Welcome back everyone! We are so happy to see our returning students and also all of the new faces. We are all getting used to being back to school. The 2 year olds are getting used to saying good-bye to mom for a few hours, and we are learning how to work together as new friends!
I have a few reminders and a request for help. The first reminder is to please, please always close the gate behind you when you go through one. Safety is our number one priority and we need your help to keep the gates closed and the children safe. The second request is to please drive slowly and carefully in the parking lot. We have 95 children a day transitioning in the parking lot. We need to always be diligent about driving slowly. Also, if you leave the preschool going out onto Clairemont Mesa Boulevard, it is illegal to make a left hand turn onto Clairemont Mesa Boulevard from the church parking lot. It is dangerous and a hefty ticket if you get caught.
My request for help is for early morning drop-off. If you are coming to drop your child off at early morning, before 9:00, please make sure you check-in with the teacher working early morning. Once your child is signed in, he/she must stay on the playground. If you come to the preschool before 9:00 a.m. but are not leaving your child in early morning, please make sure you and your child remain off the playground. It is very hard to keep track of which children are in early morning and which children are with their parents if you are on the playground at the same time. Thank you for your understanding of our desire to keep this transition period safe for all the children.
If you are going to be using our extended care program in the afternoon and your child will be staying after 1:30 p.m., please bring a beach towel with your child’s name on it for our nap mats. Please take the towel home at the end of the week for laundering.
On Thursdays and Fridays you have the option to sign-up for snack. We provide snack but we have found that parents enjoy bringing something different or “special” for a day and since we are limited in what we can provide to 95 students, it also gives a variety to the children. This is a voluntary sign-up only. You do not have to participate. If you do bring snack, please check with your child’s teacher for food allergies in the classroom. They have a list of food allergies and can let you know if there is a specific allergy.
I also have a few calendar reminders for you. On Monday, September 15, 2008 and Tuesday, September 16, 2008, we will be having school pictures. In the past, we have had sibling photos at the end or the beginning of the day of pictures. Shugrue has found, however, that this takes time away from the school pictures and he does not finish photographing before school is over. Shugrue has offered to take sibling pictures in his studio on his picture make up days. Those days are November 7, 2008, and November 10, 2008. If you would like to have sibling pictures please call the studio and make an appointment. His studio phone number is 619-224-5845. Thank you for your understanding on this matter.
On the first week of school you will be getting a packet from Innisbrook. It is our first fundraiser of the year. There will be a container in the office to drop off your orders. You can order through the catalog or on-line. You can also have your family members order on line and the preschool will get credit for those orders. This is a great fundraiser to kick-off our year. We typically bring in $1200.00 or more for this fundraiser. If you would like to make a straight donation instead of buying the products, that is welcome as well!
We also participate in Scholastic Books. We receive points for every book you order and are able to buy things such as a video camera for the school, a camera, and computers. It is also an inexpensive way to get quality books for your children. More information will be coming out later in September.
Our Get Acquainted Potluck is Thursday, September 25, 2008 from 5:30 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. We will be having dinner in the Church Hall and your children will be coming to the preschool classrooms. We will have youth from the Northminster Preschool youth program here to watch your children. We will provide pizza to the children and you will bring a dish to share with the other parents. This is a great way to meet the other parents in your classroom and also connect with the parent group. We had a wonderful turn-out last year and are very excited to have the event again this year!
Northminster Preschool is a non-profit preschool. We rely heavily on fundraising to help us fund large projects of improvement for the preschool. While this is an important part of our school, we want you to know that all participation is voluntary. As we stated in our orientation, there are many ways to participate in the preschool besides contributing to our fundraisers. We are very appreciative of your time and/or your donations.
We are looking forward to a wonderful school year with you and your children. I am always available if you have any questions or concerns and if not, please just stop by to say hello. My door is always open and I would love to hear from you!
Thank you,
Shelli Harder
Director, Northminster Preschool
Comments on this entry are closed.