Alexis and Avery continued: June 2013

Report card time!

Here are a few areas where Alexis has "fully met the milestone."

Cognitive milestones
-Responds to and follows two part directions
-Can identify shapes and at least 6 colors
-Participates in computer activities
-Has a sense of space (over, under, here, there)
Comments: "Alexis is able to name and identify the days of the week in the correct order. She can also put objects in order from biggest to smallest."

Language Milestones
-Has speaking vocabulary of 200 words
-Uses compound sentences
-Asks "what" and "where" questions
-Has developed a fantasy language during dramatic play
Comments: "Alexis can count ten individual objects and up to 14 independently. She also loves listening to many different books and will often "read" stories to her peers."

Self-help Milestones
-Washes and dries hands with help
-Can put on shoes
-Can wipe own nose when reminded
-Takes off and puts on coat with assistance
Comments: "Alexis is completely potty trained! She can also clean up from her meals and pour a cup of juice from a small pitcher."

Physical Milestones
-Jumps in place with both feet
-Kicks ball forward
Comments: "Alexis runs well and sometimes alternates her feet when walking up the stairs. She can also stack towers of both (8) large and (5) small blocks."

Science Milestones
-Can identify and categorize various animals
-Participates in simple science experiments
-Associates simple weather words (rainy, sunny) with actual weather
Comments: "Alexis knows and identifies different items in nature (ie: leaves, tree trunk, animals). She also understands the difference between day and night.

Art/Music Milestones
-Shows interest in and uses art materials independently
-Can explain or describe an artistic creation
-Enjoys using musical instruments, shows preference for favorites
-Can sing and do motions to simple fingerplays
Comments: Alexis is able to hold scissors correctly and skillfully cuts paper with them. She also uses a variety of drawing utensils and will make circular marks."

*"Alexis is a sweet and happy little girl, who is so much fun to have in class! Alexis will work on throwing and catching a ball as well as kicking it with force. We will also work with Alexis on being able to complete a multi-piece puzzle. Alexis will continue to work on understanding the concepts of "tomorrow"" and "yesterday" with our various calendar activities. It will be wonderful to watch her continued growth and progress in Get Set!"

Here are a few areas where Avery has "fully met the milestone."

Language Milestones
-Responds to human voices. Gazes at faces
-Squeals with joy or pleasure and laughs aloud
-Vocalizes pleasure and displeasures
-Uses vocal and non-vocal communication to express needs
Comments: "Avery has been saying more words, like "mama" and "dada", and she is babbling more. Avery does a great job looking at the adult when they call her name."

Social/Emotional Milestones
-Quiets to holding, voice or face
-Prefers moving about to more confined situations
-Shouts for attention
-Seeks out adults for play
Comments: "Avery is a very social child. Now that she is moving more, she crawls from friend to friend. She reaches up her hands when she wants to be picked up."

Art/Music Milestones
-Enjoys participating in simple art activities
-Enjoys being sung to
-Can shake a rattle or musical instrument
-Can bang objects
Comments: "Avery enjoys painting with different types of art materials. She is playing the piano as the teacher sings or when she hears music."

Perceptual Milestones
-Shows preference for bright colors, patterns and faces
-Responds to different textures
-Looks for dropped or hidden objects
-Follows moving objects with eyes
Comments: "Avery makes noises after she sees other children or teachers making that noise. She responds at the end by smiling. She loves to look at the colors in all the stories we read."

Self-help Milestones
-Can finger feed herself
-Can pull off hat, mittens, shoes
Comments: "Avery is doing a great job chewing when she feeds herself. Avery is exploring the spoon as she is fed with a spoon."

Physical Milestones
-Observes own hands. Opens and shuts them
-Grasps, releases, re-grasps, and releases object again
-Looks for dropped or hidden toy
-Uses pincer grasp to pick-up food or objects
Comments: "Avery is doing a great job pulling herself up along the walls and walking."

*Avery is doing a wonderful job in the Infant room. She is comfortable with all her new friends and teachers. We will work with Avery to say more words, as well as sign more words like "more", "hi" and "bottle". We will encourage Avery to move around in the pit when other friends are in there with her. We will work with Avery to explore a sippy cup more. Avery is a pleasure to have in class and she brightens up the room with her smile everyday. We look forward to watch her grow in class."

Lastly, in case I didn't already tell you, Alexis will be starting Pre-School in September! We are very proud of her!

Avery will be moving up in to the First Steps class, in July! (The First Steps class is the first class Alexis started in when we first enrolled her in the Malvern School.) We are also so very proud of her growth and readiness to move up!

This Father's Day, just doesn't seem right. Seven months after my dad's passing and it still hurts as if it was yesterday.

So to my Dad, I continue to miss you and will love you forever.

I saw this poem on face book a little while ago, and I read it every day. Hopefully it touches you the way it has me.

Dear Dad,
I thought of you today, but
that is nothing new. I thought
about you yesterday, and days
before that too. I think of you
in silence, I often speak your
name. All I have are memories
and a picture in a frame.
Your memory is a keepsake,
from which I'll never part.

God has you in His arms, I have
you in my heart.