December 2024 Newsletter

4CCN NEWS

DECEMBER 2024

2025 – 2026 REGISTRATION

Enrollment for current families opens on January 6.

Registration is right around the corner. Current families are offered the chance to enroll early and secure their spot. To enroll, simply visit our website www.4ccn.org and click the Enroll now tab. If you prefer to do a paper registration, just stop by the office and we will give you the paper registration forms. All registration is on a first come, first served basis.

Important Dates

12/23 – 1/1: Winter Break

1/6: In-house registration begins

1/20: No school, Martin Luther King Jr. Day

1/27: Alumni registration begins

1/29: No school, MCPS off

2/3: New family registration begins

4CCN TOURS FOR PROSPECTIVE FAMILIES

We are currently scheduling appointments for tours. Please help spread the word to your friends about 4CCN. Word of mouth is our best advertising. Please post information on your community listservs, parent groups, and social media. Registration for new families begins Monday, February 3, 2025.

WINTER BREAK

The school and office will close at the end of the school day on Friday, December 20th and will reopen on Thursday, January 2, 2025. Whether you are staying close to home or traveling, have a safe and wonderful holiday!

STAY AND PLAY

Our second Stay and Play period runs from December – February.

We still have openings available. Children enjoy playing with friends from different classes and participating in a variety of activities. Children get the opportunity to spend time with teachers from other classes as well. We will continue to use the playground during Stay and Play if the weather cooperates. If you are interested in enrolling in Stay and Play, please stop by the office.

PARKING LOT REMINDERS

Parking lots can be dangerous. We want to keep everyone safe. Please remember to drive slowly through the school parking lot. Please always hold your child’s hand when walking through the parking lot. Please do not leave children in your car unattended. Please do not park in spaces designated for no parking. Thank you!

DECEMBER SNACKS

This month we will enjoy graham crackers, juice, trail mix, and a variety of snacks we’ve previously had as we clean out our cupboard before winter break.

DRESSING FOR COLD WEATHER

We will continue to play outside during the winter months. This is a pleasant experience if your child is dressed appropriately for the weather. Please make sure that your child has a warm coat, pants, appropriate shoes, a hat, and mittens. Please make sure everything is labeled with your child’s name.

CARROT SOUFFLÉ RECIPE

Here is a recipe my family enjoys on most holidays. It is easy to make and delicious.

Ingredients

1 lb carrots boiled until soft (I use a bag of baby carrots)

½ cup sugar

3 eggs

3 Tablespoons flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 stick butter, melted

Combine all ingredients in blender. Blend until smooth. Pour into greased (8 x 8) baking dish

November 2024 Newsletter

4CCN NEWS NOVEMBER 2024

4CCN TOURS & REGISTRATION

We are very excited to be adding a 5-day 2’s class

In late November/early December, 4CCN will begin scheduling tours for the 2024 – 2025 school year.

• Registration for in-house families will begin on January 6, 2025

• Registration for alumni families will begin on January 27, 2025

• Registration for the community will begin on February 3, 2025

Word of mouth is our best form of advertising. Please help spread the word about 4CCN to your friends and family!

Upcoming Days Off

NOV 4 & NOV 5:

No school

NOV 27 — 29:

Thanksgiving break

DEC 23 — JAN 1:

Winter break

NOVEMBER SNACK

This month we will be enjoying animal crackers and juice, crackers and peanut butter or cheese, cheerios and yogurt, and graham crackers and juice. Please notify the office and teachers if your child cannot have one of the snacks so we can provide an alternative snack.

THANKSGIVING

We will be closed Wednesday, November 27 through Friday, November 29 for the Thanksgiving holiday. We hope that everyone enjoys this time with their loved ones. Travel safely if you are headed out of town. We will reopen on Monday, December 2.

DRESSING FOR COLD WEATHER

As the cold weather approaches in November, please remember to dress your child for outdoor play. We will continue to go outside to play in the winter months. Please send your children to school with hats, mittens, warm coats, etc. Please make sure everything is labeled with your child’s name. It is also important that your child wears appropriate shoes to school. Please send your children to school with sturdy, close-toed shoes. Also, remember to change out the spare clothes in your child’s cubby at school so they are seasonally appropriate.

FALL CONSIGNMENT SALE

The fall consignment sale was a huge success! We are so grateful to all our families who volunteered and participated in the sale. We cannot do this without all of you. We appreciate your hard work and dedication. A huge shout out to Brittany Hammond, our consignment chair, who took this sale on solo. Without Brittany, we could not have had this sale. Brittany will be moving at the end of this year, so we really need families to take the leap of faith and help take over this task. We would like to bring on a cochair for the spring so Brittany can teach them the ropes. Please let Jodi know if you are interested. Our spring sale is March 17 – 21.

