Category "Preschool Newsletters"

Thank you to all who participated in our Family Pumpkin Decorating Contest. All entries were very creative and looked awesome!! Congratulations to our winners and thanks again to all the families for participating and helping us judge. We hope you had as much fun creating them as we did admiring them.

Our Fall Fundraiser Was A Success! Thank you for supporting our school with sales and donations. We exceeded our goal and raised $2,000!!! We’ll use these funds to purchase iPods for our classrooms and a light table. Thank you so much for all your support.

SYMPTOMS OF ILLNESS
Cold and flu season is upon us. Please keep your child home if they are showing ANY signs of illness. Last month we had to send a few friends home with runny noses. Please help keep everyone safe and healthy by keeping your child home if they display any symptoms of illness. Thank You!

HOLIDAY
As a reminder we’ll be CLOSED 11/25 AND 11/26 for Thanksgiving Break.

SPARE CLOTHES
Please make sure your child has spare clothes at school that are appropriate for the changing weather. If you think it’s time to update your child’s change of clothes, bring in a new set of fall / winter clothes and put them in our clothes drop off box. We’ll send home the old clothes in exchange for the warmer ones.

JACKETS AND SWEATSHIRTS
Please make sure your child is bringing a jacket/sweatshirt to school everyday. Because of our unpredictable weather, we highly recommend sending your child dressed in layers. Wear a sweatshirt or long sleeves and bring a light jacket. The mornings tend to be cold, while the afternoons get very warm. We spend lots of time outside regardless of the cold weather so please make sure your child is suitably dressed. We can’t stress enough-LABEL ALL JACKETS, COATS AND SWEATSHIRTS! Even if your child has a hook with their name on it, it’s important to label the item. If you’re missing any of your child’s clothes be sure to check our lost and found box near the front entrance.

Please take a look in our Lost and Found box to see if anything belongs to your child. Any items remaining after December 17th will be donated to charity.

REMINDER
Our daily activities begin promptly at 9:00 am. DO NOT BE LATE! Children should be at school by 8:45am so they have time to check out the activities in the classroom before we get started. If your child will be absent, please call before 9am.

A NOTE FROM MISS JENNIFER

Dear Parents,
This is to inform you that my last day at Growing Years Preschool will be November 23, 2021. I will be taking some time off to take care of my son Nicolas.

To the parents, I say thank you for allowing me to be your child’s teacher. It has been a wonderful and rewarding 3 years working with wonderful families.

To all my students, I say thank you, for when I teach I also learn. These past few months we have grown together. A little bit of you will always be with me. Always strive to be the best that you can be!

Ms. Jennifer

THE PRE-K CLASS
Beginning November 24th, the Willow class will combine with the Redwood class making one Pre-K classroom (The Redwoods). Miss Elli and Miss Michelle continue to lead the Redwood Class with the assistance of Miss Roxann when necessary.

We will continue to look for quality teachers to join our teaching team. If you know any fully qualified preschool teachers, please share our job posting. We can be found on Linkedin, indeed and a link is located on our Facebook page.
https://www.facebook.com/gypreschool

LAST MONTH…

October was a busy month for the Maples. Our themes for the month were Fall, pumpkins, and Halloween.

Last month we explored pumpkins! We guessed what was inside our pumpkin. We put our pumpkins in the sensory table and shoveled out all the gooshy guts and seeds. We painted with pumpkins and talked about how they grow. We put them in water to see if they sink or float. When we were finished with our pumpkins we put them in our garden so we can watch them rot and create a new pumpkin patch for next year!

We had fun getting ready for Halloween. We learned new songs, read lots of Halloween stories, went on spooky walks, danced to the Monster Mash, thought up ingredients for our Witch’s Brew, and had a great time sharing our costumes at our party. We read the story “Bone Soup ~ A Spooky Tasty Tale” and made yummy Bone Soup for snack.

We created lots of awesome art last month! We painted with feathers, different types of brushes, string, berry baskets, shaving cream, and water color on giant coffee filters. We made Big Green Monsters just like the one in our favorite book, “Go Away Big Green Monster” by Ed Emberley.

We engaged in fun sensory activities too! We scooped and poured coffee sand. We molded and created with playdough.

This month we’ll focus our lessons on Thanksgiving and what it means to be thankful. We’ll learn about the Pilgrims and the Native Americans and we’ll learn some new Thanksgiving songs.

