Monthly Newsletters
Pinnacle Presbyterian Preschool provides a monthly newsletter packed with need-to-know dates and activities on our campus.
| September 2011 | October 2011 | November 2011 |
| December 2011 | January 2012 | February 2012 |
| March 2011 | April 2011 | May 2011 |
In the News
Recent articles on current research and best practices in Early Childhood Education:
Kids Aren't Just Playing; They're Learning!
Arizona First Things First Newsletter January 2012
Psychologist and co-director at Temple University's Infant Lab Kathy Hirsh-Pasek discusses the importance of learning through creative play. Active, engaged and meaningful play.
Watch the video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yOJl5J3BRTA
Best Gifts for Kids Under 5? For holidays and birthdays - something to consider.
Eastern Arizona Courier, November 30, 2011
"The top choice for holiday gifts for young kids? Books and your time in reading them....
Which gifts to avoid? Almost anything with a screen. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommended that parents keep kids under 2 as "screen free" as possible including television, movies and video games."
"Screens can't replace people, while the action can be entertaining, there is little children are learning from them,"Vilay said. "Instead, look for chances to read, talk, sing and play together - these will mean the most to a young child's learning."
Read the entire article: Best Gifts
Read the press release: American Academy of Pediatrics
Are You Raising an Emotionally Intelligent Child?
By Marie Roker: Brainy Child
"Inter-personal Intelligence is the ability to relate to and understand others. Intra personal Intelligence is the ability to self reflect and understand inner emotions and identify strengths and weaknesses. Emotional intelligence combines the two intelligences and helps a child to manage their feelings and emotions as well as empathize with the feelings and emotions of others."
Read the entire article: Emotional Intelligence
School’s In Session. Make A Commitment to Student Success
August 2011: Expect More Arizona
"If you have kids in the Pre-K through 12 continuum, here are a few easy
steps you can take to create a high expectations culture in your home:"
Read the entire article: Making A Commitment
What Are Preschool Self Help Skills?
2011: PreschoolRock.com
"Preschoolers are in training for life. Each day they are learning more about how to take care of themselves and their needs. As preschoolers get closer to kindergarten, they are expected to have certain non-academic skills mastered. Without these skills, a kindergartener will struggle in school."
Read the entire article: Self Help Skills
Creating Enthusiastic Young Readers
2011: Literacy Connections
Easy and informative tips to help parents create an environment that fosters literacy.
“Designate a section of your child’s bedroom as a reading corner with bookshelf and books.
“Have your child design a sign for his/her bedroom door (e.g. “I’m a good reader”). Your child needs to see him/herself as a successful reader.”
Read the entire article: Parent Tips
Bridging the Vocabulary Gap
July 2010: NAEYC - Young Children Magazine
“It is important for children to develop knowledge of words' meanings from a young age because vocabulary development has an impact on their reading comprehension and academic success as they get older."
Read the entire article: Vocabulary Gap
Make Education Your New Year's Resolution
January 2011: Expect More Arizona
“The year ahead is sure to be another challenging year for education. Now more than ever, we must all resolve to make education our top priority. As part of your new year’s resolutions for 2011, Expect More Arizona is encouraging all Arizonans to make education a priority."
Read the entire article: Expect More Arizona
Oral Language Activites for Your Preschooler
January 2011: Literacy Connections
“These activites can build children's vocabulary, increase their communication skills and prepare them to adapt what they know about oral language as they explore written language."
Read the entire article: Early Literacy
Proposition 302 Defeat Saves First Things First Program
November 2, 2010: First Things First Board Chair, Steven Wynn
“First Things First appreciates this show of confidence from Arizona voters and their continued commitment to our youngest kids. We will continue in our mission to ensure that all Arizona kids have the tools they need to start kindergarten healthy and ready to succeed. We remain deeply concerned about the state’s on-going financial challenges and the potential impact on services for families and children."
Read the entire article: First Things First
How To Fix Our Schools: A Manifesto
October 10, 2010: By Joel Klein, Michelle Rhee And Other Education Leaders, Washington Post
"As educators, superintendents, chief executives and chancellors responsible for educating nearly 2 1/2 million students in America, we know that the task of reforming the country's public schools begins with us."
Read the entire article: Fix Our Schools
Proposition 302 Would End First Things First Program
October 3, 2010: Arizona Republic, Washington Post
"Lawmakers have been eyeing First Things First's bank account for some time. Last year, they attempted to take $7 million from the fund, triggering a lawsuit from First Things First.
The state Supreme Court ruled that the money transfer was illegal because the fund is shielded by the Voter Protection Act, which requires voter approval to shift the money.
First Things First offered to lend the state $300 million, an offer that Gov. Jan Brewer was willing to accept, but which lawmakers rejected.
Read the entire article: First Things First
What Is a Literacy Rich Home?
April 2010: Reading is Fundamental
"Families can support language learning by creating a home atmosphere in which reading, writing, and talking are a natural part of daily life."
Read the entire article: Creating Literacy-Rich Homes
Proposition 100: AEA Vice President Andrew Morill Explains What Proposition 100 Is And What It's Meant To Do.
Arizona Channel 3 News
"Proposition 100 is coming up for a vote soon, and some believe that if it fails, so will Arizona's education system."
Ramps & Pathways: Developmentally Appropriate, Intellectually Rigorous, and Fun Physical Science
January 2010: by Betty Zan & Rosemary Geiken, Young Child Magazine
"Mathematics is everywhere:children engage in spatial reasoning as they decide where to position blocks, or how to allign the ramp sections; they experiment to figure out how to use angles so marbles will turn corners; they count blocks to compare height and predict how many more blocks they will need..."
