SPARK
SPARK Overview
What is SPARK?
Interactive program for families of pre-school age children.
Activities such as story time, motor lab, arts & crafts, cooking with kids & community events.
Must live within Humble Independent School District.
Activities are structured developmentally for our pre-school population.
Activities are planned & facilitated by certified Humble ISD teachers.
Best of all, these activities are provided FREE of charge!
Qualifications:
SPARK is available to ALL children within the age range of 3 - 5 years (cannot be five by September 1st of the current school year, or they are eligible for kindergarten.)
An adult (parent, grandparent, caretaker, etc.) must attend, and remain with their student the entire session.
Location, Dates & Times:
YOU MUST HAVE A RESERVATION TO ATTEND ALL EVENTS.
Para poder asistir a los acontecimientos, necesita una reservation.
Activities & events are offered 3 days per week at the Early Childhood Center, located at 8105 N. Belt Dr., Humble, Texas 77396.
PLEASE ONLY ENTER THE BUILDING THROUGH THE OFFICE.
For more details in regards to where to go on your 1st day -
Click on 'arrival & dismissal procedures' at the top of this page.
Sessions are available on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays only.
SPARK Schedule and times for the 2024-2025 school year are listed below:
Tuesdays: 2 classes offered @ 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Wednesdays: 2 classes offered @ 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Thursdays: 2 classes offered @ 9:00 a.m. & 11:00 a.m.
Directions for Registration
First Step - please read the statement below!!!
Email Lori Gregory to be added to the SPARK email group, so you can receive all updates in regard to SPARK.
If you miss the step above you will be VERY out of the loop!!
Please follow the steps below to register and create an online account:
Once the page is open, you will see a calendar page, click on "Log In" in the top right-hand corner.
Choose the square in the middle of the page that says NEW USER.
PLEASE make certain to use your student's name in the first & last name boxes - NOT THE PARENT NAME!!!
We will use this to create a roster each day, so we don't want the parent name popping up.
If you have two children who are age appropriate, and attending SPARK, add both students names in the first name box.
Continue to fill in the information needed, then click on register to complete the process.
Your email is your login & you create your own password, write these down, we do not have access to them - so please do not make them so long and complicated you cannot remember them!Once you complete this process, log out & log back in to make sure you have access to your account. This is considered the "registration process" for SPARK!
When making reservations it is VERY IMPORTANT to select only one type of event/category at a time (example: arts/crafts, story time & art, messy fun, etc...) by checking the box next to that event).
* DO NOT CHECK EVERY BOX OR YOU WILL NOT SEE ANY EVENTS AT ALL - check 1 box at a time, then look for that event.*
Parent Classroom Expectations
Please be on time for SPARK classroom events & planned community activities.
As much as possible, please refrain from using cell phones (talking or texting) during our SPARK classroom activities.
Please be seated or located near your child during our classroom events, and always help to keep the background noise to a minimum.
This includes parent conversations and socializing --- Your child's education is our priority!
Encourage your child to be independent with their work, but provide assistance to them when needed.
Only redirect or discipline your own child, and no one else’s.
Please do not bring toys from home with you to SPARK.
This can be very distracting to your child, as well as others.
Be respectful of one another. Every child is different, and each child has different needs --- this should always be both appreciated and respected.
Please DO NOT allow your child to eat during SPARK classes. Since class is only 90 minutes or less, students should hopefully be able to attend without eating during this time period. You are always welcome to bring water bottles or thermoses for them if you need to.
In regard to younger siblings:
If you bring snacks for them to eat in order to keep them happy... please do not allow them to eat all over the classroom. We have found crumbs & pieces of food in the strangest places! :)
If you are in attendance with a younger sibling… please remember to keep them from interfering with the learning process as much as possible by:
Not allowing them to walk through the circle during instructional time.
Not allowing them to sit in chairs designated for the SPARK students or parents.
If the sibling becomes restless or becomes a distraction- please step out of the room momentarily to avoid distracting the entire group.
