College Heights Connection

Dear Families,

I hope you are having a wonderful week. A big thank you to Nydia Almond and the PTO for organizing our first PTO Garden Cleanup Day last Sunday. With the support of all our amazing volunteers, the garden is ready for planting. Please see the remarkable before and after photos below in the PTO section. We kick off our partnership with From the Ground Up next week. Thank you again to all of the volunteers who showed up to support the school.

As a friendly reminder, our Instructional Coach, Ms. Mathews-Davis, will provide an overview of the student assessment process, goals, and outcomes. The session will begin at 8:00 a.m. in the school library. Hope to see you there!

Have a great weekend,

Principal Garland

September 12 - Coffee Chat on Curriculum and Assessment (8:00 a.m.)

September 22-26 - Fall Break (no school for Pre-K and Preschool Special Education students)

October 1 - Fall School Tour (prospective families only)

October 6-10 - School Pictures (individual)

October 24 - PTO Trunk or Treat and Movie Night

October 27-31 - College Heights Literacy Week

Join us next Friday, September 12 at 8:00 a.m. in the library for a casual conversation about your child's learning journey here at College Heights. Coffee and pastries will be provided.

• Learn how our intentional instruction and assessment practices support your child's growth and learning.

• Discover the role of oral language skills in building a strong foundation for reading.

• Understand the importance of play in fostering cognitive, social, and emotional development.

Let's come together to share thoughts, ask questions, and connect with other parents in our College Heights school community. We hope to see you there!

Update: as of 9:00 a.m. September 4 there are 12 spaces remaining.

We will be offering camp services during the Pre-K fall break (September 22-26). Applications are available at the front desk, on the school website, and here. Payment is due at the time of registration. Deadline to register is September 12. For families in need of financial assistance, please contact Principal Garland. For questions or concerns, please email Elecia Fulton, After School Manager. Your child does not need to be enrolled in the After School Program to participate in camp.

Tuition is $250/week (includes breakfast, lunch, and snack).
Camp hours: 7:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m.

In room 116, you'll see the youngest College Heights students! Infants in 116 can start as young as six weeks old. Meet the amazing teaching team, Mags Dutchersmith (lead teacher), Amily Rosales Caceres (assistant), and Elica Browning (assistant).

Mags originally hails from Goshen, Indiana, and when she's not giving loving care to College Heights babies, she likes to hike, play music, and sing. Fun fact: she is getting married in October!

Amily is from Los Angeles and enjoys playing card games and video games, and her fun fact is she likes dressing up in costumes.

Elica is from Smyrna and in her spare time, she restores and enhances classic automobiles and motorcycles. Her fun fact: her 1955 Chevrolet 4X4 truck was hired by Oprah Winfrey and Dolly Parton for the filming of two different movies, "Selma" and "Coat of Many Colors 2."

Mags, Amily, and Elica, thank you for all you do, and we're glad you're part of the College Heights family!

Pre-K classes missed this week due to the Labor Day holiday on Monday, but one-, two-, and three-year-olds had library time on Tuesday with lots of fun read-alouds; see the list below.

Just a reminder that our first author visit of the year is coming up on Friday, October 10. College Heights will host author and former educator/school librarian Dan Gemeinhart, who will talk to Pre-K students about his newest book, The Gingerbread Monster. Families can order a signed copy of this book through a form that went home last week (or click here to download it), and a portion of book sales will benefit College Heights. All students are welcome to order a copy of the book, not just Pre-K!

This week's books:

Go! Go! Go! Stop! by Charise Mericle Harper

Llama Llama Misses Mama by Anna Dewdney

One, Two, Buckle My Shoe by Jane Cabrera

Bear's New Friend by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Jane Chapman

The Cow Loves Cookies by Karma Wilson, illustrated by Marcellus Hall

Pre-K students enjoyed their first-ever Community Circle, with a very special guest appearance by the College Heights Chick! This first Community Circle was just a practice to get students used to and excited about this monthly gathering where we sing, dance, and celebrate being together with our school family. Each Pre-K class will have the opportunity to host Community Circle and show off their learning. Due to space limitations, families are invited to attend only during the month their student's class is hosting; please look for communications from your classroom teacher.

Read the September 4, 2025, issue of the district-wide newsletter, CSD Weekly here.

We just wanted to say A BIG THANK YOU to all our awesome Garden Cleanup and Playdate volunteers! Thank you for all your hard work. It makes all the difference. This was a success because of YOU!!

A great day was had. It was a pleasure meeting and spending time with everyone.

We will reach out soon with additional updates on the school's garden and "From the Ground Up" program.

Spirit Week is just around the corner, and now’s the perfect time to grab your College Heights spirit wear! Whether you or your little one is rocking it at school events or out in the community, you'll be ready to shine in style.

🧢 Bonus Perk: $5 from every purchase goes directly to support our amazing PTO — so you’re not just showing school spirit, you’re giving back too! 👕

👉Don’t wait — snag your gear now and let’s make this year the most spirited one yet!

Link: https://checlc.ptboard.com/school/cm?mid=6422

All recent issues of the College Heights Connection are available here.

Older issues of CSD Weekly may be found on CSD's district newsletter webpage.

College Heights Early Childhood Learning Center cultivates an atmosphere where children take their first steps in building an authentic love of learning through developmentally appropriate practices in an environment that fosters family and community involvement.