St.Mark Preschool
August/ September 2019 Newsletter
August 12 - 16….………..………………...…………………………...Set-Up Week/School Closed
August 19……………………………………………………………………………..…......First Day of school
September 2………………………………………………………………….…..…Labor Day - School Closed
September 11...…..…………….............................................................................. School Pictures
September 19…..…………………………………………………..………. Open House 5:30pm to 6:30pm
September 20…………………………………………………………………Axcess Fundraiser (Due Oct 4)
Welcome St. Mark Families!!!
The beginning of the school year can be a little crazy with all the excitement and anticipation. As the children fall into the morning routine, the drop-off time will become easier. Don’t be alarmed if your child sheds a few tears. Our teachers are experts at redirection and helping our children feel comfortable and secure. A quick goodbye is often the best way to avoid prolonging tears.
Your teacher’s priority is a smooth transition for each child in the morning so pick-up time can be a little easier to catch up on communication.
We are spending our week before school organizing, sprucing up the school and sitting in on some professional development trainings. We’re excited for a fresh start and looking forward to getting to know our new class members.
We’re happy to partner with Hope School District again as part of our inclusion program and the support team. This is a highly respected education program that is vital to the success of families in our community. It also provides our school with extra staffing and experts in the areas of speech, language, physical, occupational, and behavioral therapy. What an outstanding resource to have in our school.
We’re looking forward to a beautiful year together.
Open House
Thursday, September 19
5:30pm to 6:30pm
You and your family are invited to St. Mark Preschool to say hello to friends, teachers and classmates at our Open House. There’s plenty of time to socialize with other families as well as get to know the teachers and take part in a brief orientation. Healthy snacks will be provided.
Volunteer Groups
Once the dust settles we’ll be putting together our various volunteer groups. If you haven’t done so, there are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Our fundraising committee is gearing up for the first fundraiser which will be with Axxess Books sales.
Quick Notes
Please remember your snack day!
Please return all paperwork in a timely manner.
Tuition is due by the 10th of each month. The drop-box is located outside the office door.
Remember, anytime you order something from Amazon, first enter your account through Amazonsmile and add St. Mark Preschool to your contribution list. We get a percentage donated to us with every order placed.
Sick Policy
Policy for Children with an Illness or Contagious Condition
St. Mark aims to prevent the spread of colds, infections and communicable diseases. Parents are required to evaluate the health of their child prior to attending each day. When a child has any sign or symptom of illness or contagious condition that requires exclusion from the program, the preschool teaching staff or another designated staff member will immediately inform the parent, legal guardian, or other person authorized by the parent to inform them of the child’s condition and ask for them to be picked up by an authorized adult.
If the child exhibits any of the following within the last 24 hour period, they should not attend school that day:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fever above 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Rash
Heavy nasal discharge
Severe coughing
Rapid or difficult breathing
Persistent sore throat or difficulty swallowing
Conjunctivitis – inflammation of the eye
Excessive fatigue or feeling uncomfortable
Untreated Head Lice or nits
Untreated Scabies
Children suspected of being in contagious stages of chicken pox, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella or diphtheria or skin rashes lasting more than one day.
Parents are to notify the center if the child has a contagious disease such as chicken pox, head lice, measles, conjunctivitis, etc., in order to notify other families.
If a child displays one or more of the above health conditions and/or St. Mark personnel observe health concerns or behaviors affecting a child’s well-being, SMP reserves the right to request parents or guardians to pick up their child from the Center.
Safety Solutions
We have several areas for the children’s safety that we’d like to address:
1. Please keep your child with you until you are either on the playground or in the classroom.
2. Please leave your child only after you’ve made contact with a teacher.
3. Please keep your child with you in the parking lot as you arrive and depart from school. At any time, cars are coming or going and children’s height and movement can make them less visible.
4. Please be respectful of time spent at the waving wall. Many parents are in a hurry to get to work and struggle with delays at the fence. A quick wave or high five is best when cars are waiting behind you.
5. Please close doors as you arrive to or depart from a classroom or playground. We ask for your help to ensure the children are always within sight and supervision of the teachers—as we know it’s normal for them to want to roam and explore. They see an open door as an invitation to go in.
