The Academy of McKay's Mill Online Newsletter

Branches BOLT mini marathon!

2012-01-28T06:53:00.000-08:00

Branches Ministries, our non-profit organization, challenged us with a mini marathon last week and it was a BLAST! Not only did the children and teachers have a great time, but AoMM raised OVER $700 for a great cause! Thank you to everyone. We really appreciate your involvement! Learn more about Branches - http://branchesministries.blogspot.com/

Fitness Fanatics continued!

2012-01-28T06:47:00.000-08:00

Pre-K One spent time in the Enrichment Room doing number hopscotch and went on a nature walk on Friday. What great activities for our F.F. program! Way to go, Pre-K One!

Painting in Pre-K!

2012-01-28T06:38:00.000-08:00

Color of the week!

2012-01-28T06:37:00.001-08:00

Martin Luther King Jr.

2012-01-19T18:55:00.000-08:00

Pre-K 3 did a great job coloring pictures of Martin Luther King Jr. on Monday, January 16th. They also talked about his dream and how important he was in changing the future for so many.

Fitness Fanatic - More Parachute fun!

2012-01-19T18:52:00.002-08:00

High Reach Learning Theme - At Our School

2012-01-19T18:52:00.000-08:00

Since are talking about school this week, we decided to make a class mural. The kids not only worked together to create a masterpiece, but they also worked on sharing art supplies, and respecting each others space on the paper.

High Reach Learning Theme - Daily Routines

2012-01-19T18:50:00.000-08:00

While talking about routines at home, the kids would race to see who could put on 3 shirts the fastest. They really got into it and had a blast!

Pet day!

2012-01-15T15:11:00.000-08:00

Friday was bring your pet to school day! Carter, Pre-K One, was happy when his mom brought their adorable basset hound for a visit all of his classmates. The kids loved him...and what was not to love?!
We also had a visit from Ainsley, Pre-K 2, and Wyatt's, Preschool 2, dog on Friday. She was so great as all the kids wanted to visit her up close and personal. It was a very fun day! Thanks parents!

Can you pop the balloon?!

2012-01-15T15:09:00.000-08:00

What a creative way to get some exercise! Pre-K one had the challenge of trying to pop balloons. This was not only fun, but worked up a sweat!

Snow painting

2012-01-12T19:22:00.000-08:00

Today the Pre-K class painted with white paint (snow) in their class. They did such a great job and are so creative! Check out their masterpieces...

Snack buffet day!

2012-01-12T19:17:00.000-08:00

While doing some reading online about fitness for kids and healthy recipes I came across the idea someone had to do a healthy snack bar for kids. Today we did just that. It was so simple and the kids LOVED it! We got together some healthy snacks, and a couple of sweets for good measure, and the kids were able to fill their snack bags up themselves with whatever they chose. Needless to say everyone had a great time serving themselves and seeing a table full of their favorite goodies!

Check out the decor!

2012-01-12T19:13:00.001-08:00

If you are an Academy parent then you know how much decoration means to us. This month is no different - check out what the ladies have done for Fitness Fanatics!

Parachute fun!

2012-01-11T16:45:00.000-08:00

There is nothing better for a 4 year old than a big ole' parachute! You will hear giggles like never before once that things gets shaking!

Winter art

2012-01-11T16:22:00.000-08:00

The kids always enjoy a great art project. Today Pre-K 3 made some wonderful snowmen! Great job, everyone!

1 and 2 and...

2012-01-11T16:20:00.000-08:00

Pre-K 3! Check them out stretching and working out in class!

Dancing with scarves!

2012-01-11T16:18:00.001-08:00

Exercise is so simple when you are 3 and 4 years old. All you have to do is grab a scarf and get to dancing!

Check out our 2 year olds in action!

2012-01-10T18:24:00.000-08:00

Day two of Fitness Fanatics was another great day! Today I had the pleasure of watching the 2 year olds do some in class circuit training and it was awesome! They were so excited to lift weights, walk on the balance beam, jump through hoops and jog in place! A few friends even showed me their strong muscles and their serious football faces! They are amazing!

Day ONE of Fitness FUN!

