September-October 2014 St. Aidan’s News
The Back to School Edition
A joint production of St. Aidan’s Day School and the Parents Committee
Dear Parents:
We live in a wonderful community, where everyone works hard to do the best for their children.
As I mentioned at Back to School Night, I believe you have done something wonderful by giving your
child the gift of a play-based preschool education. Young children learn about the world around them by
physically interacting with their environment and using all of their senses. Children learn about selfregulation, which some say is the key element of school preparedness, through lots of socio-dramatic
play. You have seen this type of play…”I will be the mom, you be the baby, and you need to take a nap.”
Through role-taking and setting up rules for play (sometimes only comprehensible to themselves),
children learn to control their own behaviors and emotions. We are here to provide lots of experiences
to stimulate your child’s development, and set them up for a lifetime of learning through play and the 3
M’s: Music, Movement, and Mess.
We look forward to working with you and getting to know your delightful children during the
next 9 months. And let us know if you ever have questions about what we are doing and why. We love
our work and love to talk about it too!
Suzanne Odom
Mark your calendarsSept 11 Sweet Frog fundraiser
Sept 15 Parents Committee mtg @7:30
Sept 16-19 Scholastic Book Fair
Sept 17 Blessing of Totes at 9:30
(during chapel)
Sept 19 October Lunch Bunch Forms
due back
Sept 22 Children’s Science Center
visits 4 year-old classes
Sept 25 El Paso Restaurant Night
Sept 26 Fire Safety Puppets visit
Sept 28 Day School Sunday
Sept 29 St. Aidan’s is open, Fairfax
county schools are closed
Sept 30 Carol Horn speaks @7:30 on
Growth Mindset
Oct 1 First Lunch Bunch
Oct 6 Parents Committee mtg @7:30
Oct 9
Sweet Frog Fundraiser
Oct 11 Oktoberfest 3-7pm
Oct 13 St. Aidan’s Closed for
Columbus Day
Oct 23, 24 School Pictures
Oct 23 Kathryn Horn Coneway speaks
@7:30 on Spirit of the Studio
Oct 31 Halloween Parade & Songfest
@11 am
A Message From the Parents Committee:
Well, we made it thru Back to School and now our school
year is officially under way!
Once again, we want to welcome each family to St. Aidan's
Day School. In our opinion, there is no better school. We
have the best teachers and staff, and we feel so lucky to be a
part of such a great community.
We have an exciting school year ahead of us, with lots of
great events beginning with the Scholastic Book Fair on
September 16th. We hope you can take a few minutes during
September 16th -20th to stop in White Hall and check out all
the great books.
Right around the corner on October 11th is Oktoberfest! If
you have not already signed up to volunteer, please do so.
Your support will help make this a fantastic event. The
Oktoberfest committee is hard at work planning the many
events but can definitely use a few more volunteers to help
coordinate all of the activities that will take place. This is
such a fun event for the whole family! We hope to see you all
there!
As we mentioned at the back to school night, our monthly
meetings are open to everyone. The Parents Committee will
be meeting the first Monday of every month and we hope you
can join us for these meetings. We will meet in the
Kindergarten room at 7:30pm. But because we have missed
the first Monday for this month, our September meeting will
be on Monday, September 15th and we hope many of you
can join us to discuss the upcoming year. If you are unable to
make the meeting, please let us know any suggestions or
ideas you might have.
We do have some parents committee event chair positions
open for this year, so if you are interested in getting more
involved or would like to know of ways you can help, please
let us know. You can reach us directly at
Finnegan@bishopireton.org or laurenp317@hotmail.com.
Again, Welcome to everyone and we hope you all have a
great year ahead,
Laura Fannon and Lauren McCarthy
Special People
Please stop by the library to meet our
new Assistant and Librarian Lynda Dunne.
Thank you to Rob Kidwell, who spent
some of his summer building a new outdoor
chalkboard for our playground. The
children love drawing on this board and get
valuable motor strength and control by
writing on a vertical surface. Plus, it is just
plain fun!
