HOWDY FAMILIES AND FRIENDS!
This is a favorite time of year where the weather cools off a little, the leaves slowly begin to change, and we begin to feel renewed. The children have developed attachment bonds and strong relationships with their teachers allowing them to explore more freely. It is exciting to witness the process of children becoming more independent as they build confidence, explore new ideas, and challenge themselves.
Renovations are underway and seem to be going smoothly. The Hullabaloo and Whoop classrooms will return to their newly renovated classroom soon. The children have enjoyed tracking the progress by looking through the low window to the Whoop classroom.
Fall is a busy time of year at the Center. Be sure to check our fall calendar for upcoming events and closures. Read more below about exciting things to come.
FAMILY ADVISORY BOARD (FAB)
The first meeting of the Family Advisory Board (FAB) was September 16, 2024. The leaders of the 2024-2025 FAB are Cody Weiss-Chairperson and Alyssa Brigham, Chair Elect. We want to thank you for volunteering to serve on this committee. The members present reviewed membership guidelines, discussed the results of the Family Satisfaction survey from 2023-2024 and began formulating continuous improvement goals for the 2024-2025 school year. If you would like to serve on the Family Advisory Board, stop by the front desk and ask for a FAB form to complete.
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT, October 11 and 14 BGCC will be CLOSED!
Fall professional development days are quickly approaching. The teaching staff from Becky Gates Children’s Center and Charlotte Sharp Children’s Center will come together on Friday, Oct. 11 and Monday, Oct. 14 for professional development. Friday, Oct. 11 the instructional coaches will be leading the teaching staff into deeper learning on the High Scope focusing on each individual component to the daily schedule including Group Time, Read Aloud, Planning and Recall, and Outdoor Time. Monday, Oct. 14 training will be led by The Texas A&M Institute for Early Childhood Development & Education professors including Dr. Watkins – strategies to support communication in young children, Dr. Thompson – supporting children with challenging behaviors, Dr. Gerde – supporting self-regulation and language, Dr. Quinn and Dr. Pikus – mentoring undergraduate students.
When teachers are given time for professional development children’s learning and outcomes improve!
Some exciting news related to professional development. The annual state conference hosted by the Texas Association for the Education of Young Children will begin in Frisco on Thursday, Oct. 11. Seven of the assistant teachers along with Glenn Williams, instructional coach will be attending the conference. We are also pleased to share with you that our very own teacher, Martey Heard, will be presenting at the conference on music and movement. It has been a goal of Martey’s to begin sharing her knowledge and talents outside of our program, so she was very excited when her proposal to present at the conference was accepted. WAY TO GO, Ms. Martey!
OTHER IMPORTANT DATES FOR OCTOBER
Fall Picture Day, Oct. 2-4
Check out the sign at the front desk for the day and time scheduled for your child’s classroom.
Scholastic Book Fair, October 21-25
A mini version of Scholastic Book Fair is coming October 21-25! We wanted to host a book fair, but since the multipurpose building will not be available, we have planned a scaled down version.
Fall Family Fun Night, Oct. 24
Fun activities and games on the playground for the children. More details to come!
Spotlight!
Meet Jazlynn Loucks, the second of our three new assistant teachers that joined the BGCC family!
Howdy! I am Ms. Jazlynn. I am having a blast being an assistant teacher helping Ms. Jana in the Gig Em classroom. I have worked internationally in early childhood education as a youth program assistant in Japan. During my time there, I worked with 3-5 year old children at an air force base child development center. This experience helped me discover my passion for early childhood education and teaching young children. Originally, I lived and moved around Japan, but I have traveled to Italy, Guam and Utah too. I graduated in December 2023 with a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Maryland Global Campus. Shortly after, I fell in love with Aggieland and currently enjoy going to the beach, cooking and listening to music in my free time. I can’t wait to see what the future brings and watch your child(ren) succeed this year.
Jazlynn will be working alongside Ms. Jana in the Gig Em classroom. Ms. Jana is in her second year of being the lead teacher for the Gig Em classroom. Ms. Jana has been with BGCC for four years and worked in the Aggie Ring classroom with Ms. Martey before moving to her current position. Ms. Jana discovered BGCC after hearing great recommendations from close friends and knew she wanted to be a part of the TAMU family. She enjoys being part of a university setting and guiding students who have future careers in early childhood education.
The Gig Em classroom is one of three Toddler 1 classrooms alongside Howdy and Century Tree. The ages range from 13-17 months with some children beginning to say words and phrases. The children are focusing on sensory play such as painting with fun items, ziploc bags full of different things to touch and feel, and treasure baskets with objects to touch and smell. They also get to enjoy choice play where they can build blocks, play in the kitchen or look through books. The teachers are focused on building relationships with the children and encourage them to build their own relationships with other children and adults.
The 12th Man classroom had a blast celebrating International Dot Day. This year is the 15th year of celebrating the book The Dot by Peter H. Reynolds. The children in 12th Man tried their hand at their own dot art. They used circle papers and stickers to create a dot collage that was uniquely their own. They also used the backs of paper plates that are … CIRCLES to create prints. They painted a design on the plate and then carefully stamped it down onto a sheet of paper. They were amazed by the designs they created as they peeled the plate away. Enjoy the pictures of the children hard at work and their final masterpieces.
Mid-Autumn Festival, also known as Moon Festival, is a harvest festival celebrated in the Chinese culture. This is an important holiday for several families in the 12th Man classroom and the children enjoyed learning about the festival and how it is celebrated. The time is used to celebrate family, community and the harvest. It is also related to the story of Hou Yi and Chang’e, a couple who is separated after Chang’e must partake in an elixir that promises eternal life. She rises to the moon where she becomes the Moon Goddess, and her husband is forced to adore her from afar. The students painted paper lanterns red, the color of good fortune and that are used to symbolize beacons that light the path to prosperity and good fortune. They listened to the story of Hou Yi and Chang’e and discussed important parts of the story. Symbols were created to represent the important events in the story. The children each drew their favorite symbol and attached it to their lantern. Some drew suns to represent the 10 suns, some drew Mookcakes which is a rich pastry traditionally eaten during the festival, some drew their family because the festival is a celebration of the family, and some illustrated the entire story.
