We Love You!

Academy families,

You matter, and we miss you.

There are a million different reasons as to why being a preschool teacher is one of the most rewarding jobs to exist, like the fact that we get to build these incredible, personal relationships with so many different families and children, but one of the biggest reasons is the impact that these little's have on our lives. The lessons they teach us without even knowing, the smiles, laughter, and many hugs we give out and receive. Anything that is going on in the outside world disappears as soon as you see the faces of those children that you love so much. Parents are always telling us that it is us who make the impact, but we know that it is their children who make our job less of a "job" and much more of an honor. Knowing that each of us is making a difference.... makes a difference. While we are experiencing some very difficult, confusing, and quite frankly flat-out sad times in our world right now, we hold steadfast the truth: "this too shall pass." Since our school opened four years ago, we have witnessed and taken part in so many incredible experiences. We have the most outstanding, loving, and caring teachers and the greatest families in the world! In four years we have filled these walls up with SO much beautiful noise. We are ready for these halls to be filled with all of those familiar faces running to give us our daily hugs and for us to squeeze them right back. We are grateful to work with the most innocent little humans who can turn everything around by simply giving you a hug! :) We want to thank all of you from the bottoms of our hearts for going on this journey with us, no matter when it was, or for how long. We would not be Forrest Crossing without each and every one of you. Below are some pictures of Friday, March 27th, which was sunniest, warmest, most magical day! We hope everyone is staying safe, healthy, and happy during this time! We love you all! :)

Love,

Your teacher, friend, and family. 

 These little friends!

 Oh man. The sweetest smile.

 Making "coffee!"

 Fun water play day!

 Who doesn't love a good hug :)

 Made you smile, didn't it?

 JOY.

 Sunshine!

 Happy happy happy

 The trees :)

 Bust a move buddy!

 The best dance party ever

 That smile. 

Rhythm & Sound Drum Show

Wow what a crazy and wild ride these past few weeks have been! We have been preparing for our big annual STARS evaluation so everyone has been so busy decorating and pulling out brand new toys! We have also been battling so any rainy days, which has been forcing us to use our imaginations, and whip out all of those indoor gross motor ideas! Lots of kiddos have been dancing to our new CD's consisting of brand new kids bop songs, some fun multicultural songs, classical, and more! Ive been hearing kiddos learning some Spanish in these songs as well! Teachers have been pulling out all of their musical instruments and kiddos have been hittin' the drums like crazy! Which was so perfect because on Friday, we had a very special guest come to visit us.... Mr. Klifford! Klifford is a professional drummer, and he came to show all of our littles all types of different drum types, and how they work, and different types of sounds and vibrations that come from them! The sounds coming from the enrichment room were sounds of pure joy and excitement. Music is so important to the social and emotional development for the preschool ages.  It ignites all areas of child development, including social and emotional, motor, language, and overall literacy. Children learn how to memorize important subjects through sound and movement. We were super grateful and lucky to have been able to learn from Mr. Klifford! Please just enjoy these pictures that speak volumes of how much fun our sweet littles had! 

 Our Preschool One class!

 Drumming Away!

 Teaching our littles all about drums!

 Our littles drummin!

 So cool!

 The sweetest girls!

 Everyone together!

 Loving the drums!

The sweetest little just showing off her skills!

For more info on AOFC and the programs we offer, please click HERE

For ideas on fun music activities you can do with your kiddos at home, please click HERE and HERE

Spotlight Educator- Ms. Jocelyn

Hello Academy Families,

We are thrilled to announce this quarters Spotlight Educator Award! Each quarter, a special Educator will be selected to represent our program that has displayed a consistent level of excellence.

In order for one of our Educators to receive this honor, they must be employed with us for at least one year, have consistent positive feedback from our families and exemplary parent/child relationships, they are always willing to go above and beyond to help their fellow Educators, and are a promoter of positive staff morale.

This quarter we are honoring, Ms. Jocelyn, our Toddler 3 Lead Educator! Ms. Jocelyn is an inspiration to me because she is creative, warm-hearted, fun, patient, and teaches with love . Any family that has had Ms. Jocelyn as their child's Educator would agree that those qualities are embedded throughout her classroom. I admire her because she is not easily overwhelmed and takes a genuine interest in each child's progress within her classroom. I often use Ms. Jocelyn's classroom as an example when training new Educators, as she is one of the best :)

Our program is lucky to have her as a part of our family:) We are so proud of you, Ms. Jocelyn! You deserve all of the recognition for all of your hard work and dedication!

Spotlight Educator Benefits:

- $100 Cash

-$50 Gift Card to the Educator's Favorite Lunch Spot

- $100 to spend on classroom supplies

-Social Media Recognition & Email Announcement- Our School Blog & Instagram

-Over-sized Appreciation Display near the Front Desk

- Working Lunch w/ Ms. Erica at a Restaurant of Choice

- Job Swap w/ Anyone in the Building for the day (7am-2pm)

- Additional Paid Day Off

-Jean Week (winner's choice)

-4 hours of planning

-Special Parking Spot- "Spotlight Educator" space is marked with a sign in the parking lot

Congrats Ms. Jocelyn!

Our next Spotlight Educator will be announced on Monday, June 1st! Until, then we appreciate your feedback about any individual Educator whom you feel is deserving:) We will use this feedback when making the decision for our next Spotlight Educator.

-Erica :) 

We love you very much Ms. Jocelyn!