Greetings from the Director’s Corner
Happy New Year Acorn Community,
What a glorious site to look out my window and see the snow falling. I close my eyes and imagine snow people and snow forts being built, sledding, shoveling and a good old fashioned snowball fight filled with laughter and fun. As we started back to school this week, the following mediation was shared with me.
The Oak Tree
Poet: Johnny Ray Ryder Jr.
A mighty wind blew night and day
It stole the oak tree’s leaves away
Then snapped it boughs and pulled its bark
Until the oak was tired and stark
But still the oak tree held its ground
While other trees fell all around
The weary wind gave up and spoke,
“How can you still be standing Oak?”
The oak tree said, “I know that you
Can break each branch of mine in two
Carry every leaf away
Shake my limbs, and make me sway.
But I have roots stretched in the earth
Growing stronger since my birth
You’ll never touch them, for you see
They are the deepest part of me.
Until today, I wasn’t sure
Of just how much I could endure
But now I’ve found, with thanks to you
I’m stronger than I ever knew.”
Thank you for your generosity and kind words that you shared with all of us here at Acorn during 2021. The carol stroll through the learning spaces and storybook walk out on the nature trail before vacation may become a new Acorn tradition. I hope you all had a magical memorable holiday season and you are able to welcome 2022 with some renewed hope, happiness and realize your roots run deep.
Sue
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Another Year of Wonderful Holiday Traditions at Acorn School |
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Exeter Festival of Trees was Spectacular!
Acorn School was honored and excited to participate in Exeter's Festival of Trees again this year. Acorn's tree theme was "Peace, Love, and Kindness". Each class made ornaments for the tree and it came together beautifully. Check out pictures below. Thanks to all who attended the event, helped with set up, viewed our tree online, and/or placed a bid. It was a wonderful event!
All proceeds of the event go to the Community Children’s Fund, created by the Exeter Area Chamber of Commerce which raises funds to provide warm winter clothing and bedding to needy children in 11 local communities.
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Mr. Bingle Visited!
Mr. Bingle, the caretaker of Santa's reindeer, voyaged from the North Pole on December 10th and visited the Tadpole, Woolly Bear, Chickadee, and Mighty Oak classes. He read the Polar Express, sang songs, shared updates of all the happenings at the North Pole, and collected the donated gifts and food that were then distributed to Seacoast Family Promise and End 68 Hours of Hunger.
The Acorn community supported gifts for 3 families (over 100 items were collected!), and many crates of food for End 68 Hours of Hunger. Thank you to our Acorn community for the generous support which helped make the holidays extra special for families in the Seacoast area.
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Walking in Acorn School's Winter Wonderland |
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This year Acorn classes met individually and participated in a winter wonderland stroll through Acorn School. It was so magical to sing holiday songs together and stroll through the different learning centers. Thank you to the wonderful staff at Acorn School for all your hard work and making the holidays extra special!
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Winter is HERE! Make sure your kiddo stays warm while exploring and learning in the outdoors by layering! Don't forget to label everything! When in doubt, label!
First Layer: Base Layer Long Underwear (wool, silk or polypropylene)- No cotton
Mid-Layer: Long sleeve wool or fleece sweater; fleece pants; wool mittens
Outer Layer: Winter Waterproof Coat with Hood; Insulated Waterproof Snow Pants; Wool Socks; Waterproof Mittens, insulated boots (with removable liners can be helpful when drying)
- Slippers for inside
- An extra pair of mittens/gloves in backpack
- Two masks in their backpack in case their first one gets wet
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Classrooms Without Walls
December Highlights
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"Time, space, and outdoor play are essential to children's health. In fact, they need this more than ever before."
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Chipmunk classes (3 year olds) read the book "The Littlest Christmas Tree" and talked about how the tree was so happy that the little animals loved him and decorated him. The kiddos decorated the littlest tree on the Acorn nature trail for the animals to have a Christmas/holiday treat!" |
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Music with the amazingly talented
Ms. Leigh
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The Mighty Oaks enjoying the snow! |
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Classes made special reindeer food |
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Tadpoles on the Nature Trail listening to The Wild Christmas Reindeer" by Jan Brett. A holiday favorite! |
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Some Mighty Oaks enjoying story time together |
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Fine motor fun with friends |
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Didn't get to do the 1000 Hours Outside last month but still want to try? Here are some super fun outdoor ideas for the month of January! Choose from activity cards listed below or download a copy from the website and cut out the individual squares. Have your kiddo draw a new card each day. Our personal favorite- the Lantern Hike!
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Give The Gift of Acorn School |
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Acorn School opened its doors in 1972 and has been committed to being A School For Childhood ever since. As a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, Acorn School depends on generous donations and sponsorships, as tuition alone does not cover its annual operating expenses along with the additional COVID19 expenses incurred.
Your tax-deductible gift, no matter the size, will have a direct impact on our school and will help reduce the gap between tuition and operational costs.
