Message from the Principal:
The holidays are fast approaching! We had a great time at our Friendship Feast last month! Thank you to all our families who participated by bringing a dish to share or by coming and having lunch with us!
This month we will have our annual Isabella’s gift Pajama Drive. All pajamas donated will go to children who are battling cancer. Please donate to this wonderful cause. Isabella was a Discovery Isle student who lost her battle with cancer. In her honor, her family continues to support children at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego by collecting pajamas each year. All pajamas collected will go to Rady Children’s Hospital and benefit children in San Diego. Please help us make this event successful. We ask for donations of new pajamas, slippers and/or robes in sizes 2T through teens. Thank you for your support of this wonderful cause.
It is time for our Winter Wonderland. On Wednesday, December 17, we will have our winter holiday event. Each classroom will have an activity or art project and we invite our parents to some and enjoy some festive holiday cheer. Some classrooms will sing songs, decorate cookies and have some fun activities to enjoy!
I wanted to take a moment and thank all of our families for being a part of our community. We thank you for entrusting us with your little one each day! All of us truly enjoy what we do but we can’t do it without you and your commitment to us! Thank you again for the opportunity to educate and watch your children grow!
Ms. Aimee
Important Dates:
- Our Winter Wonderland holiday event is on December 17th.
- School closing at 4pm on December 24th & 31st.
- School closed all day on December 25th & 26th and January 1st & 2nd.
Please check out the school calendar for a list of the special activities and spirit days for December. Click here for a copy of the December school calendar.
Reminders:
- Family Referral Program: Spread the word about Discovery Isle to your friends, neighbors, coworkers. If they enroll and say that you referred them, you will get a referral award of $75. Refer as many families as you like, there are no limits. Thank you for your support!
- Automatic Payment Program: Now you don’t have to remember to write that tuition check each month! Enroll in our Automatic Payment Program and never write another check for your monthly tuition or pay another late payment fee. Tuition can be automatically deducted from your checking account. You can find more information about ACH in the front office. Sign up today!
- Credit Card Payments: We accept Visa and Mastercard. If you would like to use this option for payment, stop by the office and pick up a form. This option can be used as a one time payment or on a recurring monthly basis. There is a small administrative fee for this convenient option.
News from the Education Department:
Branching Out with STEM
“Too often we give children answers to remember instead of problems to solve.”
-Roger Lewin
There is a wide recognition that American students need broader and deeper science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; however, many schools do not introduce this interdisciplinary approach until middle school. At Nobel Learning Communities, we believe that starting STEM education in preschool is important to help students build problem-solving, reasoning and critical thinking skills, as well as self-confidence and self-direction.
This fall, all of our principals and teachers have participated in professional development sessions to create innovative lesson plans featuring STEM activities. Both students and teachers are having fun exploring real-world problems together.
Below are a few ways that we integrate STEM in our classrooms and some ideas to try at home.
Science: In our classrooms, students participate in various science projects to practice close observation and experimentation. They make volcanos using baking soda, food dye and vinegar, observe the result of soda bottle geysers, and create rain clouds using shaving cream and food dye. Perform a science experiment at home by making a lava lamp using a plastic bottle, water, oil, and food dye. Ask your child to make predictions on what would happen to the ingredients in the bottle. Will the oil and water mix?
Technology: We integrate technology into our academic curriculum by providing opportunities for students to explore changes in technology over time, use technology to express themselves creatively, and learn terminology relevant in this digital age. For instance, they explore sun dials, analog clocks and digital clocks and discuss how each item is used to tell time. At home, have your child look for different forms of technology such as computers, tablets, telephones and cell phones. Ask him to share the differences and similarities he sees.
Engineering: Our students work collaboratively to design and create inventions, while building communication, creativity and cooperation skills. They build boats and cars using cardboard boxes, make containers to grow plants, and build cities out of blocks. Continue the learning at home by asking your child to build a fort using pillows, assemble a tower from magazines, or create a necklace using macaroni and string.