2012-01-09T16:28:00.000-08:00

We kicked off our Fitness Fanatics program with a great day of Alphabet Yoga and the kids loved it! It was so funny to watch them all get in their poses and act like animals all the while exercising. They had a blast!

On Your Mark...Get Set...

2012-01-07T06:59:00.000-08:00

GO! It's Fitness Fanatic time at The Academy! All the kids were so excited for the activities that were planned for them yesterday afternoon. We saw so many great things in the classrooms, enrichment room and playgrounds! Great job to everyone!

Holiday giveaway!

2012-01-05T07:48:00.000-08:00

We often have a contests at The Academy and December we had a candy cane guessing game. Simply, there were a bunch of candy canes in a jar and parents (and siblings) could guess how many were in there. Closest without going over was the winner and I was so thrilled (and a little shocked!) when I found that Morgan Lewis, 8 yr old sister to Miles Lewis, age 2, guessed the EXACT amount! Way to go, Morgan! She won a Starbucks gift basket which I hope she shared with her parents! :)

Giving back

2012-01-05T07:44:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of the holidays our Pre-K classes made some special ornaments and then a couple of my friends and I headed to the local assisted living facility to pass them out to the residents. Not only did the girls love handing out gifts to the residents, but the residents were thrilled to see them! There is nothing like a few little girls with big smiles to bring happiness to others.

Santa comes to AoMM...

2011-12-26T17:47:00.000-08:00

A wonderful tradition for our Academy kids is a visit from Santa! They all had the opportunity to come out to the Enrichment room and tell him what they all wanted for Christmas. While they waited their turn they had a yummy doughnut breakfast!

4 years in a row....

2011-12-18T06:21:00.000-08:00

The Academy schools have been voted NUMBER ONE in Williamson County for the 4th year in a row and to celebrate we had a week of special activities including tie dying shirts. The kids LOVED this project as you can tell! Thank you parents for voting!

Decorating!

2011-12-18T06:19:00.000-08:00

If you are an Academy family then you know how seriously we take our decoration and art! It's our most exciting time of the day. We always look forward to see what our teachers come up. The kids always do such a great job.

Reindeer food

2011-12-18T06:16:00.000-08:00

We have to be sure that Santa and his reindeer find their way to our houses so we made reindeer food to sprinkle in our yards so the reindeer know right where to go. This was so cute and exciting to watch.

Decorating the tree

2011-12-18T06:14:00.000-08:00

One our favorite things to do for Christmas is to decorate our tree with homemade ornaments. It's always a treat to see what they come up with and as always they never disappoint!

Letter to Santa

2011-12-18T06:12:00.000-08:00

It's an Academy tradition to write letters to Santa and that's just we did early in the month. The kids get so excited to "mail" them so Santa is sure to get them in time. Even the Toddlers got involved this year, take a look!

AoMM Thanksgiving lunch.

2011-11-22T18:24:00.001-08:00

Once again you made our annual Thanksgiving luncheon a success! We thank you for joining us this week. It's always great to have our families get to join in on our fun. We wish you all a great holiday!

Eyes and hands

2011-11-22T17:47:00.001-08:00

We are working on important fine motor skills each day with our Academy kids. Take a look at what they can do!

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-21T18:42:00.001-08:00

Where does food come from?

2011-11-16T17:20:00.001-08:00

Pre-K One talked about the different places food grows; on top of the ground, under the soil, or on a tree. We passed some of these types of foods around and the kids talked about how they were different on the outside and the inside. Great job Pre-K One!

Fall festival 2011

2011-11-07T17:30:00.000-08:00

One of our best events is our annual Fall festival. We really kicked it up a notch this year by adding a chili cook off, the Purple Fun Bus, Jenny, from Conductor Jack's group, a bounce house and slide, games, crafts, face painting and, of course, a bake off! It was such a great time. The food was amazing! Thank you to all of our Academy families for coming out for this great night. We hope you all had as much fun as we did.

Painting pine cones

2011-11-07T17:17:00.000-08:00

Did you know that Lake Tahoe, Ca is home of the two largest pine cones in the world?! While we didn't have the largest pine cones in the world I have to say that our Academy kids created the most beautiful pine cones in the world today.

1 little, 2 little, 3 little....

