Registration & Payment
Registration for the Winter Semester is now open. For those of you who have not secured your spot, please feel free to e-transfer the $150 deposit immediately or bring a cheque to Celebration.
Due to the incredible success of the Fall Semester, it is even more important than ever that you reserve your place in advance. Record registration for the Fall Semester has lead to our busiest term yet, and we've all had an amazing time. The increase in registrations is due to the hard work of so many people and includes more marketing, a dedicated Funding Team, a stronger online presence and the support of all of you sharing what Prep to Step-Up is all about.
This is great news, but it does mean that we know there will be a waiting list for the Winter Semester. Due to this, full payment will be required Jan 7th - if this is not received, we will have to release your place and clients on the waiting list will be contacted.
Inclement Weather
On the rare occasion when Prep to Step-Up is cancelled because of challenging weather conditions, an email will be sent before 7:30 am.
Our decision to cancel is based on local weather reports, school and bus closures and common sense. Our priority is the safety for everyone!
Important Dates
Celebration and Pizza Day
Tuesday, 28th November 1:00-3:00pm
Everyone welcome - a snack and beverage is all that is required for lunchtime.
Winter Semester
Tuesday, 7th January - Thursday, 12th March 2020
Winter Semester Seminar Nights
Tuesday, 14th January 6:30-8:00pm
Tuesday, 3rd March 6:30-8:00pm
Website
Our Prep to Step-Up website is our Main Source for Communication.
Please check it out regularly. We have recently added Our Community Stars and Useful Resources that include important information available to our Prep Families.
If you know of contacts that would be of interest to share please, let us know.
New Contact Email for Registrations and Inquiries
prep.stepup@gmail.com
Please also see under ‘Support Prep’, our GoFundMe Page and under ‘Contact Us’, our Prep for Press which can be downloaded or printed for easy distribution.
The Prep Funding Team
Our Awareness Campaign is in full affect! As we enter 2020, volunteers are welcomed to support the many productive ideas we are planning for the future!
Public feedback has added empowerment to the uniqueness of this program. We welcome your participation in some very exciting inclusive community ideas in 2020!
As per the Funding Team’s Term of Reference, at least one parent or guardian is required to be part of this very important initiative. We are looking for your expertise and advice on the committee.
Only 1-2 hours per month is needed to attend a monthly meeting. This is your opportunity to have a voice!
Please contact Chair, Susan Dunne or Doreen to discuss how you can best help keep Prep to Step-Up thrive well into the future!
We thank you in advance for your consideration
Step-Up News:
November 23rd, 2019
Bring on the Holiday Season!
Reminders
Education is not the learning of facts,
but the training of the mind to think.
~ Albert Einstein
As we arrive at the conclusion of another fulfilling Semester, both Clients and Educators have learned a lot in stimulating our learning experiences together. By introducing a variety of teachable adventures through a mindful, cognitive approach, new ‘facts’ become the base for a lot of excitement toward realizing there is always so much more to learn!
Each day Clients add to the colour and vibrancy of each lesson, filling the room with lots of conversations, avid participation one step-at-a-time, a few dance moves and lots of smiles! They say that time moves fast when you’re having fun! We are always amazed at how fast the Semester goes but never surprised with all the fun going on! Such a hard-working atmosphere of mindful learning lends itself to an inner will to always want to learn more!
Einstein also said, “The more I learn, the more I realize how much I don’t know!”
One of our Clients at Prep to Step-Up has his own beautiful quote to explain his love of wanting to learn more.
“Unless there is something I don’t know, I won’t know it!”
~Sam~
Our heartfelt best wishes for a Holiday filled with soothing scents, warm-filled wonders, lots of laughter and mindful moments! We’ll be working hard over the next few weeks planning lots of learning adventures for the Winter Semester! Be safe! See you then!
~~ Doreen McCall ~~
Words to Look Up: Cognitive, Vibrancy, Avid
Spell the Word; Say the Word; Define the Word
Winter Semester Registration is now Open
January 7th - March 12th, 2020
Due to Increased Enrolment, Registration is Limited! New Client Inquiries coming in. Secure Your Spot!
