Abby made this at school. It is a Christmas gift for Paul and me. She chose the paint colors, poured them into the glass ornament, and inverted it to create the patterns.
Isn't it beautiful?!
Launchpad
2 days ago
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Showing posts with label School. Show all posts
Abby made this at school. It is a Christmas gift for Paul and me. She chose the paint colors, poured them into the glass ornament, and inverted it to create the patterns.
Isn't it beautiful?!
Hope everyone is enjoying a delicious and Happy Thanksgiving!
Abby's handprint turkeys
Abby's handprint turkeys
Did you save room for Abby's pumpkin pie?Welcome to Abby's Daycare from Cecilia Newell on Vimeo.
What dreadful luck! Three days at her new daycare and Abby comes home with pinkeye. I'm not upset or disappointed with the daycare at all. One of the factors that led us to choose this daycare was the attention they paid towards health and cleanliness. The kids and staff wash their hands more than any daycare I've come across and the facility simply sparkles.We think that by letting her take her blankie to school - and allowing her to drag it everywhere with her throughout the day - probably put her in this predicament, but she needed the comfort.
I spent a good 2 hours yesterday fighting with Tricare Medical Insurance, though. See, Tricare is managed by three different companies, depending on your region. In MD, we belonged to the Tricare North region. Moving to CO, we are now in Tricare West. Our benefits do not transfer without a change of address in DEERS (military personnel database, which is NOT accessible online) and a whole lot of paperwork and waiting.
Abby needed to get antibiotics ASAP - even though her pinkeye is more likely viral - or she would not be allowed to return to daycare. We needed a prescription, but we couldn't see any providers in CO!!! After calling Tricare North, Tricare West, then Tricare North again, plus Abby's primary care doctor, we finally determined that we would disenroll in Tricare Prime - which forced us to only go to Military Treatment Facilities - and drop to Tricare Standard, which will allow us to go to any Tricare provider we find, but need to put up with co-pays.
Right before I went to pick Abby up, I was able to get a hold of Abby's doctor at Bethesda and since pinkeye is not really something you need to see a doctor for, she was happy to call a local pharmacy for me and put in a prescription for an ointment that will help with Abby's condition.
Abby insisted on having a balloon when we went to pick-up her prescription, so Grandma got her one. :)
Anyway, Abby is doing just fine. By this morning, her eye is no longer red. It is still a bit teary and the area around the eye is a little puffy from her rubbing it, but she seems a lot better.
I am staying home with her today and laundering everything that has touched her face.
Abby's new school had a Halloween party and parade today and it was a chance to meet the other parents in Abby's class, so the teachers invited us to attend. The school provided some food and the parents brought in other treats as well. (Even the infants were served orange Jell-o and soft fruits!) Abigail and I arrived just as the class sat down for group pictures.
Abby loved being a lion! She actually chose this costume herself. As soon as she saw it, she grabbed it and hugged it, saying, "La-La! La-La! La-La!" Of course, we had to make her carry her own Lion - one of her most favorite stuffed animals.The toddler class has these little chairs. Abby has been fascinated by chairs lately and she was thrilled to see chairs her size. She kept playing with them and, sadly, had an incident where the chair caught on a rug and she toppled forward and over the chair. She smashed her fingers a bit, but was otherwise fine.
All the kids marched through the classrooms to show off their costumes. Even the staff was dressed up. There was a lot of excitement among the kids and Abby really enjoyed being with her new friends, but I was not able to get a picture of her smiling.
Her teachers even gave her a pumpkin to take home. :)
At home tonight, we had fun teaching Abby about Trick-or-Treating. My father, mother, and brother all hid treats. I walked her around to each of them and said "Trick or Treat" and showed her how to hold out her bucket. She understood that she would get something when she approached everyone, but the sweet girl that she is, she always took something from her bucket to give to the person she was approaching first.
Raisins are considered by kids to be the worst treats, but Abby - until she discovers chocolate - ADORES them, so she was absolutely thrilled tonight to have received so many boxes of raisins.
Today was Abby's last day at The Goddard School in Gaithersburg, so her teachers and classmates had a Farewell party for Abby. Thank you, Ms. Betty and Ms. Maria for all of these wonderful photos so we can share this day.