ALL IN A WORD

By Aileen Fisher

T for time to be together, turkey, talk, and tangy weather.

H for harvest stored away, home, and hearth, and holiday.

A for autumn’s frosty art, and abundance in the heart.

N for neighbors, and November, nice things, new things to remember.

K for kitchen, kettles’ croon, kith and kin expected soon.

S for sizzles, sights, and sounds, and something special that abounds.

That spells ~~~THANKS~~~

for joy in living and a jolly good Thanksgiving.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

October 2024 Newsletter

4CCN NEWS

OCTOBER 2024

Happy October! I am happy to say that all of our children have settled beautifully into school. Sounds of joyful learning fill our hallways daily. We are so grateful to be a part of your childrens’ lives. Thank you for trusting us during these formative years.

Our Open House/BBQ will be October 4th. The weather forecast looks perfect, so we anticipate the event will happen. The sign up Genius remains the same. If you are unable to commit to what you originally signed up for, please make a change so that someone else can fill your slot.

Thank you!

Days to Note

10/3: NO SCHOOL

10/18: NO SCHOOL

10/21 to 10/25: CONSIGNMENT SALE

OCTOBER SNACKS

The snack calendar is posted on the bulletin board outside of the office. Snacks this month include: Goldfish and juice, Pretzels and Peanut Butter (Juice for peanut free classes), Saltines and cheese slices, and Cookies and apple sauce. Please let the office and your child’s teacher know if you do not want them to consume one of these snacks. Thank you!

Please check out our calendar on the 4CCN website. This is a quick and easy reference to school closings and activities.

HALLOWEEN CELEBRATIONS

Please check your classroom newsletter/emails for more information about your child’s classroom activities.

FALL CONSIGNMENT SALE

This year’s fall sale will be held the week of October 21st.

DENTAL HEALTH MONTH: October is National Dental Hygiene Month. This month is dedicated to promoting healthy mouths and celebrating the hard work of your dental hygienist. If your child has never been to a pediatric dentist, now is the time to make an appointment.

Please mark your calendars with the following important dates for consignors, shoppers, and parent volunteers:

CONSIGNOR DROP OFF TIMES:

• MONDAY, OCTOBER 21

9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

• TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

9:30 AM - 12:30 PM

SALE DATES:

• TUESDAY, OCTOBER 22

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

• WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 23

9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

• THURSDAY, OCTOBER 24

9:30 AM - 1:00 PM

7:00 PM - 9:00 PM

Thursday is half price day!

The fall consignment sale is right around the corner. We will have a huge selection of season specific children’s clothing (NB - 14), plus toys, books, games, baby gear, costumes, maternity clothes, and more!

In addition to shopping the sale, you are also encouraged to consign at the sale. This is a great opportunity to clean out your closets and support the school at the same time! If you are interested in consigning, you will need a consignor code. Codes are $5 each. Please come to the office to pay for your code and pick up tags, an information packet, and a pricing guide. If you have any items you’d like to donate to the sale and give the school 100% of the proceeds (instead of a 50/50 split for the consignor and the school), you can pick up tags in the office and label them with code A1.

As you know, an event of this size can only be successful with the help of many hands. Please help us make the most of this sale, our only fundraising event at 4CCN, by signing up for and completing your required volunteer shifts. If you have not received an email with a link to the sign-up, please contact our chairwoman, Brittany Hammond via email at consign4ccn@gmail.com

The sale is located on the lower level of Luther Rice Memorial Baptist Church in the Social Hall. Both consigning and purchasing are open to the community, so please share this information with your friends and family!

EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

PLANS FOR 4CCN

4 Corners Community Nursery’s philosophy is to always keep your child{ren} safe when he/she is in our care.

We have developed an emergency plan that will be put into place if special circumstances require a different type of care. Plans for these special types of care are reviewed annually. The 4CCN staff is trained in the appropriate response and local emergency management is aware of these plans. The specific type of emergency will guide where and what special care will be provided.

SHELTER AT THE SITE: This plan would be put into place in the event of weather emergency or unsafe outside conditions or threats. In this plan, children will be cared for indoors with secured and locked doors. Parents will be notified if they need to pick up their child before regular time.

EVACUATION TO ANOTHER SITE: This plan would be put into place in the event that is not safe for the children to remain at 4CCN. In this situation, staff has predetermined alternate sites for care. The choice of the site is determined by the specific emergency and what would be an appropriate site.