A Deposit of $150.00 is required by Nov. 28th by either Cash, Cheque or e-Transfer.
Visit our website for more details.
You are our best ambassadors for Prep to Step-Up! If you promote the program to someone new who definitely signs up, there will be a 10% deduction from your fee.
Rotation Reports
Literacy:
Nothing is Impossible!
Clients continued to follow the path of Mindfulness with reading and writing and a concentrated effort on Remembrance Day this month. Practicing the reading of Flanders Fields for 2 wks (before regular curriculum) got them well prepared for the Final Reading. While the history of the poem was new for some it was a refresher for others and they all spoke with pride before heading over to the Cenotaph as a group.
Regular curriculum had them remembering about Finding Nemo's adventure which taught everyone many things: the importance of "Trust"; "Love Trumps Fear" and "Don't Judge a Book by its Cover". A lot to read and write about leading up to the final message from Olaf from Frozen who reminded us that "Nothing is Impossible". The themes of this semester are part of our core and we will revisit them often.
The library continues to be the "water cooler" at Prep and thank you for suggestions on books you would like to see brought home for reading. Input is valued at Prep and we will try to ensure there are many options for our curious clients who enjoy reading about real life and escaping with friends like Amelia Bedelia.
Math:
Math Mindfulness!
Bringing up the end of our amazing Semester of mindfulness, we concluded with The Store and started on iPad exploration through basic reminders; holding the iPad properly, treating it with respect, and sharing with our peers. We also explored basic usage of our iPads, going through popular and useful apps, exploring searches on the internet, how to use the Home button, and so forth.
We are concluding with a final preparation week for our last Store of the semester and recounting our amazing journey through the many amazing doors we were able to open in the Math universe. The Clients are very excited for The Store and bringing one of our best Semesters yet to a close! We can't wait for what the Winter Semester will bring either!
Science:
Our Glow Continues with Energy
It's hard to believe that we are coming to the end of yet another semester, but what a great semester it's been! In science, we have just finished up our curriculum focusing on 'energy'. Throughout the course of the semester, we progressed from learning background knowledge of energy including definitions and categorizing types of energy, to then applying this knowledge to various real-life scenarios.
We have learned about electrical circuits and switches; something we utilize everyday. We have also learned more about fireflies, the beautiful light-producing insects. As we began discussing 'Finding Nemo', we investigated the bioluminescent animals who live in the deep dark depths of the ocean.
A highlight from this semester has definitely been our glow stick experiments and dissections. We have learned about making observations, chemical reactions, and cause-and-effect through some hands-on and sensory stimulating activities. What we can conclude is that there is energy all around us and so many exciting things we can learn from it!
Art:
Poppies, Mosaics and Stones! Oh My!
Prep to Step-Up pays tribute to our Veterans annually by creating a unique ‘poppy’ wreathe. This year the Clients crafted the poppies from red paper napkins which were hot-glued onto a wreathe form.
On the Thursday closest to Remembrance Day, we visit the Milton Cenotaph together to pay our respects completed by a moment of silence. As always it was a touching and meaningful, mindful week!
Our last sub-theme was Finding Nemo. Using templates Clients drew circles and transformed them into Nemo and Dory. The second project was a free-form, multicoloured mosaic resulting in gorgeous vibrant artwork that will brighten any dreary winter’s day!
This past week we started making our Holiday decorations. Clients love to add personality to their home celebrations over the holiday season!
Skills-at-Will:
Just Keep Swimming!
Our Fall semester has come to a fast end! We had a great time in Skills-at-Will learning about ourselves. We ended the semester by discussing the Power of Pursuit. Clients learned about perseverance and what it looks and sounds like in their lives, never giving up and how using positive self-talk can help us much more than speaking negatively about ourselves and to others.
Lastly, we embraced and celebrated all of the things that we are good at and can use in our lives to move forward and to “just keep swimming”. This rotation was filled with mindfulness activities that helped the clients recognize how amazing they truly are. We hope that the clients will use these techniques moving forward. We are looking forward to what our winter semester will bring!
