December 2012

Give Love on Christmas Day –
Community Support

Dear Parents,

It’s hard to believe, but our holiday season is quickly approaching us. For many years our preschool has worked with two community groups, New Westminster Family Place and Fraserside Community Services, to offer some extra support to New Westminster families in need, during the holiday season. (In the past we have donated books, apple juice, toilet paper, and Food/Toy Hampers). We have contacted both of these societies to find out what their needs are for this year.

Family Place would again appreciate a donation of books… and the preschool has already ordered these books with free coupons through our Scholastic book program. They would also appreciate donations of gift cards that they will use towards:

• Purchasing simple snack supplies/bathroom supplies for the programs that they offer
• Purchasing age-appropriate small toys (that will be given as gifts) and food for the Family Place Christmas Party that is offered to families that attend their programs
• Gift-cards that can be given to families in need, to purchase their own family groceries

If you wish to donate a gift card, Family Place suggests that the following stores would be the most useful: Safeway, Save-On-Foods and Toys R Us. They also suggest that the grocery gift cards be valued between $5-$25 so they can easily distribute them to families in need (Larger amounts make it difficult to do this). If you would like to donate a gift card we ask that you do this before December 6, so that we can deliver them in time to Family Place. Please ensure that you write the value of the gift card on it.

Fraserside Community Services would appreciate donations of self-care products that they will distribute to families in need. They suggest that the main items that they need are:

• Regular size bottles or trial size bottles of Shampoo/Conditioner, Soap (bars or pump soap), Deodorant, Toothpaste, Floss, Toothbrushes, Comb/Brush and Face clothes.

If you would like to donate one or more of these items, we will start collecting them on November 26 and will finish the collection drive on December 14.

We realize that there are many ways to support our community… this is just one. Please feel to give only as you are able.

With care for our Community,

The Queen’s Park Preschool Teachers and Executive

It’s the Most Wonderful Time of the Year – Priority Enrollment for 2013/14

Up and coming! If you are currently enrolled at QPPS you can enroll your child(ren) into the 4’s class for September 2013 you can also enroll siblings into the 3’s class.

This “Priority Enrollment” will take place at the January 8 general meeting. Bring $70 cheque (preferred) or cash per family to cover the registration fee. If you have any questions about enrollment, please email enroll@qpps.ca.

Do You Hear What I Hear? Fundraising Update!

Thank you to all families for supporting the Queens Park Preschool Fundraising Initiatives.  Please see below for the ongoing fundraisers, due dates and information.

1.  ADAMS QUALITY FOODS – Fabulous meat pies! If you ordered in November, the food is being delivered frozen to the preschool at the general meeting December 4, so please come a little early to pick up your order. For future orders, please find the order form in your emails (or extras are at the preschool), fill out with a cheque to QPPS and put in the EMILIO 4am box.

2.  BEESAFE – earthquake preparedness kits. Orders are due November 30 for delivery before Christmas. Please put order forms in the JONAH 4pm box.

3.  WESTERN DIRECT ORDERS – The cutoff date was November 16. Food will be delivered frozen to the QPPS meeting on December 4. Please come a few minutes early to pick up your order.

4.  CLOTHING DRIVE – Due to the large volume of clothing, we will ask that you hold on to your clothing bags and only bring them to the preschool on collection days. The December collection day is: Tuesday, December 4 at the meeting.

5.  SHOPPING CARDS – For those who wish to order and have cards available in time for Christmas (delivered to the preschool the week of December 17) please put order form with payment in the EMILIO 4am box by December 4.

6.  QPPS business directory – Please read the information sheet (available in the members only section) for detailed information, or email Lena at lenajerabek@hotmail.com.

7.  Win Win Win Tickets – Thank you to all families who have supported the preschool buy purchasing and selling these booklets. All booklets and money are due on December 4. Please put the payment and sold booklets in the EMILIO 4am box.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

As that time of year approaches us, here is a little update on what to do about preschool when you wake up and look out the window to a white wonderland.

The preschool will close if it is too dangerous for teachers, students and parents to get to the preschool. If teachers are unable to get to the preschool, the preschool will be closed.

Duty Parents: if you are on duty on a snowy day and uncomfortable with travelling in the snow (and unable to make it to the preschool), please call the preschool and your class rep as soon as possible.

Student Not Attending: if you will not be sending your child to preschool due to snow, please call the preschool and your class rep. If too few students are attending, it makes the decision to cancel much easier.

