Dear CCP Families,
I recently saw this quote from Maria Montessori, “Everyone talks about peace, but no one educates for peace. People educate for competition and this is the beginning of any war. When we educate to cooperate and be in solidarity with one another, that day we will be educating for peace.” I am grateful to be part of a preschool that DOES educate for peace! I watch my safekeepers teach peaceful ways to end conflict everyday. I see them building a classroom community called a school family that cares for one another. I see them help children learn to self-regulate. They do this by teaching techniques, like breathing, that can help calm a little body that is experiencing upset. A breath often gives a pause so the child can respond, rather than react. Our safekeepers help children recognize the emotions of sadness, joy, anger, fear, & disappointment and help them learn to express these feelings in appropriate ways. I see them teach problem-solving techniques and encourage communication between peers. Many of these skills and techniques are part of the Conscious Discipline philosophy that we use at CCP. To learn more, please visit consciousdiscipline.com. And know that your preschool is helping your child learn how to cooperate and care for others. We will continue to encourage peace in our little corner of the world!
CAMP - We still have a few spaces for your Ladybug, Duck or Whale to join our June summer camp. The application was in your cubbie last Wednesday or Thursday, but if you need another one, please ask. First come, first served. We will need all campers to be signed up by the end of March so we can order the correct number of supplies.
CONFERENCES - Thanks for signing up to conference with your child’s teachers on March 6 & 7. Each year we are open for fall conferences and closed for spring conferences. (It is very difficult to get enough substitutes to cover all the classes in the spring.) Feel free to team up with a friend and use our playground to watch each other’s children while one parent goes in to conference.
TUITION - due March 1 and considered late on March 5 at noon. Thanks for paying your fees on time.
Looking ahead to PRESCHOOL SUNDAY - Each year we celebrate our preschool ministry in a Christ Church worship service. The children sing and we invite all our families to join us in worship. Please mark your calendar for April 21 at the 9:00a service this year. More details will come, but for now, mark this date on your calendar. We need all the children’s voices to make a joyful noise!
CHAPEL CONNECTION - This week we learned the story of the good Samaritan and how he helped someone, even though they were different from him. We are learning to be helpful, kind “good neighbors.”
YOUR SUPPORT - Please remember that there are easy ways to support CCP without it coming directly from your wallet! Buy your coffee or lunch with a gift card linked to CCP (#111) at Weaver St Market. And link your VIC card to CCP (#3558) when shopping at Harris Teeter. Thanks for taking a moment to make your shopping count for CCP!! (We don’t see anything you buy, but we receive a check at the end of each quarter if we have enough total purchases.)
A CONSCIOUS DISCIPLINE MOMENT - From Dr. Becky Bailey's Managing Emotional Mayhem, p. 41..."If a child signals sadness, anger or embarrassment, an attuned adult can pick up on this communication and coach the child through her discomfort to an integrated state. The child will learn emotions are a bridge between problem and solution, reducing the likelihood of a reactive or impulsive response."
Emotions serve a vital purpose! We need to feel them, accept them, and then they will dissipate. They are the bridge between problem and solution. Here's the secret....we don't want to get stuck on the feelings bridge, hanging on to our suffering and rehashing our problem. Instead we want to identify and name the feeling. Then relax and re-frame the problem. Then we can more easily choose a solution!
Can you believe that March begins tomorrow?? I hope you have a wonderful weekend!
Wishing you well,
Debbie