A spring curriculum tradition at The International Preschools is to learn about life cycles. Every year, IPS teachers receive caterpillars and/or ladybug larvae and, through observation, watch these tiny animals transform into butterflies and ladybugs respectively. Although COVID-19 has prevented us from maintaining this tradition in person, our crafty teachers were able to still take part in this amazing unit via Zoom (and their homes)!
The International Preschools has entered its third week of remote learning. Upon entering the classrooms, one might feel as if they are actually visiting a “brick and mortar” version of what you’d find at the 76th Street and 86th Street locations. Our faculty has done a spectacular job of transmitting their teaching styles through technological devices while still keeping the student/teacher connections that make IPS so special.
When you enter an IPS remote learning classroom, you might see…
With the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, our play-based learning environment has taken on a new look. After a two-week spring break, The International Preschools reopened on Monday, March 30th…online! Every day, our Red (2s), Green (3s), Pre-K (4s), and Junior K (4s/5s) Rooms are logging into their technical devices and bringing the IPS curriculum into our (currently socially distant) homes.
As a child, one of my favorite events of the school year was our annual book fair. I loved going to the fair with my class, choosing my own books, and taking those treasures home to read and add to my ever-expanding home library, much of which I still have and share with my own children today.
As a teacher (and now administrator), the annual IPS Book Fair is still one of my favorite school year occasions. I had the opportunity to attend the book fairs at both our 76th Street and 86th Street locations this year, and both featured extended shopping hours, large selections of books, helpful volunteers from the IPS parent community, and special guests!
The International Preschools is in the middle of its annual Fathers and Special Friends Read-Aloud. For this event, male relatives and friends of our students are invited into the classrooms to read to the children. This person can be a father, brother, grandfather, cousin, uncle, or special friend.
While the program was originally founded many years ago to identify male figures as reading role models for young boys, it has evolved simply into a wonderful opportunity for cherished caregivers and loved ones to provide a literacy-based activity for our preschoolers.
Throughout the school year, the children at The International Preschools celebrate holidays from around the world. Each child’s family is invited to visit IPS and teach about a special tradition or family that he/she participates in at home. As a result, IPS children acquire a lot of information about world holidays and festivals!
One universal commemoration is the arrival of the new year. IPS students learned that there are several common themes among the new year celebrations around the world: eating certain foods, wearing new or specific types of clothing, and making noise via fireworks and noisemakers to scare away “evil spirits” to ensure a good year. This month, children at both IPS locations became well-versed on how we honor the new year here in our home of New York City, as well as how the Lunar New Year is observed both here and around the world.
Attention families! The International Preschools is offering an extended day program for the 2020-2021 school year. The program would run 8:00am-6:00pm on Mondays-Fridays at our 86th Street location, while the 76th Street location would offer 8:00am-6:00pm on Mondays-Thursdays and 8:00am-4:00pm on Fridays. The extended hours (4:00pm-6:00pm) would add on to our current after school programming.
Additionally, The International Preschools has added a few options to the program offerings for next year. For the Red Room children, IPS is presenting several opportunities for the school day, which include a 9:00am-12:00pm choice and a 9:00am-3:00pm choice. Also, Red Room children can choose to attend school for either two, three, or five days a week at both locations.
The International Preschools is closed for the holidays from Monday, December 23, 2019 through Friday, January 3, 2020. We will reopen on Monday, January 6, 2020. Please enjoy the photo gallery below, consisting of our light/dark theme projects and activities in honor of the Winter Solstice, holiday culture shares in our Green, Pre-K, and Junior K classrooms, as well as photos from the annual Winter Solstice Sing-Alongs and International Potlucks at our 76th Street and 86th Street locations.
Happy holidays from the IPS family to yours! See you in 2020!
IPS is in our last week of school before the two-week holiday vacation, but we are already preparing for the Spring 2020 after school session, which begins upon our return to school on Monday, January 6th. Traditionally, our spring season has a higher turnout, as families are now settled into school and the children have acclimated to the daily routines. It’s also a great way for children to make new friends and reconnect with old friends of all preschool ages.
Have you signed up your child(ren) for one (or more) after school programs yet? Still having trouble deciding what to choose? Here’s a breakdown of what we offer and why it’s the perfect place for your child this spring!
December has arrived, and with that comes holiday preparations, gift giving…and, at The International Preschools, the annual celebration of the Winter Solstice. The Winter Solstice marks the day with the shortest amount of daylight and the longest amount of darkness. Traditionally, the Winter Solstice celebrates the return of the sun, as the days following the solstice contain more minutes, and ultimately hours, of daylight, culminating with the Summer Solstice (the longest amount of daylight in one day of the year) in June.
Curriculum at IPS during December focuses on the concept of light and dark while integrating aspects of the holiday season. Many of the holidays that our families celebrate, from Diwali to Hanukkah to Christmas, cherish light sources such as candles and lanterns; the
se items act as icons of the season. In some cultures, people choose not to use electricity on the Winter Solstice and rather, live by candlelight on this day. Nature is also revered during this season and within the classrooms; traditionally, evergreen trees are decorated because they are seen as the “eternal symbol of life during the dark months of the winter.” They are referred to as Yule Trees or Winter Solstice Trees and are decorated with symbols of light (i.e. sun, moon, star ornaments; candles) as well as pinecones and garlands filled with food for animals during the winter months.
