March Newsletter

Themes

The themes for March are Space, Bedtime, St. Patrick’s Day, and People in the Community.   We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that are themed related.

Pajama Day

Each playschool class will be having their own pajama party.  The children can come to playschool in their pajamas.  They may also bring a pillow and a teddy if they would like but both of these are optional.  For each pajama day, we are planning on following the regular classroom routine, however we will be including a few different games and activities.  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.

Kindergarten

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:

1. Your child must be able to hold a pencil correctly (proper pencil grip)

2. Your child must be able to hold scissors correctly (thumb’s up)

3. Your child must be able to recognize his/her name

4. 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.

March 1 – Carstairs Playschool Society Board meeting 11:45am
March 2 – Monday/Wednesday classes visit Carstairs Dental
March 5 – Tuesday/Thursday classes visit Carstairs Dental
March 11 – Pajama Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 12 – Pajama Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 17 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the morning class
March 18 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon class
March 19 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the afternoon class

Table Time

This month the three year olds will be working on the diamond shape, as well as doing a review of all the shapes we have discussed so far.  This helps the children recognize and draw two-dimensional shapes, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.  When we do the 1,2,3 flip cards, the children will be learning to recognize numbers, as well as learning the language for the Handwriting Without Tears program.   The three year olds will also be learning the number 7, 8, and 9.  The activities we use for these numbers encourages the children to use proper crayon grip, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for numbers.

This month the four year olds will be working on letters M, N, V, W, and X.  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.  We will also start working on capitals and lower case letters.  We will be observing the differences between the two and I will help the children point and name capital letters, as well as point and name lower case letters.  We will also start to try and match the lowercase letters to the capital letters, which helps the children notice and attach meaning to visual information.

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Empty tissue boxes

• Washable Markers

• Black and White Poster Board

Reminders

• Registration is open for the 2020 2021 playschool year.  Visit www.carstairsplayschool.net to register.

• Snacks must be peanut free.  Please bring snacks in a lunch kit and please label all containers as we have a few juice cups that are the same.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Michelle, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.

Danielle and Michelle
 

February Newsletter

Themes

We cover a lot in February.  The themes that we will be working on this month are Health and Nutrition, Valentine’s Day, Family, and Anti-bullying Day.  We will be reading stories, participating in discussions, making crafts and doing activities that will be based on each individual theme.  Plus, we will have a special guest!  Miss. Sarah, from Jitterbug Dance Studio, will be visiting each class.  We are very excited to learn some new dance moves!

Valentine’s Party

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 related to the Valentine’s Day theme.  Parents are asked to send regular snacks on the day of the party, but as a special treat they will be decorating cookies.

Valentine Cards

The children are welcome to bring Valentine cards for each of the children in their class.  We would really appreciate it if you DO NOT write child’s name on each Valentine card as, we have found in the past years, 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, to avoid hurt feelings. 

February 2nd – Carstairs Playschool Board Meeting – 2pm

February 3rd - Miss Sarah from Jitterbug Dance Studio visits both AM and PM classes

February 4th - Miss Sarah from Jitterbug Dance Studio visits both AM and PM classes

February 12th - Valentine’s Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes

February 13th - Valentine’s Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

February 17th - No school - Family Day

February 18th - No school - Family Day

February 19th - No school – Winter Break

February 20th - No school – Winter Break

February 26th – Pink Shirt day in support of Anti-bullying

February 27th – Pink Shirt day in support of Anti-bullying

February 27th – Carstairs Playschool Open House/Registration Night 5:30pm-7:30pm

Anti-bullying Day

The annual Pink Shirt Anti-Bullying Day is on Wednesday, February 26th.   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, February 26th, and Thursday, February 27th. We are asking the children to wear pink on those days to support this great message.

Table Time

This month the three year olds will be working on the rectangle and triangle shapes.  This helps the children recognize and draw two-dimensional shapes, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.  When we do the 1,2,3 flip cards, the children will be learning to recognize numbers, and learn the language for the Handwriting Without Tears program.  The ABC sing and point activity is where the children will point to the alphabet letters as we sing the song.  This helps them recognize letters and understand sequencing.  The three year olds will also be learning the number 7.  The activity we use for this encourages the children to use proper crayon grip, and correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for numbers.

This month the four year olds will be working on letters B, R, K, and A.  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.  We will also start working on capitals and lower case letters.  We will be observing the differences between the two and I will help the children point and name capital letters, as well as point and name lower case letters.  We will also start to try and match the lowercase letters to the capital letters, which helps the children notice and attach meaning to visual information.

