SAVE THE DATE!!! BUY YOUR TICKETS NOW!!! THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 4th at Naveen’s Cuisine!!!

For tickets to the annual Maplewood & Lucy Flower Parks Advisory Council Fundraiser, please click here:

http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/207105

Please come! Raffle prizes include $100 to the Turf Room, a very chic photo package from Lori Allen Photo (you want to win this, trust me), a hair cut from Roots salon, Gorilla Tango Theatre tickets, family membership to Menomonee Club…and these are just the ones I personally rounded up! There’s even MORE!

Food, great people, wine, and a cause dear to my heart…the betterment of Lucy Flower Park (where I lead the garden club for children) and Maplewood Park!

October 15 and 16…please support this fun and family-friendly event!

http://commercialpark.org/2011/09/26/circus-in-the-parks-coming-to-commercial-oct-14-15/

ABOUT US: Teaching as a life-calling, not a “job”

Ms. Amy Ewaldt, Director

* MA in Education, Summa Cum Laude, Commencement Speaker
* Follett Fellowship recipient
* Ten+ years teaching experience
* Certified for preK – 8th grade in State of Illinois (teacher #794470)
* Ten+ years of experience developing curriculum and implementing a wide variety of programs at public, private, and not-for-profit schools
* Middle School special endorsements in Earth/Space Science, Theatre Arts, Speech
* Full criminal background check, current in CPR/first aid, all medical requirements up to date

Community service activities include: Lincoln Park Conservatory (Docent) Children’s Corner, Old Town Art Fair (Chair), Lucy Flower Garden Club (Chair), West Bucktown Neighborhood Assoc. Environmental Committee (VP), WBNA Zoning Committee (Member)

What is the meaning of “to educate”? To educate means to provide an environment that is safe for experimentation and creation, to provide children with rich learning experiences and opportunities through safe, high-quality materials and well-planned curriculum. To educate means modeling social skills and interactions, helping children understand who they are and how to learn self-control and intrinsic motivation. We also work directly with parents to form a strong bond between home and classroom, and to share our broad wealth of educational information to help parents better understand their roles in their child’s schooling—both now and in years to come.

Ms. Nicole Egnot, Professional Educator

* Five+ years of teaching experience in a wide variety of classrooms
* Currently finishing BA in Early Childhood Education
* Full criminal background check, current in CPR/first aid, all medical requirements up to date

Community service activities include: Children’s Corner, Old Town Art Fair (Member) Lucy Flower Garden Club (Member)

What is “childhood”? Childhood is a beautiful and magical time when everything helps to promote learning—not just about surroundings, but about self, others, relationships, and how the world works. It is a time when eagerness holds hands with curiosity, when everything is new, exciting and within the child’s grasp. How will a child learn to bake if we don’t give them the materials and chance to make a cake? How will a child understand that sand is tiny rocks if we don’t supply them with the sand to feel and experiment with? By using all of our senses, the memory becomes much stronger, reinforcing the learning experience. A highly-effective teacher honors and respects childhood and seeks to infuse it with beautiful opportunities and experiences.

The LUCY FLOWER GARDEN CLUB hosts:

“Composting in an Urban Environment 101”
led by Lauren Warnecke

When: Saturday, September 17
Where: Lucy Flower Park
Time: 11 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Cost: Free!
What: Learn about composting as we set up a new compost bin at Lucy Flower Park! Master Composter Lauren Warnecke shares info on urban composting that is fun, fascinating and hands-on. Lend a hand and learn as you go…we hope to see all interested families at Lucy Flower Park!

Lauren Warnecke is a Master Composter through the University of Illinois Extension and volunteers in various community and educational settings. She is especially passionate about vermicompost and composting in the urban environment. In addition to digging in the dirt, Lauren enjoys baking scones, growing strawberries, and dancing in the park. For more information on Lauren, visit http://craftylauren.wordpress.com

Phonics 101

“If children have not yet acquired phonemic awareness, instruction in letter-sound associations will not be effective in helping them decode words.”
from Literacy: Helping Children Construct Meaning, 6th edition

What exactly is “phonemic awareness” and how do I cultivate it in my child?