Read the entire article: Ramps & Pathways
Obama to Seek Sweeping Change in 'No Child' Law
January 31, 2010: by Sam Dillon, New York Times
"Right now most federal money goes out in formulas, so schools know how much they’ll get, and then use it to provide services for poor children. The department thinks that’s become too much of an entitlement. They want to upend that scheme by making states and districts pledge to take actions the administration considers reform, before they get the money."
Read the entire article: No Child Left Behind
Preschool Social Studies: Exploring Me and My World
January 2010: by Traci Geiser, Little Hands Learning Company
"Social studies for young ones begins with the child and gradually expands their awareness of the world around them and their place in it to include the immediate family, extended family, neighborhood, and community. It helps them move beyond their natural egocentricity and begin to take on the perspective of others, becoming active participants in the larger world beyond the home.”
Read the entire article: Exploring Me and My World
Choosing Good Books
January 2010: Reading Is Fundamental
"You can help your children choose books that will captivate their attention and show them the joy reading can bring. The more they liketo read, the more they willread."
Read the entire article: Good Books
Spanning Birth to Career, Every Stage of the Education Continuum is Important
October 7 2009; By Denise Naughton, ABC News
"By providing our youngest children with quality learning environments right from the start, we lay the foundation for lifelong academic success," comments Ms. Dal Pra. "Whether in the home or a center-based program, nurturing the social, emotional and cognitive growth of children increases their likelihood to excel in school and graduate."
Read the entire article or watch the video: Education Continuum
Curious Kids! Scientific Learning in Preschool
September 2009; By Traci Geiser, Little Hands Learning Company
The scientific method for preschoolers doesn’t involve fancy equipment and systematic procedures. “Science is a way to find out about the world through exploration. Children are investigators by nature, “says Dr. Laura Martin, Director of Science Interpretation at the Arizona Science Center. “When you nurture children’s natural desire to investigate you are helping them to develop scientific minds."
Read the entire article: Curious Kids!
Poems, Songs, and Stories
August 2009; Editor: Child Magazine
Reading aloud to your child-and then talking about what you have just read-is the single most effective way to help your preschooler sharpen language skills. Studies show that when preschool children are read to daily, they do better in school and develop above-average verbal abilities.
Read the entire article: Poems, Songs, and Stories
Throwing Billions at Schools Will Not Fix Them
March 2009; Commentary: Pedro Noguera is a professor at New York University and director of the Metropolitan Center for Urban Education.
According to a national study by the Gates Foundation ("The Silent Epidemic," 2006), dropout rates in many of our nation's largest cities are 50 percent or higher. Similarly, large numbers of students lack proficiency in reading and math in many school districts across the country, and many who graduate and go on to college are largely unprepared for the rigors of college-level course work.
Seven years after the adoption of the No Child Left Behind law, it is clear we are still leaving many children behind.
Read the entire article: Throwing Billions at Schools Will Not Fix Them
The Reggio Emilia Approach
March 2009; Brainy-Child.com
What makes the Reggio Emilia approach stand out? In a nutshell, Reggio approach articulates children to acquire skills of critical thinking and collaboration. All preschool operators ought to benchmark against the Reggio Emilia schools.
Read the entire article: The Reggio Emilia Approach
20 Ways for Parents to Encourage Reading
January 2009; Reading Is Fundamental, Inc.
Founded in 1966, RIF is the oldest and largest children's and family nonprofit literacy organization in the United States. All RIF programs combine three essential elements to foster children's literacy: reading motivation, family and community involvement, and the excitement of choosing free books to keep and build home libraries. Visit the RIF web site for great ideas and helpful suggestions on turning your child into an eager reader.
Read the entire article: Reading is Fundamental
Long Division: The Debate Over the Value of Preschool
By Gautam Naik, Aug. 29, 2008; Page A11 Wall Street Journal
In the study, researchers in England found that the benefits of attending a good preschool, including improved mathematic and reading ability and social skills, can last for several years and give children a leg up when they enter elementary school.
Read the entire article: The Debate Over the Value of Preschool
The Early Years Are Learning Years
Helping Children Learn About Reading (1997); The National Association for the Education of Young Children
Some parents assume that learning to read starts with memorizing the alphabet and sounding out words, but actually the fundamentals of reading begin much earlier. Adults lay the foundation for reading every day, when they point out objects to an infant, go grocery shopping with a toddler, or cook with a preschooler.
Read the entire article: The Early Years Are Learning Years
Making Music: Literacy Tips for Parents
By the Lee Pesky Learning Center, 2004
Music is a great way to introduce children to sounds and words! Research indicates that exposure to music has numerous benefits for a child’s development.
Read the entire article: Making Music
Understanding TV's Effects on the Developing Brain
By Jane M. Healy, Ph.D.; American Academy of Pediatrics, AAP News, May 1998
Too much television — particularly at ages critical for language development and manipulative play — can impinge negatively on young minds in several different ways.
Read the entire article: Understanding TV’s Effects
Igniting Your Child's Power of Imagination
By Andrew Loh
Imagination and creativity are two important aspects of a child ’s life. A child who develops these activities early during the growing years will also develop the ability to succeed and prosper in the adult life.
Read the entire article: Igniting Your Child’s Power of Imagination
Learning at Play
By Brian Newsome; July 4, 2007, The Colorado Springs Gazette
Early education experts say the fundamentals learned during playtime can lead to major payoffs later on, both socially and academically. As children manipulate objects with their hands, listen to stories or practice saying rhymes, they are being guided through the foundations of reading, science and other subjects, preschool experts say. They are learning to share and work with others.
Read the entire article: Learning at Play