METHOD TO CONTACT PARENTS: In the event of an emergency, parent will be called, a note will be placed on the door, and radio/TV stations will be alerted to provide more specific information. You can also check for information on our website www.4ccn.org. Depending on the distance from the center, the children will walk if feasible or be transported to the alternate site.

EMERGENCY ENDS/REUNITING WITH CHILDREN: When the emergency ends, parents will be informed and reunited with their children as soon as possible. The contact methods listed above will be used to inform parents.

The purpose for sharing this information with you is not to cause worry, but to reassure you that we are prepared to handle all types of emergencies in a way that will ensure the safety of your child(ren). In the event of an actual emergency, please do not call 4CCN - it will be important to keep the lines open. If you have questions regarding this information, talk with the director or your child’s teacher

September 2024 Newsletter

4CCN NEWS

SEPTEMBER 2024

DEAR 4CCN FAMILIES,

Welcome to the 2024-2025 school year!

We are so excited to kick off this school year. The teachers have so many wonderful things planned. I am equally excited to take on my new role as director of 4CCN. I am enjoying greeting everyone at the door each morning. Please introduce yourself. I am still learning everyone’s names.

The hallways have been filled with sounds of joy and tears. We are doing everything we can to make this transition for the children as smooth as possible. In just a few short weeks the children will be settled into their new routines.

I’d like to wish all of the families and staff a fantastic 2024-2025 school year!

JODI SIFF, DIRECTOR

Please check out all the staff bios on our website’s staff page.

STAFF

4CCN has been fortunate to consistently retain staff from year to year. We are thrilled that they are part of our 4CCN family.

We have had some changes and movement from last year. Here is a list of who is where in 2024-2025:

This year we welcome back two staff members to 4CCN; Chela Bodden and Pia Chirinos.

We also welcome Bianca Chapman.

2’s MWF: Ashley Campbell & Buffy Stutz

2’s T/Th: Pia Chirinos & Buffy Stutz

3’s: Chela Bodden, Bianca Chapman, & Sara Robb

3’s: Sarah Jacobs, Katie Keach, & Sara Robb

4’s: Allison Nadelhaft & Kate Spigler

4’s: Alana Kravitz & Kathleen Ficco

TUITION/PAYMENT

4CCN has enrolled in a payment option through QuickBooks.

Each month, you will receive an invoice with an option of paying via bank transfer. You many also schedule payments with your bank to arrive by tuition due date or drop off a check. Tuition invoices are sent to emails on file on the 25th of each month (August – April). Payments are due by the 5th of the following month.

A $25.00/week late fee will be assessed for late payments.

STAY AND PLAY

We are so excited for our new Stay and Play program. The children enrolled are having a wonderful time playing with friends after school. Please remember that the playground must be cleared by 2 PM for our Stay and Play children. If you are interested in learning more about Stay and Play please drop into the office or email Jodi.

SEPTEMBER SNACK

In the month of September, we will serve graham crackers and apple juice for the entire month. In October we will rotate snacks each week. Snack menus will be posted in the newsletter each month. If your son/daughter has an allergy, please make sure it is noted in your child’s health inventory and on their emergency form. You can also send Jodi an email.

PARKING

We are fortunate to have a very large parking lot. You can enter the lot from two locations, one from University Blvd and a rear entrance from Eastwood Ave. There are other tenants who use the building and parking lot. Hold your children’s hands when walking through the parking lot. Never leave children unattended in your car while you drop off siblings. For the safety of all families and children, the first 4 parking spaces by the front door will be blocked. This includes parking in front of the playground. Cars backing up while families are entering and exiting is too dangerous. Please do not park on the outside of the yellow lines. We have many families entering and exiting, and blocking the traffic flow makes for a very dangerous parking lot.

The playground must be cleared by 2 PM for our Stay and Play children.

4CCN Substitutes

We are always looking for substitutes to fill in when a staff member needs a day off. If you are interested in substituting, please contact Jodi Siff for more information: 4ccndirector@gmail.com.

Scholastic Volunteer Needed

We are still looking for a volunteer to handle our Scholastic Book orders. This is a great way to help at 4CCN and help build our classroom libraries. Please email Jodi if you are interested in taking on this position. Last years chair will show you how the job works.

Email Communications

Some communication regarding upcoming events, emergency closings and general 4CCN happenings is made via email. If you have not been receiving emails regarding Open House and the start of school or you would like to be added to the list, please send me an email at 4ccndirector@gmail.com.