SONGS WE’VE BEEN SINGING
Mr. Pumpkin
Five Little Pumpkins
I’m A Jack-O-Lantern
Walk In The Dark

BOOKS WE ENJOYED IN OCTOBER
Skeleton Hiccups by Margery Cuyler
Bone Soup by Alyssa Satin Capucilli
We’re Going On A Ghost Hunt by Marcia Vaughan
Nighty Night Little Green Monster by Ed Emberley
The Spooky Wheels On The Bus by J. Elizabeth Mills
Big Pumpkin by Erica Silverman
Pumpkin Jack by Will Hubbell

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Miss Shalimar & Miss Ashley

The first month of school seemed to fly by and now we’re off and running!

September was the month for getting acquainted. We’re getting to know the routine, our school and each other. We’re making new friends and learning how to get along in our classroom.

Last month we had a lot of fun playing with different tactile materials that offered a sensory experience as well. We scooped and poured coffee sand and colored rice at the sensory tables. We shaped and molded playdough and kinetic sand. We painted with mashers, cars, our hands, feathers, berry baskets, golf balls and salad spinners.

We’ve been focusing in on the children’s interests and have some great themes planned for the future months. Our themes coming up in October are Autumn, Harvest, Pumpkins and Halloween.

Songs We’ve Been Singing…

Ram Sam Sam
Hickety Pickety Bumble Bee
Aikendrum
Willoughby Wallaby Woo
Slippery Fish
Alligator Pie

Books We’ve Been Reading…

Go Away Big Green Monster by Ed Emberley
Fidgety Fish by Ruth Galloway
Clumsy Crab by Ruth Galloway
Tickly Octopus by Ruth Galloway
The Night Pirates by Peter Harris
Peanut Butter & Cupcake by Terry Border

HALLOWEEN PARTY
We will have a Halloween party on Thursday 10/28. Wear your costume to school today! Bring a change of clothes if you stay all day! If your child does not come to school on Thursdays they’re welcome to join us from 9:00am – 11:30pm. Please let us know in advance if your child is coming so we can set a spot for them at our party table. We’ll share our costumes, play games and parade around the yard at 10:15am.

Due to COVID restrictions parents will not be allowed to view our parade in person but we will be setting up a Zoom meeting so you can view the parade virtually. Zoom meeting information will be sent via email the week of October 25th.

PUMPKIN DECORATING CONTEST
It’s time for our annual Family Pumpkin Decorating Contest! If you are interested in participating you’ll need to register, so be sure to look for the sign up sheet. Remember, we’re looking for FAMILY produced entries. Make sure your child is an active participant in the decorating process. Pumpkin entries may be dropped off at the preschool throughout the week of the 18th but ALL entries must be submitted by the morning of Thursday 10/21 to be considered for judging. Our judging will be based on 3 categories–Silliest, Spookiest and Most Creative. We need you to help us choose our winners. Please vote (one ballot per family please) for your favorite in each category. More information regarding our contest will be sent home later in the month.

PROGRESS REPORTS & FALL CONFERENCING
This month you will receive a report regarding your child’s preschool experience over the last few months. There will be a calendar posted on the sign in/out board for you to schedule a conference if you would like one. Conferences are conducted in the afternoons/evenings and will only be available to those who schedule an appointment.

To protect the health and welfare of our Growing Years community, please keep your child home if they are showing ANY symptoms of illness.
This past month we*ve had children out with runny noses and coughs. We appreciate that our families have been keeping their children home, sometimes for extended periods of time as a precaution.
As we enter cold and flu season, we ask that you remain vigilant and continue to conduct well checks at home each morning and keep your child home if they are showing any symptoms of illness.
If anyone in your household is awaiting the results from a COVID-19 test or has tested positive for COVID-19, please keep your child at home and contact Growing Years when you have the results of the test.
We greatly appreciate your ongoing efforts to keep our Growing Years Community safe.

Watch for Symptoms (From The CDC)
People with COVID-19 have had a wide range of symptoms reported * ranging from mild symptoms to severe illness. Symptoms may appear 2-14 days after exposure to the virus. Anyone can have mild to severe symptoms. People with these symptoms may have COVID-19:
**Fever or chills
**Cough
**Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
**Fatigue
**Muscle or body aches
**Headache
**New loss of taste or smell
**Sore throat
**Congestion or runny nose
**Nausea or vomiting
**Diarrhea

HAPPY FALL TO ALL!