6. If you are exiting a class at the end of the day and your child starts to play with toys in the classroom, please help him or her pick up the toys before you leave. Thank you.
Email
We use email as a way of communicating with our families. Reminders, newsletters, updates and other information are emailed to parents regularly. All information that is emailed is also posted or put in children’s cubbies. This month we are emailing AND printing a hard copy. If you did not receive the email version of this newsletter, please verify your address through a quick note to st.markpreschoolSB@gmail.com
Healthy Lunches
Our teachers are watching sugar intake and helping the children make healthy choices. We all hope our children will avoid health challenges like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. You can help your child build lifelong healthy eating habits literally from their first bite! Your child needs a mix of foods to grow physically and to learn to enjoy different flavors and textures. When serving your child’s meal, fill half his plate with fruits and vegetables. Fill a quarter with proteins like lean meat, beans, or nuts. The last quarter should be grains and carbohydrates like whole grain bread, pasta, or crackers.
Reading nutrition facts on prepared foods can help you offer your child the healthiest choices. Teach him to read with you and involve him in making food selections as he grows. Pay attention to serving size while selecting foods that are low in saturated fats, sodium, and sugar. Try to maximize dietary fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron.
Party Fund
Did you pay your $30 party fee? In case you missed it before…here at St. Mark, we love to have parties and celebrations throughout the year, but it can feel overwhelming to be asked for a donation for every celebration. We’ve come up with a solution. We’re asking you only once to donate to the party fund. This money is budgeted for the entire year and is divided up to be used toward each of our five parties. Our parties are the Halloween Festival, Christmas Celebration, Munch with Men, Mom’s Special Tea, and End-of-the-Year Picnic. The amount we’re asking for is $30 per child. Your donation is greatly appreciated. You may drop off your donation in the envelope found in your child’s classroom. For those of you who already donated, THANK YOU!!!
August/ September 2019 Newsletter
August 12 - 16….………..………………...…………………………...Set-Up Week/School Closed
August 19……………………………………………………………………………..…......First Day of school
September 2………………………………………………………………….…..…Labor Day - School Closed
September 11...…..…………….............................................................................. School Pictures
September 19…..…………………………………………………..………. Open House 5:30pm to 6:30pm
September 20…………………………………………………………………Axcess Fundraiser (Due Oct 4)
Welcome St. Mark Families!!!
The beginning of the school year can be a little crazy with all the excitement and anticipation. As the children fall into the morning routine, the drop-off time will become easier. Don’t be alarmed if your child sheds a few tears. Our teachers are experts at redirection and helping our children feel comfortable and secure. A quick goodbye is often the best way to avoid prolonging tears.
Your teacher’s priority is a smooth transition for each child in the morning so pick-up time can be a little easier to catch up on communication.
We are spending our week before school organizing, sprucing up the school and sitting in on some professional development trainings. We’re excited for a fresh start and looking forward to getting to know our new class members.
We’re happy to partner with Hope School District again as part of our inclusion program and the support team. This is a highly respected education program that is vital to the success of families in our community. It also provides our school with extra staffing and experts in the areas of speech, language, physical, occupational, and behavioral therapy. What an outstanding resource to have in our school.
We’re looking forward to a beautiful year together.
Open House
Thursday, September 19
5:30pm to 6:30pm
You and your family are invited to St. Mark Preschool to say hello to friends, teachers and classmates at our Open House. There’s plenty of time to socialize with other families as well as get to know the teachers and take part in a brief orientation. Healthy snacks will be provided.
Volunteer Groups
Once the dust settles we’ll be putting together our various volunteer groups. If you haven’t done so, there are still plenty of opportunities to volunteer. Our fundraising committee is gearing up for the first fundraiser which will be with Axxess Books sales.
Quick Notes
Please remember your snack day!
Please return all paperwork in a timely manner.
Tuition is due by the 10th of each month. The drop-box is located outside the office door.
Remember, anytime you order something from Amazon, first enter your account through Amazonsmile and add St. Mark Preschool to your contribution list. We get a percentage donated to us with every order placed.
