Month: February 2018

TAX ID-  #39-17-534172

If you do need a year end receipt, please email Debby.
Receipts are generally sent 3-7 days from request.

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CAMP Countryside

Our Camp sign up will begin at the end of this month/beginning of February. Please note that spaces are limited, and we encourage families to sign up as soon as possible. There are 3 sessions available for the summer, and an activity fee for each one.  Please submit the activity fee for each session when turning in registration.  First enrollment is given to current enrolled children, then opens to past students.

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Did You Know…

Montessori is an amazing education philosophy that began over 100 years ago, and is credited for so much advancement and nurturing of the minds of many leaders and inventors. Did you know your preschooler is learning Geography?  Not only do we teach that we are a community member in our classroom, but in the larger world as well.  That is a responsibility of taking peace forward – teaching children to respect the world and truly “own” it through information and care.  We start at concepts such as land, air, and water, landmarks, bags full of small cherished items from lands near and far (always taking donations for that, by the way…:)), and Maps – a treasure our older students beam with pride as they are challenged and complete the beautiful work of map making.

For more about these lessons, and others, we as a CMP Staff, want to offer you one more way into your child’s classroom life.  We will be displaying a lesson in the coatrooms that you can see and look at in awe, at what these small, but mighty minds are doing each day.  See your child’s classroom teacher with questions on what is put out.  As always, keep in mind – “Process… before product…”  “Each child is an individual”, and learns at different paces and choices.  Each have their own strengths and weaknesses.

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Letters of Intent

As CMP begins its 25th year of caring for and educating children…! Letters of Intent for the 2018-19 school year will begin in the next few weeks. We expect this school year to be full once again, and with a wait list beginning. Please see your child’s teacher or email Debby with any questions or concerns. We honor and appreciate your choice and want to assist you in continuing to make the best choices possible for your child.

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THANK YOU

A huge, heartfelt THANK YOU to each and everyone of you!  The thoughtfulness, and generosity bestowed on each of us this past holiday season, and quite frankly, so many ways each week, is amazing, and we so appreciate your acknowledgements, cards, and gifts that you shared.
We love teaching and care for your children and serving each of you!
With Love,  CMP Teachers

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Pancake Breakfast Fundraiser and Sledding

Join other Countryside families on Saturday, February 3rd, at 8:30am, at Lakeview Lutheran Church, 4001 Mandrake Rd. (just up the street!) for a pancake breakfast fundraiser, followed by sledding, if there’s snow!  More details will be forthcoming.  Look for sign-ups for food donations by the sign-in sheet on each floor, starting soon.  Since this is a fundraiser, all food that is not donated will need to be purchased from the ticket sales, so please donate, as you are able.  Laura Jasiczek, is heading this up and could use a few volunteers to help out with breakfast prep and clean-up after. Please contact her at ldjasiczek@gmail.com, if you can help out.

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Winter Reminders!

-Thank you for sending your child ready to play outdoors each day.  We ask that you help your child practice getting dressed at home, as we do at school. RE: Independence feels great!

-Slippers make a great transition into the classroom, and boots are not allowed.

-As illness’ creep in, please keep your child home from school when sick and showing symptoms. A full 24 hours after the symptoms clear is what is requested.  We know this can be hard, but it is necessary in keeping all children and teachers healthy.

-Winter driving weather can be tricky.. please plan ahead and have a back up if necessary.  We want all to be safe.  A reminder to please arrive at least 5-10 minutes from your pick up time to provide time for a fast exit to avoid disruption with the next programming or school closing.

-If Madison Public Schools Close, CMP does too.  Please check local radio and television stations for listings.  We do NOT list our name, rather follow MMSD’s decision.

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Remember to buy your coffee from Rusty Dog

CMP Fairtrade Coffee Blend by Rusty Dog. Please go to rustydog.com and click on group orders – password “group” and order away. CMP receives $3.50 a bag, PLUS a portion is donated to the Humane Society, and a portion to Fair Trade, we call that a win=win=win! We have worked out with Tom, that orders can be delivered straight to CMP for pick up! Pick up will be every other Thursday at CMP!

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Seroogy’s Candy Bars

There are 6 varieties of Seroogy’s candy bars for sale at Countryside. If you’ve got a busy office, with lots of sweet tooths, consider “checking out” a variety box of candy bars and take them to your office to sell.  This chocolate is so good that, once people discover it, they will sell themselves!  Also, it will get your co-workers excited for our big, boxed candy Seroogy’s sale coming up!  See Debby for candy bar checkout.

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25th Anniversary Gala

Countryside will be celebrating 25 years in 2018!  Get ready to celebrate with us! Plans are still being made (let Patty or Debby know if you’re interested in helping out), but be ready for a night out this Spring.  All current families and alumni will be invited.

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Creative Ways to Say “No” To A Child

Kathryn Kvols

Saying “no” to your child can be difficult. Sometimes we end up feeling like a broken record that says “no” all the time. Sometimes our kids just wear us down. Yet saying “no” is a necessary ingredient to help children grow and to be able to say “no” to sex, drugs and other dubious things we want our children to refuse when we are not present. Here are 19 variations of saying “no” to add to your parenting repertoire.