2011-11-07T17:11:00.000-08:00

Indians! Preschool Two has a great time making Indians for our wall in the Enrichment room and they did a great job!

Ms. Beth and Ms. Sherri's Pre-K 2 class

2011-11-01T17:52:00.000-07:00

Enjoy some pics of our Pre-K Two kids doing some painting for the class and decorating their own pumpkins! Great job, Pre-K Two!

Happy Halloween!

2011-11-01T17:45:00.000-07:00

This is always an amazing day! So much fun, excitement....and CANDY! Thank you so much for all your help. Our parties wouldn't be so successful if it wasn't for all the parent participation.

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

2011-10-23T07:51:00.000-07:00

Everyone has a connection to breast cancer, and here at The Academy we felt it more than ever this year as one of our very own Academy moms was recently diagnosed. So in recognition of her, and so many more, we had our very first Academy PINK OUT! All of our students and teachers wore pink and we went outside for a group picture.

Also, thank you to one of our Infant One moms, Mrs. Powers, (mom of baby Kate) for making amazing breast cancer awareness cookies for our whole staff. It was a great day!

October Class WINNERS!

2011-10-23T07:39:00.000-07:00

At AoMM our teachers are so very creative and even more competitive so when I told them that their classrooms and doors would be judged they went wild. Everyone did AMAZING, but there always has to be a winner.
Best Decorated Door for October went to Ms. Nadia and Ms. Crystal's PS 1 class! Congratulations and great job!

Best Decorated Classroom goes to Ms. Tina and Ms. Shavonne's PS 3 class. AMAZING decoration!

And finally, HONORABLE MENTION for best decorated classroom went to Ms. Tina and Ms. Stephanie's Pre-K 1 class. It was such a hard decision and we thought they deserved some recognition! Great job to ALL the classes for a job well done!

Making Play-Doh!

2011-10-19T17:22:00.000-07:00

We love a hands on project and what better one than making play-doh?! The kids in Pre-K One had a great time making and playing with it today.

Our 5 senses

2011-10-18T19:04:00.000-07:00

This week our classes are talking about and learning about our FIVE senses. Pre-K One had a great idea how to discover our senses in a hands on way. They had a bit of a taste test with oranges. The kids were able to eat orange slices and talk about the taste and also talked about how they felt and finally what they looked like (color, shape,etc.) It was a great way to explore our senses. Great job, Pre-K One!

Fire truck visit!

2011-10-17T11:08:00.000-07:00

This is the day that the kids have been waiting for...the fire truck came to The Academy for a visit! There is nothing better than the fire truck. These little ones look so forward to it and the firemen are so great with them. They talked to them about what to do in case of a fire and when to call 911.

October brings out the BEST!

2011-10-15T17:02:00.000-07:00

Here are more of my favorite decorations from classrooms. AMAZING job!

October Art!

2011-10-14T19:54:00.000-07:00

October has really brought out the best in our teachers and our kids! We are exploding with amazing art and our school has never looked better.My personal favorite is our school pumpkin patch in our Enrichment room. We have also recognized Breast Cancer Awareness month by displaying pink ribbons outside all of our classrooms.

We hear music with our ears!

2011-10-14T19:50:00.000-07:00

This past week's High Reach curriculum focus was ears. All week we talked about everything we can hear with our ears. We studied recognizing several different sounds and the kids loved playing so many guessing games! To top it off we were lucky to have Ms. Stephanie's friends, local Nashville musicians, come in and sing and use different instruments for us to listen to. The kids loved it!

October is here!

2011-10-02T18:35:00.000-07:00

At The Academy we love what October brings - cozy fall weather, fun decor, creative art projects and trick-or-treating! It's going to be a great month.
It's also Fire Prevention month and as always we will have the local Fire Dept come by for a visit. This is always a favorite for the kids.

Best of Parenting 2011...

2011-08-21T07:08:00.000-07:00

Can we do it 4 YEARS in a row?! With your help we can! Be sure to go to williamsonparent.com and vote The Academy best child care in Williamson County! Don't forget to email us and let us know you voted so we can enter your name in our random drawing for FREE WEEK TUITION!

Art Auction week!

