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Lakeside Presbyterian Church Weekday Preschool

October 2011 Newsletter

October 2011 Newsletter

School News
Fire Safety Month
The Pre-K children will visit the Lakeside Fire Station on October 6 at 9:30 am. If you did not receive a permission slip for this field trip please contact your child’s teacher as soon as possible. Your child can not leave the Preschool property without a signed permission slip. Verbal permission is not acceptable. Our Preschool and Playgroup children will have a fire safety program at the Preschool on Friday, October 7 at 9:30 am. Our first school Fire Drill will be on October 21. This first drill is a practice drill. All of the children will hear the alarm and learn what to do whenever they hear it. We will have a fire drill each month. Fire Drills in October, November, December, January and February will be announced. Those in March, April and May will be unannounced. Please ask your child about the fire drill and reinforce what their teachers have told them they need to do during one.

Pumpkin Patch Field Trips
It’s pumpkin pickin’ time! The Pre- K classes will visit Ashwood Nursery and Gardens on October 13 to do their pickin’ and this year the Preschool and Playgroup classes will visit the pumpkin patch at Lakeside United Methodist Church’s Pumpkin Patch on October 14 to pick their pumpkins. Permission slips for both field trips have been sent home in the children’s folders/notebooks. Please return your child’s as soon as possible if you have not already done so. If you did not receive a permission slip please contact your child’s teacher. Your child can not leave the Preschool property without a signed permission slip. Verbal permission is not acceptable. If your child will be leaving with you from the field trip site please send a note letting your child’s teacher know that and make sure you tell their teacher before you take your child and leave on the day of the field trip.

Annual Pumpkin Party
Our traditional school wide Pumpkin Party will be on October 31 this year!  The details about this fun day including the time your child’s class will attend will be sent home in your child’s folder/notebook the week before. Tuesday/Thursday Playgroup children are welcome to come join in the fun but only during the time for their party and an adult must accompany them. They may not come for the regular school day. We will need volunteers to help with the party, look for an email from Mrs. Lawton through Volunteerspot in your inbox next week. If you do not receive an email and would still like to help please contact the preschool office.

Pre-K Pizza Lunch Fridays
The Pre-K classes will have Pizza Lunch Fridays again this year. Pizza Lunch Fridays for October are: Oct 7, Oct 14, Oct 21 and Oct 28. Your child will only need to bring a lunch on these Fridays if you choose not to sign them up for Pizza. Pizza Lunch will be provided only for those children whose order form with the appropriate payment has been returned. If you have a Playgroup and/or Preschool child who stays for Lunch Bunch they will need to bring their lunch as usual on Fridays. Pizza Lunch Friday is for PreK only.

No Weekday Preschool Programs Oct 10
There will be no TMO, Playgroup, Preschool or Pre-K classes on Monday, October 10th, Columbus Day. The Happy Hive Child Care will be open for those children who have been enrolled for days when the Weekday Preschool Programs are closed. If you are not sure if your child is enrolled for Hive Only Days or if you would like to check space availability for your child on this day, please call Mrs. Amrhein. Parents may not use the Happy Hive Child Care program unless they have enrolled their child or made prior arrangements with Mrs. Amrhein. Children that are attending the Happy Hive on October 10 should have received a pizza order form in their folders/notebooks this week. If you would like for your child to have pizza please return the order form with the appropriate payment on your child’s next school day. Otherwise, they will need to bring their own lunch.

Fall Pictures
Our Fall Photo Days will be Wednesday, November 3 and Thursday, November 4. We will put a note in your child’s folder/notebook the week before letting you know which day is your child’s Photo Day. After much consideration, we have decided to break from Happy Face Photography this year (who was bought by the national company LifeTouch last year) and stay local. Our photos will be taken by Laura Matthews, a former parent of the preschool. Feel free to take a look at her work at http://www.lauramatthewsphotography.com. 

Preschool Library
After hatching the idea long ago and giving it a try during Summer Camp, the staff has diligently worked to create a school library! We have such a wonderful collection of books to share with you and your children. Starting the week of October 10, the children will have an opportunity to visit the LPC Weekday Preschool Library each week. Each child will be allowed to check out one book a week to take home and share with their family. There will be a letter with more information about how this will work in your child’s folder/notebook the week before we open.

Move It and Music!
Both Mrs. Gill and Mrs. Parent have sections on the Forum. They post regularly about what the children are doing in Move It and Music/ God Is Good Time each month. This is especially helpful when your child comes home singing a new song or showing off new dance moves! Please check out their links below!

