Emerson students had a special visit today from a service dog in training! Ms. Ellen and her puppy, Reba, taught the kiddos all about how dogs help people with special needs. To learn more about this program, visit Canine Companions for Independence.

Check out pictures below:

Yes, We're Open!

Emerson is open today, Thursday, December 31st, for the regular school day. We will be closed tomorrow, Friday, January 1st, for the holiday.

It's That Time Again...

Parent-Teacher Conferences are scheduled for the last two weeks of January (18th-29th). We encourage parents to sign up on the classroom bulletin board to meet with their child's teacher and discuss their progress, milestones, and goals.

Sign up outside your child's classroom (or ask your child's teacher) for an appointment!

Pictures From the Winter Holiday Program!

Thank you to all who participated and attended the event! It was so much fun, and the kids were so happy to sing!


http://picasaweb.google.com/staceydbell/WinterHolidayProgram#slideshow/5420415100614508578

Snack Menu for January

Welcome Back!

We hope each of you had a fabulous winter break!

Reminder

Emerson will be CLOSED next week, December 21st-25th. We wish everyone Happy Holidays!

Tonight!

Tonight is our Winter Holiday Program! Join us for an evening of holiday music performed by our students!

Parents are asked to bring their child to Grace Presbyterian Church (1705 Gattis School Road) by 6:50pm. The program will begin at 7pm.

If you would like to bring cookies of treats to share, please do so!

We'll see you there!

Staff Changes

Dear Parents,



As the year draws to a close, we have some bittersweet news to share with you. As of December 18th, we will be saying goodbye to Ms. Jacy and Ms. Sabrina.
Jacy will be substitute teaching for the Hutto school district part-time. This will allow her to spend extra time with her kids while working towards her goal of being hired on as a full-time elementary teacher.
Sabrina has decided to stay at home with her son and take a more active role in his education and development. She may also pursue a home-based business opportunity.
We wish them both the best and will miss having them around!
Sarah, Stacey and Mallory are currently in the process of interviewing existing staff for these openings. Emerson is very fortunate to have a talented group of teachers to choose from and we are doing everything we can to make this a smooth transition with as little disruption to the classrooms as possible. We hope to have these decisions made soon and will notify you when the details are worked out. In the meantime, feel free to direct any questions or concerns you may have to one of the directors and we will do our best to address them.

Emerson Academy

Emerson Academy will follow Round Rock ISD's closure plan for bad weather days. If they close or have a late start, Emerson will do the same. You can check the RRISD website for more info. Information will also be posted here.

December Snack Menu

You're Invited!

On Tuesday, December 15th Emerson Academy will be holding a Winter Holiday Program! Each classroom will be performing a song of a winter holiday. We invite you to join us for a fun evening of holiday music!

Date: Tuesday, December 15th
Time: 7pm
Place: Grace Presbyterian Church - 1705 Gattis School Rd.

Your child's teacher may be asking for special decorations/costumes for the event!



For more information, contact Sarah.

Reminder!

Emerson will be CLOSED next Thursday and Friday. We hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

Order Lunches!

Lunch Direct is continuing their promotion! Each week the class with the most orders will earn a free lunch for their teacher! Our teachers will definitely appreciate the free food.



Win your child's teacher a free lunch! Check out the promotion here.

Lunch Direct Promotion!

SPECIAL PROMOTION: WIN YOUR TEACHER A FREE LUNCH!!

KEEP BIG SMILES ON LITTLE FACES and GIVE YOUR TEACHER A REASON TO SMILE AS WELL!

Details: The class who orders the most lunches by the deadline (Thursday) will WIN A FREE LUNCH FOR THEIR TEACHER on the following Monday!


New Customers - signing up for service is easy, just follow these steps:

1. Go to www.lunchdirect.net.
2. Click on "SIGN UP" at the top of the page.
3. Enter your registration key 100000 and press "register".
4. Provide some information about yourself (user name, password, email) and press "register".
5. Register each student to finalize their enrollment - be sure and select their classroom.
6. Click "Order Lunches" to begin the ordering process.