2011-08-21T07:03:00.000-07:00

Check out our Art Auction in the Enrichment room this week. All classroom canvas' are displayed on the stage ready to be bid on. The class with highest bid will win a gift card for their classroom! The classes have done such a great job. Be sure to check it out!

The Academy in-service

2011-08-21T06:57:00.000-07:00

Please don't forget that The Academy will be closed on Friday, Sept 2nd for our annual in-service training for our teachers and on Monday, Sept 5th for Labor Day. Have a great long weekend!

Art week!

2011-08-21T06:33:00.000-07:00

Art is probably our favorite thing to do at The Academy so when Wee Little Arts came out for a demo class for us we were thrilled to have them! There is nothing better than watching our little ones create their own art. It's always so rewarding to watch them admire their work when their done. They are always so proud of themselves and should be. We have some great little artists!

Wee Chef week!

2011-08-21T06:30:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun during Wee Chef week. We had a lot of different cooking projects for the kids to get hands on with. From making their own personal pizzas to sherbet floats! We also had classroom Cupcake Wars! The kids were able to decorate their own cupcake and their teachers were the judges. :) Finally, we had Young Chef Academy come out and do a cooking demo with the kids. It was the first time we have had them come out and WOW, what a great time! The kids were able to make their own fruit salsa. They did everything themselves from cutting up several different fruits and mixing it up until it was ready to eat! It was a great for the kids. They do birthday parties too....;)

Science week!

2011-08-21T06:24:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to get the Discovery Science Center to come out for a great visit all about space! The kids loved it and learned so much. We will definitely have them come back.

World Travelers

2011-07-22T18:20:00.000-07:00

We had a great week talking about travel and all the places we can go around the world. This was a great opportunity for the teachers to talk about different countries and their cultures. What better guest to have than a airline stewardess to talk to the children about travel, airplane safety and all the places you can get to by plane! The kids loved it and had so many great questions for her.

Tennessee Tourist

2011-07-11T17:38:00.000-07:00

We will be spending all week talking about our wonderful state, Tennessee. To kick things off we had the mayor of Franklin, Ken Moore, come out to The Academy and read to the kids. Ms. Tamara found the perfect book for the occasion - V is for Volunteer. It was a great experience and the kids loved him! Enjoy the pictures below.

Travel Adventures

2011-07-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

Ms. Regina's PS 2 class had a blast in their homemade car this week. They all worked together to build it and then they each had turns traveling to different places. It was great to hear where they all chose to "drive" on their trips.

Academy kids meet the Statue of Liberty!

2011-07-09T07:58:00.000-07:00

To celebrate the new monthly theme, Travel Adventures, we had Lady Liberty come out to The Academy and talk with the kids about where she is from and how she came to be. The kids were absolutely in awe of her. So, if your children come home requesting a trip to NYC you will know why. :)

Sport Superstar week...

2011-06-27T18:29:00.000-07:00

starts off with a home run! We were so excited to have Ozzie from the Nashville Sounds come out today to help us get excited about a week of sports fun! We sang Take Me out to the Ball Game, Ozzie danced, Ozzie signed autographs and we got pictures with him. It was a great time.

Kindergarten Boot Camp Special Guest

2011-06-23T08:57:00.000-07:00

We were very lucky to have a kindergarten teacher from BGA come out and visit our boot campers yesterday. They were very excited to talk a real, live kindergarten teacher! :) She shared a story with them and then talked about expectations to come in kindergarten. They even played a charades having to do with skills in kindergarten. It was a blast and we really appreciate Mrs. Hopwood taking the time to come visit our little ones.

Father's Day snack.

2011-06-20T18:13:00.000-07:00

All of our Academy dads were invited to school today to celebrate Father's Day! Each class had a special snack, cookies and lemonade, to share with their daddy this afternoon. It was a great turn out and appreciate all that were able to make it. We hope you all had a wonderful Father's Day!

Animal Adventure snack!

2011-06-20T18:09:00.000-07:00

This is the first day of Animal Adventure week and to kick it off we had a great, fun snack called Rotten Worm snack! We took apples, cut them in half, added chocolate syrup (for the yucky rotten look!) and added WORMS (okay, they were gummy worms!) to the apple and then put the other half of the apple on top. The kids loved it and had a blast doing it.

