Sunshine Park Preschool – September 2011

Sunday	Monday	Tuesday	Wednesday	Thursday	Friday	Saturday
Class Times: AM: 9-11:15am PM: 12:45-3pm	Color of the Week: Try to wear the color to school at least once during the week.	Name on Calendar: Special Helper & Show N’ Tell Bring in something that starts with the letter of the week or  color of the week	Orientation (staggered entry) 1hr with parents/guardian 1.25hrs without	1 NO SCHOOL	2 NO SCHOOL	3
4 Theme: All about preschool.	5 NO SCHOOL	6 First day of school/orientation for group #1 Handprints	7 First day of school/orientation for group #1 Handprints	8 First day of school/orientation for group #2 Handprints	9 First day of school/orientation for group #2 Handprints	10
11 Theme: Leaves Letter: L Color: Green	12 AM: Tristan PM: Jack Different types of leaves	13 AM: Chazz PM: Cash Different types of leaves	14 AM: Emily PM: Sarah Painting with green.	15 AM: Riley PM: Brady Leaf collage	16 AM: Ryder PM: Alex Leaf collage	17
18 Theme: Season of fall Letter: F Color: Yellow	19 AM: Katie PM: Gage Fall Wreath	20 AM: Georgia PM: Mya Fall Wreath	21 Fall Walk & Exploration Outdoors	22 Fall Walk & Exploration Outdoors	23 NO SCHOOL	24
25 Theme: On the farm Letter: E Color: Brown	26 AM: Aisia PM: Tyler Animals on the farm	27 AM: Maxwell PM: Cyra Animals on the farm	28 AM: Taiven PM: Isabelle B. Baby chick	29 AM: Thomas PM: Stefanie Cow puppet	30 AM: Ava PM: Liam Cow puppet

Hello preschoolers and parents/guardians! Welcome to Sunshine Park Preschool! I hope all of you are having a relaxing summer. Soon we will all meet and start getting to know each other. We have a very fun year planned out! Remember to color and bring your “Welcome to Preschool” picture to your first day of school to show everyone!

September is a month of orientation – a time of newness and busy activity as children explore their new surroundings and make new friends. We will be focusing on letters (L, F, E), colors (green, yellow, brown,), all about preschool, first names, leaves/fall and farm. We will be doing crafts that introduce children to coloring, printing, gluing, collages, and painting.

• MWF AM Class – 9am-11:15am – Teachers Mrs. Tracy From, Mrs. Laurna Kitt, Mrs. Ghislaine deNier
• MWF PM Class – 12:45pm-3pm– Teachers Mrs. Ghislaine deNier, Ms. Heather Weiss, Mrs. Dorothy Fung
• TT AM Class – 9am-11:15am– Teachers Mrs. Ghislaine deNier, Mrs. Tamara VonKuster, Ms. Heather Weiss
• TT PM Class – 12:45pm-3pm – Teachers Mrs. Ghislaine deNier, Mrs. Tamara VonKuster, Mrs. Dorothy Fung

Orientation Week (September 6^th to 9^th): Staggered entry – each class will be divided into 2 groups – group #1 will come on September 6^th or 7^th; group #2 will come on September 8^th or 9^th. The first hour will be with parents/guardians, followed by 1.25 hours without parents/guardians. If possible, please arrange child care for younger siblings and let this day be about you and your preschooler. If a parent is unable to attend, please arrange another person (grandma, uncle etc) to go in your place.

First full day of school with both groups and without parents/guardians will be Monday September 12^th or Tuesday September 13^th.

FEES: September fee is due at your orientation day as well as all post dated monthly cheques until June. Thank you.

Snacks: Due to a tremendous increase in food allergies and special diets, we will not be providing snacks.

• Preschoolers will be asked to pack a snack with 2 food options and a spill proof water bottle (filled with either water/juice/milk) – please note that all snacks must be nut-free, small servings (this is not a lunch), and easy for them to open and eat successfully on their own. Utensils must be packed for them to eat their yogurt/pudding etc.
  • Please NO JUICE BOXES
  • ALL SNACKS MUST BE NUT-FREE
  • Examples – grapes with a yogurt or crackers and cheese or rice crispy and raisins
  • Remember only 2 snacks plus a filled spill proof water bottle

Birthdays – you will be asked at the start of the month if you would like to bring something special in for snack time for your child’s birthday. Snacks MUST be store bought only and NUT FREE. Please NO CUPCAKES, CAKES, or ICECREAM – these are very messy for the kids and our preschool. Birthday snack options include items that are packaged and are easy for your preschooler to pass out to their friends – rice crispies, bear paws, wagon wheels, cookies etc. Children will have the option to choose the birthday snack or just to eat their own snack they brought from home. Summer birthdays will be celebrated in January and February on their half-birthdays.