Ideally the decision to close the preschool would be decided prior to 7:00AM. Closures will be communicated through the emergency phone trees and email. The decision to close will be through discussions between the teacher(s) and the President.

What Child is This?
3-Year Old Class Information

During the past few weeks the children have shown a big interest in cars, buses and trains. They have really enjoyed the pretend bus/train that was created above the house area. The children went on many “trips” to places like Disneyland, Ikea, Chinatown, Rainbow Land, and the Queen’s Park Forest! The children LOVED creating tickets for those bus rides as well. We also did a car wash at the water table and various forms of car and marble painting. We had a great day when we went on our forest walk, and it was fun to come back to the preschool for hot chocolate and a special treat. Thank you to the many extra volunteer parents that joined us on the walk!

Here is a new song that we learned this month. We sing it by using all the fingers on our hand, one finger per person. Then we repeat the song several times with all the names of our preschool friends:

COME AND LOOK AND SEE
Come and look and see, this my mama,
Come and look and see, this my papa,
Come and look and see my brother tall,
Sister,
Baby,
We love them all.

During December we will continue to expand on the interest in transportation, but add a seasonal twist and create a reindeer sleigh upstairs. We will also add ramps and marbles to the block area, which will allow the children to use their engineering skills to figure out how long a ramp they can create! Some other special activities that we have planned for this month are:

• Cookie baking and decorating
• Card/writing station
• Applesauce and cinnamon ornaments
• Using LOTS of glitter!

On December 20 we will have our Christmas Party instead of a regular class. The party times will be:
10am –11am – for the 3am class
1pm – 2pm – for the 3pm class

Parents/grandparents are asked to stay throughout the party (as there will be no official duty parents that day) and have fun with the children making some Christmas crafts, enjoying some goodies and then singing some carols at the end. Siblings are more than welcome! A sign up sheet for goodies will go around at the general meeting.

We hope you all have a wonderful holiday time with your families…..Merry Christmas!

Recycled/Natural Items Needed:

• We will need Evergreen boughs for a special activity we are doing at the Christmas Party. If you have any to spare, could you please bring them in on Tuesday, December 18.

 Things to Remember:

• 3’s class Preschool Party is on December 20 ……the am class from 10-11 and the pm class from 1-2.
• Dress appropriately for the weather, as we try to go outside each day. Please send along mitts and hats too.
• Preschool is closed from December 22, 2012 – January 6, 2013 and will re-open on Tuesday, January 7, 2013

It’s Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas
4-Year Old Class Information

This month we branched out from the preschool and turned our focus outward toward the community. We brought the outside in and transformed our play space into a mini city. Together we put together a store, a library, an ice cream shop (complete with ice cream we made), and a bus to get us around town. We also installed a tin can phone line, a couple murals, and were sure to include lots of cars and trucks throughout, of course.

For our first field trip, we went for a walk to the fire station just down the hill from the preschool where we met the local fire fighters and toured the fire hall. The fire fighters taught us about what is “hot” (and potentially dangerous) and what is “not hot” (and safe to touch) and what to do if a fire is on us!  “Stop! Drop! and Roll!” We also had the unique opportunity to take a turn behind the wheel of a fire engine and/or spray a real fire hose!  Firefighter Graham (Jarek’s dad) and Firefighter Jeff (Darwin’s dad) came to talk to our classes about fire safety too. They put on their turnout gear, giving the children the opportunity to see, hear, and practice calling out to a fire fighter in uniform.  Police Officer Bernard also paid the 4am class a visit with his partner, a two year-old Police Dog named Ando. Ando was just as excited, as we were to be visiting; he had a lot to say to us!

It’s starting to look a lot like…. Christmas! This month we’re looking forward to making a variety of decorations for your child to bedazzle the preschool and your homes.

Some of the planned activities include:

• A countdown ’til Christmas chart
• Spice ornaments
• Gingerbread people
• Wreaths
• Mistletoe (with our feet!)
• A gift for our families

Our Christmas Party will be on the last day of school before the Winter Break, December 21. More information on that will follow soon. In the meantime, we’ll be practicing various songs to celebrate the season. If you have any songs or traditions that you would like to share, please let us know. Feliz Navidad everyone!

Quote of the Month:

Child sitting at a snack table:
“3 girls + 3 boys = fair”