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Empty tissue boxes

• Washable Markers

Sick Policy

We would like to remind parents to review the Carstairs Playschool Society’s sick policy found in the Parent Handbook.   Please refrain from bring your child to school if they are not feeling well or contagious.  If you do bring your child to school and staff feels he/she is too sick to be there, you will be contacted and asked to pick up your child.  We do encourage healthy hand washing practices, however, with young children and lots of toys, germs spread quickly.  Should you have any questions regarding the playschool’s sick policy, please feel free to contact us at carstairsplayshool@gmail.com. 

Open House/Registration Night

With the 2019/20 school year halfway through, it is time to start thinking about the next school year.  The Carstairs Playschool Society is now accepting registrations for the 2020/2021 school year.  We will be hosting an Open House on February 27th from 5:30-7:30pm.   Staff and Carstairs Playschool Society Board members will be on hand to answer any questions.  Alternatively, you can register by visiting our website at www.carstairsplaychool.net.  We also ask that you advocate for the playschool and let your friends, who have not yet experienced the playschool, know.  We thank you for your continued support!

Reminders

• Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring snacks in a lunch kit and please label all containers as we have a few juice cups that are the same.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Michelle, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.

Danielle and Michelle
 

December Newsletter

Themes

The theme that we will be working on this month is Christmas, which we will focus on throughout the month of December.  We will be reading stories, and participating in discussions that are theme-related, and the children will be making crafts and participating in activities that will be based on each individual theme.

Table Work

The three year olds will be working on Mat Man.  This is an activity where children name parts of the body and listen to oral directions to attend to a simple task.  “The ant, the bug, and the bee” is a song that teaches the children about numbers.  ABC sing and point helps the children learn left-to-right directionality for letters, as well as help them recognize the letters of the alphabet.  Door tracing encourages the children to point to and name capital letters, as well as proper crayon grasp.  When drawing the square, the children will be recognizing familiar two-dimensional shapes, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.

The four-year old’s will be working on the letters I, U, and C.  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.  Name writing is important for children to recognize and name letters in their own name, as well as position the capital letters right side up.

December 18th – Christmas party for all classes (9:00 – 11:00)

December 19th – January 5th - Christmas Break

January 6th – Classes resume for Monday/Wednesday classes

January 7th - Classes resume for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

January 12th – Carstairs Playschool Board meeting 2pm

Christmas Party

We just wanted to let everybody know that the time for the Christmas party will be 9:00 – 11:00 on Wednesday, December 18th.   Everybody is invited!!  This includes parents, siblings, grandparents, friends, or whoever would like to see these cute little children sing some songs. As it is a busy morning for the teachers and the children, we are asking that ALL children be accompanied by an adult at the Christmas party.

I would like to let you know what Michelle and I have planned for the morning.  We would like the parents to drop off your child at the playschool by 8:45.  The children will then stay in the classroom with their classmates while the parents go to the church sanctuary and find themselves a seat.  This year, we will be separating the age groups as it is very overwhelming for the children to all be in the playschool classroom at the same time.  So we will be bringing the 3 year olds into the church library which is located in the hallway just outside the playschool classroom.  If you have a very shy child, who may feel overwhelmed by all the activity, please feel free to stay with us up in the classroom.  If any child is upset and does not want to participate in the singing, don’t worry – it is perfectly fine with us if they choose to sit and watch.

At 9:00, the 3 year old classes will be brought down to the sanctuary by me and Michelle.  The children will then sing two Christmas songs.  At 9:05, the 4 year old classes will be brought down to the sanctuary by the classroom EA’s and will line up at the sanctuary door.   The 4 year olds will then sing two songs.  After that, all classes will sing one Christmas song to the audience.  Once all the classes have sung their last song, the children may go and sit with their parents.

We will then all proceed to the church gym for a Christmas party until 11:00.  The children do not need to bring a snack to the party; however, we are looking for volunteers to provide food.  If anyone is interested in donating fruit or treat trays, please contact Franca Young at 403 701 5330.  Please note, all treats MUST BE NUT FREE. 

Don’t forget your cameras, and we hope to see you all at the Christmas party!!

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Pony beads (red, green, and white)

• Green poster paper

• Small green plates

• Small white foam plates

• Bars of soap

Reminders

• Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring snacks in a lunch kit and please label all containers as we have a few juice cups that are the same.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Michelle, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.

