Happy Holidays!

Merry Christmas! I hope your families have a safe and wonderful holiday. Thank you again for all that you do for your children and the preschool. We will see you in 2010!

December 18, 2009 Newsletter

Christmas Songs

Penguins performing "Snow is Falling"



Polar Bears performing "Another Way to Perform Rudolph"

Happy Friday!

A couple notes:

• We will be having our Christmas parties on Thursday and Friday. The classes will have holiday activities, games, and snacks (no snacks need to be brought these days). We are inviting all family members in 15 minutes early at the end of class to celebrate with everyone. We hope to see you there! (Thank you to everyone who offered to send something in. Mrs. Bloom and I decided that we had plenty of things left over from the Thanksgiving celebrations to use and we are supplying the rest. Your generosity is greatly appreciated!)
• Pre K Parents - If you are interested in registering your child for Kindergarten at St. Francis next year please visit the school office. There is some paperwork that needs to be completed.
  
• Preschool registration will begin in early January for current preschool families.
• As the weather gets colder we will be going outside less and less. Our playground is all grass and gets muddy very quickly. Also, with the temperature dropping, staying out of the chilly air will hopefully help students from catching colds. To make up for the lack of gross motor activity, we will try to do more dancing and movement in the classroom during the winter.

December 11th Newsletter

Winter Weather Reminder

Winter Weather Reminder

During inclement weather, St. Francis de Sales Preschool will close in conjunction with the closure of St. Francis de Sales Elementary School. Saint Francis de Sales School will always be closed for severe weather when the Newark public schools close. If school would have to be cancelled during the day, the Preschool staff will notify parents/guardians and proper transportation should be arranged by the parents.

School closings will be announced on various radio stations and morning news shows.

If there is a two hour delay, there will be no morning preschool. The afternoon Pre K will remain the same, 12:30-3:00.

Advent Time

December 4 Newsletter

For our Christmas parties coming up, we will be doing a couple of fun activities and crafts together in the day. Students will not need to bring a snack that day because it will be provided by Mrs. Bloom and Mrs. Noward. We have plenty of juice left over from the Thanksgiving performances that we will use, as well. We will not be asking for volunteers to donate items or help out in the classroom, however we will be opening our doors 15 minutes early so we can share some songs and celebrate the season with our families. We look forward to seeing everyone there. :)

Happy Thanksgiving!

November 20, 2009 Newsletter

Happy Thanksgiving! Since next week is only 2 days long there will not be a newsletter. We will start learning about Advent when we return to school on November 30th. I hope everyone has a wonderful holiday with their families. :)

Please remember to come to our Thanksgiving performances next week!

The Penguins will peform on Monday at 11:00 in the Lamy Center.

The Seals will perform on Tuesday at 11:00 in Conference Room A, by the Lamy Center.

The Polar Bears will perform on Tuesday at 2:30 in Conference Room A, by the Lamy Center.

We will be setting up the snacks and refreshments before the performances, so please drop off your donations in the morning, if you haven't yet. Thanks so much!

Little Blessings Academy Before/After School Care

A lot of you have been asking about next year and whether or not a full day option will be available for preschool. Unfortunately, it will not be. However, we are planning to work with Little Blessings Academy to provide before/after school care. Please see the following flyer for more information. Registration for next year will begin in January.

Little Blessings Flyer

Scarecrows, Squirrels and Acorns!

November 13th Newsletter

Thanksgiving Performance FYI - Please feel free to invite family members and grandparents to the performances. It should be a great show! Also, thanks to everyone who signed up to bring in items for the party. We really appreciate it! There are a few more items that haven't been signed up for yet, so please help out if you can. Thank you :)

Parish Parenting Classes

What Kind of Parent Do You Want to Be?
We have begun our conversation on Mondays at 8:45 AM in Lamy St. Francis Room. We will continue to meet for the next five Mondays (Nov. 16, 23, 30 Dec. 7, 14). There will be conversation, video, scripture, and reflection. This is directed to all parents. The video portion is available at http://www.stfrancisparish.net/Other/Videos/Videos.html. However, that is not the whole story. You are welcome to come join us. Contact Theresa DeMers for more information: 345-9874 ext. 210 or tdemers@stfrancisparish.net.

Thanksgiving Celebration!

For our Thanksgiving celebration we will be having a performance in the Lamy Center followed by snacks and refreshments. Each class will prepare a couple of songs to perform for their parents and anyone else who would like to attend. We are asking that parents volunteer to bring in snacks and juice to share with everyone. The sign up sheet will be outside our classroom door. Thank you so much for helping out. We wouldn’t be able to do everything we do without you!!