Thank you, thank you, thank you for supporting Acorn School.
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About the History of Acorn School |
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When You Use Amazon, You Can Give Back to Acorn School at NO Cost |
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A great way to support our school is by selecting Acorn School (Stratham, NH) as your selected charity when shop on Amazon. Did you know it even works when you use the Amazon App on your smartphone? Prices for your items stay the same. The only difference is when you shop a portion of the money Amazon donates to Acorn School!
How to Setup: (two ways)
(1) Select Acorn School in the upper left corner where it says “supporting”
OR
(2) You can also type "Amazon Smile" into the Amazon search box.
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Scholastic Orders Due (activation code: NKD9B)
Saturday, January 15th
*Please note Scholastic is experiencing production and shipping delays. Estimated time is 6-8 weeks+
NO SCHOOL- MLK Civil Rights Day
Monday, January 17
Winter Vacation
Monday, February 28th to Friday, March 4th
School Resumes
Monday, March 7th
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Thank You To Acorn's Sponsors!
All are locally owned businesses, may of whom are within the Acorn community
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Acorn's 2021-2022 School Year Sponsors
Platinum Oak Sponsors
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Dunkin' locations in the area have been locally owned and operated by the Salema family for over 40 years. We are thrilled to be part of the Acorn family and have the Acorn School Run on Dunkin'! |
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East Coast HVAC is a family-owned and operated company specializing in the sales, service and installation of residential and commercial heating and air conditioning systems. Don’t pay more than necessary for your heating and cooling needs, call East Coast and Pay Fairly! |
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Exeter Land Contractors has provided landscape design and construction services in the Northeast since 1980. We are a family owned and operated business. As experienced landscape contractors we provide the experience and expertise to ensure the integrity of your design while providing the quality of work our clients expect. Exeter Land Contractors, Inc. is a full service landscape construction company that handles both residential and commercial properties. Let our skilled landscape design team pave the way to a beautiful environment for you, your family and friends to enjoy. Contact (603) 778-0005 for all of your landscaping needs!
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Seacoast United is YOUR home for soccer this winter. We will be offering a number of indoor youth programs this year at our Epping, Hampton, York, Concord and Kingston facilities. Our popular Grassroots, Skills & Scrimmage and Youth Leagues are the perfect options for those looking to learn and play soccer. We provide a wide range of options for players of all ages and abilities to ensure that your child stays active throughout the winter months. For more information on these programs including registration, please visit www.seacoastunited.com.
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DARCI Creative is a full service marketing agency located in downtown Portsmouth. Our marketing solutions increase bottom lines, while we have fun and contribute to our community. Learn more by visiting our website! |
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H.O.P.E. is a clinic-based Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) company in Dover, NH that provides services designed to positively change social and cognitive skills in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We are committed to improving the quality of life of each child and their families. |
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Portsmouth Ford has been a true One-Price Dealer for over 30 years. We strive to provide the highest level of service to our customers, employees, and community. We are proud to sponsor the Acorn School! |
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Wondering what’s in your water? Water Guy specializes in on-site water testing; water treatment system installations; drinking water systems; maintenance & sanitation for water treatment; well-tank installations; maintenance & replacements; and water-pressure booster installations. Water Guy serves residential and commercial properties across New England, and is proud to sponsor Acorn School! |
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Junior Gym is a children’s play gym that inspires and motivates children to move their bodies. Our classes are based on structured lesson plans that build children’s motor skills through equipment, play and musical activities. Visit our website for more information on how to sign up. |
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Miracle Farm Speech Therapy is a private pediatric speech therapy practice, specializing in treating infants, toddlers, and school-aged children. Services are based on a child-centered and play based approach. Our talented therapists use their expertise and creativity to make every therapy session fun, while addressing the individual goals for each child. Visit our website to learn more! |
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We Fill Good is a low waste refill store and lifestyle boutique in Kittery, ME. We are here to help the community live more sustainably by reducing your plastic waste. No need to keep buying those plastic bottles that end up in the land fill for hundreds of years, just come in and fill up on non toxic affordably priced cleaning products for your home and body. In addition to refilling you hand soap, laundry liquid, shampoo, dishwasher pods, cleaning scrub, face cream etc we have " Easy Swaps" to reduce the plastic in your home. Some of our customer favorites are bamboo toothbrushes, compostable toothpaste, washable sponges that will last for years, to go gear, silicone bags, plastic free make up and so much more. |
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Well Told is a personalized gifts company. We enable people to express the stories that define their unique life experiences on the canvas of their everyday products. Our mission is to meaningfully enhance the value of the products you use, not only through their style and functionality, but in their ability to turn an everyday moment into an inspired one by conveying a story of personal significance. Our product offering includes glassware, barware, insulated drinkware, mugs, blankets and we are expanding our collection every year. |
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136 Winnicutt Rd.
Stratham, NH 03885
Office: 603-778-8285
Fax: 603-658-8338
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