Thank you to the many parents who
organized playground playdates this
summer. We think these fun times will help
with transitions into new classes.
Thank you to Kristen Culver’s
husband Corey, who did emergency tree
and fence work on the playground this past
week.
Scholastic Book Fair
Our annual Book Fair will be Tuesday,
September 16th - Friday, September 19th.
Book sales will take place in White Hall
from 8:30AM -10:00AM and 11:30AM 1:00PM. In addition to purchasing books
for your family we hope you will stop by to
take a look at the teacher wish lists, book
recommendations from the teachers,
librarian and director and enter our raffle
for a basket of books. Volunteer
opportunities are available to help set up,
manage sales and clean-up. Please contact
Emily Dibella emilydibella@yahoo.com if
you would like to help.
2014-2015 Parents Committee
Co-Chairs: Lauren McCarthy and Laura Fannon
Treasurer: Tracey Kohler
Secretary: Holly Ferry
Scholastic Book Fair: Beth Burke, Heather Clark, and Emily Dibella
Oktoberfest: Allison Fitzgibbon, Liz Weyrauch (Looking for 1 or 2 more)
Silent Auction: Kathleen Purtill, Lisa Price
Marketplace: Sara Gorman (Looking for 1 more)
Giving Tree: Kim Fazio
Santa’s Workshop: Jen Knapp and Rebekah Malvaso (Looking for 1 more)
Dr. Seuss Read –A-Thon: Marie Griffin, Lindsey Schourek
and Liz Schroeder
Family Fun Night: Lise Sackett and Danette Berry
Olympics: Paul Evans (Looking for 1 more)
Original Art Works: Amanda Espinola,
Ice Cream Social: Allison Dabbieri and Lise Sackett
Teacher Appreciation: (Looking for 1 or 2)
Restaurant Night Fundraisers: Brian & Caroline Alexander
Spirit Wear: Danette Berry
Heart-to-Heart: Jaime Winkelfoos and Shamus Ozmen
Box Tops/Labels for Education: Lindsey Schourek
Escrip/Bonus Bucks: Lauri Bearce
Children’s Garden: Beth Burke, Lisa Shannon, Shamus
Ozmen, Hilary Talbot
Contact Laura Fannon, Lauren McCarthy, or Suzanne Odom if you can help fill a need!
What is Growth Mindset?
“You are so smart!”- sounds like a great
thing to say to a child, yes? Well, research
shows it may be more beneficial to praise
effort. Praising hard work, rather than
innate intelligence, may help your child
have greater motivation in school,
become a better problem-solver, and
learn to embrace challenges and
setbacks. Please join us on Tuesday,
September 30 at 7:30 pm as Carol Horn
makes a special presentation to the
school on Growth Mindset.
Enterovirus 68
As we go to press there are
reports in the media about a severe
respiratory virus sickening children
Spirit of the Studio - Art at Home and
in the Community
On October 23, Kathryn Horn
Coneway, founder of Art at the Center
and an author of children’s books on art,
will speak to the Day School community.
around the country. Although most
children recover easily from the
resulting cold-like symptoms, children
with asthma or other health problems
may be at risk for more serious
complications.
At school we will work on hand-
This evening for parents will combine
washing and coughing/sneezing into the
stress relief and play with parent
inside of one’s elbow. You can help us
education to support working with
out by remembering the 24 Hour Rule:
materials at home and in community
Children who have had fever (or vomiting
settings. Enjoy a hands-on experience
of collage making followed by discussion
of ways to present materials and
support creativity for kids in homes, at
school and in community settings.
or diahrrea) need to stay home until
they are symptom-free for 24 hours.
While we don’t want anyone to miss the
fun of school, we also want to keep all of
our children healthy.
Thank you for being considerate.
EXPANDING EXTENDED DAY! Beginning this year, we will
offer an extended day for four year-olds and up on Tuesday
through Friday, for 1 or 2 hours each day. Your child can start
attending the month he or she turns four. The following is a
reprint of an article from last year that provides more
information about this program.
Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About Lunch Bunch
*But Didn’t Know Who to Ask
Lunch Bunch is a very popular activity at St. Aidan’s. Have you ever wondered what exactly
happens at Lunch Bunch? We will attempt to provide you some insight here.
Who teaches Lunch Bunch? Mrs. Odom or Mrs. Dunne will always be present. A group of
teachers take turns working, but your child’s regular teacher may not be present. We have at least one
teacher for every 10 students, which is why advance registration is important.
Where does Lunch Bunch take place? At dismissal time, children attending Lunch Bunch are
escorted to one of 2 classrooms downstairs. We always use Mrs. McGraw’s Young Fives room, and if
more than 30 children register for Lunch Bunch we also use Mrs. Carmichael’s classroom next door.
What is expected of children? Children bring a bag lunch. We begin by having everyone wash
hands and then we say grace together. (God is great, God is good, Let us thank Him for our food, Amen!)
Although our goal is for children to learn to function independently, teachers are ready to lend a hand
with opening juice, containers, etc.
What else do children do? As children finish eating lunch we ask them to clean up their space
and put their lunch box in the hallway with their tote bags. Then they are free to play with the many
toys, puzzles, manipulatives and art supplies available in the classroom. Mrs. McGraw and Mrs.
Carmichael are gracious hostesses and very generous to share their space and their toys.
When most children are finished eating (usually about 12:30) we have the children put away all
the toys and tidy up the classroom. Then we head outside to play. Children who will be leaving at 1:00
bring their tote bag and lunch box outside,
to help them remember they are “one
o’clockers” – which just means they are
leaving at 1:00 pm. Children who are
staying until 2:00 (“two o’clockers”) will
typically play outside until it is time to go
home.
What about Enrichment?
Enrichment classes begin after we have
completed the 1:00 dismissal.
What if the weather is bad?
When the weather is very cold, raining, or
the playground is extra muddy or icy, we
might not go outside until after 1:00 pm. We will pull out board games, bingo games, or perhaps set up a
filmstrip to watch indoors.
A Message from the Librarian:
Welcome to the St. Aidan’s Day School Library! St. Aidan’s Day School is one of the only
area preschools with a Librarian and a full library of children’s books and parenting books.
It is quite unusual for a preschool to have a librarian, but we believe that reading to
children is very important! Parents are always welcome to visit our library and check out
books for their families. If you arrive at school before 8:55 a.m., you may come in to read
to your child and take that opportunity to check out up to three books.
Feel free to stop in and ask about a particular book you may be looking for, or you can visit
the Day School’s website and click on the Library tab on the left for Library information and
occasional book recommendations. This summer, we added a few books to our collection
of Parent Resource books. One of these books, which would be valuable for any Parent to
read, is Permission to Parent: How to Raise Your Child with Love and Limits by Robin
Berman, MD
“After being bombarded by parenting fad after parenting fad, moms and
dads finally have a friendly, commonsense guide to raising thriving children.
Today, many parents have rejected the dictatorships they resented from their
own childhoods. But they overcorrected by turning into child-pleasers.
Showering praise and letting kids rule the roost has actually eroded the very
self-esteem parents are trying to create.
Using her clinical experience, psychiatrist Robin Berman shows parents how
they can take charge while building a loving family with deep connections. How
children learn love and respect at home becomes the template for how they
show love and respect in life. It’s a huge task, but Dr. Berman is your ally
every step of the way.
Every parent’s struggles are reflected (many of them comically), but so are
heartwarming triumphs. Parents, teachers and children themselves recount
turning points at which they figured out what great parenting looked like and
the magic it unlocked.
This engaging book—a
perfect mix of medical
research and inspirational
Remember—
anecdotes—just might be
We
to apply
theare
keynot
toable
being
the parent
sunscreen
or
bug
spray
to
you want to be and the
your
child
at school.
