Themes

We will be kicking off spring with four themes. The beginning of April will be Body Awareness and Musical Instruments. We will be finishing off the month with Earth Day and the Environment. These two themes will include a walk to the recycling center and bottle depot.

Dates to Remember

April 2nd - No school because of the Easter holiday

April 3rd - No school because of the Easter holiday

April 13th – 22nd - Spring Break

April 23rd – Class resume for Monday/Wednesday program

April 23rd – Monday/Wednesday classes walk to the recycling center

April 24th – Class resumes for Tuesday/Thursday program

April 24th – Tuesday/Thursday classes walk to the recycling center

April 25th – Monday/Wednesday classes walk to the bottle depot

April 26th – Tuesday/Thursday classes walk to the bottle depot

Parent Craft List

The Parent Craft List is posted in the Parent Corner located in the boot room. Each craft template will be ready at the beginning of each month. The following parents have their craft due this month:

Pamela/Brandon Pierce Due April 4

Kathy Koshowski Due April 4

Jonathan Borkristl Due April 4

Amy/Kyle Weber Due April 30

Pamela/Michael Robertson Due April 30

Earth Day And The Environment

As previously mentioned, on Monday, April 23rd and Tuesday, April 24th, we will be discussing Earth day and the importance of recycling. During our allotted play time, we will be walking to the Recycling Center. Please send one recyclable item on these days for your child to recycle. Acceptable items would be cardboard, newspaper, plastic container, however we ask that you do not send tin cans due to the sharp edges.

To continue with our theme, on Wednesday, April 25th, and Thursday, April 26th we will be taking the children to the Carstairs bottle depot. Please send one recyclable plastic bottle or juice box for your child to return. Your child will receive the money for their recyclable item.

Toys From Home

Over the past couple of months, Lorraine and I have noticed an increase in the number of toys children are bringing to playschool. In three separate instants, the children have not been able to find their toy at the end of the day to take home. Because of the distress this causes, Lorraine and I are asking that you please DO NOT allow your child to bring their toys from home unless it is their show and share day. You can find your child’s show and share day on the calendar that is sent out monthly. We also ask that each child only bring ONE item for show and share so that both children have an equal opportunity to share their toys with the class. As always, if your child misses their show and share day, they are more than welcome to bring something to share with us during their next playschool day. We thank you for your understanding in this matter.

The Benefits Of Our Therapists

The Carstairs Playschool Society has a close working relationship with the principal at the Carstairs Elementary School, as well as, the therapists who often frequent our premises. There is a variety therapists who visit the playschool separately, sometimes several times per month. They are there to assist the educational assistants, Lorraine and myself, on the individual progress plans of those children involved in the PUF program. We have incorporated many of their suggestions into our programming, and as a result, the therapists are pleased with the progress all children have made this year.

Below l have outline a few ideas suggested by the therapists that all children have been involved in this year, and have benefited greatly from:

Physical Therapist

The obstacle course contains many gross motor activities which help strengthen the core muscles, upper body, and balance. Cross over activities have been added, which helps the child use both the left and right sides of their brains. The children will crawl through tunnels, do cross over exercises with bean bags, jump, hop on one foot, army crawl, hopscotch, just to name a few.
Yoga has been a great activity for helping develop core muscles, which is extremely beneficial for posture and sitting up straight. If a child has well developed core muscles, studies have shown they will be able to listen more attentively as their body does not need to spend the time working on trying to sit up straight. We have noticed huge gains in this area for many children. For example, those children who choose to lean against the adults at circle time generally have weaker core muscles, and it is tiring for them to work at sitting cross legged. As we have continued to do yoga every day, Lorraine and I have noticed a significant drop in the number of children who need to lean against an adult while sitting. The yoga and obstacle course have definitely helped in strengthening their core muscles!!

Occupational Therapist

We have incorporated the use of fine motor activities in almost every aspect of our programming. In the obstacle course, there is always a fine motor component, which may involve using tongs or clothes pins to pick up small objects such as pom poms or magnets. This grip is much like the grip needed to hold a pencil. This also helps them develop the strength in their fingers so they are able to apply pressure to the paper while working on their letters or coloring.
We have switched from using regular crayons to using flip crayons. This is a very small crayon with one color on one side and a different color on the other side. This crayon is so small that the children must grasp the end of it using the proper triangle pencil grip, helping to eliminate the issue of those children who prefer to fist the crayon while coloring.
Our Dora bins have many small manipulative toys which require the children to build structures by putting pieces together. This helps with finger strength and pencil grip, and is also very beneficial for spatial reasoning, which is a very important math skill. We continue to add manipulative toys to our collection.

