March News
March Themes:
Family
Dr. Seuss
Bedtime
People in the Community
Pirates
4 Year Old Parents
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:
Your child must be able to hold a pencil correctly (proper pencil grip)
Your child must be able to hold scissors correctly (thumb’s up)
Your child must be able to recognize his/her name
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.
Pajama Day
Each playschool class will be having their own pajama day. The children can come to playschool in their pajamas. We apologize but this year the children WILL NOT be able to bring a pillow or their favorite stuffed animal. For each pajama day, 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 pajama day theme. 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.
Dates to Remember
February 21 - Registration open for 2022/2023 school year
March 1 – Wear pink for the Tuesday/Thursday classes (anti-bullying day)
March 9 – Backwards Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 10 – Backwards Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 15 - Carstairs Playschool Board meeting - 7pm at the playschool
March 16 – Pajama Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 17 – Pajama Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 30 – Dress like a pirate day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 31 – Dress like a pirate day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
April 4 - Growing Smiles Fundraiser starts
Table Time
This month, the three year old's will be working on duck legs, the plus sign, horizontal lines, and we will be reviewing shapes. These activities will aid the children in recognizing familiar two-dimensional shapes, and will allow them to use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols. At this time, they will be practicing holding a crayon and using their helper hand to stabilize their papers. At craft time, we work one on one with the children and we are able to help them with proper pencil grasp, holding scissors correctly, and following one or two step directions.
At the beginning of the year, playtime for three year old's usually involves parallel play, where the children play beside each other but not with each other. As the year goes on, this slowly transitions into imaginative play where the children will start creating games that involve more than just themselves. This is where we are at now in the three year old class and there are some really close friendships emerging!! During this kind of play, the children are learning problem solving skills, sharing, taking turns, as well as new ideas they may have not thought of themselves. All the skills are extremely beneficial for the children and are preparing them for the more structured four year old program.
This month the four year old's will be working on letters O, Q, G, S, J, D, P, and B. 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. I work closely with the children at this center so I am able to help them with their pencil grip as well as help them with the letters in their name. I am very impressed with all of the four year old's!! They have come so far with their name writing and their understanding of the lingo used in the Handwriting Without Tears Program.
Michelle’s center almost always involves some kind of scissor practice which may have to do with the theme or the letter that we are working on. The children love this center and all of them have improved significantly with their scissor skills!! We are both so proud of all the kids, and how well they are doing this year!!!!
This month we would greatly appreciate:
Small white paper plates
Brown paper lunch bags
Grey paint
Brown paper plates
Wine bottle corks
2022/2023 Registration
It is hard to believe it is March and we need to start planning next year! Playschool registration is now accepting registrations for next year. Spots are held on a First Come, First Served basis, with paid registration fee of $50. This fee is non-refundable.
Please note there have been a change to the three year old program cut-off date. Students wishing to attend the three year old program must be three years of age by December 31st of the year they are attending. Only three spots will be held for children who are not three years old as of September 31st, but will three as of December 31st. Children can not attend until after their third birthday. Parents will be still held responsible to pay for the months the child is not yet in the class, as subsidies will not cover program fees until the child is in attendance.
In order to register in the three/four split class, students must be three years of age by September 1st or four by December 31st. The cut off date for the four year old class is December 31st.
Click the link below to register.
Carstairs Playschool Registration Form
Parent Handbook
Changes have also been made to the Parent Handbook. We ask that upon registering parents review the latest version of the Handbook. Some policies and procedures, as well as FAQ's have changed. Please note, there could be additional changes between now and September. The latest version can always be found on our website.
Parent Handbook
Kindergarten Registration
For those families moving on to Kindergarten, we would like to remind you to complete the registration as soon as possible. Early registration assists Carstairs Elementary School in budget preparation for the upcoming year.
Kindergarten Registration
Child Care Subsidy
By now the hope is that everyone who believes they qualify for Child Care Subsidy has applied for it. If you have not, but plan on pursuing it, it is very important that you notify Gail right away. If you have questions regarding Child Care Subsidy or the Affordability Funding, which is different than the Child Care Subsidy, please reach out. Gail can be reached at carstairsplayschool@gmail.com or 403 999 8275.