For detailed instructions for Sign Up and Ordering, select the "Registration Help" link to the right to download a detailed User Guide.

Remember: Lunch orders for each new week must be made by Thursday of the previous week.

In order to start delivery next week you will need to place your order today!!



Returning Customers- reordering is a breeze! Just follow these 3 simple steps:

1. Sign-in at www.lunchdirect.net
2. Select the days you wish to have lunches provided
3. Checkout

It only takes a minute to take care of lunches for the rest of the week or the rest of the month!





Sincerely,

Lunch Direct

Halloween Bash Pics

Lunch Direct!

We are reminding parents of the opportunity to have a hot, healthy lunch delivered to their child each day! These well-balanced, nutricious meals are only $3.25 each, and the kids love them! You can look over the menu and try it out for a few days if you would like, with no future obligation.

To sign up your child to receive these lunches, simply go online to http://www.lunchdirect.net/. Use Emerson Academy’s registration key (100000) and your child’s classroom name to enroll. From here, you can select the days your child needs these lunches, what type of meal you would like to order, and pay via credit or debit card.

You are still welcome to pack a lunch for your child if you choose not to order hot lunches.

Congratulations!

Congratulations to the Guppy and Butterfly Classes, who have won 1st and 2nd places (respectively) in our Halloween Room Decorating contest! Next Monday both classes will be having a pizza party at lunchtime to celebrate! Children will not need to bring their lunches, unless parents wish for them to have alternate (or additional) food. Please let your child's teacher know if you do not want them to participate!


Happy Halloween!!

November Snack Menu

Tomorrow!

Tomorrow is our Halloween Bash! Dress up the kids in their Halloween costumes (or they can bring it with them to school) for a fun day!

An Addition to the Family!

Our miniature horse, Mystic, had her baby this morning! We have a new little female foal in need of a name! We welcome suggestions.

We encourage you to visit the baby with your child. The kids will have opportunities to check her out this week!

T-Shirts!

We still have some great t-shirts from our Autism and Buddy Walks to sell! T-shirts are $8 each, and proceeds benfit The Emerson Foundation. If you are interested in purchasing one, talk to Mallory!

We have a limited amount left, so don't miss out!

Halloween Bash!

This Friday is our Halloween Bash from 4-6pm! We invite your child to wear a costume to school for a festive day. We will be practicing safe trick-or-treating, playing a few games, and getting our faces painted.

Happy Halloween!

Bagels for Buddies!

Our Bagels for Buddies event has been postponed until tomorrow morning! We will have bagels and coffee/orange juice for a donation (suggested amount=$5). All proceeds will benefit this year's Team Emerson Buddy Walk team.

Thank you for your support!

Trike-A-Thon Pics

Thank you to all who participated and supported this great event!

Kids' Camp Out '09

Check out the sign-up sheet on the Emerson Academy Bulletin Board!
The Emerson Foundation is hosting its First Annual Kids' Camp Out at Emerson Academy. You can support inclusive childcare and enjoy a much-needed night off (or night out).

Saturday-Sunday November 28-29th 5:00pm-9:00 am, or pick-up @ 11:00 pm on Saturday.

Suggested donation: $45 for the sleep-over or $30 for the evening only. T-shirts are available for $6

Drop the kids off and enjoy a night-on-the-town, put up Christmas lights, do some holiday shopping, or just relax without having to worry about BEDTIME :) The children will: go horseback riding (or pet the horses), eat "camping food" (hamburgers and hot dogs), roast marshmallows for s'mores, sing camp songs, do arts-n-crafts, sleep in sleeping bags, and enjoy breakfast outdoors.

This Thursday!

Bagels for Buddies!!

