April Newsletter

Themes

For the month of April our activities, books and discussions will be focused on Musical Instruments, Easter, Earth Day and the Environment.

Easter Party

The Easter parties will be on Wednesday, April 17th and Thursday, April 18th.  We are asking children to please bring two hard-boiled eggs to be colored during their craft time.  The class will be following the regular class routine.  Your child will still require a snack however, we will be providing a small treat.

Earth Day and the Environment

During these themes, we will be discussing the importance of recycling.

On Monday, April 29th, and Tuesday, April 30th we will be focusing on Earth Day, which includes a walking trip to the recycling center.  Please bring one, small recyclable item to play school on these days for your child to recycle.  Suggested items can be cardboard, newspaper, plastic container, but please no tin cans.  The edges are just too sharp, and we do not want to see any injuries. 

Environment will be the topic on Wednesday, May 1st, and Thursday, May 2nd.   On these days, the class will be walking to the Carstairs bottle depot.  Please send one recyclable item, such as a juice box or water bottle, for your child to recycle and receive money back.

Toys from Home

Over the past couple of months, Michelle and I have noticed an increase in the number of toys children are bringing to playschool.  In three separate instants, the children have not been able to find their toy at the end of the day to take home.  Because of the distress this causes, Michelle and I are asking that you please DO NOT allow your child to bring their toys from home unless it is their show and share day.  You can find your child’s show and share day on the calendar that is sent out every month.  We also ask that each child only bring ONE item for show and share so that both children have an equal opportunity to share their toys with the class.  As always, if your child misses their show and share day, they are more than welcome to bring something to share with us during their next playschool day.  We thank you for your understanding in this matter.

April 1 – Spring fundraiser starts (Vessey Seeds, Kernels, Growing Smiles)

April 5 – Playschool Spring Cleaning @ 10am – volunteers welcome

April 7 – Carstairs Playschool Board meeting @ 2pm

April 11 – Fundraiser forms due

April 16 – Miss Marg comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday morning class

April 17 – Miss Marg comes to read to the Monday/Wednesday afternoon class

April 17 – Easter Parties for both classes

April 18 – Easter Parties for both classes

April 18 – Miss Marg comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday afternoon class

April 22-25 – Spring Break – No School

April 29 – walking to the recycling for the Monday/Wednesday classes

April 30 – walking to the recycling for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

May 1 – walking to the bottle depot for the Monday/Wednesday classes

May 2 – walking to the bottle depot for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

Spring Fundraiser

The Carstairs Playschool Society spring fundraiser kicks off on April 1st and is due back April 11th.  For this fundraiser we have choose three different sources.  Firstly, back by popular demand, Kernels popcorn.  Kernels offers individual sized bag of popcorn in 8 different flavours, great for lunches or quick snacks.  Secondly, is Growing Smiles fundraising.  We choose them for their hanging flower baskets, which will be here in time for Mother’s Day.  They make the perfect gift.  Our third source is Vessey Seeds.  They were chosen due to the 50% profit and their wide variety of seeds and bulbs.  They will be received in mid or late May, just time for spring planting. 

Profits of this fundraiser will go towards developing a reading nook within the playschool space.  This area will be utilized during free play time and as the children finish snack, they will be encouraged to go to this area to look at books until all children have finished eating. 

Spring Cleaning Day

On Friday, April 5th, Michelle and I will be spending the day doing some spring cleaning.  If anyone on is interested in lending a helping hand it would be appreciated.  Unfortunately, children will not be able to accompany due to the cleaning products that will be present.  If you can help, we will be starting at 10 am, but feel free to drop by at any time as it will be an all-day project. 

Your craft supply donations are greatly appreciated and make a huge impact for the playschool.  We are currently accepting:

• Small paper plates                                         

• Empty tissue boxes (17)

• Small jingle bells                           

• Paper bowls

Volunteer Board

As most of you know, the Carstairs Playschool Society is run by a group of dedicated volunteers.  If you have any interest on how the board works, please feel free to stop by one of the monthly meetings.  With the various board positions, you can choose your level of involvement or take no position at all and just be a member at large.  The board is always looking for parental involvement and/or feedback.  The positions and descriptions can be found on the website at www.carstairsplayschool.net.  Should you have any questions, email Janene at carstairsplayschoolboard@gmail.com.

Sadly, there are less than 20 days left for each class.  Our time together has quickly flown by.  I am looking forward to making the most of our days left and this beautiful spring weather. 

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Michelle, or you can email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.net.

