Happy October everyone! Our Preschool year is off to a great start, and all of the children in our class seem to be adjusting well to the new year. However, don't be concerned if there are days when your child does not want to go to school. It is completely normal. The reason: the novelty has worn off. The children have played with all the “new” toys, and they are beginning to realize that a routine exists, every day. For some children, this routine is an absolute must, and it makes them want to be in school. For others, they adopt a “been there done that” attitude, and have a hard time coming back.

If you notice that your child is starting to have a hard time coming in to school, try talking to him or her about the different activities that we do on a daily basis. Or, you could ask your child about a particular toy that he or she likes to play with at school, and we can make sure that it is accessible. We want to help all of the children feel as comfortable as possible, so please don’t hesitate to talk to us.

The children are finishing up the shapes unit and we are very proud of how well they have been working. We will be doing a theme on fire safety and then moving on to our numbers unit with a Halloween theme tied in. One day this month a fire truck will be coming to school. We will talk to the firefighters about fire safety and then have a tour of the fire truck. On Friday, October 16th, we will be going on our pumpkin picking field trip to Liberty Ridge Farm. Please see the attached permission slip. Then, on Friday, October 30th, we will have our Halloween party. We have started counting down on our calendar to these fun events, and the children cannot wait.

Magazine Drive:

Thank you to everyone who participated in our fundraiser. If your child sold magazines they will be getting prizes very soon.

Supplies:

Thank you so much to everyone who brought in supplies from our wish list. You really are taking care of us. However, there are few cleaning items that we could use that were not on our wish list, such as the following: baby wipes, antibacterial spray cleaners, Lysol spray and any other product that will allow is to keep the classroom as healthy as possible this year.

We are asking all parents to keep your child home if he or she is not feeling well. Your child will not be allowed at school if he has a fever, is vomiting or is having loose bowel movements. Besides that, we are asking that if you know that your child is "just not themselves" and seem to be sneezing, coughing and lacking energy, please keep them home for the day. I have been spraying our classroom down every night with bleach and water to keep it as clean as possible. But, that can only go so far, since all my friends in Pre-K like to share all those colds with one another. Thank you for understanding.

Lunch Volunteers:

Thank you to all the lunch time volunteers who have helped with our class. So far we have haven't scared anyone away. We are always looking for people to volunteer on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 11:30am-12:30pm. Even if you can only do a day here and there, it’s still helpful. If you are interested, please sign up on the bulletin board outside our classroom. Thank you!

Recess:

We make every effort to get out for some fresh air every day. Please be sure that you send your child in with a coat. Also, make sure that EVERYTHING IS LABELED!!!!

Picture Day:

Picture day will be Friday October 9th. I will send out the order forms as soon as we get them from the office.

Carpet:

We are looking for a larger carpet in our classroom. Right now we have a 5'x7'. If you know of anyone that is getting rid of a good carpet bigger than a 5'x7', please let us know. We may be able to take it off his or her hands. Thanks!

School Closed:

School will be closed on Monday, October 12th, for Columbus Day. We will also be closed on Friday, November 13th, for the parent-teacher conference day for the elementary and middle school. Pre-K does not hold conferences until February, so the Preschool staff uses this day for staff development.

If you need to reach me for any reason, e-mail works best. Please feel free to e-mail me at misscarriepreschool@hotmail.com. Don't forget to visit my website too. Just go to www.smswaterford.org, click on "faculty" and then my name. The link will bring you to the website. I will post our monthly newsletters, along with any days off we have. I have also linked some fun websites for the Preschoolers to visit!

I hope everyone has a happy October and safe Halloween!

Mrs. Carrie & Mrs. D.