Miss Shalimar & Miss Ashley

Welcome To A New School Year!

Please take the time to read the monthly newsletters thoroughly, as they are filled with important information regarding upcoming events. Newsletters (past and present), calendars, and menus may also be accessed on our website gypreschool.com. Please make sure to pick up the hard copy of your newsletter at the beginning of every month.

Reminders

**Children must be at school by 8:45a.m.

**Check your child’ cubby container everyday.

**September is a 4 week tuition month (count the Mondays to determine the number of weeks).

**When signing your child in/out, you must sign your FULL signature. Signatures must be LEGIBLE so we are able to identify the individuals picking up/dropping off.

**Make sure your child has spare clothes at school. Promptly replace any used items of clothing.

**Children staying for nap must have a CRIB SIZE blanket. Blankets must be able to fit folded in your child’s nap mat. Blankets that are too big will be sent home.

**Share items are allowed WEDNESDAYS and THURSDAYS ONLY! All share items must fit in your child’s cubby. Books are allowed everyday.

**All jackets, sweatshirts, spare clothes, share items, books, etc…must be labeled with your child’s name. Growing Years is NOT responsible for lost items. Check our Lost and Found Box for missing items.

**Be sure to review the “What We Did Today” board in your child’s classroom to see what fun activities are offered each day. This is a great conversation starter with your child at pick up time!

**Make sure your child is coming to school wearing PLAY CLOTHES. We play hard and get messy! Paint, playdough, dirt and other goodies will get on their clothes. The children are encouraged to participate in many tactile and sensory experiences that are often messy, therefore children must be dressed appropriately when coming to school.

School Pictures

Ahern Photography will be here on Wednesday 9/8 to take school pictures. Look for picture packet envelopes in your child’s cubby the week before picture day. Please return your envelope along with payment by the morning of picture day. Pictures are purchased BEFORE photos are taken. All children will be included in our class photo (even those not purchasing pictures).

If your child does not come to school on Wednesdays you’re welcome to bring them in at 10am to have their picture taken. Our class group picture will be taken after all individuals.

Emergency Comfort Kit

If you haven’t already done so, please compile / update your child’s Comfort Kit and bring it to school A.S.A.P. Comfort kits should include pictures of your family, a comforting letter written to your child, and a variety of non perishable foods that your child enjoys / is considered a special treat. A book, a small notebook, a pencil and small games were other items suggested on our Comfort Kit instructions.

Family Picture

Bring in a picture of your family by Friday 9/17. Please bring a picture that we can keep at school all year long. These pictures will be laminated and placed in your child’s portfolio at the end of the year. Make sure your child is in the picture along with the family. Pictures should be no larger than 4″ X 6″.

Tuition

If you have any questions regarding tuition please speak to Miss Shalimar. If you need a monthly receipt for your tuition payments please attach a request to your tuition check. You only need to submit one request and after a monthly receipt will be provided for you. Receipts are sent out at the end of the month or when tuition is paid in full. Receipts should be picked up at the entrance of the main building.

It is suggested that you request a monthly receipt if you need a record for tax purposes or employment reimbursement programs.

Tuition may be paid weekly, bi-weekly or monthly and must always be paid in advance. Tuition checks should be placed in our tuition box located on the front desk. All cash payments should be handed directly to a staff member (preferably in the afternoon) and a receipt will be provided for you. Dependent care forms should be dropped off in the tuition box and picked up at the main entrance.

Portfolio’s

Your child’s portfolio is a compilation of photographs, art work, stories and observations that document their growth and development throughout the course of the year. Each family is required to contribute $40.00 for the cost of picture developing and portfolio materials. Sample portfolio’s are on display in the main building. We prefer the portfolio fee to be paid in CASH
(a receipt will be provided). The portfolio / supply fee goes directly to your child’s portfolio therefore we ask for cash payments. Please submit payment for your child’s portfolio by Friday 9/24. The portfolio fee was referred as the supply fee in your admission agreement.