Art session to create the Balloon banner
Posing with Ms. Maria
Everyone enjoying cupcakes and mandarin oranges
Great big smiles
Looks like Abby definitely had a lot of fun!
Hugs from Ms. Maria. Abby will miss her teachers and friends from the Goddard School.
"We can always stay in touch by phone!"
There were a lot of smiles today - exactly the way to remember good friends.
Her teachers let her keep a stuffed kitty which she always sleeps with at school. She will be taking her kitty to her new school.
We are so lucky to have met such wonderful teachers. Since Abby started at 6 months old with Ms. Ester and Ms. Banoo in the young infant class, she has been a happy baby. She only had 5 months with Ms. Maria and Ms. Betty, but she has continued to thrive. We love all her teachers - they have set very high standards for Abby's future teachers!
We ended up seeing 4 daycares, all of which had confirmed availability for their toddler class starting in November - Primrose School of Ken Caryl, The Goddard School of Littleton, Primrose School of Littleton, and Trailmark Learning Center. Here were the thoughts:
Primrose School of Ken Caryl
=====
This one was particularly recommended by a friend of a friend. It is about 10 minutes from where I will be working, but completely out of the way from where we intend to live. Not a bad impression as we entered the school. The required keypad entry code, the monitored inner and outer front doors made me feel pretty good about their security. The staff seemed nice enough. We were greeted by their director and assistant director. The entryway and throughout the school was tastefully decorated for fall/Halloween. It looked pleasant, smelled like a country store, and was overall very tidy. We went classrooms for toddlers all the way up to pre-Kindergarten. The toddler rooms were bright, large, but somewhat cold. Very few toys were on the ground or within reach for the kids. The walls were bare except for a large board at the opposite end of the room, which displayed the latest artwork from the kids. In a corner you can find all the toys, books, puppets, etc., neatly put away. The floorspace was large - you could probably fit 4 of Abby's Goddard toddler classrooms in this one room, but keep in mind that the ratio of kids to teachers in Colorado is 5 to 1, vs 3 to 1 in Maryland. The max number of kids for this class is 10, and they are currently at capacity, with space opening up in November, though. We were shown a tiny room with a tiny potty and was told that toddlers are introduced to the potty and if they show interest and parents agree, they will work on potty training with them. Interesting. We loved their LARGE outdoor playground. Several pieces of climbing equipment plus a large astroturfy "grass" area for them to run around in. The toddlers share the playground with the two year olds and it was extremely spacious, even containing a covered area with a toddler size picnic table to stop and rest at. Their playtimes overlap by a few minutes each day, but for the most part are separate for safety reasons. As we walked through the school, we noticed that the kids were very serious. They seemed content, but just not as happy and laid back as we would hope to see. I think it was largely in part due to the strict schedule the kids follow throughout the day. We were shown a schedule that breaks down their day to 30 minute increments. "Do they follow this schedule or do you allow how the kids feel to drive how the days go?" we asked. "Oh, we stick to the schedule." Hmmmm.... We left the school after speaking to the director. I asked if I could bring Abigail in a week before she actually started to spend some time with her in the classroom to get her acclimated. I was told "No!" This really put us off this particular school.
Tuition: $1050/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
The Goddard School of Littleton
=====
This school is about 2 minutes closer to where I will work compard to the Ken Caryl Primrose School. We were greeted by Ann, the owner. She was fabulous! Very patient with us, very friendly. We were whisked into the Lovely Lobsters' room (aka the toddler class) and were introduced to two wonderful ladies, who were the teachers. The classroom was fairly large, but terribly drab. The classroom was painted a dull gray/blue with doors and window frames painted a dark gray/blue. Toys were everywhere, scattered across the room. One of the teachers was on the floor, holding a couple of the kids, surrounded by 3 or 4 more, while the others clustered around the other teacher. They were signing and talking to all the kids while chatting with us, very patient with everyone. Abigail actually begged to get down and started playing with the toys and interacting with the other kids! We were impressed by the teachers, but also couldn't help noticing the lack of control of the kids. Compared with the Primrose school's ultra-strict schedules, this classroom seemed almost chaotic. The school itself is very small and with coats and backpacks in the hallways, we get a claustrophobic feeling. The playground was likewise very small, with no open areas to run around.
