Wow! I can’t believe it is October already! Our first month went extremely well, and the children and staff have been settling 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. After that one week will be spent on Dinosaurs and we will end the month with Halloween. We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that are theme based.
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 Monday/Wednesday classes
October 2 – Fire Drill for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 3 – Picture Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 4 – Picture Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 8– No school - Thanksgiving holiday
October 9 – No school - Thanksgiving holiday
October 11 – Field Trips to Co-Op for Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 15 – Field Trips to Co-Op for Monday/Wednesday classes
October 16 – Mrs. Marg comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday morning class
October 17 – Mrs. Marg comes to read to the Monday/Wednesday afternoon class
October 18 – Mrs. Marg comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday afternoon class
October 31 – Halloween Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes
November 1 – 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 then will sing some songs. Parents and siblings are more than welcome to come join us 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 so as to (hopefully) avoid over – excitement. However, we will be including several games and activities that will be related to the Halloween theme.
Field Trip to Co-Op
Each year our local Westview Co-Op invites the Carstairs Playschool to their store. The children will be walking down and enjoying a tour of the various departments. They will enjoy samples and then get the opportunity to scan items through the tills. Please ensure you have returned a signed Off-Site Premise form. If this form is not received your child will not be able to join the group.
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 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.
More information about Speech Awareness be found under the Resources tab of this website.
This month I would be grateful for:
Craft feathers
Black construction paper
Scholastic Orders
There will be many scholastic orders available to you throughout the playschool year, however you are not obligated to purchase books. These order forms will always be put in your child’s cubby. All orders must be paid by cheque – NO CASH please.
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.
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 information regarding your child receiving a library card (those in the 4 year old program) so that Mrs. Marg is aware of how many she needs to prepare and for whom.
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 Lorraine, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.
Danielle