Wow! I can’t believe it is October already! Our first month went extremely well, and the children and teachers have settled in nicely with the routine and each other.
Themes
The themes that we will be working on this month are Thanksgiving, which will take place up until our Thanksgiving break, and Halloween, which we will focus on throughout the rest of October. We will be reading stories and participating in discussions that are theme – related. The children will be making crafts and participating in activities that will be based on each individual theme.
Dates to Remember
October 2 – Fire Drill for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 3 – Fire Drill for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 9 – No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 10 – No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 17 – Marg from the library comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday morning 4 year old class
October 18 – Marg from the library comes to read to the Monday/Wednesday afternoon 4 year old class
October 19 – Marg from the library comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday afternoon 4 year old class
October 30 – Halloween Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 31 – Halloween Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
Fire Drills
Each playschool class will be participating in three separate fire drills throughout the year. We feel it is important for the staff and children practice these drills so that we are properly prepared to leave the premises if an emergency arises. During these drills, the teacher will explain the procedure to the students and then both the teachers and the educational assistants will follow the protocol in evacuating the children. We will be lining them up in the classroom. We will then walk with each class to The Legion parking lot. We will then count the children. Once all are accounted for, the group will walk back to the playschool and continue with our regular program. If a real emergency does occur, parents will be contacted as soon as possible and at that time you will be told to pick up your child at The Legion parking lot.
Halloween Parties
Each playschool class will be having a Halloween party. The children can wear their costumes and we will have fun and games for the day. The last 15 minutes of each class, the children will parade around the classroom in their costumes and will then sing some songs. Parents and siblings are more than welcome to come, watch the parade and hear the children sing during this time. We would like the children to bring their regular snacks to the Halloween Party. For each Halloween party, we are planning on loosely following the regular routine, as to (hopefully) avoid over excitement. However, we will be including several games and activities that will be related to the Halloween theme.
Parent Craft List
The parent craft list is posted in the Parent Corner. I intend to have each craft template ready before the beginning of each month. Those who have crafts due in October may pick up their templates now.
The following parents have their craft due this month:
Meaghan/Tyler Fenton Due October 16
Jenaka Down Due October 16
Caressa Menard/Michael Deibert Due October 23
Tanya Fike/Sikander Hayat Due October 23
Anika/Mark Davis Due October 23
Cassandra/Richard Herbert Due October 23
Kelsey/Tony Amy Due October 30
Jennifer/Mark Friesen Due October 30
Speech Screening
The Carstairs Playschool Society feels it is important that we use all our available resources to prepare the children for kindergarten, and life in general. We feel that language, speech, and articulation are important aspects to a child, as they must have communication skills in everything and everywhere they go. I will be using a speech screening checklist which I will be filling out for the children during class time.
If I hear that certain sounds or letters are missing, or if I can’t hear a word clearly, I will be recommending that parents get in touch with Garth Schindel, the speech therapist in Didsbury. We believe it is important to target these speech and language difficulties at a young age. We also feel that if a child gets the help they need, they will be much more confident and sure of themselves in every aspect of their life, especially in going forward onto kindergarten and beyond.
Pick Up
We are asking that you please plan to be at the playschool five minutes prior to your child’s scheduled pick-up time, as this will help us to run our programs more smoothly. If you are going to be late, please call us at (403) 816-1481. Many children start to panic if they do not see his/her parent coming in the door with the other parents.
Scholastic Orders
There will be many scholastic orders available to you throughout the playschool year, however you are not obligated to buy any books. All orders must be paid by cheque – NO CASH please.
NSF Cheques
Please refer to the Carstairs Playschool Society Handbook regarding the policy on NSF cheques. The handbook is available under the Resources tab.
Reminders
Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring snacks in a lunch kit and please label all containers as we have a few juice cups that are the same.
Please sign and bring back all forms that were given out at the beginning of September. There is a drop off bin on the wall by the office door.
Lastly, the class visitation lists can be found in each sign in binder. Please feel free to sign up to visit our classroom after the Thanksgiving break.
If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Lorraine, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at (403) 816 1481.
Danielle