The themes for February are:
Health & Nutrition
Valentine's Day
Emotions
Family
Valentine's Party & Cards
Each playschool class will be having their own Valentine’s party. We are planning on following the regular classroom routine, however we will be including a few different games and activities which will be related to the Valentine’s Day theme. We will be supplying a small treat for the children but we would still like the children to bring their regular snacks on the day of the party.
At the party, the children will be handing out their Valentine cards to each of their friends. We would really appreciate it if you DO NOT write each child’s name on each Valentine card. We have found in the past years, that it takes a very long time to hand out the cards and the children get very restless waiting for their turn. If you could just write who the card is from, both Michelle and I will be very grateful!! If you do choose to give out Valentine cards, please give one to each child in the class so as to avoid hurt feelings. Please bring your child’s Valentine cards to the playschool the week of February 7 – 10. The cards will stay in quarantine at the playschool until each child’s Valentine’s party.
Monday/Wednesday AM - 12 students
Monday/Wednesday PM - 21 students
Tuesday/Thursday AM - 21 students
Tuesday/Thursday PM - 19 students
IMPORTANT DATES TO REMEMBER
February 1st - No school for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
February 14th - Valentine’s Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes
February 14th - Wear red for the Monday/Wednesday classes
February 15th - Valentine’s Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
February 15th - Wear red for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
February 15th - Carstairs Playschool Board Meeting at the playschool - 7pm
February 21st - No school because of the Family Day holiday
February 22nd - No school because of the Family Day holiday
February 23rd - No school because of the winter break
February 24th - No school because of the winter break
February 28th- Pink shirt day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 1st - Pink shirt day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
Anti-Bullying Day
The annual Pink Shirt Anti-Bullying Day is on Wednesday, February 23rd. We feel it is important to join the nation in teaching the children how not to be a bully. We will be observing anti-bullying day on Wednesday, Monday, February 28th and Thursday, March 1st, and we are asking the children to wear pink on those days to support this great message.
Cold Weather Clothing Tips
Michelle and I help the children get dressed to leave for the day, and we are having difficulties with some children struggling to put on their gloves. We highly recommend the children wear mittens, not finger gloves. Many children who bring finger gloves to school have difficulty with putting their fingers where they need to go, which takes the teachers a longer time to get the children ready. We also want to remind families that there are to be no backpacks at playschool. This is to help eliminate spreading germs.
We have also noticed some of the children’s shoes are getting a little snug. We will be letting the families know if your child is growing out of their indoor shoes. We would really appreciate it if you could replace your child’s shoes with either Velcro or slip-on shoes. This will help your child become more independent in putting their own shoes on, which in turn helps them with kindergarten readiness.
Table Time
This month the three year olds will be working on the diamond, and oval, and then we will be starting to work on holding our pencils correctly in order to start the first section of the Handwriting Without Tears program which involves tracing straight lines and following directions.
This month the four year olds will be working on letters T, I , U, C, O, Q, and we will reserve one day to practice writing names. Practicing these letters will help the children learn to use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for letters, while holding a crayon with proper pencil grip and using their helper hand to help stabilize objects and paper.
Child Care Subsidy and Affordability Funding
Please ensure you have thoroughly read the email that came out on January 23rd regarding Child Care Subsidy and Affordability Funding. If you have any questions, please reach out Gail at carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.
Hiring
The Carstairs Playschool Society is seeking a part-time employee to help with Monday Wednesday afternoon program and possibly some Fridays. This would be for the remainder of this year, with the possibility of returning in September. Candide's are required to complete a Child Care Level 1 certification within three months of hire date. Please forward qualifications to carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.