Campfire Kids - campfire snacks!

2011-06-20T15:43:00.000-07:00

The kids had a great time making their own snacks last week! We gave the them the materials to make their own campfires and they did just that. It was a blast!

Discover the Adventures of Summer - June

2011-06-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

June has been a great month thus far. Our theme is Outdoor Adventures and every week is a different outdoor adventure. So far we have had Beach Buddies and Campfire Kids and we have done so many great things; cooking projects, special guests and art! The next 2 weeks will be filled with activities involving Animal Adventures and Sports Superstars. We are looking for a visit from the Nashville Zoo and Ozzie from the Nashville Sounds (pics to follow!). It's been a GREAT two weeks! Enjoy some of my favorite theme related pics.

Kindergarten Boot Camp!

2011-06-17T09:23:00.000-07:00

We are finishing week 2 of our amazing Kindergarten Boot Camp and we have had such a great, successful time so far. The kids are enjoying learning new skills to help them with the independence that they need to have for Kindergarten.
They have made their survival kits (crayons, pencils, ruler, paper!), they serve their own lunches, they get to go to the Academy library every week and check out a book and even fill out the library card on their own and are learning the responsibility of carrying their back packs to and from school on a daily basis. We even had a Williamson County school bus driver come out with the bus and give the children the rules of the bus they need to know for this fall.
It's been a great 2 weeks and we are looking forward to the next 6!

Kona Ice truck visits!

2011-06-09T08:13:00.000-07:00

What's better on a hot day than a nice, cool icy? This was the perfect afternoon for a cool treat in this summer heat. This is always a fun thing to do for the kids. They especially love that they can pick their own flavors and the older kids even did this all on their own.

2011-06-09T07:33:00.000-07:00

We are so excited to Discover the Adventures of Summer! It comes so fast each year and it's the time of year that the kids look so forward to. In nearly 2 short weeks we have already packed so much in. One of the kids favorite things is water day and who does it better than The Academy?! To kick off summer we had two huge water slides and needless to say the kids had a blast!

Franklin Police Dept. Visits!

2011-05-22T18:26:00.000-07:00

What child doesn't love a police car? Our Academy kids sure did. An officer from the FPD came by last week to talk to the children about stranger danger, riding bikes safely, the safety of buckling up and using 911 in an emergency. This kids had a great time!

Mud Day!

2011-05-19T19:22:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to celebrate Mud Day on the 17th! We transformed the enrichment room into 5 stations of muddy activities and the kids were so excited to get their hands dirty, well, most of them. :)
We started out the afternoon with a muddy snack - mud (chocolate pudding), dirt (crushed oreos) and bugs (gummy bugs) and they loved it.
We had 5 very fun stations for the kids to explore - mud writing station, muddy mess table, digging for critters in mud, mud pie making station and the kid favorite, mud stompin'! It was a blast!

Kindergarten Boot Camp!

2011-05-16T18:39:00.000-07:00

We are so excited about this great new program we are introducing this summer for our rising kindergarten and to be kindergarten children. It is an 8 week program that teaches important, yet often overlooked skills needed to navigate kindergarten. This is something new and different and it's offered exclusively to NGU families.

Sign up TODAY!

Closing reminders

2011-05-16T18:25:00.000-07:00

Please remember that The Academy will be closed Friday, May 27th, for our company wide in-service training and also Monday, May 30th, for Memorial Day.
Have a fun and safe long weekend and we will see everyone again on Tuesday, May 31st.

Pre-K Prom!

2011-05-16T18:19:00.000-07:00

This was our first annual Pre-K Prom and it was so fun! The kids dressed up, they had a train ride, danced until they couldn't dance anymore, ate until they couldn't eat anymore and had the biggest balloon fight I have ever seen! Judging by our 4 and 5 year olds it was a huge success!

Bike Day!

2011-05-16T18:12:00.000-07:00

Bike day is always a day the kids look forward to. There is something about being able to bring their own bike from home that is so exciting! Here are a few of our Academy kids proudly riding around the playgrounds.

Teacher Appreciation!

