Wow! We can’t believe it is October already! Our first month went extremely well, and the children and staff have settled in nicely with the routine and each other.
Pick Up Times
With the cold weather approaching, it will take staff more time to help get your child dressed to go home. We are asking those parents in the Monday/Wednesday morning class to please arrive at the playschool at 11:05am for pickup. We would like the parents in the Monday/Wednesday afternoon class to arrive at the playschool at 3:20pm. For those of you with children in the Tuesday/Thursday morning class, please arrive at the playschool at 11:20am. And for the parents of children in the Tuesday/Thursday afternoon class, please arrive at the playschool at 3:20pm.
This will help us out immensely as we have a limited amount of time to clean, and get the room ready for the next class. Thank you so much for your understanding !!
October Themes
Thanksgiving
Halloween
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 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, where attendance is taken. 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 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 costume. We will be recording the parade of costumes and then posting the parades of each class on our Facebook page. If you would like to come and watch the parade of your child, please come 15 minutes before the end of each class. 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.
October 4 – Picture Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 5 – Picture Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 9 – No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 10 – No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 10 - Playschool Board Meeting 7pm
October 12 - Davison Apple delivery - pick up at 3pm
October 17 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to both classes
October 23 – Monday/Wednesday classes wear Halloween themed or black shirts
October 24 – Tuesday/Thursday classes wear Halloween themed or black shirts
October 30 – Halloween Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 31 – Halloween Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
School Pictures
On October 4th and 5th, Renee will be coming to take class and individual pictures. Please ensure your form and funds are in by October 2nd. Any child who does not have a form, will not be included.
Table Time
The four year old’s will be using the Handwriting Without Tears Program and will be practicing the language used to start them writing their letters. We will be starting with some work sheets, then moving on to the letters L, I, and F. The activities used in this program allow for many skills to start developing. The children will be learning to use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for numbers. At the same time, we will be working on holding a crayon with proper grip to write, and using our helping hand to stabilize objects and paper. The children will also be encouraged to use the same hand they started the task with, and then use that hand consistently to hold their crayons.
The curriculum for kindergarten has been revamped, and the expectations have increased in terms of what the children need to know by the end of their kindergarten year. For example, the children are expected to identify 100 sight words by the end of their kindergarten year. I feel it is important for the children to be exposed to these words before attending kindergarten. Therefore, I have chosen 22 sight words to teach the four year old’s throughout the playschool year. Please don’t expect your child to know these words, as reading is a slowly developed skill. However, I strongly believe that repetition and exposure of these words will help your child feel more confident in learning their sight words going forward into kindergarten.
The three year old’s will be participating in activities which will allow them to practice their fine motor skills. They will be introduced to crayons, tweezers, tongs, and clothes pins to help them develop the muscles needed to begin their pre-printing activities. They will also be working on the colors purple, blue, and orange. These activities will be done in small groups every Monday and Wednesday.
For this month we are seeking:
Empty paper towel rolls
Empty toilet paper rolls
Small jingle bells
Metal lids from small jars
Board of Directors
Thank you to those who joined us at our AGM.
The 2023/2024 Board of Directors:
Chair - Darien Arthur
Vice Chair - Brenda Mihalicz
Secretary - Vacant
Fundraising - Courtney Reid
Class Rep - Ashleigh Aikman-Holland
Member at large - Danielle Hogg
The board is still looking for a volunteer to fill the secretary position. This would include meeting monthly and taking the minutes at the meeting. If you are interested or have questions, please email cartairsplayschool@gmail.com