Join The Emerson Foundation Thursday morning for a bagel and coffee/orange juice to support Team Emerson's Buddy Walk team. It's not too late to join our team: www.dsact.com

Suggested Donation: $5.00 for a bagel and coffee/juice

Whew!

What a busy weekend:

Saturday:
10am-12pm Potty Training for ALL
@ Emerson Academy

Join us for a practical training to teach the fundamentals of effective, quick potty training for children with and without special needs! Taught by certified special education teacher, Erin Cutts.


12-4pm Parent's Day Out
@Emerson Academy

Our monthly fundrasier benefitting The Emerson Foundation.


Sunday:
10:30am Walk Now for Autism Event
@Dell Diamond

Meet us at the playground to walk with Team Emerson! Participants can sign up online at www.walknowforautism.org/austin/emerson.

Tuition Drawing!

Congratulations to the Prabhu family who has won our tuition drawing! They will receive $100 off November's tuition!



Thank you to all who participated by paying October's tuition by the 1st.

This Saturday!

This Saturday is our Potty Training For ALL class for both staff and parents. If you are currently or will soon be working on getting your kiddo potty trained, this training is for you! We invite you to join us on here on October 10th at 10am. To sign up, contact Sarah at sjohnson@emerson-academy.com. Childcare is provided!

Following the training, we will be having our Parent's Day Out from 12-4pm. Proceeds from this month's PDO will benefit Walk Now For Autism and Buddy Walk. Sign up on the bulletin board today!

This Sunday is also the Walk Now for Autism event at the Dell Diamond! Team members have received information about the event via email. If you are a member and did not receive the email, or if you wish to join the team, please contact Mallory at mgrau@emerson-academy.com.
You can also find out more info and donate online at http://www.walknowforautism.org/austin/emerson.



What a busy weekend!

It's Fire Safety Month!

Here are some helpful resources to better prepare you and your family in case of a fire:

http://www.usfaparents.gov/downloads/ad-slick-bw-aa.pdf

http://www.sparky.org/

http://www.firesafety.gov/kids/flash.shtm

Scholastic

Tomorrow is the last day for Scholastic book orders!

October Snack Menu

Wednesday

Scholastic Book Orders are due this Wednesday, September 30th! If you order online, Emerson receives one free book. More information is available in previous posts as well as at the front desk.

Read On!

Keeping Emerson Healthy

Emerson Academy has been working diligently to maintain a safe, healthy environment for our students, their families, and staff.

A few of our staff members, as well as a child in the Butterfly (2 year old) class and a child in the Dolphin (infant) class, have been exposed to Influenza A through direct contact with family members that have Influenza A. Due to confidentiality we cannot disclose which teachers/students have tested positive for Influenza A, so please do not ask the staff. Although it is impossible to prevent the spread of Influenza entirely, we are following all precautions suggested by the Texas Department of Health, which can be found at: www.texasflu.org

In order to lessen the spread of the flu we ask that ALL persons entering Emerson:
• wash hands upon entering (you may use the restroom and/or alcohol-based hand cleanser)
• limit time spent in direct contact with the children as much as possible
• cover coughs/sneezes with a tissue, wash hands after disposing
• STAY HOME if you are symptomatic (fever, cough, sore throat, body aches, abdominal pain, and/or upset stomach)

Protocol for influenza symptoms:
• ALL staff and students of Emerson Academy will be separated from the group and sent home at the first sign of flu symptoms
o Please make sure that we have your most current contact information on file!
• Staff/Students of Emerson Academy must be fever free for at least 24 hours before they can return to school, unless they have a doctor’s note stating that he/she can return to school/work
• Emerson Academy will remain open unless we get to the point where Influenza makes it to where there are too few staff to operate

Parent Training Opportunity

Emerson Academy will be offering a training class for parents about potty training! We encourage all parents of toddlers and preschoolers who are currently working on or will soon be working on potty training to attend! For more information, check out the flyer below or call 512-252-0400. We hope to see you there!