Mathematics: We give children hands-on experience with math concepts such as pattern, size, shape and quantity. For example, student sort and count different types of cereal and graph their favorites. Take a nature walk with your child and have him collect leaves or small rocks in a basket. When you get home, ask him to count the objects and describe the colors, shapes and textures.
In summary, we provide numerous fun and challenging STEM projects to encourage collaboration, problem solving, decision making, creativity and innovation. Through these activities, our students build the foundation they need for a lifetime of learning.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education
December News
Message from the Principal:
The holidays are fast approaching! We had a great time at our Friendship Feast last month! Thank you to all our families who participated by bringing a dish to share or by coming and having lunch with us!
This month we will have our annual Isabella’s gift Pajama Drive. All pajamas donated will go to children who are battling cancer. Please donate to this wonderful cause. Isabella was a Discovery Isle student who lost her battle with cancer. In her honor, her family continues to support children at Rady Children’s Hospital-San Diego by collecting pajamas each year. All pajamas collected will go to Rady Children’s Hospital and benefit children in San Diego. Please help us make this event successful. We ask for donations of new pajamas, slippers and/or robes in sizes 2T through teens. Thank you for your support of this wonderful cause.
It is time for our Winter Wonderland. On Wednesday, December 17, we will have our winter holiday event. Each classroom will have an activity or art project and we invite our parents to some and enjoy some festive holiday cheer. Some classrooms will sing songs, decorate cookies and have some fun activities to enjoy!
I wanted to take a moment and thank all of our families for being a part of our community. We thank you for entrusting us with your little one each day! All of us truly enjoy what we do but we can’t do it without you and your commitment to us! Thank you again for the opportunity to educate and watch your children grow!
Ms. Aimee
Important Dates:
Please check out the school calendar for a list of the special activities and spirit days for December. Click here for a copy of the December school calendar.
Reminders:
News from the Education Department:
Branching Out with STEM
“Too often we give children answers to remember instead of problems to solve.”
-Roger Lewin
There is a wide recognition that American students need broader and deeper science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education; however, many schools do not introduce this interdisciplinary approach until middle school. At Nobel Learning Communities, we believe that starting STEM education in preschool is important to help students build problem-solving, reasoning and critical thinking skills, as well as self-confidence and self-direction.
This fall, all of our principals and teachers have participated in professional development sessions to create innovative lesson plans featuring STEM activities. Both students and teachers are having fun exploring real-world problems together.
Below are a few ways that we integrate STEM in our classrooms and some ideas to try at home.
Science: In our classrooms, students participate in various science projects to practice close observation and experimentation. They make volcanos using baking soda, food dye and vinegar, observe the result of soda bottle geysers, and create rain clouds using shaving cream and food dye. Perform a science experiment at home by making a lava lamp using a plastic bottle, water, oil, and food dye. Ask your child to make predictions on what would happen to the ingredients in the bottle. Will the oil and water mix?
Technology: We integrate technology into our academic curriculum by providing opportunities for students to explore changes in technology over time, use technology to express themselves creatively, and learn terminology relevant in this digital age. For instance, they explore sun dials, analog clocks and digital clocks and discuss how each item is used to tell time. At home, have your child look for different forms of technology such as computers, tablets, telephones and cell phones. Ask him to share the differences and similarities he sees.
Engineering: Our students work collaboratively to design and create inventions, while building communication, creativity and cooperation skills. They build boats and cars using cardboard boxes, make containers to grow plants, and build cities out of blocks. Continue the learning at home by asking your child to build a fort using pillows, assemble a tower from magazines, or create a necklace using macaroni and string.
Mathematics: We give children hands-on experience with math concepts such as pattern, size, shape and quantity. For example, student sort and count different types of cereal and graph their favorites. Take a nature walk with your child and have him collect leaves or small rocks in a basket. When you get home, ask him to count the objects and describe the colors, shapes and textures.
In summary, we provide numerous fun and challenging STEM projects to encourage collaboration, problem solving, decision making, creativity and innovation. Through these activities, our students build the foundation they need for a lifetime of learning.
– Lauren Starnes, PhD- Director of Early Childhood Education