We are officially heading into HOLIDAY MODE! While the children have started practicing their Christmas songs for our Grandparents’ Day and Happy Birthday Jesus celebrations, I suppose we can’t start cranking the Christmas tunes quite yet…we still need to get through Thanksgiving first! Nonetheless, the holiday season is such a blessing and a joy to experience through the young eyes of preschoolers!

This past week had have so much fun with our Apple and Pumpkin Days. Classes were immersed in baking, painting, crafts, games, and so much more. A huge thanks to all who helped make this event a success!

There are several BIG events and happenings this month. Please be sure to read about them here to stay in the loop! 🙂

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NEWS, NOTES & MORE

Payment Reminder – Underwood Farms  – https://parent.smarttuition.com/

If you haven’t already, please remember to PAY for your child’s admission to Underwood Farms ONLINE through your Smart Tuition account. Payment for students and chaperones is due Friday, November 3.

Site Workday – A HUGE thank you to all the parents who helped out at our work day. It was an incredible show of support, hard work, and pure grit!

PCS Observation Day – November 16 @ 9:00 – If you are interested in PCS for your rising TK/Kindergartener, please come to one of our Observation Days. You will hear from Dr. Gray, view classrooms, and see us “in action!” Sign up online!

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UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Echo Parenting Seminar – Thursday, November 2 @ 7:00

It is not too late to join the seminar on Challenging Behaviors. Join us in the PCS library. Parking will be available in the PCS and Preschool front lots.

Fall Festival– Saturday, November 4th – This is one of the most fun event events of the year! We are looking forward to seeing everyone there. If you didn’t pre-purchase tickets, they will be available at the door.

We have a few BIG events this month:

Day at the Farm, Stone Soup, and Grandparents’ Day!

Day at the Farm –  November 14th. The older pod will be heading out on a field trip to Underwood Farms to enjoy a tractor ride, picking vegetables, and petting some farm animals. While the older kids are away at the farm, the younger pod will be enjoying a stay-trip and setting up their very own farm on campus to enjoy animals, crafts, games, and more!

Stone Soup – November 20 & 21 – This event is a long standing tradition at our school. It begins with all the classrooms reading the classic tale “Stone Soup“, a tale in which a community comes together to make a pot of soup. During Stone Soup Day, each student brings a veggie to contribute to their classroom’s pot of soup! Volunteers are needed and MVP hours abound…so please talk with your teacher about how you can join the fun!

Grandparents’ Day –  November 30th – Calling all grandparents…this day is for YOU! Invitations were sent out to all grandparents’ whose families sent in an “Invitation Request Form.” If you didn’t send in a request, please contact Antoinette Andrews so your child’s grandparent/special friend can join the fun. Rooms 1 & 2 will present a song in the PCS Auditorium (see invitation). Rooms 3, 4 & 5 will present songs in their classrooms around 11:15.

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PARENT TEACHER FELLOWSHIP (PTF):

Volunteer opportunities are available! Check back regularly as events are added as the year progresses.  Please follow this link: https://signup.com/group/1186271400029

CLASSROOM TEACHER TREATS: 

November 17 – Parents of Room 3

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WE HUMBLY REQUEST…

Morning Drop – Offs – Please make drop offs very quick during “rush hour” (7:57 am – 8:45 am) as cars are lined out the driveway waiting to get in. Believe it or not…prior to 7:57 am, the lot wide open, so give it a try and have a low-stress drop-off! 

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEACHERS!!!

November 27th – Pam

 

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Saturday, November 4 – Fall Festival

Friday, November 10 – Veteran’s Day Holiday – No School

Thursday, November 16 – Observation Day

November 20 & 21 – Stone Soup Days

November 22 – 24 – Thanksgiving Holidays

November 30 – Grandparents’ Day!

Saturday, December 2nd – Christmas Brunch and Kids Only Store

Thursday, December 14 – PCS Observation Day

Saturday, December 16 – Happy Birthday Jesus Party (10am-12pm)

December 20 & 21 – PJ and Hot Cocoa Day

December 22 – MINIMUM DAY

December 25 – January 5 – Christmas Holidays – School Closed

Fall is in the air! With the smells of apple crisp and pumpkin delights filling our preschool kitchen, we know that autumn has arrived! In a few days, our yard and classrooms will be filled with pumpkins, gourds and fall festivity! Feel free to add to the fun by sending in interesting pumpkins, squash gourds and more as you come across them in the grocery stores.

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NEWS, NOTES & MORE

Fall Field trip – Save the Date! November 14th to Underwood Farms

 We are excited to announce that our first field trip of the year will be a combined trip for Rooms 1, 2 & 3! We will need oodles of parents and chaperones, so please save the date and attend if you can (1 MVP per hour served as a driver or chaperone). Permission packages will be sent out soon!