Three simple and effective strategies we use for developing phonemic awareness–the knowledge that words are composed of sounds–are as follows:

RHYMES: Reading books that rhyme (and paying special attention to those rhymes) is part of developing phonemic awareness. Dr. Seuss books are wonderful for this! (If you really want to up the ante, try John Lithgow’s book, Micawber or some vintage Mother Goose. My sister and I adored The Diggingest Dog and can still recite whole passages!)

While reading, ask your child to make additional rhymes, keeping in mind that they don’t have to be “real” words, but merely rhyme. If I read, “Hop on Pop” and say, “Hop and pop rhyme…so does bop, cop, drop…can you think of some more?” chances are, your child will offer up a glut of similar rhymes.

They may tell you other rhymes they think of, even if they seem unrelated, and that is great! They are relating their own prior knowledge and experience to what you are doing. “Did you know ‘pig’ and ‘dig’ rhyme too?!”

Encourage rhyme through the books you read, by making up rhymes as a game, and by reading poetry for children (Jack Prelutsky, Shel Silverstein, Ken Nesbitt are all incredible.)

WORD STRETCHING: Begin this activity with short words, like cat, dog, big, ball, top, etc. Three sound, or phoneme, words work best to start.

Tell your child you are going to play a game where you talk in slooow moootion. Ask them to speed up what you are saying to figure out the word. (This may be difficult at first so don’t get frustrated. You can also model this when reading to your child–find two or three opportunities within a story to stretch out or sound out a word (for their benefit), “Once upon a time, there was a g…there was a g/i/a/n/t beanstalk. Oh, I see…Once upon a time, there was a giant beanstalk!” etc.)

Pay special attention to your diction and make sure your child can clearly hear you as you articulate sounds. A quiet environment is ideal. Stretch out a word, “c / a / t”, pronouncing each sound clearly and distinctly. Start slowly and speed up a little each time until your child guesses.

Aside: If I had a nickel for every time I heard a student misspeak the Alphabet Song…I will never understand why teachers persist in singing this song to tempo–it does more harm than good. When you sing through the ABC’s with your child, please slow down the “h, i, j, k, l, m, n, o, p” part. Say each alphabet letter crisply and distinctly. I have had many students who cannot hear the difference between “b” and “d” or “s” and “x” or “m” and “n”. Of course adults know this song inside and out, but our children are just learning it based on what they can hear! Over-articulate on this one and give your child a huge advantage!

SYLLABLES: Start with names of people you know, for example “A-my” has two syllables, which can be clapped or stamped or “chin bumped” out. (“Chin bumps” are when you hold your hand just below your chin and let your mouth open and close to “bump” your hand when you say a word. This is a little discreet, but some children favor this method.)

Move on to another name you know, let’s say “Tom”. Tom only has one syllable. How about “Chris-to-pher”…3 syllables. “Ni-cole”? 2, that’s right!

Try everyone in the family, then extended family. Try friends from classes or play groups. Then try other types of words…dinosaur names are especially good for this.

Again, have your child clap their hands or stamp their feet or “chin bump” with you so they get the feel of syllables. This helps them break words into smaller pieces later on as readers.

Developing phonemic awareness is time well spent. Of course, there are many more strategies, but we find these three are easily done at home, around the dinner table, in the bath tub, in the car or as part of your regular reading routine. As always, we encourage your comments and questions!

Learning to read is a complicated process that emerges differently in each child. Curiosity must be fueled, real-world reading and writing experiences sought out.

One of the best questions I have received lately is, “How can I help my child prepare to read?”

