February 2010

Our Valentime parties will be held on:

Thursday, February 11 (T/TH classes)

Friday, February 12 (MWF classes)

Valentine party sign-up sheets are on the bulletin boards. This year we will be providing the majority of the party refreshments. More emphasis will be placed on games and activities than the snack. The children will be creating "mailboxes" for Valentine cards. If your child wants to deliver valentines to his/her classmates, please send the valentines to preschool in a bag labeled with your child’s name. Please do not put names on the outside of the envelopes, as they are too difficult for the children to deliver. We will help the children deliver their valentines during class time, as an activity to reinforce letter and name recognition.

There will be no school on Monday (2/15), Presidents Day

Revisiting Parent Visitation

Sign-up sheets for parent visitation (beginning in February) have been placed on our bulletin boards. Your child will enjoy having you visit and so will we! It is fun for the parents to see their little ones interact with others in the classroom. Be aware that your child’s behavior, while you are visiting, may not necessarily be reflective of his/her normal preschool behavior. It is not unusual for children to either become timid or to act out or act silly when parents visit. They may be inclined to show off a little bit. Feel free to discuss any concerns that you may have, with your child’s teacher.

In addition, if you have questions regarding anything that occurs during your visit, please discuss them with the teacher. We hope that your visit will enable you to acquire some understanding of our preschool program as well as our philosophy of early childhood education.

If you are unable to schedule a visit on the available days, please speak with your child’s teacher about scheduling an alternate day. We can be flexible. Two parents may visit with their child on the same day or each may schedule his/her own visitation day.

A Note About Snow Days

We do not require tuition payment for snow days or any other day for which we cancel school. If tuition has been paid ahead and a cancellation occurs, an extra day will be credited for your child.

Show-and-Tell

February (2 – 6): something that your child has made or created. It may involve art, cooking, gardening, carpentry, etc.

March (1 – 5): Children choose a plastic egg to take home, and then bring something that will fit inside the egg.

In an effort to support our preschool family businesses, while enabling other preschool families to do the same, an area of the wall (to the right of the playroom) has been designated for this purpose. Please let Cathy know if you have information you would like to place there.

Check out the newly designed calendar. We hope that this will make it easier for you to keep up with preschool events and happenings!

Fundraising

Unfortunately, fundraising events are necessary in order for us to avoid the tuition increases that would be needed to keep up with ever-increasing costs. First Covenant Preschool has been educating young children for over 45 years! Because it is imperative that we keep our equipment and supplies safe and in good repair, we must regularly replace and update them. We are also committed to providing tuition assistance to families with children who would otherwise be unable to attend our preschool. You will continue to receive information as the event approaches.

You will soon be receiving information about our annual Easter Candy Sale. Because many people plan to buy Easter candy anyway, this fundraiser seems like less of an imposition.
Our Silent Theme Basket Auction has been expanded this year. In addition to basket donations from preschool families and church members, one of our volunteers has been busy soliciting donations from the community to help us raise additional funds. She has also arranged for us to have a booth at the Chautauqua Mall’s Spring Home & Garden Show, March 11 – 14, where we will continue to accept bids on auction items.

Please remember that participation in the fundraisers is appreciated, but not required.

Remember. . .

When our weather is bad, please tune in to WJTN (1240 AM), WKSN (1340 AM), WHUG (101.9 FM), SE93 (93.3 FM) or WQFX (103.1 FM) and Buffalo television channels 2, 4 & 7 to find out if preschool will be closed. You can also check online at WJTN's School Closings page. We follow the Jamestown Public School (JPS) system for our weather-related closings. However, if JPS uses a one or two-hour delay, we will make our decision independently because we need not be as concerned about sidewalk (walking) conditions throughout the district. Extra copies of our school closing policy are available on the information table in the preschool hallway

Thinking About Next Year?

Registration begins Tuesday, February 2 for families of children currently enrolled in preschool. Many preschool families are carefully considering their options. Please see Mrs. Byrne if you need information about how our pre-K program differs from Universal Pre-K (UPK).

In addition to our T/TH and MWF options, we also offer four and five-day classes.

Extra copies of our weekly plans are located on the preschool information table, to let you know what is happening in our classrooms.

Preschool Art Show

The children are busy creating original works of art to be displayed during the Open House on Sunday, March 7, 1:00 - 4:00 PM. Friends and family are welcome! This will also begin registration for families of children not currently enrolled in our program. A basket of Preschool Handbooks is located on the information table in the preschool hallway. Please take as many as you need, along with an invitation to our Open House, to share with any families of preschoolers that you know.

