As a Berry Patch family, you have access to a licensed Parent and Family Educator as part of the program. We are delighted to have Becky Danielson, M.Ed, on staff and available to you for one-on-one conversations at no additional cost. To schedule an appointment with Becky, please email her at b.danielson@berrypatchschool.com.
May 15, 2022
Dear Berry Patch Families,
Summer is right around the corner! The next three months provide a time for less structured play and activities. Plan to enrich your child’s summer with learning activities to spark the imagination, expand the mind, and foster social interaction skills.
Continue reading “May Parent & Family Education Newsletter”Berry Patch Location Names
Colonial Church has officially changed its name to Meetinghouse Church, so we are also making a shift in how we refer to our school locations. We will begin making this transition this spring. We are one Berry Patch School with two campuses – our new location names will be:
May CSO (Children Serving Others) Project
We will be collecting items for “Summer Fun Bins” for our friends at Whittier Wildflowers Preschool this month. Look for a flier with a QR code for Amazon shopping link. Items can be brought to school at check-in through Friday, May 14 or shipped directly to Whittier Wildflowers (2608 Blaisdell Ave, Minneapolis, MN 55408.)
End-of-Year Strawberry Events
We will celebrate our Strawberries launch from the Berry Patch with some special times together:
April 15, 2022
Dear Berry Patch Families,
Spring conferences are scheduled for April 21 and 22. This is a valuable opportunity to collaborate as a team to discuss how your child has developed academically, emotionally, socially, and physically. It’s a time to talk about what skills your child should be focusing on during the summer months to be prepared for the next year of school.
Tips to Make the Most of Parent Teacher Conferences
1. Arrive on time.
2. Keep the conversation focused on the child. Use the questions below as a guide.
3. Take notes. Don’t forget a notebook and pen.
4. Stay within the scheduled conference time.
Continue reading “April Parent & Family Education Newsletter”April 8, 2022
Here are Ms. Kristin and Ms. Zara’s monthly newsletters. Check them out to see what your child is learning– you can sing, dance and learn Spanish at home as well!
April 4, 2022
We had a great time in March talking about all things OCEAN, BEACH, SEA CREATURES! Our Special Reader, Mrs. Pope, came to visit as a Pirate and we also had a visit from the real, live Ariel from Little Mermaid who shared her story with us. This month, we will learn about and explore all things FARM and SPRING! The highlight of our experiential learning will be a whole farm full of animals coming to visit us- Joah’s Ark will bring a baby cow, sheep, goats, bunnies, ducks, and more to both of our locations!
More Important Happenings:
Continue reading “April Director’s Newsletter”March 8, 2022
Here are Ms. Kristin and Ms. Zara’s monthly newsletters. Check them out to see what your child is learning– you can sing, dance and learn Spanish at home as well!
Click the links below:
March Music Newsletter
March Spanish Newsletter
March 1, 2022
What a gift for the kids to get outside again after SO MANY ‘too cold’ days in February. Rosy red cheeks after time in the snow is such a great sign of healthy kids! There was lots of love in February. Mrs. Trudell’s Strawberry class at Colonial shares their grins here on the day of their Valentine’s Day celebration. Our Mozart and Monet month was amazing. The learning that all of our berries did about different artists and the experiences they were able to have in creating culminated in some amazing galleries. I loved hearing children say, “I am an artist!” We also had the joy of our visit from Darin Anderson, professional cellist with the Minnesota Orchestra. The kids were mesmerized by him and the sound of his cello. He has a gift with sharing with children. Mrs. Pope, former Strawberry teacher, also visited all of our classes and shared a story about art/artists and had a hands-on activity for each child to try. Alongside all of this fun in classrooms, our school community collected over 100 hats and sets of mittens to share with others. Thank you so much for your generosity. What a great month we had together!
February 9, 2022
Here are Ms. Kristin and Ms. Zara’s monthly newsletters. Check them out to see what your child is learning– you can sing, dance and learn Spanish at home as well!
Click links below:
February Music Newsletter
February Spanish Newsletter
March 15, 2022
Dear Berry Patch Families,
Tattling, it’s one of THOSE topics for many parents.
Parents, have you heard anything like this at your house?
“Mom, Matthew is ….”
“Dad, tell Sophia to stop…”
“She touched me!”
“He looked at me!”
Tattling… it’s enough to drive a parent crazy!
Dear Berry Patch Families,
This month’s focus for Parent and Family Education is the topic of FRIENDSHIP. Most of the conversations I’ve had with parents in the last 18 months have centered on social emotional skill building and getting along with others. The pandemic has isolated our kids from the normal activities of childhood. As a result, they haven’t had the experiences needed to learn to socialize well.
Making and keeping friends is an ongoing skill. Practice is necessary! The Berry Patch staff assist your children daily in friendship building skills. Kindness, polite behavior, and respect are all rolled into everyday lessons. The Berry Patch School’s Parent Tip Sheets are helpful resources for your family. Download the tip sheets: Social Emotional Learning, Communicating Well with Young Children, and The Power of Play for additional tips and strategies.
Continue reading “February Parent & Family Education Newsletter”