Tuition: $1150/month + 5% discount if Abby only attend 4 days a week; $125 registration fee would be waived because we're currently with the Goddard School in MD; We would need to supply all food
Primrose School of Littleton
=====
This school is on my way to work from where my parents live. It is conveniently located in Littleton, offering us many, many housing choices in the areas we hope to find a house. The school is by all intents and purposes the same as that of the Primrose School of Ken Caryl - practically hospital clean and not as much character as we would have liked to see in the classrooms - but the staff was far more pleasant and accomodating. As we were so turned off by the strictness of the first Primrose School, we made sure to ask about their flexibility tailored to individual kids. "If Abby wanted to nap for 30 minutes today, but 2 hours the next day, how would the teachers work with that?" "We would never wake kids up just to adhere to a schedule, we'll keep lights dimmed until all kids are up and just pull the kids who are awake to do other activities until everyone is up!" "Can we visit a few times before Abby officially starts?" "Absolutely! Spend as much time as you need here to make sure it's the right choice. We encourage you to visit other daycares in the area also, to make sure this is the one for you. Even after Abby starts, you're welcome at any time to drop by and spend time with her." Just what we wanted to hear. We also noticed that the kids were far more animated at this school, many of them smiling and waving at us when we came to visit. Not nearly as somber as the kids from the first Primrose school we visited. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet both of the regular teachers here. We were there right after lunchtime and I was frankly staggered by how it was possible to get 10 toddlers to sit down at a table at the same time, eating off of plates, with spoons, and making less mess than Abby does by herself over breakfast! The lunch looked very healthy and balanced and we're told that everything is made fresh everyday and only once a month will they be served something prepared, like chicken nuggets. Excellent! The teachers all wore gloves while handling the foods and once the kids started finishing, each were taken to the short sink and guided to wash their own hands. Staggering! The last surprising thing, which we noticed of ALL the daycares so far, is that toddlers slept on cots. If somehow Abby can successfully be taught to stay on her cot and take a nap for two days in a row before Christmas, I will eat my hat!
Tuition: $1150/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
Trailmark Learning Center
=====
Just 5 minutes from where I will be working, but I'm not going into detail because we're not going to send Abby here. First impression was, it smelled like dirty laundry. I was then shown the piles of dirty laundry in the cluttered teachers' resource room!! The teachers looked like high school kids, with spiky, colored hair and nose rings, belly button rings, and shirts much too tight to be comfortable. Kids were running around the halls while teachers were inside classrooms. I couldn't get past how tired the teachers looked also. The toddler class had only 4 kids, but they can accommodate 10. I wonder if it's because no one wants to enroll here....
Tuition: $840/month thanks to a tremendous Lockheed Martin discount. Normally $1150/month.
In conclusion, we did like the Primrose School of Littleton and the Goddard School of Littleton the best. I think Abby would have fun in both places and she'll learn a lot. Both had some cons to them, but ultimately, we decided on enrolling Abby at the Primrose School because of its location.