Please have high, yet realistic expectations for your child’s learning. The classroom will consist of 3-, 4- & 5-year-old students; therefore, many of the children are at different developmental stages academically & socially.
Actively participate with your child & have FUN :)
Early Childhood Center Arrival & Dismissal Procedures
You must park in the parking lot, on the left side of the Early Childhood Center
Enter through the front office door #1 and sign in.
Please do not arrive too early for classes because we cannot pick up our families from the front hallway until class time.
Please DO NOT attempt to enter the building anywhere other than through DOOR #1 - EVERY PARENT WILL ENTER AND LEAVE THROUGH DOOR #1!
In order to enter the building, each adult will need to go through the security process that is used when entering any and all Humble ISD campuses or buildings. Each adult will need to bring a state drivers license or state id to be scanned through a system called 'raptor' - if you do not have a license or state id, a passport may also be used and entered manually into that system. Once you are scanned and cleared, you will not need to do this every time you arrive... we will print out and create name tags once you have been cleared, and will provide these for you to wear while in the building.
If you need to remove your child from the classroom for any reason, or decide to exit the building during class… you must be escorted through the building and leave through door #1, and walk back to your car the same way you arrived.
If your child becomes too loud or disruptive in the hallway, you may want to step outside of the school building to regroup and then re-enter after your child has settled (this will allow all the classrooms surrounding ours to continue without disruptions).
Our classroom is located inside the Early Childhood Center building. For this reason, there are various rules and regulations that we must follow as a group:
While in the building - You must always stay as a group in the hallways, and throughout the entire school building.
Keep our talking & our voices in the hallways to a minimum.
Use the adult restroom facilities for yourself and your child within the building. No adults are allowed in the student restrooms at any time.
Cancellation Procedure & Guidelines
Please make a habit of checking your personal e-mails (for SPARK updates or changes), prior to attending our SPARK event each day. Especially on dates & activities such as field trips or outdoor events. For example we could incur things such as, bad weather, school closings, or changes in venue. This would be very rare, but your e-mail is the first place to check.
Cancellation Procedure:
The deadline to cancel & not receive a strike is 7:00 a.m. on the day of your scheduled class/event.
Any cancellations after 7:00 a.m. is considered a late cancel, no exceptions.
Please DO NOT call or e-mail SPARK personnel to cancel a class. All cancellations must be completed online through our scheduling website
We have a “3 strikes & you’re out” for a month policy, beginning on the date that your 3rd strike occurs. For example: If you receive your 3rd strike on October 13th – you will not be eligible for reservations until after November 13th.
You will receive a ‘strike’ each time you cancel ‘last minute’ for an event.
The 'appointy.com' keeps track of the date & time the cancellation occurs & for this reason, these procedures must be followed exactly.
We realize, because we are also parents/guardians, sometimes there will be unavoidable circumstances such as illnesses, emergencies, etc…. This is the reason each family is given 3 strikes per semester before they are dropped from the program for one month (1st semester runs from September – December; 2nd semester runs from January – May.)
Explanation of Classroom Activities
All classroom sessions will include “circle time”… which involves- calendar, music, pledge of allegiance, letter of the week & story time each day.
All activities are thematic based & the weekly themes are listed on all monthly activity calendars.
We prepare only enough materials for the number of children registered for each class, & for this reason… ALL materials (crafts, papers, etc.) are for registered SPARK students only, not for siblings --- older or younger.
Story Time & Art: we provide 2 – 3 stories, at least one craft, and will also include circle time, and music & movement.
Cooking with Kids: Creative cooking activities based on our thematic units. Following directions, labeling ingredients, enhancing receptive language skills, which in turn, leads to language development.
Arts & Crafts: our emphasis is more on crafts, and we will provide at least 2 arts & crafts projects, and will include circle and music & movement.
Messy Fun: we provide a craft project that is usually ‘messier’ or more involved and will include circle and music & movement.
Motor Lab: All about gross motor skills on these days. Activities to include music and movement, parachute, (in class) bowling, bean bag toss, scooter boards, hopscotch, relay events, & seasonal activities.