Happy AppleTestimonials Here are some of the letters we receive from parents concerning Happy Apple Academy. As you will read, these parents think highly of our preschool. |
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______This letter is to express a heartfelt "Thank You" from J.'s family for the outstanding encouragement and support given to J. through the two years that he attended Happy Apple Academy. Over the years since Happy Apple's doors first opened, we have entrusted our children to you for their first experience with school. You and your staff have always given the best of yourselves to our children....We have been asked many times where Jordan goes to school. Everyone has commented to us about the changes in him. We take our hats off to you and above all, please keep up the excellent work you are doing. ______Also, we would like to lift up one of God's Angels, Mrs. Lisa Moore of the Purple Apple class, for her love for the children, great teaching abilities, dedication, and overall great disposition. Mrs. Moore took J. and all the other children into her classroom and into her heart. J. started out somewhat timid and hesitant, but with the tender love and caring of Mrs. Moore, he bloomed right before our very eyes! We feel very confident that as J. enters into the next phase of his education he will succeed because of the great start that he received under the guidance of Mrs. Moore. Words cannot express how truly thankful we are to Mrs. Moore. ______We will see you again in another year. Our next little one will turn two in October. We are excited about our next experience with Happy Apple Academy. L.M. ______Happy Apple Academy (HAA) is a safe, loving environment and deserves recognition for the special way they enrich each child's life. This is a group who truely loves their job. These ladies are a blessing to every life they touch. Their love toward each child is evident. They treat each child as an important individual, watching and loving the differences in each one. HAA children are confident, love school and advanced as they enter Kindergarten. These children are definitely far better off in their lives because of the difference these teachers have made. L.G. ______This is an effort to put into words what Happy Apple Academy has meant to my family. My two children, who are now in elementary school, spent a combined five years attending Happy Apple. Those five years were some of the sweetest years of my life. . . and theirs, as well. ______It was not easy to part with my 2 1/2-year old baby boy on that first day of school. He was born nine weeks premature and suffered from many associated problems at birth. The worst was a brain bleed that was predicted to have done almost certain brain damage and caused learning disabilities in the very least. At two-years-old my son, H., was diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy. I knew, though, that God and enough love could heal H. ______At Happy Apple, H. found lots of Play-Do, crayons, glitter, glue and many, many friends. But most importantly, he found unconditional love. His teacher loved he and every child in his class unabashedly. When H. snuck into an older class to investigate their toys, that teacher welcomed and loved him, too. Every child in every class was loved and made to feel special by every teacher. It wasn't a policy; rather, it was, and is, the school's culture. Starting with the director to the newest teacher, the expectation is to love the child and let learning happen. ______This is not to say that hours and hours of planning and preparation are not put into teaching. I've observed regularly teachers at school three, four, and five hours after the children have left. I've stopped to chat and watch them painstakingly decorate their rooms, decide on lessons, prepare craft projects that will make the children proud of their accomplishments, and write encouraging notes to parents, all while trying to figure out how to make tomorrow better for a child whose father just left on a submarine for three months. This is the kind of love that Happy Apple teaches. ______H. has turned out to be a very bright child with no ill effects from his premature birth. I attribute that primarily to God. Without question, I also realize that God used people. . . genuine loving sacrificing people. There are eight such people at Happy Apple Academy who have dedicated their life to loving every child that walks through their doors. The children come to play, the parents send them to learn, and both the child and the parent leave with a love for school that will carry them through the very last day of the twelvth grade! My family will be ever grateful for Happy Apple Academy. Sincerely, L.C. ______During this holiday season, a season of blessings and giving, I felt compelled to write and thank you for the Happy Apple Academy staff. My family has been blessed to have been a part of Happy Apple since 1995. What a wonderful experience it has been!! ______The Happy Apple Academy staff is an outstanding and rare group of ladies. Their dedication, compassion, and genuineness to our children go well beyond the call of duty. It is obvious that each of these ladies come to work because they love what they do and not because it's their job. I experience a feeling of peace