Carstairs Playschool Fall Fundraiser!

For our first fundraising campaign of the 2018 2019 school year, we will be selling Pre-Portion Cookie Dough Boxes from In-Dey-Go Fundraising Co. and Davison Orchards apples.

In-Dey-Go is based out of Canmore and all cookie dough is made in a peanut free facility. Their products can be thawed and refrozen; each box gives you 48 cookies.  There are 10 standard flavors to choose from.

Davison Orchards Country Village is located in Vernon, BC.  The apples come in 15lb boxes and you will have three options available, Ambrosia, Gala or Okanagan Blend, which is a mixture of the two.  These apples are hand picked after receiving the order to ensure freshness. 

For every regular box of cookie dough sold $4.50 will go to the playschool and for every case of apples sold, the playschool will receive $9.06.  All forms and funds, cash or cheque are to be payable to the Carstairs Playschool Society.Forms must be returned to the playschool by 3:30pm Thursday, October 11th.  Delivery for Davison Orchards will be October 23rd.In-Dey-Go delivery is expected 1-2 weeks after receiving the order.Notification will be sent out confirming both delivery times and pick up locations. More information regarding pick-up will come.

Forms will be at the playschool on Monday, October 1st.

October 2018 Newsleter

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

Simply Unique

ALL ARE WELCOME TO ATTEND!

More information on the Board of Director positions can be found under the "About Us" tab.  

September 2018 News

Welcome to the Carstairs Playschool!  We hope you had a wonderful summer!

Themes

Every month the class focuses on several themes.  This month the themes will be “All About Me”, “Friendship”, and “Fairy Tales”.  We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that will be based on each individual theme.

Donations

In previous years, the Carstairs Playschool Society has asked for parents to help in prepping our craft activities.  Over the years, we have accumulated a stock pile of templates and cutouts.  This year the Carstairs Playschool Society is asking for small donations of specific materials, mainly craft supplies, instead.  Each month I will be creating a list of craft materials that we may need.  This month, I would be grateful for:

• Sequins
• Pony Beads

Parents are not obligated to donate items, however, it is very much appreciated if you can. 

Classroom Visits

Parents are more than welcome to volunteer in their child’s class.  I do however, request that these visits start after the Thanksgiving holiday.  This is to give staff and students time to get familiar with each other and the routine.  There will be a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the boot room, starting October 9, 2018, for those of you who would like to volunteer.

Library Cards

Miss Marg, from the Carstairs Public Library, will be coming to the playschool to read to the 4-year-old classes, starting in October.  She is very happy to announce that she will be bringing some library books to the playschool each month for the children to sign out and bring home.  The necessary forms required will be sent home with your child during the first week of school.  These forms will enable your child to have their own library card!  If your family already has a library card, please send the form back indicating that this, so Miss Marg is aware of how many books to bring to each visit.  The dates of Miss Marg’s visits, and the book exchange dates, will be in each monthly newsletter. 

Show and Share

For those families who are new to the playschool, and to refresh those families returning, I wanted to explain a little bit about show and share.  Every day, two students from each class will bring something from home that they are willing to show and pass around to each child in the circle.  Your child can bring whatever they want for show and share, however we do request that they bring just one item.  This is so that each child has a sufficient amount of time to discuss their special object.  It is labeled on each monthly calendar when it is your child’s turn to bring show and share.  If your child is sick on his/her show and share day, he/she is more than welcome to bring their show and share item the next time they come to playschool.  Items for show and share can be brought into the class and placed in the show and share bin on top of the lunch kit cubby. 

We also, ask that you please do not send toys with your child unless it is their show and share day, as it tends to disrupt the class.

Please note, Show and Share dates cannot be posted on the website or Facebook page due to Privacy Laws and Regulations. 

Welcome CES Staff

I would like to welcome the CES educational assistants to the Carstairs Playschool Society classroom.  These ladies will be in our classroom assisting a few children with the daily activities and expectations of the playschool program.  Both Lorraine and I are looking forward to working with them again this year.

Dates to Remember

September 11 – Annual General Meeting – in the classroom @ 7pm

October 3 - Monday/Wednesday picture day – details to be sent out shortly

October 4 – Tuesday/Thursday picture day – details to be sent out shortly

Scholastic Orders

There will be many scholastic orders available to you throughout the playschool year, however you are not obligated to buy any books.  These orders will always be in your child’s cubby.  All orders must be paid by cheque –NO CASH please.

Annual General Meeting

As stated above, this years AGM will be September 11th at 7pm.  The Carstairs Playschool Society is operated by a volunteer Board of Directors.  They are looking for a few more parents/guardians to sit on the Carstairs Playschool Board.  If you are interested in participating in our monthly meeting or would like further information from any of our meeting, please let them know.  You can email carstairsplayschool@gmail.com or call 403 999 8275.  A complete list of the positions and description of each is available here on the website under the "About Us" tab.

Communication

Parents can expect ongoing communication regarding program activities via newsletters, Facebook page, our website and the bulletin board located in the boot room of the playschool.

The Carstairs Playschool supports and promotes an “open door” communication policy.  Parents are encouraged to contact me and arrange a mutually acceptable time to discuss any concerns and/or questions regarding your child in the playschool program.   The phone number for the Carstairs Playschool is 403 816 1481.

Should you have any feedback or concerns you would like to take to the Board of Directors, please feel free to complete a comment card.  The comment cards will be kept confidential and can be found in the file folder on the wall in the boot room.   Alternately, you can contact our Office/Financial Administrator, Gail Schwartz, at 403 999 8275.

On a personal note, I encourage communication of all kinds.  Please feel free to call me on my cell at 403 305 6204, or you may contact me by email at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com

I am looking forward to another successful year!

Danielle