The
parent
your
children
need.”
playground mosquitoes will
likely be around until the first
cold snap, so if your child is
susceptible to bug bites, you
might send them in long pants
or with bug repellant applied.
Thank you!
Oktoberfest is coming
Please join us for Oktoberfest on Saturday, October 11th from 3 – 7 p.m. This wonderful family event
features an Oompah band, traditional food and beer, silent and live auctions, bake sale, and cake
walk. The Day School’s Kinderfest will offer children lots of fun from 3 – 5 p.m. Activities
include a moon bounce, face painting, pumpkin decorating, crafts, and games. Please stay for dinner
and check out all the wonderful items at our silent auction.
Several of our activities are still in need of volunteers. Please check the sign-up board at the entrance
to the school and be on the lookout for emails about how to volunteer. For more information, contact
Allison Fitzgibbon at aquill@mail.roanoke.edu or Liz Weyrauch at elizwey@gmail.com
Oktoberfest - Silent Auction
Donations are currently being collected for the silent auction. If you have a service item or gift
certificate you would like to donate, please fill out one of the silent auction forms that will go home in
the red school bags in the next few weeks or contact Kathleen Purtill at Kathleen.purtill@yahoo.com
Box Tops and Soup Label’s for Education
These labels can be found on a variety of products – (to include but not limited to) various cereal
boxes, a variety of General Mills granola bars, Campbell’s soups, Progresso Soups, Kleenex boxes,
Pepperidge Farm breads, Pillsbury products, Yoplait yogurts, Ziploc bags and many many more
items! Every label you contribute helps the school to earn cash and credits toward their educational
needs. Please place your labels in your child’s red bag, or leave them with the teacher or in Suzanne’s
office in the collection tray. If you have any questions please contact Lindsey Schourek lschourek@hotmail.com Thank-you in advance for your support, it is greatly appreciated!!
St Aidan's Spirit wear –Sport our new logo
We have St. Aidan's Spirit Wear available now with the new school image on it including car
magnets, short-sleeve and long-sleeve tshirts and more. If you didn't buy yours at the back to school
fair, you can buy them with an order form that will go home in red bags soon. Students on field trips
are encouraged to wear spirit wear or red and
white. If you have any questions, please email
Danette Berry at danetteberry@gmail.com.
Look what your Parents Committee is Doing for our School!
Through a variety of fundraising activities and very active commitment from the Day School
families, the Parents Committee raised over $20,000 during the 2013-2014 school year to enhance
the learning environment for the Day School children. We are proud to be part of such a generous
group of families – through your volunteerism and financial support The St. Aidan’s Parents
Committee continued our commitment to providing financial resources to aid in the betterment of
the Day School. A snapshot of the funding allocations for 2013-2014 is below:





$2,738.15 for Day School Facility Enhancements
$2,514.86 for Classrooms
$1,011.35 for Teachers
$1,403.98 for Events
$609.22 for Parents Committee Activities
Below is an overview of some of the specific activities and resources funded during the 2013-2014
school year:









New plants for the children’s garden;
Two wooden benches for the church entrance;
Outdoor drums;
Sand for the playground;
Science kits and science experiment books for the library;
Outdoor metal bench for the playground;
iPod docking station;
Mini grants for the movement program, science enrichment, and music; and
Monetary donations to each classroom at the beginning of the year for the
purchase of special classroom-specific items as well as individual teacher gifts at
the end of the year.
In addition, the Parents Committee provides both volunteer and financial support to several
events throughout the year, including: Oktoberfest, Santa’s Workshop, Olympics, Family Fun
Night, and the Ice Cream Social.
The Parents Committee is budgeting to raise over $17,000 for the
2014-2015 school year. A sample of the items that have already
been funded or are included in the 2014-2015 budget include the
following:






Tote bags for all 2013-2014 students with new Day
School logo;
New car magnet for every family;
Outside talent opportunities for families and teachers;
School supplies for the Day School;
New banners for teacher appreciation and families;
and,
Much more!