Spanish!

Beginning next week, Emerson will begin offering Spanish Classes to our 2-6 year-olds! Classes will be held on Wednesday mornings from 9:30-11am, taught by Ms. Katie Hall. We are so excited to offer this opportunity to our students!

Tomorrow

Parent's Day Out has been cancelled. We'll try again next week!

Recycling Program

Emerson has begun a new recycling program! Check out our bins near the front desk and RECYCLE!

This Saturday!

is Parent's Day Out!
12pm-5pm.

All proceeds from this month's event will benefit Walk Now For Autism.

Sign up on the bulletin board!

The Emerson Foundation

The Emerson Foundation is pleased to announce that it has been classified as a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization by the Internal Revenue Service! Donations made to The Emerson Foundation will qualify as tax-exempt donations under 170 of the IRS Code.

The Emerson Foundation is also qualified to receive bequests, devises, transfers and gifts under section 2055, 2106 or 2522 of the code.

The EIN for the Emerson Foundation is

26-3693330. Any donations made to The Foundation since October 9, 2008 are tax deductable.

Referral Program!

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Parent-Teacher Conferences being next week! Sign up sheets are available outside your child's classroom.

While the conference is not required, we encourage parents to take this opportunity to meet with their child's teacher, discuss goals and progress, and hear about how they are doing.

Scholastic Books!

Dear Parent,

I have exciting news! You can now place your Scholastic Book Clubs orders online!

Browse all the great monthly Book Club selections at low prices and order online. Plus, our class earns a FREE book every time a parent orders online.

Here’s how it works:

1. Use the information below to access the Scholastic Book Clubs Web site.
2. Browse the titles with your child and place your order with your credit card.
3. Your order will come to me, and your credit card payment will go directly to Scholastic’s secure server. There’s no need to send money to school.
4. After I submit the entire class order to Scholastic, your order will be delivered to our classroom for your child to take home.

To get started, go to the Web address below and enter our class’s personalized user name and password in the sign-in fields on the right side of the page. Note: You do not need to create your own user name and password.


www.scholastic.com/clubsordering
click on "Parent Sign In"

When directed to the next page, enter:

User Name: EmersonAcademy2
Password: EmersonAcademy2


If you have trouble ordering online DON'T WORRY! Just bring in your order form to Mallory by September 30th!

The Emerson Foundation

GOT 501c(3) STATUS!!!

PureWonder Photography

PureWonder Photography and Emerson Academy are teaming up to benefit The Emerson Foundation!

Book a photography session with PureWonder Photography between September 7th and November 7th, and 15% of the proceeds will benefit The Emerson Foundation!

Get all you holiday pictures done! PureWonder Photography also offers fine art prints, gallery wraps, birth announcements, and holiday cards!

Reminder

Emerson Academy will be closed next Monday, September 7th, in observance of Labor Day. We hope you all have a great holiday weekend!

P.E. With Mr. Craig

Today was the first day of our Physical Education enrichment class with Mr. Craig! The kids had a great time learning how to stretch their muscles and work their body!

Potluck Pictures

I've finally gotten them off the camera!

It was a fun event. Thank you to all who came!