Tell Your Friends! We LOVE our word-of-mouth referrals! Applications for NEW students are now open for 2018 -2019. Tell your friends to apply early! Thanks!

PCS Observation Day – October 12th @ 9:00 – If you are interested in PCS for your rising TK/Kindergartener, please come to one of our Observation Days. You will hear from Dr. Gray, view classrooms, and see us “in action!” Sign up online!

Site Work Day – October 28th – We love clean classrooms and a beautiful yard and parents love DOUBLE MVP hours! Please sign up to help us haul mulch, till sand and deep clean classrooms for double MVP hours! Sign ups for food are also available for single hours. CLICK HERE to help!

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UPCOMING EVENTS: 

 

Moonlight Magic – October 13th – Last call for Moonlight Magic! Enjoy and evening out with family or friends while your little ones enjoy pizza and a movie at school. Last day to register for preschool is Monday, October 9th. BYH is sold out.

TK/Kindergarten Meet & Greet – Saturday, October 21, 10:00-11:00 am – Students who are age-eligible for TK &/OR Kindergarten in 2018-2019 are invited to join us in the morning of October 21st for a Kindergarten Meet & Greet. Parents and students are welcome! Please be on the lookout fro information from Betty St. Peter in the PCS admissions office.

Parent Conferences – Friday, October 27th – No School! – Please sign up for conferences in your child’s classroom. You will receive your child’s first Developmental Profile and will have a chance to chat about your child’s progress this year. Please make every effort to attend.

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PARENT TEACHER FELLOWSHIP (PTF):

MVP Booklets/Hours: If you didn’t receive a YELLOW MVP booklet, please be sure to pick up one from the office. This is how we log our MVP volunteer hours. Each family is required to complete 10 hours. Thanks!

CLASSROOM TEACHER TREATS: 

October 20 – Parents of Room 2

ROOM PARENTS:

What a great group of Room Parents we have this year! We had a fabulous kick-off meeting last week and are excited for the year to come. Your child’s Room Parents will be reaching out to you throughout the year with volunteer opportunities, class activities and more. Many hands make light work…please remember to help out your Room Parents for a fun and enjoyable year!

Volunteer opportunities are available! Check back regularly as events are added as the year progresses.  Please follow this link: https://signup.com/group/1186271400029

Site Work Day Sign Up – Click Here

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WE HUMBLY REQUEST…

Classroom Sign-in Logs: Per state licensing regulations, a FULL & LEGIBLE SIGNATURE is required on our classroom sign-in logs. We can be fined for non-compliance of this, so please help us stay in compliance by signing your full signature each day. Thanks for your cooperation!

Siblings at School: If you bring a younger sibling to school during drop-off and pick-up, please keep them within arms reach at all times. This is also a state licensing requirement for which we can be fined.

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEACHERS!!!

October 4 – Sam

October 4 – Sarah

October 5 – Daisy

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS

Thursday, October 12 – PCS Observation Day – Students entering TK / Kindergarten will want to attend 🙂

Friday, October 13 – Moonlight Magic!

Tuesday, October 17 & Wednesday, October 18 – Speech Screenings

Thursday, October 19 – California Great Shake Out Earthquake Drill – all school earthquake drill

Saturday, October 21 – Kindergarten Meet and Greet

Friday, October 27 – Parent Conferences – No School

Saturday, October 28 – Site Work Day

Thursday, November 2 – Observation Day

Saturday, November 4 – Fall Festival

Friday, November 10 – Veteran’s Day Holiday – No School

Thursday, November 16 – Observation Day

November 20 & 21 – Stone Soup Days

November 22 – 24 – Thanksgiving Holidays

November 30 – Grandparents’ Day!

Dear Parents,

What a fabulous start to the school year we have had! Your little ones are doing such a fabulous job acclimating to their new classrooms and are enjoying all the fun activities we have at preschool. We are enjoying happy days, water play, lots of free play, big field (for the older pod), and so much more! We are also very proud of our mommies and daddies who took great strides to make drop-offs short and sweet, despite a few tearful goodbyes. You have done a great job assuring your little ones that you love them and that you will be back, then handing them to the teachers and separating quickly. These short goodbyes actually reduce stress for the children and allow the kiddos to process their emotions so they can gain their confidence and independence to feel secure at school. Well done, Parents!

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NEWS, NOTES & MORE

Back to School Night: A huge thank you to all who came out to Back to School Night! We appreciate your time and commitment. If you weren’t able to come, please be sure to get the packet from your child’s teacher so you can stay in the loop!