Primrose School of Ken Caryl
=====
This one was particularly recommended by a friend of a friend. It is about 10 minutes from where I will be working, but completely out of the way from where we intend to live. Not a bad impression as we entered the school. The required keypad entry code, the monitored inner and outer front doors made me feel pretty good about their security. The staff seemed nice enough. We were greeted by their director and assistant director. The entryway and throughout the school was tastefully decorated for fall/Halloween. It looked pleasant, smelled like a country store, and was overall very tidy. We went classrooms for toddlers all the way up to pre-Kindergarten. The toddler rooms were bright, large, but somewhat cold. Very few toys were on the ground or within reach for the kids. The walls were bare except for a large board at the opposite end of the room, which displayed the latest artwork from the kids. In a corner you can find all the toys, books, puppets, etc., neatly put away. The floorspace was large - you could probably fit 4 of Abby's Goddard toddler classrooms in this one room, but keep in mind that the ratio of kids to teachers in Colorado is 5 to 1, vs 3 to 1 in Maryland. The max number of kids for this class is 10, and they are currently at capacity, with space opening up in November, though. We were shown a tiny room with a tiny potty and was told that toddlers are introduced to the potty and if they show interest and parents agree, they will work on potty training with them. Interesting. We loved their LARGE outdoor playground. Several pieces of climbing equipment plus a large astroturfy "grass" area for them to run around in. The toddlers share the playground with the two year olds and it was extremely spacious, even containing a covered area with a toddler size picnic table to stop and rest at. Their playtimes overlap by a few minutes each day, but for the most part are separate for safety reasons. As we walked through the school, we noticed that the kids were very serious. They seemed content, but just not as happy and laid back as we would hope to see. I think it was largely in part due to the strict schedule the kids follow throughout the day. We were shown a schedule that breaks down their day to 30 minute increments. "Do they follow this schedule or do you allow how the kids feel to drive how the days go?" we asked. "Oh, we stick to the schedule." Hmmmm.... We left the school after speaking to the director. I asked if I could bring Abigail in a week before she actually started to spend some time with her in the classroom to get her acclimated. I was told "No!" This really put us off this particular school.
Tuition: $1050/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
The Goddard School of Littleton
=====
This school is about 2 minutes closer to where I will work compard to the Ken Caryl Primrose School. We were greeted by Ann, the owner. She was fabulous! Very patient with us, very friendly. We were whisked into the Lovely Lobsters' room (aka the toddler class) and were introduced to two wonderful ladies, who were the teachers. The classroom was fairly large, but terribly drab. The classroom was painted a dull gray/blue with doors and window frames painted a dark gray/blue. Toys were everywhere, scattered across the room. One of the teachers was on the floor, holding a couple of the kids, surrounded by 3 or 4 more, while the others clustered around the other teacher. They were signing and talking to all the kids while chatting with us, very patient with everyone. Abigail actually begged to get down and started playing with the toys and interacting with the other kids! We were impressed by the teachers, but also couldn't help noticing the lack of control of the kids. Compared with the Primrose school's ultra-strict schedules, this classroom seemed almost chaotic. The school itself is very small and with coats and backpacks in the hallways, we get a claustrophobic feeling. The playground was likewise very small, with no open areas to run around.
Tuition: $1150/month + 5% discount if Abby only attend 4 days a week; $125 registration fee would be waived because we're currently with the Goddard School in MD; We would need to supply all food
Primrose School of Littleton
=====
This school is on my way to work from where my parents live. It is conveniently located in Littleton, offering us many, many housing choices in the areas we hope to find a house. The school is by all intents and purposes the same as that of the Primrose School of Ken Caryl - practically hospital clean and not as much character as we would have liked to see in the classrooms - but the staff was far more pleasant and accomodating. As we were so turned off by the strictness of the first Primrose School, we made sure to ask about their flexibility tailored to individual kids. "If Abby wanted to nap for 30 minutes today, but 2 hours the next day, how would the teachers work with that?" "We would never wake kids up just to adhere to a schedule, we'll keep lights dimmed until all kids are up and just pull the kids who are awake to do other activities until everyone is up!" "Can we visit a few times before Abby officially starts?" "Absolutely! Spend as much time as you need here to make sure it's the right choice. We encourage you to visit other daycares in the area also, to make sure this is the one for you. Even after Abby starts, you're welcome at any time to drop by and spend time with her." Just what we wanted to hear. We also noticed that the kids were far more animated at this school, many of them smiling and waving at us when we came to visit. Not nearly as somber as the kids from the first Primrose school we visited. Unfortunately, we did not get to meet both of the regular teachers here. We were there right after lunchtime and I was frankly staggered by how it was possible to get 10 toddlers to sit down at a table at the same time, eating off of plates, with spoons, and making less mess than Abby does by herself over breakfast! The lunch looked very healthy and balanced and we're told that everything is made fresh everyday and only once a month will they be served something prepared, like chicken nuggets. Excellent! The teachers all wore gloves while handling the foods and once the kids started finishing, each were taken to the short sink and guided to wash their own hands. Staggering! The last surprising thing, which we noticed of ALL the daycares so far, is that toddlers slept on cots. If somehow Abby can successfully be taught to stay on her cot and take a nap for two days in a row before Christmas, I will eat my hat!
