1st Church Preschool
February 2010 Newsletter
February…Freezing, Expressing, Brushing, Remembering, Unwinding, Abe, Resting, Yummies and Ground Hogs!
That is just some of what will be happening in this very short month. Regardless of what the Ground Hog says, we
know it is still cold and we will probably have more of our unpredictable New England weather. This means don’t
forget to continue to bring all that winter gear. As the weather begins to warm and thaw it means clothing will get
even more wet and muddy during outdoor play. Having an extra pair of waterproof mittens and lots of extra
clothing, especially pants and socks is really helpful.
We wanted to share with you what is usually done in our classrooms for Valentine’s Day. We believe that the
buying, signing, and sending of Valentine cards for all the children in the class is quite a formidable task for a pre-
school child, and often results in parent’s doing all or most of the work involved. On the receiving end, it is also
quite difficult to keep track of all the valentines and to remember who they are from as well as deal with the anxiety
of getting as many as everyone else and not losing any. Since children will be sending Valentine cards in the
many years to come when writing, counting, and organizing is much easier to manage, we ask that you refrain
from giving out Valentine cards here at 1st Church. Instead we will be designing our own Valentines and
personally handing them out to friends for Valentine’s Day. Our focus will be on the children’s own creations and
their well wishes to each other, as well as strengthening their cutting and writing skills. Even though children in
the 5’s room may be bringing store-bought Valentines to and from Darcy School, we ask that they also make their
own Valentines for each other here. We also will not be having any parties with candy here at 1st Church, but
instead, a special Valentine’s Day snack! Please remember our no candy policy.
This month classroom teachers will be finishing your activity sheets. They have spent time observing the activities
your child chooses to participate in and the center areas they prefer most as well as those that they usually need
to be encouraged to try. I hope parents who had the opportunity to come in, and observe were able to get an
appreciation of how busy your children are during school. Lots of learning and hard work is always going on.
February is also dental awareness month. We will be having dental hygiene student visiting from Lincoln
College. Permission forms have been distributed to allow your child to participate in the dental screening portion
of the program. They are only able to come on Monday afternoons. If your child is not here on a Monday
afternoon and you would like them to have a dental screening, you can contact them at Briarwood/Lincoln College
to schedule a time.
Our Fund Raising Committee is planning the entertainment for our Community Event. Robert Markowitz, the
“Guitar Guy” will be our entertainer for the event. He is a music teacher and very kid-friendly, with lots of great
songs and activities in store. The event will be held on Saturday, March 20th from 10am – 11:30. It should be fun
for the whole family. It will be held upstairs in the Church’s Parish Hall. Details and fliers will be posted soon. We
will have popcorn, juice and bottled water for sale. March can be a long and dreary month, so we hope a fun
family/school event will be just what we need! Children love coming to school on a “home day” with their family &
friends. The program will be fun for older children as well as preschoolers. Friends and neighbors are welcome.
The more the merrier! This tends to be a big event in the life of our preschoolers.
Reminder, we are closed on Monday Feb. 15 for President’s Day, but open Tuesday Feb. 16 through Friday Feb.
19, for our “optional days”, If you would like your child to attend on any of those days, they must sign up and pay
for separately. We will be open the 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. all four days with our regular teaching staff. Everyone
will be together in the 4’s Room.
Registration for next year is almost done. We do still have a spot for a girl on Thursdays and Fridays in our 3’s
room. We have some spots left in our 5’s room as well. We are working on doing a pre-k room so that has
opened up a few additional spaces for our 5’s friends. I will be sending out confirmation letters soon for those
already registered. If you have any changes in your application for next year, please see me as soon as possible.
Stay warm,
Dawn