February 2018

From the President

I can’t believe we are already looking ahead to September and the new school year.  We have just had our first open house and will be starting enrollment for 2018/19 school year early this month.  Huge thanks to Katie Orford for all her help and a big welcome to Sylvia Steigervald who is taking over helping our families get set for the new year.

After enrollment begins orientation and then our Orientation Coordinator steps in.  Many thanks to Rolande Barbon for her work last year and welcome to Glen Murray who has taken over for her. Another round of thanks to James Stenabaugh who has been working very hard on the new website.  It looks amazing and is no easy task to undertake.  So THANK YOU! This preschool would be what it is without the parents (and your “voluntold” jobs) and dedicated teaching staff – thank you. 

We still have lots of fun ahead with the auction around the corner.  I hope you had fun sourcing your item and have booked your sitter for March 3.  It is always a great night out!

May your month be filled with all things Valentine – love, kindness and friendship.  

Best,
Amber

Volunteers Wanted!

Are you interested in gaining experience running a non-profit or working with a Board of Directors? Are you interested in helping with the day-to-day running of the preschool? If so, then please join our Executive Team!

We are starting to look for new members for our 2018-2019 school year. There are a number of Executive members that are moving on next year and there is lots of room for new members. We meet monthly before the General Meetings on the first Tuesday of the month at 6pm. General Members are always welcome to attend the meetings if you want to check us out! If you are interested in more information please ask contact me either at the school or at qpps.vp@gmail.com or ask any of the Executive team.

Our Auction is in One Month!

LIGHT, CAMERA…AUCTION – Saturday March 3 @ Glenbrook Amenities Hall

Tickets to the Auction will be in your Childs tray by the February GM. You will receive 2 per family, however if you need more please contact Tara Hall tkhall13@hotmail.com to arrange additional tickets.

Bring $20 to the February GM for a chance to win PICK of the Litter – Or First Pick. This means if you win, you go into the Auction before anyone else and you get to pick an item to take home. This year up for grabs, Canucks Tickets, Signed stick by Boeser, InstaPot just to name a few.

There will also be volunteer sign up sheets to help during the auction to sell 50/50, bar tickets and work the bar. Please sign up, any help would be greatly appreciated.

Important Tax Information

Did you know QPPS is a registered charity and can issue charitable donation receipts for tax purposes on all eligible donations with a fair market value of $100 or more?  Here are some FAQs that should guide you through the process:

FAQ:

Q: What tax benefit will I receive from a charitable donation receipt?

A: The benefits will be different based on a number of factors including your total eligible donation amount (can be combined between spouses) and whether you owe tax or not (the donation credit is a non-refundable tax credit so it can only be used to reduce tax owed).  Most individuals will receive a tax credit on the amount donated of between 20% (for eligible donations up to $200) and 40% (for eligible amounts over $200) but every tax situation is different and we encourage you to speak with your tax professional if you would like more information on how a charitable tax credit would apply to you.

Q: Can I receive a donation receipt for my donation to the silent auction?

A: Absolutely, as long as it is an eligible donation.

Q: What is an eligible donation?

A:  A gift of property with a fair market value of $100 or more.   This could be cash or a gift of a physical item.  

Q: What is fair market value (FMV)?

A: Fair market value is normally the highest price, expressed in dollars, the property would bring in an open and unrestricted market, between a willing buyer and a willing seller who are both knowledgeable, informed, and prudent, and who are acting independently of each other.  What does this actually mean?  It means FMV is either the price you paid for the gift, or the retail price you would have paid if you were an average consumer looking to purchase the item.

Q: Does my donation to the silent auction have to be $100 or more?

A: No.  Every family is required to make a donation, but there is no minimum donation amount set by the preschool.  Eligible donations of $100 or more will receive a donation receipt for tax purposes but this is not a requirement.  Give what you can.

Q: Can I donate a gift of service?

A: Absolutely, but we can not issue a donation receipt.  Gifts of services (donated time, skills etc) provided to a charity are not property, and therefore do not qualify as gifts for the purposes of issuing official donation receipts.

Q: Can I donate a gift certificate?

A:  Yes.  If you purchase a gift certificate and donate it, then it is considered property and a receipt can be issued.  However, a gift certificate donated directly by the issuer of the certificate (by the business itself) is not considered property by the CRA and no donation receipt can be issued.  

Q: Do I need to include a receipt with my donation?

A; Yes, we need to be able to confirm FMV of the gift and the easiest way for us to do this is for you to include a receipt with your donation.  Alternately you can provide evidence of the FMV by providing two to three examples of the retail price of the item (in flyers, print out from the internet, etc).

Q: Do I need to be a member of the preschool in order to receive a donation receipt for an eligible donation?

A: No.  Donation receipts can be issued to businesses, family members, friends, etc as long as all qualifying eligibility criteria has been met.

Q: What information do you need to issue a donation receipt?

A: We need proof of FMV, donor’s full name (or business name), and the donor’s address.

 

Parent Education this Month

Dr. Ian Pike will be speaking about the importance of risky play. It used to be normal for children to spend long hours outdoors and away from watchful adults. The “bubble wrapped” childhood of today looks very different. This presentation will look at strategies to restore the balance and reintroduce risky play into our children’s lives.

And coming up in March, Joyce Collins from Kinsight will be presenting to us on the importance of inclusion.

Fundraising Update

Get a jump on your spring cleaning and gather up all those extra clothes for our monthly Big Brothers collection! Also at the February GM you will be able to pick up your meat pies, there will be our meeting draw and a little visit from the Easter bunny – a new fundraiser to fill those baskets, with chocolate from Olde World Fudge Company.

 

3-Year Old Classroom Information

In January, the three year old classes enjoyed our pajama day and hot chocolate day, a special visit from Orphan Wildlife Rescue and our Kids in Motion dance experience. Throughout the month we investigated the season of winter, hibernation, woodland animals, colours and shapes. We made collages with a variety of materials such as tape, paper, tissue and cotton balls. Our sensory table was filled with rainbow rice, moon sand, goop and ice providing a variety of tactile experiences. Baby care and bathing proved to be a very popular activity that we will continue expanding on this interest in February.

Next month, February, brings us further exploration with colours, colour mixing and shapes. With a budding interest in grocery shopping during dramatic play, we will be turning our playhouse into a grocery store! Valentine’s Day will be celebrated by creating and sharing valentines, decorating cookies and exploring friendships, feelings, family and pets.

Ms. Donna and Ms. Lynda

 

4-Year Old Classroom Information

Before our winter holiday, as children continued to interact with the web displayed in the middle of our room, a few children were concerned when sticks and pinecones started to fall off. A child decided to make a sign to protect the work-in-progress by asking others to “Please walk around. Thank you.” The children shared ideas on how to secure the items and the idea of glue and tape was agreed upon. As we returned to preschool in January, the children experimented and practiced using hot glue with popsicles sticks and wooden chopsticks.

At the sensory table, we sustained the children’s schema of transformation with colour mixing using water and pipets; first with the colours blue and red, then red and yellow, and finally yellow and blue. “It’s the magic potion again!” the children would exclaim. As a response, the magical story of Mouse Paint was shared verbally, visually, and actively to engage children of different learning styles.

The concept of personal space using Hula Hoops continued throughout the month. Children practice this concept by inviting peers into their space, and by negotiating on how to keep space between each other, as they stay in close proximity to each other. A Social Story of Personal Space have been shared, and our discussions have lead us to conversations about emotions. We this open dialogue, we will be introducing the Zone of Regulations to the children in the coming weeks.

Stay tuned to see where the children’s explorations will lead us to!

Ms. Queenie and Ms. Donna