Safety Drills

Throughout the year we will regularly conduct Earthquake and Fire Drills. We’ll teach the children when and where to use “Duck And Cover” and practice evacuating our classrooms in the event of a fire. Occasionally during these drills we will activate the alarm to familiarize the children with the sound. Conducting drills and educating the children on the proper way to react during an emergency is essential. Discussions of earthquakes and the sound of the alarm can trigger feelings of anxiety and nervousness in children. You may notice a change in your child’s behavior around the time of our practice drills. We recommend creating a safety plan and practicing drills at home as well.

Birthday Celebrations

Please keep your child’s birthday celebration simple. Do not bring pinata’s, goody bags or toys. Bringing a special snack is a great way to celebrate your child’s birthday at school. Our class will sing and make the birthday boy or girl feel special.

Some suggestions for birthday snacks: fruit salad, Jello cups, yogurt, rice krispy treats, ice cream cups, cereal bars, cookies, fruit snacks, popsicles, donuts. Please NO CAKE OR CUPCAKES or anything with nuts, as we have children with severe nut allergies. Please consult with your child’s teacher in regards to the number of students in the class.

Star Of The Week

Star of the week is a great way for everyone to get to know your child. It builds self-esteem and shows our class that everyone is special and unique. Every week we will have a new Star Of The Week. The week before your child is the Star we’ll send home instructions and ideas on how to decorate your child’s special Star Of The Week Board. Return your decorated board the start of their special week. During your child’s week, feel free to come in and share stories about your child with the class. You may also bring a special treat for the class if you so choose. Your child’s Star Of The Week board will be displayed in our classrooms for the entire week.

If you wish to celebrate your child’s birthday or star of the week with a special snack, please provide pre-packaged, store bought treats as opposed to homemade. All treats must be NUT FREE.

Book Orders

When ordering books from our book clubs, please be sure to make checks payable to Scholastic Book Clubs. NO CASH will be accepted. Drop off your order form and payment in the tuition box. Orders can also be placed online (preferred).

Fall Fundraiser

On September 30th you’ll find Fall fundraiser information in your child’s cubby. There’s no obligation to participate. All profits from our fundraiser will go toward the purchase of items for our school. All sales are online and will be delivered directly to the purchaser.

Website–Facebook–Smug Mug

Want to know more about our staff? Be sure to check out our staff profiles on our website~ gypreschool.com. There you can also access our past and present newsletters, menus and calendars.

Want to see current pics and video clips of activities happening in our classrooms? Visit our Facebook page~ facebook.com/gypreschool

Be sure to check out our PRIVATE photo sharing site at SMUGMUG.COM. Invitations to join our group on smug mug were sent to the email address you provided on your child’s photo/media permission form. If you did not receive an invitation to join Growing Years Preschool on SmugMug.com, be sure to check your spam folder.

If you did not receive an email or would like to add an additional parent email address, please send us an email to [email protected] with your request to join. Be sure to check smugmug.com regularly to see updated photos and videos of our fun and exciting classroom activities!

Air Quality

As we approach fire season we will be checking the AQI (air quality index) daily to determine if it is safe for outdoor play. We will stay inside and play when the AQI is above 100. We may adjust our schedule to allow for outdoor play in the morning before the AQI becomes unhealthy in the afternoon. We run air purifiers in all of our classrooms daily and will run the air conditioners as well.

Goodbye

We’re sad to announce that Miss Patricia will be leaving Growing Years. Miss Patricia has been studying to become a medical assistant and she’ll be taking this time to focus on school. We wish her all the best! Her last day will be September 10th.

Miss Roxann will be assisting in the Maple Class until we find a new teacher to join our team.

We Look Forward To A Great School Year!

Miss Shalimar & Miss Ashley

It’s been an unprecedented school year but we made the best of it and we’ve enjoyed our time together. Thank you for all your support throughout the year. Summer time is here and that means lots and lots of outside time. We’ll also continue to introduce themes as well as review letter and numbers through games and hands-on activities. Please make sure your child is at school by 8:45am.

We will return to our regular business hours beginning June 14^th

Our hours will be 7:00a.m. – 6:00p.m. (We will no longer open at 6:30a.m.).

With the Covid restrictions easing, our cohorts of children and teachers will now be allowed to mix with the other’s group inside the classrooms and on the playground.

Our class sizes will also increase beginning June 14^th. The teacher to child ratio will return to 1:6/ 1:10  (2-3 teachers per class).