Tuition: $1150/month for 5-day program (they also have 2 and 3 day programs), covers breakfast, morning snack, lunch, early and late afternoon snacks; $100 registration/equipment fee
Trailmark Learning Center
=====
Just 5 minutes from where I will be working, but I'm not going into detail because we're not going to send Abby here. First impression was, it smelled like dirty laundry. I was then shown the piles of dirty laundry in the cluttered teachers' resource room!! The teachers looked like high school kids, with spiky, colored hair and nose rings, belly button rings, and shirts much too tight to be comfortable. Kids were running around the halls while teachers were inside classrooms. I couldn't get past how tired the teachers looked also. The toddler class had only 4 kids, but they can accommodate 10. I wonder if it's because no one wants to enroll here....
Tuition: $840/month thanks to a tremendous Lockheed Martin discount. Normally $1150/month.
In conclusion, we did like the Primrose School of Littleton and the Goddard School of Littleton the best. I think Abby would have fun in both places and she'll learn a lot. Both had some cons to them, but ultimately, we decided on enrolling Abby at the Primrose School because of its location.
Well, since we are relocating to Denver in a week, I need to find Abby a new daycare ASAP. Luckily, there are a few daycares with spaces in their toddler classes starting in November and I will be visiting them with my mom and Abigail tomorrow.
I think that daycare hunting this time around will be a lot easier than the first. The Goddard School has set some high standards and I know what I'm looking for. Exceptional teacher/child interaction, a high standard for child education (even in the infant/toddler classes), individualized care for each kid, excellent parent/teacher communication, letting kids act their age, and love, love, love, to name a few of the most important criteria.
So, we will be visiting 5 daycares tomorrow morning. All 5 are within 15 minutes from where I work. I have come to realize that having a daycare close to work provides a significant peace of mind and it allows us to minimize Abby's time at daycare each day, maximizing our time spent with her.
We have high hopes for the Primrose School of Littleton. We will also be visiting a Goddard School, but its location might not be ideal. The remaining 3 are the Primrose School of Ken Caryl, the Trailmark Learning Center, and the Gateway Academy.
The Primrose Schools are similar to the Goddard Schools in that they are governed by a corporate standard, but each is a privately-owned franchise.
I think that daycare hunting this time around will be a lot easier than the first. The Goddard School has set some high standards and I know what I'm looking for. Exceptional teacher/child interaction, a high standard for child education (even in the infant/toddler classes), individualized care for each kid, excellent parent/teacher communication, letting kids act their age, and love, love, love, to name a few of the most important criteria.
So, we will be visiting 5 daycares tomorrow morning. All 5 are within 15 minutes from where I work. I have come to realize that having a daycare close to work provides a significant peace of mind and it allows us to minimize Abby's time at daycare each day, maximizing our time spent with her.
We have high hopes for the Primrose School of Littleton. We will also be visiting a Goddard School, but its location might not be ideal. The remaining 3 are the Primrose School of Ken Caryl, the Trailmark Learning Center, and the Gateway Academy.
The Primrose Schools are similar to the Goddard Schools in that they are governed by a corporate standard, but each is a privately-owned franchise.
It's Firehouse week, so a lot of red is being used. The babies are painting the firehouse here, I believe. Earlier this week, they all did excellent paintings of fire, which are currently on display outside of their classroom.
So serious, practicing her writing...
...nah, just goofing around.
I just love seeing photos of Abigail at school. I know that when we are not with her she is having a lot of fun, learning a lot, and is very happy.
"I don't think that's where it goes..."
"Mmmm...vegetable stew with rice." Spoons are still a little tricky.
So much fun with a parachute!
"I don't think that's where it goes..."
"Mmmm...vegetable stew with rice." Spoons are still a little tricky.
So much fun with a parachute!
Last week was Olympics Week at The Goddard School. The babies worked hard to paint the Olympic rings.
All the babies "competed" on the balance beam. Abigail won a gold medal for her beam routine!