Danielle

March Newsletter

Themes

March themes will be Bedtime, People in the Community and of course, St Patrick’s Day.  We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that will be based on each individual theme.

4 Year Old Parents

Kindergarten is coming soon, and we want your children to be as confident as possible when starting their first year of school.  There are four skills that your children should be doing consistently upon entering kindergarten:

1.        Your child should be able to hold a pencil correctly (proper pencil grip)

2.       Your child should be able to hold scissors correctly (thumbs up)

3.       Your child should be able to recognize his/her name

4.       Your child should be able to put on his/her own shoes, and zip up his/her own coat

We have been working on these skills since the beginning of the school year and the children have been doing very well.  Any extra opportunity for them to work on these tasks at home would be beneficial to the transition from playschool to kindergarten. 

March 3 - Playschool Board meeting 2pm
March 11 – Pajama Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 12 – Pajama Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 13 – No School
March 14 – No School
March 19 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the morning 4-year-old class
March 20 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the 4-year-old class
March 21 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon 4-year-old class

Pajama Day

Each playschool class will be having a pajama party on March 11 & 12.  The children can come to playschool in their pajamas and if they choose, they can bring a pillow and teddy bear.  For each pajama day, we are planning on following the regular classroom routine for the most part, but the end of the day, each class will be watching a movie and having popcorn as a treat.  Please ensure you send your child with a regular snack.

Sickness Policy

Tis the season for cold and flu.  Recently, we have had quite a few children coming to school with very bad colds.  If your child is not feeling well, please keep them home.  When they are that sick, they cannot experience their school day properly and often just want to cuddle and sleep. We feel these sick children will enjoy that more in the comfort of their own home.  We also want to keep our facility as healthy as possible.  While we teach healthy hand washing techniques, there are a lot of children in our facility and germs spread easily.  For more details the Carstairs Playschool policy regarding ill children, please refer to our Parent Handbook.

Your craft supply donations are greatly appreciated and make a huge impact for the playschool.  We are currently accepting:

• Brown construction paper               

• Green construction paper

• Glue sticks

Just a reminder, the Carstairs Playschool Board is always looking for parental involvement.  If you are interested in joining the board, or have some input you would like to share with the board, please email carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.  

If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.

Danielle

February Newsletter

Themes

February themes will be Health and Nutrition, Valentine’s Day and Family.  The Carstairs Playschool Society will also participate in Pink Shirt Day on February 27th, more details regarding this can be found below.  As always with the monthly themes, we will be reading stories, participating in activities, having discussions and making crafts based on each theme.

Valentine’s Party & Cards

Each individual playschool class will be having their own Valentine’s party.  We are planning to follow the regular classroom routine; however, we will be including a few different games and activities related to the Valentine’s Day theme.  We ask that you please send a regular snack on this day.  The Carstairs Playschool will be providing cookies for the children to decorate and enjoy as a special treat.

At the Valentine’s Day parties, the children will be handing out their Valentine cards to each of their friends.  It is appreciated if you DO NOT write each child’s name on the 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 as to avoid hurt feelings.  To ensure you have enough, the Monday/Wednesday morning class has 16 students, Monday/Wednesday afternoon has 8, Tuesday/Thursday morning has 20 and the Tuesday/Thursday afternoon has 17 students. 

February 5th - Open House & Registration Night (5-7pm)

February 10th - Carstairs Playschool Society Board Meeting (2pm)

February 12th - Miss Marg comes to read to the 4 year old morning class (library books due)

February 13th - Miss Marg comes to read to the 4 year old class afternoon class (library books due)

February 13th - Valentine’s Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes

February 14th - Miss Marg comes to read to the 4 year old afternoon class (library books due)

February 14th - Valentine’s Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

February 18th - No school - Family Day

February 19th - No school

February 20th - No school – Winter Break

February 21st - No school – Winter Break

February 27th - Pink Shirt Day Monday/Wednesday classes

February 28th - Pink Shirt Day Tuesday/Thursday classes

Pink Shirt Day (Anti-Bullying Day)

The annual Pink Shirt Day is on Wednesday, February 27th.   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, February 27th and Thursday, February 28th.  We are asking that your child wear’s pink on those days to support this great message.

Open House & Registration Night

Registration is now open for the 2019-2020 school year.  The Carstairs Playschool Society will be opening their doors on the evening of February 5th from 5-7pm for an open house.  This is intended for families who would like to see the space, meet the staff and ask any questions they may have regarding the playschool program.  In addition to the open house, there will be computers available for registrations.  Alternatively, you can register by completing the form located under the program tab.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with myself at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com.

Danielle