What to bring: your preschooler should bring the following each day in their backpacks

• Change of clothes in a Ziploc bag – pants, shirt, socks and underwear.
• Indoor shoes
• Snack bag with 2 small snacks and a spill proof water bottle

Please help us keep our preschool clean – no soiled outside shoes (please remove and leave by the front door – parents included), have children wear indoor shoes, and please no coffee, as spills may occur and for a safety precaution.

Daily drop-off routine:

• Doors will be open 5min to the start of class. Please sign in your preschooler, help them find their name/hang up their jackets/bags and to put on their indoor shoes.  Snacks/water bottles should be placed under their jackets on the floor.
• The first 10min of class is a time set aside for you and your preschooler to do quiet activities, to help them settle in and become focused. Parents/guardians are not required to stay however it is encouraged to spend this time with them – coloring, puzzles, books, or activities set up on tables are the areas we would like them to choose during this time. Please stick to these activities only as toys/kitchen center are for later – this goes for younger siblings too.
• Parent goodbyes will occur before each circle time. Circle time starts 5-10min into class and is a time for preschoolers only. This will include show n’tell, special helper, birthdays, letters, singing, calendar and weather. Tears may happen for the first few classes and is totally normal – they are fine within a few minutes of you leaving.

Dismissal from class: Parents are to pick up crafts/newsletters on the drying rack outside the door and wait outside the classroom on the benches or against the wall up the ramp. Students will be released one at a time, to parents first sitting on the bench followed by those standing up the ramp.

• If you know you will be late – please call the school before dismissal time.

Questions/concerns: If you have any questions/concerns about preschool or your preschooler, please address a teacher BEFORE class starts. You are also welcome to email info@sunshineparkpreschool.com or call the preschool during non-class hours to discuss any issues. If it requires a more in depth discussion, an appointment will be set up outside of classroom hours for the teachers/parents to meet.

Parent volunteers – we would love for you to come into the classroom and help out when you can. September is a busy month, a time for new routines to be put in place. Volunteers are asked to pick dates in advance with the teacher, starting in October. Please let the teacher know if you have anything special you would like to do on your visit – career (police, firefighter, dental hygienist etc), holiday activity etc.

Sickness – Please help stop the spread of illness in our classroom – Please keep your child at home if your child is sick. Symptoms – yellow/green mucus, vomiting, fever, diarrhea, pink eye, mucusy or croupy cough (just to name a few). Please phone the school before the start of class (leave a message if no one answers) if your child is staying at home sick. 780-467-2661. You will be contacted to pick up your child if your child has any of the above symptoms.

Monthly Calendars – will be handed out during the last week of the previous month and will also be posted on the website www.sunshineparkpreshool.com and on the bulletin board by the coats.

Show N’ Tell/Special Day: Please note the attached calendar of our scheduled activities for September and your child’s show n’ tell day (may be in September, October or November). Show n’ tell for the next few months is to bring in something that is the color of the week or that starts with the letter of the week. This can be a toy (please no noise making toys), stuffed animal, book, picture (coloured or hand drawn) etc.

• Name on calendar – will also be special helper for circle time, first in line to wash hands before snack, first to leave at the end of the day, and take home the classroom book. Classroom book must be returned for the following class so that the next student can have their turn.

Yearly Calendar: Sunshine Park Preschool runs from September to June inclusive. The preschool calendar follows both the Elk Island Public and Catholic school calendars with days off of school. Number of instructional days will remain the same despite the number of holidays and days off.

• Tuesday/Thursday Programs – instructional days between 70-75 days per school year. For the 2011-2012 school year = 73 days.
• Monday/Wednesday/Friday Programs – instructional days between 95-100 days per school year. For the 2011-2012 school year = 98 days.

Other information regarding our philosophy, discipline policy, emergency evacuations, extreme weather, medication procedures etc. can be found on the website under Parent Handbook.

We are all looking forward to meeting your preschooler and your family!

The staff at Sunshine Park Preschool