1st Church Preschool
111 Church Drive • Cheshire, CT 06410 • (203) 699-1169 • 1stchurchpreschool@sbcglobal.net
December 2011 Newsletter
Happy December! Our pie sale was a success! Thanks so much to all those who bought, sold, unloaded, bagged and
delivered what was purchased! Our fundraiser, along with donations received, net a profit of over $1500 for our
program!
We really appreciated the wonderful variety of fruits, vegetables, breads and muffins for our sharing tables before
Thanksgiving. Thank you to moms and dads for your help with the set up, serving, and cleaning. Children enjoyed
choosing and trying new foods, as well as enjoying familiar ones. They also enjoyed singing, sharing thankful thoughts,
and eating together in the Thanksgiving spirit.
As it begins to get colder, please try to get a backup plan ready now for the possibility of SNOW. I want to remind you of
our snow policy as stated in the Handbook: We follow the Cheshire Public School schedule, and are closed when they
are closed for snow days. Please listen to your radio or watch your television in the early morning for announcements
about Cheshire public school delays, early dismissals, and closings. I will try to email delays, closings and early dismissal
when possible. Also, 1st Church preschool information is posted on the television and on the websites of WFSB 3
Hartford/New Haven, Fox CT, and NBC Connecticut.
In the event that Cheshire public schools have a 90-minute delayed opening, we will also have a delayed opening, but
only 1 hour. Our school will open at 8:30 a.m. for the children normally scheduled to arrive between 7:30 and 8:30, and
9:30 a.m. for the morning program children. When there is a delayed opening, morning kindergarten at Darcey is
cancelled. When there is an early dismissal, afternoon kindergarten at Darcey is cancelled. We try to accommodate
families when these circumstances occur, but there is an additional ½ day care charge to extend the day. Please call the
school if you will be in need of extra care on these days.
When public school has an early dismissal because of severe weather, it may be necessary for us to dismiss early as
well. In the event of a 1st Church early closing, we will notify parents as soon as we can to pick up children as soon as
possible so that everyone will be able to travel home safely.
We hope there will be some enjoyable snow this winter (just not too much). We go outside everyday (even if only for a
short while), except in severe cold (below 10 degrees F) or rain. We are requesting that in preparation of the cold and
mud, you send in labeled hats, snow pants and mittens (2 pairs for full day children) each day. Gloves can be
frustrating, especially when fully dressed, and are not always as warm as mittens. Please be sure to send in separate
outside shoes or boots, regardless of whether or not there is snow on the ground. Full gear keeps children drier and
warmer outside. In the interest of convenience and safety, it is best to have slip on snow boots or heavy outside shoes
that are warm and can get dirty for use on the playground. Upon entrance back into the building, we all change from
our boots to indoor shoes. Please provide your child with easy slip on shoes (velcro sneakers are best) to keep sand,
salt and mud to a minimum, and socks dry. Please do not send slippers for inside use, as they can be somewhat
dangerous and slippery.
Please try to keep all of your child’s belongings labeled. Boots and mittens can all look amazingly alike and children
often do not recognize what is theirs. It is a large task to dress and undress 36 children daily, but outside playtime
remains very important and exciting, especially if we have snow. Please try to keep change of clothes bags stocked with
seasonally appropriate clothing and lots of dry socks and extra pants for the winter days ahead.
Parent conferences have been going on in all classes and Performance Standard Assessment Forms are being sent
home. These standards are set as part of the Connecticut Preschool Assessment Framework. Keep in mind, this
assessment is meant to provide benchmarks for your child and the information provided is simply a snapshot of their
time here. There are skills that you have the pleasure of watching your child develop and master at home that are not
always demonstrated during an assessment. So please, don’t get intimidated by these forms or the information. Use
them and the conferences as an opportunity to share information about your child’s growth and development!
Reminder, regular December tuitions are all due by the 10th to avoid a late fee. Our last day of school is Friday,
December 23rd with a 4:00 closing time. We are closed for the holiday break Monday, December 26th through Monday,
January 2nd. We reopen on Tuesday, January 3rd. It is an extra long time, so be ready, we may go through some
separation struggles when we return.
Some thoughts about these next weeks ahead; this can be a very hectic and exciting holiday time. Children do respond
to all that is going on around them. We will slowly let some of the December excitement into our classrooms, with the
symbols of the season, songs, and special art activities, but generally, we try to keep things as calm as possible -- a sort
of refuge from the storm. This in itself is a challenge, as energy and excitement, and even anxiety, mount daily the
closer we get. We plan to cook potato latkes and make gingerbread to recognize the events surrounding us as we
move closer to the holidays. Children in the 4’s and 5’s Rooms will be sharing their family’s holiday traditions as we
explore different cultural celebrations among us.
Finally, looking to the future, you will be receiving our new application. I will be accepting next year’s request from our
current 1st Church Community this month, and from new families beginning January 3rd, on a first come basis, so
please get your application in as soon as possible. If your child will be participating in the 5’s program, please indicate
on the application form if they need to be put on the bus at 8 am or if they will be returning to 1st Church after attending
Darcey p.m. kindergarten.
Karen, Cindy, Maura, Caryl, Emily, Audra, Kimberly, Brette, Lisa, Mary-Lynn and I wish you all a warm and loving holiday
season and a happy, healthy New Year!
Brenda