The International Preschools’ annual Spring Benefit will take place on Friday, April 24, 2020 at the Yale Club here in midtown Manhattan. Our Parents’ Association has already begun working on this exciting event.
Whether you’ve attended several benefits or never been to one, here’s a few reasons why you should join us this year…
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 beyond lucky to procure a faculty and staff full of talent, dedication, and warmth. Each year, our teachers, administration, and staff members are recognized at the Annual Spring Benefit, which falls this year on Friday, April 24, 2020 (details to follow!).
There is a special recognition given to the members of the IPS family who are celebrating a milestone year, be it five years, ten years, fifteen years, twenty years, or beyond. These honorees (and their longevity with the school) demonstrate such a noteworthy commitment to The International Preschools, which is much appreciated by the school community as a whole. The milestone recipients are also acknowledged at a special luncheon given in their honor in the coming months.
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.
The students, faculty, and administration at The International Preschools recognizes and celebrates holidays from all over the world throughout our play-based curriculum. Thanksgiving is especially festive here in New York City, as both an American holiday as well as providing a cherished tradition: the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade. On the Upper West Side near our 76th Street location, the giant parade balloons are inflated just blocks from our school. At both of our schools, children in all IPS classes explored Thanksgiving in an age-appropriate manner. Continue reading to learn about and view examples of the Thanksgiving curriculum in action!
A primary curriculum focus of The International Preschools is to celebrate the cultural diversity in our families and in our world. In October, our Green (3s), Pre-K (4s), and Junior K (4s/5s) classrooms begin with studies of families (i.e. how many people are in our families, how many brothers/sisters we have) and ourselves (i.e. eye color, hair color, skin color). Classes incorporate the study and awareness of the flags that each family identifies with as well. Our school-wide United Nations Day celebration officially kicks off the IPS international unit, known as Culture Shares. The international curriculum runs simultaneously with, not in place of, units on fall, winter, transportation, farms, spring, and the like.
Read on to see how IPS fuses the international study into our play-based learning experience!
At The International Preschools, students, teachers, and their families celebrate holidays from around the world. As part of our ongoing international unit, families are invited to visit the IPS classrooms and teach the children about traditions, holidays, and other celebrations that are important to their culture. Recently, IPS commemorated Diwali, the Hindu Festival of Lights, at both of our locations.
The fall season at The International Preschools is filled with many different events, from Curriculum Night to United Nations Day to Thanksgiving, not to mention Parent/Teacher Conferences, Diwali, Thanksgiving…the list goes on! Of course, the year would not be complete without celebrating a holiday that the children (and teachers) look forward to all year…Halloween!
Here at IPS, our 76th Street and 86th Street locations commemorated Halloween in a variety of ways. Keep reading to learn about our Halloween curriculum and view photos from Halloween 2019!
