Mission Statement
  
To elevate child development to a new level by leading the social and emotional growth and education of young children by providing a safe, welcoming, home-like environment with a caring, educated and professional staff that promotes partnerships between parents, children, and other early childhood professionals. 
August Notes of Interest

Saying Goodbye 
We are sad to say that due to some personal issues, Chef Patti is no longer working at Katie's Kids Learning Center. We are so sad to see her go and we wish her luck with her future endeavors! We are currently interviewing for our chef position, but in the meantime Miss Tia is taking over the kitchen (and doing a great job!!).


Professional Development Day 
Just a reminder that August 11th is our annual professional development day. We will be closed the whole day for training and classroom development! Thank you so much for your continued support as our teachers work hard to create the best possible environment for your children.

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Upcoming Dates
 
August 11th: Closed for Professional Development Day
August 12th:
SNL @ K2 from 5pm-10pm
August 16th: School starts for Unit 5
August 18th: School starts for District 87 

 
Closure Dates for 2017 
 
Please click here  to view the Katie's Kids Center Closure list for 2017.
   
  
        


Last Day of School Age

The last day of our school age program will be Thursday, August 10th. If your child will need care at all during the following week, please let us know so we can plan accordingly.
Thanks! 



Saturday Night Live
At Katie's Kids @ Ft. Jesse 
Saturday, August 12th    
5:00 -10:00 p.m.

Need a night off? Can't find a babysitter? Katie's Kids would love to help! Saturday Night Live is a Saturday night out for parents while children come to school for dinner and a fun filled movie night! Children ages 3+ have the opportunity to watch a movie and use their artistic abilities to create a masterpiece of their choice! Free play activities will be set up for children under the age of 3 years. If you have any questions please ask administration.
 
 
Classroom News
 
Please click on your child's room number to view their classroom newsletter. 
   
  Room 1 (Infants/Toddlers) - Ms. Paige, Ms. Taylor, & Ms. Erin
 
 Room 2   (Infants/Toddlers) - Ms. Lori & Ms. Laya
 
 Room 3 (Infants) - Ms. Chasney & Ms. Brittany
 
  Room 4 (Toddlers/Twos) -  Ms. Caitlin & Ms. Alexis
 
 Room 5 (Pre- K) - Ms. Angelica & Ms. Kayla
 
Room 6  (Pre-K) - Ms. Skylar & Ms. Kayla
 
  Room 7  (Pre-K) -  Ms. Katie & Mr. Matt
 
Room 8 (Toddlers/Twos) - Ms. Kelly & Ms. Rebecca
Music Corner

Ch-Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes
 
It feels like only a week ago we were transitioning into the summer swing, sending some of our kids off to camp, changing work schedules to accommodate children at home and adjusting bedtimes so that the moon was out when we closed our eyes.
 
Now, we are getting ourselves ready as change our schedules back, re-adjust bedtimes and accommodate the emotions that come with going back to school, a fall/winter schedule and possibly different working hours.
 
This is a perfect time to add music into the routine (assuming you haven't taken our advice yet and added it already), to help your child transition into a new routine and schedule.
In our classrooms we often use transition music for a variety of different timed of day and in our music sessions we are constantly building in musical transitions to make the sessions run more smoothly;
 
Greetings Songs: Allow ourselves and our friends to adjust to the "next" activity and recognize a change in space and learning. Offering us a clear START.
Goodbye Songs: Allow ourselves to move OUT of our activity and prepare for the next activity and learning experiences. Offering us a clear END.
Instrument Clean-Up Songs: As hard as it is to say goodbye to those instruments, a simple clean-up song will help those tears go away.
 
So how do we add musical transitions at home?
 
*Pair a simple melody with a morning schedule and routine; adjusting the words slightly if changed. A super simple piggy-back song like "This is the way we wash our hands" or "ABC's" can help give you a start to creating your own musical routine.
 
*Pair a song with no words to an activity; when cleaning up a playroom or dinner table, put on a recorded piece (no words) and always use the same one until the routine is set.
 
*Using a piggyback song to assist in routine changes; In our house, work schedules change again in the winter and we use a simple song to explain that changes to our youngest (3 years old).
 
For more tips and tricks on using music at home, visit the Developing Melodies Music Therapy Center Blog! www.developingmelodies.com
 
Happy music-making,
Meryl Brown MM, MT-BC, DT
Owner and Director of Developing Melodies

 
Loose Parts Donations -   
 
Our Focus this Month: 

Keep track of all of those extra parts. We can use them here!
        • Dried flower stalks
        • Bottle Caps
        • Buttons
  
We, at Katie's Kids, would like to keep utilizing loose parts in our classrooms throughout the year.  Therefore, we are inviting parents and families that are interested to keep the supplies coming!  If you choose to donate you can drop the materials off at the front desk at any time!
  
Be sure to look through our center for how the loose parts are being used within the curriculum! 
  
Thank you in advance for your donations, we look forward to seeing the creativity that stems from all of the materials!

Reggio Reads...
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"There are many approaches and philosophies to teaching early childhood education. The Reggio Emilia approach is one of them. This approach places strong emphasis on the development of " strong, capable, and resilient" children." 
 
 -Rainforest Learning Centre  
 
August Meals to Go   
 

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No Meals to Go until further notice.
Please watch for further information on this. 



 
 


Getting Healthier...
At Katie's Kids Learning Center, we are committed to providing the best possible nutrition to you and your family.  We hope you enjoy the following recipe: 
 
Title : Homemade Black Bean Veggie Burgers 

Ingredients:
  • 1 (16 ounce) can black beans, drained and rinsed
  • 1/2 green bell pepper, cut into 2 inch pieces
  • 1/2 onion, cut into wedges
  • 3 cloves garlic, peeled
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tablespoon chili powder
  • 1 tablespoon cumin
  • 1 teaspoon Thai chili sauce or hot sauce
  • 1/2 cup bread crumbs
 
Directions:
  1. If grilling, preheat an outdoor grill for high heat, and lightly oil a sheet of aluminum foil. If baking, preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C), and lightly oil a baking sheet.
  2. In a medium bowl, mash black beans with a fork until thick and pasty.
  3. In a food processor, finely chop bell pepper, onion, and garlic. Then stir into mashed beans.
  4. In a small bowl, stir together egg, chili powder, cumin, and chili sauce.
  5. Stir the egg mixture into the mashed beans. Mix in bread crumbs until the mixture is sticky and holds together. Divide mixture into four patties.
  6. If grilling, place patties on foil, and grill about 8 minutes on each side. If baking, place patties on baking sheet, and bake about 10 minutes on each side.
  
 


Katie's Kids Learning | @ the Links | 309.663.5800 |  Katie@katieskids.net | www.katieskids.net
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