Phone Donation
The Playschool is looking to upgrade their cell phone. The ladies are currently using an iPhone 5, which is quite outdated. If anyone has a cell phone not being used, and is interested in donating a cell phone that is in great working condition and not too outdated, the playschool would gladly accept it.
Our spring fundraiser will once again be Growing Smiles Hanging Baskets. We have had many years of success with their service and products. This fundraiser will be strictly online, starting April 4th and ending April 21st. Flowers will be available for pickup on May 6th, just two days before Mother's Day!
Our spring fundraiser will once again be Growing Smiles Hanging Baskets. We have had many years of success with their service and products. This fundraiser will be strictly online, starting April 4th and ending April 21st. Flowers will be available for pickup on May 6th, just two days before Mother's Day!
It's that time of year!
February News!
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.
January News!
UPDATE FROM THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The Board of Directors would like to thank you for your understanding in the decision to delay the return of programming until January 10th. We understand the inconvenience it may have caused, but due to staffing and reduced attendance we feel it was the right decision. On top of that, the current temperatures we are experiencing added additional support for the closure.
By now, all families should have received their refund if they had not already reduced their payment when it was sent. If you have not, please reach out to Gail at carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.
In regards to the current Covid-19 situation, we want to stress the importance of keeping children home when they are sick. Because the Omicron symptoms are so similar to those of the common cold, we have been advised to assume any cold symptoms are a result of Covid-19. Staff will be extra vigilante in monitoring for any symptoms. Any child with a runny nose, cough or fever, will immediately be sent home and will not be able to return until they have isolated as per AHS isolation requirements. These strict guidelines are to reduce the risk of having to temporarily close the playschool due to ill staff or an outbreak in the student population.
If you have questions regarding the Covid-19 policy or any other policy and procedures, please email carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.
Thank you for your cooperation.
January 3rd - 7th - Playschool closed due to Chinook’s Edge School closure
January 10th - First day back to school for the Monday/Wednesday classes
January 11th - First day back to school for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
January 12th - Fire drill for the Monday/Wednesday classes (weather permitting)
January 12th - Wear a Jersey Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
January 13th - Fire drill for the Tuesday/Thursday classes (weather permitting)
January 13th - Wear a Jersey Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
January 16th - Playschool Board meeting @ the playschool - 7:30pm
January 26th - Beach Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
January 27th - Beach Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
January 31st - No School
February 1st - No School
The themes for January are:
Winter
Hygiene
Rainbows
Ocean
Beach Day
We thought it would be a fun idea to have a beach party in January to go with our Ocean theme. (At least we can pretend it’s warm for one day!) Each playschool class will be having their own beach party. The children can dress in shorts, sun dresses, tank tops, capris, flip flops, but NO SWIMSUITS PLEASE! We will be turning up the heat in the playschool, but it also may be a good idea to send some extra layers.
We ask that you please sent a towel with your child so that we can have a picnic on the “beach.” Children are to bring their regular snacks, but small treat will be provided afterwards. For each Beach Day, 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 beach theme.
Table Work
The three year old students will be working on Animal Legs. This is an activity where children work on their pencil grasp, start to practice vertical lines, and listen to oral directions to attend to a simple task. When drawing the circle, as well as other shapes, the children will be recognizing familiar two-dimensional shapes, and use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols. Working with Mat Man helps the children with body awareness and understanding of the first stages of using the Handwriting Without Tears language and materials.
The four year old students will be working on the letters L, F, E, H, T, I, and U. 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. Building, singing, and drawing Mat Man help the children with body awareness and practicing the language that we use to make our letters.
This month we would be grateful for donations of :
Cotton Balls
Bird Seed
Michelle has been working hard creating a new Dramatic Play center for the children to enjoy this month. Soon the children will be using the imagination at the Post Office! Thank you to Michelle and Carstairs FCSS for making these stations possible for our children to enjoy!
Well it is tax time again. All annual statements will be emailed out in the next couple of weeks. If you have not received yours by February 1st, please contact Gail at carstairsplayschool@gmail.com.
The Carstairs Playschool is seeking dedicated people who will take care of our snow shoveling needs. Please reach out, if you are willing to help the playschool out!
Scholastic has now moved to a strict online format. These means that you order and pay online. If you would still like to order books, but would rather pay cash or cheque, please let our Scholastic Representative, Michelle Ball know. You can pay the playschool directly, and we will handle the ordering for you.