and comfort each time I drop off and pick up my daughter. She looks forward to "school days" and bubbles with excitement as she tells me in detail what they do each day. ______There have been a few staff turnovers since my children have attended Happy Apple. Each time I wonder how another person can step in and continue the same teaching styles that we as parents have become so accustomed to receiving. God continues to provide Happy Apple Academy with teachers that nurture our children, and I am thankful for this. ______My heartfelt thanks to the staff at Happy Apple Academy for playing such an integral part in my children's lives -- socially, educationally, and most importantly spiritually. Sincerely, J.S. Dec 28, 1999 ______Please let me introduce myself as a full-time mother and a licensed Speech-Language Pathologist. As a speech therapist, I am very familiar with child development, especially the areas of language, articulation, and behavior. I am also aware that, theoretically, the best and most available teacher for a child is the parent. However, being a parent and a professional I have experienced both ends of the spectrum. I am aware that the emotional relationship between a parent and a child allows the child to be extremely familiar with the parent's limits (unlike a teacher's) and to learn to manipulate those limits for personal satisfaction. I am also aware that the emotional relationship between a parent and a child can prevent a parent from viewing their child objectively. I was guilty of thinking my child was "normal" in all areas of development. According to developmental checklists he was "normal", but he was on the low end of "normal." I chose to enroll my child in preschool to increase the availability of environmental stimulation that he probably would not receive in the home environment. That is why I am writing this letter. I want to express my overwhelming appreciation for the Happy Apple Academy program. ______I consider myself a 'seasoned Happy Apple parent' as this is my third year with Happy Apple. During those three years I have watched the teachers demonstrate sincere and appropriate teacher-student love. They hold children's hands, wipe their tears, and repeatedly tell each student individually how glad they are to see that student. I know that my child loves attending Happy Apple which I'm sure is directly related to the love-filled environment. ______At the start of my first year with Happy Apple, at age 3 years, my child demonstrated decreased social skills felt to be influenced by decreased pragmatics and expressive language skills. When he demonstrated fear associated with a fire safety presentation, his teacher, Mrs. Johnson, reportedly held him on her lap and comforted him. He experienced activities for the first time such as Play-Do, painting, and gluing. I even observed Mrs. Johnson providing appropriate verbal models to help my child communicate his wants and needs. At the end of the year, I asked my son to assist me in practicing the administering of a language test. Results of that practice test indicated that his total language age was six months higher than his chronological age! ______During my second year with Happy Apple, I was concerned about my child's (now four years old) decreased interest in writing his name. I rarely pushed him to do so because I was already experiencing the "Mom, you don't know anything" syndrome with I thought didn't emerge until the teenage years. When I spoke with his teacher, Mrs. Moore, about this, she was already aware of his resistance and calmed my concerns by reminding me that Happy Apple does not "pressure" or "expect" the children to perform or participate, but they provide "exposure" to different opportunities and activities to encourage a desire to learn. ______Although I am very aware that we should not compare children, we do so anyway to help us determine our child's level of development and behavior. I was again concerned because my child did not seem to retain the alphabet letters as well as his classmates. He also appeared to continue demonstrating decreased social skills for his chronological age. I became reluctant to enroll him into Kindergarten because I did not want him to begin school struggling--and school tends to become more challenging as we get older. Wishing for him to be a productive citizen as an adult, I spoke with Mrs. Stein, Blue Apple teacher and Happy Apple Director, about my thoughts to keep him in preschool one more year. She had resources available for my use to help make this decision. I chose to keep him in preschool one more year, and the results have been overwhelming. ______During this third year and now at the age of five years, I have watched my son bloom. This year he demonstrates significant interest in identifying and printing alphabet letters, their phonemic associations, and frequently asks me to read selected printed words. Also, I recently had the opportunity to observe him interacting with his classmates. He is now seeking playmates rather than avoiding interactions. Seeing these tremendous changes in my son, I can say with confidence that Happy Apple has been the best stepping stone for my son's education. ______Many heartfelt thanks to you, the Happy Apple staff, and the St. Marys United Methodist Church for