1st Church Preschool
111 Church Drive • Cheshire, CT 06410 • (203) 699-1169 • 1stchurchpreschool@sbcglobal.net
Newsletter September 2011
Dear Parents,
The first days of school are over and children are getting to know the basics, including new cubbies,
symbols, and the names of some new friends! It has been a smooth beginning, thanks in part to so many of you
getting all forms, especially emergency, medical and permission forms in before the school year began. Please
remember that your medical forms are good for one year from the date of the exam, so if a birthday exam is due
in the coming months, a new form will be needed. We have noted the date that your child’s physical form expires
next to their name on the sign-in sheets. If you have allergy or asthma medications here, we need a new form at
the beginning of each school year. I will get them out to those of you who need them. Hopefully, everyone has a
copy of their Enrollment Contract by now with all schedules finalized. If you need a copy of your contract, please
let me know. Below is a review of some general school procedures as a reminder for all of us but especially for
those of you who are new here. Please remember to refer to the 1st Church Preschool Handbook for any
additional questions.
• First, please remember to sign your child in and out daily at the center space desk. We will also post
relevant schedule information there for you to see.
• If there is a change in your child’s schedule such as late arrival, absence or other urgent messages for
teachers, please call the school and leave a message as soon as possible. Some mornings are too busy and
sometimes email may not get checked until later in the day.
• Kindergarten children’s schedules are now finalized and posted. If you have a change from the expected
schedule, such as a parent pick-up or absence from Kindergarten, please call and let us know so we will not
panic when a child does not get off the school bus. This is very important to insure safety and eliminate any
confusion. Also, you may sign your kindergartener up for extra hours on days when public school is closed and
we are open. See our Calendar for dates. Cindy will have a list posted for you to indicate if your child will be here
or not.
• Please check your Parent Pocket (next to classroom doors) for notes or information daily. There is also a
Teacher Pocket as well, to leave notes for staff.
• Art File boxes are labeled and located in the center space. Please check them regularly for artwork ready to
go home.
• We have a Parent Board outside the office door, where we post weekly snack menus, current monthly
newsletters, the School Calendar, our Board of Directors member information, and other relevant news. A
“Parent Jobs” list and “Wish List” for the 2010-2011 school year is posted. Please check it to see where you can
help. Your support is truly appreciated!
• Monthly tuition checks are due no later than the 10th of each month as contracted, to be placed in the
tuition envelope just inside the office door. We do not send out monthly bills. A late fee of $10 will be added for
payments not received by the 10th of the month and you will be responsible for any overdraft check fees. Monthly
receipts are available upon request. There is a sign up sheet located at the sign in desk. Please indicate if you
would like your receipt emailed or as a paper copy.
• Our Morning Program ends at 12:30 each day. Children come into the center space to sign out and expect
to see a parent or caregiver at that time. Please try to be here by 12:30 and ready to leave soon after so that
teachers can begin nap preparations by 12:45 for our very tired young 3’s and 4’s.
• Each child must have a set of seasonally appropriate clothes, especially extra socks and underwear, in the
labeled bag above his or her cubby. Bags of clothes are hung on the hooks above cubbies to keep them
organized, readily available for our use here, and out of children’s reach. Please check regularly to restock!
• For full-day children, nap cot sheets will be sent home for you to launder at the end of every full week or
biweekly for part timers. Please remember to return them the next week of school or we may run out of sheets!
• A “Curriculum Board” is hanging near each classroom door. Teachers will post class schedules, daily
curriculum focus, and program activities for each upcoming week. Check it to see what is planned for the week.
The Afternoon Program will also have schedules and activities posted near the exit door and a Rest Time chart
where teachers record how long your child has slept each day.
• We provide refrigeration for perishable items as requested by our CT licensing department. You may place
labeled containers and sandwich bags on the appropriate tray in the refrigerator in the teacher kitchen each
morning when you arrive, and teachers will dispense all items at lunchtime. Unfortunately, 50 full lunch boxes and
bags will not fit in the refrigerator so we will only refrigerate individual items. Please equip your child with
whatever utensils are needed to eat his/her lunch so we don’t have to search for spoons, napkins, etc. at this
busy time. Thank you!
This year, we are trying to reduce our paper usage. Please provide us with an email if you would like to receive
school newsletters and other general information electronically. Those whose still desire a paper copy will be
accommodated.
Our school is a non-profit entity, overseen by a Board of Directors that generally meets on the third Wednesday
of each month. The Board is composed of the Preschool director, a staff representative, two parent
representatives from each class, and a representative from the Church. This year’s Board member names and
phone numbers will be posted on our Parent Board. Please feel free to contact them with any questions or
concerns you may have.
Our staff is beginning to plan for our annual Parent Night, which is now scheduled for Wednesday, October 5th,
from 7 – 8:30 PM. We will talk about curriculum and present a slide show about the course of your child’s day.
Children are usually excited about their parents “coming to play” at their school for the evening and often make a
special snack in preparation for your visit. It is a fun and informative evening without children present to answer
any remaining questions you may have about our school.
There are a number of children enrolled who have food allergies. Please take time to carefully read the allergy
and medical policy notice that was sent home. In order to make their experience here as safe as possible, we
need your awareness, understanding, and cooperation. All of our staff are trained in the event there is an
emergency. We do allow peanut butter for individual lunches; however, we ask that birthday snacks contain no
peanuts or tree nuts. There may be additional restrictions in your child’s class so please consult your child’s
teacher before bringing in any food items to share. We do not allow children to share items from their lunches
with other students. We hope that these procedures will drastically cut down on the possibility of food-ingested
danger for our students with allergies and provide a safe school experience for everyone! Please also be aware
of safety issues regarding parking and pick-up. Be aware that no one is allowed to park directly in front of our
entrance way, in the fire lane or handicap parking spaces. This enables children and parents to enter and exit
safely with full visibility. Also, do not leave motors running or children in the car when coming in to pick up. Finally,
be sure to stop at the yellow line and STOP sign when entering from the front driveway as it is possible that a
child may run out. Thank you!
Finally, we are in the process of hiring a third teacher for our 4’s Room. We hope to have a new teacher in place
within the next few weeks. Also, we do have one opening in our 3’s class and three openings in our 4’s class. If
you know anyone who may be interested, please have him or her contact me. Enjoy these beautiful last days of
summer!
Brenda Ward-Kelley
Director