WELCOME CARSTAIRS PLAYSCHOOL SOCIETY STUDENTS!

Welcome to the Carstairs Playschool Society 2020-2021 school year.  We are very pleased to have your child attending our program. 

With the uncertainty of how Covid-19 will affect the playschool program, we want to ensure you that, Danielle Gerle, Michelle Johnson, and the Board of Directors have been working very hard over the summer reviewing the latest Covid-19 Information Guidelines for Preschools and implementing all safety measures required to minimize the risk of transmission.   Covid-19 Policies and Procedures document works in conjunction with the policies found in the Carstairs Playschool Handbook and is subject to change as directed by the Alberta Chief Medical Officer of Health Orders.  Please ensure you have fully read and understand both documents.  We also want to remind families that it is imperative that children must not enter the playschool space if they have Covid symptoms.

Because of the new guidelines the school will look a bit different than previous years. But we want to ensure parents that the Carstairs Playschool will remain a fun, caring, enriching environment that focuses on kindergarten readiness and creative learning.  

Significant changes have been made to drop off and pick up procedures.  In order to reduce the number of children arriving at one time, each class will have a 10 minute drop off window.  Parents are asked to wait outside of the building, which will be an ongoing requirement, and maintain social distancing.  Ms. Johnson will then assist parents through the Covid-19 Daily Assessment Checklist and take your child’s temperature.   Once complete, your child may enter the playschool where Mrs. Gerle will be waiting inside the boot room to assist your children.  Snack bags and shoes will be left on their assigned hook and children will be escorted to the washroom for hand washing.  At this time, parents are asked not to enter the Carstairs Playschool building.  

At your child’s pick up time, parents are again asked to wait outside of the building.  Mrs. Gerle and Ms. Johnson will assist the children in getting ready and deliver them as they see parents arrive.  Again, please do not enter the Carstairs Playschool Society building.  

We understand that the first day of school can bring some uncertainty for children and parents, especially under these circumstances.  To help allow children a few extra minutes to say goodbye to parents, we will be staggering 5 or 10 minute drop off time slots, depending on which class, for the first day only of the Monday/Wednesday AM and Tuesday/Thursday AM classes.   A smaller number of children will share the same time slot.  These two classes will also have reduced hours to allow transition time for the first day only. Your child’s start date, first day time slot and pick up time can be found in the Inforamtion Package previously email out to families. Monday/Wednesday PM and Tuesday/Thursday PM classes are to arrive during your regular 10 minute drop off window.

Please dress your child in comfortable, washable play clothes and footwear appropriate to the weather.  Your child must wear indoor shoes in the classroom at all times.  These shoes will remain at the playschool, in your child’s designated cubby.  Please label all your child's belongings with his/her name.  

Children are required to bring a small nutritious snack such as fruit, veggies, yogurt or cheese and crackers.  Our goal for snack time is to encourage healthy eating habits, self-help skills, and socializing with other children in a short amount of time.  Please include a refillable water bottle and no juice boxes.  We are a NUT FREE facility.

Please provide the following additional school supplies on the first day of school:

• 3 containers of Play-doh, your choice of color and labeled

• 5 Ziplock bags

• 1 12 pack of crayons, labeled

The Carstairs Playschool Society is currently accepting donations of the following:

• Bleach

• Lysol wipes

• J Cloth

• Mr. Clean

To help parents through the large amount of information we are looking at holding an online Parent Information Session prior to school starting.  If this is something you are interested in, please respond to this email or watch for the online survey on our Facebook page.

The Carstairs Playschool Society asks for your patience.  There has been lengthy and ongoing discussion with our Health Inspector and we have the utmost confidence in our new procedures.  However, as with all things new, we need time to adjust and reflect on what processes work and what needs to be adjusted.  These changes will be continuously communicated to families.  

 Lastly, the Board of Directors is 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 meetings, please let us know.

On behalf of the Board of Directors thank you for choosing Carstairs Playschool Society and we look forward to getting to know all of you.  

If you have any questions or concerns regarding the playschool, please contact Gail Schwartz at (403)999-8275 or via email at carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

The Carstairs Playschool Board

Covid 19 Policy Update - March 15, 2020

UPDATE: MARCH 15, 2020 7:49PM

Due to the Alberta Government’s new recommendations the Carstairs Playschool Society is now closed.

Please watch for further information.

March 15, 2020

Families of the Carstairs Playschool Society

The Carstairs Playschool Society would like to ensure families that we are taking all necessary precautions in keeping our students and staff as safe as possible.  We have been reviewing our policies and procedure as this situation unfolds.

The Carstairs Playschool Society will be following the recommendations released by the Alberta Health Minister on March 14, 2020.  

• We are asking that if any child is experiencing any cold like symptoms, regardless if they do not align with Covid 19 symptoms, to be kept home.  Students showing symptoms will not be permitted to return until after 14 days after symptoms started.  As stated in the Parent Handbook, if staff feels that an attending child is ill, parents will be contacted and required to pick up their child immediately.  Please notify staff, via text at 403 816 1481, if you child will not be attending.  This is to help us monitor the staff to student ratio in the event of staff becoming ill. 

