August 2013
Hello Eaglet Families,
Welcome to the new school year at St. Mary's Preschool! I am so excited to return to school to see our old friends and get to know some new friends, too. It will be quite an adventure as we share our interests and talents with one another. I am glad that you will be joining us on this wondrous journey.
Here are a few things to know about the first few weeks of school:
Arrival
- * The preschool doors open at 8:00am and we officially begin our day with morning meeting at 9:00am. We encourage all children to be at school in time for this gathering time as it sets the agenda for our entire day.
- * Please accompany your child into the building to help him or her get settled fir day.
- * Please place your initials and the time of arrival on the sign-in sheet in the hallway.
- * You may hang backpacks, coats, nap items etc on your child's hook in the hallway.
- * Extra clothing may go into your child's cubby in the Eaglet room.
- * Please help your child use the bathroom and wash his / her hands before joining friends in play.
- * Lunch boxes can go into the refrigerator in the kitchen.
Dismissal
* If you are picking your child up at 3:00pm, you may retrieve him / her at the preschool. If your child is not picked up by 3:15, they will join the Extended Program and a fee for the afternoon will be charged to the family.
- * If you are picking your child up from the Extended Program, you may retrieve him / her at the preschool before 5:30pm.
Extra Clothing
* Each child will need a set of extra clothes at school. This set should include socks, underwear and weather appropriate clothing. They may be left in your child's labeled cubby in the Eaglet room. Please label each item of clothing to avoid confusing them with another child's clothing.
Toothbrush and Toothpaste
- * Each child will need a toothbrush and toothpaste. Both items should be labeled with your child's name. They will be stored in your child's labeled cup in the big bathroom.
Snack and Lunch
* Please send your child to school each day with a nutritious snack and lunch. If your child is staying for the Extended Program they will need an additional snack. On days when we do cooking projects in the Eaglet classroom families will be notified in advance.
- * Lunch boxes should be clearly labeled with your child's name on the outside of the container and can be placed in the refrigerator at drop off time.
- * We have a microwave for lunches requiring a warm-up, however we encourage families to send lunches that do not need to be reheated. This allows your child to have more time to eat (less time waiting). If food is sent in that requires the use of the microwave, please limit the time needed to 1 minute or less.
Rest Time
* We are required by Vermont Child Care Licensing to have a rest time each day for the children. No child is required to go to sleep. They will be encouraged to lie quietly on their mats and listen to story tapes or music and /or read books.
- * Each child will need a crib sized sheet and blanket or a small sleeping bag. These items will go on the child's individual rest mat. Bedding will be returned home regularly for laundering.
- * Please limit snuggly toys to one or two.
Dress Code
* We do not have a dress code in the preschool, however we do get messy sometimes while playing and exploring. Please dress accordingly for painting, coloring, water play, crawling on the floor, recess outside, etc.
- * Sandals and “crocs” are allowed inside the building but not out on the playground as they easily fill up with sand / stones and fall off children's feet.
- * On PE days children should wear clothing that they can freely move in without exposing themselves. We also require children to wear sneakers.
Toys and Personal Belongings
- * Children are asked NOT to bring toys from home. We have a large variety of developmentally appropriate materials for children to choose from.
- * Snuggly toys are permitted at rest time but please bring a maximum of two.
- * Toys that are not considered rest time toys will remain in children's backpacks or may be placed in your child's cubby and will be returned at dismissal.