May 2024 Newsletter

May Dates:

Tuesday, May 14 – No School, Primary Election Day

Tuesday & Wednesday May 28 & 29 Last Day in Class Instruction

Friday, May 30 – Last Day of School, All School Picnic

The Last Day of School

The last day of the school year for in-person learning for the Tuesday/Thursday classes is Thursday, May 28th and for the MWF & 5-day classes, Wednesday, May 29th.  Our end of the year picnic is Thursday, May 30th at MLK park.

May Snacks

We will enjoy the following snacks this month; Graham crackers and juice, cookies and crackers and cleaning out the cupboard of snacks.  😊

Looking forward to September 2023

Returning families here are some dates for your calendar:

August 29th & August 31st – Get Acquainted Open House 9:15-10:15

September 2nd - Labor Day, No School

September 3rd – First Day of School

Openings Available

We still have openings available in our 3s & 4s programs. Please let your friends know about 4CCN.  Please have them give us a call 301-681-9520 or send an email 4ccndirector@gmail.com.  You are our #1 advertiser, help spread the word about our great program.

4CCN Licensing Inspection

On Friday, April 19th 4 Corners Community Nursery has its annual inspection from the Office of Child Care. These inspections are annual and mandatory for all child care centers.  The good news is 4CCN had no non-compliances, meaning there were no corrective measures needed and we have a clean report. However, we do have to make one correction. Unfortunately, the licensing specialist found a very large hole on the playground which needs to be filled in. When playing on the playground, please make sure your children are not making this hole larger or creating new holes. Thank you.

AP Testing

High School students from the area will be taking their AP Exams during the weeks of May 6-17. Testing will take place in the Social Hall.  You may notice more teens around the building during those two weeks. There will be no contact between the high school students and 4CCN.

End of the Year Celebrations

Thursday, May 30th is our last day of school for the 2023-2024 school year.  It is a 4CCN tradition to have an end-of-year picnic at a local park.  All classes and staff will come together from 10-12:30 to celebrate the end of the school year and the beginning of summer. More information will follow in the next few weeks.

4CCN does not have any kind of promotion or graduation ceremony for our 4-year-old children. Children respond differently to situations. Where some children are very comfortable with a celebration like this, it makes others very anxious. We want the end of the year to be a positive one for all children. Please celebrate this mile stone as a family that suits your child/family best.

Kindergarten Orientation

Is your child heading off to kindergarten in the fall? If you plan on sending your son/daughter to public schools, please call your designated school for registration information and orientation schedule.

A BIG Thank You!

So many of you helped us throughout the year. Thank you for being part of this community of families.

😊 Thanks to the parents and teachers who served on the Board of Directors.

😊Emily Love, our Scholastic Books coordinator.

😊 Taryn Queen who has formatted the monthly newsletter for me.

😊 Thank you to the substitutes who filled in many times at the last minute for staff needing a day or two off.

😊 Thanks to a great staff who work so hard throughout the school year.

😊 Thank you for sharing your children with us. They give us so much joy and laughter.

😊 Thank you for being a part of this great community! Could not have done all with without your support.

A note of Good-bye:

This is my last newsletter and I want to take a moment to thank all of you for an amazing 19 years as director. I have always felt so fortunate to have such a supportive community of people. The staff over the years has been some of the most hard-working people I have ever worked with. Their spirit to provide the children a safe, fun and loving environment is a testament to their love for teaching.  The families who bring/have brought their children to 4CCN over the years have always been there, even when times were tough. Working at 4CCN has been a perfect life/work balance.  I have loved my time here and will miss 4CCN, but it is time to let go.

Ellen Goodman wrote, There's a trick to the Graceful Exit. It begins with the vision to recognize when a job, a life stage, a relationship is over — and to let go. It means leaving what is over without denying its validity or its past importance in our lives.

It involves a sense of future, a belief that every exit line is an entry, that we are moving on rather than out.

The trick of retiring well may be the trick of living well, it’s hard to recognize that life isn't a holding action, but a process. It is hard to learn that we do not leave the best parts of ourselves behind, back in the dugout or the office/school.  We own what we learned back there. The experiences and the growth are grafted onto our lives. And when we exit, we can take ourselves along — quite gracefully.

I am so blessed to have these years at 4CCN. It began when my youngest son was in the 3-year-old program. He is now 31 and expecting a baby in July. I am really looking forward to what life will bring me. I wish all of you continued success. Thank you so much for allowing me to be a part of a great community.

With gratitude and love,

Susie Ostermeyer