2011-05-16T18:10:00.000-07:00

Thank you, thank you to all parents who helped make Teacher Appreciation week a success! Our teachers were so touched by all of the gifts and the amazing lunch you all provided. They felt so loved and so appreciated and that is what it was all about. THANK YOU!

Thank you Planet Recycling!

2011-04-14T09:07:00.000-07:00

We were so lucky to have Jim Sousoulas from Planet Recycling come out yesterday, Wednesday, April 13th to talk to all of our Academy kids about the importance of recycling and when we do recycle what can be made out of the items. The kids were amazed to find out that a milk jug can be turned into a frisbee! It was a great learning experience for everyone! Thank you, Jim!

Good Friday reminder

2011-04-14T08:52:00.000-07:00

Academy parents - please don't forget we are CLOSED next Friday, the 22nd for Good Friday. Our Academy family wishes your families a great long, Easter weekend. See you all Monday!

Pre-K Two recycles!

2011-04-10T18:10:00.000-07:00

It was a great idea by Ms. Beth and Ms. Sherri to ask parents and kids to bring in something you can recycle for Friday's Show and Tell day. They talked about their items, where they got them and how they are used and then the teachers took the kids to the Enrichment room to let them place their items in the appropriate boxes. Great job, Pre-K 2!

Green Our Scene!

2011-04-10T18:04:00.000-07:00

April is Green Our Scene month at The Academy so we are spending all of our time learning the importance of recycling and going "green"! We are already having a blast.
Here are some of our green art projects and some pictures of our 2 year olds making earth with recycled materials. They had a great time!

Diaper Drive update

2011-04-01T20:03:00.000-07:00

Remember the diaper drive we had for Bridges Domestic Violence Shelter? Well, The Academy received some kuddos in the Williamson Herald about our part in this great project! We have the best parents @ AoMM and it's because of you all that this was so successful. Thank you to everyone who participated!

National Fitness Month

2011-04-01T19:51:00.000-07:00

March was a busy month for us with a lot of great things to celebrate and we were lucky enough to get Ms. Katie Kowalski come out and do her great KidFit program with us again. The kids love to get up and move around and they love this program! Thank you Katie, we really appreciate your time and love for what you do.

National Puppy Day!

2011-04-01T19:45:00.000-07:00

Thank you to Katie Cooper, mom to Juliet ( 3yrs ) and Beckett ( almost 2) who was kind enough to bring her dogs to The Academy to help us celebrate National Puppy Day! The kids loved meeting them and getting to pet them. They were the sweetest dogs ever! Thank you Coopers.

Gymboree Music and Play visit!

2011-03-19T07:14:00.000-07:00

We were lucky enough to have Gymboree come out for a special visit and the kids LOVED it. They have weekend classes available if you are interested. They had so much fun dancing and singing. Check out some of my favorite pics from the visit! Thanks Gymboree!

National Nutrition Month

2011-03-19T07:12:00.000-07:00

March is National Nutrition Month and to help us celebrate Dr. Chris Lane came out to talk to the kids about healthy choices, diet (healthy foods!) and exercise. It was a great visit and Dr. Lane also sent gift bags home with all the kids full of coupons and goodies. Thank you Dr. Lane!

There's nothing like an Academy kid!

2011-02-21T17:57:00.000-08:00

Check out these faces!

President's Day!

2011-02-21T17:54:00.000-08:00

Our Pre-K Three celebrated President's Day today by making their own interpretation of George Washington's Cherry Tree. It was a great project and the kids loved making them. And our Preschool Two class learned about past Presidents as well as out current one.

Curriculum favorites

2011-02-21T17:50:00.000-08:00

Our classes work very hard everyday doing activities with our High Reach curriculum. What we love about this curriculum is that it's a hands on curriculum so the children are learning with their hands and this style of learning is proven to be so successful in young children's development. Here are a few projects from this month's themes. We hope you enjoy them!

Yoga Day!

2011-02-21T17:45:00.000-08:00

The kids love getting in the Enrichment room for some activity and yoga is one of their favorites! Here are some great shots of the kids working on their poses!

Black History Month activities.

2011-02-21T17:41:00.000-08:00

In celebration of Black History month the children got involved in several different projects to help them understand some of the significant people and moments that have made an impact in our lives today. Here are a few of our favorites.

