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 Dinosaurs, which we will discuss for one week, Thanksgiving, we will discuss up until our Thanksgiving break, and then we will focus on Halloween 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.
Fire Drills
Each playschool class will be participating in three separate fire drills throughout the year. We feel it is important that the staff and children practice these drills so that we are properly prepared in the event of an emergency. During these drills, I will explain the procedure to the students and then all staff will follow the protocol in evacuating the children. The children will be lined up in the classroom. We will then walk with each class to The Legion parking lot. Once safely in the parking lot, we will the count the children. Once all are accounted for, we will all 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. At that time, you will be told to pick up your child at The Legion parking lot.
Picture Day
We have been so happy with Simply Unique that we have asked Renee to do our school photos again this year. The form detailing package options is attached below. Please ensure you have exact cash and if paying by cheque, made payable to Renee Hunt. Editing will take a few weeks. An update will be posted on our Facebook page once all links have been sent out to ensure everyone has received theirs.
October 1 – Fire Drill for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 2 – Picture Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 3 – Picture Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 3 – Davison Orchard Apple Fundraiser Due
October 14 – No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 15– No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 16 – Marg from the library comes to read to the Monday/Wednesday 4 year old class
October 17 – 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
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 and watch the parade and hear the children sing at 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 so as to hopefully, avoid over excitement. However, we will be including several games and activities that will be related to the Halloween theme.
Speech Screening
We, at the Carstairs Playschool, feel 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 I may be concerned about 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 up 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 before 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, as many children start to panic if they do not see his/her parent coming in the door with the other parents. Please refer to the Carstairs Playschool Society Parent Handbook regarding Late Pick Up fees.
Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations. Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can. We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for. As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming. Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.
The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.
This month, I would be grateful for:
Small jingle bells
Black poster paper
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.
Please return your child’s library card information sheet, 4 year old classes only. Ms. Marg needs them to prepare the library cards.
Lastly, the class visitation lists are ready to go and will be posted on the bulletin board in the front entrance. 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 Michelle, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.
Danielle