Dear Parents,
HAPPY NEW YEAR! We hope your Holidays were delightful. We can’t wait to welcome everyone back! The children and teachers return from vacation refreshed and ready for learning. January seems to be a month when the children experience tremendous academic growth. Bellamy Manor School’s teachers take advantage of this time and offer exciting as well as educational units.
Ms. Ariella and Ms. Yanira’s two’s have grown and matured at an impressive rate. Their January begins with an in-depth study of words and their opposites. Ms. Ariella and Ms. Yanira do an exceptional job with their classes, and their patience is never ending.
The three-year-olds settle back into the routine of school with a quick review of letters and numbers. The rest of the month involves a study of the Zoo. As the month goes by, they will become experts on animal behavior. For many of the children, a family visit to the Virginia Zoo in Norfolk would be a marvelous addition to reinforce the animals they are studying.
The four-year-olds at BMS take a leap into fantasy and hop off to Mr. MacGregor’s garden to study Peter Rabbit. After they are thoroughly introduced to Benjamin Bunny, Peter Rabbit, and Jemimah Puddle Duck, the four’s have a marvelous English tea party at the end of the month. We have a lot of fun with this unit while introducing the children to some excellent literature. Because Beatrix Potter’s books are so delightfully illustrated, reading her stories aloud to your child at home will help reinforce their world in their minds.
Our Pre-K will now study the world of insects. Bugs are fascinating little creatures, and the children will start looking very closely at them with this unit. We hope to raise a crop of ladybugs! Ms. Sandra will continue with letter and number recognition as well as phonics instruction on an individual basis.
The kindergarten classes take a trip back in time to the age of reptiles and study dinosaurs. These budding paleontologists learn to identify close to twenty-five dinosaurs before attending a dinosaur hunt at the end of the month. This is one of our favorite studies and the children love it! Much time is also spent working on handwriting, math facts, and the concept of fractions.
Pre-registration has now begun for the next school year. Returning students have priority for placement in classes until the end of January. February 1st, registration will open to families currently not attending Bellamy Manor.
Many four-year-old parents are concerned about properly placing their child next year. Some children need an additional preschool year before kindergarten; others do not. We have many calls concerning the difference between the four-year-old program and the Pre-K class. The only difference is age; children whose fourth birthday falls between January and August should sign up for the regular four-year old class; those turning five between September and December belong in the pre-kindergarten class. If you have any questions or concerns, please contact me or your child’s teacher.
Kindergarten parents who are interested in private school for their child should schedule interviews now. If you wait even a month, many of these schools will be full for next September. Please let both your child’s teacher or your director know that you are interested, and they can help prepare your child properly for the entrance evaluation. We’re here to help. We all have the same goals– a happy, self-confident child who loves school and learning.
Thanks again for your enthusiastic support. You have enabled us to teach in a creative and open atmosphere so crucial for true learning to occur. We sincerely hope you will be able to return next year!
Happy New Year,
Kristine
MONDAY, JANUARY 30th, THE MANOR SCHOOLS HAVE THEIR SEMI-ANNUAL INSERVICE. WE WILL BE CLOSED ON THIS DAY.
SCHOOL CALENDAR
January 3………………… School resumes
January 16,……………… M L King Day, School Closed
January 30……………………. Teacher In-Service, School Closed
February 20 …………………..Presidents Day, School Closed
April 10-April 14………….Spring break, School Closed
SNOW POLICY: Manor School special announcements, such as school closings, late openings, and early dismissals will be posted on our website at www.manorschools.com. We will also send out a group email as well.