Valentine's Day party time!

2011-02-14T19:46:00.000-08:00

Our Academy kids love a party and this years Valentine's Day party proved to put smiles on faces and sweets in tummies! All the classes enjoyed swapping cards, decorating cupcakes and enjoying some party foods.

Drum roll please...

2011-02-14T19:38:00.000-08:00

After 5 intense weeks of a successful Fitness Fanatics program we have a winner. CONGRATULATIONS to the Kaye family for their hard work and dedication to family fitness! Way to go! You will receive a FREE weeks tuition next week!
This was such a fun program to watch. Our Academy families are so competitive and it showed in all of those logged hours of family fitness! Congratulations to the Guy family for a 2nd place finish and the Lane family for a strong 3rd place finish.
Thank you and congratulations to ALL of our participating families! And remember just because our program is complete doesn't mean you should stop participating in family fitness. It promotes a healthy lifestyle to our children and leads to long, healthy lives for us all.

Happy Valentine's Day Academy families!

2011-02-14T19:29:00.001-08:00

Check out these skills...

2011-02-14T19:28:00.000-08:00

A great motor skill to work on is the balance beam and the kids of Pre-K Two love this activity. We caught a couple in the act.

Academy kids doing what Academy kids do!

2011-02-14T19:24:00.000-08:00

Here are a couple of shots of our Academy kids doing their favorite activities. Enjoy!

Oh, Mr. Groundhog please don't see your shadow!

2011-02-14T19:22:00.000-08:00

Pre-K Two heads out to the Enrichment room to watch our local groundhog in action. If the old folklore hold true then spring is on it's way! Fingers crossed.

Fitness Fanatics continued...

2011-01-30T17:05:00.000-08:00

With a great workout from KidFit instructor, and our own Academy mom, Katie Kowalski. Just when we thought that we were all going to suffer from cabin fever Katie came to the rescue. She spent almost 30 minutes with each age group on Friday getting them up and moving, dancing and singing. The kids and teachers LOVED it. It is something we will definitely be doing again. Thanks Katie!

First annual diaper drive!

2011-01-30T17:01:00.000-08:00

Did you know that 1 in 20 moms struggling to buy diapers will re-use wet disposable diapers?
This year The Academy got involved with a diaper drive for moms of Bridges Domestic Violence Center. It was a great success thanks to all of the wonderful parents of The Academy. Thank you to all that donated.
What may be a small thing to us is so important to others. Thank you for getting involved. Just another reason why The Academy is the BEST!

Ms. Sadie retires.

2011-01-30T16:52:00.000-08:00

After 3 years of hard work, dedication and lots of love Ms. Sadie calls it quits. We are sad to lose her, but wish her a wonderful retirement and thank her for her loyalty and love for all the babies that passed through Infant Three. You will be missed, Ms. Sadie!

Fingerpainting

2011-01-20T18:52:00.000-08:00

He is wearing a smock.

The table where he sits

The paper on the table is shiny and wet.

The paint in the porcelain cup

Is wet and bright and cool.

He is timid at first.

A single finger touches paint,

Draws back  quickly, waits awhile.

At last he takes a dab.

And after that he smears.

A forest scene

Is spread in green

Across the slippery page.

There are trees with mighty trunks

And greenish rivers feed

Their lovely twisted roots.

Rich Accetta-Evans

Preschool Two weighs in.

2011-01-20T18:38:00.000-08:00

Our two year olds took turns weighing themselves today and they all got a kick out of this. Little ones love to get on and off the scale watching those numbers pop up.

Preschool Three painting with tools.

2011-01-20T18:28:00.000-08:00

Preschool Three did a great job embracing the High Reach curriculum theme, using tools, today by painting with hammers. As you can imagine the kids loved every minute of this.

Pre-K loves yellow.

2011-01-20T18:17:00.000-08:00

Yellow is a lemon,Yellow is a star,Yellow is the sun, In the sky so far.

High Reach Curriculum theme - Using Tools - fixing and fastening.

2011-01-20T18:01:00.000-08:00

This week our Pre-K Two class has worked very hard on their cutting skills and have improved so much over the past 6 months. Check out a few pictures they are working on for this weeks curriculum.