The Savvy Apple Preschool

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These little ladies won’t be going on to kindergarten just yet but have completed a year in our Big Sprouts classroom. Our “Rising Leaders” will show the new Big Sprouts how it’s done next year. ❤️

These Saplings are graduating tomorrow as well. 🥹💗

Graduation is tomorrow. Excuse me while I go cry. 😭 🥹💗

Meeting at Pure Cafe and Bakeshop to write haikus for all our graduates! {Highly recommend this new local business - super delicious coffee with great ingredients. Amazing service, too!}

The tradition of writing haikus for each of our graduating Big Sprouts and Saplings came from my own preschool experience. Waaaay back when I graduated from a Montessori preschool, they wrote haikus for each child before they moved on to kindergarten. At the end of each school year, we get together as a group to talk about each child - their talents, their likes, their characteristics, and their qualities that make them unique - and we shape those into a haiku tailored just for them. My own mentioned that I was a “snazzy dancer”, and it’s so special to now creatively describe the fun and wonderful qualities of my students. 💗

It was such great fun celebrating our teachers during Teacher Appreciation Week! Thank you to all our amazing parents who helped make this happen for our teachers and who brought in special meals, treats, and gifts. They felt so loved and appreciated this week!

BOLO

Our BEST IN THE WEST Teacher Appreciation Week is off to a fun start! 🤠

At our staff meeting tonight, we discussed another one of our Core Beliefs: FOOD!

I sent our teachers on an egg hunt, and they all became EGGS-perts 😏 on topics related to food and dining at The Savvy Apple. 🍎 They shared their knowledge with the group, and we had some discussion. To wrap up the evening, we hid over 700 eggs for our Egg Hunt at school tomorrow! 🤩 🐰 🥚

I’m a sucker for a good tradition and a great story. I can’t even remember the story of how Savvy Apple Easter pictures started, but I know that after the first year, it was clear it had to happen every year. Parents loved them, and it’s my way of doing something special and a little unexpected as a gift to them.

Every year, I try to top the last. Sometimes I feel like I do. Sometimes I feel like I fall short. But every year, I grab some things from my own home to use as props (and it often includes some sort of seating), and I get to work setting up a little photo shoot. With our teachers help, I get all the {willing} children rotated in. I do all sorts of crazy things to try to get them to smile. Often they do. Sometimes they stick out their tongue or, when I’m talking to them, they make a funny expression (those are my favorites!). After I snap as many as it takes of each child, I go through each photo, pick my favorites, and edit them all. Finally, I send them out to parents on Brightwheel (our app), and my heart is full. 💗

Round two of 2026 Easter pictures is tomorrow for those I didn’t get today!

Dr. Valerie welcomes pediatric patients for functional medicine care, focusing on identifying the root causes that may be affecting a child’s health and development. Rather than simply masking symptoms, this approach looks at nutrition, environment, gut health, nervous system balance, and lifestyle factors that influence how a child grows and thrives.

Dr. Valerie has worked with children experiencing:
• Digestive challenges
• Behavioral and focus concerns
• Skin conditions such as eczema
• Mold exposure and environmental sensitivities

Every child is unique, and care plans are designed to support their body’s natural ability to heal and regulate.

If you’re looking for a deeper, root-cause approach to your child’s health, functional medicine may be a great option. 🌱

📞 Call our office to learn more about pediatric functional medicine appointments.