Pastries with Parents
Thanks to everyone who could stop by for our first Parents & Pastries of the year!  Our next Parents & Pastries is on Thursday, October 27 from 7:30am - 10am. If you are on your way to work feel free to stop in and grab a pastry and/or cup of coffee to enjoy on your way! If you can stay and visit a while that’s great. We host this event once a month to thank you for being one of our parents, but to also provide an opportunity for our parents to meet one another even if just in passing. It is a great time to introduce yourself to your child’s new best friend’s mom or dad. We set up in the Fellowship Hall on the lower level down the hall from the Happy Hive classroom.

Classroom Substitutes
If you are interested in being un our 2011-12 Substitute List, please email Mrs Amrhein or Mrs Lawton at .

Happy October Birthday
Madelyn Russell/2, Jenna Garcia/5, Mrs. Porter/7, Mrs/ Colpo/8, Hope Thorn/9, Heidi Gill/22, Mrs. Lawton/25, Shagun Agrawal/26, Aaron Spera/26, Ian Spera/26, Mrs. Parent/26, Kyleigh Broomell/27, Karsten Stiles/31

Reminders
Cell Phone Policy
We are a cell phone free environment! You will never find any member of our staff using a cell phone when you come into the building for an activity, to drop off or pick up your child or when coming through Arrival and/or Dismissal lines. Thank you for showing us that same consideration and courtesy. Stay in your car or pull out of line and finish your call if it is that important.

Nut Free School
We are a “nut-free” school. This is no longer a choice, but the recommendation of the Virginia Department of Health, whose inspection we must pass every year to renew our Religious Exemption status. All items your child brings for snack and lunch must be nut-free items. If your child eats a nut product for breakfast or on the ride to preschool, please have them wash/wipe their hands before you bring them into AM Extended Hours or we take them out of the car at arrival.

Shoe Policy
All children must wear socks and shoes that fit securely on their feet. Hard soled shoes, sandals, slides,“crocs”, boots, flip flops - any shoe that is not secure on their foot is not acceptable for safety reasons. Parents are reminded that their child will not be allowed to go outside with their class or participate in “Move It” class if they do not have on appropriate shoes. We will ask/call a parent to bring appropriate footwear for their child. 

Payments Due on 15th
If you are paying your tuition monthly it is now due no later than the 15th of the month. Parents who have chosen to stay with the Extended Hours they returned with their 2011-12 Enrollment application will be billed at the end of the month with payment due in full upon receipt. If you are going to have a problem making payments when they are due it is extremely important that you let Mrs. Amrhein know immediately. When your payments are not made on time our ability to meet our obligations is compromised - especially to the staff. Children may not “make up” days they miss due to planned or unplanned absences. No reduction in tuition is given for days missed regardless of the reason. 

Scholastic Book Orders
New Scholastic order forms and booklets were sent home this week, including an info sheet with your Scholastic packet with instructions on how to log in and the school information to place your Scholastic Orders online. We will also keep this posted on the forum, for reference at any time. The October scholastic order will be due on Wednesday, October 20.

Unscheduled Closings, Delays, Early Dismissals
Decisions to dismiss early, delay opening or close are made by the Director. If any of these actions must be taken parents will be notified immediately by email using the address parents provided on their Enrollment form, on WRIC/ Channel 8 listed as Lakeside Presbyterian Preschool in the Private Schools section and the information will also be made available as soon as possible on our web site: http://www.lakesidepreschool.org and the Preschool office answering machine.

We are on Facebook!
Just a reminder to like our Facebook page! http://facebook.com/LPCWP

Classroom Updates
This section will link you directly to your child’s class section on our parent discussion forum. The Discussion Forum is here to allow parents more access to their child’s preschool day. It is open to parents and family members of currently enrolled students only.

Toddler Morning Out: - Come visit the Cabbage Patch!

Playgroup:
Mrs. Katie’s Class- Updates from the Playgroup Penguins!

Preschool:
Mrs. Colpo’s Class- Check out the Bluebird Room!
Mrs. Hudson’s Class- News from the All Stars!!
Mrs. Johnson’s Class- What’s the buzz in the Bee Room?

Pre-K:
Mrs. Cooke’s Class- Take a Peek at the Pre-K Platypuses!
Mrs. Oliver’s Class- Bringing news from the Bear’s Den!

The Happy Hive: The Happy Hive of Busy Bees!

Weekly Activities
MoveIt! with Mrs. Parent- Move it with the Monkey Class!
Music with Mrs. Gill- What’s up in Music?

We would love to hear your comments and suggestions!

Highlights This Month