Note from Danielle Gerle and Michelle Johnson:
Registration is now open for the 2026–2027 Playschool year! Current families are encouraged to register soon as spaces are filling quickly. Please share with other local families — forms are available on our website.
Thank you to everyone who attended our Easter Scavenger Hunt and Open House! We had loads of fun. Congratulations to the winners!
Easter Parties
The Easter parties for each class will be held on Wednesday, April 1st and Thursday, April 2nd. One of the activities will be decorating Easter eggs. Please bring 2 hard-boiled eggs to the Easter party so that your child can decorate their eggs at the party! Please bring a regular snack to the party as we will be following our day as close to the usual routine as possible.
Overdue Library Books
There are several families who have not returned their library books. You can return them to the Carstairs Playschool, or you can drop them off at the Carstairs Public Library. Miss Marg will be reading to the children on April 28th, and at that time I will have a list of those families who have not returned their library books. I will then send each family a reminder email with the names of the outstanding books for you to return. Thank you to all families for your cooperation and I hope that all books are returned so that the Carstairs Playschool is able to continue to take advantage of this incredible program.
Bottle Depot
To honor Earth Day, we will be walking with each class to the bottle depot on Wednesday, April 29th, and Thursday, April 30th. Please send a plastic refundable bottle with your child on the day they will be walking to the bottle depot. Examples may be plastic water bottles, milk jugs, or juice containers. Please DO NOT send glass bottles as I worry they may break. The children will be given their bottle refund at the end of the day.
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.com
As soon as the weather improves, we will be putting the lost and found bucket outside as it is starting to fill up. Please take a look and see if any of the items belong to your child!
Fundraisers & Scholastic:
Mabel's Labels ongoing throughout the year.
Please visit the Scholastic link: Class Code: RC183593
Coming up: Mother’s Day relaxation Basket. More information to come. Keep an eye out on our social media and emails.
4-year-old Table time:
The four-year-old's will be working on the letters B, R, and K. This practice helps them learn correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right letter formation while using a proper pencil grip and their helper hand to stabilize paper. I work closely with the children to support their grip and help them practice the letters in their names. I am very impressed with their progress in name writing and their understanding of 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!
3-Year-old Table Time:
This month the three-year-old's will be starting to learn the Handwriting Without Tears Program. We will be discussing the vocabulary, where we start our letters, and I will be teaching proper crayon grip, which we will be referring to as “puppy fingers.”
Tip of the Month!
Creating a safe and supportive environment can help children manage feelings of anxiety. Establishing predictable routines for meals, bedtime, and daily activities helps children feel secure, while reassurance lets them know their feelings are normal and that you are there to support them. Children often mirror adult emotions, so modeling calm behavior is important, and limiting exposure to upsetting news or media can also reduce worry. Encouraging open communication by listening carefully, validating your child’s feelings, and asking open-ended questions helps them feel heard and understood. Parents can also support their children by teaching simple coping skills such as deep breathing, relaxation techniques, positive self-talk, and role-playing situations that may make them feel nervous.