Volunteer Hours
- As stated in the St. Mary's School handbook, families are asked to donate 25 hours of their time to the school throughout the year. There will be opportunities to do this by attending field trips, participating in/organizing art or cooking projects at the preschool as well as fundraisers for the school. There are also work parties during the school year where you can volunteer to participate in the building maintenance or clean-up projects. We will keep you posted through weekly newsletters and on the Eaglet website: www.mrsabbottsprekeagletsstmarys.weebly.com
Website
The Eaglet classroom utilizes a website to assist in communication. Home Connections assignments will be posted weekly as well as the Eaglet newsletter, information about what we did in school that day, upcoming events, preschool policies and contact information as well as volunteer hours opportunities. Please check the website often for updates and of course don't hesitate to ask if you have any questions at all! Home Connections
- To help bridge the gap between home and school the Eaglet classroom sends home ideas that families can use to support their child's learning at school. Home Connections are posted weekly on the website. These ideas connect directly with what we are learning about at school and provide families with fun strategies and games to assist their child's learning at home. Home Connections are not graded assignments and completion of these ideas is not mandatory.
Thank you in advance for your continued support as we embark upon a new school year. In the days and weeks ahead of us we will work together to create a developmentally appropriate, creative learning environment for our preschoolers.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at the preschool 802 388-2114 or email me: [email protected]
See you soon!
Karen Abbott
preschool 388-2114
cell phone 989-1760
[email protected]
www.mrsabbottsprekeagletsstmarys.weebly.com
- * The preschool doors open at 8:00am and we officially begin our day with morning meeting at 9:00am. We encourage all children to be at school in time for this gathering time as it sets the agenda for our entire day.
- * Please accompany your child into the building to help him or her get settled fir day.
- * Please place your initials and the time of arrival on the sign-in sheet in the hallway.
- * You may hang backpacks, coats, nap items etc on your child's hook in the hallway.
- * Extra clothing may go into your child's cubby in the Eaglet room.
- * Please help your child use the bathroom and wash his / her hands before joining friends in play.
- * Lunch boxes can go into the refrigerator in the kitchen.
- * If you are picking your child up from the Extended Program, you may retrieve him / her at the preschool before 5:30pm.
- * Each child will need a toothbrush and toothpaste. Both items should be labeled with your child's name. They will be stored in your child's labeled cup in the big bathroom.
- * Lunch boxes should be clearly labeled with your child's name on the outside of the container and can be placed in the refrigerator at drop off time.
- * We have a microwave for lunches requiring a warm-up, however we encourage families to send lunches that do not need to be reheated. This allows your child to have more time to eat (less time waiting). If food is sent in that requires the use of the microwave, please limit the time needed to 1 minute or less.
- * Each child will need a crib sized sheet and blanket or a small sleeping bag. These items will go on the child's individual rest mat. Bedding will be returned home regularly for laundering.
- * On PE days children should wear clothing that they can freely move in without exposing themselves. We also require children to wear sneakers.
- * Children are asked NOT to bring toys from home. We have a large variety of developmentally appropriate materials for children to choose from.
- * Snuggly toys are permitted at rest time but please bring a maximum of two.
- * Toys that are not considered rest time toys will remain in children's backpacks or may be placed in your child's cubby and will be returned at dismissal.
- As stated in the St. Mary's School handbook, families are asked to donate 25 hours of their time to the school throughout the year. There will be opportunities to do this by attending field trips, participating in/organizing art or cooking projects at the preschool as well as fundraisers for the school. There are also work parties during the school year where you can volunteer to participate in the building maintenance or clean-up projects. We will keep you posted through weekly newsletters and on the Eaglet website: www.mrsabbottsprekeagletsstmarys.weebly.com
- To help bridge the gap between home and school the Eaglet classroom sends home ideas that families can use to support their child's learning at school. Home Connections are posted weekly on the website. These ideas connect directly with what we are learning about at school and provide families with fun strategies and games to assist their child's learning at home. Home Connections are not graded assignments and completion of these ideas is not mandatory. Thank you in advance for your continued support as we embark upon a new school year. In the days and weeks ahead of us we will work together to create a developmentally appropriate, creative learning environment for our preschoolers.
If you have any questions or concerns, please call me at the preschool 802 388-2114 or email me: [email protected]
See you soon!
Karen Abbott
preschool 388-2114
cell phone 989-1760
[email protected]
www.mrsabbottsprekeagletsstmarys.weebly.com