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September 2024 Newsletter | |
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Critchlow Adkins Children's Centers' mission is to provide quality, financially accessible childcare for children and their families in a nurturing, diverse, safe, and enriching environment. | | |
September was "chalk" full of FUN! | The new school year is off to a wonderful start, thanks to your support. Our children are getting comfortable in their new classroom settings, making friends, and adjusting to new routines. Because of you, our families feel secure knowing their kids are safe, happy, engaged, and surrounded by friends and caring teachers! We hope you will take a moment to watch the video below and see some of the highlights from our sensational September! | |
Look At What We've Been Up To! | | |
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International Dot Day!
The children at all of our sites celebrated the 15th anniversary of International Dot Day. This celebration is dedicated to the wonderful book, The Dot, by Peter H. Reynolds. This is the story of a student named Vashti who doesn't think she can draw. Thanks to encouragement from her art teacher, she starts with one dot, and ends up with a whole gallery of artwork!
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Our students made their own dot masterpieces while learning about the power of encouragement, self-expression, creativity, and confidence! | |
Falling into Fun!
At our White Marsh Site, students and teachers alike were ready to dive into fall! They took a bite out of apple season by holding a taste test to see which variety of apples and which dip pair best together. The students spent time cutting out leaves for the classroom's "Kindness Tree." This sounds like the perfect start to an awesome autumn!
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All About Art!
In St. Michaels, our school age students showed off their amazing creativity while creating abstract portraits. The preschoolers read the book, The Very Hungry Caterpillar, by Eric Carle, and had some fuzzy fun making their own caterpillar art in the shape of the letter "C." They also made edible art in the form of Froot Loop necklaces as part of a lesson on identifying and sorting colors!
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Individuality and Togetherness!
During "All About Me" week at our Easton School Age Site, the students learned about themselves and their families. Discussions centered around embracing individuality and diversity within their families and their classroom friends. The children engaged in fun team building exercises, outdoor activities, and mindfulness practices to help build their bonds of friendship and trust.
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Construction Celebration!
Our Cordova Site expansion is officially under construction as part of the renovation of the Chapel District Elementary School! The children donned their hard hats to watch the school's parade of trucks celebration. Some of the preschoolers were inspired after the parade to build their own construction projects. We might have some future engineers on our hands!
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Sunshine and Camera Flashes!
September means cooler temperatures, and our Easton Preschool Site took advantage of the changing season to enjoy lunch and snacks outside as often as possible! There's nothing like dining with friends in the sunshine! Room 4 also held the world's cutest back-to-school photo session, capturing wonderful memories for the children and their families of their time at Critchlow Adkins!
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Follow us on Facebook to get your Friday fix of cuteness with our Weekly Round Up! | |
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The 7th Annual Conor's Project Sporting Clay Tournament and Crab Feast was held on Sunday, September 8th at Pintail Point. The community came together on this beautiful day to celebrate Conor's memory.
Conor's Project is hosted by our wonderful friend Rennie Gay, who established the event after Conor's passing. The proceeds provide swimming lessons and enrichment programming for Critchlow Adkins Children.
We are deeply honored to be the beneficiaries of what has now become a tradition that has grown beyond our wildest dreams. Thank you to Rennie, his family, and to everyone who participated in Conor's Project 2024 and helped raise over $80,000 in support of our mission. Our gratitude knows no bounds!
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See some highlights from the 7th Annual Conor's Project below! | | |
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Critchlow's Annual Trivia Night Fundraiser
Is Around The Corner...
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Are you ready to show off your knowledge while helping Critchlow Adkins Build Brighter Futures? Reserve your spot today for our annual Trivia Night, taking place on Thursday, October 24th at the Tred Avon Yacht Club!
Enjoy cocktails, dinner, our annual Fund-a-Need Auction, and of course, a rousing game of trivia featuring our favorite round, "Are You Smarter Than A Critchlow Adkins Kid?" This year's Fund-A-Need will help provide classroom furniture and other items for our Cordova Site expansion!
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Purchase your tickets by returning the RSVP card that came with your invitation in the mail, or by clicking the button below! | | |
Last Day to Vote For Critchlow to be Best of the Best! | | |
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Today is the last day of voting for the APG Best of the Best Chesapeake Contest! Critchlow Adkins has been nominated in the Best Childcare and Best Preschool categories.
We hope you will take a moment to click the button below and place your vote for Critchlow to win. Your support means the world to us!
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We had the privilege of honoring our incredible team of teachers with a Teacher Appreciation Night on September 19th. Central Office staffers Ellen Wallace, Amy Michels, and Kissaundra Thomas organized this fun-filled evening at the Easton Fire Hall.
Our Executive Director, Cristy Morrell, gave a heartfelt speech thanking our teachers for their care, dedication, and talent. She then recognized those celebrating special milestones at Critchlow Adkins this year. The entire room was on their feet at the end of the ceremony, applauding White Marsh Site Director, Annetta Biscoe, for 45 years of service!
The rest of the evening was filled with games, including disco bingo, a special children's songs edition of "Name That Tune," and raffles, with all of the winners taking home prizes.
At the end of the night, each teacher was recognized with a "Superlative" acknowledging her unique contribution to the Critchlow Adkins team. We are beyond grateful for these exceptional educators!
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Each month, we love introducing you to the amazing staff, board members, partners, and families who are currently involved in our programs.