We both wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year

Danielle and Michelle
 

November Newsletter

Themes

November themes will be Five Senses and Space. As always we will be reading stories and participating in discussions that are theme related. The children will be making crafts and participating in activities that will be based on each individual theme.

Handwriting Without Tears

This year I am following the program Get Set for School – Handwriting Without Tears. This is an award winning program that uses multisensory strategies and material to teach pencil grip, recognition, letter formation and early literacy skills. To learn more about this program, visit https://www.lwtears.com/hwt.

For the month of November, the 3 year old program will be doing an activity called bird legs, practice recognition and making of the shape of a cross, as well as the numbers one through three.

In the bird legs activity, the children will learn how to listen and repeat songs, verbally count a set of objects, and demonstrate active listening. They will also be using large muscle groups to maintain posture and mobility, know where their body is in relation to space, as well as move naturally and place their body to perform tasks.

In the cross shape activity, the children will be able to recognize familiar two-dimensional shapes and use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols, as well as using the same hand consistently to hold crayons.

In the numbers one to three activity, the children will learn sequencing, how to count verbally, and using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for numbers all while practicing the proper grip to write.

The four year old programs will be focusing on an activity called Capitals On The Edge, as well as working on the letters L, F, E, H, and T.

In the Capitals On The Edge activity, the children will be learning to point and name capital letters and how to position the letters right-side up. This will help the learn to use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for letters.

In all our letter activities, the children will be learning to hold a crayon with proper grip. They will be learning words linked to the content being taught while tracing the capital letters. And they will be learning sequencing, as well as using correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for letters.

November Calendar Change

Please note there has been a change to the calendar for the month of November. The playschool will not be open on November 25 & 26th due to no school day at CES. We apologize for missing this when we created our school calendar.

School Pictures
Once again we are very pleased with the photos Renee Hunt from Simply Unique took of all the children. Renee has notified use that all editing is complete and she has emailed out links to all families who completed forms. If you have not received your email, please contact Renee at reneehunt1@hotmail.com.

November 11 – No school because of the Fall Break at Carstairs Elementary
November 12 – No school because of the Fall Break at Carstairs Elementary
November 19 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the 4 year old AM class (library books are due today!)
November 20 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the 4 year old class (library books are due today!)
November 21 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to the 4 year old PM class (library books are due today!)
November 25 - No school (CES Collab Day)
November 26 - No school

Speech Screening & PUF

We, at the Carstairs Playschool Society, feel it is important that we use all our available resources to prepare the children for kindergarten, and life in general. We feel that language, speech, and articulation are important aspects to a child, as they must have communication skills in everything and everywhere they go. I will be using a speech screening checklist which I will be filling out for the children during class time.

If I hear that certain sounds or letters are missing, or if I can’t hear a word clearly, I will be recommending that parents get in touch with Garth Schindel, the speech therapist at Didsbury Hospital. We believe it is important to target these speech and language difficulties at a young age. We also feel that if a child gets the help they need, they will be much more confident and sure of themselves in every aspect of their life, especially in going forward onto kindergarten and beyond.

I want to stress the fact the Alberta Government only funds PUF (Personal Unit Funding) program for ages 3-5. This is a free service during these ages, and I feel this program is very beneficial in helping children succeed and become more confident with their speech and language skills. Having PUF support should not be seen as a negative experience; instead it gives those children experiencing some language difficulties a chance to thrive in order to be ready for kindergarten.

I am not a speech therapist, but I feel it is important that all children get as much help and support as they can so that they can be confident in all aspects of their lives. We have added some information to our website outlining what each age group should be experiencing in terms of speech, articulation, and language. If you are at all concerned that your child does not meet some of these criteria, I highly recommend you make an appointment with Garth Schindel. Not all children who see the speech therapist will be given PUF funding, but Garth is highly skilled and will be able to give you lots of ideas to help your child in every area pertaining to speech and language.

Scrapbooks

I have crafts planned for each day your child attends playschool, however, some crafts will not be going home with your child. This is because I save several crafts over the year and put them into a scrapbook which your child will be bringing home on the last day of class in June. I love putting these mementos together and watching the children flip through their scrapbooks is so heart-melting for me!!

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Large cardboard boxes (big enough to make a castle, etc.)

• Red felt

• Red/green/white pony beads

• Small pop up tents

• Paper towel tubes

• Toilet Paper tubes

• Black poster paper

Reminders

• Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring snacks in a lunch kit and please label all containers as we have a few juice cups that are the same.

• Don't forget to follow us on Facebook.

• There are a few items in lost and found, please take a look.

If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Michelle, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.