• If staff members develop any cold like symptoms, they will be required to stay home.  In the event of the Playschool does not having enough staff to adequately meet our staff to student ratio set out by Alberta Child Care Licensing Act, we will have no option but to close the playschool until those requirements can be met.

• Upon arriving, children will be asked to wash their hands.  Staff will monitor handwashing, to ensure proper technique is followed.   Additional hand washing will be required throughout the program time.

• The Carstairs Playschool Society follows strict daily cleaning guidelines set out by the Alberta Child Care Licensing Act.  However, during this time there will be additional cleaning, especially on highly used surfaces. 

• Children will not have access to the gym area at this time.  This is due to other organizations in the building also utilizing the space. 

Staff and board members are closely following updates sent out by the Alberta Health Minister and will follow their recommendations as this situation progresses.  Keeping our students, staff and the public safe during this time of uncertainty is of the upmost importance. 

Thank you for your cooperation,

The Carstairs Playschool Board

https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx#statement

https://www.alberta.ca/coronavirus-info-for-albertans.aspx

March Newsletter

Themes

The themes for March are Space, Bedtime, St. Patrick’s Day, and People in the Community.   We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that are themed related.

Pajama Day

Each playschool class will be having their own pajama party.  The children can come to playschool in their pajamas.  They may also bring a pillow and a teddy if they would like but both of these are optional.  For each pajama day, we are planning on following the regular classroom routine, however we will be including a few different games and activities.  Each class will be watching a movie and will have popcorn as a treat.  But please send your child with a regular snack as the movie won’t be played until the end of each class.

Kindergarten

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

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

2. Your child must be able to hold scissors correctly (thumb’s up)

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

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

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

March 1 – Carstairs Playschool Society Board meeting 11:45am
March 2 – Monday/Wednesday classes visit Carstairs Dental
March 5 – Tuesday/Thursday classes visit Carstairs Dental
March 11 – Pajama Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 12 – Pajama Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 17 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the morning class
March 18 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon class
March 19 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon class

Table Time

This month the three year olds will be working on the diamond shape, as well as doing a review of all the shapes we have discussed so far.  This helps the children recognize and draw two-dimensional shapes, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.  When we do the 1,2,3 flip cards, the children will be learning to recognize numbers, as well as learning the language for the Handwriting Without Tears program.   The three year olds will also be learning the number 7, 8, and 9.  The activities we use for these numbers encourages the children to use proper crayon grip, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for numbers.

This month the four year olds will be working on letters M, N, V, W, and X.  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.  We will also start working on capitals and lower case letters.  We will be observing the differences between the two and I will help the children point and name capital letters, as well as point and name lower case letters.  We will also start to try and match the lowercase letters to the capital letters, which helps the children notice and attach meaning to visual information.

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Empty tissue boxes

• Washable Markers

• Black and White Poster Board

Reminders

• Registration is open for the 2020 2021 playschool year.  Visit www.carstairsplayschool.net to register.

• 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.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

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

Danielle and Michelle
 

February Newsletter

Themes

We cover a lot in February.  The themes that we will be working on this month are Health and Nutrition, Valentine’s Day, Family, and Anti-bullying Day.  We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that will be based on each individual theme.  Plus, we will have a special guest!  Miss. Sarah, from Jitterbug Dance Studio, will be visiting each class.  We are very excited to learn some new dance moves!

Valentine’s Party

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 related to the Valentine’s Day theme.  Parents are asked to send regular snacks on the day of the party, but as a special treat they will be decorating cookies.

Valentine Cards

The children are welcome to bring Valentine cards for each of the children in their class.  We would really appreciate it if you DO NOT write child’s name on each Valentine card as, we have found in the past years, 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, to avoid hurt feelings. 

February 2nd – Carstairs Playschool Board Meeting – 2pm

February 3rd - Miss Sarah from Jitterbug Dance Studio visits both AM and PM classes

February 4th - Miss Sarah from Jitterbug Dance Studio visits both AM and PM classes

February 12th - Valentine’s Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes

February 13th - Valentine’s Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

February 17th - No school - Family Day

February 18th - No school - Family Day

February 19th - No school – Winter Break

February 20th - No school – Winter Break

February 26th – Pink Shirt day in support of Anti-bullying

February 27th – Pink Shirt day in support of Anti-bullying

February 27th – Carstairs Playschool Open House/Registration Night 5:30pm-7:30pm

Anti-bullying Day

The annual Pink Shirt Anti-Bullying Day is on Wednesday, February 26th.   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 26th, and Thursday, February 27th. We are asking the children to wear pink on those days to support this great message.