Performance times:
Penguins: Monday, November 23rd at 11:00 a.m.
Seals: Tuesday, November 24th at 11:00 a.m.
Polar Bears: Tuesday, November 24th at 2:30 p.m. (School-age siblings are welcomed to meet us at the Lamy Center)

Friday's Newsletter

Here is this week's newsletter - November 6, 2009

If you have not turned in your conference form, please do so as soon as possible. I will be getting back to those of you who turned them in by Wednesday of next week, if not sooner. Please look for an email coming your way. :)

As the weather continues to get cooler, I would like to remind you to please send your little ones with hats, gloves, etc. Our playground is in the shade most of the day, so it tends to be a couple of degrees cooler back there than out in the sun.

Progress reports will be sent home on Monday and Tuesday!

I hope you have a wonderful weekend.

Halloween Pictures

Seals: Putting together the ghost craft!

Seals: Enjoying their trail mix and popcorn. :)


Penguins: Full of Smiles!
Penguins: A butterfly and Belle drawing beautiful pictures!

Penguins: Roly Poly, Spiderman and Woody playing Ants in the Pants.

Penguins: Three Black Cats

Polar Bears: Lookin' good all dressed up!

Polar Bears: In the Graveyard

Happy Halloween!

I hope everyone had a nice time trick or treating! We enjoyed our Halloween, spooky week! Pictures from the party and videos will be uploaded early next week. Please stay tuned!

Thanks to everyone for your help at the parties this week! We couldn't have done it without you.

Please look for a conference sign up paper that will be coming home on Monday or Tuesday. Parent-Teacher conferences will be on November 17th and 18th. I would like to meet with everyone, if it is possible. If we can't find a time that works we can schedule a phone conference. I am looking forward to sharing my observations and praises of the students and setting goals together!

October 30, 2009 Newsletter

Thursday and Friday

Please do not forget about our Fall parties on Thursday and Friday. The Seals party will be on Thursday. The Penguins and Polar Bears will be celebrating on Friday. Thank you to the two parent volunteers from each class who signed up to help out in the classroom. The door will open 15 minutes early before the end of class so that any parents that can may come in and celebrate with us (make sure to bring your camera)! Costumes may be worn. Please refer to the Fall party information sheet that was posted on October 15th.

A couple of other random things:

• We are now collecting Box Tops and Campbell's Soup labels to raise money and supplies for our classroom. Our collection is separate from the school collection.

• If you have not done so, please switch out your child's extra set of clothes so that they are weather appropriate. Thanks!

Pumpkin Week!

All three classes carved a jack o’ lantern this week. First, I cut open the top of the pumpkin. Next, each student was given a chance to reach in and help empty the pulp and seeds (we later got to try the seeds after they were baked). Then, the carving began!

The Seals picked the shapes for their eyes, nose, and mouth. The Penguins decided to design their pumpkin after the jack o’ lantern in the book, The Biggest Pumpkin Ever! The Polar Bears voted between three designs, and decided they wanted their jack o’ lantern to say, “Trick or Treat.” They all turned out great!

Also, to go along with the pumpkin theme this week, Mrs. Bloom baked pumpkin muffins for everyone! They were delicious and gobbled right up! Thanks Mrs. Bloom.

Week 7 Newsletter

Fire Safety Week!

Here is this week's newsletter - Week 6


Check out the PreK Polar Bear's 911 Rap they learned this week!

Fall Party!

Here is some information about the Fall Party. Please let me know if you have any questions.

Preschool Fall Party Information

Short Week

Week 5 Newsletter

I hope everyone enjoys the long weekend. I know Mrs. Bloom and I will! We will all come back refreshed and ready to learn about fire safety.

Thanks for sending the students in with coats this week! We were lucky enough to get outside a couple of days. Hopefully next week will be nice, too.

Please make sure you check your child’s folder everyday. Papers quickly pile up!

There will be sign up sheets next to our door next week asking for volunteers to help out with our Fall parties at the end of the month. Each class needs two parents to help in the classroom (one organizing a craft and another for a game) and a couple of others to volunteer to bring in different items. All help is greatly appreciated! Volunteers will be first come, first serve. Remember, in order to help out in the classroom you need to have Protecting God’s Children and been fingerprinted.

More information about the Fall party is coming soon!

Pajama Reminder

Please Remember to wear pajamas this week!

Seals - Tuesday
Penguins - Wednesday
Polar Bears - Wednesday

October 2, 2009 Newsletter

A couple of notes:

• We have updated the Donation Tree in the preschool hallway with supplies to help keep our students healthy. Cold season is upon us and we have begun seeing runny noses and sneezing children. We are trying to keep the classroom and classroom materials as clean as possible. We appreciate all donations!

