 1 on the 6th.
- Evan M. will be 4 on the 11th.
- Ben W. will be 2 on the 13th.
- Halayna O. will be 1 on the 15th.
- Jane R. will be 1 on the 18th.
- Adalynn R. will be 1 on the 21st.
- Ellie F. will be 3 on the 23rd.
- Meilina X. will be 3 on the 24th.
Also starting this month is our new cook, Joel Southard.
A Peek into Preschool: The Wonders of Nature
To our suprise, when we returned to the classroom after Memorial Day the praying mantises had emerged! We brought them out to the playground and released them near the lemon balm plant. If they can find enough food, they will stay in the area so keep your eyes peeled!
Parking Reminder
Developing an Improved Curriculum for Our Preschoolers
At the end of July our lead preschool teachers, Sammy and Jamilee, will be attending a 4-day long Summer Institute on the Project Appoach hosted by St. Ambrose University in Davenport. They will be diving deep into the philosophy behind the project approach as well as gain some practical ways to apply it to their classrooms by visiting Childrens' Campus. At Little Angels, we are always looking for ways to grow and look forward to the changes that will be coming to our preschool program this fall.
Below is a bit of information about the Project Approach.
Learning & Teaching
The Project Approach fosters not only academic knowledge and skill sets but what many educators refer to as the whole child. The use of the word whole stems from research indicating that students need more than content mastery to succeed in the 21st century—they need to be physically, emotionally, and socially healthy; they need to be intellectually challenged and supported by caring adults; and they need to be interested and engaged in their school learning.
Though project work has long prepared students for health, happiness, and success—even as far back as the 16th century—it emerged recently as a prime teaching strategy of the 21st century. Headlines everywhere refer to a rapidly changing and more global world, and governments and organizations call upon students to lend their hands through service, innovation, and problem-solving. These calls to action require a new kind of education—one that inspires, connects, and empowers students. The Project Approach does just that by:
- connecting students to their local and global communities—and providing them with real-world experiences beyond the classroom;
- fostering what researchers refer to as essential 21st-century skills, including critical thinking, collaboration, and creativity;
- providing opportunities to integrate technologies into the classroom—and to use technologies as tools for achieving specific purposes instead of as ends in themselves;
- providing students with opportunities to apply the skills they acquire through systematic instruction;
- building on the individual needs, interests, and strengths of all students—and allowing students to work, where appropriate, at their own pace;
- giving students a sense of purpose and fostering self esteem;
- providing opportunities for service learning and enhancing a sense of social justice and responsibility;
- improving research skills by helping students not only to use print and electronic resources but also field work, surveys, interviews, consultations with experts, and firsthand observations and experiences;
- honing literacy and communication skills by enabling students to use a variety of media to share the process and product of their project work with authentic audiences;
- integrating content knowledge and skills from a variety of disciplines, so that students come to see and make cross-curricular connections;
- enhancing the multicultural literacy of students by giving them opportunities to learn about and collaborate with people from other cultures.
from www.theprojectapproach.org
Two Audits in One Month!
A New Class Pet!
Note About Paperwork
Checkout this month's menu on our website.
LALC Website Membership
If you are not a member of our website, please follow the directions below so that you are able to access our newsletter and other important information.
- Go to littleangelsadvantage.webs.com
- Push "parent" on the left
- Create a password
- Push "sign in". This will then send me an email asking me to confirm you.
- You will then get an email asking you to "join the site".
- Once you join I will send you an invite to complete your profile.
Please, keep in touch.
Email: little-angels@icfirstchurch.org
Website: littleangelsadvantage.webs.com
Location: 214 E. Jefferson Street Iowa City IA 52245
Phone: 319-341-9757