The Flutter

Please look for The Flutter, Emerson Academy's Fall 2011 Newsletter in an e-,mail, on Facebook and on our "What's New" board in the entry way!

KICKIN' IT FOR KIDS -- HUGE SUCCESS!!

Thanks to each and every person who attended the event, purchased a ticket, participated in the live and silent auctions, donated an item to a classroom basket, volunteered their time, and continues to support Emerson Academy! The Kickin' It For Kids Gala was a tremendous success. Not only did we reach our fund-raising goal of 10K, we exceeded our goal by almost seven thousand dollars!!! The funds raised at this year's event will be used directly to benefit Emerson Academy students.
Thank you to everyone involved!!!

KICKIN' IT FOR KIDS

Tickets for the KICKIN' IT FOR KIDS Gala are now on SALE! Tickets are $50 per person and includes a delicious fajita buffet, live music from a local artist, spirits from Austin's own Live Oak Brewery, a live performance by The Emerson Academy Line Dancers and Live Auction. Just a few of our auction items include:

Houseboat vacation with accommodations for 12 (6br/2bth) on Lake Cumberland in Kentucky or Lake Dale Holland in Tennessee

Houseboat vacation on Lake Travis

Sailboat vacation with captain from St. Petersburg, Florida

Lake Austin Spa Gift Certificate

Water 2 Wine tasting for 2

Fender electric guitar with amp and case

Gibson electric guitar with amp and case

Gibson acoustic guitar

and much more...

Please join us on May 7th at Bella Lago in Forest Creek for a wonderful evening and to support an amazing organization!

See Sarah, JoAnne or Stacey for ticket purchases!

Busy Starfish Hands

The Starfish class has come up with a very creative and beautiful way to smudge the windows. The kids dipped their hands in paint, finger painted on paper, then used the window to get rid of the extra paint. The result was stunning! If you have a chance, stroll by the classroom windows and admire the Starfish art. Kudos to Ms. Cheyenne for such a fun and "hands on" activity!

Double Play!

Two Emerson students, Zoe and Gabriel, have found a place on the Round Rock Express team in the Hutto Challenger League. Hutto High School hosted the opening day ceremonies on Saturday and a fantastic time was had by all, especially the players. The league was formed by three dads of kids with special needs and it's first year in Hutto is officially underway. The next game is Saturday, April 16th at 12:30. If you see the sluggers around the school, give
em' a pat on the back and wish them well with their season!

Spring Babies

Heidi, our very pregnant nanny goat, once again gave birth to healthy and adorable twins on Wednesday afternoon. Although the pregnancy was unplanned and very unexpected, the kids are doing well. Mom and kids were moved to the "nursery", off of the garden, this morning and are enjoying many visits from their human friends. I asked the Turtle class to help with names, since they have become excellent goat keepers. Please feel free to take a walk out to the petting pen to meet Mariposa and Chrysalis. And if anyone is interested in owning a fine mowing machine for their backyard, farm or unruly property...please speak to Stacey!

Friends Helping Friends

One of the best things about Emerson Academy is that the children learn compassion, tolerance and to appreciate the differences among their peers. Drea has taken on the role of "helper" for his friend Emersen. He helps her go to and from the playground everyday. Emersen feels very loved and Drea very special for being able to help his friend. OH MY, I just LOVE it here at Emerson! With a warm heart -- Ocho

A Roll in the HAY!

Oh my, those silly Butterflies! I could not believe my eyes when I saw those kids playing in the hay. Don't they know what hay is for? Even though I was feeling very uneasy about having to eat that hay after the little people rolled all over it, I was glued to watching how much FUN they were having. They loved their field trip to the barnyard and their roll in the hay! I'm definitely going to have to give that a try! Peace Out -- Ocho

Go Fly a Kite!!!

The Turtle class took advantage of the windy spring day yesterday to get a little kite flying done. Yes, they were very careful of the power lines! Tying into their lessons on Spring, the kids were seeing first hand how the weather in March can be unpredictable. They had a terrific time and everyone had a turn at three different kinds of kites. The box kite proved to be the most challenging...even for Ms. C. Peace Out -- Ocho

Double Time

These girls are two peas in a pod! Zoe and Addison are best buddies and get along so well. Swinging together is just one of the fun things that they do at school! Ms. Jennifer reports lots of art, reading stories, learning to use a spoon, playing ball and learning to wash hands all by themselves. Everyday is an adventure at Emerson!

Babies on the Move!

The weather has been so beautiful that the babies have been taking advantage of some outside time! I caught a glimpse of these little guys out for a stroll recently. The came out to visit me and my friends...I know that Benson and Channing thought I was the most handsome! Colt, however, really loved Dixie...go figure!
Peace and love -- Ocho

Water fountain repaired after freeze!

Many thanks to Larry Rickel at Blue Dog Plumbing (512-759-5286) in Hutto for generously donating his time to repair our water fountain. We are so lucky to have talented and kind people on our side!! Please call this experienced and locally owned business if you have ANY plumbing needs! Thanks again Larry!

New Addition

Meet Velveteen, our newest addition to the Emerson barnyard! Velveteen was born on Saturday, February 26. She was a bit small at birth, but she is catching up super fast. Of course, she's staying in the "nursery" for a few more weeks, but this gives the kids easy access to her. Her mom, Puddles, is very gentle and loves visitors. Velveteen is sweet, soft and very hug-able, as you can see! Everyone is welcome to go out and say hello...even sneak in a cuddle if you like goat snuggles!

A Warm and Heartfelt THANK YOU!

To the parents and families that were supportive of Emerson Academy's staff development day yesterday, we want to thank you so very much for your patience and cooperation. As a result of the training, teachers now have even more tools that make them better educators, caregivers, and role models for your children. Topics such as sign language for children ages birth to 6 years was just one of the areas presented in yesterday's training. We also want to thank Deborah Green with ECI, Trish Van Til, Trainer for their time and efforts to help our staff grow and improve their knowledge and abilities.

KidSpeak

Dana and her friends in the Guppy class, recently helped Ms. Vanessa celebrate her birthday. Later, she and her dad had this conversation:

Dana - "Daddy, when is Ms. Vanessa moving up to the Turtle class?"
Dad - "What makes you think that she will move from your class to the Turtle class?"
Dana - "Oh! Because yesterday was her birthday and after your birthday you have to move up to the next class."

Gotta love 3 year olds! Thanks for sharing with us Prabhu!