Congratulations and THANK YOU!!!  A BIG, heartfelt thank you to everyone in the Knight Hall community who contributed to our ANNUAL FUNDRAISING CAMPAIGN.  Donations topped $2,643, and with the match from our anonymous donor ($2,700), the total is $5,343.  Every dollar counts and this money will further enhance the education of children at KHS and the resources that our teachers have to work with.

Make-over – KHS style!  Another round of thanks to all of the parent volunteers who rolled up their sleeves and helped to renovate Martha’s office on the Spring Clean Up Day held in April.  A few coats of paint, a new rug, and some donated couches have really spruced up both Martha’s office and the Teachers’ Lounge.  If you haven’t been to the second floor yet to see the transformation, be sure to take a quick peek!

Year End Celebration – Bushnell Park Carousel.  Given the positive feedback that the carousel event received last fall, KHS has reserved the Bushnell Park Carousel for another family night out of rides, pizza and community (and, it’s free! Rides and light dinner included).  Mark your calendars for Wednesday, June 19 from 6-7PM.  Please RSVP directly to your child’s teacher.

SHREK, the Musical.  Did you know that we have a talented stage performer in our midst at Knight Hall School??!!  Bev Delventhal-Sali, a teacher in our Blue Room, will be performing this summer in Shrek, the Musical at the Warner Theatre in Torrington, the last weekend in July and first weekend in August.  Be sure to get your tickets to support our local talent!  You can use the coupon code “FreakFlag” to purchase $20 orchestra seats (www.warnertheatre.org).

AFP Grant/NAEYC Accreditation Update.   KHS continues its work towards NAEYC accreditation.  Teachers are attending and will be attending workshops and classes.  Martha just completed a 3 credit class on leadership and management.  Louise, Betsy, Christina and Martha just completed 12 hours of Creative Curriculum training and Louise and Stephanie just completed a 6 hour Babies class.  Ann and Bev will be attending a math workshop in August with nationally known preschool math educator, Juanita Copley.  During the summer the teaching staff will be working on their classrooms, bringing new ideas and less clutter.  Jodi Takiff, mom to Ella in the Purple Room and a preschool teacher in Middletown, will be doing a workshop with the teachers on building their classroom portfolio.  The process is long and the work is deep.  The road to accreditation is all in the process!

Safety Updates.  To follow up on our safety assessment from the winter, after consultation with public safety professionals, KHS has adopted a “deterrence” strategy – which means having each classroom equipped with elements that would make any sort of intrusion less likely and less attractive.  Each classroom now has doorstops (that will be used from the inside to prevent someone from the outside getting in), window blinds, and will have (if it does not have already) a curtain to cover any windows in the classroom door.  Limiting visibility and accessibility is the simplest way to deter an intruder.  Additionally, earlier this year Martha attended a West Hartford Police Department workshop addressing similar safety issues and has been recognized for being one of the few child care center directors who has focused on these safety issues.  Thank you, Martha!

Go Ann!  The Pan-Mass Challenge.  Once again this summer, Orange Room teacher, Ann Monseglio will be bike riding from to raise money for cancer research and treatment at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute.  Ann is a breast cancer survivor who has participated in this event in years past, raising thousands of dollars for the cause.  Please be sure to wish her well in her training and on race days, August 3 and 4.

What’s New at Knight Hall School? – Class Knotes

PURPLE – The children of the Purple Room have been watching as the caterpillars turned into chrysalis and then into butterflies.  The excitement of watching the butterflies is audible!

RED – The Red Room children have been very busy learning about different types of building materials.  Using the very large blocks in the shared area and borrowing some very strange looking building blocks from the Orange Room, the children have learned to strategize, compromise and create!

YELLOW – Butterflies, butterflies everywhere!  The Yellow Room children have looked at the life cycle of butterflies.  Gaining a wonderful understanding of how a caterpillar metamorphoses into a butterfly!

BLUE – Blue Room children recently took a field trip to see “Goodnight, Moon” at the Playhouse on Park with the Orange Room; produced and starred in a film production of “The Very Hungry Caterpillar” and celebrated with an awards presentation to parents; and visited the CRRA Trash Museum in Hartford to learn what those garbage trucks do with all their pickups and recycling.

ORANGE – The children of the Orange Room have all been on a kindergarten visit!  Each child has come back to school, very excited to share something special about their soon to be new school.  They are ready!  Every year the Orange Room tye dyes t-shirts in anticipation of their big trip to the Groton Submarine Base.  This is a right of passage for the children of the Orange Room!  They recently donned their tye-dye shirts and descended on the base for an up close and personal tour of a real submarine!  A great time was had by all!

A special thank you to our departing Board members:  Kelly Hathorn, Cindy Mahon and Kate Mylod.

Welcome to our new Board co-chairs: Marie Cook (Conor/yellow; Delaney/purple) Sujal Shah (Che/red)

If any parents have an interest in serving on the 2013-2014 Board, please see Martha!

Summer Reminders.

• Please be sure your child has suntan lotion, a swimsuit, towel, water shoes and a change of clothes and underwear in his/her cubby at school.
• Please be sure to send your child to school with suntan lotion already applied.  Teachers will reapply for the afternoon.
• KHS will be closed Thursday, July 4 for the Independence Day holiday.

KHS will be closed August 19-23 for teachers’ in-service.  The new school year commences on Monday, August