Speech Therapist

I have learned many different tricks and techniques over the years from our speech therapist. Waiting is very important. Many children need time to think about what they want to say. Waiting without talking has helped many kids have the confidence to take their time to sort out their thoughts before saying what they need to say.
Slowing their speech down has been another helpful technique. Our speech therapist uses speech dots. An assistant puts a piece of tape on the child’s sleeve and draws four circles. If the child speaks too quickly and we can’t understand them, the assistant taps each dot as the child says each word. It has worked wonders in helping Lorraine and I understand some children.

Lorraine and I continue to learn new skills and techniques from the therapists who visit the playschool. These skills will be added into the programs in order to best prepare your children for kindergarten.

If you have any questions regarding the therapists, the activities we do, or the program please feel free to ask. If I do not have the answer, I will definitely direct you to a therapist who can.

Reminders

Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring your child’s snack in a labeled lunch kit and please label all containers.
Please remember to update us in any changes of contact number, address, medical conditions, etc.
All Scholastic orders must be paid by cheque – NO CASH PLEASE
Ensure you are following us on Facebook. Reminders and information are continually posted Facebook and our website at www.carstairsplayschool.net
The lost and found bucket is on top of the lunch kit shelf. Please look and see if any of these items belong to your family.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Lorraine, or you can email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com

Danielle and Lorraine

Themes

The month of March will be busy with four themes. Two classes will be spent on “Kids Around the World” and “Bedtime” each. One class is designated for “St. Patrick’s Day” and we will finish off the month with three classes on “Easter”. There will be stories, discussions, activities and crafts based on each theme.

Dates to Remember

March 1st – Pink shirt day for Tuesday/Thursday classes

March 8th – Open house at the playschool (5-7pm)

March 13th – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the morning 4-year old class

March 14th – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon 4-year old class

March 14th – Pajama Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes

March 15th – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon 4-year old class

March 15th – Pajama Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

March 28th – Easter Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes

March 29th – Easter Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

Parent Craft List

The Parent Craft List is posted in the Parent Corner located in the boot room. Each craft template will be ready at the beginning of each month. The following parents have their craft due this month:

Heather/Cameron Tolley - Due March 7

Dominic/Amanda Conway - Due March 7

Meaghan/Greg Wall - Due March 12

Chelsea/Anthony Novello - Due March 12

Ester/Jordan Cameron - Due March 14

Brett/Amy Monea - Due March 16

Kindergarten Preparedness

With kindergarten just around the corner, we have been working very hard on specific skills to ensure your child will be starting their first year off confident and prepared. Any extra time spent at home focusing on these tasks would be beneficial to the transition from playschool to kindergarten. The four key skills your child should be doing consistently upon entering kindergarten are:

Proper pencil grip
Hold scissors correctly (both thumbs up)
While printing his/her name, an upper-case letter for the first letter of their name, followed by lower-case letters (e.g. John)
Your child must be able to put on his/her own shoes and zip up their own coat

We will continue to build on these fine motor skills for the remaining portion of the year.

Pajama Day

Each playschool class will be having a pajama party. The children are asked to come to playschool in their pajamas. They are welcome to bring a pillow and teddy bear as well, but this is optional. We will be mostly following the regular classroom routine, however will be including different games and activities. Towards the end of class, the children will be watching a movie and having popcorn as a treat. Please note, that you are still required to send a snack on pajama day.

Easter Party

The Easter parties will be on March 28th and 29th. Each child is asked to bring two hard-boiled eggs to school for decorating at their party. Please send a regular snack for your child.

Registration

Registration is now open for the 2018 2019 preschool year. If your child is currently enrolled in the Carstairs Playschool and you would like to register your child or sibling for next year, please see our website at www.carstairsplayschool.net for the online registration form. All registrations are accepted on a first come, first served basis.

Open House

The Carstairs Playschool Society is holding an open house on March 8th from 5-7pm, for all parents and children not familiar with the playschool to come meet the staff, see the space and ask any questions they may have.

Facebook

For those who find playschool updates on Facebook, the Carstairs Playschool recently changed from a “group” to a “page”. Please “like” and “follow” the Carstairs Playschool page to ensure you receive updates and reminders. As of March 1st, we will no longer be posting on the Facebook group.

Reminders

Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring your child’s snack in a labeled lunch kit and please label all containers.
Please remember to update us in any changes of contact number, address, medical conditions, etc.
All Scholastic orders must be paid by cheque – NO CASH PLEASE
The lost and found bucket is on top of the lunch kit shelf. Please look and see if any of these items belong to your family.

If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Lorraine, or you can email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com

Danielle and Lorraine