Dear SHPS Families, The end of the school year is near! What a pleasure it has been to have your children in our preschool program. We have an exciting camp prepared for your children. Sign up for camp today! Our Fall tuition packets have been sent out to our Preschool families. You may also pick up a packet in the lower school office. Register today! Sincerely, Terry Mapson Preschool Principal Administrative Numbers Mrs. Terry Mapson, Preschool Principal Ms. Michelle Howard, Preschool Assistant Principal Phone: (702) ext For information about our school visit… MAY 2010 Preschool Griffin Gazette Free Dress Day Friday, May 28 th No School Monday, May 31 st Early Dismissal Days June 1 st and 2 11:30a.m. Last Day of School Wednesday, June 2nd Wonderland Dance Annual Dance/Gymnastic Show on June 6 11:00 Summerlin Library Theatre off of Town Center. Seating is free!! Southern Highlands Preparatory Preschool News Calendar Events Private Tours Available Invite family and friends for a tour of our school and a free Discovery Day ! Share our story. Bring a friend to our Open House and share our school’s success story. It’s a great opportunity to meet our principal, tour our school, and see firsthand how we make a difference in the lives of our students every day.

Enrolling Now for School Year We are very excited to begin the enrollment process for the school year. We have received a large number of inquiries and registration requests from new families, and anticipate a great student population for the coming year. We request that you respond in a timely manner with your completed registration materials, so that we can effectively plan for expanding programs and staffing. May 3 rd -7 th Teacher Appreciation Week May 5 th SHPS Night Out May 14 th Las Vegas 51’s game May 24 th Hands on Reading Forms Due May 25 th & 26 th Hand Painting PAC Meeting May 19 9 a.m. For information on PAC and how you can volunteer contact: Nikki Berti, President: Suzanne Pero, Treasurer: Becky Sullivan, Director: Donna D'Orsi, Director: PAC PAC NEWS A Few Reminders… Aftercare payments are due for April and May with your May tuition payment. Aftercare is generally billed a month behind which is why two payments are due in May. Summer camp begins on Monday, June 7 th. Please turn in your camp registration forms as soon as possible. If you have any questions, feel free to stop in the office. Parking Please remember to park in the designated parking area only. Please, NO PARKING in the fire lanes to drop off your child Thank you for your cooperation. Register Today for Summer camp is quickly approaching and we have had an awesome time planning exciting fun-filled activities that we can’t wait to share with you. We begin our journey on June 7 th in Australia! Please return your summer camp registration as soon as possible and get ready to go on an amazing journey with us around the world!

PRESCHOOL ARTICLE Helping Your Child Cope with Fear The preschool years are a time of amazing growth, a staggering increase in language, and a time of great imagination. With children ’ s increased awareness of the world around them, an ability to express thoughts and feelings verbally, and this amazing sense of imagination also comes a normative development of childhood fears. Children don ’ t think like adults and lack the web of knowledge that we possess to reason away most childhood fears. Likewise, because children have some limited world understanding and are gradually acquiring the ability to think of abstract consequences, they become developmentally prime targets for the development of fears, fanciful and real (Bauer, 2006). As children move beyond their second birthday, they acquire the ability to mentally reenact things that they have seen, heard, or experienced. While this is a great cognitive feat, the reenactment of such mental images can lead to the development of fears or late at night can cause sleep disturbances. Fears vary from child to child. They can range from places, to vacuum cleaners, to loud noises, to animals … Fear is one of the earliest emotions of childhood, and it is important for parents and caregivers to be sensitive to this and to handle fear appropriately (Izard, 1977; Sorin, 2000). So how can you help your child learn to cope and handle fear? Understand why children are fearful. Fear is generally caused by the unknown, by theorized consequences, or by negative past experiences. If you know that your child has not had a negative past experience with what she is fearful of, then likely the fear has been developed my limited knowledge of the fear stimulus and a fanciful imagination. Talk to your child about what she is fearful of. Help her understand more about the vacuum and why it makes such a loud noise; help her understand why dogs bark and how to interact safely with animals that are known to be trustworthy. Adults and children alike fear what we don ’ t know. Give your child the knowledge base to approach the thing they are fearful of with a stronger knowledge base and then they can learn to approach it through experience, not imagination. Be supportive of your child and acknowledge that she is scared even if you find the fear fanciful. Instead of belittling or mocking the fear, instead reassure your child and acknowledge her feelings. When responding to the fear, give the message that 1) it ’ s ok to be scared, and 2) it is good to share your fears and ask for help. We never want children to feel ashamed of something that truly frightens them. Be a role model and point out similar aged role models. While being supportive of your child and continuing to talk with them about their fear, model ways that they can confront their fear. Also, if able, point out other children, who are conquering the fear, e.g. “ Look, honey, that little boy is petting the cat nicely. See how the cat is purring? That is its ways of showing that it is happy. Do you want to try to pet the cat like that little boy? ” Lastly, talk to your child about steps she can take to become less fearful. As your child makes small steps, acknowledge this and celebrate your child ’ s bravery. There are great books written for young children specifically targeted to addressing the topic of fear, such as Scaredy Cat by Cyndy Szekeres No More Fears for Maddox by Maria Becker There ’ s a Nightmare in my Closet by Mercer Mayer When I Feel Scared by Cornelia Maude Spelman Not Afraid of Dogs by Susan Pitzer Lauren Starnes, PhD- Manager of Curriculum and Instruction/ East