Administrative Changes

Dear Emerson Academy Parents,

There have been some changes in our administration that we would like to share with you. Sarah Johnson has decided to step down as Program Director. She will maintain the role of Licensed Administrator and owner. Her focus will be curriculum development, staff training, child advocacy/liaison with community entities, classroom management and behavioral support. Sarah has also reduced the hours that she’s in the office to about 25 per week. She’ll be working from home and in the community. We feel that these changes will allow Sarah to spend more time in the classrooms, overseeing the implementation of the curriculum and ensuring that the teachers are receiving the most support possible.
Mallory Grau has agreed to assume the role of Program Director and will take on a few new duties. She will take over the enrollment schedules, parent conferences, staff appreciation, support, supervision and evaluations and overall day to day program supervision, including evaluation of minimum standards. Mallory is also taking two Graduate Classes this semester, so her schedule will change a bit as well. Mallory continues to update the Emerson Academy Blog, ensure web-site updates, and maintain the monthly event calendar. She’s been wonderful through the transition and her help has been invaluable. There’s no doubt that we could not do this without her!
We continue maintain an “open door” mindset and policy. If there are issues, concerns, problems…don’t hesitate to come in, call or e-mail and tell us what’s on your mind. We welcome feedback and ideas for improving your child’s program.
Lastly, the PAC has some great ideas for staff appreciation. If you’d like to participate or give suggestions, please contact Shannon Oelrich at shannonoelrich@sbcglobal.net.

Walk Now For Autism

This year I am the Team Captain for Emerson at the annual Walk Now for Autism event. This event focuses on raising both money for and awareness of autism in an effort to someday find a ‘cure.’

I am asking for volunteers to join Team Emerson at the event on Sunday, October 11th to walk for autism! If you are interested in joining the team please let me know. If you do not wish to participate but are able to make donations, there is a link below, though you may also drop of cash/checks at Emerson.

Each person who raises $50 or more will receive a shirt courtesy of Emerson Academy. All I can say is, they’ll be cool and totally worth your effort.

Join Team Emerson!

Make a Donation!

I know we keep you guys busy, but I sincerely thank you for your support!

Mallory

Next Week!

Beginning next week Mr. Craig will be teaching Physical Education classes during the Turtle's and Guppies' outside playtime (10:15 - 11:15am). This class will consist of Circle Time Stretching and then a planned group activity that focuses on gross motor development and coordination.

Next week the class will be playing kickball! Lesson plans for the weeks will be available on the class blogs and also on the bulletin boards outside their classrooms.

Wacky Wednesday!

Today is our last Wacky Wednesday, and what a fun day it is!

Wacky Wednesday!

Tomorrow is our last Wacky Wednesday of the summer! The theme this week is

Beach Day!

Bring out your beach/Hawaiian gear for a fun day!

This Saturday

It's Tax-Free Weekend! Drop off the kiddos and go Back To School Shopping!

Crazy Hat Day!

Wacky Wednesday

Tomorrow is Wacky Wednesday! The theme is

CRAZY HAT DAY!

We Need Your Help!

In an effort to better serve our students and their families, we have created a Parent Survey to address key areas in our programming, staff, and school quality. We are asking parents to provide us with feedback so we may make improvements and help Emerson Academy be the best it can be. Please help us by clicking on the link below and answer the questions that follow. All answers are anonymous.

Thank you for your support!


Parent Survey

Camp Emerson Store

Camp Emerson will be hosting a snack sale this Friday, August 21st! We will be selling snack bags (age appropriate) that we have made and juice boxes for 50 cents each.

Proceeds from the sale will benefit The Emerson Foundation.

Please send your child's order in a marked envelope on or before Friday so (s)he may participate. Each class will have a designated time to shop and enjoy the treats.

Potluck

Our Potluck Mixer is TOMORROW! We look forward to seeing you all there!

11am-1pm

Fill It Up!

Tomorrow is the last day of the Food Drive! Please bring in your non-perishable food donations today and tomorrow to benefit the Round Rock Serving Center! Thank you to all who have given already.

So far the Turtle Class is in the lead for the Ice Cream Party with 99 items donated!

Western Wear Day!

Tomorrow

Tomorrow is Wacky Wednesday! The theme is

Western Wear.

One Week Left!!!

Our Food Drive for the Round Rock Serving Center ends next Friday, August 13th! Please help Emerson fill the bucket to help out our community.

Items should be non-perishable and not expired.


Thank you for all your help and support!

Tonight

Question & Answer Session at 6pm tonight. This will be a chance to hear about recent changes in programming!

Sports Day Photos

Everyone looked great!