making this wonderful preschool program available. Sincerely, S. B., Mother Speech/Lanugage Pathologist ______ We are the luckiest church to have Happy Apple Academy! I cannot begin to tell you how special I think the ladies at Happy Apple are. As you know, my son was a purple apple. Although he has gone on to elementary school now, he still speaks fondly of his time at Happy Apple. His baby sister wears his old Purple Apple tee shirt and tells everyone that one day she will be an "apple seed"! Mrs. Stein has been a great influence in my son's life for 2 years now. You should see him light up every time he sees her, or any of his past Happy Apple teachers. It is a comfort to me to know that my children have been blessed by the love and Christian education of the Happy Apple Academy. ______I just wanted to let you know what an excellent job those ladies are doing in teaching the children in our community. They are irreplaceable! Keep up the good work. Sincerely, A. B., Mother December 22, 1999 ______The teachers at Happy Apple Academy are an exceptional group of ladies. The type of love, compassion and concern they show for each child is remarkable. We have been fortunate to have had our daughter enrolled at Happy Apple for the past three years and look forward to our second daughter to begin next year. ______Because these teachers take time with each child it allows the children to feel they are not only a part of a special group but are special individuals. The Christian based, family oriented program along with the wonderful teachers is the foundation for these children. Thank you. S. M., Mother ______Happy Apple Academy was founded in 1981. Since then, it has consistently offered an excellent educational and developmental program. HAA offers 2 and 3 day classes for 2 1/2, 3, and 4 year olds, and a 5 day program for 4 year olds. ______What makes Happy Apple so special? It is our staff. 8 part-time employees devote themselves to providing loving guidance and care to children. We live in a transitional community (due to the Navy Base). Children move frequently, with associated problems and issues. The HAA staff is aware of this, and works to provide safe, welcoming space in which the children can flourish. ______The curriculum is just a part of the program. The main key to our success is the "Happy Apple Attitude" that the staff represents. Happy Apple teachers and staff go out of their way to interact with children and families, to know and respond to needs, and to assist parents in every way possible. ______We have 6 teachers, 1 enrichment teacher, and our gifted secretary. These ladies provide artistic activities (you should be here on Monet Day), field trips, texture experiences (Bubbles and peanut butter are favorites), reading, playtime, and singing. They never sit children down in front of a video--no babysitting here. The day is full of activities to help children grow socially, mentally, and physically. ______St. Marys is home to a naval submarine base. The submarine "community" is rather small, as there are only a few bases where submarines are stationed. We consistently hear from people in Groton, Ct., Bangor, WA, and Norfolk, VA, who have received orders to Kings Bay Naval Base. Asking around in these other locations, they hear about Happy Apple Academy, and want to sign their children up--sometimes a year in advance! Our reputation is spread by moms and dads who recognized the value of our staff and program. ______Field trips and party days are grand family activities. Moms and dads are always encouraged to go with the children on field trips. Party days find entire families here to celebrate with their child. On St. Patrick's Day, the children are surprised to come to school and find "leprechan footprints", green everywhere (even green water in the toilets), and Irish stories. We work to incorporate Kwanzaa and other multicultural events into the calendar and curriculum. ______I am pastor of the church where Happy Apple is located. I am also a Happy Apple parent (my daughter attended Happy Apple for 2 years). I cannot describe how wonderful the experience was for our family. I can tell you that Happy Apple's reputation is excellent. I can tell you there is always a waiting list to get in. I can tell you how the school works with parents who may not be able to afford tuition, to enable children to attend. I can tell you how the staff takes yearly pediatric CPR training, works on sanitation/cleanliness issues, and strives to provide safe space for children. ______But mainly, I want to say how wonderful the Happy Apple staff is. Ginna Stein (director), Melonie, Cathy, Karla, Lisa, Laurie, Paula, and Sheryl are the keys to making Happy Apple Academy such a special place. It is their own commitment to developing children that drives our program to excellence. It is their own desire to make a difference in th lives of children that keeps them here far past their "part-time" hours. It is their own wish to make memories special that leads them to plan field trips, painting days, and to work for weeks on the annual "memory books" that each child gets (my 2nd grade daughter still enjoys reading through her two memory books from her two years at Happy Apple). Dr. Derek McAleer, Pastor |
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