Danielle
 

October Newsletter

Wow! I can’t believe it is October already! Our first month went extremely well, and the children and teachers have settled in nicely with the routine and each other.

Themes

The themes that we will be working on this month are Dinosaurs, which we will discuss for one week, Thanksgiving, we will discuss up until our Thanksgiving break, and then we will focus on Halloween throughout the rest of October. We will be reading stories and participating in discussions that are theme related. The children will be making crafts and participating in activities that will be based on each individual theme.

Fire Drills

Each playschool class will be participating in three separate fire drills throughout the year. We feel it is important that the staff and children practice these drills so that we are properly prepared in the event of an emergency. During these drills, I will explain the procedure to the students and then all staff will follow the protocol in evacuating the children. The children will be lined up in the classroom. We will then walk with each class to The Legion parking lot. Once safely in the parking lot, we will the count the children. Once all are accounted for, we will all walk back to the playschool and continue with our regular program. If a real emergency does occur, parents will be contacted as soon as possible. At that time, you will be told to pick up your child at The Legion parking lot.

Picture Day

We have been so happy with Simply Unique that we have asked Renee to do our school photos again this year. The form detailing package options is attached below. Please ensure you have exact cash and if paying by cheque, made payable to Renee Hunt. Editing will take a few weeks. An update will be posted on our Facebook page once all links have been sent out to ensure everyone has received theirs.

October 1 – Fire Drill for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 2 – Picture Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 3 – Picture Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
October 3 – Davison Orchard Apple Fundraiser Due
October 14 – No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 15– No school because of the Thanksgiving holiday
October 16 – Marg from the library comes to read to the Monday/Wednesday 4 year old class
October 17 – Marg from the library comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday afternoon 4 year old class
October 30 – Halloween Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes
October 31 – Halloween Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes

Halloween Parties

Each playschool class will be having a Halloween party. The children can wear their costumes and we will have fun and games for the day. The last 15 minutes of each class, the children will parade around the classroom in their costumes and will then sing some songs. Parents and siblings are more than welcome to come and watch the parade and hear the children sing at this time. We would like the children to bring their regular snacks to the Halloween Party. For each Halloween party, we are planning on loosely following the regular routine so as to hopefully, avoid over excitement. However, we will be including several games and activities that will be related to the Halloween theme.

Speech Screening

We, at the Carstairs Playschool, feel it is important that we use all our available resources to prepare the children for kindergarten, and life in general. We feel that language, speech, and articulation are important aspects to a child, as they must have communication skills in everything and everywhere they go. I will be using a speech screening checklist which I will be filling out for the children I may be concerned about during class time.
If I hear that certain sounds or letters are missing, or if I can’t hear a word clearly, I will be recommending that parents get in touch with Garth Schindel, the speech therapist up in Didsbury. We believe it is important to target these speech and language difficulties at a young age. We also feel that if a child gets the help they need, they will be much more confident and sure of themselves in every aspect of their life, especially in going forward onto kindergarten and beyond.

Pick Up

We are asking that you please plan to be at the playschool five minutes before your child’s scheduled pick-up time as this will help us to run our programs more smoothly. If you are going to be late, please call us, as many children start to panic if they do not see his/her parent coming in the door with the other parents. Please refer to the Carstairs Playschool Society Parent Handbook regarding Late Pick Up fees.

Because the Carstairs Playschool Society is a not for profit facility, we often rely on donations.  Parents are not obligated to donate however it is very much appreciated when you can.  We do, however, ask that you do no donate items that we have not put out a request for.  As much as we appreciate it, there is not a lot of storage space and we have found in the past, that some items do not get used and it can quickly become overwhelming.  Each month, the newsletter will include a list of items we are in need of.

The Carstairs Playschool uses a lot of various materials for crafts and we may be short of some items.

This month, I would be grateful for:

• Small jingle bells

• Black poster paper

Reminders

Snacks must be peanut free. Please bring snacks in a lunch kit and please label all containers as we have a few juice cups that are the same.

• Please sign and bring back all forms that were given out at the beginning of September.

• Please return your child’s library card information sheet, 4 year old classes only. Ms. Marg needs them to prepare the library cards.

Lastly, the class visitation lists are ready to go and will be posted on the bulletin board in the front entrance.  Please feel free to sign up to visit our classroom after the Thanksgiving break.

If you have any questions, please feel free to discuss them with myself or Michelle, or email me at carstairsplayschoolteacher@gmail.com, or you can phone the playschool at 403 816 1481.

Danielle