This month, we have a special treat for you! Please meet Kaleigh Hammond, a Critchlow Adkins graduate and current college student! She is also the daughter of our Easton School Age Site Director, Keieve Colbert.
Kaleigh is a wonderful example of the lasting impact that your support has on the children we serve. She attended CACC from the ages of 2 to 11, then came back from the ages of 16 through 18 to join our staff as a substitute teacher!
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Kaleigh is currently attending Chesapeake College on full scholarship and playing for the college's volleyball team. After obtaining her 2-year degree, she intends to transfer to a 4-year university to further her education in her chosen field. She is still deciding on a career path, but is seriously considering architecture or interior design.
When we asked Kaleigh to talk about how her experience at Critchlow helped shape her into the person she is today, she shared the following:
"Critchlow [taught] me how to deal with everyday problems and find solutions to better myself and others. I also learned how to ask for help, and that it's ok to ask for it. At Critchlow Adkins, I was surrounded by so much diversity. It helped me understand that everyone has a different background, and you never know what people are going through."
Kaleigh concluded by saying, "I think that Critchlow Adkins is... a great environment for learning how to share, listen, and explore."
Thank you, Kaleigh! We are so very proud of you, and we just know you have a bright future ahead!
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A September STEAM Project YOU Can Do At Home! | |
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As our students returned to school this month, they focused on getting to know themselves and one another, and understanding how each person's uniqueness makes them a special part of the whole group. Program Coordinator, Amy Michels, provided each site with a fun art project that demonstrated to our children how they fit together!
Of course, no STEAM project is complete without a book to go along with it! Students read the book, Lila Greer, Teacher of the Year, by Andrea Beaty. This is the story of a young girl named Lila who is very anxious about going to a new school. Lila encounters lots of new classmates, new activities, and new challenges, and learns to face her "What-Ifs" with more confidence.
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After reading the book, students engaged in an activity about tessellations. Tessellations are patterns that are created when a shape is repeated over and over again without gaps or overlapping.
Artist MC Escher is well-known for using tessellation in his work. He used realistic objects, including fish, birds, and more, to create his masterpieces.
Click the button below to learn how you and your child can make your own tessellation art together !
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As always, get as creative as you want, and have lots of fun learning together! Follow our Facebook and Instagram pages to see a new STEAM project every week on "STEAM Saturday!" | | |
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We think you are "Speck"-tacular! | *Artwork by a child at our School Age Site | | |
Just like in the story, The Dot, when you give to Critchlow Adkins, you are ensuring that our children have caring and nurturing teachers who encourage them to try new things, explore their talents, and grow their confidence! Consider establishing a monthly or quarterly recurring donation to help our children discover the power of courage and exploration all year round! | |
Support Critchlow Adkins While Shopping! | |
Connect your Harris Teeter VIC card to Critchlow Adkins via the Together in Education Program, and when you purchase the brands listed below, you help earn money to support our programs! | |
If you are a Weis Market customer, scan the bar code below at checkout to help Critchlow Adkins earn funds for supplies, programs, and more! | |
Thank You To Our Wonderful Community and Business Partners! | |
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Grant Partners
Bryan Brothers Foundation
Christmas in St. Michaels
Dock Street Foundation
Fullwood Foundation
Maryland Department of Business and Economic Development
Mid-Shore Community Foundation
Rural Maryland Council
St. John Foundation
Talbot Optimists
USDA Rural Development
Senator Chris Van Hollen
Van Strum Foundation
Women & Girls Fund of the Mid-Shore
Philip A Zaffere Foundation
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Academy Art Museum
Appleseed Books
Bay Hundred Youth Task Force
Boy Scouts of America
Candlelight Cove
Carepacks of Talbot County
Chesapeake Bay Environmental Center
Chesapeake Bay Maritime Museum
Chesapeake College
Choptank Community Health
Eastern Shore Speech Therapy
Easton Volunteer Fire Department
Environmental Concern
Family Affair Farm
Girl Scouts of America
Healthy Talbot
Imagination Library of Talbot County
Judy Amdur Music
Judy Center Early Learning Hubs
Lion's Club
Maryland Zoo
Out of the Fire
Pickering Creek Audubon Center
Police, Fire, and EMS Departments
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Positive Strides Therapeutic Riding
Project Right Steps
Ready at Five
SOS Sink or Swim
Society of St. Vincent de Paul
St. Michaels Community Center
Talbot County:
Child Care Association
Free Library
Health Department
Infants and Toddlers
Oral Health Department
Parks and Recreation
Public Schools
Talbot Family Network
Talbot Interfaith Shelter
Talbot Thrive
Trident Air Craft
University of Maryland Extension
US Armed Forces
4-H Club
7-Eleven
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Critchlow Adkins is blessed to have incredible support from our local business community. It is our pleasure to introduce you to our CACC Stars!
*For more information on how YOU can become a CACC Star, click HERE or contact our Development Director, Liz Connelly, at lconnelly@cacckids.org.
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Bartlett Tree Service
Benson and Mangold
Carpenter Street Saloon
Chesapeake Building Components
Coventry Motor Works
DJ Shannon Keener
Freestyle Fabrication
George's Green Thumb
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Out Of The Fire
RLE LLC
Roto Rooter
Shore Sportsman
Talbot County Chamber of Commerce
What's Good, LLC
Windswept Clothiers
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Licensed Maryland Childcare Providers
Cordova - 45445
Easton Preschool - 31291
Easton School Age - 31294
St. Michaels - 31292
White Marsh - 53488
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