December 2009

It seems as if we have one continuous holiday whirl following Halloween! It is fun to enjoy these special times with young children…especially your children.

Cookie Frost Reminder:

Our Grandparent Cookie Frosts are scheduled for. . .

T/TH AM Classes: Tuesday, December 8 10:15 am
MWF AM Classes: Wednesday, December 9 10:00 am
MWF PM Class: Wednesday, December 19 1:45 pm

Be sure to sign up a grandparent or a special person in your child’s life (it may be you) on the sheet outside of your child’s classroom. Your child may invite multiple guests! The guests will be invited into the classroom for a short presentation of holiday songs and finger plays before proceeding to Fellowship Hall to decorate cookies.

Reminder: There will be no extended hour after the MWF Cookie Frosts!

Our Christmas parties will be held on:

Monday, December 1 (T/TH classes)

Tuesday, December 22 (MWF classes)

There will be no extended hour on after the Friday Christmas parties.

We try to keep the few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas vacation calm and low-key as the energy level of the children continues to increase. Our party day will include watching a movie that is related to the birth of Jesus, followed by our class parties. The children recently enjoyed reenacting the first Thanksgiving as Pilgrims and Indians. On party days we will be following the star in search of the newborn baby Jesus.

Thank You. . .

. . .to those who helped with the Thanksgiving Feasts, with both donations and preparations.
. . .to our dedicated cookie bakers, responsible for baking over 80 dozen cookies for the Cookie Frost.
. . .to all of you who are contributing in various ways to our Cookie Frost and Christmas parties.
. . .to all of you who have made donations to our Hat & Mitten Tree, as well as to our food drive.

Show-And-Tell

Reminder to parents: Please encourage your child to use the bathroom before class begins. We try to make the most of our time with your children. While many children seem to enjoy making trips to the bathroom (especially with a friend) less staff time for bathroom trips means more time for meaningful activities in the classroom!

We will need bubble wrap (the large bubbles!) for the first day back after Christmas break. . .it’s a surprise!

Parent Visitation Will Begin in February

Be sure to sign up for this special day with your child! This is an excellent opportunity to see your child in the classroom environment. Feel free to either observe, or participate in, our daily activities. Some children desire their parents’ individual attention during the visit while others are willing to share their “grown-up” with the other children. Just take your cue from your son or daughter. Sign-up sheets will be placed on the bulletin boards after the holidays. Also, your child’s teacher will be available after class for a brief conference to answer any questions that you may have. Please let the teacher know, in advance, if you wish to schedule time to talk after your visit.

Campbell’s Labels For Education Program

Remember to save those labels and UPCs! They may be placed in the designated container in the preschool hallway. Check the information table in the hallway for an information sheet outlining the specifics about the products that are included in the program.

School Closings

When our weather is bad, please tune in to radio stations WJTN, WKSN, WHUG or SE93 or television channels 2, 4, & 7 to find out if preschool will be closed. We follow the Jamestown Public School system for our weather-related closings. If JPS uses a one or two-hour delay, we will make our decision independently; because we do not need to be concerned about sidewalk conditions throughout the district. The school closing policy is posted on each bulletin board, with extra copies on the information table.

Coming in January. . .

We will have a children’s clothing exchange table located in the preschool hallway for the remaining of the school year. You are invited to drop off any clothes that your child(ren) have outgrown as well as take anything that your child(ren) can use. Please share only clothes that are clean and in good condition. We need a couple of people to monitor the exchange table (organize and refold clothes, etc.). Please let Cathy Byrne or Maureen Beresford know if you are interested. Some children’s boots have recently been donated and are located on the yellow table across from the preschool office. There is also a 35mm camera and film that anyone is welcome to take. We have switched to a digital camera and no longer use it.

"God's Pantry"

Last year First Covenant established a food pantry. It is located on the second floor toward the exit just past the doors to the Sanctuary. Preschool families are invited to take food when needed and donate food when able

We wish you all a blessed & merry Christmas and a happy & healthy New Year!

February 2010 | December 2009

How do you like our web site? We also have an e-mail address: preschool@firstcovpreschool.org

We would like to add more "parent comments" to the web site. If your child and/or family have had positive experiences that you would be willing to share, you may e-mail them to us or write them down and send them to preschool with your child. You need not include your name or your child's name, if that is your preference.