Table Time

This month the three year olds will be working on the rectangle and triangle shapes.  This helps the children recognize and draw two-dimensional shapes, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.  When we do the 1,2,3 flip cards, the children will be learning to recognize numbers, and learn the language for the Handwriting Without Tears program.  The ABC sing and point activity is where the children will point to the alphabet letters as we sing the song.  This helps them recognize letters and understand sequencing.  The three year olds will also be learning the number 7.  The activity we use for this encourages the children to use proper crayon grip, and correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for numbers.

This month the four year olds will be working on letters B, R, K, and A.  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.  We will also start working on capitals and lower case letters.  We will be observing the differences between the two and I will help the children point and name capital letters, as well as point and name lower case letters.  We will also start to try and match the lowercase letters to the capital letters, which helps the children notice and attach meaning to visual information.

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Empty tissue boxes

• Washable Markers

Sick Policy

We would like to remind parents to review the Carstairs Playschool Society’s sick policy found in the Parent Handbook.   Please refrain from bring your child to school if they are not feeling well or contagious.  If you do bring your child to school and staff feels he/she is too sick to be there, you will be contacted and asked to pick up your child.  We do encourage healthy hand washing practices, however, with young children and lots of toys, germs spread quickly.  Should you have any questions regarding the playschool’s sick policy, please feel free to contact us at carstairsplayshool@gmail.com. 

Open House/Registration Night

With the 2019/20 school year halfway through, it is time to start thinking about the next school year.  The Carstairs Playschool Society is now accepting registrations for the 2020/2021 school year.  We will be hosting an Open House on February 27th from 5:30-7:30pm.   Staff and Carstairs Playschool Society Board members will be on hand to answer any questions.  Alternatively, you can register by visiting our website at www.carstairsplaychool.net.  We also ask that you advocate for the playschool and let your friends, who have not yet experienced the playschool, know.  We thank you for your continued support!

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.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

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

Danielle and Michelle
 

December Newsletter

Themes

The theme that we will be working on this month is Christmas, which we will focus on throughout the month of December.  We will be reading stories, and participating in discussions that are theme-related, and the children will be making crafts and participating in activities that will be based on each individual theme.

Table Work

The three year olds will be working on Mat Man.  This is an activity where children name parts of the body and listen to oral directions to attend to a simple task.  “The ant, the bug, and the bee” is a song that teaches the children about numbers.  ABC sing and point helps the children learn left-to-right directionality for letters, as well as help them recognize the letters of the alphabet.  Door tracing encourages the children to point to and name capital letters, as well as proper crayon grasp.  When drawing the square, the children will be recognizing familiar two-dimensional shapes, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.

The four-year old’s will be working on the letters I, U, and C.  These activities will help the children learn to use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for letters.  They are also great for proper crayon grip to write and to practice using the helping hand to stabilize objects and paper.  Name writing is important for children to recognize and name letters in their own name, as well as position the capital letters right side up.

December 18th – Christmas party for all classes (9:00 – 11:00)

December 19th – January 5th - Christmas Break

January 6th – Classes resume for Monday/Wednesday classes

January 7th - Classes resume for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

January 12th – Carstairs Playschool Board meeting 2pm

Christmas Party

We just wanted to let everybody know that the time for the Christmas party will be 9:00 – 11:00 on Wednesday, December 18th.   Everybody is invited!!  This includes parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, or whoever would like to see these cute little children sing some songs. As it is a busy morning for the teachers and the children, we are asking that ALL children be accompanied by an adult at the Christmas party.

I would like to let you know what Michelle and I have planned for the morning.  We would like the parents to drop off your child at the playschool by 8:45.  The children will then stay in the classroom with their classmates while the parents go to the church sanctuary and find themselves a seat.  This year, we will be separating the age groups as it is very overwhelming for the children to all be in the playschool classroom at the same time.  So we will be bringing the 3 year olds into the church library which is located in the hallway just outside the playschool classroom.  If you have a very shy child, who may feel overwhelmed by all the activity, please feel free to stay with us up in the classroom.  If any child is upset and does not want to participate in the singing, don’t worry – it is perfectly fine with us if they choose to sit and watch.

At 9:00, the 3 year old classes will be brought down to the sanctuary by me and Michelle.  The children will then sing two Christmas songs.  At 9:05, the 4 year old classes will be brought down to the sanctuary by the classroom EA’s and will line up at the sanctuary door.   The 4 year olds will then sing two songs.  After that, all classes will sing one Christmas song to the audience.  Once all the classes have sung their last song, the children may go and sit with their parents.

We will then all proceed to the church gym for a Christmas party until 11:00.  The children do not need to bring a snack to the party; however, we are looking for volunteers to provide food.  If anyone is interested in donating fruit or treat trays, please contact Franca Young at 403 701 5330.  Please note, all treats MUST BE NUT FREE. 

Don’t forget your cameras, and we hope to see you all at the Christmas party!!

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Pony beads (red, green, and white)

• Green poster paper

• Small green plates

• Small white foam plates

• Bars of soap

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.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

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

We both wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Danielle and Michelle