Tell Your Friends! If you love them, we’ll love them! If you have friends who are interested in enrolling for the 2018-2019 school year, online applications for next school year will be available on the PCS website in the next week or so. We have numerous applications for next year already, so tell your friends to tour, attend an Observation Day, and apply EARLY to get on our applicant list for 2018-2019. Be sure they tell us who referred them! We LOVE our word-of-mouth referrals!

Please read through these very important “housekeeping” items to help us stay safe and run smoothly…

Classroom Sign-in Logs: Per state licensing, a FULL SIGNATURE is required on our classroom sign-in logs. We can be fined for non-compliance of this, so please help us stay in compliance by signing your full signature each day.

Unattended Drop-Offs: Be sure to ONLY leave your child in the care of a teacher when dropping off. Students should never be dropped off to an empty classroom or left on the yard with another classroom. In addition, please do not let your child go ahead of you into a classroom unattended in the morning while you are checking in.

 Siblings at School: Just a gentle reminder that if you bring a younger sibling to school during drop-off and pick-up, please keep them within arms reach at all times. Please do not leave them unattended on the yard, in the lobby, in the car, or in the classrooms, even if you think you will be “just a second.” We appreciate your cooperation!

Parking Lot: In a perfect world, we would have a giant parking lot with ample space for everyone. Unfortunately, our parking lot is small and hard to maneuver. To help us through the morning rush, please drive slowly, park carefully, and keep your morning drop-offs (especially between 7:50-9:00) very short. Avoid parking along the wall when possible. Believe it or not, the parking lot is nearly VACANT until about 7:47am! Come early and avoid the rush!

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UPCOMING EVENTS: 

Preschool Picture Day – We are currently in the process of switching vendors and securing a date for fall preschool photos. We will let you know the date soon. Note that the photo day on Sept. 8th is for the elementary school.

In-Service Day: September 29th – This is a non-student day. In-service days allow time for teacher training, resetting classrooms, school advancement, curriculum building, and so much more. On this day, teachers will be completing the new state-required Mandated Reporter Training and working on your students’ Developmental Profiles. Have a good long weekend with your Little Blessings 🙂

Site Work Day – October 21st. – DOUBLE MVP Hours available! Keep an eye out for the Site Work Day Sign-up! Help us deep clean cubbies, beautify the garden, till the sandbox, and haul in our fresh new mulch.

Moonlight Magic – There will be three Moonlight Magic events this year: Oct. 13, Feb. 2 and March 16. This is YOUR chance to have a night on the town (or in the quiet of your own home watching Netflix!) while your little ones are safe in our care enjoying flashlight parties, pajama dance-offs, pizza and a movie. Registration is required, so sign up early! Elementary-aged siblings may attend the BYH Moonlight Magic on the same night.

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PARENT TEACHER FELLOWSHIP (PTF):

MVP Booklets/Hours: All families should have received their YELLOW MVP booklet. Please record your volunteer hours in these books. You can have your hours signed off by the office staff, Room Parents, volunteer coordinators of specific events, PTF Reps, etc. Every family is required to complete 10 hours (or 20 hours if you have students at the elem/jr. high) before the end of the school year. You can turn in your book as soon as it is complete!

If you didn’t receive on at Back to School Night or in your mailbox, we have a few at the front desk.

CLASSROOM TEACHER TREATS: 

September 22 – Parents of Room 1

Never expected, but always appreciated, Teacher Treats are a way to show your love and appreciation for our teachers. Each classroom is assigned two Fridays per school year to bring in treats for the preschool staff. Keep an eye out for information from your Room Parents!

ROOM PARENT MEETING: 

A HUGE thank you to all the moms and dads who signed up to be room parents this year! There will be a meeting later this month for all Room Parents. Please plan to attend if you signed up to be a Room Parent. Date/Time TBA.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES:

Volunteer opportunities are available! Check back regularly as events are added as the year progresses.  Please follow this link: https://signup.com/group/1186271400029

Upcoming preschool-specific opportunities include: Meal Train for the Atay family (2 hours per meal), Site Work Day on October 21 (DOUBLE hours!!!), Older Pod Field Trip to the Farm (Date TBA), Apple & Pumpkin Day (Oct. 30 & 31), and more!

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HAPPY BIRTHDAY, TEACHERS!!!