The children and teachers will continue to wear face masks. Children will NOT wear masks during outside time, mealtimes or during naptime.

Children will socially distance at mealtimes and naptime while their masks are off.

Parents will continue to drop off and pick up at the front entrance and will not be permitted in the classrooms at this time.

Lunch will NOT be provided. Full day and extended half day schedules will need to bring a lunch. Lunches must not contain food items with nuts. PEANUTS AND TREE NUTS ARE NOT ALLOWED AT ANY TIME.

We will continue practicing frequent and proper handwashing, shoes off inside and daily disinfecting.

Children arriving to school before 7:30a.m. may bring breakfast from home but it must be eaten or put away by 7:45a.m.

All children should be at school by 8:45a.m.

Full Day Program–Drop off: 7:00a.m. – 8:45a.m.   Pick up: 3:30p.m. -6:00p.m.

Extended Half Day Program—Drop off: 7:30a.m. – 8:45a.m.    Pick up: 12:45p.m.

Half Day Program—Drop off: 7:30a.m. – 8:45a.m.    Pick up: 11:45a.m.

We will continue to adapt our policies and practices as the directives by the Alameda County Health Department continue to change.

THANK YOU!
Our staff would like to thank you for all of the Hearts, Flowers, Food and Treats that were sent to us during Teacher Appreciation Week. We appreciate all the wonderful notes and messages.

SUNSCREEN
Make sure to read, sign and return the attached sunscreen permission slip. Sunscreen WILL NOT be applied unless this form is returned to us with your child’s sunscreen. Each child must have their own sunscreen. Teachers will re-apply in the afternoon as needed. It is the responsibility of the parent to apply sunscreen in the morning before school.

GROWING YEARS CLOSED
Growing Years will be CLOSED the following dates: July 5th and August 12th & 13th.

PIZZA PARTY
We’re celebrating the end of the school year and the beginning of the summer with a Pizza Party! There will be dancing, fun games, and pizza for lunch!

Friends who do not stay for lunch time are welcome to join us. They should be picked up at 12:45pm.

SUMMER CURRICULUM
During the summer we will be planning a variety of theme days and activities. Please make sure you read your newsletter carefully so you know what’s happening throughout the month.

We try our best to schedule theme activities on varying days throughout the month in order for everyone to get a chance to participate. Because we must maintain our child/teacher ratio, we cannot allow schedule changes or drop-ins in order to participate in the theme day. We’ll make sure your child has a chance to participate on his/her days.

SUMMER CHANGES
Some of our Maple friends will exit this month for a summer break and return in the fall. We’ll also welcome new Preschool and Pre-K students throughout the summer. You may notice new faces and hear about new friends as the summer progresses. Please join us in welcoming our new students and their families.

VACATIONS
Please verbally remind your child’s teacher of any vacation time you will be taking this summer. Just let us know the week before you leave.

If you requested schedule changes for your child during the SUMMER SESSION these changes will begin June 14th.

LAST MONTH…

May was full of fun adventures and many new an exciting experiences. We spent most of the month learning all things insects! We can identify the body parts of insects. We know that all insects have 6 legs, 2 antenna and sometimes have wings. We welcomed some ladybug larvae and caterpillars into our class have enjoyed observing them through their metamorphosis. When our butterflies emerge from their chrysalis we’ll set them free!

We have been exploring various sensory experiences: cocoa mulch, Ooblick, and cinnamon oats. We’ve been observing chemical reactions through the exploration of baking soda and vinegar and ice and salt.

We’ve been very creative! We made paper ladybugs and collage insects with various materials. We painted with feathers, tubes, loofa’s and many other fun objects.

This year has certainly been different and we have enjoyed all of our time together. We are looking forward to the summer and all the adventures that we will experience together. We will miss our friends who are moving on and we are looking forward to meeting new friends.

Songs We’ve Been Singing
It’s An Insect
Antennas
Head, Thorax, Abdomen

Books We’ve Been Reading
The Ladybug by Sabrina Crewe
Caterpillar To Butterfly by National Geographic
The Bug Book by Sue Fliess
A Butterfly Is Patient by Dianna Hutts Aston
Bugs A to Z by Caroline Lawton

We Look Forward To A Great Summer!
Miss Ashley, Miss Roxann, Miss Jennifer