Black Bears Newsletter: August 2023



Dear Black Bear Parents!
Welcome to the new school year! This new school year begins on Monday, August 14th and I am so excited to meet your children, if I have not already, and I am honored to be their teacher! 
I would like to first start with introducing myself:My name is Ms. Lissy (short for Larissa) and I am 31 years old. My background includes teaching yoga, youth sports and working at child-care centers as an infant, toddler and Pre-K teacher. I am proud to say I graduated from Colorado State University in May 2003 earning a B.S in Human Development and Family Studies. Doing my best every single day to foster positive child development, including cognitive, physical, social and emotional development is my passion.  Since I have a heavy background in yoga and many of my studies focused on the importance of social-emotional development, I especially focus on that aspect of development as this is such an important stage of development to encourage positive interactions and relationships as well as, coping skills and conflict resolution skills. 
This first month of the school year we will be focusing on establishing routines, getting the children familiar with the classroom, activities and toys as well as, forming positive relationships and interactions with their peers and teacher. At Sunset Academy we follow the creative curriculum through Teaching Strategies Gold. Going forward, we will incorporate language arts, math, science, social studies and socio emotional development lessons into our daily schedule. Each day we will start with Big Circle Time no later than 9:00am each morning. Therefore, if possible please try to arrive no later than 9:00 am as,big circle time sets the foundation for our day. 
A great way to follow your child’s daily schedule and progress will be to download the Procare app to receive messages from myself and the school about important notifications including lesson plans. Feel free to reach out to me through the app or in person at drop off or pick up with any questions, comments or concerns! In addition, we are holding Sunset Academy’s Preschool & Pre-K Back-to-School Night on August 11th from 4:00-5:00. This night will be a great opportunity to visit and tour the classroom, introduce myself to you and inform you of our daily schedule and routines. We will also hold a Q&A session where you can ask any questions or seek clarification on any aspect of our Preschool and Pre-K program.
Finally, I am so excited to meet your children, get to know their unique personalities and interests. This is such an exciting milestone for your children and I cannot wait to be their teacher.
Very Respectfully,
Ms. Lissy