Sick Policy
Policy for Children with an Illness or Contagious Condition
St. Mark aims to prevent the spread of colds, infections and communicable diseases. Parents are required to evaluate the health of their child prior to attending each day. When a child has any sign or symptom of illness or contagious condition that requires exclusion from the program, the preschool teaching staff or another designated staff member will immediately inform the parent, legal guardian, or other person authorized by the parent to inform them of the child’s condition and ask for them to be picked up by an authorized adult.
If the child exhibits any of the following within the last 24 hour period, they should not attend school that day:
Vomiting
Diarrhea
Fever above 100 degrees Fahrenheit
Rash
Heavy nasal discharge
Severe coughing
Rapid or difficult breathing
Persistent sore throat or difficulty swallowing
Conjunctivitis – inflammation of the eye
Excessive fatigue or feeling uncomfortable
Untreated Head Lice or nits
Untreated Scabies
Children suspected of being in contagious stages of chicken pox, pertussis, measles, mumps, rubella or diphtheria or skin rashes lasting more than one day.
Parents are to notify the center if the child has a contagious disease such as chicken pox, head lice, measles, conjunctivitis, etc., in order to notify other families.
If a child displays one or more of the above health conditions and/or St. Mark personnel observe health concerns or behaviors affecting a child’s well-being, SMP reserves the right to request parents or guardians to pick up their child from the Center.
Safety Solutions
We have several areas for the children’s safety that we’d like to address:
1. Please keep your child with you until you are either on the playground or in the classroom.
2. Please leave your child only after you’ve made contact with a teacher.
3. Please keep your child with you in the parking lot as you arrive and depart from school. At any time, cars are coming or going and children’s height and movement can make them less visible.
4. Please be respectful of time spent at the waving wall. Many parents are in a hurry to get to work and struggle with delays at the fence. A quick wave or high five is best when cars are waiting behind you.
5. Please close doors as you arrive to or depart from a classroom or playground. We ask for your help to ensure the children are always within sight and supervision of the teachers—as we know it’s normal for them to want to roam and explore. They see an open door as an invitation to go in.
6. If you are exiting a class at the end of the day and your child starts to play with toys in the classroom, please help him or her pick up the toys before you leave. Thank you.
We use email as a way of communicating with our families. Reminders, newsletters, updates and other information are emailed to parents regularly. All information that is emailed is also posted or put in children’s cubbies. This month we are emailing AND printing a hard copy. If you did not receive the email version of this newsletter, please verify your address through a quick note to st.markpreschoolSB@gmail.com
Healthy Lunches
Our teachers are watching sugar intake and helping the children make healthy choices. We all hope our children will avoid health challenges like obesity, diabetes, heart disease, and cancer. You can help your child build lifelong healthy eating habits literally from their first bite! Your child needs a mix of foods to grow physically and to learn to enjoy different flavors and textures. When serving your child’s meal, fill half his plate with fruits and vegetables. Fill a quarter with proteins like lean meat, beans, or nuts. The last quarter should be grains and carbohydrates like whole grain bread, pasta, or crackers.
Reading nutrition facts on prepared foods can help you offer your child the healthiest choices. Teach him to read with you and involve him in making food selections as he grows. Pay attention to serving size while selecting foods that are low in saturated fats, sodium, and sugar. Try to maximize dietary fiber, protein, and vitamins and minerals such as calcium and iron.
Party Fund
Did you pay your $30 party fee? In case you missed it before…here at St. Mark, we love to have parties and celebrations throughout the year, but it can feel overwhelming to be asked for a donation for every celebration. We’ve come up with a solution. We’re asking you only once to donate to the party fund. This money is budgeted for the entire year and is divided up to be used toward each of our five parties. Our parties are the Halloween Festival, Christmas Celebration, Munch with Men, Mom’s Special Tea, and End-of-the-Year Picnic. The amount we’re asking for is $30 per child. Your donation is greatly appreciated. You may drop off your donation in the envelope found in your child’s classroom. For those of you who already donated, THANK YOU!!!