September 3 – Ms. Wendy

September 19 – Mrs. Silvia

September 26 – Mrs. Thelma

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CALENDAR OF EVENTS:

Thursday, August 31 – Back to School Night – 7:00 – 8:00

Friday, September 1 & Monday, September 4 – Labor Day Holiday

Thursday, September 14 – Magazine Drive Kick-off

Monday, September 25 & Tuesday, September 26 – Vision Screenings

Thursday, September 28 – PTF Teacher Luncheon – Sign up to help on Signup.com!

Friday, September 29 – Teacher In-Service (No Students)

Thursday, October 12 – Kindergarten/PCS Observation Day – Interested in PCS? Sign up for a tour here to see what all the fabulous fuss is about!

Friday, October 13 – Moonlight Magic! Registration Required.

Tuesday, October 17 & Wednesday, October 18 – Speech Screenings

Thursday, October 19 – Great Shake Out Earthquake Drill – Volunteers Needed

Saturday, October 21 – Site Work Day – DOUBLE MVP hours!

Friday, October 27 – Parent Conferences (No Students)

 

It feels like spring barely made it here and now we are counting down to summer! We are in the final stretch with less than one month remaining. What a fantastic year it has been working with your little ones. We have enjoyed each and every one of them so much and we thank you for entrusting them with us.

The month of May is packed with excitement and loads of fun activities, so hang on to your hats…it will be a fun ride to the end!
In the News:

Water Bags for Cubbies

The time has come! Please send in a Water Play Bag with your child within the next week or so. Please see attached Water Play Bag Supply List flyer for details.

MVP HOURS – DUE SOON!

MVP hours are due by the last week of school. Many of you noticed that a charge of $150 was added to your account. This charge was placed on all accounts that did not have a completed MVP booklet on file. The charges will be reversed if your booklet is received by May 26^th. Click here for last minute opportunities: https://signup.com/group/1186271400029

Not done? No worries! A few remaining opportunities will include the Preschool Promotion Ceremony, Pizza Parties, and Family Picnic.

Summer Camp Registration

We are nearly to the close of our summer registration. Please register by May 8^th to avoid a $50 late fee. We still have a few spaces available.

For those who registered, summer information such as calendars and supply lists will be emailed out in the next week or so….be on the lookout!

Upcoming Events:

Moonlight Magic – May 5

Our FINAL Moonlight Magic of the year will be held Friday, May 5^th from 6:00pm – 9:00pm. Don’t let your kids miss out on the fun…sign up soon! We enjoy glow-light dance parties, flashlight tag, pizza, movies, and popcorn while YOU enjoy a night out! Flyers are available at the preschool desk. Spaces are available in preschool. BYH is sold out.

Preschool Family Picnic – May 20

The Preschool Family Picnic is by far one of the most enjoyable events of the year! Families will enjoy bouncy houses, crafts, water play, and a picnic lunch on the PCS field! Save the date…you won’t want to miss it!

Pizza Party Days – May 23 & 24

Each classroom will enjoy pizza parties in their classrooms to celebrate a year of fun. Look for sign-ups for ‘potluck’ side items (MVP hours available!)

Preschool Promotion Ceremony (Rooms 1 & 2) – May 25 @ 7:00 pm

The Preschool Promotion Ceremony is a very special time to recognize our Rooms 1 & 2 students who will be promoting to Kindergarten, TK and Pre-K. This is an event our Rooms 1 & 2 families will not want to miss! Families will enjoy a selection of songs, a slideshow, presentation of certificates, and light refreshments. Invite the whole family and don’t forget the tissues!

Volunteer Opportunities:

Sign up to help here at PCS or the Preschool! https://signup.com/group/1186271400029

Preschool Family Picnic – Look for volunteer sign-ups for the annual preschool family picnic. We always need help with preparation, donations, and working the event at this super-fun picnic party!

Communication:

PLEASE FOLLOW the Preschool Blog for classroom updates: www.pasadenachristianpreschool.com

PCS Weekly: Check your emails for the PCS Weekly! This e-letter features links for volunteer opportunities, the main calendar, and more!

Calendar:

Friday, May 5 – Moonlight Magic – 6:00 – 9:00pm

Saturday, May 20 – Preschool Family Picnic – 11:00 – 1:00

Tuesday, May 23 – Classroom Pizza Parties

Wednesday, May 24 – Classroom Pizza Parties

Thursday, May 25 – Preschool Promotion Ceremony (Rooms 1 & 2) @ 7:00 – Minimum Day

Friday, May 26 – Last Day of School – Minimum Day

May 29 – June 2 – Clean Up Days – School Closed

Monday, June 5 – 1^st Day of Summer Camp (Registration Required)

 

Looking WAY Ahead…

*Monday, August 21      Classroom Welcome Party (Meet the Teachers and Handprint Party)

Tuesday, August 22         First Day of School!