May News
Themes for May
Environment Mother’s Day Spring Farm
Environment
During this theme, we will be discussing the importance of recycling. We will be discussing the environment on Wednesday, May 1st and Thursday, May 2nd. After discussion we will be taking the children to the Carstairs bottle depot during our allotted walk time. To help the children understand the process of recycling bottles please send one recyclable item (i.e. juice box, water bottle, etc.) on these days so that your child will be able to receive money for their recyclable item.
Please ensure you bring proper clothing on these days. The wind has been quite chilly. This adventure is weather permitting!
May 1 - Monday/Wednesday classes visit the bottle depot
May 2 - Tuesday/Thursday classes visit the bottle depot
May 6 - Fire drills for the Monday/Wednesday classes (weather permitting)
May 7 - Fire drills for the Tuesday/Thursday classes (weather permitting)
May 9 - Playschool Open House - 5-7
May 10 - Growing Smiles delivery date - Time to be announced
May 14 - Miss Marg comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday classes
May 14 - Carstairs Playschool Board Meeting at 7pm - anyone welcome
May 20 - No school because of the Victoria Day holiday
May 21 - No school because Victoria Day was yesterday
May 22 - Crazy hair day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
May 23 - Crazy hair day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
Open House - Spread The Word!
Families new to the Carstairs Playschool Society are welcome to stop by between five and seven on May 9th. This is great way for families interested in the playschool to see the space and ask questions about our programming. Staff and board members will be on hand to answer those questions!
Table Time
The three year old’s will be working on the numbers 0 – 8, using the Handwriting Without Tears Program. These activities help the children follow one step directions, and work on their fine motor skills which involve using small muscle movements in their fingers. The children will also be continuing to work on their scissor skills while at the same time being reminded to use the correct hand position while holding the scissors.
The four year old’s will be working on the letters M, N, V, W, as well as practicing writing their names. The children will also be continuing to work on their scissor skills and will also be reminded to use the correct hand position while holding the scissors.
Black foam sheets Red foam sheets Small paper plates
CES Communication Permission Required
It is that time of year again! Mrs. Gerle will be meeting with Ms. Upshaw, principal at Carstairs Elementary School, to start the process of playschool students transitioning into kindergarten.
In order to help our 4 year old students transition to Kindergarten with ease, Mrs. Gerle will discuss information such as personality (shy, outgoing, social, anxious, etc.), peer relationships (student 1& 2 work very well together, etc.), or supports (speech, fine motor, etc.). This information is used to help create classes and provide insight into student needs for the upcoming Kindergarten year.
These conversations can only take place if parents provide permission. Please complete the attached google form by May 8th.
April News
April Themes
Mat Man
Transportation
People in the Community
Earth Day
April 1 – No school – Easter holiday
April 2 – No school – Easter holiday
April 3 – Wear purple day for the Monday/Wednesday classes to honor Autism Day
April 4 – Wear purple day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes to honor Autism Day
April 9 - Carstairs Playschool Board Meeting - 7pm
April 15 – April 18 – Spring Break
April 23 – Miss Marg from the library comes to read to both classes
April 25 - Growing Smiles Fundraiser Deadline
Table Work
This month the three year old’s will be continuing to work on the vocabulary for the Handwriting Without Tears Program. We will be discussing the language used to begin our pre-printing activities, such as big lines, little lines, curves and circles. We will also be starting to work on proper pencil grasp and we will be referring to this as “puppy fingers.”
The four year old’s will be working on letters R, K, and M. 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. I work closely with the children at this center so I am able to help them with their pencil grip as well as help them with the letters in their name. I am very impressed with all of the four year olds!! They have come so far with their name writing and their understanding of the lingo used in the Handwriting Without Tears Program.
Ms. Johnson’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!!!!
Fundraiser
Just in time for Mother’s Day! The growing smiles fundraiser will run until April 25th. Orders will be delivered to the playschool on May 10th. Thank you for your support
Board of Directors
The Board is seeking help for the upcoming school year! With the Carstairs Playschool Society being a non profit organization it is very important to have a full and functional board of directors. The commitment is minimal being only one hour per month, and you do not need to hold a seat on the board. More information about the various positions, please check our website or reach out to Gail at 403 999 8275
Open House
Spots are filling for the upcoming school year! Staff and board representatives will be available to answer any questions you may at our open house on May 9th from 5-7pm. Bring your children, see the space and meet the staff!
March News!
March Themes
Dr. Seuss Pirates Bedtime Easter
2024/2025 Registration Open
We are currently accepting registration for September!
Four Year Old Parents
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:
Hold a pencil correctly (proper pencil grip – tripod grasp)
Hold scissors correctly (thumb’s up)
Recognize his/her name
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 with these tasks would be beneficial to the transition from playschool to kindergarten.
March 6 - Twin day for the Monday/Wednesday classes – dress like a family member or classmate
March 7 - Twin day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes – dress like a family member or classmate
March 12 - Board of Directors meeting 7pm
March 13 – Dress like a pirate for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 14 – Dress like a pirate for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 19 – Miss Marg comes to read to the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 20 – Pajama Day for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 21 – Pajama Day for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
March 20 – Wear mismatched socks for the Monday/Wednesday classes – Down Syndrome Awareness Day
March 21 – Wear mismatched socks for the Tuesday/Thursday classes – Down Syndrome Awareness Day
March 27 – Easter Party for the Monday/Wednesday classes
March 28 – Easter Party for the Tuesday/Thursday classes
Pajama Day
Each playschool class will be having their own pajama day. The children can come to playschool in their pajamas and they can also bring a pillow and a stuffy if they so choose. These are also miss-matched socks day so please feel free to have your child celebrate both days at the same time!! For each pajama day, we are planning on following the regular classroom routine, however we will be including a few different games and activities which will be related to the pajama day theme. 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.
Easter Party
The Easter parties for each class will be held on Wednesday, March 27th and Thursday, March 28th. One of the day’s activities will be decorating Easter eggs!
PLEASE BRING TWO HARD – BOILED EGGS TO THE EASTER PARTY SO THAT YOUR CHILD CAN DECORATE THEIR EGGS AT THE PARTY!
The children will need to bring a regular snack to the party as we will be following our day as close to the usual routine as possible.
Donations we would really appreciate this month are:
Large white paper plates Brown paper plates
Table Time
This month, the three year old’s will be working on both left and right diagonal lines, wavy lines, zigzag lines, and we will be starting to learn the vocabulary for the Handwriting Without Tears program. These activities will aid the children in recognizing familiar two-dimensional shapes, and will allow them to use correct top-to-bottom, left-to-right directionality for symbols.
At this time, they will be practicing holding a crayon and using their helper hand to stabilize their papers. At craft time, we work one on one with the children and we are able to help them with proper pencil grasp, holding scissors correctly, and following one or two step directions.
At the beginning of the year, playtime for three year old’s usually involves parallel play, where the children play beside each other but not with each other. As the year goes on, this slowly transitions into imaginative play where the children will start creating games that involve more than just themselves. This is where we are at now in the three year old class and there are some really close friendships emerging!! During this kind of play, the children are learning problem solving skills, sharing, taking turns, as well as new ideas they may have not thought of themselves. All the skills are extremely beneficial for the children and are preparing them for the more structured four year old program.
This month the four year old’s will be working on letters P, B, R, and K. 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. I work closely with the children at this center so I am able to help them with their pencil grip as well as help them with the letters in their name. I am very impressed with all of the four year olds!! They have come so far with their name writing and their understanding of the lingo used in the Handwriting Without Tears Program.
Michelle’s center almost always involves some king 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!!!!