Hello Preschool Families!!
I hope that you had a fantastic week and you are enjoying your break! I want to say Thank you for all of your help and support with our winter celebration. I also have some exciting news. Since our little class is growing, we will be welcoming Ms. Tessa starting in January 2nd, 2017. We are very excited to have her join us!
This week:
- We talked about different building tools and materials. We talked about how they were used to build a house. We also looked at a time lapse of house being built and talked about the process.
- Talked about the color Blue. We looked for blue things in our classroom and outside as well as looked at who was wearing blue.
- Talked about the number four. How do we write 4? Can we find 4 object? Is there a poem to remember how to write the number 4?
- Talked about Squares. How do we draw a square? How many sides and points does a square have? We looked for things that were in the shape of a square in our classroom and outside.
- We worked on the Letters, Mm, Nn, Ww, and Xx. We practiced writing them, building them with wood and creating them with playdough
- We looked at the sight word, Is. We looked for the word, is, when we were walking in the hallway as well as reading books.
After Break:
- Letters: Yy, Xx
- The number: Five 5
- The color: Purple
- The Shape: Circle
- Sight word: it
- Buildings Unit: Our Focus this week is: What steps are there in building a house? What tools did they use? What materials did they use? What makes them strong?
Winter Break Homework: Over break we are asking for you to continue working with your preschoolers at home.
- Read to your preschoolers and utilize myOn (fill out the reading log)
- Use Alphabet Flash Cards to practice letter recognition and sound knowledge
- Have your preschooler practice writing their name
- Have your preschooler practice zipping their jacket
Thank you for your support! Working with your preschooler at home really makes a difference.
Important Dates:
Dec.19th -30th: Winter Break
Jan. 2nd– Jan. 17th: Enrollment for Siblings and New Families for the 2017-2018 School Year
Please remember that the weather is changing for the colder side to make sure that your child is properly dressed for being outside and that all items are labeled with their name. Please also check the spare clothes in your child’s backpack to make sure that they are for the right weather. Your child will need to have winter boots to be able to play on the playground if there is snow. We will be going outside unless it is below 20°F or unsafe weather conditions.
School Fundraisers:
Shoe Drive, Sponsored by PTO!!! Do you have any outgrown, old, no longer worn shoes? Bring them to Spark! Discovery Preschool. We are working with a company called Funds2.org who helps get the shoes we collect to developing countries. We are collecting: tennis shoes/sneakers, heels, boots, sandals, flats, dress, infant, dance shoes—all sizes, all styles! We will start collecting on Oct 28th! Bring your shoes to Trick -or-treat street at the school!!! The shoe drive runs until January 31, 2017.
Important Information about Enrollment for Next Year:
INFORMATION ABOUT A SECOND YEAR of Preschool AT SPARK, for children who do not meet age requirements for kindergarten
It is already time to be thinking about school for next year—whether you have a child leaving Spark! Discovery Preschool to move on to kindergarten, if you have a child staying for another year, or if you have an additional child that is going to enroll.
Returning Tuition-Based Families: For families who pay tuition with children returning for a second year of preschool, we will be sending home tuition applications in early December for you to fill out and return to our office, along with a $65 non-refundable deposit for the 2017-2018 school year, so we can hold your child’s place for their second year prior to opening up enrollment for any new families. Return this by Friday, December 16, 2016, to the school.
A goal would be to provide returning children programming with the same teacher the second year so as to provide consistency and continuity, unless there is a preference to try something new. This may not be possible, in some cases, as your child’s teacher may not offer all the possible schedules. As a returning family to Spark! Discovery Preschool, a second enrollment packet will not be needed since your child was enrolled this year. Tuition rates for the ’17-’18 school year have not yet been communicated to us at this point, but when we have them, we will be sure to communicate this to you.
Returning Families with Children with Special Needs: For families with children with an Individualize Education Plan (IEP) through Special Education, we will be sending home a note in early December for you to confirm that your child is planning on returning to Spark! Discovery Preschool for the 2017 – 2018 school year. Return this by Friday, December 16, 2016, to the school. As always with children with special needs, no deposit or tuition is required. As a returning family to Spark! Discovery Preschool, a second enrollment packet will not be needed since your child was enrolled this year.
Returning Families with children who receive a Scholarship: For children who currently have a scholarship for their 3-year-old, and who have a child turning 4 (by October 1, 2017), these families maybe eligible for a state-funded program, called the Colorado Preschool Program (CPP). We will be sending home CPP applications with these families in early December so we can get your child’s CPP application in place prior to opening this process up to families currently not enrolled. There are limited numbers of CPP placements at Spark! Discovery Preschool. Return this by Friday, December 16, 2016, to the school. To qualify for CPP, an hour-long screening/ family interview is required; these will be scheduled and conducted by school district CPP screening staff at Spark! sometime after the new year, with the dates to be determined. The CPP office staff determine eligibility. Spark! Discovery Preschool staff members do not complete scheduling, screening, and do not make decisions on eligibility for CPP. As always with children who qualify, no deposit or tuition is required. As a returning family to Spark! Discovery Preschool, a second enrollment packet will not be needed since your child was enrolled this year.
Returning Wrap Around families: Stacey Petering, our Community Schools Manager for extended-day childcare, will be sending home information regarding the application and deposit required for returning families in December as well, so that you can reserve a placement for your child for next year.
INFORMATION ABOUT NEW SIBLINGS ENTERING PRESCHOOL AT SPARK!
ADDING SIBLINGS: We will also be working to register and enroll siblings, along with other new families, from Monday, January 2 – Tuesday, January 17, 2017. An application, enrollment packet, and deposit are required to complete this process. Sibling applications are treated with a priority so that we can help families with multiple children have an easier time of organizing preschool and childcare. Families need to make sure to include that they have a sibling on their paperwork so we can keep them together and try to make their schedules as aligned as possible to make transportation easy.
Please call school at 720-652-7906 if you have any questions about registration and enrollment for preschool for next school year!
Please let me know if you have any questions.
Mrs. Tori