For younger children:

1. Give them an alternative. “Walls are not for coloring. Here is a piece of paper.”
2.  Tell them what to do instead i.e., “Water needs to stay in the tub.”
3. Use distraction.
4. For a youngster who has something you don’t want her to have said, “That’s not a toy. However, this is a toy you can play with.”
5. Sing, “no, no, no.”
6. Say it in a funny way, i.e. “Never in a million trillion years!”

For older children:

1.  “That’s not an option.”
2. “I am unwilling….”
3. “That’s not appropriate.”
4. “I am not ready for you to do that yet.”
5. Ask, “What do you think you would need to do before I would be willing to say yes to that?”
6. Ask, “What do you think? Is this a good choice for you?” (If you choose to use this, make sure you are willing to abide by their answer.)
7. Ask, “What are your other options?”
8. “No, but I would be willing to…”
9.  “I appreciate your asking, however…”
10. “This is not negotiable.”
11. “Yes, as soon as (task) is done….”
12. “I’d love to, now’s not an option, let’s go put it on the calendar.”
13. Do the unexpected!  

Of course there are times when you should say, “no” and mean “no”. At those times it is helpful to make direct eye contact with the child and in a firm and neutral tone of voice, say the word “no,” ONCE. Some children do best with a brief reason why they are being told no. However, it is essential that this explanation is very short. Keep it short to avoid turning this into a lecture. Do not get into an argument. If you do, your child will learn that if he wears you down, you will give in.

Upcoming Dates

Feb. 9th
Dad’s Night Out
Feb. 14th
Class Valentine Celebration
Feb. 23rd
No School- Teacher Inservice
Feb. 24th
Pancakes & Sledding
Mar. 2nd
March tuition due (5 weeks)
SAVE THE DATE
April 21st CMP 25th GALA!

Congratulations to CMP from the PAB
CMP has met the rules of eligibility and standards of quality for re-accreditation from the City of Madison.  That means that they are eligible to continue to serve children funded through the City child care assistance program, receive child care grants, and receive consultation and training from City staff. The accreditor had this to share about her visit, “Across the center the genuine strength  was observed in the quality of adult-child relationships. Staff strive to know each individual child as they identify their unique strengths, needs, and challenges. The adult-child relationships are genuine, warm, and caring. Children are happy, active, participants in their learning progress at their own pace.” Of course we already knew it, but it is good to hear such praise about our wonderful teachers at CMP. Go ahead, heap a little praise on them at drop off and pick up! They deserve it!

Your Kiddos are in Good Hands!
Also, CMP is in 100% complete state licensing compliance. For the Countryside staff this is always the goal. But reality and achieving every little standard is nearly impossible. Safe children and safe building. The liscensor left saying she loves the zen feeling.

CAMP Countryside
Don’t forget to put in your enrollment and activity fee, spots are filling quickly.  There are 3 sessions to choose from, you can choose, one, two, or all three!

Thanks!
A big shout out of thanks to all of you for helping make CMP a healthy safe place to learn for all! We really appreciate the way parents have been keeping children home when ill, and not feeling well, as well as keeping them home that extra 24 hours to ensure they are ready and healthy to return!

School Year 2018-19
Letters of Intent and the tuition rates were sent out via mailboxes last week for this fall.  We are anticipating to be full with a wait list, so please send in your completed form, $100 material fee and first week deposit.  First week deposit can be turned in now, or by 4/1/18.  If you have any questions, please be sure to ask, we are happy to help.

February is Literacy Month
Be sure to check out your local libraries for great books, and your class Scholastic for those books you want to purchase.  Did you know, that reading to your child 20 minutes a day or more will make them a better life long reader?  Don’t forget to read in front of them too, enjoying reading can be a fun family experience!

CMP Tax ID #
39-17-53172

Leadership Year
The last year at CMP is called the “Leadership Year.”

This is the time when the oldest students in the class polish their academic skills, build their confidence and enjoy being leaders in the school community. The curriculum is planned in 3-year cycles so the 3rd year brings together all of the foundations previously laid.

For instance, in Montessori early childhood the geography curriculum begins with sensorial experiences associated with each continent – the music, games, foods, dress, plants and animals of each continent. The 2nd year student has now learned about continents and other examples maybe plants or animals and some characteristics of each. The 3rd year student reads additional resources about the continents, animals, etc. writes and creates stories and shares new details with the class such as the varieties of poison arrow frogs in South America.

In addition the child in his Leadership Year learns to find answers to questions and to approach each new challenge with executive functioning skills that allow him to organize tasks and utilize past experiences to solve new problems and refine his/her reading and writing skills.

The typical 3rd year student at age 5 – 6 in early childhood has the opportunity to work through the math and language curriculum to a 2nd or 3rd grade level. These lessons are given using concrete learning materials unique to Montessori that give him the experience of working out relationships using real things in order to solidify his understanding. The child will not have this opportunity again outside of an early childhood Montessori classroom. Leadership Year is an opportunity for growth, independence and responsibility. Please speak to your child’s teacher if you have questions.

“The child can only develop fully by means of experience in his environment. We call such experience ‘work.’ Such Experience is not just play . . . it is work he must do in order to grow up.”

— Maria Montessori, MD