Some basic rules of thumb:

1. Get familiar with books. Ask your child print-related questions–can they identify a letter, word, sentence? The front and back covers or spine? Where I should begin reading and which way my eyes should move across the page? Being familiar with the conventions of print is an important beginning step.

2. Establish reading routines. Reading in the bath tub or before bed is a wonderful reading routine. As children grow older, create a “book box” with their favorite books and set aside 10 minutes per day for independent reading–they either read to you or read aloud to themselves. At first, they may guess at words, make up their own narrative, or even memorize books. This is a great step–they are practicing being readers!

When you read, encourage your child to study the illustrations for clues about what is happening in the story. Stop and make predictions. Encourage higher-level thinking by asking, “Why do you think that is?” or “How do you know?”

When you read, use your finger or a slip of paper to point to the words as you go. Take turns and let your child be the “pointer” and work on corresponding each point of the finger with a word. Ask them how many words are in a sentence, and how you can tell when a sentence begins or ends. All of these activities help your child prepare for reading.

3. Model why reading is important. I always ask my beginning readers, “Why is it important to know how to read?” and invariably, the answer is, “Because you have to do it for school” or “I don’t know”. Reading needs to be personally important to children or there is no reason to work so hard to do it.

Children need to see and hear us reading in authentic ways. Model for them reading labels, street signs, letters and mail, assembly directions, recipes, game rules and websites. Explain that knowing how to read helps you learn, accomplish tasks, make new things, communicate ideas and so on.

Learning to read takes time, patience and experience. If you strive to create authentic experiences with text, establish reading routines, and model reasons to read, your child will have a solid foundation to build upon.

Next month: Phonics 101

From the West Bucktown Neighborhood Association Newsletter:

“At the Cortland Preschool Fundraiser, guests were treated to a rare behind-the-scenes look at what goes into building an environmentally-conscious preschool. From the architectural drawings that graced the walls, to the countertop and flooring samples, to the masking tape that outlined the future location of tiny tot-sized toilets, the evening was a study in all things eco-friendly. Preschool director Amy Ewaldt worked the room, fielding questions and topping off wine glasses, while a magician amazed guests with slight-of-hand card tricks, old school style! With construction expected to get underway this winter, the Cortland Preschool is shaping up to be a wonderful addition to West Bucktown in 2011. And if the fundraiser’s turnout is any indication, the school will receive a warm welcome from parents, neighbors, and donors alike.”

THANK YOU to WBNA for the nice write-up and support, to all of our friends and family who made this evening possible, to Leslie Johnson and Luke Kowalczyk, Lori Allen, The Turf Room, Sean Masterson, Dana Zaremba, and Grand Street Gardens for time, talent and beautiful sundries.

***Still want to contribute toward our cause? Checks may be sent to: Cortland Preschool, 1859 N. Talman, Chicago IL 60647

Construction permits are just around the corner (read this as, “We hope to have them finalized by the end of December!”)

Thank you to everyone who helped with the FLOOD BOOK DRIVE. Thanks to the generosity of friends, family and excellent Old Town and West Bucktown neighbors, our library is rebuilt back to where it was, pre-deluge!

What’s happening at Cortland Preschool?

Excellent question.

Our biggest news of late is getting onto the Zoning Board of Appeals agenda…we will be going before the Board of Appeals on Friday, September 17 to ask for a variance.  What’s that mean?  Well, according to City of Chicago Zoning Code, a business of our type needs to provide one on-site parking space per three employees.

But Amy, you say with confusion, you live next door?  And Nicole does not have a license?  And there is no room on the lot for parking anyway?

All valid points, my friends.  Which is why we need a variance.  It is sort of a delicate and tedious ballet of paperwork, trips to City Hall, and aggravation.

But we’ll get there!

If all goes well, the next step will be to fundraise like crazy and then start construction!  That is the really exciting stuff!

Thanks to all for your continued support–we couldn’t do it without a vast web of amazing people giving their time, talent and resources to get us off the ground!

Love to all!