• Unfortunately, we have not been able to go outside much these past two weeks because of the rain. Our playground is covered in all grass and doesn’t get much sun during the day, so therefore it takes a couple of clear days to dry up. Hopefully the weather will turn around soon!

• As the weather is getting colder, please make sure to send your child in appropriate clothing. We cannot go outside unless every child is bundled up properly.

Next week there is no Preschool on Thursday and Friday. We will finish learning about farms and even have a pajama day (to learn about the letter P). Seals are welcome to wear their pajamas on Tuesday and Penguins and Polar Bears may wear theirs on Wednesday. Please make sure are appropriate for the weather outside. Thanks! We look forward to the fun filled day!

Parking News: When you are dropping off or picking up, please do not park in the middle of Pearl Street or in the middle of the cul-de-sac. You may park against the guardrail or by the garages. Thank you so much for helping make our drop off/pick up area organized and safe.

Apples, Apples, Apples!!!

Thank you to all the parents who sent in apples this week. Our activities this week wouldn't have been the same without them. They were greatly appreciated!

For the next two weeks the theme will be farms. We will be learning all about what happens on a farm, farm animals, crops, and tools used on a farm. I am collecting a couple household items next week for different activities. If you would like to donate any of these items, it would be greatly appreciated! These are what we need: clean styrofoam meat trays and clean empty egg cartons. Thanks so much. :)

Week 3 Newsletter

Weekly Newsletter

We are coming to the close of another week in Preschool. It is great to see the students adjusting so well to their new surroundings and routines. Mrs. Bloom and I have already seen a lot of improvement in everyone's behavior and willingness to follow directions. We will keep working on this even more in the next couple of weeks.

Next week we will begin learning about apples. There will be many different apple activities for the students throughout the week. We are asking that each student brings in at least one apple (of any color) on these days:

• Seals - Tuesday
  
• Penguins - Monday
• Polar Bears - Wednesday

Thank you for all of your help! Enjoy you the weekend and we'll see you again next week! As always, please email me (jnoward@cdeducation.org) or call the Preschool office with any questions or concerns.

Here is this weeks newsletter: Preschool Week 2

Thursday, September 17th

A couple of parents have called asking about tomorrow morning. The Seals are still schedule to start at 8:30 am even though the school has a scheduled late start. The Preschool hours will always remain the same, even if the school schedule is different.

I hope this clears up some of the confusion. We'll see all the Seals tomorrow morning!

First Week of School

We had a wonderful first week of Preschool and PreK. Thank you to all of the parents for helping your children adjust so well to school. Mrs. Bloom and I really enjoyed being with everyone and look forward to starting the regular schedule next week. I appreciate you working with the schedule this week. It made the adjustment easier by having a smaller amount of students on the first day.

Over the weekend I will be checking all the students' paperwork and figuring out what is missing. I will send home any missing forms next week so that all student files can completed.

There will be volunteer forms available next week for anyone who is interested in volunteering in the classroom or at home. Please remember that you must be fingerprinted and take "Protecting God's Children" before volunteering at St. Francis de Sales.

Just a few reminders:
* Morning drop off begins at 8:20 and afternoon drop off begins at 12:20. If the door is shut when you get to our classroom please wait patiently in the hallway until one of us opens the door. Thank you :)
* Please only send one snack and drink with your child. Multiple snacks take longer to eat and time is then taken away from other planned activities.

For a more detailed look of our past week, please download this week's newsletter that is posted below:

September 11, 2009 Newsletter

Don't Forget

As we're getting closer to our start date I would just like to remind everyone to return ALL of their paperwork on the first day (or earlier), including those that were given out at Open House and the missing documents that were sent home with the Open House letter. All medical forms are located on the right under "Helpful Links." Please let me know if you have any questions over what you're missing or need another set of forms from the Open House.

Open House

It was wonderful meeting so many of your at Open House. Thank you so much for coming! I'm looking forward to working with you and making this a great Preschool experience for your little ones. I'm going to work on uploading the calendar and some of the forms that were given out at the Open House within the next week or so. For now, here is some information that might answer some of your questions.

* Please use the Pearl St. entrance for drop off and pick up
* Parents are asked to send in a snack every day for their own child
* Preschoolers will not be wearing uniforms
* Students should bring a back pack and a folder to Preschool every day
* Please keep a change of clothes in a plastic bag in your child's back pack just in case of an accident

As always, if you have any questions or concerns please email me at jnoward@cdeducation.org.